Natural Selection by Amanda Lance Page B

responses of others. And as much as both of them wanted to stay in the car with one another, they ultimately left the vehicle and headed inside.
    Torn between his looks at her and trying to distract him, Emilia surprised herself by silently encouraging his eyes and walking with an extra sway in her hips. She smiled every time she glanced over her shoulder and he quickly glanced away—his lame attempt to pretend not to be watching her.
    Never being a tease before, or even a flirt in the best of circumstances, Emilia found it outlandishly powerful to know that her body could influence Kasper so much. Was this why other young woman on campus wore such scanty clothing? Why her mother had always smiled and giggled at strange men? The revelation was a great one, and between that and the sexual tension between them, Emilia felt more confident than ever. Unfortunately, however, it only made another negative thought rupture in her brain. What if she didn’t use this control of hers to her advantage now? Would she look back on this time and regret not manipulating Kasper the way he had her? Would they lose their lust for one another if they did not use it?
    Emilia took her first look inside and smiled. The lobby of the Belhurst Castle was covered with wooden paneling and decorated with soft red colors. Bronzed statues of horses stood between the throne-like chairs that sat outside of a modern day office and golden fixtures were illuminated from the sun pouring within the rose-colored windows. She ran her fingers over the bridge of an antique violin hanging on the wall and smiled at Kasper’s good decision.
    “Wow, this place is a lot bigger than I expected.”
    He nodded and followed her silently.
    “Shall I show you the ballroom? I believe it is around here somewhere…”
    She looked around and attempted to control her giddiness as she spotted the statues of medieval knights and their shiny armor fixed in the doorway.
    “Shouldn’t we wait for someone?”
    He coughed and headed towards a large set of wooden doors. “I’d rather not.”
    She trailed him into a room with large rectangular windows and high cathedral ceilings. Right away, she noticed how the interior of the ballroom itself was fixed with mauve and navy, making the room look bigger than perhaps she thought it was. To the left of the large dance floor there was a large ten foot antique gold mirror with two antique tapestries on each side of it. The tables were large, sitting at least six respectively, and she wondered if they could wedge a few more chairs in there even if they wanted to.
    “Can you see it?” he said, walking up behind her slowly and brushing a wisp of hair from the back of her neck. “The room splashed with your favorite colors?”
    She nodded. When did it get so hard to breathe? When did the huge room get so small?
    “There’s plenty of space for the band .” She walked over to the south side of the ballroom and tried for a moment to regain control of herself. How was she supposed to make him regret leaving her when she couldn’t event keep herself in check? Did she even have the strength to play hard to get?
    “Do you see it?” he said, trying to tempt her still. “Candles to warm the room? The band playing your favorite songs?”
    “You do know this isn’t about me , don’t you?”
    He looked her up and down , unsure of whether or not it was appropriate to smile. “Everything in my life is about you, Emilia Ward—this party is no exception. Do you like this?”
    The way he ran his hands down her arm made her realize he wasn’t just talking about the ballroom.
    “It will do.” She smiled wryly and went in to bite her nails.
    “Good .” He smiled. “Very good.”
    Emilia looked at him from the corner of her eye. Did he like the way she had her finger in her mouth, the way she ran her thumb over the bottom of her lip?
    Maybe working him over would be easier than she thought.
    “ Are there overtime fees if we go past 1 AM