Page 8 of When The Night Falls

‘Sandra,’ he echoed with a nod. ‘Well, I’m William, as you may have already gathered, but you can call me Will.’

‘Or Oedipus. Tomato tomato.’

Amusement twinkled in his eyes. ‘So you’re a fan of Sophocles and Greek tragedies, then? Or are you merely a disciple of dear Mr Freud?’

His evident intellect irritated me somewhat because it led me to like him more than I wanted to. He was retaliating with precisely the same sense of humour and with force equal to my own. It wasn’t often that I encountered people who could keep up with my sharp wit, but this man seemed to be up to the task. Despite his lack of affability, he clearly stored a quick and well-functioning brain behind that annoyingly handsome face.

I was still contemplating whether to reply when Philip interjected, ‘Here you go, Miss,’ and presented two lush cocktails. ‘An espresso martini and a gin and tonic.’

‘Thank you.’ I was about to grab them when William beat me to it.

‘I’ll give you a hand,’ he said as an explanation.

‘I’ve got two already. Three aren’t required, as you can see.’

He chuckled. ‘You’ve got quite the witty mouth, haven’t you?’

‘Well, at least one of us has got some wit,’ I said. ‘Poor man can’t even count right.’

William shook his head but persisted in carrying my drinks away. With a pout on my face, I trailed after him. How had it come to this? I hadn’t meant to attract him earlier. Had I known my insult would prove so counterproductive, I’d have bitten my tongue.

‘Andy,’ he called and jerked his head in the direction of Olivia’s lonely figure. Surprise flashed across Andrew’s face. His brown eyes widened as he stood up from his seat.

When I fixed my gaze on Olivia, I found her smirking. The sight elicited a groan from my mouth. Unlike Andrew, she wasn’t the least bit surprised, and I didn’t appreciate it, because it spoke of her expectations of me.

‘It’s Olivia, right?’ William asked when we reached her.

‘Yes, but everyone calls me Livy.’

‘Livy,’ he echoed as he put my drinks on the table. ‘Well, Livy, would you mind if Andy and I joined you?’ he asked politely and stretched back up. His sudden gallantry made my eyebrows furrow. How was it possible to host both a gentleman and the Devil himself in the same vessel? Flummoxed, I watched him.

‘Not at all,’ Olivia said with a dazzling grin.

‘I mind,’ I declared.

William turned toward me with a sardonic smile. ‘You don’t get a say, I’m afraid.’

‘Says who? You?’ I snorted.

He faced Olivia while pointing his thumb at me. ‘Is she always such a handful?’

Olivia studied me with clear humour in her eyes. ‘Takes one to know one?’ she said cheekily. As thanks for the support, I wanted to kiss her entire face like an excited dog.

William laughed. ‘I suppose I deserved that.’

I rushed to grab the available seat beside Olivia on the small sofa so that I wouldn’t be forced to sit next to William. After I had left my purse on the floor beside my feet, I leaned closer to her and whispered, ‘I don’t know what he wants, but my name’s Sandra, okay? Short for Cassandra.’

Olivia pursed her lips. ‘He wants you, but all right.’

I scoffed and continued in another whisper, ‘Andy split from his girlfriend earlier today. Just thought you should know – unless William was only telling a lie.’

She nodded.

‘Well, then, Sandra...’ William fetched a chair over. ‘Now that you’re done whispering about me, why don’t you tell me a bit about yourself?’ Descending into the chair, he sat at a right angle from me. Intimidated, I recoiled toward Olivia.

That was what he was: intimidating, and immensely at that.

‘I’d rather not.’

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