but getting Arkady consumed me.
I tapped in a and hit send.
“I’ll take that as a yes.” Jeremy yawned and rubbed his eyes. I could see how tired he was.
“You and Shar take the rest of the day off. I need to go in and make sure the clothes are returned to the showroom, wrap up a few last-minute details.” He leaned closer, his breath warming my ear as he whispered. “Text me later.” His lips brushed my check. I forced myself away and withdrew onto the car. I had to get back to see what damage control needed to be done with Shar and Hades, and we needed to come up with a new plan. Through the window, I saw him watch the train depart.
“So, what happened? Spill!” Shar practically jumped on me when I got back to the apartment.
“Was Hades here?” I said, looking around for evidence of what Shar would find irresistible—first class tickets to Europe? A mink?
“Hades?” she asked, wincing.
“Who else? He’s after you, in a big way. He wanted me to put in a good word for him. And when I refused, he said he was going to make you an irresistible offer. You have got to be on your guard all the time. If you admit that for even one second you’d like to be with him, you’re his.”
She pressed her fingers into her temples as if she was thinking hard about something.
“Why me? I mean, he’s been flirtatious—”
“He’s beyond that. He salivates over you. He tried to bribe me to persuade you to say you want to be with him. He told me he’d let Arkady see and hear us, and keep Demeter away. This morning everything was going so great, and then he showed up and ruined what would have been a perfect kiss—”
“Jeremy kissed you?” Her tone was indifferent—or was it? Was she still interested? Was Hades lying about Jeremy snubbing her?
I waved her off. “Almost.” I looked at her with great seriousness. “Shar, this is more important. Promise me you’ll try to stay away from Hades, and don’t agree to go anywhere with him.”
“He can’t be serious.” She wrinkled her nose at me. “He has a wife!”
“That means nothing to any of them. Your refusing him is fueling this obsession. I’m sure no one has ever turned him down, and even though he doesn’t like it, it excites him. This is getting scary, Shar. Don’t admit that you’d like to spend even a single second with him, or you’ll have one foot in the land of slaves and shadows.”
“Well, aren’t you a bucket of sunshine!” she snipped.
“I’m serious!”
“Alright, alright!” She rolled her eyes and put up her hand like she was taking an oath. “I promise, I swear, I’ll be careful.”
I could tell she wasn’t taking me seriously, and that was a problem. I put my head down, racking my brain for the most decadent possible temptations Shar might succumb to.
“You swear”—I paused, pointing a finger at her—“to turn him down even if he … jets you off to some exotic location … and offers you the shiniest, most expensive, exclusive excessive shoes you’ve ever seen—”
“Oh for God’s sake, Meg!” Shar shook her head.
“What if he makes your hands and feet normal again?” I cut her off, watching her closely.
She hedged, but only for a second, then grinned evilly at me. “Oooh, that could be a problem!”
Diamonds Are Forever—Trouble
“We can’t get together today,” said Jeremy regretfully as he gazed into Meg’s eyes the next day at the office.
I rolled mine.
“I have some things to take care of for Mr. Romanov. Another time?”
Meg gave him a shy grin and ducked her head.
Oh, please!
“Awesome.” Jeremy rubbed his temple. “Okay, I need you two to go to Sam’s, two blocks down, and pick up lunch for the office. Make sure you order the tomato and rice soup,” he said, exclusively to Meg. “It’s so good, and it’ll help your throat.” Then he looked at me. “You won’t have to wait long—they’re pretty fast about getting things together.”
“Can’t we just fax them the order and have them deliver it?” I asked casually. Any chance to avoid the public had to be seized upon.
Jeremy shook his head slowly. “The last intern we hired tried that and Reynaldo whined for a week. Sorry, going in person makes for fewer mistakes. I’ll take an order of vegetable samosas and a strawberry smoothie.”
Was he a veg-head too? God, I was surrounded by herbivore freaks. If there was a worldwide