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The need to stuff my entire fist into his mouth is burning hot in my veins but I keep my face stoic, adding a small grin to the mix to hide my displeasure, while I take a large step back from his grating presence.
“Been busy. You know how it is,” I answer, my arm finding its way back around Lenix’s waist.
Roddrick’s beady eyes track my movements, his gaze slowly taking in her body before landing on her face. His tongue darts out to lick his thin upper lip like the fucking lizard he is before speaking again. “And who might this be?”
Before Lenix has time to even open her mouth, I jump in.
“My wife,” I say matter of factly, my mask serious yet warm.
“Oh.” His eyes grow wide in surprise as he takes in the information, and the same sick thrill I can never seem to name slams through me.
“Lenix,” she says, her voice smooth as honey. “It’s a pleasure Mr…?”
“My, my. Where are my manners,” he says, shaking away his shock and barking a laugh. “Call me Roddrick, dear.” He takes her offered hand into his, leans in and gives it a quick kiss, my fingers curling tighter into her hips at the sight. His eyes slide to mine and then back to her before saying, “Connor married… what fascinating news. Given his reputation, I always thought he would stay the most eligible bachelor in Noxport.”
Finally letting go, he straightens, watching Lenix closely as if hoping for some kind of reaction from her.
She looks at me with soft eyes and smiles. If I knew any better, I’d think it was real. And then, shocking me, she leans over and kisses my cheek. I swallow my surprise and smile back at her.
“Hisreputationis what first attracted me to him, isn’t that right Connie baby?” Her voice is sickeningly sweet. Taking a slow sip of her champagne, she looks around the room, a bored look on her face, effectively dismissing Roddrick.
He clears his throat. “Well, congratulations are in order. It was lovely to meet you, dear. And Connor, always a pleasure.” Without waiting for much of an answer, he walks away to find his next victim.
Well, damn.
Lenix might be more useful than I originally thought.
She turns to me, stepping out of my embrace, my arm falling to my side. She smiles, a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. “You might know these people personally, but it’s myjobto know who’s who in this town. Roddrick might have not known who I was but I know more about him then you probably do, including his very low status within this world. If you’re going to make the most of our agreement. At leastuseme well.”
Discarding my glass on a nearby table, I ignore the images her last sentence is evoking, smoothing my palm over my mustache. I look her up and down before grinning back at her. “How would I use you, exactly?”
I know Lenix picked up on my little innuendo but chooses to ignore it. “Since I roped myself into this mess, I might as well try to make it fun,” she says, her lips curling playfully.
Before I can even respond, she turns her back to me, her ass so perfectly displayed in thatfuckingdress, that I have no other choice but to follow her to our table.
I thought Lenix would fight me the entire time, a prisoner of her own fate. But seeing her now, shoulders straight, a sultry sway to her hips, I realize I’ve misjudged her. Right before my eyes, she slips into a second skin, becoming a honey tongued vixen in the blink of an eye. It’s almost as if playing a different person is second nature to her.
I’m suddenly very curious indeed to see where this will lead us.
Chapter 20
Iletthedroneof the voices wash over me while I focus on cutting a small piece of salmon from my plate and raising it to my mouth.
Connor sits to my right, his hand loosely curled over his glass of mezcal in front of him, a finger distractedly playing with the lip while he listens to Mayor Hawkins command our table with a funny story across from us.
How we ended up at the mayor’s table is beyond me. Observing Connor tonight has made me realize how much heisthe devil in disguise. He could almost seem innocently normal if it wasn’t for his dark aura pulsing with every breath he takes. It’s hard to avert my gaze for long.
And a quick study of everyone at our table confirms I’m not the only one whose eyes can’t help but to gravitate to him. Even the mayor’s eyes seem trained on Connor while he continues to regale us with his grand tale. A small twist of envy grips my stomach, until my eyes land back on Connor, and realize his gaze is on me. My stomach then twists for another reason entirely.
The slight curl of his lip seems to fuel Hawkin’s story, who swerves into a tangent and I internally groan. I’ve barely registered a word in over five minutes but my face is fixed into a pleasant smile while I chew my food politely. When my eyes aren’t pulled back to the man beside me, they’re subtly observing the other ten people at the table.
Just like Roddrick earlier, I know them but they don’t know me. As much as I love attention, there’s a time and place for it. Right now, I’d rather keep my cards close to my chest, melting into the background as Connor’s unassuming wife. Although I know I’m the reason I’m in this mess to begin with, the thought of people picturing me as just that, tastes bitter in my mouth. I feel like I’m losing all sense of agency just sitting here.
There is a silver lining, however. Since no one is expecting anything from me, controlling their perception of who I am becomes a lot easier. Just one more persona to mold into creation and add to my arsenal. It’s second nature at this point.
“Henry,” Connor says, addressing the mayor like they’ve been old chums for years. “That was one hell of a story. You sound like you were quite the ruffian in your heyday.”
God. I fight the urge to roll my eyes. Did he just use the wordruffian?
