Page 88 of The Last Slayer
“Stay away from my clients. It’s illegal for you to hassle them when I’m not present,” Shark said, his voice as smooth and dangerous as my katana blade. I smiled inwardly. He was going to make Jim pay. Dearly.
Jim glared at him. “They didn’t ask for you.”
“Not what I heard.” Shark turned to Valerie and me. “Good morning, Valerie. And you are…?”
“Ashera del Cid. Good to see you.”
Shark blinked once. Then again. He leaned in and sniffed. “Valerie, you can do glamour like this?”
“Nope. Not my magic,” she said. “Come on, people. Let’s go inside.”
***
It wasn’t too bad. As those meetings go.
The conference room dripped with old money. A lot of dark wood and leather, just like all the other conference rooms on the floor. I leaned back in my chair and did my best to look bored. It was Shark’s show.
As always, he was awesome. It began with some verbal sparring. A slow circling, waiting for the opponent to slip. Then the attack. He made Jim sweat a lot and back off. Maneuvered him into acknowledging that the astral death hadn’t been my fault. Self-defense, exceptional circumstances, yada yada. Jim ended up signing a bunch of legal documents Shark had prepared. I bet that Federation weasel wouldn’t be coming back anytime soon.
Jim left with his tail between his legs, and a warm fuzzy feeling washed over me. Moments like this made me appreciate the firm’s deep pockets. Because money really did buy a lot of things. Including humiliating the guy who’d mocked you and stolen your boyfriend, and establishing once and for all that you did nothing wrong.
Valerie walked out to attend another meeting, and I stayed behind to sign forms. Shark leaned back in his chair, watching me with those enigmatic eyes. “You doing anything this evening?”
“Uh…not sure. Why?”
He just looked at me. I stared back. Maybe he didn’t know, but hunters can’t read people’s minds. Having a heartstone didn’t change that.
Then it hit me. He was asking me out.
I was completely thrown. Shark was—no pun intended—a real catch. He was rich, handsome in his own way, very compelling. And normal…at least compared to someone like Ramiel. I couldn’t figure it.
“Uh…actually, I have…plans.”
“Unfortunate.” Shark’s eyes remained steady. “I was thinking of dinner at Morton’s, maybe buying you a rock afterwards.”
My jaw dropped so fast it was a miracle that it didn’t hit the table.
“Maybe next time.” He smiled, showing me more teeth than Toshi had. “Catch you on the flip side.” He took the signed papers from my numb hands and left.
A few minutes later, Valerie peered inside at me. “You all right?”
“Huh?”
“You’ve been in here for half an hour. What happened?”
Half an hour? “Uh, nothing. Well, maybe something. I think Shark just asked me out.”
She stepped inside and closed the door behind her. “No way.”
“Way.”
“This is Shark? Mr. I-don’t-give-a-shit-about-anybody-but-me-and-my-paying-clients?”
I nodded.
“You’ve got to be kidding. He’s gay.”
Now that was news. He seemed as heterosexual as they came. “How do you know?
