Page 34 of The Silver Spider
“I can take him out back, if you like,” he said.
“If anyone takes him out back for a walloping, it will be me.”
But she had to return to Amnan’s eventually. She told Etienne she was done for the night, was this a lie?], her supervisor’s gimlet eye on her. Her dear stepbrother was dropping enough ready money that her employer wouldn’t tolerate her fluffing him off, relative or no. He’d moved back to his original booth, the shadows cloaking him from everyone but her, unfortunately. When he lifted a hand to beckon her over, she grit her teeth and obeyed.
“What do you want?” she asked, slamming her empty tray down on his table.
“I should lodge a complaint with management for the shoddy service,” he said. He was lounging, one arm draped over the back of the booth while he sipped his drink, eyes lidded. She saw the glint in them as they scanned the room, too sharp to be idle.
“What do you want?”
He set his drink down. “I don’t like the skinny blond. Don’t trust him.”
She snorted. As if. “I don’t trust any man. Don’t need to warn me aboutthat.”
He frowned at her. “We’re on the same side, Serephone. I hope you don’t include me in that sweeping, prejudicial statement.”
He wasespeciallyincluded in her sweeping, accurate statement.
“Why don’t you trust me?”
What kind of question was that? “Don’t know you?”
“You live with me. Do I seem like such a miscreant?”
She shrugged. “We don’t really live together. I have no idea where your bedroom is.”
He smiled slowly. “Would you like a tour when we get home?”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“No? You haven’t really answered the question. Why don’t you trust me?”
Why should she trust him? “You’re male.”
His head tilted. “Excuse me? Did I miss the part when my gender is a character indictment rather than a biological fact?”
She folded her arms. “Did you flag me down just to annoy me? I have work to do.”
“Iamyour work.”
“You aren’t my work, but youareapieceof work.”
He clucked his teeth. “I’ve never met a female as suspicious-natured as you. You’re so young, sweet. Who hurt you? Did a man break your heart?”
She wished for the power to freeze his cock into a pole until it shattered into tiny little pieces. How dare he?
Serephone picked up the tray, expression scornful. “Not every pain a woman has is about a man, Amnan. That’s the male ego talking. As if our lives and experiences revolve around our relationships with males.”
“That’s fair. Would you put the tray down? I need to talk to you.”
His voice was shorn of irritation. It was the only reason she listened. She put the tray down.
“Sit, please. Next to me. Your supervisor will leave you alone, if she thinks you’re entertaining a wealthy patron.”
She opened her mouth to protest, her entire body clenching at the thought of leaning close to him, but said nothing. To protest would be to give her away.
But he knew, anyway. “Do you think I can’t scent desire, Serephone? It’s fine. I won’t use it against you—and I am in just as much torment.”
