Page 170 of Pervade London
Xavier glared at me. “I need you to step out of the room, Emily. Right now.”
“Why?”
“Leave us.” Xavier turned an accusatory stare on James.
Tension was razor-sharp between them.
Leaving my violin behind, I rushed out of the room and pulled the door closed, then pressed my ear against it.
“Step away, please,” said Akmal.
The bodyguard had left with the Home Secretary, so I assumed Akmal was now tasked with guarding the door.
I glared at him. “Where’s my envelope?”
He gave me an apologetic smile. “You’ll have to discuss that with the Boss.”
Voices rose from inside the room. I turned and listened…
Xavier’s tone had turned dark. “Because you threatened touseher, Ballad. Of course that’s my first conclusion when I hear Mikhail’s name.”
“Not like that,” James said. “Use her in other ways.”
“Other ways?”
“For me,” James snapped back. “For my pleasure. And yours.”
His words set off a firestorm of desire within me, but my erotic thoughts scattered as the sparks continued to fly between the two men.
Despite feeling the burn of Akmal’s glare, I pressed my ear to the door.
“Very convenient,” snapped Xavier.
“This has nothing to do with me,” James responded. “Your conspiracy theory is off base.”
“Why don’t I believe you?”
Silence fell, and then I heard angry whispers.
Akmal grabbed my arm. “Step away from the door, Miss.”
“But…I have to check on them.”
Akmal led me away.
“The Diplodocus was one of the longest dinosaurs to walk the earth,” Xavier announced to us in the deserted museum.
I mulled this over, trying to forget the last hour when things had gone off the rails. Five minutes ago, we’d walked through the main doors of the Natural History Museum when an amiable botanist had let us in after closing. She’d invited us to wander the exhibits without a guide.
This would be considered the date of the century—me with two hot men in South Kensington, wandering around one of the most interesting places in the city.
With Xavier by my side, I crooked my neck to stare up at the vast skeleton of “Dippy,” the dinosaur showcased in the main entrance. The exhibit was taking up most of the room, proving just how long its body was.
Our dramatic surroundings reminded me of a cathedral with its arched stained-glass windows and carved stone walls. All this beautiful architecture was inspiring and totally free for the public to enjoy.
I’d be in my element if it hadn’t been for James sabotaging my career back at the Park Room Restaurant.
He was standing a few feet behind us. His mood hadn’t changed from when we’d left the private room in that Mayfair restaurant. We’d driven here in complete and very icy silence. I’d decided chatting about what had happened in such a wide-open space was a bad idea, so I’d joined them in remaining quiet. But my mind was buzzing with a million thoughts a second as I tried to think of a way to persuade James to let me go to the Russian Embassy tomorrow.
