“Nothing compared to you. I thought our waitress might slobber or hang her tongue out. I bet she’s still panting.” I watched as she moved to another table, reluctant to turn away.
“Are you jealous?” He asked; his lopsided grin back on display, dimples and all.
Was I? I hadn’t been jealous for a long time.
“Well hello, Zane,” a sultry female voice interrupted our banter. “How unexpected to find you here.” Her eyes traveled over the room with obvious distaste.
“Jazmine,” he growled, not pleased by her intrusion.
“Mind if I join you?” Without hesitating, she glided into the booth beside him, resting a hand on his bicep. Her bright crimson nails shimmered; her malice-filled eyes, dark like Zane’s, gleamed at me.
“Can I get you anything?” The perky waitress returned, looking as aggravated by the new woman’s presence as I was.
“I’ll be just a moment.” A curt wave dismissed the girl. Ms. Perky marched off. I sympathized with the waitress’ wounded pride.
Jazmine was as stunning as she was ice-cold. I didn’t need to see the tags to know she was a Designer Fashion Week regular. Her sheen black hair was cut in a neat geometrical bob that framed her face, drawing attention to her sculpted cheekbones and heart-shaped lips. Her makeup was applied with such obvious expertise that I thought of a model I’d seen on the cover of Vogue.
That model had looked genuinely happy, this woman oozed of cruel intent.
“You’ve been avoiding my calls.” Jazmine sulked, caressing Zane’s arm with her graceful fingers. He shook her off.
You’ll be my mate. Tradition requires it. Her eyes flashed with a myriad of emotions.
My jaw dropped, turning my gaping mouth into a capital O. The woman’s bizarre thought had permeated my mind. Realizing how I must look, I shut my mouth and reached for a slice of bread.
“I told you I’m busy with business. We’ll talk at the scheduled time. And be aware; your behavior is not earning you any points,” Zane snapped.
“Oh, now I have to earn points.” She tsked. “I’d hate for you to lose …”
“Enough!” he growled.
With one final, scathing glance my direction, she rose fluidly and vanished out the door
Following her exit, the noise returned to the room.
It was then I recognized that following her arrival, everything had somehow revolved around her. She reminded me of a predator stalking its prey. All the other “animals”, had remained silent, hoping to avoid the hunter’s detection.
I hadn’t succeeded in avoiding anything.
She was well-aware of my existence, and she already abhorred me. In one meeting I’d become the mysterious woman’s enemy. Between her and Rhonda, I was pretty unpopular.
“Don’t mind Jazmine.” Zane guzzled his beer.
Stunned by his casual comment, I leaned forward, ready to battle. “You’re kidding, right?” I didn’t wait for an answer. “Some crazy woman, with eyes like a rabid dog, comes in, and from what I could tell, pretty much threatens you. Oh, and I guess you didn’t notice the way she looked at me.”
“Your dinners.” The waitress slid our heaping platters in front of us and hurried away. Smart woman!
Zane grabbed his knife and fork and sliced into a steak big enough to feed four. He tore off a huge chunk of bloody beef and swallowed it whole.
I struggled not to gag. Sure, I liked red meat, but not when it was still mooing.
“I’ll deal with Jazmine. She’s just a business partner. She likes me; I don’t like her. End of story.” He tore off another piece, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. Realizing I was watching him with disgust, he grabbed a napkin and wiped his chin.
“What type of business?” I couldn’t begin to eat until Zane finished. At least he had one glaringly imperfect trait, he ate like a savage. He must have been on better behavior during lunch.
Leaning back for a minute, he considered his words. “We both do work for a chain of casino resorts in Washington and Nevada. We’ve had some issues with one of our Washington locations.”
“Which one?” I half remembered reading something about a Washington Indian tribe hoping to develop casino sites off their reservation. I also recalled there’d been an alleged murder associated with the request.
“Wild Winds.”
“Wasn’t there a murder up there last year?” Of course I’d remembered. My memory was impeccable.
“Will anything I say convince you I’m just a regular guy with a normal, sometimes dysfunctional life?”
“It’s the dysfunctional part that concerns me.” I tried not to smile. Zane had devoured his steak and seemed eager