Page 31 of Vienna Betrayal

“Surprising good, or surprising bad?” Alena asked with narrowed eyes. She wasn’t actually upset. Right now her predominant emotions were fading panic and relief that he hadn’t walked away.

Because you need him for the job.The inner voice was cold and sneering.

Because you want him to top you and fuck you.The second voice was warmer, the voice of her need, her inner submissive.

Alexander slid back onto the stool and swiveled to face her. He braced one foot on the rung of her stool, his thigh brushing hers. Alena grabbed her glass, but before she could take a sip, he plucked the flute from her hand.

“First you insult me, and now you take my drink?”

“I need to know your consent is uninfluenced.” He set her glass down on the table.

“I was sober as a judge when I talked to Lillian.”

“Sober as a judge…” He smiled a little as he tried out the colloquialism.

“Alexander, what’s wrong? We clearly want to play together tonight.” She gestured between his gray clothes and her own silver dress, which was actually bespoke sleepwear. If she slipped off the spaghetti straps, the whole thing would slither to the floor.

“You are so…”

“Outspoken?”

He shook his head. “Honest.”

Oh, that hurt to hear.

“I tell plenty of lies. We all do.”

“Not when you submit to me.” It was an order, and a warning.

“I won’t lie to you in a scene.” Carefully worded, that was a promise she could keep.

Before and after? Well, that was another kettle of fish. Now, and again after the scene, during the aftercare, was when she needed to work him, build a relationship that she could leverage to manipulate him.

She took a sip of her champagne, faux glaring at him to ensure he didn’t attempt to snatch her glass again.

Alexander held up a hand and one of the bartenders came out from behind the bar to take his order.

Once he was done, she tried again.

“Are you going to tell me what’s wrong?” The perverse part of it was that she really wanted to know, wanted to understand what was going on in his head. That had nothing to do with the job, and everything to do with their chemistry.

“I didn’t say anything was wrong.”

“Of course you didn’t say it.” Alena waved one hand in the air. “You don’t talk. But I can read your body language, just like you read mine last night.”

“You think you know me?” There was bite to his words, and a bit of bitterness.

“No, I don’t know you.” Lie. “But I know that the man who topped me last night wasn’t this angry, so something happened, and I want to know what.”

“And if I told you?”

“Then I would…do absolutely nothing but listen.”

He laughed, and finally the tension in his shoulders relaxed. A second later the bartender arrived with his drink, a glass of red, which he gently tapped to her flute.

They sipped in companionable silence, though it took a good measure of self-control to keep from leaning towards him like a moth to flame.

“I couldn’t stop thinking about you today.” Alexander’s low statement caught her by surprise.

---