Read Online The Perfect Temptation by Leslie Lafoy - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Leslie Lafoy
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so
blindly, roaringly drunk that he
hadn't been able to see so
much as his own hand in front of
his face. It was galling to
have to admit that maybe his
father and Barrett were right
about the benefits of sobriety,
but right was right.
He headed toward the stairs and
lunch with a widening
grin. Just because you'd realized
that someone had been
right all along didn't
necessarily mean that you had to share
that bit of news with them. At
least not right away. What did
matter was that you used the
newfound understanding to
improve the general conditions of
your existence. To be ...
Aiden chuckled, remembering
Sawyer's choice of words.
Yes, one should strive to be well
and truly comfortable. As
often as humanly possible.
Of course, there were a good
number of steps to be taken
before that was even remotely
possible. Gaining Alex's trust
was the first. That wasn't going
to be easy. And to make matters
ever more frustrating, he didn't
have a clue as to how to
go about it in any sort of
deliberate fashion. Being nice to
Mohan might be an effective
avenue, but the idea of gritting
his teeth in silence didn't
appeal in the least. In fact, just
thinking about it made his jaw
ache.
He'd come up with something else,
he promised himself
as he stepped into the doorway of
the dining room. Alex sat
at one end of a linen-covered
table, a silver dome-covered
plate before her. Preeya sat in
the center of one side with her
own covered plate. Places had
been set opposite them both.
The one opposite Preeya consisted
only of a linen napkin and
a set of silverware. The other
had all that and a covered plate.
Aiden paused, uncertain as to
which place was his. Preeya
solved his dilemma by gesturing
to the seat opposite Alex.
Smiling his thanks, he took his
seat saying, "My apologies
for having kept you waiting,
ladies;'
Preeya said something and a rapid
exchange in Hindi ensued.
At the end of it, Alex said in
English. "Preeya says that
she doesn't at all mind
waiting for the company of a handsome
man."
"Did you tell her that she
was unnecessarily feeding my
already grandiose sense of
self?"
"Something along those
lines:' she replied. removing her
plate cover and setting it on the
brass holder.
Preeya did the same and Aiden
followed suit, confused
yet again. "Is Mohan not
joining us?”
Alex didn't look at him as she
placed her napkin in her
lap and replied, "He's
dining in confinement today."
If she'd taken him food, she was
far more lenient than his
parents had been. The belief in
the Terrell household was
that if you'd b ehaved
badly enough to warrant being banished
to your room, you'd also behaved
badly enough to
miss a meal. In his experience,
the second part of it made the
first part hellish enough to
bring about-and rather quickly the
required change in attitude.
Aiden knew, however, that
sharing that perspective with her
wouldn't go toward garnering
her trust.
"I gather," he said,
hoping to be blandly conversational,
''that his time of personal
reflection wasn't all that productive."
Her smile was taut. "Today
is shaping up as one of his
more beastly ones."
And the odds were that the boy
was just beginning to cut
his teeth where defiance was
concerned. Ten-year olds were
like that. Deciding that she
probably didn't want to hear that
bit of reality, either, he
considered his food and the direction
he ought to take the
conversation. The fare was some kind of
steamed fish with a rice side
dish that looked to have bits of
fruit in it along with a heaping
portion of a spice that not
only made it a bright yellow but
perfectly suited for clearing
any stuffiness his nose might
have been suffering. He picked
up his fork and flaked off a bit
of the fish, asking, ''How does
Mohan usually spend his days? In
formal studies?"
''Generally the mornings are
spent with the books and slate
boards:' Alex answered. ''The
afternoons are
blindly, roaringly drunk that he
hadn't been able to see so
much as his own hand in front of
his face. It was galling to
have to admit that maybe his
father and Barrett were right
about the benefits of sobriety,
but right was right.
He headed toward the stairs and
lunch with a widening
grin. Just because you'd realized
that someone had been
right all along didn't
necessarily mean that you had to share
that bit of news with them. At
least not right away. What did
matter was that you used the
newfound understanding to
improve the general conditions of
your existence. To be ...
Aiden chuckled, remembering
Sawyer's choice of words.
Yes, one should strive to be well
and truly comfortable. As
often as humanly possible.
Of course, there were a good
number of steps to be taken
before that was even remotely
possible. Gaining Alex's trust
was the first. That wasn't going
to be easy. And to make matters
ever more frustrating, he didn't
have a clue as to how to
go about it in any sort of
deliberate fashion. Being nice to
Mohan might be an effective
avenue, but the idea of gritting
his teeth in silence didn't
appeal in the least. In fact, just
thinking about it made his jaw
ache.
He'd come up with something else,
he promised himself
as he stepped into the doorway of
the dining room. Alex sat
at one end of a linen-covered
table, a silver dome-covered
plate before her. Preeya sat in
the center of one side with her
own covered plate. Places had
been set opposite them both.
The one opposite Preeya consisted
only of a linen napkin and
a set of silverware. The other
had all that and a covered plate.
Aiden paused, uncertain as to
which place was his. Preeya
solved his dilemma by gesturing
to the seat opposite Alex.
Smiling his thanks, he took his
seat saying, "My apologies
for having kept you waiting,
ladies;'
Preeya said something and a rapid
exchange in Hindi ensued.
At the end of it, Alex said in
English. "Preeya says that
she doesn't at all mind
waiting for the company of a handsome
man."
"Did you tell her that she
was unnecessarily feeding my
already grandiose sense of
self?"
"Something along those
lines:' she replied. removing her
plate cover and setting it on the
brass holder.
Preeya did the same and Aiden
followed suit, confused
yet again. "Is Mohan not
joining us?”
Alex didn't look at him as she
placed her napkin in her
lap and replied, "He's
dining in confinement today."
If she'd taken him food, she was
far more lenient than his
parents had been. The belief in
the Terrell household was
that if you'd b ehaved
badly enough to warrant being banished
to your room, you'd also behaved
badly enough to
miss a meal. In his experience,
the second part of it made the
first part hellish enough to
bring about-and rather quickly the
required change in attitude.
Aiden knew, however, that
sharing that perspective with her
wouldn't go toward garnering
her trust.
"I gather," he said,
hoping to be blandly conversational,
''that his time of personal
reflection wasn't all that productive."
Her smile was taut. "Today
is shaping up as one of his
more beastly ones."
And the odds were that the boy
was just beginning to cut
his teeth where defiance was
concerned. Ten-year olds were
like that. Deciding that she
probably didn't want to hear that
bit of reality, either, he
considered his food and the direction
he ought to take the
conversation. The fare was some kind of
steamed fish with a rice side
dish that looked to have bits of
fruit in it along with a heaping
portion of a spice that not
only made it a bright yellow but
perfectly suited for clearing
any stuffiness his nose might
have been suffering. He picked
up his fork and flaked off a bit
of the fish, asking, ''How does
Mohan usually spend his days? In
formal studies?"
''Generally the mornings are
spent with the books and slate
boards:' Alex answered. ''The
afternoons are
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