“Well, sure, it is enjoyable for you two. Your wives are amazing women. But I don’t have anyone like that. Though, I’d probably break my rules for Lady Reyn. I bet waking up next to her is a treat.”
Khiran frowned, but Velario spoke first. “You have to be kidding me. Lady Reyn is the last woman I would want to spend the entire night with.”
Now everyone looked at him.
“She’s gorgeous, Vel,” Danten argued. “Name a prettier woman.”
Velario couldn’t, but that wasn’t the point. “Her beauty is half the problem. She expects men to fawn over her.”
Khiran’s frown deepened. “That’s unfair. She can’t help how men react to her physical appearance.”
“Yes, but she can help how she pursues any man who doesn’t flock to her side. She wants to be the center of attention and takes it amiss if someone doesn’t trip over themselves to declaim her beauty.”
Danten’s brow furrowed. “I don’t think so, Velario. I mean, she enjoys her popularity—I for one don’t blame her for that—but I think she is more concerned with being liked than being the center of attention. Both goals can have similar outcomes, but there’s a world of difference in the intentions.”
Velario glanced at Del and Khiran and saw that the brothers agreed with Danten’s assessment. He tried one more time to verbalize what it was about Lady Reyn that rubbed him the wrong way. “She has no grasp of serious topics. Everything is light-hearted fun to her. It’s like she is still a child, not a grown woman.”
Del played the final card of the game and began tallying the scores. “I can’t say that I’ve spent enough time with her to say if you are right or not, Vel, but I’ve never heard you take such a dislike to someone without a pressing reason before. There are plenty of other women—and men—who act no better than children and have no concept of serious matters, but you don’t complain about any of them.”
Danten’s eyes grew wide. “Oh, I get it! Vel is protesting so much because he is trying to convince himself.”
“What?” Velario crossed his arms. “I’m not trying to convince myself of anything. I mean what I say.”
“You like Lady Reyn,” Danten said in a sing-song tone.
“Speaking of grown men behaving like children,” Khiran said to no one in particular.
“I do not like Lady Reyn. I find her annoying and superficial.” Velario stood up. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to be at the bank before sunrise tomorrow. It is time I head home.”
He nodded at Del, about the closest he could come to civility toward his host in his present mood, and made his way out of the room. He pretended not to hear Danten making more comments about his feelings for Lady Reyn as he left. If he didn’t hear them, he didn’t have to refute them.
