PHENOMENAL GIRL 5 (7 page)

“What does he do?” The words slipped out of my mouth before I could stop them.

She blinked in surprise. “What?”

“Robert. What exactly does he do for a living? Since you’re an old friend and all.”

Her eyes flashed blue fire. “We don’t discuss business. And I don’t think it’s appropriate for his assistant to be using his first name in such an intimate fashion. His last assistant always called him Mister Elliot.”

I shrugged. “What can I say? He likes me better.” Or he had until I went and insulted his girlfriend. But if she were his girlfriend, he wouldn’t have foisted her off on me. “Now, if there is any message you would like to leave for Robert,
I’d be happy to take it. And I’d be glad to help with your benefit.”

“Just tell him I will be calling him later. I’ll arrange for a private dinner to discuss matters further. Away from this house.” She snatched her coat from my grasp and clicked off, stilettos echoing out into the hallway. “He needs to put the help in their place!” she shot at Mayhew, who was holding the door open for her.

I’d rather fight your garden-variety villain than a psycho society woman any day.

Seeing the butler still standing there, I flashed him an apologetic look. “I’m the help that needs to be put in their place, not you, Mayhew.”

“Don’t worry about me, Miss Lainey. Miss Dupree has been after Mister Elliot to fire me for over a year now.”

“He’s not going to be mad I antagonized her?”

Mayhew chuckled. “I doubt that. He tries to antagonize her every chance he gets, just to shake her off. She’s been vying for the title of Mrs. Elliot since they met.”

I’m sure she has been.
“And he doesn’t want that?”

“The master doesn’t have time for romantic attachments, and they would be…complicated.”

“The hero thing. I hear ya.” It was one of the reasons I had focused on my career and let the romance factor slide. Not that I never dated, but heroes as a general rule tended to date inside the family, so to speak. No one understands why you have to cancel dinner to fight some loony in pajamas more than another hero. They might even join you. “So, where is Robert anyway?”

“Out in the garden, doing some exercises.”

“Did he get through to the EHJ?”

“I believe so, Miss Lainey, but you will have to ask him.”

“Thanks, Mayhew. I go…this way?”

“Through the kitchen is the best.” He gave me a wink.

“Thanks.” I’d get the layout of this mansion someday.

Out in the garden, Robert was doing something that
looked like Tai Chi, eyes closed in meditation. He was whispering something I couldn’t quite catch as I walked up. I didn’t want to interrupt, but he had said to meet him.

Finally I cleared my throat. “So, did you get in contact with Rath?”

He opened his eyes and focused on me. “Yes, I did. He is going to keep an eye on the members, make sure nothing is out of the ordinary. And they are going to instate new security measures with all of the staff in the building immediately. Has Miss Dupree left already?”

“Yeah. I kinda pissed her off.”

“Really? What did you say to her?” The corner of his mouth twitched.

Even though Mayhew was sure he wouldn’t be angry, I wasn’t. I took a deep breath. “Well, she was really upset I wouldn’t let her see you, and then I questioned your close friendship.” I meet his gaze. “I probably shouldn’t have, and I’m sorry I upset your friend.”

“You probably should not have?” He laughed. “That is an interesting apology, Lainey. And you are correct in assuming she is but an acquaintance of mine and not a close personal friend.” He went back to exercising.

I watched him go through the motions. “Is that Tai Chi?”

“Something like it. It helps to focus and balance the magic energies. After last night’s activities, it was sorely needed.” He finished the movement and eyed me. “You should try it.”

“Maybe if I had magic.”

“Perhaps you do and do not realize it. Some live their whole lives and never know of their capabilities. No matter how many tests the Elite Hands of Justice persuades the populace to run to check for ‘powers,’ there will always be those who slip through their fingers.” He sounded somewhere between annoyed and amused by this.

“I was tested when I was a kid.”

“Humor me,” he said, hands clasped behind his back.

I shrugged. What harm could it do? I’d always wanted to take up Tai Chi anyway. “What do I do?”

He came to stand behind me. “You start off in a stance like this.” He put his hands on my waist, bringing my hips to a centered position. He moved his hands up to my shoulders, squaring them, then left one lightly on the small of my back.

“Now, shift your weight onto your left foot and pivot to the side, and move down while extending your right arm…” He led me through the exercise, a series of slow movements, all the while staying right beside me, every so often correcting a move with a small touch. I felt my body growing warm, and not from the exertion.

“…And center position, hands together in front of you.” He followed the movement along with me, hands slightly on my hips again. The urge to lean back against him was almost too overwhelming to control.

His hands left my hips, and traced a line up my body without touching it, much like he had done the night before. “It is faint, but it is there.”

My breathing went shallow. “What is?” I turned to face him, daring to look into his eyes.

“Magic. I doubt you could ever cast a spell, but it is there.”

“But they tested me at school.”

“Maybe it did not show up until you matured.” He again traced the outline around me, somehow setting my skin on fire without even making contact. The magic scans at school never did
that
.

I leaned forward. I couldn’t help it; it was like an involuntary reaction. For a moment, it seemed as if he was going to lean in to kiss me. And God, did I want him to. But then he moved away, arms behind his back again.

“Thank you for taking care of Miss Dupree for me.”

“Well, I don’t think I scared her off for good,” I said, not liking the mention of the society chick in our fading moment. “She said she was going to arrange a private dinner
for you to discuss things away from your uppity servants. Or something to that effect.”

“I will just be too busy for her calls. Mayhew will have to take a message.”

“That’s cold.”

“To Miss Dupree?”

“To Mayhew.”

He laughed. “I need something to keep me busy so I do not have to speak with her. Would you like to go into town with me?”

“We don’t have to teleport, do we?” I asked, cautious.

“No, I still need to let my powers rest after last night.”

I frowned. “Are you sure you’re alright?”

“Fine, fine.” He waved away my concern. “You will be glad to know that since you do have a spark of magic, your body should adjust to teleportation travel quicker.”

“I’ll wait to test that theory. Can we take one of your cars?”

“How about the Roadster?”

I did a little bounce. “You don’t have to ask me twice. Let’s go!”

“I will tell Mayhew we will eat dinner in town.”

“Great!” I said. That sounded a bit like a date. Okay, it was probably more like two coworkers grabbing a bite at some local diner, but still…he was turning down an invitation with the skinny rich girl to have dinner with me. It wasn’t like that happened all the time.

“This car is awesome,” I said, running a hand along the dashboard.

“Thank you,” he said, flashing me a quick grin. “It is one of my favorites.”

“So, let me ask you something,” I said, eying him. “You’ve lived for hundreds of years, and you retain the knowledge of the ages…”

“Knowledge of the ages, eh?” he repeated with a soft chuckle. “Is that what the public relations representatives for the Elite Hands of Justice say?”

“It’s what the textbooks say, my friend,” I replied, reaching back to pull the ponytail holder out of my hair, letting it fly loose in the wind. (Yes, it tangles, but it is an exhilarating sensation.) I turned to catch him staring at me as if transfixed.

He snapped his eyes back to the road. “So, is there a question in there?”

I turned my head, feeling a self-satisfied smirk cross my face at catching him watching me. “I just want to know if the ‘I have no social skills or tact’ line is an act, or have you really learned nothing about people in all those years?”

“Well, what do you think?” he asked, turning on to the town’s main drag.

“I think it’s more of a test. I think you like to see how people react.”

“You think I am manipulative?”

I laughed. “I’ve known you for about a day now, and I
know
you’re manipulative!”

“Let us just say, I have had years experience of suffering fools, and I do not do so lightly anymore. If that is lack of tact…I would suggest that people who act a certain way deserve to be called on it.”

“Interesting. So you were feeling me out?”

“Pardon?”

“Yesterday. Were you just making all those snarky comments to get a rise out of me?”

“Snarky?”

I rolled my eyes. “Never mind. It’s like pulling teeth!”

He laughed, and I smiled in spite of myself. We already had an easy, comfortable way of being together, and after everything we had been through, it seemed like we had known each other for weeks instead of a measly twenty-four hours.

“Thanks for taking me into town,” I said. “It’s nice to be able to go somewhere without having to fly in. Or teleport, for that matter.”

“Well, you can borrow one of my cars whenever you want. My former partners liked to use the ’67 Mustang.”

“Really?” I tried to keep my car giddiness internal, yet couldn’t help but grin. “I’ll hold you to that promise.”

“I am sure you will.”

“So, where are we going?”

“My favorite restaurant. Tuscani’s.”

Okay, so this wasn’t a quick bite at a diner with a coworker.

I was glad his quirk of always dressing up had compelled me to do the same before we left the mansion. “I’ve heard about it but never been.”

“I am surprised you have not.”

“It’s a little out of my price range.”

“Then are you not glad you have a wealthy partner footing the bill?”

“You’re a generous date,” I joked. Then I realized what I’d
said and tried to backtrack. “Not that this is a date. I just meant that you’re not cheap like the guys I’ve actually dated.” I snapped my mouth shut before more damage could be done.

Either he didn’t notice my embarrassment or he chose not to acknowledge it.

“So if you do not go to good restaurants, where does your usual date take you?”

“Out for pizza, I guess,” I said. “It’s been so long since I’ve dated, I don’t remember. My focus has been on the work lately.” Okay, so my focus had
always
been on work, but he didn’t need to know that.

“A focus on work is not a bad thing. Look where it has gotten you.”

“True. My friend Selena always said I have tunnel vision. I set my sights on a goal and ignore everything else to achieve it, and I’ve wanted to be in the EHJ since I discovered I had powers.”

“Determination and drive can both be good qualities,” he observed.

“I just don’t want them to overtake me completely. I want to meet someone eventually. I don’t want to become one of those reclusive heroes who only live for the job and barely come out of their secret hideout.”

He gave me a pointed look as he pulled up in front of the restaurant. “Ouch.”

I knew I could babble on and get myself in deeper, or I could be brutally honest. He was one who liked to dish it out, so I hoped he could take it.

“I don’t mean to be insulting, but no, I don’t want to end up like you. My father died before I was born and my mother shortly after, so I’ve never had a family. I’d like to have one someday. Not now,” I quickly amended. “I want my career first, of course. But I know I need to set my tunnel vision sights on that at some point, or I’m going to spend my whole life alone.”

“I have had a family many times over,” he said. “And I am still alone.”

He opened the door and got out, but not before I caught a glimpse of the sadness and pain in his eyes. I felt a wave of sympathy for him. It must be hard to lose everyone you care about and still continue on.

A valet opened the car door for me, and I got out and followed Robert. The doorman held the restaurant door open for us to pass through, and then we were inside the dark mahogany of Tuscani’s. People came for the cozy atmosphere of this current “it” restaurant—which was heightened by the fires burning in hearths in every corner—and of course to be seen.

“Mister Elliot, so good to see you.” The maître d’ glided up to us. “Right this way to your table.”

“After you,” Robert said, putting a light hand on the small of my back. Was he finding excuses to touch me, or was it innocent? I couldn’t tell. I wished this were one of those moments when he was brutally honest.

We were escorted to a cozy little table in the back, near one of the fireplaces, but not near enough that we would roast. The waiter came to take our drink orders. I deferred to the voice of experience, and Robert ordered us a bottle of wine I assume was a vastly good year, considering the way the waiter’s eyes lit up.

He returned with the bottle and glasses. They went through the whole rigmarole with the cork, tasting the wine, all while I studied the menu and tried to figure out what to order. No prices were listed; I guess if you needed to know, you couldn’t afford to eat there, so it was impossible to tell what the most expensive item on the menu was and avoid it. There’s an assumption about the woman who orders the lobster on the first date—Oh, but this wasn’t a date. The romantic atmosphere was making me forget.

The wine was pronounced drinkable, and I sipped it while
Robert ordered his food in Italian. He could cast spells in the language and order dinner; he was handy to have around.

The waiter turned his attention to me. I looked at Robert. “You’ve been here before, order me something good.”

He nodded, spouted off something in rapid-fire Italian, and the waiter disappeared, menus in hand.