Page 47 of Dead Serious with Benefits
“Oh...as in the foster system?”
“One and the same...why are you tense?”
“I was one of those kids.”
“Ah...bad memories?”
I laughed softly as we stepped into the room full of chandeliers that I was sure were genuine crystal and probablygold, tables decorated in clean cloths, and arrangements of gold twine and glass-dipped flowers. “Not good, but not bad.”
“Well, I hope the subject isn’t a particularly touchy one for you. I’m sure you’ll hear a lot of that Benevolent Condescension on the subject.”
“You have no need to worry about me,” I told him softly.
“Good,” he said, and it was apparently his turn to tense. “Because here comes your first test.”
I followed his gaze to see a woman with long, flowing auburn hair strolling toward us. A purple dress cinched tightly in the middle, the sleeves around her shoulders, and the dress just enough to cover her admittedly hard-to-cover chest. Intricate gold patterns were stitched along the side and all the way down to where the hem stopped at her ankles. Beside her was a man in a tuxedo, a bleary look in his eyes, and a hunch to his broad shoulders that only made his considerable gut, obvious in the tuxedo, all the more prominent.
“Warden,” she said in a cool voice that had notes of friendliness. Beside her, the man gave a flicker of a smile before it disappeared. I could see the strong features now because they were the same as Ward’s, even the build of his body, though Ward didn’t have the gut. But the woman? Ah, she had given her son his eyes and hair color. And there was a steel in her that I recognized as well, so perhaps she had given more than just physical features.
“Mother,” Ward said in a voice far warmer than hers, but anyone paying attention would have heard the sound of blades being sharpened. “You look, as always, radiant.”
“I’m glad you could make it,” she said, eyes sweeping over me. It was a quick assessment, but it reminded me of those cheesy sci-fi movies Milo was so fond of, with computers that could scan a person in a few seconds and perform a complete assessment. “And you remembered to bring someone.”
“I did,” he said. “This is Arlo.”
“A pleasure to meet you, Governor,” I said, bringing my hand up slowly to give her a chance to decide how I would greet her.
“I appreciate you accompanying my son,” she said with slightly more politeness than she had with Ward as she held her hand out. I took it, giving it a shake before letting her pull her hand away. I wasn’t sure why, but I saw the skin around her eyes tighten slightly. “I was afraid he would be solo tonight.”
“Of course not,” Ward said jovially. “This is a couples function, is it not? I might have brought a standby if it came to it, but Arlo here was kind enough to show interest in little ol me, so here we are.”
“And here you are,” she said, her eyes lingering on me before flashing back to Ward. “And they say wonder no longer lives in the world.”
“Good evening, Mr. Reddington,” I said, offering my hand to the man who looked surprised for a moment before shaking it.
“I suppose Ward has spoken about us already,” he said with a warm smile.
“A little. We haven’t known each other for long, so we haven’t discussed many personal details,” I said, noticing his mother had gone stiff again. “But it’s hard to miss the resemblance between the three of you.”
“It’s been a long time since I was in the same shape my son is in,” he said with a chuckle. “Stay away from the drink, that’s what I always told him.”
“And immoral women,” Ward added, and I saw his mother shoot him a sharp look.
“Oh, right, that was you, Mother.”
“Warden,” she said with a smile and leaning in closer. “Behave.”
“Our unarranged arrangement still stands,” Ward told her, holding up a hand. “Best behavior.”
“Good,” she said, looking at me and flashing another smile. “I hope you enjoy your night, Arlo. Perhaps we’ll have a chance to speak later, but you must excuse us. I see a certain senator who has been in sore need of conversation.”
“Of course,” I said, stepping out of her way as she walked past us, her husband close behind. He gave me a wince as he went, but he never once let go of the drink in his hand. “Mmm, that was as tense as you described.”
“That? That was practically loving,” Ward said with a chuckle. “I have to ask, you do drink, don’t you?”
“Yes,” I said, fighting the urge to roll my eyes and chuckling instead. “I am known to get drunk on occasion. But I’d prefer to have something more substantial in my stomach if I’m going to have more than one drink tonight.”
“That can be arranged,” he said with a snort, taking my arm again. “Let’s see...you don’t strike me as a martini or cocktail person...straight neat or on the rocks?”
