Rafe Sabas is the ideal corporate man. He is on a first name basis with the president of his company and likes to think about a deal while talking about something else. “I am not good at thinking alone,” he quips, “corporate life ruins you for that.” Rafe’s personal life, too, is right where he wants it. He’s got a proper wife and children to greet him in the evening, but he still dabbles in the occasional carefree infidelity at his company’s expense. He rhapsodizes on his theories of stoic emotion, casual sex, the starburst of pleasure offered by a shot of gin and the key to successful drinking binges. He is as cool as his favorite beverage: a crisp martini on the rocks.
But when Jerry, a friend from Rafe’s past, resurfaces, Rafe’s world of order and convention begins showing fissures. Rafe’s planned evening of casual conversation and call girls is disrupted by Jerry’s emotional collapse at his impending divorce. After a few well-placed comments like “Don’t let it get you, fella,” Rafe expects to slip back into his old world unscathed. What follows is a devastating trip through their past sexual infidelities, friendship-breaking betrayals, and forgotten loyalties.
