Page 34 of Enthrall
His expression remained unchanged.
“It didn’t last long,” I said, my blush rising.
“I didn’t stay for the whole thing. Trust me, my hand twitched the entire time for my cell.”
I tried to wrap my head around what he’d revealed. “They didn’t mind?”
“It’s part of a one hundred year old tradition.”
“Tradition?”
“Our meeting today is to confirm they’re ready.” He turned to face me. “You have no idea what Chrysalis is do you?”
“I’m not sure I want to either.”
“You lied to me. You told me you knew.”
“You put me on the spot.”
His expression turned to disappointment. As though on cue, he reached into his pocket and removed his BlackBerry then ignored me.
Tension hung heavy and despite the air con it felt stuffy. I reached for the button to buzz down my window, but Richard’s wide-eyed reaction made me withdraw my hand and rest it in my lap.
“Sorry,” I whispered.
“Pull up here, please,” Richard ordered the chauffeur.
The car parked alongside the curb.
Richard stared dead-ahead as though deep in thought. After a minute or two he exited the car. I clicked off my seatbelt and slid along the seat to follow him out.
I deserved to be treated better than this. “Well, who are you going to watch doing it now?”
Richard looked amused. “Care for some?”
“Huh?”
He tilted his head and gestured to Loard’s ice-cream store.
“Oh, yes please.” Maybe he wasn’t angry with me after-all.
A burst of cold air hit us on the way in. Line upon line of flavors rested in their multi-colored tubs secured behind a long glass window, promising no end of bliss.
“Vanilla cone, please.” Richard handed over his credit card. “And a coffee.”
He’d chosen for me and I tried to hide that it bothered me. Richard reached for the antiseptic gel and squirted some into his palm.
He motioned for me to hold my hands out. “Puppies are filthy.”
“They were cute.”
“Bacteria ridden fur balls.” He rubbed the gel into my hands, caressing them. He took his time massaging and my fingers tingled against his touch, the sensation relaxing.
The shop girl reached over with a cone. “Sir, there you go.” She handed him his coffee and card back.
The way she blushed made me realize it wasn’t only me he affected like this. Even Constance had acted like a school-girl right up until her husband appeared. I found that strangely comforting.
Richard handed me the ice-cream and led the way to a private booth. Sitting opposite, I waited for him to start talking, curious now more than ever about Chrysalis and why anyone would want to lock themselves away in there.
