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I hid a smile. “It is one of her favorites.”
It absolutely was.
Grandfather grinned and I raised my wine glass. “I’ll consider it.”
His smile grew. “You wish me to be more persuasive?”
Challenge offered.
“Were you being persuasive?” I dared him.
Challenge accepted.
His laughter was far more genuine and some of the darker streaks through the evening lightened. As it was, I did choose the rum dessert and I was more than amply full when I left him to his card games. It wasn’t that late, but restlessness invaded and instead of heading directly to the apartment, I called my trainer.
Fortunately, he was available.
ChapterNine
BODHI
“Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?”
My question earned a roll of eyes, but I didn’t take offense. Instead, I just shrugged. Collin Farnsworth Cavendish IV was a pompous dickhead. But he was also on my side.
For the moment.
“You wanted to see me,” I reminded him as I ignored the waiter and pulled out the chair next to Collin’s, rather than across from him. The waiter’s little huff didn’t matter to me, nor did Collin’s faintly amused smile. In fact, I just filled a glass of water myself, ignoring all sense of decorum and protocol. The sooner the waiter figured out I didn’t give two flying fucks about him, the better.
“Leave us,” Collin said to the man who hovered. Exasperation flickered into the man’s eyes and I allowed myself a single smile before I took a sip of the water.
“Are you—” Oh, I was not the only one stomping on protocol. Unfortunately for the white silk wearing waiter, Collin’s impatience did matter to him.
“I said leave us,” he repeated in a stern tone and I shook my head before taking another long drink.
Not quite churlish in his behavior, the waiter seemed to vibrate with his need to respond. Amusement curled through me before the man walked away. Granted, he wasn’t stalking off, but it was close.
“Don’t sleep with the staff,” I reminded Collin.
“I’m not.” The immediate denial came far too swiftly. Something he had to have known because he paled the minute I pinned a look on him. “I’m—I wasn’t.”
I just raised my brows.
“He means well.”
“He’ll get killed,” I reminded him. “He can’t hold his tongue for you to meet with family? That’s going to cause more problems.”
“You don’t get it.” Collin sighed and while he didn’t sag back into his seat, he might as well have.
“I don’t have to get it.” That was the one thing he forgot. “He can be a great listener and even better at sucking your cock. He’d still die just as fast. Or worse.”
The last two words sucked all the oxygen away from the table. Collin was my age. Only a handful of months separated us. Our mothers had been the closest of friends. Sisters by marriage.
It hadn’t saved them.
“Don’t hurt him,” Collin said slowly as he reached for the vodka he’d been ignoring and took a short drink. “Please.”
“I’m not the one who would hurt him,” I said, not remotely insulted by the request. Could I? Sure. Only a fool thought someone wasn’t capable of inflicting pain and suffering. We were too intimately acquainted with all of the above to think anything else. “But he’s a weakness. One that can be exploited. Teach him or cut him loose.”
