Page 21 of Skin Trade

“It was a little bit slutty for my liking,” Payton said.

“Yes. I could see that. The girl who runs outside to play with the fallen would never wear something with such taste. Tell me, how did you enjoy your little venture outside?”

Payton fiddled with the cloth napkin that had been neatly folded and laid across her plate. She twisted the end of it. “It was different. You should try it sometime. Get yourself out into the world.”

“I have no need for the outside world. I have everything I need here, sex, food, more sex.” She reached a hand out to Seth, ran it along his arm. “Good sex.”

Staking her claim. She could have it. If Tasha wanted Seth, she was welcome to him. “Perhaps I should leave the two of you alone,” she said, “I’d hate to be the third wheel.”

Seth leant back in his seat and rested his ankle across his knee. “But all this is for you. A welcome.” He tilted his head again as he watched her. Those piercing eyes on her. She couldn’t shake him off, or how he made her feel inside. The way he talked, the way he moved sent heat between her legs. She ground her jaw. Vampire tricks. Nothing else.

Thankfully the door opened before Payton could feel any worse than she did. But what did she feel? Turned on? Angry? Unwanted? Intrusive? Yes … all the above mixed into one big ball that settled in her stomach. The latter two were easy enough to deal with.

Five servants entered the room. Well, at least four of them were dressed as servants, the other one was Sky, and she was still wearing what she’d been wearing before. She carried a bottle of red wine in one hand and a bottle of whiskey in the other.

“Sir?” she said when she got to Seth. He nodded and she filled his glass. She didn’t ask Payton as she took the wine glass and filled that too. As she went to walk away, Seth’s hand dropped beside him, and he caught her with a finger against her leg. She bent to him. Payton couldn’t hear what was being said, but he whispered something, and Sky nodded. “Yes, Sir. Thank you.” Then she leant in and kissed him. Not a deep kiss, not one that spoke of lovers, but it was still on his mouth, against those fine lips of his.

Payton looked away with a rush of heat coursing through her body. There was no one in this place who was not here to serve him.

He hadn’t lied when he said he’d ordered her a selection. What was in front of her was enough to feed at least ten people and then some left over. Plates of chicken, beef, potatoes and vegetables she had no hope of identifying lay across the table. She had not seen food like this since her mother had been alive and she’d accompanied her to grand dinners.

“Eat whatever you wish,” Seth said to her. “The rest will go out to the kitchen.”

“There is an awful lot.”

“Whatever you don’t eat will go to the staff.”

“I’m bored,” Tasha said, with the slam of a hand against the table. “Are you ready to feed?” She’d been served her burger and chips and it looked as out of place at this table as Payton felt.

“Patience Tasha.”

“Oh, Seth, you know that is not one of my strong points.” She leant over to him; breasts pushed up where they rested on the table. Done on purpose of course. She used her fingers like walking legs and walked them up his forearm.

“We have a guest. Do not be rude.”

Tasha glared at Payton.

“I can leave if you want me to. I don’t need to--”

“You will eat. You will both eat. Eat your food, Tasha.” When he spoke to Tasha, he still looked at Payton, watched her, weighed her up even. Payton wanted to wriggle away from under his gaze, but she kept herself perfectly still.

It made Payton feel a little better as she saw Tasha eating. It was true. You could give a girl nice dresses, fancy stuff and money. You could take the girl out of the common, but you could never take the common out of the girl. She chomped down on that food with no manners at all. She just needed to snort, or oink and she’d be all set.

“Your pet is sneering at me,” Tasha said with a mouthful of burger.

Payton cleared her gaze. She’d drifted off perhaps. “I beg your pardon.”

“Oh, honey you can beg all you want. You were staring at me.”

Seth didn’t say anything. In fact, he just sat and watched them, a bemused expression.

“I was wondering what to eat. You happen to be in front of me so you’re in my line of sight.”

Tasha put her burger down onto her plate. “You think you’re better than me?”

“I wasn’t thinking about you at all.” Payton shook her head and reached for the dish of potatoes. She spooned three of them onto her own plate and set the dish down. Whatever Seth wanted out of this, she hoped he was happy. He’d surely be dealing with a pissed off woman later, and Payton didn’t mean her.

“Are we going to Rendez after dinner?” Tasha asked Seth. No doubt speaking to him that way to show she could lay claim to Seth and Payton couldn’t. She had history with Seth. That was fine with Payton. What Payton really wanted was to get out of there. Not just Seth’s place, but the whole world of it. She wanted to find her father.

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