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I flinched at hearing her name.
No one liked being rejected — even the governor of Enchor’s Heart!
To be reminded of it by someone who likely knew Mila better than I did… was painful.
Layla smoothed down her clothes. “I’m… not sure we should do this. I don’t get involved with friends of friends. It just makes things too… complicated.”
I nodded. “I understand.”
“This has nothing to do with you. It’s just the way I do business.”
I nodded again. “You’re right.”
But she didn’t make a move for her purse on the chair beside the door.
In fact, she didn’t move at all.
“We can talk,” she said. “If you need someone to speak with.”
I shook my head. “That’s okay. I can find another Elinz'ang to do that with.”
She nodded before crossing the room to the door and picked up her purse on the way. “Well… that was close!”
I nodded. “Very. If I hadn’t switched the light on…”
She chuckled. “For sure.”
And still, she remained standing there.
I wasn’t sure what else to say.
I moved for the door and depressed the handle. “Sorry for wasting your time. Actually, let me compensate you…”
Layla shook her head. “There’s no need for that.”
“You could have been with another client. You shouldn’t be out of pocket just because of some silly mistake.”
I dug in my pocket for the credits I had taken from my safe earlier and handed them to her. “Is this enough?”
She weighed them in her hand without counting them before extracting about one-fourth of the bundle.
She handed the rest to me. “This is enough.”
I didn’t take it. “Keep it. Use it to buy another beautiful dress.”
I smiled sadly, and Layla, clearly not in the habit of turning down such gifts, nodded and thanked me.
I reached over for the door again and depressed the handle.
I yanked it over and the harsh hallway light flooded the two of us. “Once again, I apologize for the mistake.”
Layla nodded, before looking up at me.
Then, curiously, she drifted forward, placing one hand on my chest, and went up onto her tiptoes, pressing her lips against mine.
This kiss was even more surprising than the first.
The threads of electricity burst from either side of my mouth and shimmied down my entire body.
