Page 44 of Soul Food

He sighed. “We talked about this at the charity event, remember? I figured you were already working on something since then.”

“That is true,” I mumbled. But still. Just because we briefly talked about music and had a moment there, he wouldn’t have known I was songwriting—or trying at least.

“Besides, why else would you be hanging out with those vultures if you weren’t?” Did he actually raise his voice in anger? It was surprising.

“Vultures?” I snickered. “You mean The Oppressors?”

“Is that their name?” I couldn’t tell if he was being serious or being an ass.

“You don’t know anything about them, yet you know that I’m trying to write a new song. I’m not even one of your artists anymore.” He couldn’t pretend he wasn’t keeping an eye on me. But why? It was hard to tell if he was interested in me or if it was all about the company?

“You were asleep,” he said abruptly, changing the subject. “I’ll let you go.”

“Wait, what did you call for?” I asked hopeful.

“I thought this would be something you’d want,” came his dull response.

“My, how noble, to sacrifice yourself to me like this,” I said sarcastically.

He sighed into my ear. The sound giving away his frustration with me. “Must you always get annoyed? I don’t understand. The lifestyle you’ve chosen has given you plenty of hate. Little things that shouldn’t mean anything are what you’re going to let get to you?”

“Anti-fans are different. They don’t know me. They don’t bother me like you do. I don’t want to drag my teeth over their tongue as I thread my fingers in their hair, now do I?” I bit out unashamed. “No, that’s just what I want to do to you…” I took a second to just breathe after saying all that and waited. He was so deathly quiet on the other end that I had to check if he was still on the phone. “Amit?”

“You can show me,” he finally muttered hoarsely.

“Show you what?”

“You.”

Then he hung up. A second later, he called me via video chat. I bent over and turned on the lamp on my nightstand, glanced down at my silk nightgown, smoothed out my hair before scooting up against the headboard, and answering the call.

Like before, his chest came into view and nothing else. “Just admit it, Amit.” I smirked into the camera, feeling aroused as well as giddy.

“Admit what?”

“That you’re into me too.”

A deep, throaty groan. “If that’s what makes you happy, then go ahead and believe that.”

I tilted my head to the side. “Fine. I’ll live in that fake reality whenever we FaceTime each other.”

He grumbled hotly. “If that’s what you want.”

As much as he said that to me in the week since our first encounter, I was beginning to think there wasn’t anything he wouldn’t let me get away with. I would use those words to my advantage in this lust game with him—at a safe distance. I didn’t want the demon going after him. Amit didn’t seem like the man that would lose his self-control either so it wasn’t like I had to worry about him approaching me any other way than through our camera lens.

“I want to see more of you. It’s weird that you keep it on your chest. I should see your face when we’re talking.” He listened this time. The camera moved up and his sharp features came into view. His gray eyes sliced into me through the screen. His hair looked a bit ruffled like I’d stressed him out and he kept running his hands through it. “That’s better,” I whispered. He held my gaze. “You’re not hard at all to look at.”

Hard, fixated stare; completed with a hard swallow. It was enough to let me know that he was into this like I was even if he wouldn’t admit it. “This isn’t about me.” But then he drew the line right then and there.

Why? I didn’t know why, but it was plain to see he was forcing distance between us. It stung. I wasn’t made of the same walls he was, but it was time I placed one up myself. My attraction was that: attraction. I was dying soon, and I deserved something, anything that made me feel like what my lust for him made me feel. That was all. I wanted to take from someone. Enjoy someone. I wanted Amit, pure and simple.

For what I had in mind I needed both of my hands. Glancing around the room, I noticed the alarm charger I used on my nightstand. Perfect. Placing my phone on it, I positioned myself in front of the camera and lifted my purple nightie, giving Amit a nice view of my legs and other things. After improving thesceneryfor him, I pushed my hair back and gave my best come-hither smile. Tonight Amit would see everything.

I wish I had music to play, but my phone was tied up in the video so I would have to make do with the silence. Moose jumped off the bed and retreated from the room. I glanced back to the phone then my nightie. “I’ll admit that these video chats are a first for me.” I let my strap fall off a shoulder. “But my heart’s beating with adrenaline, just like it does every time when I’m about to perform.”

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AMIT

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