Chapter 10 #2
“Probably for the best. But seriously, his name is Quoth? His real name?” Mina looks confused. “Not his World of Warcraft handle? Not his shitty post-punk band’s name? His parents actually called him Quoth?”
“That’s what it says on his gym membership,” Heathcliff grunts from the chair.
“This flat is too outrageous to be real. Are you sure only three of you live up here? I’m not about to meet Shakespeare or the Venerable Bede? Because I’m not sure my brain can handle the thees and thous right now.”
Don’t get us started on the Venerable Bede… when that guy showed up last summer, he ate all my pecorino cheese and stole Heathcliff’s favourite hat.
“Just us three merry bachelors,” I sing as I reach in for another cake.
“Four, if you count the raven,” Mina adds.
“Right, yes. Of course. Four.”
“Don’t you have some work to do?” Heathcliff picks up his book from the arm of the chair. “I believe there was a plot afoot to make my life miserable.”
“You’re already miserable. I’m hoping a website will make you so miserable you come back around to joyful.
” Mina reaches over, and this time she manages to ruffle his hair.
All Heathcliff does is sink deeper into his chair and make a face that’s equal parts misery and hope.
It’s so delightful to see him like this, completely besotted instead of raging at the world.
“I hope he does a little joyful jig.” I lead Mina through to the alcove that serves as my office. “That would make my whole year. Step this way to my lair.”
“So you’re a gamer.” Mina rolls her eyes as she settles into the chair I pull out for her.
I do love a game, and this one I’m winning.
“In a manner of speaking.” I adjust the keyboard, and my arm brushes hers, definitely by accident, how dare you insinuate otherwise? I am a gentleman and a scholar, not a scoundrel who is, at this very moment, imagining bending Mina over my desk and using my cable collection in interesting ways…
Mina’s lips press together, and her eyes flood with warmth that makes me strain against my fly.
But she straightens her back and leans in close to look at the screens.
I’m a bit disappointed that she’s more interested in my work than in me, but we have plenty of time for her to succumb to my infinite charms. “What’s all this?
I thought you didn’t have a job anymore? ”
“I’m freelance now. I told you I’d be fine.”
“What do you do, exactly?”
“As my contemporaries like to say, I’ve been endowed with a phenomenal mathematical faculty.
” I brush my hand over her shoulder as I settle her into her chair.
Her body reacts with a delicious little shiver.
I knew it. I knew I affected her. “This means I do whatever interests me. Some years back, I published a book on asteroids. My last job was in finance. On the train today, I taught myself to hard-code a website. Want to see what I’ve come up with? ”
“You mean, do I want to see the website you put together after teaching yourself on the train? Yes, please. I could use a laugh.”
I lean over her to click the mouse and pull up what I’ve done so far.
Mina presses her lips together as my skin brushes hers again, completely innocent.
I would never dream of being inappropriate.
My cock jabs the back of the chair, hard as stone.
“I’ve already purchased a domain name and set up a basic site.
The online shop is a plugin for our catalogue on The-Store-That Shall-Not-Be-Named.
I even managed to find a picture of Heathcliff looking somewhat normal.
All it needs is some text and images, and maybe a mailing list.”
“No mailing list,” Heathcliff calls from in front of the fire.
“Go back to your book,” Mina shoots back.
“It’s hard to concentrate with you two trying to ruin my business.”
I show Mina how to navigate around the website, and pull up a text box for the homepage.
She glares at the box, her fingers poised over the keys. “What do I type?”
“Information about the shop. You’re trying to make it sound appealing so people will come visit us, and then Heathcliff will stop being such a scrooge about using hot water.”
Mina closes her eyes for a moment, her breath rushing out. What I wouldn’t give to press something else between those lips…
She starts to type.
Nevermore Bookshop – where you find stories you never knew you needed.
That’s rather good. “You’ve got this, gorgeous. Keep going.”
She shivers again as my breath touches her ear.
I watch as she types, the words flying off her fingers as she conjures the visual of a cosy bookshop where you can find any book you require, where the staff are friendly, and there’s a hint of magic in the air.
None of it is accurate, of course, but she’s quite good.
I remember her saying that she came here all the time as a kid.
Nevermore Bookshop must have left an impression on her.
“Croak.” Quoth appears from the hallway and taps the monitor with his beak.
“Yes, yes.” Mina doesn’t look up as she continues to type furiously. “I’m adding a bit about not quoting Poe.”
“This is brilliant. You’re a natural.”
“A natural at not quoting Poe?”
“No, a natural writer. I can solve a Navier-Stokes equation in seconds, but I’d have stared at that screen for hours and not come up with something as eloquent as what you’ve written in ten minutes. You could sell sand in the desert with your words.”
“Please, don’t talk to me about selling sand.” Mina screws up her face. She navigates to the next page and starts typing. She only stops when she reaches the ‘About Us’ page.
“Heathcliff, can you come in here?” she calls out.
“I’m busy.”
“It’ll only take a minute.”
Quoth flutters into the living room and pecks Surly McGrumpyBritches on the arm.
“Croak!”
“All right!” Heathcliff glowers into the alcove. “What?”
“I need some biographical info for you, for the website.”
I lean forward, curious as to how Heathcliff will play this.
Sir Snarkyguts folds his arms. “I don’t want people knowing anything about me.”
Ah, so his usual grumpy demeanour, then.
“We’re not talking about your deepest, darkest secrets,” Mina says, unfazed by his bloody-mindedness. “Just the basic stuff. Where you were born, why you got into the book trade—”
“I’m in the book trade because I thought it wouldn’t be full of annoying people disturbing my calm with incessant questions. I was wrong.” Heathcliff swats at Quoth. The birdie croaks in defiance and flies onto his perch.
“Please?”
Mina flashes him a shy half smile. Heathcliff would have to be made of stone to resist her. I know him well enough to know she’s already wormed her way past his defences.
Heathcliff sighs, as though Mina has asked him to perform long division standing on his head instead of answering a few simple questions.
“Fine.” He roots around in his pockets and recovers a faded leather handmade wallet I strongly suspect he crafted himself. He tosses it to Mina, who fumbles her catch and drops the wallet on the floor. “It’s all in there. Any other details you need, just make them up.”
Mina bends down to retrieve the wallet, and I silently thank Heathcliff for the glorious view of her arse in that jersey dress. She flips open the leather case and regards the messy contents with a look that morphs from fascination to frustration. Her lip wobbles. She blinks several times.
I want to strangle the gods for hurting her.
“You waiting for a written invitation?” Heathcliff huffs.
“It’s not that.” She tosses the wallet back at him. It sails over his shoulder. “I just can’t use this.”
“Why not?”
I know I’m pressing. I can see she’s uncomfortable.
Heathcliff’s eyes bore into me, promising violence if I don’t stop.
But I can’t stop. Because I’ve deduced Mina Wilde’s secret, and it makes me so angry that she thinks it makes her less than, that she keeps letting it define her when she is so much more than it.
“Because… um…” Mina’s eyes dart to the door.
“Because she can’t read them,” says a throaty voice from the doorway. “She’s going blind.”