In this business, you gotta learn to negotiate before the performance."
He pulled a wad of bills out of his pocket that almost made me salivate just looking at it. But then he fished out three silver dollars and pushed them across the table.
I shook my head ruefully. "Good advice."
I stood up and ordered a glass of water from the bar. Around me, the dense crowd of people chatted and drank Horace's bootleg gin. In places like this, you'd never know that alcohol had been illegal for the last six years. Even a pair of nearby vampires--a man and woman staggering a little as they passed me--seemed to have caught the drunken mood. I assumed they hadn't imbibed, as they both had that healthy fingertip flush that indicated a recent feeding. Alcohol would have made quick work of that. I drank another glass of water, hunting for Aileen in the sudden press of people. And Amir, of course, if he wasn't planning to vanish. Someone in front of me sat down, and the answer was immediately obvious. Aileen always did have a tendency to accost the most handsome man in the room. Maybe she was even now hinting that she wouldn't mind if he popped her cherry.
I stalked toward them, barely acknowledging the compliments a few people gave me as I swept past. I would absolutely not allow . . . well, I had no idea, but apparently I felt quite strongly about it.
"You're from Arabia, you say?" Aileen was corked, drinking something clear from a tumbler and swaying. Her face was very prettily flushed, but Amir's eyes were straying to the decadently large ostrich feather that she had fastened to the purple turban wrapped around her head. And well he might, for each time she swayed forward, the rather worse-for-wear fringe would tickle his nose.
"My father is a king in my homeland," he said, gently pushing aside the frond.
"A prince!" I exclaimed, walking up to them. I had never actually heard Dorothy Parker speak, but I imagined that at this moment I could probably match her for brittle sarcasm. "How lucky, Aileen. If his majesty overheats, you can fan him with your feather. Or would the ostrich like it back?"
Aileen stuck out her bottom lip and sighed. "You're being rude, Zephyr," she whispered, quite loudly.
I turned to Amir. "I'm terrified. What's the punishment for rudeness in Arabia? Something terribly barbaric?"
Aileen took another drink and giggled. "Yes, is it? Do you cut off their hands?"
Amir looked as though he wanted to laugh out loud, but said quite gravely, "Oh, noses, for certain."
My extremely drunk--and extremely gullible--roommate gasped and put a hand quite comically to her face. "No!"
Amir nodded sagely and took a drink from his own glass. "I'm quite serious."
"You lop them off with your own scimitar, I'm sure," I said.
Amir gave me a long, amused look and my heart began to pound. I supposed I would have flushed, had I not been red already from the excitement. "Forged of the finest steel--" he began.
"And quenched in the heart of a virgin?"
Amir laughed out loud at that. The sound was even more affecting than I remembered. Surreptitiously, Aileen squeezed my elbow. I couldn't even feel annoyed with her, because I knew precisely how she felt.
His grin was distinctly predatory. "No, Miss Hollis. We only quench our blades in the blood of vampires."
Aileen finished her drink in one long pull and set it firmly on the table. "That is probably a load of bollocks," she declared, loudly enough that a few nearby people turned to hear what lady would use such language. "But you tell it quite well."
Amir bowed slightly. "You're very kind."
I grabbed Aileen's elbow and turned her away from Amir. "Do me a favor and flirt with some other eligible chaps? I need a moment."
"Oh, you two know each other?" she whispered. "Don't tell me he's that weird one from your class--"
I nodded.
She whistled. "Lucky Zephyr. All right, I'll back off. I don't stand by poaching, and never have. Good luck to you."
She tipped her feather at me and
He pulled a wad of bills out of his pocket that almost made me salivate just looking at it. But then he fished out three silver dollars and pushed them across the table.
I shook my head ruefully. "Good advice."
I stood up and ordered a glass of water from the bar. Around me, the dense crowd of people chatted and drank Horace's bootleg gin. In places like this, you'd never know that alcohol had been illegal for the last six years. Even a pair of nearby vampires--a man and woman staggering a little as they passed me--seemed to have caught the drunken mood. I assumed they hadn't imbibed, as they both had that healthy fingertip flush that indicated a recent feeding. Alcohol would have made quick work of that. I drank another glass of water, hunting for Aileen in the sudden press of people. And Amir, of course, if he wasn't planning to vanish. Someone in front of me sat down, and the answer was immediately obvious. Aileen always did have a tendency to accost the most handsome man in the room. Maybe she was even now hinting that she wouldn't mind if he popped her cherry.
I stalked toward them, barely acknowledging the compliments a few people gave me as I swept past. I would absolutely not allow . . . well, I had no idea, but apparently I felt quite strongly about it.
"You're from Arabia, you say?" Aileen was corked, drinking something clear from a tumbler and swaying. Her face was very prettily flushed, but Amir's eyes were straying to the decadently large ostrich feather that she had fastened to the purple turban wrapped around her head. And well he might, for each time she swayed forward, the rather worse-for-wear fringe would tickle his nose.
"My father is a king in my homeland," he said, gently pushing aside the frond.
"A prince!" I exclaimed, walking up to them. I had never actually heard Dorothy Parker speak, but I imagined that at this moment I could probably match her for brittle sarcasm. "How lucky, Aileen. If his majesty overheats, you can fan him with your feather. Or would the ostrich like it back?"
Aileen stuck out her bottom lip and sighed. "You're being rude, Zephyr," she whispered, quite loudly.
I turned to Amir. "I'm terrified. What's the punishment for rudeness in Arabia? Something terribly barbaric?"
Aileen took another drink and giggled. "Yes, is it? Do you cut off their hands?"
Amir looked as though he wanted to laugh out loud, but said quite gravely, "Oh, noses, for certain."
My extremely drunk--and extremely gullible--roommate gasped and put a hand quite comically to her face. "No!"
Amir nodded sagely and took a drink from his own glass. "I'm quite serious."
"You lop them off with your own scimitar, I'm sure," I said.
Amir gave me a long, amused look and my heart began to pound. I supposed I would have flushed, had I not been red already from the excitement. "Forged of the finest steel--" he began.
"And quenched in the heart of a virgin?"
Amir laughed out loud at that. The sound was even more affecting than I remembered. Surreptitiously, Aileen squeezed my elbow. I couldn't even feel annoyed with her, because I knew precisely how she felt.
His grin was distinctly predatory. "No, Miss Hollis. We only quench our blades in the blood of vampires."
Aileen finished her drink in one long pull and set it firmly on the table. "That is probably a load of bollocks," she declared, loudly enough that a few nearby people turned to hear what lady would use such language. "But you tell it quite well."
Amir bowed slightly. "You're very kind."
I grabbed Aileen's elbow and turned her away from Amir. "Do me a favor and flirt with some other eligible chaps? I need a moment."
"Oh, you two know each other?" she whispered. "Don't tell me he's that weird one from your class--"
I nodded.
She whistled. "Lucky Zephyr. All right, I'll back off. I don't stand by poaching, and never have. Good luck to you."
She tipped her feather at me and
Similar Books
![Cameron, Paige - The Billionaire Rancher Buys a Wife [Wives for the Western Billionaires 2] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic)](https://fs.dianahicksbooks.com/620956/thumbs/152x264/cameron-paige-the-billionaire-rancher-buys-a-wife-wives-for-the-western-billionaires-2-siren-publishing-everlasting-classic.jpg)
