Page 82 of Silk and Sirens

Vivienne wasn’t a date—she was bait.

And I had no intention of taking it.

“That you’re a hard man to tie down.” She flashed the waiter a dazzling smile as he returned with the wine and poured us each a glass. The second he left, her foot resumed its ascent. I crushed the glass harder into my palm.

“He wasn’t wrong.”

“Well …” She licked slowly along the rim of her glass before taking a sip, eyes locked on mine. “Maybe you just haven’t met the right woman yet.”

Jesus-fucking-Christ.

I forced a polite half-smile, like I wasn’t currently envisioning all the ways I could break her bones. “What about you?”

Her eyes widened with exaggerated delight, fake lashes fluttering. “Me?”

“You already know plenty about me,” I said flatly. “Seems only fair I know something about you.”

That was all the invitation she needed, apparently.

Vivienne launched into a monologue about herself, something about designers, skincare, and how terribly difficult it was to be this beautiful. I offered the occasional nod, low hum, and monosyllabic reply.

All the while, her foot kept teasing higher up my leg, her cleavage on full display as she leaned forward, her laughter so loud it drew stares from nearby tables.

But there was only one pair of eyes I wanted on me.

Across the room, Aeris had been seated. Her client—date, fucking target—sat with his back to me, so I had the perfect view of her expression.

She might have worn a smile, but there was no excitement in her eyes. No spark or fire. Nothing like when I made her get on her knees. Or when I made her crawl.

“What about you?” Vivienne asked, dragging my attention back. “Is it just your dad? I didn’t see a ring on his finger.”

I took a slow sip of wine. “Why? You prefer your men older?”

She giggled like a schoolgirl, the sound grating. “Of course not. Although … maybe I could set him up with my mum.”

That actually pulled my focus. “What’s your mum like?” I asked, setting the glass down.

Vivienne let out an exaggerated sigh, rolling her eyes dramatically. “She’s … a lot. Beautiful, obviously. Extremely ambitious, even a little terrifying if you cross her.” She leaned in closer, lowering her voice like she was sharing a secret. “But my favourite part is she always gets what she wants, which means I always get what I want.”

I smiled, cold and sharp.

What a coincidence, I thought.

So do I.

And right now, what I wanted was sitting across the room on a fucking date.

Except, when I glanced back, Aeris was standing, every drop of colour drained from her face. A tall, older man with dark hair threaded with silver stood far too close, his shoulders tense. I could only see his back, but the way his fingers dug into her arm made something dark uncoil in my chest, the darkness turning violent when he dragged her forcibly out of the room.

I stood, the table jerking from the sudden movement.

“Caden?” Vivienne caught her glass before it could fall. “Are you okay?”

“Excuse me, I’ll be right back.”

Chapter 35

Aeris