Page 78 of See Me

He smirks. “Like what?”

“Like maybe they like the new silky bra I had on.” His eyes drop to my chest which is currently sans said bra.I like to get comfortable when I get home, sue me. And right on cue, thetraitors pebble like they’ve never pebbled before. I turn away from his grin. “You can park yourself right on the couch.”

“I can’t sleep here.” He gestures to the length of the couch. “It’s too small.”

I speak over my shoulder as I head down the hallway. “You bought everything in here, not me.”

TWENTY-THREE

ENGAGED OR ENRAGED?

I leanover the bar stretching my back as I run the morning reports. Fucking stupid apartment with a fucking stupid, small couch. The locker room door opens and Ella and Enzo walk out.

Enzo rounds the bar and slaps me on the back. “You look tired, bro. Up all night consummating your engagement?”

Ella rolls her eyes and huffs as she sits on a stool in front of the silverware bin. “My knight in shining armor slept on the couch.”

“Ouch.” Enzo puts his hand over his chest mocking a wound.

I struggle to stand up straight as my back protests any movement I make. “Now I know why you’re soshort.” Ella quirks a brow, looking both curious as to why I think that and also ready to rip my face off. I lean over in front of her and whisper. “You’re obviously a demon from hell and want to stay close to home.”

Her mouth drops open and her cheeks tint pink. I’m both satisfied with pissing her off and hypnotized by the way the blush spreads down her chest. It’s a win-win. It doesn’t make my back feel any better, but I’ll take the small victory.

Enzo turns to Ella. “So, I’m guessing you didn’t show him your snagglepuss?”

Ella swings her gaze to Enzo, eyes blazing with barely contained rage. “Oh, is that what I’m supposed to do? Am I now obligated to fall over with my legs in the air because Big Dumb over here,” she points to me, “decided to piss a circle around me and claim me for himself?”

I slam my hand down on the bar. “Again, I was trying to help.”

She stands on the bars of the stool so she’s almost eye level with me. “I didn’t need your help!”

“Your face sure didn’t say that when he put his hands on you.” The way my hands clenched when he grabbed her arm. They still itch to feel the crunch of his manufactured nose under my fist.

She sinks back to the stool. “Don’t act like you know me or what myfacesays. I can handle Charles.”

“Then handle him, Princess.” The register beeps signaling my reports are done. “I’ve got a Ouija board somewhere you can use to summon your demon friends and run him out of town.”

She opens her mouth to speak just as Tomi saunters up to the bar. I look around to see who’s here and must’ve missed Benny walk in and take his normal seat at the end of the bar.

I hold my hand up to stop whatever she’s about to spew atme. Her face says she doesn’t realize I’m trying to keep up the ruse and not ruin the charade, instead I swear her eyes flash red at her misinterpretation of what I’m trying to do. I was half joking about the demon stuff but I might not be too far off the mark. I’ve seenStigmata;I know when someone’s talking to the devil. She’s picturing me shrieking in a raging inferno.

The bell over the door rings. Tomi, with a grin on her face, tosses a stack of menus in front of Ella. “You’ve got customers.” She stands there beaming as if seeing Ella and I fight is the shot of espresso she needs to start her day off right.

Ella pulls the menus toward herself and fumbles them as they almost fall. I rip the printout off and it tears in half instead of at the perforated edge. I slam the printer back and rip off the rest of the printout, clenching it into a ball as I brush past Enzo. Tomi has to take a step back as I head to my office or I would walk right through her.

I fall into my chair and pull out the files I store the printouts in, stuffing the wads of paper in and drop the folder back in the drawer, slamming it shut.

Enzo walks in and closes the door. “You really need to work on your game, brother.”

I narrow my eyes at him and lean my elbows on the desk. “I have game. I just don’t need to use it on a soul-sucking demon.”

“Right. I mean, gross. She’s just eww.” He fakes a gag and a shiver to drive home his point.

I level him with a glare and he grins. “What are you doing?”

“Me?” He points to himself with mock innocence. “Oh, nothing.”

“Get out.”

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