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Because it feltpersonal. Real. For some reason that small, ever so slightly salacious smile ofhis felt intimate. Heavens, suddenly aware that his lips were not so very faraway from hers.
By the Sword. Shemust be missing battle more than she thought. Actually considering hitting theemergency button and fucking the Demon.
Shaw wouldn’t bethe first or the last Valkyrie to do the deed in one of the elevators atHeadquarters. Yes, and maybe once she fucked Kaleb, she could move on fromthinking about stupid things, like the degree of his smile and how real or fakeit was.
Which was beyondridiculous. She was a Valkyrie. She didn’t care about such inane things.
More importantly,no way was she going to give in to what was clearly a simple case of lust, andbang the Demon right here and right now. It wouldn’t just be tacky. It wouldlet everyone know that the Demon… the Demon was what? Getting to her? Yeah,well, that shit ended now.
The elevatorsdinged open. Shaw turning to give Kaleb one last flinty hard look before theystepped out on to the executive level of Headquarters. “What I’m saying is thatyou look like a cheap film extra. Just keep your trap shut and the swagger to aminimum. And work really, really hard on not embarrassing me, okay? That’s allI ask.”
“As you wish.”
Chapter Eleven
What was a wordbeyond gobsmacked? Whatever it was, Shaw was experiencing it.
What had happenedto her stalwart, grumpy, arrogantly snobby fellow Valkyries? Where were theentitled arrogant sneers? The calculated looks regarding how quickly they coulddefenestrate a 6.4ft Conflict Demon without staining the carpets and earningStephanie’s perpetual wrath?
From the momentthey’d entered the central admin area of the executive floor, a lively low buzzof discussion had erupted. That was to be expected. It wasn’t every day ShawBengala brought a Conflict Demon to work. But that gossipy buzz didn’t fade.Instead, an air of excitement… expectation, simmered away. Shaw catching sightof more than one battle-retired Valkyrie surreptitiously fixing their hair.Several others reapplying lip balm. Whilst a disturbing number fluttered theireyelashes Kaleb’s way, and smiled welcomingly.
Smiled? Inwelcome?
Okay. It mighthave been mean, but Shaw couldn’t help herself. Casually throwing over hershoulder before she turned into the corridor leading to Legal. “Just so youheifers know. Stephanie’s right behind me. She’s bouncing like a rubber balland somehow found an even larger clipboard.”
Legal proved nodifferent. Intently interested gazes following Kaleb’s every step. The majorityof lips curving upwards into even more welcoming smiles.
Shaw couldn’t evenfault Kaleb. He wasn’t grinning. Or dimpling madly. He was just walking behindher, gaze shifting about, drinking in his surroundings. Looking nothing butcurious and interested in how everything was laid out.
Coming to a haltbefore the desk located outside Shaw’s office, it was a relief when Olrun heldup a surly hand to halt any questions or discourse. Her personal assistantswallowing three fat pink pills, before chugging down a bright orange potion.Quickly recording everything she’d just done in her massive wellness folder anddiary. Just as Olrun completed that task, a small rooster shaped egg-timeremitted a screeching sound.
“Hold on. Lotiontime.” Olrun deftly swivelled in her chair, plucking a white and silver mediumsized bottle off a newly installed shelf located directly behind her that wasloaded with an assorted array of bottles. Proceeding to smear pale blueointment up over her forearms to her elbows and back down to her hands. A freshlemony scent tainting the air. “I’ve just discovered burning sage can triggermy eczema. Which is a bummer, since it’s one of the key ingredients in my sinusrelief steam potion.” Absently Olrun rewound the rooster egg-timer, setting itback down amongst a number of other barnyard animal shaped timers that tickedaway. All waiting for their turn to reach zero so Olrun could have anotherpill, chug a potion, or rub ointment somewhere.
“Any messages forme?” Shaw enquired, forced to wait another few seconds as Olrun sneezed twice.Then checked the contents of the tissue, taking a moment to decide whether anychanges needed to be made in her strict drug, potion, lotion regimen.
“Not so muchmessages, as complaints.” Olrun leaned to the side, her red plait falling overone shoulder, shouting so the entire Legal Department could hear her. “Mostlypetty stuff.” Then resumed her normal speaking volume. “I dealt with it. Butthere are a few things you might want to take a look at. I left the details onyour desk.”
Okay, Olrun mightbe loud, sneezy, drippy and smell strange, but she was efficient it seems.Mainly, Shaw suspected, because anything extraneous took time away from herbeloved wellness rituals. “What about the new butcher? Have you been able totrack her down for me?” Shaw needed to meet with their new meat provider, itwas on Stephanie’s to-do list. Which meant whoever had won the contract hadbeen dodging Stephanie and now, as Olrun shook her head in the negative, itseems that they were dodging Shaw.
“No luck so far.She won’t return my calls or emails. The only thing I can determine in regardsto her whereabouts is that she likes to gamble.”
“Gamble?” Kalebspoke up for the first time. “Horses? Dogs? Cards? Chance?”
“All of them, fromwhat I understand.”
“Then I should beable to help, I have some contacts-”
“Seedy contacts?”Shaw enquired tartly.
“Some, but not all.I’ll see what I can find out if you provide me with your… butcher’s details.”
Shaw nodded atOlrun to do it. “After that, could you run Kaleb down to Medical?”
Olrun’s face litup with delight. “Medical? What’s up? Is he contagious?”
Holding up his hand,Kaleb explained what had happened and that he was really only looking for aclean fresh bandage to replace the bloody makeshift shirt.
“Oh, no. Kejei’son the roster today. Her specialty is gut wounds. She’d just pass you off toPastel, who’s needlework leaves a lot to be desired. I wouldn’t go to Medicalright now if I were you.”
