Witches for Hire (Odd Jobs #1)(68)
Jeremy raised his hand to indicate five minutes.
“Then we should be done before we go to Desmond’s.” Clive walked away, muttering, “I have no idea why someone would curse a romantic rival with bad lighting in all of their portraits.”
Edarra stepped away as if she was following Clive but swung her leg in a circle to return to her original pose on Jeremy’s doorjamb. “Besides, if we beat the other knights and the Council in solving the case, I’ll definitely have made the right choice.” The way she beamed, smiling from ear to ear at the prospect of accidentally falling in with a ragtag team of heroes, replaced Jeremy’s sex euphoria with guilt.
“I ADMIT there are nice perks to this job,” Jeremy said as he broke off a piece of Kit Kat bar where he sat next to Simone under the ticket counter, so they could scan visitors for threat potential. To stave off boredom, the ticket attendant gave them free candy to munch on while they worked.
An orange Tootsie Roll sucker popped out of Simone’s mouth. “For once I agree with you.” She picked up her root beer and sipped it. “It’s kind of sad that you’re this hardworking because a client fed you,” she said while pointing at the magical display Jeremy had created on the ticket counter’s wall that showed the power potential of everyone who stepped up to it.
“I’m not ashamed of being easy.”
“I don’t know what dick got into you, but I hope you have the dude’s number on speed dial.”
“That’s none—” Jeremy broke off as the lights on the display glowed dark red. Fuck. If Perry has that kind of power, why would he need a boss? Or…. Jeremy took out his phone quickly to call Clive, but his phone that had a perfectly working signal earlier now flashed a no-service message at him. He rose to his knees, and Simone grabbed his arm.
“We’re not supposed to engage!”
“Don’t worry. It’s against his code to attack unless provoked,” Jeremy said loudly as he stood. He faced Salvatore. “Isn’t that right?”
“Correct, Mr. Ragsdale,” the Council member said.
Simone joined Jeremy’s side. “Howdy.”
Jeremy held up his phone. “Why do you keep messing with my belongings?”
Salvatore smiled. “I like getting your attention.”
Simone held up her useless phone too. “And me?”
“I don’t want Desmond to know that I’m here and then disperse,” Salvatore said.
“Desmond the Great doesn’t run from anyone,” said the ticket seller as she angrily slid change to her customer through the hole in the plastic barrier.
Jeremy raised an eyebrow. “Or the Council just wants to make a creepy entrance.”
“I prefer mysterious over creepy,” Salvatore said.
Simone whispered in Jeremy’s ear, “Is he why you’ve been doing all that sighing and sex-tired slouching lately?”
“No!” Jeremy exclaimed.
Salvatore’s hand passed through the plastic barrier as if it was fog. He smiled as he raised Jeremy’s hand to his lips. “I would like to be.”
“Are you in tonight’s show?” someone in line asked in astonishment.
Several gasps filled the room just as Jeremy’s crotch began tingling. Why does the universe hate me?
The crowd cleared a path for Desmond, who had Clive on his heels. In the most grandiose of side-eyes, Desmond glared at Salvatore with one eyebrow raised and head slightly tilted so he wasn’t forced to directly look upon him. “Is there a problem?”
Jeremy snatched his hand back and hoped Desmond could read his face. We aren’t dating, so don’t act jealous. Salvatore didn’t attempt to touch him again, but Jeremy put space between them anyway.
Without touching Jeremy, Salvatore still managed to put on an air of seductiveness as his forefinger unconsciously caressed the glass where Jeremy’s face was. “No problem. I’m having the pleasure of being reacquainted with Mr. Ragsdale.”
“Pleasure?” Clive’s eyes darted between the two of them in speculation.
“Never mind that,” Jeremy said. “We need to move somewhere private.”
Salvatore nodded. “You’ll find no protest from me.”
“Wow, he wants you,” Simone whispered in Jeremy’s ear.
Jeremy batted her away. “You’re not helping.” He turned to Desmond, who should have stopped glaring and acted like a rational man. “Desmond, it’s your show—you lead the way.” He grabbed another candy bar from the shelf for the trial of egos he was about to endure.
The ticket seller wrung her hands with her head bowed low. “I’m sorry, sir.”
Desmond waved away her apology. “This isn’t your fault, and I prefer to handle serious threats myself.”
“I’m anything but a threat,” Salvatore said with a wide grin.
“Then you should have come with an invitation.” Desmond snapped his fingers. “Follow me, intruder.”
Jeremy scrubbed his hand over his face. You’re stepping too close to that line of pissing off the Council for the sake of earning more respect among your employees. The way Clive stayed quiet, Jeremy knew the man sensed the dick-measuring contest too.
The knight motioned for Simone and Jeremy to walk by his side. “Let them go at it, and we’ll stay in the background and listen,” Clive softly instructed them.