“Good morning,” he said.
“Good morning.”
He wanted her. He realized that with a kick of lust and ferocity.
He wanted her. Even now, he wanted her. Even now, knowing how duplicitous she was.
He was a sick bastard, that there was something in that thought that actually made his desire kick up even higher.
He wanted to punish her.
Wanted to pin her down with his hand on her throat and make her beg him for mercy. And for pleasure.
There was certainly more of the old ways, and the old ancestors in his blood than he normally thought.
That, though, was nearly a comforting thought. It was the surge of tenderness on its heels that he felt desperate to deny. That he wanted to respond to her clear distress by wrapping her in a blanket, as he’d done the night of her father’s funeral, and holding her close.
“Is it?”
“Morning?”
“Good,”she fired back, looking angry.
He quite liked her angry. It was better than sad.
“You will be relieved to know that I have clothes for you.”
“Wonderful. Did someone go and get my things?”
“No. I am tired of your self-imposed uniform. I would like to see you in some colors.”
“Colors?”
“You wear all black. And I find it unbecoming.”
“You found it becoming enough to screw my brains out a couple of months ago.”
“Yes. But after I got you out of the clothes.”
She huffed, and then looked hungrily at the spread set before them.
“This looks good.”
“It isn’t poisoned.”
“How did you know that was the last question I was going to ask you?”
“Because smart-asses are predictable.”
She wrinkled her nose. “Well, I’ll get more creative then.” He had a feeling that for Olive a lack of creativity was the singular greatest sin a person could commit. Which was yet another reason it was so odd that she had stolen from him the way that she had. For in his opinion it evinced an extreme lack of creativity. She must’ve been desperate. He wondered exactly why.
“Why did you do it?”
“What?”
“Why did you stoop so low to win that contract? It is not in your character, Olive, at least not in your character as I knew it.”
She looked away. “I really needed to win that.”