Page 25 of Taken By Sin
She rolls her eyes. “I can protect myself,” she mutters.
“Mhmm. Sure.”
“Is Axle wearing teal?”
I laugh, “It’s Tiffany.”
Sin shakes his head at us both, “It’s a masculine color, leave him alone.
Bria and I give each other a quick look before falling into a fit of giggles.
Sin stands up as Rollins walks in with a man I haven’t met yet.
Maxwell walks in behind him, standing in attention at the opening of the room. I shake my head. “Max. Come sit down,” I tell him.
All eyes shift to me in surprise.
"Even better," I say impulsively. “Rollins, you as well," I quickly add before he has a chance to exit the room.
“We need Maxwell standing guard—” Sin starts to speak, but he gets cut off.
“Who is this chick?” The stranger laughs as he plucks himself down at the other end of the table. He’s the exact opposite of Sin. Blond hair, blue eyes, pale skin. His hair is unkempt, and his clothes look like more of a harbor outfit. Not that I care about clothes really, but he looks extremely underdressed with all of us.
Bria scoffs, “Thischickis Magnolia.” She turns her glare away from him and smiles at me. “Magnolia, this is Zeik; he’s like an annoying little brother.”
“I’m only a year younger than you.” He torts, plucking a grape in his mouth. I instantly don’t care for him, and I like everyone so that says something.
“Our families are friends. Bria’s right, he is annoying.” Sin smiles, waving Rollins and Max over. “It would be nice to haveeveryone at the table. Makes it easier for me to do our debriefing for the week with you both now instead of in the morning. Besides, we have other security on the property. In the unlikely event that anyone was to get past them, we have weapons here.” Sin pats the pocket of his suit.
“First matter of business,” Sin says, sitting straighter in his chair, “food.”
A group of butler’s sway into the room, trays in hand, placing small cardstock menus and appetizer plates in front of us, I suppress a chuckle.
Everyone is lost in random conversation, but Sin is focused on me. “What’s so funny?” he asks quietly. “You don’t like your appetizer?”
“No, this looks amazing.” I carefully scoop a stuffed mushroom with a small spoon and pop it into my mouth. Sin picks one up with his fingers, showing it's all right. “Mmm!” I exclaim, savoring the rich earthiness combined with creamy cheese and chives. “That’s delicious." I gesture to my plate. "What’s amusing is having a menu like we’re at a restaurant.” I tap the paper.
“How would the chef know what you would like to eat if you don’t place an order?” he asks, totally straight-faced.
“Oh.” I pull my lip between my teeth. “You’re serious? Where I grew up, you just ate whatever was put in front of you.”
“How... boring.”
I sweep my eyes over the menu. Salmon, Filet minion, Scallops, and a couple of vegan options. “What’s this?” I ask,pointing to the top of the paper, seeing it’s the same design I saw in the hallway.
“The Donati Coat of Arms,” he replies. “It’s our family lineage.”
My eyes pan down; there’s such a strong sense of family here. I want to be a part of it, to dive right into this chosen family, but Sin’s words keep reminding me that I shouldn’t trust him.I will ruin you.
A woman comes up, taking our orders. I opt for salmon, Sin leans into me as she gathers the others.
“Your necklace looks stunning.”
I touch the delicate gold, “I know.”
Sin turns his gaze from me to the table, gathering everyone’s attention with a single glare. “Now to discuss business.”
Zeik’s chair scrapes back. “Are you going to discuss those matters in front of her? Do you even know her?”