Page 50 of I Am Sin

He presses his lips together. “Oh right… You’re an heiress.”

I roll my eyes. “I’m not just an heiress. I’m a human being. My own person. I’m an architect.”

“Yes, you are. An architect who bought six pizzas so she could have one slice.” He chuckles as he takes the bottle of wine and pours some into my glass. “Teddy tells me you’re starting a new job.”

“First thing Monday morning.”

“Congratulations.” He clinks his glass to mine.

“Thank you.” I take a sip of the wine. There are a few straggler pieces of pizza left, all cheese. I pick up a napkin and grab one, despite the fact that I may pay for it tomorrow. “Now I’m an architect who bought six pizzas so she could havetwoslices. Much more economical.” I smile. “You’d better have another while you can.”

“Oh, I don’t eat pizza. I’m a vegan.”

I drop my jaw.

“Never met a vegan before?”

“No, of course I have. You just don’t run into too many vegans where I come from.”

He nods slowly. “Not in a family whose company is based on beef, I suppose.”

Christ, can we stop talking about my family? I’m trying to flirt here.

“Tell me about your veganism,” I say. “What made you make that decision?”

He smiles. “I just love animals.”

“I love animals too.”

“Yeah, I know. You don’t have to be a vegan to love animals.” His smile vanishes. “I just really hate the food industry. The inhumane way they’re treated.”

“Our animals have a really good life,” I say. “My dad and uncles pride themselves on that. They’re grass fed, and they graze freely.”

“But they still end up on someone’s plate.”

I frown. “They do.”

I take another sip of my wine. I need to find someone else if I think I’m going to get laid tonight. I like Antonio well enough, but since he seems to have a problem with everything my family does for a living, he’s probably not the wisest choice.

I take one more sip of wine. “It was great meeting you, Antonio. Excuse me.”

He grabs my arm gently. “Does it bother you that I’m a vegan?”

I shake my head. “Of course not. Does it bother you that my family makes a living raising beef?”

“No.” He looks at the floor. “I’m sorry if I came off as judgmental. This is just my personal choice. I don’t look down on anyone who eats meat.”

I smile then. Maybe he is a nice guy after all. “I certainly respect your decisions, and I’m glad you respect mine.”

“I do. So…” He glances around the room. The party has begun to die down. “You want to get out of here?”

I’m feeling something. Definitely a little bit of horniness. Probably because I’ve had two glasses of wine, which is a lot for me.

And heisattractive.

“Sure,” I say. “What did you have in mind?”

“My place is up north, in Westminster,” he says. “Where’s your place?”

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