Page 10 of First Comes Orc, Second Comes Baby
There wouldn't be room.
Brahnt smiled at Charlotte. “How was the salad? Would you like another?”
Charlotte finished the last bite and sat back in her seat with a sheepish smile. “No, I'm almost full. Thank you. The micro greens here are always so fresh.”
“But not too full for your cookie, hopefully.”
The Human blushed. A subtle hint of color, a shine to her sky-blue eyes, but Brahnt saw it.
“You're teasing me,” Charlotte murmured.
“A little. Do you mind?”
Charlotte looked down at the table, drawing her finger through the condensation on her water glass. “I probably should.”
There was a note of wry self-deprecation in her voice Brahnt found intriguing. “Why?”
“I don't usually date—okay, let me not start this out with a lie. I always date reformed bad boys, but the reformed part is usually a little hazy.”
Brent couldn't help herself. He laughed. “I see. That's what you see when you look at me? A reformed bad boy?”
What a Human concept. Orc males were very well-behaved, except during war time. The males who treated females wrongly were dealt with—usually by the males before the females got ahold of him.
It was kinder that way.
It had also led to a few public relations nightmares because the Humans didn’t understand that whatever brutal punishment a male’s circle inflicted, it was nothing compared to what the female’s circle could bestow. The females were just better at marketing.
Charlotte looked up, her eyes widening. “A one hundred on the bad boy, and a fifty/fifty on the reformed.”
Brahnt sat back in his chair, amused, then slid the cookie towards Charlotte. It was the width of the palm of her hand, freshly baked and oozing with gooey chocolate chips.
“Well, looks can be deceiving. I'm the eldest son of my family, so there was never much room for acting out.”
Charlotte picked up the cookie, eyed it, and took a bite with the air of a female diving headfirst into a cold lake. Her eyes fluttered closed for a moment, and she moaned deep in her throat.
Brahnt clenched teeth and every muscle in his body as that moan shot straight to his cock. He didn't think Charlotte was doing it on purpose. . .but then, maybe the Human was the type to flirt in a subtle way.
Very well, Charlotte, we’ll play it your way. But I play to win.
“This tastes like fair trade chocolate,” Charlotte muttered.
“I didn't know fair trade chocolate had a taste.” Of course it did.
Charlotte opened her eyes. “I have a refined palate.”
Definitely a subtle flirter. Which, in a way, pleased Brahnt. It demonstrated an instinctive understanding of sophisticated conversational skills. The fact she was a dancer might, in this area, prove an advantage as well. She would be poised while on Brahnt’s arm, adjusting her energy to the venue, whether it was a charity gala, an intimate cocktail party, or a business lunch with clients and spouses.
Maybe this wasn't as poor match as he'd initially assumed.
Or maybe his dick was already doing some fast talking.
“So were your parents strict?” Charlotte asked.
“They are exacting. Our family business requires a level of focus and discipline that doesn't allow for extraneous nonsense.”
He expected Charlotte to take the opportunity to ask about his business. Who wouldn't? She'd gotten a dossier on Brahnt the same Brahnt had gotten a dossier on her. Charlotte knew Brahnt was a certified millionaire.
But Charlotte didn't ask, instead shifting the conversation away from any talk of money or occupation, again demonstrating a subtle touch of class.
