97|Barking Up The Wrong Tree

As much as Austin wanted to sleep in and snuggle up with Marybeth and Orlando, he had too many meetings and too much to do before Indigo's launch party in the afternoon. So when his alarm screeched at 6:00 AM, he shook himself awake and jumped out of bed.

By seven, he was freshly showered, dressed and ready for his first meeting. He kissed a still-sleeping Marybeth and Orlando goodbye before heading out.

When he found Andrei waiting in the lobby with two Americanos, his morning, which was already shaping up to be a good one, got even better.

"I had a feeling you'll need this," said Andrei as he handed him one of the cups. "How did it go last night?"

"Thanks," Austin mumbled, wasting no time taking his first sip as he followed him to the car.

Crush was only a few blocks away from The Castle, and he could have easily walked there, but he wasn't complaining. The air con in the car was a welcome relief from the scorching sun. The oppressive summer heat was probably one of the many reasons