Chapter 4 #5
He stood back up to his full height, which was a greater distance since I didn’t have heels that were the height of the Pleasers I’d worn when we originally met. “And you’re a professor.”
“You say that so flatly one could almost miss the mild disdain. Does the concept of academia offend you? Does the idea of using your brain and not your brawn disgust you?”
I wasn’t sure if I could read him so easily or my brain was simply looking for something to latch on to in order to put some type of distance between us.
Hell, it seemed impossible since he had been in my body, invaded my thoughts for weeks and was now taking up a third of my office but I had to put up some type of fight.
Especially since his presence here couldn’t mean anything positive.
“Are you the type to rely on the idea of being morally and mentally superior because you know that physical superiority is something that will always be fleeting? Cuts for something like that to be so unattainable doesn’t it?”
His words left me gobsmacked. If I didn’t have such a strong will my jaw would’ve probably fallen open.
This Agent Nakoa spoke with such boldness I couldn’t believe he’d gotten far in his position.
And it was such a turnabout from how deferentially he’d spoken to me the night we met; I now understood that it had taken him an enormous amount of energy to be so submissive.
We are not about to give him credit for that, Asha.
“You’re cheeky.”
“And you weren’t?”
“I never said I wasn’t. I think it’s one of my best attributes. I simply don’t find it that appealing in a man.” I sneered at him with all the disdain I felt at having him in the middle of my office at a time like this.
“Anything else I should know?”
“No. I can’t fathom that we would need further interaction than this, actually.
” I smiled sarcastically as the door to my office opened and Margo rejoined us.
I hadn’t realized that she’d been gone this entire time and now I wondered if she’d been listening outside the door or if she’d been lingering for the other agent to come back.
When he didn’t immediately follow her inside my senses were piqued.
“Well, you’d be wrong.” Her commenting mid-conversation meant she’d heard at least part, if not all, of what we’d discussed and my irritation with her flared again. It was clear I wasn’t going to have an ally in anyone in this room.
We work better alone anyway.
“Wrong?” I looked at Margo trying to understand what she meant.
“Why might I need to interact with him? Matter of fact, why are you here?”
“Do you two know each other?” She glanced between the two of us the obvious familiarity clear in the hostile way I’d spoken to him.
“No.”
“Yeah.” He spoke over me in a way that infuriated me because I knew that Margo wasn’t going to let up on her questions now.
She might not do it in front of them but she was now more intrigued about our connection and I didn’t feel like explaining it.
Hell, I wouldn’t explain it, which would only piss her off even more.
God this school term is going to be impossible.
“I would hardly say yeah would be the right way to frame it.”
“Biblically would be accurate if accuracy is what you’re reaching for.” I knew he was trying to speak under his voice but it was so heavy that the sound carried anyway. Margo’s eyes shot to me and I had to pretend as though I hadn’t heard what he’d said while praying my face didn’t betray me.
“Excuse me?”
“We’ve had a mild and fleeting acquaintance.” He addressed Margo but didn’t bother to elaborate. Somehow his choice of words further pissed me off. More so than him actually being here.
“Fleeting?”
“Is that characterization insulting to you?” The side of his mouth quirked up into a semblance of a smile that I wanted to carve off his face.
I took a deep breath forcing myself to remain in control of this situation because I was done responding emotionally to him. “No. Just confirming, sadly.”
“You sound almost disappointed that I am reinforcing your prejudices about me.” He turned to me his focus putting Margo in the background of the conversation yet again. The narrowing of her eyes showed she realized she was the odd one out. And she didn’t like it.
My eyes widened, and my previous thoughts about maintaining my composure quickly flew out of the window. “Prejudices?”
“How else could you classify them?”
I bristled at his instances wishing he would let this drop. “I wouldn’t classify them at all since you are none of my business.”
If you say so, Dr. Asha Avery.” He hesitated before he chuckled slightly. “That’s not your real name.”
“Excuse me! Are you trying to be xenophobic?” Margo was hopping in with her white liberal feminism at a time it was truly not needed.
I hoped that she would’ve just let me handle this since it was clear I was doing fine on my own but I should’ve known better.
She thought she was being an ally but she was truthfully getting involved in a fight that she wasn’t equipped to handle.
Of course her trying to check a man who was clearly ethnically non-white instead of having a talk with the asshole who didn’t respect my boundaries was par for the course.
“I’m not trying to be shit. But I can look at her and tell that’s not her real name.”
I rushed to speak before she further involved herself in a conversation that really needed to happen outside of the office. Or, not at all, really, because I wasn’t sure why this banter was needed. “And how would you know anything about me for a fact?”
“Because the vast majority of people who immigrated to England came in the last one or two generations. They all anglicized their last names in order to fit in. You seem to forget that my people have firsthand knowledge of how the English do things.” He stared at me knowingly and I had to give him credit because he wasn’t wrong.
His last name was Polynesian and every one of those cultures had been done wrong by Europeans.
“Your people. Would that be the part of your heritage that is the Samoan or Hawaiian side?”
He nodded his head as though he were impressed with my being able to discern his heritage. “Picked that up did you?”
“It was hard to miss.” He was tall as shit and his features were clearly mixed with multiple Pacific Islander nations. There was still that one question that lingered but asking him would mean I was interested and I didn’t want that.
I thought I saw a fleeting blush steal across his face but he swallowed down the emotion as he regained his footing in our banter.
“You two seem to have an issue with getting along.” Margo’s voice broke the standoff that existed between the two of us and we both turned our attention to her.
“I would probably say that was the understatement of the year, wouldn’t you?” His sarcasm was made all the more hilarious by how deep his voice was. Hilarious and foreboding, which had Margo finally shutting up.
“Now, back to my original question. What in the hell are you here for?”
My arms went across my chest because I didn’t want to believe this man had sought me out after a quick hookup.
It had been weeks and it wasn’t necessary for us to stalk one another.
It also made me wonder if I needed a better way to hide my identity if he was able to locate me this easily.
He had resources that were better than the average person but still, all databases could be hacked with the right motivation and money was always at the top of that list.
“They’re here to find help with a case.” I guess she wasn’t too scared to shut up after all.
“Working a case with the FBI? Hmm, that’s interesting.”
“Interesting? Most people would see this as high praise in your field.” He seemed slightly insulted that I wasn’t clicking my heels together for the job to be in his presence as he delivered the news.
“Most people would be shocked that you were a puppet for a system you so obviously detest. You seem very anti-establishment. Funny how you’re happily here playing the role, though.
I guess all assumptions really do make you an ass.
” I shrugged and gave him a pitying look that had him narrowing his eyes at me.
“So do you, as a matter of fact. Now who’s being prejudiced?”
I smiled broadly hoping that I was pissing him off even more. “Looks can be deceiving.”
He looked me up and down again. “I calls it like I sees it.”
“Can’t blame a girl for her own observations.
And, you haven’t really denied it.” I was happy to point out that he hadn’t refuted any of my statements.
I could happily agree that I thought the entire system on which this world was built needed to crumble to dust and rebuild itself even though I doubted it would ever happen.
People like my father were doing their best to level playing fields but it was still working within a diseased framework so the fruit it bore was still slightly tainted in the best scenarios and unusable in the worst.
“I’m sorry, do you two need a minute?” A voice tinged with humor broke into our banter and we both slowly turned toward the sound.
“I’m sorry for your coming in on this. They don’t seem to get along well do they?
” Margo again seemed to want to take control of the room and I had to wonder why she kept inserting herself into a conversation that so clearly didn’t need her input.
If they were here for her I wish that she would take them into her office and leave me be.
Hell, I’d forgotten that she was there yet again.
Agent Ortega-Castillo gave her a charming smile that had her fluttering her eyes at him. “My partner has that effect on people. My apologies for his lack of manners while I had to take that call.”