Page 24 of Born Evil
“I’m scared shitless about dropping something on the pristine tablecloth or on the perfect carpet. The chair is white and would stain terribly and I don’t earn enough to pay for the cleaning bill.”
For a second, I stare at her in complete surprise.
Uncomfortable.
She has got to be kidding and for some reason it chips away a little of my stone-cold heart when I see her looking so miserable and leaning forward, I whisper softly, “Then it’s a good job I can afford a total refurbishment if necessary. Eat your food, drop the whole plate on the floor if that makes you feel better and fuck the tablecloth.”
I surprise her by spearing a forkful of my own food and holding it to her delicate lips.
“Eat.” I command and her eyes widen as the shock hits her expression.
“No.” She hisses furiously, and I push it closer with a hard, “I said eat.”
“But everyone will look.”
“Let them.”
She opens her mouth to protest, and I shove the food inside before the words can escape and it makes me smile at the expression of shock on her face as she struggles to eat the contents. Before she finishes, I load up my fork and take my own bite, dropping some of the food onto the table on purpose.
Her eyes widen further as I repeat the process and despite the horror in her expression, she gets a fit of the giggles that make me openly smile. I can’t help repeating the process until both of our plates are empty and as she takes a huge mouthful of wine to wash it down, I love the sparkle in her eyes as she blushes prettily.
By now, the table resembles a trash can, and she stares at it in horror.
“We are so washing up.”
I shrug. “We are so not.”
I drop a hundred-dollar bill on the table and wink. “That should cover the cleaning bill.”
Then I stand and head to her side of the table and, leaning down, I whisper into her ear as I pull out her chair, “I told you the food was good.”
She says nothing and just scrambles to her feet and then surprises me by whispering, “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“The meal and, well, the lesson, I suppose.”
She turns to leave, and it’s as if the air is disturbed around my heart as she does. It’s an alien sensation as I struggle to regain my usual arrogance. Why did I like what just happened? Spilling food on the table is so out of character for me and yet it became a fun game. For once I lightened up, and it felt good.
As I follow her from the restaurant, it’s with a lightness to my spirit I’m unaccustomed to. I liked making her smile, it was better than I thought it would be, and I am surprised to discover that I’m impatient to do it again.
CHAPTER 21
LAURA
Five-thirty on the dot, I knock on Troy’s door and place the cup of coffee on his desk and say pleasantly, “I’ll be off then.”
He seems a little surprised as he raises his eyes and stares at his watch.
“Is that the time already?”
He appears annoyed at that, and I say firmly. “It is. I’ll see you tomorrow, sir.”
I don’t wait for him to speak and leave as quickly as I came because, knowing him, he will try to think of a reason why I need to stay. I must be strong and stick to my guns because men like Troy sense weakness in a person and aren’t afraid to exploit it.
I headout into the chilling air and begin my walk to the subway. It’s busy out here and the crowds are on the same mission as I am, and I keep my head down and hurry toward the station.
By the time I get there, my feet are frozen and as I head for the stairs, I collide with someone coming the opposite way.