“A what?” was all I could manage.
He scrunched up his flat face. “A miser, a cheat, an asshole.”
“I see.” And I kind of did. If dragons were obsessed with money, wouldn’t their insults reflect that? “I wish some humans were as concerned about getting labeled misers and cheats as dragons are.”
Az’zael shrugged. “Some dragons don’t care, but they end up very lonely.”
I smiled. “Sounds like cosmic justice to me.”
He smiled back.
My stomach fluttered. I glanced around, desperate to change the subject, when my eyes caught the ornate clock mounted on the wall. “Shi—oot.” Even if I left now, I’d only get a few hours of sleep before work tomorrow. “I have to go.”
Az’zael glanced at the clock. “So soon?”
I’d been here several hours already, andfuck, I hadn’t even had sex with him. Should I stay long enough for a quickie? He might not be pushy, he might even genuinely want me to enjoy myself, but no man would pay twenty-five thousand dollars just for the pleasure of my company.
He made the decision for me, standing and helping me off the couch. “Friday?”
“Yes. Five?” I offered to come over earlier than I had tonight.Because you enjoyed yourself.
No, so you could make sure you had time for everything he expected and then some. “I’ll wear something special for you,” I promised, heat sliding through me.
Jen accosted me the second I got to work the next morning. “How’d it go?”
“I did it.”
“You fucked him?”
“Keep your voice down!” I didn’t want the whole restaurant to know my business. “You were right; he wants a sugar baby. I took him up on his offer.”
“Is it true dragons have two dicks?” Jen’s eyes gleamed.
“Where did you hear that?” And why hadn’t I?
“It’s not true?” She deflated a bit.
“Oh, it is. But how the hell doyouknow that?”
“I heard a rumor from a friend who lives in Franklinton.” She named a dragon-claimed city a few states away. Then she held up her hands about eight inches apart. “How big?”
I slapped her hands down. “That’s all you care about?”
“Come on, he’s hot, he’s rich, and he wants to share both of those things with you. What’s the problem? Oh no.” Jen pulled a face. “He’s into some weird shit, isn’t he? You totally called it!”
“No, he isn’t into anything weird.” Unless she counted showering me with gifts. Which, maybe? I’d never met someone who wanted to do that, but it wasn’t exactlyweird.
“So he didn’t dress you up like a medieval peasant and have you bow before his mighty dragon cocks?”
I raised an eyebrow. “Girl, what haveyoubeen getting up to?” Not that the idea didn’t have a certain appeal, but she had that question locked and loaded.
“Nothing, sadly, so let me live vicariously through you.”
“There’s not a whole lot to tell. He was pretty chill, actually.” He hadn’t made any demands, hadn’t thrown our agreement in my face, hadn’t done any of the things I was braced for.
“Really? Looked like he wanted to leap across the table and devour you whenever he was in here.”
“Oh, come on, he wasn’t that—”