Page 54 of Nefarious
Noelle stepped away to drop the coffee into the machine. The tent in his pants left no doubt where he stood, but he didn’t bother to camouflage it.
As the liquid sputtered, she finally spoke. “I may have been wrong about you, Dane.”
He held his breath. Was this it? Had he won?
He was on the brink of asking her out, but she ran a hand over her hair, taking control of her expression. The genie pulled itself back into the bottle before he’d made a wish.
She shot a glance at him. “But I think you may have been wrong about me, too.”
He watched her perfectly shaped fingers open a packet of sugar, admiring her neatly polished nails. Her hands trembled, but she managed not to spill a grain.
“You want too much too soon.” She sighed.
Highlights glimmered in her hair, picking up light and making him picture decorative tinsel. He’d never noticed that her blond was so different from Val’s, so full of brightness and life. Her skin too. Soft and unlined beyond the light creases under her eyes. And she must have been an inch taller because Dane would only need to tilt his head forward and his mouth would be on hers.
“It’s not that I want to say no to you.” She stirred her drink, then turned to face him again, red blotches marring her cheeks.
He let his eyes fall on her lips, and she exhaled one shaky breath.
“But you’re playing with fire,” she whispered. “Stop. Please.”
She picked up the mug and carried it from the breakroom. Dane stood stock still until his impure fantasies would allow him to walk comfortably. He hadn’t said one word.
My beautiful Val,
Why must you always be so sharp with your tongue. You wound me deeply. To answer your first question, Germany is lovely. Thank you for asking.
As to your second question: Am I satisfied? That’s an odd question coming from you. Am I satisfied that my daughter has been rescued from a lecherous dilettante? No, not really. Am I satisfied she will be protected from him in your care? Probably not. But as I cannot come there and physically drag away an adult against her will, I’m left with the slightly less odious choice of having her remain under your tutelage. At least with you, she won’t be exposed to such open disregard for decency. It might be a deception, but you’re good at pretending, aren’t you? I don’t have any secrets I worry she might spill. Do you?
But am I satisfied?
You never asked me that question before your betrayal. Does Dane even know the depths of your treachery to him? I’ve often wondered at that. Why would you turn your back on him only to follow him into exile? Oh, you won’t call it that anymore, I’m sure. I don’t suppose the enigmatic Val will ever let me in on her motives.
So let me answer the question since you left.
Yes, I’m satisfied. I’ve worked you from my system and more importantly I’ve torn your spider fingers out of the woodwork at this company. You built a strong company, Val. And still, it nearly collapsed when you left without warning. But it’s stronger now than ever. All this without you.
Yes. I am quite satisfied.
Geraldo
Val,
Thank you for last night. I hope we can do that again. It was . . . enlightening.
Anthony
Val considered calling Anthony down to chastise him for the stupidity of his email. But after she read it a second time, she decided it didn’t really say anything in and of itself. If he wasn’t talking, anyone might read it and think she’d taught him something. It was her job after all.
And she knew he wouldn’t talk. She’d managed to find an intern to play with almost every summer. First, she made sure they were placed under another mentor, so the immediate problem of her supervisory position would be mitigated. The threat was never entirely removed, but she had other pressure points to lean on to keep them from talking. For one thing, Anthony hoped to work here next year. It was in his best interest to keep this affair quiet, even if it didn’t work out so well for him.
But it behooved him to make sure it worked out well for her. And he seemed so inclined.
She considered Geraldo’s email. Was she satisfied? Would she ever be satisfied?
The last time she’d felt momentarily content had been in that transcendent night when her loneliness had abated if only for a few hours.
In her youth, she’d kept most people her age at arm’s length, only assessing what they could do for her. And then she’d met Dane, and although he’d started out a pitiful thing, he offered her understanding and eventually friendship. She’d missed that limited window between when he’d morphed into the dazzling creature and when he realized he no longer needed her.
