need a ride all the way out there?”
“I need to pick up a few things.”
He shot her a look full of suspicion. “If I do give you a ride, I’m sending you a bill.”
“Track your mileage and time, Mr. Khūnbish, and submit it to me personally.
Not the firm.”
He blew out a breath. “I don’t do favors for anyone without knowing what for and why.”
Words jammed up in her throat so she could hardly breathe let alone talk. “I left Michael. My fiancé.”
“So?”
“He was upset.” She looked him in the eye. “I don’t have a car right now.”
“You must have friends.” His voice had a hint of a growl.
“They’re Michael’s friends.”
“I can call you a cab.”
“That’s no good. I might end up with a skinny driver, and I need someone like Jewel/Future Tense— Chapter 0
6
you with me. In case Michael’s there.”
“I get it,” he said in the same tight voice as before. “You want someone who can take a beating if your jealous boyfriend shows up.”
“No.” She hunched her shoulders against the wind. “If he’s there, I want someone he’ll be afraid to beat up. Someone who’ll scare him.”
“Muscle for hire.” The wind caught his hair. She didn’t answer but, then, she didn’t need to. “Fuck you, Counselor.”
“If I did, would you drive me there afterward?”
His eyes glinted so, whatever he said now, they both knew he was thinking about sex. “No.”
“Well,” she said. “That’s too bad.” There went her legal career down the toilet.
She turned to head back to her office, but he caught her elbow. A sizzle shot up her arm and headed for regions south. His fingers tightened on her when she brought her arm closer to her body. “Let go of me.”
“If you left your boyfriend, where are you staying?”
“That’s none of your business.”
“It is if I’m doing you a favor.”
The wind whipped past her, pulling several strands of hair from her chignon.
“You’re not.”
She flinched when he tucked the strands behind her ear. He wasn’t fooled by the shiver she faked to cover for the reaction. “Where did you sleep last night?”
“I didn’t sleep last night.”
“What happened to your car?”
“It’s wrecked.”
“How?”
She didn’t answer. The wind blew those strands of hair free again.
Jewel/Future Tense— Chapter 0
7
“Tell me where you were last night, and I’ll drive you to your house and scare the hell out of your boyfriend, too.” He waited and then said, “If you’d rather, I’ll take you up on your offer to get horizontal with me.” The corner of his mouth twitched.
“Just so you know, I like it dirty.”
“San Francisco General.”
“Because?”
She drew in a breath and let it out. “Some idiot in a cheap import changed lanes without looking. That’s the last thing I remember until the paramedics pulled me out of my car.”
“Before or after you left the boyfriend?”
“After.”
He cocked his head toward California Street where his shiny black car was parked.
“Do I have to fuck you?”
“No.” He started walking, and Lys followed him to his car. A meter maid puttered past and didn’t even look at the Beemer. Khūnbish went around to the passenger side door and opened it for her.
Lys got in and sat with her purse on her lap. This was a high end model BMW
with plenty of leg room. Newer than her white one, but other than that, more or less the same car. Hers had a black interior, too. Panic eroded her control. The sound of breaking glass and the hollow thump of metal against metal echoed in her head, so clear that she thought there’d been a real accident. But traffic on California Street moved with the usual controlled chaos.
Khūnbish didn’t close the door, and she glanced up to see why. He had a hand on the roof of his car and was leaning down, staring at her with his black, black eyes. A frown put a crease between his eyebrows. She couldn’t tell his pupils from his irises.
Jewel/Future
“I need to pick up a few things.”
He shot her a look full of suspicion. “If I do give you a ride, I’m sending you a bill.”
“Track your mileage and time, Mr. Khūnbish, and submit it to me personally.
Not the firm.”
He blew out a breath. “I don’t do favors for anyone without knowing what for and why.”
Words jammed up in her throat so she could hardly breathe let alone talk. “I left Michael. My fiancé.”
“So?”
“He was upset.” She looked him in the eye. “I don’t have a car right now.”
“You must have friends.” His voice had a hint of a growl.
“They’re Michael’s friends.”
“I can call you a cab.”
“That’s no good. I might end up with a skinny driver, and I need someone like Jewel/Future Tense— Chapter 0
6
you with me. In case Michael’s there.”
“I get it,” he said in the same tight voice as before. “You want someone who can take a beating if your jealous boyfriend shows up.”
“No.” She hunched her shoulders against the wind. “If he’s there, I want someone he’ll be afraid to beat up. Someone who’ll scare him.”
“Muscle for hire.” The wind caught his hair. She didn’t answer but, then, she didn’t need to. “Fuck you, Counselor.”
“If I did, would you drive me there afterward?”
His eyes glinted so, whatever he said now, they both knew he was thinking about sex. “No.”
“Well,” she said. “That’s too bad.” There went her legal career down the toilet.
She turned to head back to her office, but he caught her elbow. A sizzle shot up her arm and headed for regions south. His fingers tightened on her when she brought her arm closer to her body. “Let go of me.”
“If you left your boyfriend, where are you staying?”
“That’s none of your business.”
“It is if I’m doing you a favor.”
The wind whipped past her, pulling several strands of hair from her chignon.
“You’re not.”
She flinched when he tucked the strands behind her ear. He wasn’t fooled by the shiver she faked to cover for the reaction. “Where did you sleep last night?”
“I didn’t sleep last night.”
“What happened to your car?”
“It’s wrecked.”
“How?”
She didn’t answer. The wind blew those strands of hair free again.
Jewel/Future Tense— Chapter 0
7
“Tell me where you were last night, and I’ll drive you to your house and scare the hell out of your boyfriend, too.” He waited and then said, “If you’d rather, I’ll take you up on your offer to get horizontal with me.” The corner of his mouth twitched.
“Just so you know, I like it dirty.”
“San Francisco General.”
“Because?”
She drew in a breath and let it out. “Some idiot in a cheap import changed lanes without looking. That’s the last thing I remember until the paramedics pulled me out of my car.”
“Before or after you left the boyfriend?”
“After.”
He cocked his head toward California Street where his shiny black car was parked.
“Do I have to fuck you?”
“No.” He started walking, and Lys followed him to his car. A meter maid puttered past and didn’t even look at the Beemer. Khūnbish went around to the passenger side door and opened it for her.
Lys got in and sat with her purse on her lap. This was a high end model BMW
with plenty of leg room. Newer than her white one, but other than that, more or less the same car. Hers had a black interior, too. Panic eroded her control. The sound of breaking glass and the hollow thump of metal against metal echoed in her head, so clear that she thought there’d been a real accident. But traffic on California Street moved with the usual controlled chaos.
Khūnbish didn’t close the door, and she glanced up to see why. He had a hand on the roof of his car and was leaning down, staring at her with his black, black eyes. A frown put a crease between his eyebrows. She couldn’t tell his pupils from his irises.
Jewel/Future
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