With a wave of her hand, as if in dismissal, Quin said, “It’s okay.”
“No, it’s not,” Glyma pressed, fidgeting with the hem of her dress. “I know that we—Incubi,” she clarified, “—get away with that kind of stuff because of what we are and how we look. Some use it as an excuse to be entirely inappropriate or to take advantage. I’d be lying if I said I had never used my aura to my advantage, especially when I was younger. But it isn’t okay.
“Yes, I can’t help what I am or how I look or what I need for a balanced diet, but I still decide what kind of person to be. Inever want to make anyone feel uncomfortable.” She met Quin’s piercing gaze. “So I am sorry for coming on to you, however unintentional it was. Don’t get me wrong, you’re gorgeous, and if this was any other situation, I would be all over you.”
Quin’s brows shot up, and Glyma cringed. “I mean, I would respectfully offer to buy you a drink or ask you to dance. But we’re not in a club or a grocery store; we’re in your office where you work. So I promise to be entirely professional from this moment on.”
She finished her word salad with another apology before she tucked her hands between her thighs and bit her bottom lip. Quin was entirely still, except for the flick, flick, flicking of her tail against her calf. And Glyma waited. The Daemon had every right to kick her out and refuse her service. She’d be getting off easy if that was all Quin did.
Instead of calling security to escort her—the degenerate—off the premises, Quin swiped a hand absently over one horn and asked, “What kind of grocery stores do you go to?”
Entirely confused, Glyma moved her mouth wordlessly for several seconds before she managed, “What?”
A playful smirk curled the corner of Quin’s mouth. “I was just wondering what grocery store encourages romantic dancing. So I can avoid it at all costs. I don’t want to get grinded on by strangers while buying milk.”
It took Glyma a second to understand, but after replaying her previous speech through her mind, it all clicked. “Oh my gods,” she bemoaned, throwing her head back with a laugh. “I would never accost someone in the dairy section. That is, objectively, the least romantic part of the store.”
“I feel like the grocery store, in general, is not a sexy place,” Quin said as she leaned back in her chair, more at ease now.
“Then you’ve clearly never been in the family planning aisle at Kliko’s Bodega on thirty-second street,” Glyma teased back, and Quin laughed again, fuller and louder than the first time.
“Is that where they have the maternity overnight pads next to the condoms?”
“With the clit-tingling lube and adult diapers one shelf lower,” Glyma said through her giggles.
Scrubbing a hand down her face, Quin shook her head and sighed. “Well, it’s best to be prepared for anything, I suppose.”
As their laughter faded, the urge to fidget returned, but Glyma resisted as Quin placed a hand flat on the closed binder. “I’m going to go through this and do some research on my own. Then I’ll write a business plan. Or two.”
“Two?”
“One for a location in the Pentagram,” Quin explained with a rueful grin, “and one for Purgatory. Deities know, you’ll need to do some convincing for that one.”
“Thank you,” Glyma said, throat constricting with emotion. She’d wanted this for so long, and she’d never been this close. There was still a long way to go, yes, but she’d started. She had taken that first step, and now, she just had to walk it out. “I know I dream big, and I know it’s not always realistic, but—”
“The world needs big dreamers.” Quin’s hand moved as if to reach out, but she stopped herself, fisting it on her lap instead. “Plus, without people like you, I’d be out of a job.”
Ducking her head, she brushed a flyaway out of her face. “Still, thank you.”
Quin’s responding smile was soft and sweet as she said, “You’re most welcome.”
Chapter three
Metal and Steal
Quin
A fire crackled inthe hearth of the study as Quin scrolled through retail rental locations across the Pentagram. Gluttony was saturated with eateries and restaurants, and Lust didn’t necessarily have the clientele. But Envy, Greed, and Pride would probably be out of Glyma’s price range unless she got lucky. The more Quin thought about it, the more Purgatory seemed like a viable option.
“What are you thinking so hard about?” Waryn asked, making Quin jump in her seat.
“Deities below, you gave me a heart attack,” she griped as she accepted the tumbler of scotch from Waryn’s long-fingered grasp.
“You did seem rather immersed,” he said with a playful smirk, and she held back an eye-roll as she took a sip.
The other Daemon folded his long, lean frame onto the loveseat at her side and studied her screen. “Restaurant?”
“Bakery,” she corrected. “Well, maybe more of a cafe. She had a lot of ideas.”
