Page 68 of Play With Me

I explain that I’m an archival student at Waldorf College in London, doing a project involving a person or persons we believe were in this town in the 1920s. “I’m really hoping we might be permitted to access your archives. We believe one of the people did quite a bit of business here.”

The woman pulls her lips into a regretful expression. “I’m so sorry, but one must make an appointment to view the items in the archives, I’m afraid.”

My chest falls.

But Jude looks over at me and winks. Of course this sends a little tickle of electricity over my skin, which I try and fail to ignore.

Jude leans on his elbows on the high desk.

This is exactly the kind of thing he lives for. “Hey,” he says, very close to the kind of tone one might sayHey, girlin.

The woman maintains her straight face, but I see the slightest tinge of pink creep up her neck.

I wish I had half the charm he does.

“Do you mind if I film?” I ask her, holding up the camera. “My thesis is all on video.”

“Well…” she says.

Jude grins. “I love being on camera, don’t you?” He puffs out his chest and she giggles. He tied his hair up in his sexy little man bun this morning and has his parka open to reveal his dark V-neck sweater. Even though I can’t see it from here, I know just the way the smooth skin of his neck dips into the collar of that sweater. I know how powerful not only his flattering words are, but also his cut jaw and gorgeous blue eyes. Especially when he lays it on thick.

And damn, he’s laying it on thick now.

“I suppose that’s fine,” she says, flattening her hair with her hands.

I shake off the jealousy like I always do and slip Jude the release forms before making myself scarce, stepping sideways to look at the photos printed on hard boards on the wall, each with captions in multiple languages, including English. I walk along the wall, examining the photos without really seeing, as Jude launches into Eleanor’s story.

The best thing about Jude’s charm is that it’s pretty much entirely genuine. He puts on a show that people truly enjoy. He also fixes them with his intense gaze, making you feel like you’re the only person in the whole world. Who doesn’t love a man as beautiful as Jude doing that? It’s a thrill. And even though he flirts when he needs to, it’s never sleazy, and it’s not manipulative. At least, not entirely. In fact, I’ve never once seen him do it with the aim of getting into a woman’s pants.

I’ve never seen him try to get into a woman’s pants.

In fact, last night and yesterday with me was only time I’ve ever known him to use that powerful sexual energy for actual…sex. Kind of.

My stomach goes loose, heat riding down between my legs.

No. This is not what I’m thinking of right now.

I think of dusty books and that grumpy librarian back at home in London. That helps.

After a quick peek over my shoulder tells me Jude’s gotten her to sign the release forms I’d printed off in the business center before breakfast, I pull out my camera and begin filming.

As I alternate between capturing Jude and the staff person, Jude tells her about Eleanor.

“Her parents forced her to marry her evil husband when she was very young. He was a bad man, and a horndog, too,” Jude says.

“A horn…?”

I have to bite my cheek to keep from laughing.

“He had mistresses. Dozens of them.”

“Arschloch,” the woman says derisively.

Jude raises his eyebrows.

I don’t need to know what that means to know it’s related to George’s character.

“But her husband George had a driver, who kept a diary documenting his boss’s evildoings,” Jude says. “We can’t find any records on this driver except for his own notes, and that he called himself JEQ. But here’s the best part.” Jude leans in and the woman does too, totally enraptured. “JEQ made a ton of side notes in his diary about his boss’s wife. He called her ‘fetching’ and said…what did he say, Nor?”

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