Page 42 of Niccolo

In fact, I didn’t dateanyone.

“This is a business proposition, not a romantic one.”

“I won’t sleep with you for money, either.”

He chuckled. “I’m interested in your brain, not your body.”

“So you’re sapiosexual,” I said without the faintest bit of interest.

He looked confused. “Excuse me?”

“Someone who finds intelligence sexually attractive.”

Once upon a time, I’d thought that might describe me –

But if brilliant chess nerds didn’t do it for me, then I probably wasn’t sapiosexual. Just asexual.

“Ah. No,” he said, amused. “This ispurelybusiness.”

I stopped and turned to him, my interest piqued. “Alright, let’s hear it.”

“I’d prefer to speak in private.”

“And I’d prefernotto speak in private with a strange man.”

“You won – what – 47,000 euros in the tournament? I’ll pay you 10,000 euros for ten minutes of your time. For that amount, will you take a risk and hear me out?”

I paused.

A thousand euros a minute.

Nobody offered that kind of money for anythingIcould do.

“Is it about something illegal?” I asked.

“It is,” he said with a slight smile. “Will that be a problem?”

I paused and considered things that could be illegal and yet not sexual in nature.

If it wasn’t drugs… then what?

“Not necessarily,” I finally said. I was more curious than worried. “That’swhy you want privacy?”

“It is.”

I thought for another second –

And then he solved the dilemma for me.

From his jacket pocket, he produced a stiletto – a knife with a thin, wicked blade and needle point, used primarily for stabbing rather than cutting.

The weapon of choice for muggers and assassins –

And highly illegal.

He offered it to me handle first, using his hand to shield it from any onlookers.

“You can kill me if I try anything untoward,” he said.

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