I pinpointed the other man as Luxe ushered him into the room.
The new kid entered my proximity like an asteroid plummeting toward Earth.
The details I’d observed at a distance came clear now that we were face to face. He was a handful of inches shorter than me, slim and so very lithe. He padded into the room on those half-wrapped feet, his toenails glittering with polish.
Funny detail. It was cute.
Hewas cute.
His red hair was as dramatic as stage curtains, framing his slim, delicate nose, pouty pink lips, and the long lashes that fanned around his eyes. His purple eyes glowed dimly as they traced over me.
Was he checking me out?
Or worse, noticing I was doing the same to him?
“Mister Beckett. Ewing.” Luxe addressed us while snagging the newcomer by the arm and tugging him forward. “Meet Cherry.”
The incubus thrust his hand out to shake. I thought he had it angled toward me, but Livingston inserted himself yet again, bypassing the offered hand and reaching up Cherry’s arm all the way to where scarlet strands dusted his collarbone.
“Cherry, hmm?” Livingston arched a brow. “A name like that promises a hell of a ride. Think you could sweep me off my feet, sweet thing?”
He feathered his fingers across Cherry’s cheek, and the prickle I’d felt earlier turned into a sting. Angry heat I should have ignored before it escaped as a mutter.
“I’m not paying double for twice the company.”
Luxe’s eyes fluttered, perturbed at first, but rapidly shifting to something closer to humor.
He saw right through me. If my interest was unmasked enough for a common demon to detect, the incubus in the room must have been sensing it in three dimensions.
“Then it’s lucky you caught us on sale,” Luxe told me. “Buy one, get one free.”
I wasn’t in a position to argue, so I tightened my jaw while the little demon added on.
“Cherry and I will sit pretty while you wrap up whatever it is you’re doing here.”
Livingston pulled away from Cherry and smirked. “That’s right, we’ll sit pretty, won’t we, darling?” Catching hold of Cherry’s wrist, he tugged him toward the couch.
No sooner had the incubus passed by than did my gaze drift to his back, tracing the curve of his spine into the dip above his ass, which was pert and plumped with muscle. His thighs were shapely too. Every inch of him was lean and sinewy from his hips to his peeping toes, and I wanted to touch him. More than that, I wanted Livingstonnotto.
Livingston whispered something in Cherry’s ear, earning a smile that made my heart stutter and my fists clench. With some guidance from Livingston, Cherry perched on his knee, and Luxe joined them while I stood, befuddled by my growing discomfort.
With a targeted glance in my direction, Livingston fished into his coat pocket and pulled out a crisp bill. While folding it, he spoke again. “Beckett might not be willing to pay, but I’d empty my wallet for you, precious.” His hand and the money slid under the waistband of Cherry’s tiny shorts, and I almost choked on a growl.
“He’s not a slot machine, for fuck’s sake.”
Cherry looked at me, clearly perplexed. And pretty. Fuck. So pretty.
Luxe may not have known it, but he’d been upstaged. Outclassed by an incubus in spandex.
“You’re right, and I want a little more play,” Livingston told me while skimming a hand across Cherry’s back. He leaned in to whisper in the redhead’s ear again. “Have you ever seen the suites at the Basilica, honey?”
Cherry’s eyes stayed on me as he replied, “No sir.”
Livingston was keen to the dancer’s inattention, and he reached over, hooking a finger under Cherry’s chin and turning his head until they were face to face.
“Would you like to?” Livingston asked.
“The employees are here for ambiance, not acquisition,” I snapped, no longer able to smother my internal heat. “I’mthe one you’re supposed to be doing business with. If you manage your company as carelessly as you’re managing this negotiation, it’s little wonder your son wants nothing to do with it.”
