“Maybe that would be good for my ego, since you picked Frankenstein’s monster over me.” He winked. They grinned at each other. “Not that I blame you.”
Severin tried to figure out why she never looked at him that way. Probably because she and Rodrigo were friends, while he was her...owner. She and Rodrigo were so much better together, and yet she wanted Severin. She even said she loved him. Why wouldn’t she want the life Rodrigo could give her – with the parties and people and fun? He even had a close-knit family she could get invited into. They’d love her. Hell – who wouldn’t choose Ro?
Well...he hadn’t. Couldn’t. But that was different.
For Minnow, the choice made no sense, so he couldn’t trust she’d stick to it. He wanted better for her.
The problem was, as much as she was locked into his collar, she was free to make her own mistakes, even if he was one of them.
Rodrigo caught his eye and grinned, trying to include him in their joking. The five o’clock shadow suited him. It wasn’t often the man let himself relax, and sometimes Severin wondered if that was why he hung out with him out here.
The movie credits started to roll, and Rodrigo got to his feet and started to gather up the popcorn he’d thrown around.
“Tell me I can stay here and don’t have to go to my sister’s art exhibit,” Rodrigo begged.
“You love Mayte’s work!” Minnow admonished, throwing more popcorn at him. He arched a brow at her in the typical dominant fashion, but picked her mess up too.
“I can’t stand stuffy parties. I have to go to my place and shave and put on dress clothes and make myself presentable.”
Minnow smiled, but maybe it looked sad. Did she wish she could go too? She could meet Rodrigo’s crazy family. As much as he complained the party would be stuffy, nothing was ever stuffy if Rodrigo’s family was around. They were wild and fun, and Severin loved when their paths crossed, even though he’d heard Mayte call him la bestia behind his back. The beast. At least she said it quasi-affectionately.
“You should go as his date,” Severin said to the girl.
Rodrigo and Minnow looked at each other then back at Severin.
“What?” Minnow asked, frowning up at him.
“Wouldn’t you like to go to a party?”
She opened her mouth then closed it. “Not without you, Master, and I have nothing to wear to something like that – I wouldn’t even know what to wear.”
“Rodrigo could tell you. It wouldn’t take long to pick something out. You could have fun instead of bei
ng stuck here.”
She glared at him. “You said I wasn’t allowed to leave the property without you. Were you lying?”
“I trust Rodrigo to take care of my slave.”
“Maybe we’ll go sometime, but that means you too. Not just me with Mr. Solis.”
“As much as you like to share her with me, the two of us are just friends with benefits, Sev. You’re not going to trick us into getting involved with each other and leaving you to rot in peace.”
They both glared at him.
“Quit trying to get rid of me,” Minnow grumbled.
“I just thought you might like to go,” he said.
“He wants you to hurry up and fall in love with me so it will hurt less when it inevitably happens.”
Severin felt his bottom jaw stick out more, and he clenched his teeth. “Go to your party, Sigmund. Maybe the crowd there will enjoy your psychoanalysis more than I do.”
Rodrigo stood and bowed his head formally, as though he was a servant. “Should I tell Mayte you send your regards?”
“I sent flowers from him,” Minnow said. “Severin told me to have them sign the card la bestia but wouldn’t say why.”
Rodrigo turned back to Severin, his dark eyes twinkling. “Always listening, hey, Sev? We should get you business cards that say that. Severin Leduc, la bestia. Appropriate. Succinct.” Rodrigo gave him a hungry look. The man was in incorrigible flirt.