Page 2 of The Laughing Game

Jacob narrowed his eyes but his face softened. “Robin. That’s inappropriate. You’re my employee.”

“Mr. Barnett can vouch that it was my idea. How can I resist? You’re so strong and…” He looked Jacob Moriarty up and down. “Fit.” He turned back to me while Jacob watched with benign tolerance.

“Lovely to see you, Mr. Barnett. Be sure to pop in for a drink when you’re done with these killjoys.” He threw me a stunning smile and strolled back into the parlor with a sway of his saucy backside.

I couldn’t help uttering a laugh.

Jacob rolled his eyes, but he grinned.

“Angel. Glad you’re here.” He shook my hand and ushered me down the hall to the office in the back. “Sebastian’s manning the bar, but he helped me get everything together for the taxes.”

“Super,” I said, following Jacob’s imposing form as he led me to the office.

“Brandy?”

“Hell, yeah.”

Jacob and Sebastian had commissioned a spacious room beside the kitchen as an office. They’d decorated it with dark paint and antique pieces of furniture, including three wood armchairs with padded leather seats. There was even a Victrola in the corner, but I’d never asked if it worked.

“Have a seat,” Jacob said.

I did, placing my briefcase on the floor, while Jacob went to the rolling bar cart and poured brandy from a decanter into two cut tumblers. He placed one before me then went to sit in the rolling leather chair opposite, on the other side of the desk.

He held up his glass. “These are real crystal. The ones we use in the gaming parlor are glass.”

“Very fancy,” I said, lifting mine and examining the way the colors of the liquid danced in the light.

“Long time no see! What have you been up to?”

I took a sip of the brandy and swallowed. “Oh, that’s nice.” I shrugged. “Nothing that exciting. Work. The gym sometimes. Same old, same old.”

“Any, uh, hope on the romantic side?” he asked, gazing at me in a peculiarly intense way.

“Uh…no. Not really. Why?”

Jacob shrugged. “I hate to see you alone. Surely there’s someone out there who can intrigue the great, straight, Angel Barnett.”

“I haven’t met any ‘intriguing’ women lately. But I did hook up with someone nice last night, as a matter of fact. I met her at the bar near my place.”

“Hmm. And she was…nice?”

“Yeah. She was,” I said. “It was okay. The sex, I mean. And why am I telling you this? Jesus. I sound like a dick.”

“Because I’m your friend. You don’t sound like a dick, Angel,” he said. “But you do sound a bit confused. And definitely lackluster.” He rubbed the side of his glass. “You know there have been rumors…”

I sat forward and put down my glass. “What rumors?”

He held up his hand. “Sorry, not rumors, exactly. Speculation.”

“About…about me?”

“Maybe.”

I blinked. “Why would there be rumors about me?”

Jacob looked at me like I was the only one not in on an obvious joke.

“Angel. Darling. You’re talking about a club filled with kinky gay men.”

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