Page 7 of The Seducer
I looked over at the four other men. “What makes you think that they are going to be any different from me?”
Isobel shrugged. “Hans is a very nice person and a skilled mediator. I’ve told him about you and he is excited to be your guide and protector.”
I winced at that last word. “Protector? What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
Isobel placed a hand on my wrist. “Nothing for you to worry about; it’s not like we expect a mob of people to attack you. When I say protector, it has a different meaning here than in the Northlands. You could say that Hans will protect you from yourself.”
“Excuse me?”
Isobel fixed her eyes on the collar of my jacket. “Maybe I didn’t explain that very well,” she said. “It’s just that you Nmen have a tendency to speak without a filter, and that could easily get you into an awkward social situations. Hans will guide you and teach you about our ways to protect you from that happening.”
Placing my hands in my pockets, I rocked back on my feet. “You know I adore you, Isobel, but you’re naïve if you think you can change me into a Motlander. I’m not going to change who I am or how I speak.”
It wasn’t the first time I had made Isobel blush a little.
“I adore you too, Finn, and I am certain that you and Hans will have a very good time together. Now go in peace, my friend. I believe Athena is waiting for you.”
CHAPTER 2
Memories
Athena
Sitting on the doorstep to my house, I leaned my head back, closed my eyes, and enjoyed the warm feeling of sunshine on my face.
It was one of my favorite places to sit and let the calming sounds of nature wash over me: the wind breezing up my bare calves and playing tag with the beautiful colored autumn leaves, a bird chirping in the distance, and a woodpecker tapping away.
All these sounds and impressions normally soothed me, but the last few days I’d been out of balance.
Finn was coming to see me.
Why was a mystery to me since I didn’t for one second believe he truly wanted to apologize to me. We had spent five days together and he had shown no signs of remorse during that time. The apology had to be an excuse.
He had played with me, like a mad scientist probing at his test subject. With a heavy exhalation, my memories took me back to the last hours we’d spent together.
“What is it, sexy? Why don’t you just tell me to fuck off if that’s what you mean?” Finn was in my personal space again, squatting down behind me and breathing down my neck in that imposing way that he knew I hated. “Come on, say the F word, just once – I dare you.”
I ignored him, keeping my back straight, my legs folded, and my eyes closed although my meditation was a pretense at this point.
“What happened to that scared young woman I met on the first night? I miss her, she was temperamental and interesting.”
Finn moved even closer and whispered into my ear. “Tell me I’m not the only one going crazy from being stuck in this room.”
Opening my eyes, I stretched and pushed up from the floor to confront him. “Are you sure your mental health is connected to this room? I could’ve sworn you seemed unbalanced the first night I met you.”
A sparkle in Finn’s eye revealed that he didn’t take my words as an insult, but rather a reward for his persistent nagging. I was his only entertainment and he had gotten me to talk.
“Sleep deprivation will do that to a man.” He shrugged. “And so will boredom, so let’s do something exciting. How about we play strip poker?”
Angling my head, I sighed. “If you ask me to have sex with you one more time, I have to question your intelligence.” I couldn’t count how many times I had rejected this man and he still kept pushing.
“You know what I think?” He didn’t give me a chance to answer before he continued. “I think that if I didn’t give you a choice, you would like it. My gut tells me that you’re attracted to me but you would just never allow yourself to admit it and give in to your desires.”
I kept a straight face. “Your gut must be out of whack then.”
He grinned. “I knew you wouldn’t admit it.”
Shaking my head, I played with my earlobe. “Even if that was true, your logic is obscured by a lack of knowledge about women. No one likes to be forced.”
