Page 42 of Niccolo
In fact, I didn’t dateanyone.
“This is a business proposition, not a romantic one.”
“I won’t sleep with you for money, either.”
He chuckled. “I’m interested in your brain, not your body.”
“So you’re sapiosexual,” I said without the faintest bit of interest.
He looked confused. “Excuse me?”
“Someone who finds intelligence sexually attractive.”
Once upon a time, I’d thought that might describe me –
But if brilliant chess nerds didn’t do it for me, then I probably wasn’t sapiosexual. Just asexual.
“Ah. No,” he said, amused. “This ispurelybusiness.”
I stopped and turned to him, my interest piqued. “Alright, let’s hear it.”
“I’d prefer to speak in private.”
“And I’d prefernotto speak in private with a strange man.”
“You won – what – 47,000 euros in the tournament? I’ll pay you 10,000 euros for ten minutes of your time. For that amount, will you take a risk and hear me out?”
I paused.
A thousand euros a minute.
Nobody offered that kind of money for anythingIcould do.
“Is it about something illegal?” I asked.
“It is,” he said with a slight smile. “Will that be a problem?”
I paused and considered things that could be illegal and yet not sexual in nature.
If it wasn’t drugs… then what?
“Not necessarily,” I finally said. I was more curious than worried. “That’swhy you want privacy?”
“It is.”
I thought for another second –
And then he solved the dilemma for me.
From his jacket pocket, he produced a stiletto – a knife with a thin, wicked blade and needle point, used primarily for stabbing rather than cutting.
The weapon of choice for muggers and assassins –
And highly illegal.
He offered it to me handle first, using his hand to shield it from any onlookers.
“You can kill me if I try anything untoward,” he said.
