Page 62 of Seducer

And I felt a little giddier inside than before.

I was moving slowly as I headed toward my cubicle, saying a silent prayer. Whatever reason I was having some good luck, I was eternally grateful.

“Wow. That was different,” Tina said before I had a chance to sit down. She was already hanging over my cubicle wall. I didn’t need to look at her to know she was grinning. She reminded me of my brother, gunning for the woman’s job and willing to use any prank to get what she wanted.

“Yeah, different.” I tossed my purse, huffing when I sat down in my chair. I finally had to look my best friend in the eye.

“I mean, Ms. Wallace never backs down. You were practically growling.”

“I have several reasons to growl, but she was okay about me being late.”

“Oh, wow. Did something happen at work last night?”

“Nope, I was off. I was happily enjoying a quiet evening at home.”

“Right. I can tell by the look on your face you’re pissed at something. Then what happened?” Tina would prod until I gave her some kind of answer.

I shook my head, eyeing the ceiling. I also felt embarrassed and wasn’t certain why.

“My brother decided to get himself arrested.”

“For what?” Tina slid herself into my cubicle, folding her arms as she stared at me incredulously.

“For being stupid. A prank gone wrong. He thinks he can just quit school if they don’t kick him out and get a job. He acted as if all our problems would be solved. Not.”

“Then let him get that job, girlie girl. Come on. I know how much you love Kyle, but you haven’t lived for you since you were forced to take care of him what, ten years ago?”

She didn’t know the full story. No one did. That added to the possibility we’d remain safe. “I know, but it was necessary. He’ll come around.”

“When do men just come around?” I was serious about that. All I’d been thinking about was the game. Was Kyle right in that I had no chance of getting through the upper levels?

She laughed and when I didn’t, she gripped my arm. “You need to take some time for you.”

“I wish I could.” I moved closer, darting my head over one shoulder then the other. I lowered my voice. Tina had been working for the company at least two years longer than I had. “What do you know about the Obsidian Society? Do you really need to be good at Dark Nights?”

I was a little shocked at her response. She didn’t answer me right away. Instead, she grabbed my arm, tugging me away from the others and toward the bathrooms. Once inside, she checked all the stalls, acting more nervous than I’d ever seen her.

“What is going on?” I asked, amused at seeing her behavior. Nothing ever bothered Miss Tina. She was unflappable.

“Why are you mentioning that?”

“Because I want to know about it?” I told her by way of a question. “What’s the big deal?”

“The big deal is that the subject is off limits.”

“Why?”

She made a face. “This is hearsay, but I overheard a couple employees talking. The last two people who inquired about the society were fired.”

Jesus Christ. The people took the secrecy seriously.

“Then how do you know?”

She rolled her eyes. “I dated a guy that was on the trust list. Not for long. Two weeks after he mentioned it to me, he was fired too. That was two years ago. You don’t talk about it. All I heard about the game was that it’s usually the first level of testing. That knocks out the majority of players.”

“First level,” I repeated. “How many tests?”

“Four. Five. I think it depends on the mood of the board. Don’t quote me on that, for God’s sake. I like working here.”

---