Dirty Bad Secrets(62)

“She was experimenting,” she said, meekly. “For the birthday night, I think.”

I took another sniff, and then I smiled. “Explicit Explosion, what a blast from the past.”

“Explicit Explosion?”

“It was our first cocktail,” I explained. “An abomination we created after far too many champagne toasts. It lasted all of three weeks on the menu before we wrote it off as a bad idea.” I laughed to myself. “Do you think it’s an encoded message? An insight into the subliminal workings of Faye Devere’s troubled little mind? She’s been back three weeks, hasn’t she? Maybe she’s writing us off as a bad idea. Better than a horse’s head in the bed, at least. How fucking amusing.”

“I think she just wants to get the evening right,” Topaz said. “She’s really bothered about it.”

“Of course she would be,” I sneered. “Her chance in the spotlight, she’s going to milk it for everything it’s worth. Oh look, how wonderful, it’s the lovely Faye, gracing us with her presence. Only three fucking birthdays too bastard late.” I tipped the remnants of the cocktail down the sink. “Other less glamorous priorities, like getting the cheques in the pissing bank, hold little sway with our lovely Faye.”

“I think you should probably give her a break,” she said, and I was so shocked I nearly dropped the glass.

“Excuse me?”

“She’s… having a bad day. I think you should probably be nice.” Her eyes met mine before darting back to the floor. “Or something, whatever, it’s none of my business.”

And that’s when I noticed my sweet little barmaid’s transformation. She crossed her arms across her tight little nipples as I stared, but it was much too late for that. My eyes dropped to her bare legs, noting the temptingly pale slope of her thighs. Her denim shorts weren’t just short, they were practically non-existent, and totally fucking obscene. I stalked over, until I was close enough to tip her face up to mine.

“Is that a fucking invitation? I wouldn’t even need to pull those down to tan your backside. Maybe that’s what you want?” Her breath hitched, and my cock fucking twitched, and the whole thing was a mass of awkward sexual tension that I could have well done without. “Talk,” I said. “I want straight answers, not this cryptic shit. You’d better tell me what you know about Faye’s little hissy fit, and before you even contemplate holding back, you’d do well to remember who pays your wages.”

“I work for both of you,” she sighed, but offered up Faye’s mobile phone regardless.

“That’s quite a breach of confidence,” I snapped, taking the handset like a greedy fucking toddler. “I hope you don’t feel the urge to betray me quite so easily when my back is turned.”

“I’m not betraying, I’m trying to help. Both of you.”

“The purest intentions can lead to the most heinous acts, dear Topaz.”

“So, you don’t want her mobile?” She held out her dainty fingers.

“Jesus fucking wept. Everyone’s so fucking tetchy today.” My mood tumbled at the sight of Vincent fucking Blackthorne’s stream of messages. “Piece of shit,” I snapped. “He’s already in London.”

She nodded. “He won’t let her go, Mr Morgan. He’ll find a way.”

“Well, unless he accosts her on her little dash to the bank and back, he’s fat out of luck. She’s here or she’s at home, my home, with me, and Vincent Blackthorne isn’t fucking welcome.” Rage curled around my spine at his latest squibby fucking declarations of devotion. What a fucking loser. A sick fucking loser. I handed the handset back to Topaz. “Thank you, that was most insightful.”

“Are you not worried?” she asked.

“Worried? About Vincent cunting Blackthorne. He should be the one who’s worried, if he has any sense.”

“I mean about Faye,” she said. “The effect he’ll have on her.”

“He won’t be having any effect on her,” I said. “He won’t be fucking seeing her.”

“He doesn’t need to,” she insisted. “You don’t understand. You haven’t read those books, Mr Morgan, not properly, you don’t get it.”

“So everyone keeps telling me.” I lowered my tone. “I’ve read enough, Topaz. Trust me.”

“You haven’t,” she maintained. “You read the highlights, and they were just the sex bits, not the emotional bits.”

I raised an eyebrow. “They were the bits you kindly deemed worthy enough to highlight for me, are you telling me now that there should have been more?”