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I watched her flee, and disappointment welled up inside me, but I shoved it aside. At least I’d gotten to see Maren again, and hopefully, I’d see her much, much more after today.
The teahouse had closedhours before, but the manager stayed on at my request, bringing me and Maren biscuits and pots of tea as we sat in a high, red velvet booth, away from the window.
Royal Guards sat at both exits as we snacked and talked.
“That was a great show again tonight,” I informed her. “You’re better every time I see you.”
I loved the pink tinge of her cheeks when I complimented her, as if she had never heard a kind word in her life.
“It was fine,” she agreed modestly. “Again, you surprised me. I wasn’t expecting you. I would have prepared better if I’d known.”
“Well, if you’d given me your number, I could have forewarned you,” I teased.
Her blush deepened. “You never asked, and it didn’t occur to me that you might want to see me again.”
“I told you I wanted to do this again,” I reminded her, my eyebrow arching in surprise.
“I know,” she agreed. “But I wasn’t sure I believed you.”
I was mildly offended. “Didn’t you have a good time the other night?”
She placed a hand over her mouth to hide the crumbs from her biscotti, her eyes widening in dismay. Chewing for a moment, she swallowed and responded. “Yes, I had a great time. I just meant… I wasn’t sureyouwould want to see me again.”
I grunted lightly and took a sip of my runeshade pepper tea, setting the cup down. “I must have quite a reputation for myself among the dancers,” I commented.
Maren said nothing, confirming what I had already suspected.
“I would like to see more of you,” I added lightly.
“You haven’t seen enough of me?” she quipped, and I laughed at her quick response. She let her hair hide her face, but I could tell she was watching me through the blanket of chestnut strands.
“I really do have a business proposition for you,” I informed her. “If you’re interested.”
Uncomfortably, Maren shifted her weight. “I’m really not looking to leave Maximo’s, Nyx. Tristiana stuck her neck out to get me on the crew, and I wouldn’t want to do anything to reflect badly on her. But it’s not just that. I really love dancing. It’s?—”
“I’m not asking you to leave,” I interjected kindly, my affection for her growing with every word she spoke. Her integrity spoke volumes to me on a visceral level. “I’m suggesting a side job, but one that you would have control over.”
Her eyebrows rose. “Side job?”
I smiled. “It’s an idea in the making,” I explained. “It would be a weekly cabaret show at the palace with selected dancers from Maximo’s.”
Maren’s mouth parted, but she didn’t speak. I could see the wheels turning in her head as she tried to figure out what I was thinking.
“May I ask why?” she asked slowly. “What’s the idea behind it?”
I grinned wryly.
She’s a smart cookie. She understands an ulterior motive when she sees one.
“I would open the doors for the Council of Ministers and the more elite members of the kingdom to these events, for which you and the others would be paid handsomely.”
There was no excitement in Maren’s eyes whatsoever, and I didn’t blame her. I wasn’t presenting it to her the right way yet.
“Why can’t they just come to Maximo’s?” she asked dully.
I grimaced lightly. “It’s not exactly the kind of place where they would want their photos snapped by the paparazzi coming and going. Despite the fact that it’s the most prestigious venue of its kind in the kingdom, burlesque shows do carry a certain… connotation with them. Having the shows at the palace is much safer for everyone’s entertainment… and for the inner-city children of Steelshire.”
A light flickered in Maren’s pupils, but she continued to eye me with some skepticism. “How does a cabaret show help the children, exactly?” she demanded warily. “Surely you’re not having children attend the shows!”
