Eve doesn’t take her eyes off me, more glitter shimmering down from her hair with each angry breath.“You think you’re so fucking clever, don’t you?”
“Actually, yeah.I do.”I twirl her wrapped pen between my fingers, the crinkling sound apparently adding to her rage because her hands clench into fists.“The glitter was a nice touch, don’t you think?Really brings out your eyes.”
“I’m going to murder you.”She takes a step toward me, glitter falling from her movements.“I’m going to kill you so slowly that archaeologists will find your remains and wonder what the hell happened.”
“Stop it, Lopez.Are you trying to make me fall in love with you?”I drawl, enjoying the way her cheeks flush with fury.
She starts tearing into the wrapping paper with renewed violence, and more glitter explodes outward with each rip.“Stupid...fucking...sparkly...bullshit...”she mutters under her breath, each word punctuated by another shower of glitter.
A piece of wrapping paper gets caught in her hair, and she yanks it out with enough force to make me wince, sending another cascade of sparkles into the air that coats her burgundy blouse like she’s been dipped in fairy dust.
“You know,” I say conversationally, “you’re getting glitter all over your clothes.”
She pauses in her unwrapping to whirl around and face me, her dark eyes flashing with pure rage.“Oh, you think this is funny?”
“Hey, I didn’t force you to destroy my beautiful decoration.You could have left it.”
“When I’m done with you,” she goes back to attacking the wrapping paper, and more glitter explodes outward like confetti from hell, “they’ll need dental records to identify what’s left.”
Steven sighs heavily and looks up from his computer with the resigned expression of a man who’s refereed too many office disputes.“Okay, kids.Maybe we could all take a deep breath and?—”
“Twenty bucks says she actually follows through on the glitter threat,” Joshua adds, not even looking up from his computer.
“Fifty says Caleb doesn’t survive the week,” Steven counters, giving up on peace-making with impressive speed.
I’m about to make my own bet when Iris’s voice cuts through the morning chaos.
“What in the world is going on here?”
Eve freezes mid-unwrap, a piece of pink paper hanging from her keyboard like a flag of surrender.I quickly pocket the wrapped pen and try to look innocent.
Iris stands in the doorway, her sharp eyes taking in the glittery disaster zone that is Eve’s desk, the scraps of wrapping paper scattered across the floor, and Eve’s mortified expression.“Well?”Iris crosses her arms, waiting.I watch Eve, curious to see if she’ll throw me under the bus.This is her perfect chance to rat me out.
Eve straightens up, smoothing down her blouse and lifting her chin with that stubborn tilt I’m becoming familiar with.As she repositions herself, her hair liberates another scattering of glimmering specks.“I was...redecorating.”
I blink.That’s not what I expected.
“Redecorating?”Iris’s voice is flat with disbelief.
“Yes.”Eve’s voice doesn’t waver, even though she’s standing in the middle of what looks like a craft store explosion.“I thought my desk could use some...personality.”
“Personality.”Iris looks around at the pink wrapping paper carnage and glitter coating every surface.“Right.”
“I’m almost done cleaning it up,” Eve adds quickly, bending down to gather more scraps.More glitter shimmers to the floor as she moves.
Iris watches her for a long moment, then sighs deeply.“Eve, I don’t know what this is really about, and I don’t want to know.But whatever you did to piss someone off this time, maybe try not doing it again?”
Eve shoots me a look that could melt concrete before turning back to Iris.“Don’t worry.I’m going to deal with it.”
“Good.Meeting in an hour about the Serastra timeline.”Iris turns to leave, then pauses.“And get that glitter cleaned up before everyone else gets in.This is a professional office, not a kindergarten classroom.”
As soon as Iris disappears around the corner, Eve turns to face me, her voice sickeningly sweet but loaded with disgust.“Just because I didn’t rat you out doesn’t mean I’m letting this slide.I’m going to handle you myself.”
“Handle me?”The words come out low and husky.
“Mm-hmm.”She stands up, arms full of crumpled wrapping paper, and finally meets my eyes.The smile she gives me is sweet as arsenic.“I don’t need Iris to fight my battles for me.”
Something hot and dangerous coils in my chest at the challenge in her voice.“Bring it on, Princess.”
