Page 43 of Skin Trade

She glanced back over her shoulder and peered out through the small window of the serving door. The place was packed, heaving. Did she want to eat out there? God, no. Voices carried through, a hum of chatter washing over her. People talked, chatted and enjoyed themselves, but she was not like them. Not anymore. Maybe if she’d have stayed with her parents, she’d have grown up to be like that. To be so shallow in the world.

But in truth, it had been a long time since she had been anywhere like Seth’s restaurant. She’d been younger, a child. And outings like that happened so rarely. When her parents had dinner arrangements, she tended to get nannies, and their idea of dinner arrangements was to feed her, alone at the dinner table. Her parents. had business to attend to and no one wanted the kid being dragged along.

“I guess not,” she said. If she’d have been given the choice, she’d have been happy to take her food to her room, to eat in solace and just enjoy the meal. God knows it had been a while since she’d had a meal that tasted good.

“So, Payton,” Seth said, hands clasped behind his back, smile across his face. “What is it that takes your fancy this evening?” He leant into her. “And I know I do, but I mean off the menu in case you’re wondering.”

She scowled at him before rolling her eyes. “What’s on offer?”

“Besides me?” he winked. “You can have anything you want. Name it..”

Anything she wanted. It’d have been easier if he said she could have A or B, but to open the world of choice to her. When she was with Creven, they got what they were given whether they liked it or not, and it was not always something so fresh that she wanted to eat it. Thinking about it even then, with the aromas floating around her could bring her gag reflex right up to par. “I used to love spaghetti.”

“Used to? Which means you don’t now?”

“It means I haven’t had it in a long time.”

“Your wish is my desire. Sit right there.” He pushed her back onto a tall bar stool that was next to a table. “I won’t be a moment.” He went, waltzing around the kitchen as natural as anything. He was a predator in his own domain. As he worked at the counters, his staff bowed their heads and moved out of his way, giving him total access to whatever he wanted. But they didn’t do it out of fear. That wasn’t in their eyes. No. This was out of respect for their master. She lost herself watching him. This man … a man with so many secrets she wasn’t sure it would be safe to get to the bottom of them. But she wanted to. It made no sense to her, either. Perhaps it was because he was so different to Creven that it knocked her off balance. Perhaps this was why she warmed to him. Years of being out in the cold, of being starved and just used for whatever others wanted, it was addictive to have some attention.

“Do you like fusion cuisine?” Seth asked, fifteen minutes later, making her jump. She’d been that lost in her thoughts, she’d not noticed him coming to stand at the other side of the counter.

“Fusion cuisine? What is that.”

He leant over, propped one arm up on the elbow and presented her a dish resting on the tips of his fingers. “Greek fusion spaghetti.”

“I thought spaghetti was Italian.”

He nodded. “Which is exactly why it is called fusion cuisine. Roasted tomatoes, feta, olives and a little lemon and rosemary chicken.” He placed the plate down in front of her. “Do you want to eat here? Or we can go out on to the terrace. It’s a wonderful night.”

“Is it part of the restaurant?”

He nodded. “Yes. But not open at the moment. There are winds coming in from the north. I keep it closed when storms are rolling in. But it is calm for now, and quiet.”

The terrace sounded great. Actually, being outside sounded great, so she let him lead her out. He had to pull down two chairs. They’d been stacked against the wall, ready and out of the way for the storm she supposed. “I thought we were on the ground floor?” The terrace was surrounded by a glass railing. Beyond that the view spanned out for miles. Miles of desert, of undeveloped land to one side, but on the other, streams of lights, traffic, buildings, people. An entire city bustling like tiny ants right in front of her.

“We are, but the back of my building overlooks this. I believe it was a canyon once. A long time ago. Now it is this.”

“It is truly stunning.”

“Yes, and not the only thing.”

“Seth …”

“What?” He arched his brow. “I was talking about me, not you. Now sit, before this food goes to waste and I have to listen to another rendition of God knows what from your hungry growls.” He pulled the chair out for her, waited for her to sit and then slid her chair back into the table. She thought maybe he would sit, but he leant against the glass, hands in his pockets. “Try it. It’ll blow your mind.”

It was hard to decide where to start. She was so damn hungry, she wanted to lift the whole thing up and just eat it, not caring about her manners. Maybe spaghetti was a bad idea. The hardest thing to eat, especially in front of someone like Seth. In the end, she put her fork into it, twirled it and put the spaghetti into her mouth. “Oh my god,” she mumbled, her mouth full of food. She chewed and swallowed. “Sorry. I just … wow. It tastes amazing.” She closed her eyes to let herself savour the flavour, but soon she took another bite and another and another, almost fearful it would all be over soon.

“Do you miss food?” she asked Seth when she’d eaten enough that the ravenous part of her hunger had abated at least. “Eating it? It must be so strange not to need to eat.”

“It was at first. But no, I don’t miss it. Not now. It has been a very long time since I have eaten food. Besides, all the things I like to taste and eat, I can still have.”

That wicked look was in his eyes again, and she rolled hers, not biting to his teasing. He grabbed the other chair he’d pulled over and sat. “I can’t believe how good this is,” she said. In a moment she would embarrass herself and end up bowing at his feet. She needed to stop. Just shut up Payton and eat the damn food, but he brought this out in her. Made her say things she wouldn’t normally.

“There are many other things I am good at.”

“Really?” She put her fork down, leant back in her seat and put all those mental walls back into place. “And I am sure the girl in your office was experiencing just how good you are?” She didn’t mean for her words to come out so sharp, but they could have sliced her tongue in two.

“Peta?”

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