Page 50 of The Bargain

“I - ummm - You need to eat something decent. I’m going to my room now, but I cooked enough for two and I left it in the oven on low for you, so it should stay warm for a little while."

I'd never expected her to do anything remotely nice for me. I'd never given her a reason to and yet...here she was. Sighing, I leaned back in my seat. “Is it poisoned?”

She shrugged with a small smile. “I’m no chef, so if it is, it was unintentional.”

Her smile pleased me, the banter too. Ah, I was probably drunker than I'd thought.

My phone started to vibrate again. For the first time in forever, I actually turned it off and left it on my desk. I deserved a break. I’d been working more than my share for the past few days.

I stood up. “Keep me company?” I asked, surprising the both of us. Yes, I'd definitely drank too much.

“You want me to keep you company?” She pointed at her chest.

I couldn’t blame her for the confusion; I was confusing myself.

“Yes,”

“Okay….” she trailed off warily, moving out of the way before following me silently to the kitchen.

As I took the weird-looking casserole out of the oven, she made herself a hot chocolate, adding an insane amount of mini marshmallows. This woman clearly had a sweet tooth.

Taking a seat at the small table, I looked around us. It’d been years since I'd eaten in here. It brought some quite comforting, but bittersweet memories to the surface.

You’re becoming soft, Dean,I thought with annoyance. I should have known better than to drink the last two glasses of Bourbon. It'd always had the irritating effect of lowering my inhibitions.

“What did you do in your free time?” I asked as Opal sat across from me at the small kitchen table. She placed one foot on the chair and rested her chin on top of her knee.

“Do you mean when I wasn't whoring myself out or taking drugs?” she asked before taking a sip of her hot chocolate.

Touché. “Yeah, that-”

She sighed as if she was unsure about whether or not she wanted to answer. “I didn't have any ‘me’ time to be fair.” She smiled. "Working full time at the dinner, while taking care of a sick baby?” She shook her head, accidentally loosening some of her long silky hair from her messy bun. The tendrils rested on her neck. “I barely had time to sleep. But I didn't mind. Timmy makes it all worth it.”

I took a bite of her passable bake, and whilst sober Dean would have used this to destroy her and tell her everything that was wrong with her dish, slightly inebriated Dean was just fascinated by the tendrils of hair resting on her neck. My fingers tingled with the need to brush them away. I was also both impressed and surprised by her lack of bitterness at her situation. This seemed to be a different woman than the one who'd written the note I'd found in Edward’s pocket.

“But before Timmy, I enjoyed reading and playing around with photoshop, creating some promo material and stuff like that.” She looked at me for a second. “What do you enjoy doing during your free time?”

“Fuck,” I admitted. Seeing the shock on her face, I couldn't help but laugh. If I didn’t know any better, I would have pegged her as an innocent virgin. “No, seriously, I don't have much free time. I enjoy what I do - buying companies, making them better, and then selling them. I love that.”

“Uh, it’s a little sad. Life is made for living. I would do it all if I was you.”

“What did you tell him?” I couldn't stop myself from asking. The thought had been perturbing me day and night. I hated the idea of her with Jeremy, hated how perfect he was and how he would please her.

“Who?” she asked, confused.

“Jeremy. What did you say when he asked you out?” Lord, did it cost me to ask, but I needed to know now because it'd been driving me crazy.

“He didn’t tell you that?”

“No,” I replied gruffly. "I think he enjoyed keeping me guessing."

“Does it even matter?” she asked. The small smile playing on her lips both irritated and enticed me. How could she cause so many contrary feelings at the same time? “Answer the question, Ms. Collins,” I ordered. I was starting to think that she enjoyed a little command. I bet it turned her on… Was she wet for me now? My dick started to swell at the thought.

“I said no.” She licked her bottom lip. Yes, she was attracted to me too.

“Tell me why.”

“Because things are complicated. Because –” She sighed, shaking her head. “Because-” She turned toward me, meeting my eyes, and I saw it. Despite the light haze of alcohol in my brain, I saw it - her confusion, her attraction…her desire.

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