Technically, Noah had helped make it happen. That reality haunted him from time to time, but he’d been out of options when everything that could have gone wrong had gone wrong virtually overnight.
“Yeah? That’s great to hear.”
“It is, but enough talking about it. The Cardinal wouldn’t want me to spoil everything when he plans to tell you himself. He’s rather excited to meet you, dear, and on that note…” She swiveled in her chair as if she was about to stand up, but didn’t do that and instead stroked the golden cross hanging from her necklace. “I was wondering whether you’d be interested in coming over to my place for dinner. Say at seven?”
Now, this was a bold one.Noah’s jaw wanted to hang, but he managed to retain an unaffected exterior, flashing her an appreciative smile.
“I’m afraid I already made plans with some friends,” he gave her his go-to excuse while feigning disappointment. “Maybe another time.”
Teresa chuckled, though there was no humor in it. “Noah, dear, I am sure you are aware that I’ve been fancying you for a while now. You are in your prime and I know you aren’t seeing anyone… Nothing would make me happier than you giving me a chance.”
Well,fuck. Was she finally losing patience and getting desperate? She’d never been so direct before. Dancing around her advances without straight-out rejecting herwas one thing, a game, in a way, where the more aggressive side courted the less assertive one until it gave in, but if he had to turn her down officially, things could get tricky.Very tricky.He was in his mid-twenties, unmarried, and she was a woman no sane man would turn down even if only because of her status.
Anyheterosexualman that was, which was where Noah’s problem lay.
“Ah, but, dear, don’t worry. I’m not trying to push you,” she said without waiting for a response. His expression, or his reaction, must’ve given something away despite his best efforts to remain composed. “I merely wanted to let you know I would love to spend more personal time with you.” Her eyes roamed his face and her lips curved up in a seductive smile. “Whatever that might entail.”
The walls with their golden patterns closed in on Noah, trapping him with her in this small space. He felt sick to his stomach and his skin prickled, his entire being refusing to accept a reality like that as an option.
“I… appreciate your directness,” he told her in a steady, neutral voice, needing more than ever to maintain the charade. He could only think of one way to go about it, and he prayed it worked, because he didn’t have a Plan B. “I… In truth, I’ve always viewed you as more of… anauntfigure. Someone I looked up to and could ask for help. I…” He met her gaze, channeling confusion and slight interest in his. “I realize that, perhaps, I shouldn’t have assumed you were just being extra nice and simply looking out for me... Now that I am aware of your… interest, I can change that, but, uh, it might take me a little time.”
Noah flashed her a hopeful smile and felt as if he had a noose around his neck as he waited to see what shewould say, the rope rough and bruising as it tightened with every passing second. She studied him for what felt like a long time.
“However long you need, dear. There will always be a place for you by my side,” she said just as the discomfort around his neck became unbearable.
He wanted to get out, his mind already too livid from all the scenarios playing out in his head.A place by her side.As what exactly? A fuckboy? A trophy husband? Whatever the case, he wouldn’t survive it.
Noah pushed himself up from the chair and held her gaze despite the storm that ravaged him on the inside. He would stall for as long as he could and hope it was long enough so he wouldn’t be forced to endure even a single night with this woman.
Teresa spun her chair, so it was facing forward, lacing her fingers together on top of the desk. “We can revisit this once againafterwe are back from Florence,” she suggested and as much as Noah was glad she was giving him time to figure a way out of this mess without outing himself, something in her tone raised the hairs on his neck.
There was more to her words. Some hidden meaning. But Noah didn’t dare ask, knowing that the only way he would get to find out was if he agreed to that dinner. After her confession, he just couldn’t do it.
“Thank you for understanding, Teresa. I’ll see you later.”
After Noah filed the signed report, he went straight home, slipping under the shower in hopes it would help him wash away the discomfort. It didn’t, not with his mind deciding to revisit some of those rumors that tended to circulate among unmarried men. The ones about the harems of young men women like Teresa liked to keep, the waythey liked to ‘hunt’ for the perfect submissive, to break him and mold him until he believed what they offered was what he wanted. That he was choosing of his own accord to sacrifice everything, including his ambitions and who he was for pretty gifts and a woman to worship.
Noah exhaled deeply, feeling like he was about to vomit on the tiles. The pursuit, the gifts, their conversation today. It all made sense in that context, lined up. Teresa didn’t just want to fuck him, she wanted toownhim. She believed she could, and that she was close, or she wouldn’t have been so direct.
Tossing his head back as water rained on him, Noah closed his eyes as a laugh forced its way out of him.
She would never win, no matter what she tried. She would never have him the way she wanted to, even if he ended up a prisoner in her bed.
He was simply too broken for that.
38
Gabriel led the way out of the Church’s underground holding area in Lisbon, pleased with the batch of angels-to-be Teresa had prepared in such a short time. All twenty-five of them were a higher grade than he’d anticipated, men who had the makings of not just angel warriors but a few higher ranks as well.
“Gabriel, this man at Teresa’s office earlier… you seemed to know him?” Jaoel said once they’d left the premises, his curiosity clearly getting the better of him now that he didn’t have to be silent unless spoken to anymore.
“I knowofhim,” Gabriel corrected, sliding into the passenger seat of the car Teresa had arranged. It was to take them to the airport so they could return to Florence, where the passage to the Heavenly Realm was. “He’s Teresa’s favorite pet.”
Jaoel scurried in after him, immediately going for the champagne waiting on the sliding table attached to the back of the central console. “Herpet?”
A valid point, perhaps, considering Noah Araya’s energy had been all jumbled up, making it hard to pick out the underlying nuances. It happened sometimes withhumans under distress, though, rarely so prominently that Gabriel couldn’t get a good read. The fact that Jaoel was questioning it was surprising; a lower rank shouldn’t have been able to tell in the first place.
“Yes, she’s been toying with him for a while.” He reached for a glass himself, savoring the sparkly fuzziness of the drink as he took a sip and watched Jaoel watch him. “It would seem he might be a little resistant to her charm.”
