novelxo Prince Of Greed: Chapter 9
I didn’t have to wait long. I knew after the night of restless sleep I’d invoked, she would be in the need of an afternoon espresso.
When Evie came in, she didn’t look around in her desperation for caffeine. She ordered quickly, careful to thank and tip the barista with cash, then moved down the counter where white paper cups with black lids were being shuffled out to waiting hands. Her fingers twisted the locket around her neck while she waited.
Her eyes flitted up when she heard her name called.
She turned to go—cup in hand—and her gaze finally landed on mine.
Her eyes darted around, likely looking to see if she was imagining me or if anyone else saw the man she’d been thinking and dreaming about since last night.
She must have decided she wasn’t hallucinating because gave me a small, casual wave. I returned her greeting with a nod and a coy but welcoming smile.
Instead of waiting for her to think too long and talk herself out of coming over to me, I got to my feet and closed the distance between us.
“This is a pleasant surprise,” I said, practically feeling her shiver at the sound of my voice.
“It is?” She laughed, her cheeks pink.
My lips pulled into a warmer smile, inviting her shoulders to relax.
“I mean, it is,” she corrected and brought her coffee to her mouth, biting on the thin plastic to mask her surprise.
“What brings you to this side of town?” I asked to break the silence.
“I had some work stuff to do. My office is at the end of the block.”
I nodded.
“What about you?” she asked.
“Believe it or not, I come this way every couple weeks for comedy lessons.”
“Comedy lessons?” The surprise in her tone lifted something in my chest and brightened her face.
“The prestigious Pauly Shore’s Comedy for Dummies. We meet every other Saturday morning.” I winked, giving away my joke.
She laughed. She tucked a loose lock of hair behind her ear then hid her smile behind her fingers.
“I’d say they’re paying off.”
“I’ll pass along the review to Pauly.” I leaned in for a mock whisper and brushed my fingers over her forearm, which erupted into goosebumps.
It was a distraction for a sleight of hand to catch something dear to her. Her nostrils flared, and her pupils dilated as she caught the scent of my cologne.
I pulled back to slip my hand in my pocket, but not as far as I’d been before.
The heavy pause between us allowed her to soak up my presence.
“You’re coming from work?” I asked. “On a Saturday?” Inserting myself in her waking world would solidify the hold I was digging into her.
“No rest for the determined.” She gave me a half smile. “I’m still trying to prove myself within my team, which means extra hours on the weekends.”
“They’re not paying attention if they don’t see your dedication,” I agreed, but our ambitions were clashing at the moment. “Do you ever get free time?”
“Not often. I have plans tonight, but I typically have the waking hours of an elderly woman in Boca. The coffee is for longevity.”
I gave her my best panty-dropping smile then took a long sip from my coffee cup. I ran my tongue slowly over my lips. Her eyes widened as they followed the movement.
“Would you consider going to dinner with a new friend if it was at an early-bird-special hour?” My voice broke her focus, and she looked away with another flush to her cheeks.
“If they didn’t mind having dinner at five thirty on a weekday, then I would give it a shot.” She gave me a cool smile, but the bright delight in her eyes said more than she was willing to say out loud.
“Monday?”
Her bottom lip twitched as she thought it through. After her dreams and the constant onslaught of thoughts about me, she wasn’t keen to scurry off so quickly. Like a cool sip of water on a scorching day, we savored the satiety of her thirst.
“Okay. Monday.”
I took my phone out and unlocked it, and she rattled off her phone number. Instead of just saving it, I sent her a text with the name of the restaurant I intended to take her to—the one with a rooftop bar that her stepmother and her father frequented with their friends in local government. With the right encouragement, we’d catch them at the tail end of our meal.
Her phone dinged a second later. She ignored it but watched my hand slip my phone back into my pocket. Her eyes caught on the tattoo on the inside of my wrist.
My sigil.
“That’s an interesting tattoo. Does it mean anything?”
“It’s a family thing,” I answered.
One would say it was a map. Or a blueprint for much more than I had bargained for with my contribution to the Fall.
I held it up for her to see fully, and I watched her fingers timidly trace the lines, loops, crosses, and circles. When she’d had her fill, she ran her fingers through her hair. “Do you have any more tattoos?”
“Yes.”
I didn’t give her any further details. I wanted to let her mind wander.
The pink across her nose and cheeks deepened.
Seeing her squirm under the heat of the question sent a thrill through me. I wanted to feel her nails digging into the owl’s wings across my chest as she rode my cock and moaned my name.
That time would come, but until then, I needed to keep her guessing.
“I should get going.” I cleared my throat and took a step toward the door. “Enjoy your night, and I’ll see you on Monday.”
“Oh,” she said, trying to mask her disappointment, “yes. See you on Monday.”
With one last smile, I headed out the door.
Once the coffee shop was out of sight, I held up my prize: her locket. A zap of energy had loosened the loops of the chain, and the pendant had slipped into my hand while her attention had been elsewhere.
I slipped into the void to deliver the charm to Haniel, the alchemist. The locket was the perfect item to enchant and present to Evie as a beacon in a couple days. By then, the desperation Evie was stewing in would make her more pliable to my plans for her father. Until then, I was expected at The Deacon.