Page 4 of Cruel Love
It didn’t.
She was the eighth girl I’d been shown, and while they all hadincredible figures, the way desperation to impress me oozed from them made me instantly despise every single one.
“No,”I huffed, ignoring the disappointment wash over the girl’s face.At the nod she received from Ann Milligan, who’d been loitering in the corner, the girl stood before rushing from the room.
“Mr. Carter,”Milligan said, taking a few steps toward me, trying torein in her obvious annoyance.“Most of the men who come here like to sample the girls before they select-”
“I’m not most men,”I snarled, glaring at the woman I’d taken aninstant dislike to.
Her haggard features hardened. I’d only met her for the first time acouple of hours ago after Welch had introduced us and told me she would see to whatever needs I had, but there was something about herthathad my instincts on high alert. Maybe it was because she looked and acted like she was from theVictorian ages, or maybe it was because it was the way she sneered judgmentally at me when Welch told her why I was there.
Either way, she wasn’t someone who’d make my Christmas cardlist.
“Of course. I meant no offense, Mr. Carter. Ijustwant to make sureyou get what you came for,”she said stoically.“Are you sure I can’t get you a drink before the next girl is brought in. We have an excellent choice of spiritsthatI’m sure you’d enjoy.”
My jaw clenched, I was rapidly losing my patience.“Fine, I’ll take ascotch,”I replied. At least a glass of scotch would help to quell the impatience bubbling under my skin.
The old hag beamed at me as if I’djustmade all her dreams cometrue, before scurrying over to the other side of the room, picking up a phone, and ordering a glass of scotch to be delivered to her.
Once she hung up the phone, she schooled her features andaddressed me again.“I believe the next girl will be to your standard-”
“You’ve saidthatabout the last two girls,”I said, interrupting herbefore she could piss me off more than I already was.“And all I’ve seen so far is disappointment.”
“It would help if I knew what kind of girl you were looking for,”shereplied, her tone curt.
The problem was, I didn’t know what kind of girl I was looking for. Ididn’t want a girl in the first fucking place, and I certainly didn’t want one of the attention-seeking brats I’d seen so far.
Notthatit mattered. I should have picked the first girl and beendone with it. It wasn’t like I was looking for a real relationship.Justan empty vessel to carry my child. I was saved from answering when a knock on the door echoedthrough the room. When Milligan called for whoever it was to come in, the next girl appeared, beaming brightly at me.
I refrained from rolling my eyes.
“Mr. Carter, please allow me to introduce you to Danielle. Danielle isone of our star girls here at Peartree House…”
I tuned Milligan out as I raked my gaze over the newcomer. Shewas a carbon copy of all the other girls I’d seen so far, and I knew she would be a resoundingno, too.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Carter,”Danielle purred, earning aglower from me. Still,thatdidn’t deter her from launching into a spiel about herself, confidence rolling off her as if she’d already convinced herselfthatshe would be going home with me.
As she spoke, movement from a side door caught my attention.Making itseemlike I was focused on Danielle, I watched from the corner of my eye as a girl came scurrying in like a little mouse, clutching a glass of scotch.She crept around the edge of the room, doing her best to not draw any attention to herself, and neither Milligan nor Danielle paused to acknowledge her existence.
The girl was a tiny thing, slightly taller than five feet, and as skinny as arake, like she was in desperate need of a decent meal. My curiosity peaked, and I pulled all my attention away from Danielle to watch the girl approach Milligan, her gaze trained on the floor, and her mousy-brown hair hanging limply around her shoulders.
Milligan huffed before indicating to the girl to bring me the drink. Asshe began to make her way to me, Danielle fell silent. Everyone watched as the mouse tiptoed across the room, barely making a noise.
It was almost as if she was used to being invisible.
When she reached me and placed the glass down on the tablenext to my chair, she lifted her head fractionally, enough for me to see her features.She might have been as quiet as a mouse, but she looked like onetoo with her small, upturned nose, high cheekbones, and thin lips.
But when her eyes met mine, I was momentarily taken aback. Oneeye was icy blue, the other, forest green, both framed by thick, dark lashes. I’d heard of the condition heterochromia before, but I’d never seenit in a person until now, and I was immediately fascinated. Notjustwith her eyes, but everything about her timid demeanor.
“Your drink, Sir,”she squeaked before scurrying away again,moving so gracefullythather feet didn’t make a single sound against the wooden floor.
I tracked every single one of her moves as though she was one ofmy targets instead of a worker at the house, completely entranced by her.
“I apologize for the intrusion, Mr. Carter,”Milligan said, noticing mygaze was on the door where the mouse had disappeared.“Danielle, perhaps you’d like to show Mr. Carter how well you dance?”
“No,” I snapped. “We’re done here.”
Danielle pouted, proving she definitely wasn’t the girl for me asMilligan’s face twisted into disapproval. Nodding her head once, Danielle left the room, slamming the door behind her like a kid throwing a tantrum.
