Vicious by Sinden West Page A

talked about himself the whole time. Even Simon couldn’t really get a word in which was odd. Tim worked for an investment firm and I didn’t understand what he did or half of what he spoke about.
    But when he was in the middle of a sentence, he stopped abruptly and elbowed Simon. “Look!” he hissed quietly. “It’s Brody Nicolai. God, I would love to get my hands on his portfolio.”
    “Really? I’d hate to deal with any of that family; they scare the shit out of me. Anyway, he owns this place apparently,” Simon replied
    Connie and I turned our heads to the direction the guys were looking in. I supressed a laugh when I saw who this so called scary guy was; it was the rich prick from the diner. I wondered what he’d thought about our food if he was used to dining at places like this. Dressed in a dark suit, he had a stern look on his face and he was seated. His date was an elegant looking young woman, and I wondered how much her dress cost. He didn’t seem like much fun to be with, when she tried talking, he would pull out his phone and start texting, paying her next to no attention. She looked crestfallen, but the moment his gaze swept back up to her, she made sure to plaster a seductive smile on her beautiful face.
    It was interesting watching them, far more interesting than listening to Tim drone on. Only when my food was brought out did I turn my attention to my companions. Tim paused in his monologue to be rude to the waitress, which had me sending mental daggers at him. A t least Simon was polite to her. He was starting to not seem too bad, at least not compared to the insufferable Tim.
    “I’m going to the bath room,” I interrupted him loudly, getting to my feet. He continued talking like I hadn’t spoken.
    “I’ll come too,” said Connie. She had a smirk on her face which meant that she could read my irritation.
    The moment we were in the corridor leading to the ladies’ room, I turned to face her. “Are you kidding me? What a jerk! How could you set me up with him?”
    Connie giggled. “I’m sorry. I really am. I had no idea he was this bad. Seriously, I think this will go down in history as the worst date ever.”
    I couldn’t help but giggle as well. “Yeah. At least I’ll have a story to tell. Did you see how rude he was to the waitress though? I wanted to stab him with a fork.”
    “You’re not going to get violent in my restaurant, are you?”
    Our heads turned to see Brody Nicolai had joined us in the corridor. I couldn’t tell if he was amused or not. Connie must have sensed his money, because a flirtatious smile crossed her face. “That’s what her ex used to call her, Violent Violet.” Then she frowned, “or was it Vicious Violet?”
    “Both.” I answered, turning my back on him as I moved toward the door and entered the bathroom. Connie followed a second later. “He’s hot.”
    “He’s a prick. He’s being rude to his date, he’s barely talking to the poor girl.” I didn’t know why I cared about this stranger who obviously had a far better life than I did, but something about the way she was being treated really irked me.
    “Well, she can have Tim who will do nothing but talk, and we’ll have him. At least he’s good to look at.” She turned to the mirror and started applying her lipstick.
    I sighed. “Can I just hide in here for the rest of the night?” I didn’t bother to reapply my own lipstick. No way did I want Tim to get the impression that I was making an effort for him.
    “No way. At least come enjoy the food.” Connie linked her arm with mine once she was satisfied with her appearance, and forced me out the door.
    The food was great at least; it nearly made up for the company. As we finished our main courses, Simon received a call. “Shit!” he said it so loud that the other diners turned in our direction and the maître d started walking toward us. Simon got to his feet. “My boss’s stupid dog got loose and got hit by a car. I’ve got to