Page 73 of Tainted Princess
Lexi, of course, had no such compunctions.
“Hello, boys,” she drawled, striding to the center of the room and posing dramatically, her hands on her waist and one hip cocked to the side. The guys all looked her way, but none of them stopped their exercises. “Have we got a deal for you.”
Shaking my head, I walked quickly to Lexi, trying to salvage the situation. “Gentlemen, allow me to introduce myself. I am Francesca and this is Lexi, and we are withA Taste of Edenproductions.”
Well, that certainly got their attention. They all froze, their facial expressions ranging from interest to shock, as they looked closer at Lexi and myself. Two of them started heading in our direction, and I felt Vinnie step closer to my back.
“What business do you have here?” asked one guy in the back. He’d been lying on a bench press, but was now sitting up and staring at me with narrowed eyes, completely suspicious of my motives.
“Bro,” another guy cut in, a blonde guy with All-American good looks and a toothpaste commercial smile. He’d be perfect for what we needed. “Who cares why they’re here? If they’re fromA Taste of Eden, they are welcome anytime, ain’t that right, D?” He slapped the chest of the huge black guy next to him, both of them grinning. Suddenly, as if a thought had belatedly struck him, the blonde guy looked around, his eyes casting behind me urgently. “Wait! Is, uh...is Kiki here?”
Lexi snorted. “God, I love perverts.”
Clearing my throat, I cut in, “No, unfortunately, Kiki was unable to join us this morning. However, if you’d like the chance to meet her, I believe I have an opportunity you might enjoy.”
Three of the men appeared interested, their faces eager. The blonde Kiki fan, the exceptionally muscled black man, and another man with brown hair. The other two, however, hadn’t moved, their postures closed off and their arms crossed.
These two would be the ones to convince. Or at least convince to keep their mouths shut and not get in my way when it came to convincing the other three.
“Babe, you get me within arm’s reach of Kiki and I’ll do anything you fuckin’ ask me,” the blonde guy crowed. “The things I would do to that woman. Goddamn.” He began making lewd gestures, thrusting his hips forward with zero rhythm and biting his lower lip in a grimace.
“Uh, I hope that’s not one of the things, dude,” Lexi said, causing his hips to stutter mid thrust. “Because if it is, I can tell you right now, Kiki has dozens of offers more appealing than that.”
“Oh, shit, Derek. Lil’ mama’s got your number.”
“Shut up, D’Andre. You know I got game.”
“I know youplaygames,” D’Andre responded. “Man, I keep tellin’ you. Women don’t want boys who’ll talk a lot of talk but never manage on the walk.”
“Oh,” Derek said, his tone sullen like a toddler. “Yeah, well. Whatever.”
“And I suppose you can walk,” I asked, arching one eyebrow and trying to hide the grimace the gesture cost me.
D’Andre turned to me, his bare chest shiny with sweat. “Baby, I can walk,” he said, rolling his hips smoothly. “I can jog.” Another roll, this one bringing him closer to me. “I can run.” D’Andre was right next to me, his hips moving in a seductive dance that drew images to my mind that I certainly had no business thinking. “And when I’m finished, you’ll be begging me for more.” He brought his hand up to his chest and slid it down over his distracting abdominal muscles, before landing the palm of his hand at his belt line, flattening his hand in the air and humping the few inches of space that separated us.
Derek and the other man beside him started catcalling, and that was when Vinnie had had enough.
“If you’ll please step back.”
“Alright, alright, big man. I was just showing my man, Derek here, how a real lady wants to be treated. Not steppin’ to your woman.”
“Not my woman; just my responsibility. But Mrs. Argenti will be treated with respect, or there will be consequences.”
I watched as the men stepped back, laughing good naturedly at Vinnie’s statement. All except one, the guy on the bench press, who suddenly felt the need to stand and get closer, staring at me intently.
“I’m sorry, Mrs. Argenti, is it?” he asked, fully aware that that was exactly what Vinnie had said.
“Yes, and you are?”
“Gabe.” No last name. Alright, then. “What exactly is it you’re doing here,Mrs. Argenti?”
“As I said a moment ago, I have a business proposition if any of you guys are interested.”
“Business? With an Argenti?” Gabe scoffed, moving back to his workout bench and gathering his shirt and water bottle. “Not on your life.” Turning to the other guys he said, “And you’d all do well to avoid her, too. She’ll bring you nothing but trouble.”
Without waiting for an answer, he spun on his heel and stormed out.
“Well,” Lexi said into the quiet Gabe left behind. “And they say women are dramatic. Sheesh. Offer a guy money to take his clothes off and he acts like it’s the end of the world.”
