Page 29 of His Dark Hunger

Christ, it was excruciating being paraded around and still having to answer him in the same demented way he demanded. Unbearable, yet undeniably stimulating.

She pulled in a breath, wanting to refute the conclusion, but the simmering at her core said otherwise. On some level, at least, Kyle was correct—she was enjoying being shown off in front of his friends.

“You lucky bastard.” The guy who sat beside Kyle shook his head. “But then, you always were, weren’t you?”

“I’ll go back for more plates, sir.” She was already shuffling toward the door before she spoke, desperate to be out of the room. It was one of the largest spaces in the otherwise colossal expanse of Brock Hall, yet it seemed as though all the oxygen was being sucked out of the air.

“Go ahead.” He waved her away with one hand, already embroiled in more laughter with the others as she edged away.

At my expense, no doubt.

She swallowed, reaching behind her for the door to offer a reprieve. Pushing it open with her backside, she retreated to the relative sanctuary of the vestibule.

“Ye took ya time!” Leonard scoffed. “What the hell happened in there?”

“Nothing!” she snapped, conscious of how red-faced she was as she turned to collect the next two plates.

“Well, hurry!” The chef motioned for her to move. “You’ll have to take three plates at a time, lass. The next course is already on its way.”

“Look, I’ve never done this before.”

She sagged, demoralized that a task as simple as serving food seemed to be getting the better of her. But then, she realized, it wasn’t the actual deed of service that troubled her, but the searching eyes, and if she wasn’t careful, roaming hands, that accompanied it. Kyle had promised his friends would only look and wouldn’t touch her, but the ambiance in there was thick with collective desire. Who knew what would happen if Kyle got carried away and forgot his oath? Or maybe he wouldn’t notice one of the others getting ‘handsy’ with her?

Pausing by the smaller table, she caught her breath at the prospect, trying to decide whether she genuinely hated the thought of being flaunted or only thought she should despise it. She didn’t know any of those men, but she couldn’t deny the idea of being desired by them was appealing. For so long, she’d been overlooked and ignored by everyone, including the opposite sex, then Kyle had changed just about everything.

“Ye’ll have to learn.” Leonard shrugged as though the answer was obvious. “And fast! Get those salads in there!”

She leapt at his order, half-troubled that she was now acting on commands from every man in the vicinity and half-concerned that Kyle would punish her for the delay. Backing into the dining room, she dashed the latest plates to their owners, doing her best to disregard the repartee at her expense before she rushed to collect the final dish.

There was no Leonard that time, the small hallway between the dining room and kitchen empty as she picked up the white crockery and made her way back to where the men dined.

“The service is a little slow.” The guy beside Kyle blew out a breath theatrically. “But I admit, she certainly is a talking point.”

“We can work on your speed, can’t we, Amy?” Kyle’s hand slid under her tiny skirt to pinch her bottom when she placed the last plate down in front of him.

“Y-yes, sir.” She gasped, thankful the probing fingers belonged to him and no one else.

“Up until now, she’s only had me to serve.” Kyle glanced down at his Caprese. “Tonight is a larger test.”

“I say she’s doing fine.” The man on the other side of Kyle smiled, his hazel eyes warm. “It wouldn’t be easy dealing with us lot.”

“True.” Kyle looked up at her. “And where’s your plate, little girl?”

Little girl.

The words reverberated around the sizeable space, although she wondered if they weren’t only echoing in her head.

“You call her little girl?” The guy she’d served first sniggered into his glass. “What is she, forty-five?”

“It’s not about age.” Kyle’s gaze burned into her skin. “Or size. It’s about power.”

She swore the room started to spin as Kyle made his case.

Power.

The word whizzed around her head.

Itwasabout power. He had it, and she wanted to relinquish it.

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