“I thought I would come see what kind of job is so important you aren’t willing to give it up.” When Paisley told me she had two jobs I assumed the second one would be much like the first, and maybe in some ways it is. “Do you like working here better than Plat—”
Paisley’s body lurches forward, one hand flying out to press tightly over my mouth. Her palm is warm and soft where it pushes against my lips, and I have the almost overwhelming urge to nip at her skin.
“Shut up.” She leans in a little more, her voice barely a whisper. “Nobody here knows I work there.” She holds my gaze a second longer, expression serious and almost threatening, as if she believes she could punish me if I don’t keep my mouth shut.
But then her gaze drops, drifting down to where she touches me. The flush from earlier flares and she pulls her hand away. But the movement isn’t quick, it’s slow, the pads of her fingers dragging along my lips as she slides them away from me. Paisley clenches her hand into a tight fist and pulls it to her chest, cradling it close, her eyes still locked on my mouth.
“Your secrets are safe with me, Paisley.” I realize there has to be a certain amount of trust between us, and trust isn’t something I normally give.
But there is no way I can convince her this is all genuine, I ruined that opportunity.
So she has to be in on this plan to a certain extent, which is a spot of vulnerability I’m not happy about, but the only alternative is to choose someone else.
And I’m even less happy about that possibility.
They won’t be right. They won’t be convincing.
Not like she will.
Paisley snorts softly. “Safe. Right.”
Her reluctance to believe me is one more reason she’s so perfect for this. “What if I give you a secret of mine?” I don’t take my eyes off hers as she mulls over the opportunity I’m offering.
“I already know one of your secrets.” She glances around us and leans closer, lowering her voice to a barely audible whisper. “You kill people.”
I reach out to slide a finger along the soft skin of her jaw, pressing it under her chin to keep her in place as I close the distance between us a little more. “That’s not a secret, Duchess.”
She’s so close I could easily kiss her, but I’m not confident in her reaction and it won’t help my cause if the woman I’m pretending to be obsessed with stiffens under my mouth.
“Order’s up, Pais.” The cook slides a plate of food into the window, stealing her attention away from me. The man on the other side of the service opening is younger than me, probably Paisley’s age, and decent looking. He winks at her as she collects my food and her skin immediately pinks up with the flush I thought belonged to me.
She sets the food in front of me but I can’t look at anything but the tint of her cheeks. “Who is he?”
Paisley glances back at the window even though there’s no sign of the cook. “Marcus?” When she faces me her pale brows are pulled together. “The cook?”
I stare down the opening, willing him to come back. “Who is he to you?”
“Uhh…” Paisley seems confused. “He’s the cook?” She repeats herself like she thinks that will satisfy me.
It doesn’t.
“Have you fucked him?” I don’t doubt that she’s a virgin, but the thought of her body under his is impossible to ignore.
Paisley’s hand flies to cover my mouth again and her blue eyes flash. “I’m not going to let you come back here if you don’t learn what’s appropriate to say and what’s not.”
She won’t let me come back here?
I go where I want. I do what I want.
I say what I want.
No one decides any of that for me, including this woman.
Except…
I take a slow breath, my gaze continuing to look for the man who may know just how well my Duchess sucks a cock.
I can deal with him later.