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their drinks. Greg handed Aisha her wine. “Salud.” He lifted his glass and touched hers.
    “Salud.” She smiled and took a sip. Greg did the same. “So.” Aisha pointed at his glass. “You don’t drink?”
    He smiled. “Not while I’m working.”
    Aisha laughed quietly and lifted the glass to her lips, enjoying the dry, smooth taste as it slid over her tongue. “Hey, you know, I just realized I don’t even know your last name. What is it?”
    “It’s Williams. And yours?”
    “Anderson.”
    “Anderson.” He paused. “Aisha Anderson.”
    She held up her hand. “Yeah, yeah, I know. AA. I’ve heard all the jokes. Hey, AA, you working the twelve steps?”
    Greg laughed. “Actually, I was going to say that I like your name.” He took a step closer to her. “Aisha Anderson. It’s very alliterative.”
    Aisha’s heart beat furiously in her chest. Their eyes met. She averted her gaze back to the dance floor. “Thanks,” she mumbled and took another sip. The lead singer of the band made the dinner announcement, much to her relief, and she and Greg pushed their way through the crowd to find their assigned table.
    “Carl. Mandy. Good to see you,” Aisha greeted her coworkers at the table as she sat down.
    “Hey, Aisha.” Mandy leaned in and gave her a quick hug. “I’m so glad you’re sitting next to me. We have to catch up. It’s been forever. You remember my husband, Doug? I can’t believe the numbers I’ve been seeing from your team. Unbelievable. I know Phil must be shitting in envy.” She tilted her head back and gulped down the last few drops of her red wine. “Hey, who’s your date?”
    “This is Greg. Greg, this is Mandy. She works in accounting.”
    Greg leaned across Aisha and extended his hand. “Pleasure to meet you, Mandy.”
    “Greg.” Mandy shook his hand. When he sat back in his chair, she whispered to Aisha, “He’s gorgeous. Who is he? Where did you meet him? Why haven’t I met him before?”
    “Well…”
    “Excuse me, ladies.” The waiter placed their salads in front of them. Aisha exhaled. She hadn’t come up with a cover story. “Shall I refill your glasses?”
    “I thought you’d never ask.” Mandy winked at the waiter. “Red, please.” The burgundy liquid swirled around the glass.
    “White for me, thanks.” The waiter poured Aisha’s wine and gave the bottle a twist when he finished. “So how are things down in accounting?”
    Mandy picked up her fork. “Oh, you know. Same old, same old. We had to cut two admin assistants, and everyone’s biting their nails over who’s next.” She took a bite of her salad. “So I hear you applied for Vicki’s job.”
    “I did.” She lifted a wilted piece of lettuce drenched in dressing and skeptically took a bite. “What else have you heard?”
    “Well,”—Mandy glanced at her—“you did hear the rumor about why she quit, right?”
    “Yeah, something about not feeling like the other vice presidents took her ideas seriously. So she got an opportunity at another company where she thought she could really contribute. We only had a brief conversation in the hallway about it.”
    “Well, it was a little more than that.” Mandy took another sip of her wine. “You know Eva and Vicki are friends, and Eva told me Vicki said that when all the vice presidents get together it’s awful—dirty jokes, sexual innuendo, that kind of stuff. Not directed at her. Not anything too blatant, but enough to make her feel very uncomfortable.”
    “Really?”
    “Yeah. You know she’s the only woman VP. Or, at least she was.”
    Aisha exhaled sharply. “Yes, but I had no idea that kind of stuff was going on.”
    “But I’m sure you’ll be fine,” Mandy said with a wave of her hand. “You’re no push-over. I’ve seen how you handle the toughest clients. It’s damn impressive. Plus, your only competition is Phil, and no one can stand that perv. Have you seen him tonight?”
    “Thankfully, no.”
    “Stay away.