“Speaking of quality…” Kurtz turned to Stella, who’d been watching our exchange with a bemused expression. “Who is your stunning date?” She answered after several beats of hesitation. “I’m Stella.” She graced him with a tentative smile. Something dark and volatile burned in the pit of my stomach. “I’m Mike.” He oozed sleazy charm as he held out his hand. She didn’t get a chance to shake it before I cut in between them to whisk two glasses of champagne off a passing server’s tray.
