Mel gags herself and slams her head on the desk. Sean and I stare at her. When she lifts her head, she scolds us. “People, share that lovey-dovey shit some other time. We have problems right now.” She taps her finger firmly on the desk for emphasis.

Sean clears his throat and steps away from me, like he was caught doing something wrong. As if showing affection is a criminal offense. “So, let me make sure I understand what you want to do, Avery. You’re plan is to go into Black’s, take the clients, and be so horrible that they don’t want you again?” His dark brow lifts, but he manages to ask without laughing or strangling me.

Mel rolls her eyes and says, “Yes,” at the same time I say, “No!”

They both look at me. I sigh dramatically and kick off my heels before pacing and talking with my hands. They’re flying everywhere. “I won’t sleep with them. I’ll be so revolting that we won’t get that far. They’ll throw me out, and demand a refund. Last time someone refused me, she wanted to fire me—so it should work this time, right?”

“Last time you did that, Black didn’t think you were running your own brothel. Besides, I can’t let you do that.” Sean is staring at me. His arms are folded together and I realize that he never talks with his hands. I’m pretty sure that if I couldn’t move while I was talking, I’d fall over.

“The other option is to not show up.”

Mel shakes her head. “Black will hunt you down to make sure you’re not dead in a gutter or something. You can’t no-show. And when she finds you alive, you’ll wish you were dead.” There’s a moment of silence and then Mel finally asks, “Why’d you two add me to your little freak show tonight? I mean, I wasn’t going to ask. I was just going to wait and see, but no one has said anything and I’m out of patience.”

Jabbing my thumb at Sean, I tell her, “He’s giving us a night off.”

“No way.” Mel’s perfect eyebrows lift in surprise.

“Way.”

“Well, then…” Mel kicks off her heels, and takes off her earrings and lays them on the desk, before adding, “I’m really glad, because I wasn’t looking forward to seeing Avery’s boney ass.”

“Ha!” I turn to Sean with my jaw hanging open and my finger pointing at Mel. “I told you that she didn’t like me!”

Sean shrugs like he wasn’t all that committed to the idea. Mel watches us before blurting out, “What the fuck are you two talking about, because if you think I’m gay because I’m a good friend, I might have to beat the shit out of you, scary Ferro reputation or not.”

Sean holds up his hands, palms toward her. “No offense meant. I just noticed how much she means to you and thought there might have been more there.”

“There’s not, you bunch of white toast with…” Mel sputters, trying to find the right insult, before giving up. Her hands slap the table. “You’re so dumb, you know that? Just ‘cuz I’m a hooker doesn’t mean I do everyone and everything.”

“What’s your type?” Sean asks abruptly.

“Rich.” Mel’s shoulders are back and tension lines her arms. It’s like she’s ready to fight, but I have no idea what set her off. She sleeps with guys and didn’t object to the idea of having a woman, assuming she’s loaded. Sean watches my friend, waiting for a real answer, but there’s no way in hell that she’ll tell him anything. Come to think of it, I’ve never heard much about her hopes and dreams, only that she doesn’t want to go back to the hellhole she climbed out of.

Mel rolls her eyes and laughs. The tension dissipates as she points at Sean. “And not you, Ferro. You’re way too fucked up for me. And this conversation is officially over. I’m gonna eat me some noodles. What do you guys say to take-out?”

“Actually, I have other plans for Avery and I.” Sean’s voice sounds scary, the way it does when he’s anxious. He looks down at me, “We have a table downstairs.”

I can’t help it and crack a smile. “Really?”

He nods. “Yes, there was something I needed to ask you earlier and I didn’t get the chance.”

I try not to show any emotion, but I can’t. I giggle and try so hard not to jump up and down. “I love this game!”

Mel groans, “Oh my God. Get out of here. You two make me sick.”

Sean smiles deeply and tosses Mel a room service menu. “Order anything you like.”

Mel is leaning her elbow on the desk and has her head in her hand. “Can I get another hooker, so I have someone to play chess with?”

If Sean’s shocked, he hides it well. His voice is flat. “No.”

“You’re no fun,” Mel pouts.

“I already hired two call girls for one evening. Many people would say that’s more than enough fun for one man.”

“Psh, whatever White Boy. Go play house with Avery. I’m going to order crab cakes and the seafood buffet for six people.”

I lean in towards Sean, “You’re going to need to order another room since this one will smell like fish.”

Sean laughs and takes my hands. “Order anything you like, Mel. I mean it. Come on, Avery. Our table awaits.”

Before we walk out of the room, Mel asks, “What about Black?”

Sean looks back at her, and then narrows his gaze in my direction. “There’s a more pressing question to be asked first, especially since it will demand a different response to your question of employment.”

CHAPTER 9

Every inch of my body is giddy with excitement. It’s to the point that I’m shaking and I can’t shut up. Ever since we stepped out of the room, I can’t stop smiling or talking. I take Sean’s hand and lean against his shoulder in the elevator. “Ask me,” I whisper, but there are other people in the small space. I know he won’t, but it’s fun to tease him.

Sean looks down at me from the corner of his eyes. He’s got that stern formal thing going on and I wish he’d slouch just a little bit. He can’t be nervous, can he? Surely Sean knows what I’m going to say. “You’re awfully quiet, Mr. Ferro.”

The couple standing across from us looks displeased. The woman’s face visibly contorts and her polished appearance isn’t enough to distract from her disgust. Sean sees it and tightens his jaw, but he says nothing.

The man standing with her looks unimpressed, and scoots closer to the woman, like Sean might go all cray cray on their pampered asses, and kill everyone before the elevator reaches the ground floor. I hate it. I hate the way they look at Sean, like he’s soulless. Sean Ferro is not a monster.

I don’t know what comes over me, but I can’t bite my tongue. I blurt it out. “Don’t look at him like that.”

The woman sneers at me. “Just because he’s wealthy doesn’t mean he should get away with murder. It was a massive injustice to Amanda Ferro and her family, and you are a fool to be standing so close to him.”

Sean doesn’t respond, he just stands there with his hands clasped in front of him, waiting for the doors to open. I don’t understand why he doesn’t fight back. They’re rude, and wrong.

Screw it. I step toward the woman and look her in the eye. “You don’t know a thing about Amanda or Sean Ferro, and you’re an idiot if you think everything you see on TV is true.”

Her jaw drops open and the man standing next to her pulls her closer, increasing the distance between us. His jaw opens like he’s going to say something, but the DING cuts him off and the doors open.

I take Sean’s hand and give them a lethal look as we walk out. “Stupidity is for the weak-minded, and you better not sit by us.”

Sean pulls me away and tucks my hand under his arm. He takes a deep breath. “Avery, you can’t yell at every person who hates me. First of all, the list is endless, and second, you can’t convince them of something they don’t want to hear.” Sean’s blue gaze rests on the side of my face and there’s something there, like he’s accepted this horrible public persona.

“Yeah, well…They’re stupid.” I’m a genius! That’s the problem, everyone else is dumb. People see what they want to see and nothing more. Everyone knows that the media is biased. They all hated that Sean didn’t cry, that he seemed inhuman during the trial. He’s more human than they realize, breakable like everyone else, but who wants to report on that? The idea that Sean Ferro is a monster sells better.

Sean’s voice is warm and kind. “They prefer to think of me as a villain. I’ve learned to live with it, the question is, can you?” He smiles softly and takes my hand as we reach the restaurant doors.

A smirk appears on my lips. I don’t want to drop this injustice, but Sean brings up the question again. I poke his chest, right over his heart. “That better not be what you were going to ask me.”

Sean’s eyes glitter, like he’s trying not to laugh. I love it when he’s like this. If I could figure out which mixture of annoying and innocent (or naïve) was conjuring that smile, I’d use it all the time.

“This way, Mr. Ferro.” The man behind the desk grabs two menus and walks us to the back of the room, past staring eyes, and to a perfect little table—the table where we had our first meal together. Awh.

I glance up at him as I sit in my chair. “Did you pick this table on purpose, Mr. Ferro?”

“I do everything on purpose.” Sean settles back into his chair and rests his hands on the arms like it’s a throne.

I mirror his posture. “Me too.” Sean laughs abruptly. I love that sound and the way he leans forward like it’s a horrible thing to witness. “Honestly, Mr. Ferro, I have no idea what you’re laughing about.” My voice is light, and teasing. “I’m a very intentional person, it’s just that my best intentions usually go awry.”