I smile.

If I interview with Oceanstar on Maxi's word, it won't matter that Lex is unlikely to give me a stellar recommendation. Besides, it'd be nice to have a woman in charge of the office. She can't be any worse than Lex Lyndon.

"Okay," I tell Maxi as she squeals and then coughs, pretending to ask me something about a tax form. I wonder if even now Lex is standing over her shoulder with his eyes narrowed and nostrils flaring, a bright orange tie wrapped around his neck and a scowl on those perfect lips. "Why the h.e.l.l not?" Maxi thanks me profusely and hangs up before I get a chance to say good bye, further reconfirming that the dragon must be hovering outside of his cave.

I pull my cell away from my ear and grab the number for Oceanstar from my missed calls list. As I'm waiting for someone to answer, I can't get a certain phrase out of my mind: politics makes strange bedfellows.

"You did what?!"

I stand still, blinking against the rage exploding from my father's throat. I try to stay calm in the face of humiliation, but I can't help but notice that the entire office has walked by my open doors in the last five minutes. Every employee from the head of the accounting department to the janitor seems to have found some legitimate reason to pa.s.s by my office.

"I'll have you recall that I am the current CEO of Lyndon Realty Trust," I say as calmly as I'm able. I wrinkle my nose at the spit flying from my father's mouth. Behind him, my grandfather stands with his hands clasped in front of him. Today's board meeting did not go well, not at all. And now, apparently, two days after Olivia Ashcraft walked out of my life, I'm having trouble convincing my father that I fired her for the right reasons. I couldn't exactly tell him the truth, now could I? "If I feel an employee isn't living up to the standards set forth "

"You'll get her back," my dad says, pointing his finger at my chest. His silver eyes are flashing angrily, and his hand is trembling. I look to the side and grit my teeth. I don't like being told what to do especially not at the age of thirty-four. It's insulting. "You'll get her back and undo at least one of the mistakes you've managed to make this week."

"Electing not to go on a date with a woman doesn't necessarily qualify as a mistake," I grind out, curling my fingers into fists. Despite their influence over the board, my father and grandfather do not control me, no matter how much they'd like to think they do. I don't need this job; I got access to my trust fund a long, long time ago. I have more money than G.o.d.

"Lara Caliper is not a woman, Lex," my grandfather says, in a much calmer, much less spittle flecked voice. I raise my brow and step away from my father, unb.u.t.toning my suit jacket as I move around my desk and sit in my office chair. The very same office chair that I've been using to touch myself, to fantasize about Olivia in. Ridiculous woman. Good riddance to her and her despicable att.i.tude. But that hair? Those lips? The curve of her waist?

"Could've fooled me," I say, thinking of the curvy brunette. Lara Caliper is a wolf in sheep's clothing. Three years older than me, CEO of Oceanstar Capital Group. My family's been trying to marry into hers for decades, but it's never worked out. It's not going to work out now. I'd rather leap from my office window than marry or even date Lara Caliper. She'd do anything to get her hands on Lyndon Realty Trust, even marry me. In polite company, Lara and I get along famously. She acts exactly like all those women I hate fawning over me, batting her eyelashes but I don't trust her for a second.

"What I meant was," my grandfather says, holding up a hand to keep my father from b.u.t.ting into the conversation, "she's no ordinary woman, Lex. This isn't about just getting your poor father here some grandchildren." I tap my fingers on the desk and pray that they'll get out of my office and leave me alone sooner rather than later. Oh, and forget about Olivia Ashcraft all together. My father can scream and yell all he wants, I'd rather lose my position as CEO than go crawling back to Olivia to give her her job back. "Marrying Lara could open up all sorts of doors for both the company as well as yourself."

"I'll consider it," I say, watching as my father shakes his head and moves towards the doors.

"While you're at it, consider getting Olivia Ashcraft back. That girl was a genius. She had the magic touch. Never lost a cent on any of the properties she purchased. Remember, you're here to make your investors including me money, not to d.i.c.k around." I scowl at my dad's back as he retreats towards the elevators, my grandfather in tow.

"f.u.c.k."

I glance down at the locked drawer of my desk, the one with the briefcase in it. With the contract in it. When I look up, Claudia's staring at me from outside my office door, brown Bambi eyes wide and questioning.

"Set me up a meeting with Lara," I snap at her. Maybe if I take the woman out for dinner, my family will get off my back? I'd rather concede to them than Olivia. If she wants her job back, she'll have to come to me and beg for it.

h.e.l.l would freeze over before that ever happened.

I try not to smile when I think that.

>I've asked Lara to meet up at her office before our dinner meeting, if only because I can. I'm certainly not allowing the enemy into my territory, but she seems to have no problem with it. Not that I expect to learn any trade secrets strolling through the plain white halls of her office building, but I like the idea that I'm in the lion's den invited into it, even.

I'm moving quickly past darkened office windows, most of the employees having gone home for the day, when a door opens in front of me and I end up b.u.mping into a woman with hair as red as flames. The second our bodies brush against one another, I smell her perfume, and I know exactly who it is I'm dealing with.

"Miss Ashcraft?" I ask as she takes a step back and looks up at me with her mouth hanging open. Neither of us apologizes for crashing into one another; neither of us will admit fault in the move. "What on earth are you doing here?" I feel my jaw clench and the vein in my forehead start to throb. Olivia stares at me in shock for a moment before her lips curl up into a smirk.

"Why, Mr. Lyndon, fancy seeing you here," Olivia says, the skin around her eyes crinkling with mirth. She's enjoying this interaction. I, on the other hand, feel like a bear who's just discovered his rival with his paw in the honey jar. Or in this case, should I say her paw. "I was just signing my new employment contract." Olivia whistles and runs her fingers through that perfect hair of hers, drawing my eyes along with the gesture. "You didn't think I was going to sit around and eat ice cream for days after you fired me, did you, Lex?" I feel my lips purse into a narrow line. "And I must say, the offer I've just received includes more than generous compensation for my previous experience at Lyndon Realty Trust." Olivia meets my gaze for a moment and then tries to squeeze past me in the narrow hallway.

I move to block her path, and she raises an eyebrow at me, taking in my suit and my bright green tie with a critical eye. I stay where I am, certain that there's some conspiracy at play inside these walls. Is it just a coincidence that I'm running into Olivia here? Or did Lara set this up?

"Don't forget the restrictions of your previous employment," I say, referencing not only the contract she signed when she started at my company, but also the NDA I presented her with on Sat.u.r.day night. If Lara Caliper were to find out about that ... I shudder to even think of the repercussions. If Olivia decides she doesn't care about a lawsuit, she could spill my secret to the world. A man like me would never be able to live it down.

Effective now, Olivia practically owns me.

If she demanded something from me, I'd have to give it to her.

I wish she'd command me to f.u.c.k her again. The thought alone's enough to give me a ma.s.sive, throbbing hard-on. Olivia notices right away.

"Oh, G.o.d, Lex," she says, lifting her eyes to the ceiling as she struggles to hold back a laugh. Just looking at her like that is p.i.s.sing me off. She thinks this is funny? My issues are amusing to her? "You really are something else, aren't you?" She pauses for a moment and then looks askance at me. "Are you stalking me?"

"G.o.d no," I snort, shaking my head and touching a hand to my forehead. I let my own lips curve up into a smile. "I'm actually here for a date."

"Oh, nice. Does your date know about your little ... problem?" Olivia whispers, her voice taking on a strange note that I can't quite place. "Or your tendency to m.a.s.t.u.r.b.a.t.e to thoughts of me in your office?"

I reach out and grab her by the arm, curling my fingers around her small bicep before I can stop myself. Olivia looks down at my hand on her arm and then up at the security camera on the wall.

"Careful there, Lex. It's only out of the goodness of my heart that you've managed to escape a lawsuit thus far. If you leave a bruise on me, I swear to G.o.d that luck will soon run out." I release her with a growl, turning as she starts down the hall, dressed in a pair of black heels and a skirt suit. I don't ever remember this woman wearing a skirt to my office.

I follow after her, unprepared to let this strange coincidence slide. Olivia gives me a strange look over her shoulder as she approaches the elevators and pauses with her arms crossed over her cream colored blouse.

"Stalker," she whispers, glancing at the wall opposite me. I force myself to reign in my temper and take a deep breath. It's not an easy thing to do with an erection straining against my slacks. I wonder if Olivia's as turned on as I am? If she's as wet as I am hard? I'd love to find out.

"Did you come here to confront me?" I ask as she turns back to face me with a look of complete and utter disgust on her face.

"Confront you? Wow, you really are an arrogant son of a b.i.t.c.h. The world doesn't revolve around you, you know." The elevator doors slide apart and she steps inside. I hesitate just a moment before following after her. I can't just let this go; I have to protect my secret.

"I happen to have a dinner date with Lara the same evening you're here, filling out paperwork? Seems like an awfully strange coincidence, doesn't it, Olivia?"

"It's Oli," she says, spinning to face me and getting close, too close. The elevator's such a small s.p.a.ce. Such a small, small s.p.a.ce. "The name is f.u.c.king Oli," she growls at me, her lips as red rouged and perfect as they were in my imagination. My eyes catch on them and then flicker back up to her angry gaze. "I swear to G.o.d, Lex, I have no idea why we both ended up here on the same day, but if I'd known, trust me, I'd have rescheduled." Olivia leans back against the wall and continues to glare at me. "Let me guess: you're going to take Lara out and ask her to sign your stupid contract next?"

"No," I grind out through clenched teeth. It's a terrible habit, but now's not the time to try and kill it. Dealing with this woman requires all the tools in my little box of tricks. Anything to keep the temper back. "You're the only woman I've even thought to ask." I pause and a strange silence descends as the doors open up to the lobby. Olivia starts to move forward and then pauses, touching her bare shoulder like she's just realized something.

"f.u.c.k. My purse." She glares at me over her shoulder, but I'm done with this conversation, leaning against the wall with my arms and ankles crossed.

"I'm going up," I say as she scowls and smashes her thumb against the b.u.t.ton.

"Apparently that's not the only thing that's going up," Olivia whispers, stepping back and eyeing the bulge in my pants with apparent distaste.

"What can I say," I growl back at her, uncrossing my arms and taking a step forward. Her eyes narrow, but she refuses to look at my face. "I guess the sight of you just turns me the f.u.c.k on. Too bad your att.i.tude's insufferable."

"My att.i.tude?" Olivia hisses, whirling to face me.

The elevator doors slide closed and we begin our ascent back to the thirtieth floor.

"That's right," I snap, leaning in close enough that I can feel her breath on my face. "I don't know what it is about you, but there's just something ... " I almost say that I don't like, but I can't seem to force the words out. "There's just something ... "

"You're the one that started this, Lex," she says, and I can practically taste her perfume on the back of my tongue. Olivia stands on her toes and leans in close. "You approached me, screamed at me, solicited me. And then you fired me. I hope you feel better about yourself, big shot. I hope you feel like a f.u.c.king king."

Olivia stumbles into me as the elevator comes to a sudden stop at our floor, doors opening with a ding. My hands grip her upper arms and my breath hisses out between my teeth.

"Tell me to let go of you," I tell her as my heartbeat picks up and my pulse thunders against the side of my throat. The blood in my head is roaring so loudly, I can hardly hear her response.

"No. I don't take orders from you, you c.o.c.k sucking piece of s.h.i.t."

I groan at the insult and press Olivia against the wall, dropping my mouth to her throat. Her pulse is fluttering just as quickly as mine, drawing my lips like a moth to flames. I press a kiss against her skin and she sighs, grabbing my shoulders and digging her nails into my jacket.

"Tell me to let go of you, and I will."

Olivia reaches out her hand and presses the b.u.t.ton for the lobby.

"You have thirty seconds to convince me why I shouldn't do just that," Olivia growls, pushing down on my shoulders. I let her force me to my knees and hit the floor of the elevator with a gasp of ragged breath. My d.i.c.k's so hard right now, there's barely any blood left for the rest of my body. I feel lightheaded, dizzy, like I'm standing in the middle of a dream. "Twenty-seven seconds," Olivia counts as the doors slide closed and we make our second descent. With a deep breath and a whispered curse, Olivia curls her fingers under the hem of her skirt and slides it up her hips, leaving me face to face with a pair of tan cotton panties. With a wet spot front and center.

"f.u.c.k," I snarl, sliding my hands up her legs and leaning in, pressing my lips against Olivia's panties. Thank G.o.d she had the good sense not to wear pantyhose today. The feel of her skin against my hands is intoxicating, increasing that sense of surrealism that envelops me as I press my mouth against the fabric and listen to her gasps layered against the cla.s.sical music playing in the elevator. If I'm not mistaken, we're currently listening to Almost Like Being in Love. How ironic, considering love is the last thing on either of our minds.

"Hurry up," Olivia snarls as I lift my right hand up and hook two fingers around her panties, yanking them aside and sliding my tongue against her bare heat. That vibrant red hair of hers isn't just limited to her head, like even down here she's made up of flames. I smirk, mouth still pressed against Olivia's body and hope I get burned. As soon as my tongue makes contact with her c.l.i.t, she spreads her legs apart, giving me just enough room to slip the fingers of my left hand inside her wetness.

Olivia's hand curls in my hair, digging her nails painfully into my scalp.

"G.o.d, I f.u.c.king hate you so much," she gasps as I groan against her p.u.s.s.y. I don't know that I've ever been so turned on. "You are such a piece of s.h.i.t." I thrust my fingers against her hard, harder, drawing a small scream of surprise from her throat.

And then the elevator doors ding again.

"s.h.i.t."

One moment I'm on my knees, pleasuring a fiery haired beast from h.e.l.l, and the next, she's tearing her skirt back into place and tripping over me to get out of the elevator.

"Olivia!" I scream, but she turns mid jog through the lobby to point her finger at me.

"Don't you dare follow me," she yells across the empty expanse of marble. The security guard is the only person in sight, standing up behind his desk and staring at us both with a slack-jaw and wide, wide eyes. I'm a.s.suming he must've seen the security footage. "Good night, Lex. And good bye!" She spins away and disappears through the double gla.s.s doors at the end of the lobby, leaving her purse and me behind.

"Mom, Jesus Christ!" I scream when I open the shower curtain to find Carol applying eyeliner in my bathroom mirror. "Can't I get any privacy? There's a reason I live alone." Carol continues fixing her makeup, ignoring me until she's got her eyes rimmed in a thin, expertly applied line of brown. When she does turn to look at me, I can tell she knows. Not about the thirty seconds of oral s.e.x, of course. n.o.body but Lex and the security guard at Oceanstar Capital Group knows about that. And I'm not telling a soul. But about my sudden job switch.

"It's poker night, Olivia," she says carefully, crossing her arms over her chest while I stand there in a towel, hair dripping down my back and soaking into the white fabric. I give her a strange look and then mentally calculate the days in my head. Holy c.r.a.p. It really is Friday. It's been an entire week since Lex first stormed into the lunch room? It feels like an eternity. At least I get to start my new job on Monday. There's always that to look forward to, right? "Your mother's waiting downstairs with Craig."

"Okey-dokey," I drawl, drawing my eyes away from her face to focus on the white tile to my right. "That's good to know. I will be down as soon as I get some clothes on." Hint. Hint. My parents might be considered crazy liberal hippies to some, but at least they've always respected the sanct.i.ty of nudity. Growing up, some of my friends' parents were really into the whole nudist thing. I shudder to recall the memories.

"Why didn't you tell us you got fired?" she asks me and I sigh, climbing out of the bathtub and sitting down heavily on the toilet lid. Thirty years old and still answering for crimes committed. Maybe that two bed, one bath in the Midwest isn't such a bad idea after all? "I ran into Maxi at the grocery store and she told me everything."

"Everything?" I echo, wondering exactly what that word encompa.s.ses. It better not be everything-everything, or it's pretty much a guarantee that the moms will wage a war against the Lyndon family. I'd rather not see that happen, not for their sakes or mine. I have a funny feeling that the Lyndons with their billions and billions of dollars might actually be able to stand up against my mothers.

"The failed dinner date, the subsequent argument, the interview at Oceanstar." Carol pauses, turning to pucker her lips in the mirror and reapply some organic, cruelty-free lip gloss. When she's done, she tucks her makeup into a travel bag and turns back to me, tilting her head to the side so that long waves of blonde fall over her shoulder. Seriously. Not fair. n.o.body would believe this woman raised me for the last thirty years. She looks younger than I do.

"Uh, yeah," I say, trying not to breathe a sigh of relief. The second I show weakness, Carol will be on it like white on rice. She'll know I'm hiding something. So I just look up at her and smile wide. Of course Maxi didn't tell my secret; she never would, not even under fear of torture. "It was just ... you know ... sort of a s.h.i.tty week." I pray that she remembered to bring the wine. My stash is decidedly shorthanded as of late. Getting fired and having some sort of weird hate s.e.x thing with your boss oughta do that to a girl.

"Firing you because of a disagreement like that is hardly legal," Carol says, and I groan inwardly, standing up and moving to the bathroom door. If she won't get the hint and leave, I will. I prefer to have discussions with my mom when I'm wearing clothes.

"California is an at-will state, Mom. Lex can fire me whenever he wants." I pause. Frown. "And actually, Maxi got her story all mixed up. Lex was going to fire me, but he couldn't because I quit first. After I threw my shoe at his head. I didn't want to work for a spoiled brat like Alexander Lyndon anyway." Carol looks at me skeptically, following me out of the bathroom and pausing in the hallway outside my bedroom door.

"Are you sure? Because I have some friends that owe me favors. We could drag his a.s.s through the courts "

"Everything is fine, Mom." I close the door gently in her face and retreat to my closet to grab some clothes. By the time I'm done dressing, I can hear the happy murmur of voices downstairs. Ah, poker night. There have been times I've dreaded this night in the past, but I think spending time with my family will give me awhile to cool down and forget all about Lex Lyndon. What the f.u.c.k were you thinking on that elevator, Olivia? Truth be told, I wasn't thinking at all. Well, at least not thinking with my brain. There were other parts of me that certainly got their vote in. It's just ... Lex smelled so d.a.m.n good, and looked so d.a.m.n good. f.u.c.k. Two nights with Mr. Vibrator and I still don't feel any better not even with the wand attachment involved in the mix.

"I'm so glad you guys are " I pause on the bottom step, my mouth hanging loose from my face. When I see the person standing in my dining room, I can't seem to access the right part of my brain to close it.

He turns to face me, my purse dangling from his outstretched hand, full lips quirked into a sardonic smile that not only serves to infuriate me but also warms me up from the inside out. I can still feel the press of his mouth against my panties, the sudden flick of his tongue against my c.l.i.t. Just a taste, just a horrible teasing taste. Why the f.u.c.k did I let that man get in the elevator with me?

I cross my arms over my chest and pinch my lips tight together.

"Lex," I say, as if I'm not all that surprised to see him standing here. At least I finally got my mouth to close. I imagine disdain will be easier to pull off without my jaw dangling loosely in abject shock. Spread out behind his dark suited person like a wheel of color, my family stands stone still and staring, taking in every detail of this interaction without even a half-hearted attempt to give us any privacy. The dining room is small and narrow, and I feel suddenly claustrophobic with all these people standing in my house. Or maybe it's just Lex. It could very well just be Lex. "Don't you have a board meeting to attend or something?" I ask, marching down the last few steps and s.n.a.t.c.hing the purse strap from his fingers. I'm very careful not to touch him.

"On a Friday evening?" he asks, obviously enjoying himself. The smile on his face is fanning the flames of fury in me like nothing else. I try to glare at my family, but Lex is so tall that he blocks my view. I think I can hear Craig asking something about gray cotton panties. The next time we have game night with him and his mult.i.tude of lovers, I'm sharing the tales of his teenage bed p.i.s.sing days. "Not hardly."

"How about a date with Lara Caliper then?" I whisper, leaning in close enough that I'm hoping my family won't hear. Lex doesn't respond right away, so I make a big scene of taking the purse to the table and dumping it out, combing through my belongings with narrowed eyes. It's not like I suspect that Lex has stolen anything he hardly needs to but I do get the eerie feeling that my purse and wallet were combed through with meticulous detail. "Stalker," I murmur under my breath. I am starting to wonder. If I hadn't seen the look of sheer shock and outrage on his face when he b.u.mped into me at the Oceanstar office, I'd be thoroughly convinced that he was.

"I was just trying to do you a favor, you know," he tells me, putting on this polite air that will never fool Carol and June. Craig, maybe, but not our parents. "You left that behind in your rush to escape the office on Wednesday. I would've brought it over sooner, but it's been a busy week, trying to find someone qualified enough to replace you."

"Please," I say, turning away and scooping the contents of my purse back into the black hole from whence they came. "I was hardly even qualified to begin with."

"Oh, but you were surprisingly good at what you did," Lex whispers, turning and following my gaze over to my family. June's the first to break their silence, smiling and gesturing at me with a flourish of her right hand.

"Oli's always excelled in life. Whatever she sets her mind to, she accomplishes." June looks at me with her brown eyes and hands over a not so subtle wink that makes my stomach drop to my toes. Here we go. "So that's why, Mr. Lyndon," she begins before he waves a hand and smiles brightly.

"Call me Lex," he whispers, shrugging off the black wool pea coat he's got on over his suit. Drops of rainwater bead across the fabric as he slides it off his broad shoulders and drapes it over his arm with a smile.

"No, no, no," I say, taking hold of his coat and drawing it from his fingers. Our eyes meet and something flickers in my chest for a moment. It tastes like l.u.s.t, and I swear to G.o.d if I don't get this man out of my house now, I'm going to choke on it. "You are not staying."

"Don't be rude, Olivia," Carol says, switching on her charm. Uh-oh. For Lex's sake as well as my own, I plead with him to take his coat back and make a run for it. He doesn't. Instead, he looks up and over my shoulder. "If you can spare the time in your busy schedule, Lex, we'd love it if you could join us for family poker night?"

I grit my teeth and gaze up towards the heavens, pleading for divine intervention.

"I'll get the wine," Craig says the only smart thing anyone's said since I came downstairs.

"As it so happens, I am free this evening, and I would love to stay."

"Lex drinks French wine," I say as I skirt away from him and throw his coat over one of the hooks in my hall closet. If that doesn't bother my mothers, I don't know what will.

"When we have such amazing Cabernet Sauvignons in our own backyard?" June asks, and I thank Christ that she's at least dropped her earlier line of questioning. I'm not exactly sure what she was planning to say before Lex interrupted her, but I'm certain I don't want to know. Lex laughs, and I glance over at him as I close the closet door, resting my fingers against the wood. He's loosening his tie, threading his fingers through the blood red silk as he smiles wickedly at June.

"It's hard to argue against a Bordeaux though, isn't it?" he purrs, and I hate the way his voice fills the dining room with a strange sort of warmth, taking up all the empty s.p.a.ce and owning it. Motherf.u.c.ker. This is not his s.p.a.ce to own. I sweep back into the room and cross my arms over my chest, suddenly wishing I'd worn something other than a gray T-shirt and blue jeans. With June's designer blouse, Carol's custom tailored khaki slacks, and Lex's multi-thousand dollar suit, I feel a little underdressed.

"We were hardly drinking Bordeaux at the restaurant," I say, trying to regain a foothold in this conversation, but it's too late. I got them started and there's no going back. When Craig reenters the room and hands me a gla.s.s of wine, I don't even bother to look at the color red, white, if it was freaking purple it wouldn't matter at this point I just take a sip and count my blessings.

"I'm going to stop you two before this gets heated. California Cabernet should never be compared to Bordeaux. This is an argument that started in the seventies, and it's gotten even more ridiculous as the decades have worn on."

"Oh, please," Lex says, his voice thrumming through my bones. I wonder if anyone else can feel it? When his steel gray eyes flicker over to mine, I hold his gaze and keep it there. If I ordered him to leave, would he do it? He seems to like it when I insult or scream at him. I mentally trace the curve of Lex's mouth. You'd think after years of poisonous insults and scathing scowls, his lips might've suffered some degradation. But no. No. They're just as perfect and moist and kissable as ever. That d.i.c.k. "As if you were around in the seventies? A woman as young and radiant as you? I know you said you were Olivia's mother, but I find that hard to believe. Sister, maybe?"

"G.o.d," I snort, and all eyes turn to me. I take another sip of my wine and scoot past Lex, dragging my body against the narrow wall of the dining room, so I can get to the chair in the back corner. There are only four I've only ever needed four so Craig drags one of the chairs from the breakfast nook in the kitchen, setting it up opposite me. "Could you get anymore cliche? Stop hitting on my mother and sit your a.s.s down."

There's a second of hesitation, but only a second. With the slightest flicker of a scowl breaking across the practiced perfection of Lex's face, he sits down next to me. We stare at each other for another couple of seconds before the rest of the family joins us. Carol immediately pushes the cheese and fruit plate my way, showcasing a handpicked selection of Gruyere, Brie, and Stilton along with pomegranate arils, pear slices, and small round b.a.l.l.s of kiwifruit.

"I take it since you haven't asked to be introduced, y'all got nice and friendly when I was upstairs changing?" I glare at Craig, since he's probably the person at this table who's the easiest to intimidate. He stares back at me from a familiar set of emerald eyes and then reaches out and s.n.a.t.c.hes a big handful of glistening pomegranate seeds, trailing red juice across the table like blood.