Total pages in book: 160
Estimated words: 164263 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 821(@200wpm)___ 657(@250wpm)___ 548(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 164263 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 821(@200wpm)___ 657(@250wpm)___ 548(@300wpm)
Argh!
“Hello.” I smile calmly to the next customer at the front desk. “How can I help you?”
“Hi, I’m interested in the grand piano,” a man asks.
“Of course,” I reply, my eyes flick over his shoulder to the smolder squad, loitering around like God’s gift to women. Not an analogy, these men are literally God’s gift to women.
“This way.” I briskly walk to the other end of the store with the man trailing behind me. I open the lid. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”
“May I?” He gestures to it.
“Be my guest.” I discreetly wipe the perspiration from my brow, this night is a pressure cooker and I am the meat.
He sits down and starts playing a classical tune and the store collectively stops and listens.
He’s good….
I look up to the other end of the store to see Edward mutter something under his breath to his friends and they all chuckle, seemingly unimpressed.
Smart-asses.
I’d like to see you play better…actually, these tossers probably all play harps and shit. I don’t even know what rich people play, but I’m sure it’s not the recorder like normal people learned at school.
I see Jonty hold up wineglasses to Edward and his friends and they nod.
Oh, hell on a cracker…. For the love of god, do not drink that wine!
It’s average at best. I widen my eyes to Helene.
Help!
Mr. Piano Man keeps playing and playing and playing and from my peripheral vision I can see Helene’s shoulders bouncing up and down as she giggles.
That bitch can read my mind, and this isn’t a concert, you giant dickhead.
I don’t have time for this.
“Would you like some cheese and crackers?” Jonty calls to them.
Shut up, Jonty. Please. Just shut the hell up.
“Yes, why not,” Edward replies.
I discreetly wipe my brow again, it’s so fucking hot in here.
Combustible.
Helene ducks into an aisle and loses it, laughing hard as she leans her hands on her knees.
But Mr. Piano Man keeps playing…. On and on and fucking on.
“Excuse me.” I fake a smile. I march into the aisle that Helene is hiding in. “Oh my god,” I whisper as I pull her farther away out of sight. “That fuckwit won’t stop playing the piano and Jonty is poisoning Edward with cheap wine and bad cheese. Do something.”
She throws her head back and laughs harder. “That wine is really bad.”
I hold my temples. “Get rid of them.”
“Who?”
“All of them, especially Piano Man.”
“Go talk to them and then they’ll leave. I’ll handle Piano Man.”
“Good thinking.” I fan my face. “Are you hot?”
“No, are you?”
“Fucking volcanic.” I wipe my forehead with my sleeve and walk out of the aisle, I make my way over to Edward and his friends. “Hello.” I act calm. “How are you?”
“Hello, Alora,” Prince Theodore says, he leans in and kisses my cheek. “Your store is incredible.”
Eeep!
“Thank you.”
Nicholas and the other man both kiss my cheek. “Hello.”
“Thanks for coming.” I smile.
Edward hangs back watching, why he didn’t kiss my cheek is what I want to know.
“What brought you all out tonight?” I act interested. “Do you like antiques or…?”
“We had dinner with Prescott around the corner and he wanted to call in on the way home.”
“Oh.” I smile. I glance between them just to catch Edward bite his lip to stop himself from smiling.
That was a lie.
“We’re going soon, though,” Theo says. “I’m buying this painting on my way out.”
“Okay.” This is so awkward. “Thanks for coming, it was nice to see you again.”
“You too.”
What’s the etiquette here, do princes pay full price for stuff or is there a royal discount I don’t know about?
Jonty rings up the painting and I serve another customer, though my mind is in overdrive. Why did he bring his friends here?
He seems different tonight, perhaps a little better behaved, but maybe that’s just wishful thinking. I mean, coming to my market night is kind of an effort.
Nearly….
I serve a few more people and they wave. “Bye,” they call as they leave.
I let out a sigh of relief and turn to see Edward still here, he disappears into an aisle.
What is he doing?
I finish serving and go off in search of him, I find him in the taxidermy aisle. “Hello,” I say.
“Hi.” He smiles, he picks up a stuffed rat and studies it. “What interesting things you have here.”
“Uh-huh.” I nod with my hands on my hips.
“I always wanted one of these.” His eyes dance with mischief. “Said no one ever.”
“I thought your friends left.”
“They did.” He puts the stuffed rat back onto the shelf. “I thought I could stay and see if you needed my help with anything.”
“What would I need your help with?”
His eyes hold mine and he gives me the look. “There must be something you need help with.”
Oh…how much temptation can I handle before I crack?
Do I play…. Or do I play hard to get?