Page 40 of Gambler's Conceit
I check my watch, and I sigh when I see the time. “I was. Some people accuse me of being a workaholic.” I squeeze his shoulder. “Next time, I’ll send Vortex up to you for lunch. Would you like that?”
Seven’s eyes open again, and he glances at me with an inscrutable expression. “I guess. It’d be better if it was you, though. If you want me, anyway.”
I eye him carefully. He sounds genuine, but it’s such an obvious line that I don’t believe him.
Seven knows how to give people what they want.
I grab the TV remote and turn the TV on. I flip to one of the many streaming channels I subscribe to, then I hand Seven the remote. “Here. Pick whatever.”
His hand is slack, and the remote falls through his fingers. “What?”
I frown at him, not liking that his reaction times seem to be so delayed, that he seems to be so distant. I don’t think there’sanything he could’ve gotten into, and the guards had reported that he hadn’t even left the room, but he’s acting almost… drugged. “Do you have a favorite show?”
Seven lets out a quiet huff. “No. You pick.”
I take the remote again and shuffle through the recently watched shows. “What are you in the mood for? A serious drama? Trashy reality TV? A light-hearted comedy? An anime?”
“A what?” he asks, brow furrowing. I don’t think he’d intended to ask because he immediately winces, mumbling, “I don’t care. Just something you like.”
I scroll over to the comedy anime I’d been watching, about a martial artist whose moves were all somehow related to baking. “My niece recommended this one,” I say as the preview plays. “It’s a cartoon from Japan. But we can watch it in English.”
“You know Japanese?” Seven somehow picks out of all the things I’d just said. Then he picks up on something else. “You watch cartoons?”
“I don’t speak Japanese, but I watch with subtitles. And you won’t believe this, but I was a very big anime nerd when I was a teenager.” I shake my head. “I lost interest, but with my niece being so invested now, I’ve been watching a few again.”
“How old is your niece?” Seven asks slowly—warily, almost. “Does she ever come here?”
“She’s twelve. And she visits sometimes to check on Miss K, but never for long, since she’s so allergic to cats.” I start the first episode of the anime just to have something playing. “Let me know if you want to watch something else.”
He nods, but I can tell he’s distracted. He nibbles on his bottom lip, focusing on the TV. I watch him more than I watch the show—the way his brow furrows in confusion at times, the way he seems intrigued at others.
“What do you usually watch?” I ask him as casually as I can.
Seven tenses anyway, despite the gentle tone of my voice. His gaze darts around the room, and he stares at the wall as he replies, “Um. My parents didn’t let me watch TV. I just read a lot. Mostly the bible.”
I don’t know what to make of that. Extremely religious parents? Running from a religious commune?
The lash marks would track for being part of a religious cult, as does the submissiveness.
Being part of a religious cult wouldn’t explain how easily he falls into bed with people, though.
“Well, if you don’t like this, we can watch something else,” I say. “A documentary?”
He shakes his head. “No, I think I like this.” He looks to me, that same wary expression on his face. “As long as it’s what you want to watch?”
At the very least, he seems to be waking up mentally, even if he’s further from me than ever.
“I like this show too,” I say carefully.
I toy with how easy it would be to get him to cry again. I’d just have to tell him he’s wrong for liking this show. I could make him go to his room, where I know another hour or two of isolation would make him beg for me.
My cock thrums at the idea.
Havoc and Vortex would probably murder me if they found out I went out of my way to make Seven cry.
It doesn’t make me want it any less.
Seven nods, falling silent as he pays attention to the new episode.