Page 49 of Deal With The Devil

"I know that you aren’t very good at hiding your emotions. Keep a blank face while you’re at the Morgan estate. Trust me, you’ll thank me later for warning you."

I’m expecting a glare or an eye roll. But instead she looks at me passively, not reacting to what I said in any way.

A smile plays upon my lips, and I tilt my head toward the living room. "Come on. Let’s go into the lion’s den."

When we enter the living room, the rest of the players are already there. Uncle Felix is standing and telling an animated story to one of my cousins. My father, Tripp, is at the bar cart, his usual hangout, pouring a drink and looking around the room suspiciously. My brother Burn stands on the far side of the room, his grip on Daisy’s waist reminding me of a python and its prey. In the corner near the entrance to the servants' passage, Clive stands with his hands clasped behind his back and his head bowed as he whispers something to Magda.

Other cousins lounge here and there, but those are the main family members that I need to keep an eye on. I draw a long breath and try to steel myself.

Talia glances up at me, her fingers gripping my arm tighter. I make eye contact with her and give her a tiny head shake. I walk her over to the fireplace and try to decide which family member I should tackle first. I’m thinking of my uncle Felix, being that he is the friendliest of the bunch. By friendliest, I mean he stands to gain something by kissing my ass.

But before I can do that, Magda makes a beeline for me. I glance at Burn, seeing that he has noticed my presence. Daisy is looking at me, too, her brow lowered, a frown on her perfect lips. Actually, she’s looking at Talia, not me.

Do I dare hope that Daisy is displaying jealousy over my turning up here with a new toy on my arm?

"Dare!" Magda says. She stops just short of plowing into me, instead hugging me very briefly. Her smile is over the top, with dimples upon dimples. "It’s good that you came for your father’s birthday."

Talia scrunches her face up and looks at me critically. "It’s your father’s birthday?"

I nod, already weary of the subject. "Yeah. This little shindig is just a get-together to celebrate it."

Magda puts her hand out to Talia, skipping over the part of my introduction.

"I am Magda, the house chef. And you are?"

Talia steps out of my sheltering arm and shakes Magda’s hand with both of hers. She looks Magda right in the face, making it clear that she is engaged with what is going on.

"Magda. So nice to meet you. I am Talia. I am just here as Dare’s date for the evening."

I move forward and slide my arm around Talia again, pulling Talia’s body against my own. "Maybe she could be more. We’ll see."

Talia shoots me a glance but doesn’t say anything in response. Magda beams at us both, practically beside herself. She looks at Talia and then motions for her to move closer. Magda whispers something in her ear, making Talia blush. Then Magda looks at me, pats my cheek, and hurries out of the room.

I watch her go, bewildered. "What was that? What did she say?"

Talia gives a gentle shrug and shakes her head. "It was nothing."

"It did not look like nothing," I say.

Just then, Daisy breaks away from Burn and plunges across the room, her hand raised for a handshake. Her gaze is fixed on Talia, and I have a sinking feeling that I know exactly what is coming.

"Dare!" Daisy crows, a strange smile on her face. "You didn’t introduce me to your guest."

Daisy rushes up to Talia, grabbing her hand and squeezing her arm forcefully. The two women are thrown into contrast for a long second. Talia, in her blonde wig and her silver dress, is nervously peeking at me. In contrast, Daisy is tall and so thin she’s nearly emaciated, her long hair a dark mass on her shoulders. It occurs to me just at this moment that Talia is pale next to Daisy, who is sun-kissed and confident.

I step closer to Talia, a careful smile on my lips. "Daisy. Always a pleasure to see you. This is my date, Talia.”

I slip an arm around Talia and give her an encouraging hug. The embrace is performative, more for Daisy than it is for Talia. But Talia seems to lean into me in a way that I’ll admit that I like.

"How do you know Dare?" Talia asks Daisy.

Daisy flashes a smirk and raises her eyebrows at me. "I don’t know. How do we know each other, Dare? What do you want to tell little Talia about our relationship?"

Burn ambles over, taking up his place next to Daisy. Daisy grabs his hand and intertwines her own, her smile dry.

“Daisy and I used to date. Now she is with my brother Burn.” I gesture to Burn, and he tilts his head to the side. "They are engaged, actually."

I can tell by the slight rise in Talia’s brows that she is just now putting together all the information. She looks at me, clearly unable to say whatever she is thinking. I can see her throat working as she swallows.

---