Chapter 8 #2
"What about me?" Stephanie asked.
Sascha ate some more of her shrimp Alfredo. "You're going to get a dye job tomorrow, but it won't turn out the way you want it to."
Everyone looked at Stephanie. "I don't have a hair appointment tomorrow."
Maybe not if she hurried and canceled it. But at that late notice, those fancy hair salons charged when people didn't show up or canceled. Though Stephanie could afford the cancellation fee.
Sascha glanced at Rose. "I know it's hard going through a breakup, but Marvin is truly not the one for you."
"What about me?" Gregory asked.
Sascha smiled. "You're going to knock Marvin on his butt if he annoys Rose anymore."
Everyone laughed and enjoyed the rest of the meal.
Maria brought out a chocolate cheesecake and asked who all wanted some.
Everyone wanted some, except Stephanie, who turned her nose up at it.
Sacha was glad she didn't like it.
After dinner and an after-dinner cocktail, Gregory asked Stephanie, “Isn’t it past your bedtime?”
She smiled at Gregory, then faced Sascha. “He’s got a cute sense of humor, sometimes.” She glanced at the fireplace. “Nice night for a fire. Kind of romantic.” Stephanie walked into the living room.
Wasn’t Gregory going to get rid of her and Damon? They had overstayed their welcome, as far as Sascha was concerned.
But then Gregory took hold of Sascha’s hand and gave it a squeeze, and she thought he was trying to ruffle Stephanie’s vulture-like feathers.
“Are we going to swim later? I love to swim,” Sascha asked.
“Yeah, absolutely.” Gregory smiled so brightly; she was glad she could improve his mood with the suggestion.
“I didn’t bring a swimsuit,” Stephanie said. “I’ll take a loaner.”
“No, you’re taking Damon home.”
“One of your staff can take him home,” Stephanie said, as if she were in charge of things.
“I’ll go with one of your staff if that’s all right with you,” Damon said to Gregory.
Maria, who had been quietly standing by, said she’d get someone to take him home.
Gregory nodded, and she hurried off. Damon looked like he wanted to hug Sascha before he left, but Gregory drew her into the living room and sat down with her on the sofa, their legs touching, his silent pronouncement that she was his for now, and Damon could get lost.
One of the staff came for Damon and said, “I’m your ride. This way, sir.”
Damon hesitated to go with him. He glanced back at Sascha.
“Go, thanks for helping Gregory, in the event the man at the restaurant is the one who’s out to harm him,” Sascha said.
“I would do anything to help, especially if it means protecting you.”
“Thanks, Damon.” She knew he would.
Stephanie sat on the same sofa as Gregory and Sascha as if she couldn’t get a clue that she wasn’t welcome. Rose twirled a curl of hair around her finger, looking apprehensive as she took a seat opposite them and watched them.
Gregory leaned over and kissed Sascha’s forehead as his hand stroked her shoulder. “What are you thinking about, Sascha? You seem a million miles away.”
She thought he was behaving this way toward her to annoy Stephanie until she gave in and left.
Despite wanting to help him with his situation, Sascha said, “I was thinking I should be home reading my romance book.”
“I’m that bad company?”
She smiled. “No, you’re too good.”
“I can be a bit more wayward.” He leaned over to kiss her lips, but she stopped his forward motion with her fingers.
Stephanie scoffed. But she didn’t tell them to get a room. Maybe she was afraid they would retire to his bedroom, though she wouldn’t have.
“Is Damon the reason for your reluctance?” Gregory leaned back against the sofa and released his hold of her.
Sascha looked at Rose. “Damon isn’t the right one for me, Gregory. I can’t explain any further.” She couldn’t tell him about the issue she had with being with someone who wasn’t her soulmate. He wouldn’t believe her.
Turning her gaze on him, she took a deep breath.
The tension eased out of his shoulders. She knew she’d somewhat relieved his mind about her interest in Damon, even though it didn’t mean Gregory was interested in her long-term.
But she didn’t want to talk about Damon any further.
She was certain the topic would come up again.
What she wouldn’t give to know who the right one for her would be.
In fact, she’d had the idea to do some serious online dating next.
Though Katrina had warned her against the dangers.
Still, meeting guys who might be interested in her proved to be a hit-and-miss proposition in her line of business.
And as happy as Katrina was with Prescott, Sascha wanted what she had.
Stephanie crossed her legs and folded her arms. It hadn’t even occurred to Sascha why Stephanie stayed with Gregory before now. But now, this put a new lump in the pudding. He didn’t seem to be willing to tell her to go home.
Stephanie turned to Gregory. “Our friends said they wanted you to invite them again to another one of these parties, but this time to be sure and bring the entertainment. Well, those were the men’s sentiments. A couple of other women weren’t as pleased.”
Like Stephanie?
Looking at Gregory’s hand in Sascha’s, Stephanie tilted her head back. “Since the entertainment was canceled that night because Sascha went for a swim instead, why don’t we do some more future readings? What do you see in Gregory’s future as far as a girlfriend goes?”
Hadn’t Sascha already told her he would end up with a redhead? Okay, so that wasn’t anything she had truly envisioned. But the reference to Sascha swimming in the river, annoyed her.
Sascha smiled. Stephanie was trying to put her on the spot. “Not you.” Sure, Sascha was being catty, but Stephanie could see Gregory wanted time alone with Sascha. Stephanie was being rude.
“Oh? And I suppose you are?”
“Truly, I can’t see my own future…except what I plan to make of it. It’s just the way it works for us.”
“So what do you see?”
“I see a spoiled rich heiress who is being a very rude guest of Mr. Landry’s, who wasn’t invited and has overstayed her welcome.” Sascha almost said "lady," but that would have implied Stephanie was a lady, not a spoiled brat.
Stephanie turned to Gregory. “Are you going to allow her to say that to me? All she is…is a…a—”
“A woman who has many special…talents.” Sascha’s lips turned up considerably as the spirit moved her. She knew Gregory wasn’t interested in Stephanie. Sascha had no claim to him either—not that she was even interested in him if she did. Well, maybe a little bit.
Still, the natural instinct to protect him as if he were her property overwhelmed her better judgment. Sheesh, she acted as she had with Damon when she’d fallen for him. She slipped her fingers between Gregory’s and pressed them warmly. “Be careful what you say.”
Sascha fought the urge to cast a curse on Stephanie. Something gentle, just a little fun. She’d received the ability from her Aunt Meg’s genes, something Katrina had never had. Still, Sascha knew she had to use the ability only in the most extreme circumstances. Wasn’t this one?
She waited patiently. Just one more word of Stephanie taunting her, and she’d do something. She wasn’t sure what yet as she considered her adversary.
Stephanie’s blue eyes stared back at her with irritation. She figured Stephanie thought she was a nobody and shouldn’t have had Gregory’s attention as she did. Just like Stephanie felt about Kat and her interest in Prescott.
Stephanie’s thin, pink, glossy lips twitched slightly as if she considered what kind of comeback she could make that would do the most damage.
Sascha sensed Gregory enjoyed the sport—two women fighting over him. No, it was something more than that…it was that…the redhead had claimed him for her own. That was what amused him so, when she had denied her interest in him all along. Yeah, so she was making a total fool of herself over him.
Okay, so when it came to redheaded charmers, she lost control.
Though in her twenty-seven years of life, there had only been two she had really lost her head over.
She knew from experience, despite her extra abilities, that when it came to men, she didn’t have a clue about what made them her soulmates.
“Okay, since the clinging vine isn’t leaving, and though I thought we would discuss this in private, with Rose in attendance, of course, because this affects her, I’ll change the subject and discuss something that needs to be handled,” Sascha said.
Changing the subject to the attempted murderer was next in her game plan.
Initially, she hadn’t planned to get really involved in the whole sordid mess, since Gregory had been getting PIs and the police involved and had said he didn’t need her help.
But the killer had drawn her into it, whether he had planned to or not.
It wasn’t that she was a vengeful person…
well, maybe a tad unforgiving. Now she had a stake in the situation, too, though.
“Why is someone trying to kill you?” she asked Gregory.
“Can’t you see this in your crystal ball?” Stephanie asked.
“Sure, I had one at the fair, but it doesn’t work. It has been on the blink for months. You know it’s like anything else. Repairmen figure it’s just not worth trying to fix things anymore. They assume you should just go out and buy a new one.”
Stephanie pursed her lips. “Okay, so why haven’t you picked up a new one?”
Gregory ran his hand through a length of Sascha’s hair as if he just couldn’t keep his hands off her.
His touch made her desire him even more.
His fingers slipped through her hair, making her want to give herself to him fully.
What would his body feel like next to hers under his sheets?
Their bodies sliding over each other in loving, unspent passion?
Sascha attempted to wipe the view from her mind. “Have you ever tried to find a crystal ball in a shop? They’re really hard to come by.”