Page 44 of What's the time, Mr. Wolfe
“What happened to your parents?”
A shiver rolled over me. I shrugged my shoulders and looked around the room. He reached forward and covered one of my hands. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have asked.”
I smiled and nodded my thanks.
“We’re very much the same, Ruby. Cut from the same cloth, just a decade apart.” He chuckled and I joined in.
“Does it bother you? I mean, people do think I’m your daughter?” I asked.
“No, I don’t care what people think, only what they do.”
“It’s a defence mechanism, isn’t it?” I added, quietly.
He was stopped from answering by the return of the waitress. She poured a small amount of wine into hisglass, and he tasted. He kept his gaze on me while he sipped. Then he simply nodded. She half filled my glass, then his, before returning the bottle to an ice bucket.
“Shall I pour the water?” she asked.
“No, leave it there,” he replied. No please or thank you offered. “What?”
“You are rude sometimes,” I said, chuckling.
“Says Miss-fucking-Rudeness personified.” I laughed and he smiled. “Yes, sometimes I am. I don’t mean to be. I’m a demanding man, I guess.”
“I guess we are cut from the same cloth in that regard.”
“What do you demand, Ruby?” he asked, lowering his voice.
“Honesty and loyalty, nothing more.”
“That’s the least you should expect, isn’t it?” he asked.
“If I don’texpect, then I can’t be let down,” I replied. “What about you?”
“The same, I guess. Honesty is important to me, but I also understand some secrets can’t be told.”
“Are you a one-woman man, Sebastian?” My voice had lowered.
“Yes... And no. It depends.”
“On what?”
“On who I’m with and what therelationshipis. Not every relationship I’ve had requires monogamy.”
“What do you do for fun?” I asked, changing the subject as the image of Amelia sprung to mind.
“Fun? Mmm. I drive fast cars, sometimes around a track. I fuck, I like doing that,” he said, starting to rub his chin as if thinking. “I read.”
I wasn’t expecting that one. “You read? What?”
“Books, Ruby. You should try it. It’s therapeutic.”
“I didn’t see any books in your house.”
“You saw a hallway and bedroom, that’s all. Perhaps we’ll have a tour after...”
I raised my eyebrows. “You said you’d take me home.”
“And I will, if that’s what you want.”
