SWNOVELS Prince Of Greed: Chapter 7
“Evie, there you are. I was just looking for your father.” Orobas’ toothy grin affronted the young woman he had pointed out as my poker-night prize.
The curtain of her party smile slipped for the briefest of moments when she saw who had called her name. Orobas didn’t acknowledge the momentary loss of her hostess persona and drove forward on his mission to introduce me to her.
“Oro, good evening,” she answered and peered through the crowd for her father. “I just saw him with the CEO of Solar Star.”
Orobas and I knew better.
Harris Gerhardt was upstairs with the head of his young wife between his legs for a quickie. The self-serving cad would be done any moment. The thrill of a house full of guests was too much.
“I’m sure he’ll find us in a moment. Busy man, your father.” Orobas turned to me, his smile devious before he looked back at her. “This is my brother and business partner. I don’t believe you’ve had the pleasure of meeting the senator’s daughter Evie.”
“It’s nice to meet you . . .” She politely waited for a name to use.
She belonged to me, but giving her my true name would give her the power to summon me if spoken just right.
I let her dangle on the silence for another moment before deciding that it was only fair that I leveled the playing field.
“Stolas,” I said, gifting her with the social reprieve of my name.
“Stolas,” she repeated, the first and last letters getting caught in her teeth and dragged along her tongue like silk. “That’s a . . . strong name.”
“Suits him, doesn’t it?” Orobas chimed in, clapping my shoulder. “Handsome devil.” His bouncy tone did nothing to rid her expression of its curiosity. “My glass is empty, bad luck at such a fancy affair. I’ll be back in a moment.”
Her hostess senses slipped back into place. “Oh, I can—”
“No, please stay and occupy my brother,” Orobas said. “He has been bored to tears and I need a rest from carrying the conversation for the both of us.” He scurried away before she could answer.
She watched after him a moment before turning back to me, surprise still on her face.
When she caught my eyes wandering over her features too long, she stiffened but didn’t make an excuse to run. She pulled the corner of her lip between her teeth and tapped her fingernails against her champagne flute.
“You don’t want to be here, do you?”
Her shocked expression didn’t recover as quickly as it had before. “Uh, well.” She laid her hand over her chest and clutched a small oval locket that hung from her neck, shielding her discomfort from my blatant accusation. “I’m not really a fan of large gatherings, but my father and his associates are so kind and generous that I enjoy meeting and mingling with his supporters.”
I smirked at the plastered smile she tried to fake. “You’re a terrible liar.”
She covered her mouth to stifle her laughter, but a small snort escaped between her fingers.
“Fine,” she admitted. “You’re right. I’d rather be home in my sweats watching trashy TV and eating my weight in ice cream. But when Daddy needs me, I come.”
If she played her cards right, she’d be calling me daddy as I made her come undone.
I had to restrain myself. Her sweet laugh and luscious curves sharpened my tongue and dirtied my humor.
“You must be close to your father to give up more exciting plans to be put on display for these bloated windbags.”
She considered me for a moment. Her previous apprehension was long gone, and her lips curled into an easy smile. “Tell me what you really think, why don’t you?”
I cleared my throat, aware I may have been too outwardly disgusted by the humans assembled. They wore some of their greatest sins on their sleeves.
“Forgive me,” I said. “My brother is the social one for a reason. I usually deal with numbers and figures. I’m only dragged out to parties when more complicated agreements need to be made.”
Her eyes widened while she mentally sized me up and found me her equal and a worthy distraction. She finally released the bite of her tongue.
A small thrill rang through me.
“There’s nothing to forgive. I’m just surprised to meet someone as cynical as me at one of these things.”
The sight of her father and stepmother drew our attention to the archway near the staircase. He’d spotted us, and his brow knitted with worry when his eyes locked on mine.
He knew who and what I was.
Though he made his deal with Orobas, I had been given an explanation after my winning hand in Vegas. A scorch of heat and bitter anger tipped my tongue. There was a deep circle of Hell for humans like him who made deals with demons for other humans’ souls.
While most of my brothers viewed the deals as a two-for-one sale, I saw it for what it was.
Dirty and despicable.
But he would have no idea yet that Orobas had relinquished his hold over their deal to me.
“Would you like to see the garden?” Evie’s rebellious voice brought me back to our previous conversation. “My stepmother worked so hard on it, but hardly anyone has made it out there. It would be a shame to waste the fruits of the landscaper’s labor.”
I could see she was hopeful for an excuse to wander away.
“After you.” I raised my glass and followed her to the garden.
Hundreds of misty white lights were strung above the stone patio. Tall, thin topiaries wrapped in twinkling fairy lights bracketed the walkway that led out to a large fountain that spilled down into a coy pond.
Evie stopped and sat down on a stone bench near the farthest end of the pond. Classical music from in-ground speakers helped drown out the lingering chatter of the crowd coming through the open doors. It was a balmy night for Southern California. The rare looming rain clouds threatened overhead but would likely travel south or out to sea before a drop made landfall.
Evie took a drink from her glass and sighed. “As much as I hate to admit it, the garden looks beautiful.”
I slipped one hand into my pocket and peered down at her. I had given her space, but the goose bumps on the tops of her shoulders were begging me to come closer.
“I would give anything for my mother to be the one throwing these parties. Or my brother to be the one ushered out to shake the hands of the rich and annoying,” she said, her eyes adrift in the night lights and memories of her lost family.
She’d give anything to have her mother. If she were anyone else, I would have had an advantage—a tall, dark, mysterious stranger who could grant an impossible wish in exchange for a piece of herself that she would hardly miss until the end of her life.
“I’m sure my father has recited the story to you, but my mother, sister, and brother died in an accident. Always gets him the sympathy votes.”
I did know the story but nodded and gave a sullen frown. “It sounds as if your mother is still well-loved and missed.”
She smiled down to her lap then lifted her gaze to meet mine, sadness welling behind her soft features.
“And I’d bet her choices in wine and hors d’oeuvres would have been much better,” I finished.
Her gentle laugh eased away her heartache and lured her into the comfort of a stranger.
“She wasn’t much for wine. But she could mix up one hell of a batch of margaritas . . . or so I’m told.”
“That is a skill I admire,” I said low and watched her inch closer.
There was a moment of silence between us, a transition from the deep that had been consuming her world to the shallows of the present.
“It must be nice working with your brother,” she said.
“He understands me in ways most others wouldn’t. Being brought up the way we were makes connections outside of our family difficult to maintain. It’s easier to stick together.” Not a lie, and a truth she would likely wish she still had.
“That’s nice,” she said with sincerity. “How many siblings do you have?”
“Dozens.” Another truth, but this one perked her ears.
“Are you serious? What, were you born in a cult?” She wrinkled her nose and snickered.
“You could say that.” I shrugged then took a long sip of my drink.
“Wow. That’s—”
“Exhausting,” I finished for her. “But I tend to keep up with my closest six brothers regularly.”
“Well, sure. With a family that big, you’d have to pick your favorites. Though for Oro to be one of the close ones, the others must be insufferable.”
I let the amused huff from my chest reach my face. “He has nothing but kind things to say about you.”
“Wonderful. Was one of the comments on my eye color because as far as I know, he’s only ever looked at my chest when speaking to me.” She rolled her eyes but gave a quipped, crooked smile.
She was witty, and from what I could tell from this conversation, she was kind. Not exactly what I had been expecting from the daughter of a snake politician. She had known privilege but had retained a level head. Trauma would do that for a human. Getting close to her in order to use her as the weapon to coerce her father into becoming my puppet was going to be more pleasurable than I had initially thought.
I crouched down so our faces were level, but her eyes fell to my lips.
“I’ll remind him how beautifully green they are. Like polished jade.” I spoke slowly, wrapping intent around each word to stir the butterflies in her stomach.
She held her breath, dragging her gaze up to mine for longer than she’d likely intended, before bolting to her feet and smoothing out the wrinkles from her dress.
The moment was too much, and she had obligations as her surviving family’s trophy.
“I should make the rounds. Thank you for taking in the fresh air with me, Stolas. Enjoy the rest of the night.” She stretched out her hand to bid me farewell.
I straightened myself and took her hand but rotated and brought it up. “I hope we meet again soon, Evie.”
Our eyes locked as I lightly caressed my lips over her knuckles.
Her cheeks flushed and her mouth opened, but it seemed that her words were lost. Instead, she nodded and walked away.
I waited until her silhouette had disappeared into the house before slipping through the void. I had no desire to mingle with any other mortals now that my agenda to encounter Evie had been accomplished. I knew the impression I left her with would have her thoughts trailing back to me throughout the rest of the night.
I also knew that we would meet again. Soon. I would make certain of it.