I follow her out, weighing my words. “Until this situation with Cambria settles down, don’t be alarmed if I need to take some vacation days. It’s an unprecedented situation and it might take a bit of time to settle into a routine.”
She nods sagely. “You’re a kind man, sir. I’ll make sure to account for that in your scheduling now that I’m aware.”
We emerge into the lobby and Cambria’s seated behind the desk while Atlas and Dorian lean on it, flirting shamelessly. To Cambria’s credit, she remains typing away the entire time, just engaging in conversation while working. Most people can’t multitask so seamlessly and it ticks me off that I find it charming.
“Atlas, Dorian,” I snap as Belinda makes no show of hiding her eavesdropping to watch what’s going to happen. “There are lines that just shouldn’t be crossed, as you are both well aware.”
I catch Cambria’s brief smirk and the other two just furrow their brows at me in confusion, which is when I realize the little fae never decided to clue them in on her cover story.
Clenching my jaw, I add, “The poor girl just lost her parents. It’s hardly the time to start hitting on her.”
Belinda so helpfully scolds, “Mr. Avrell was sweet enough to take the girl in when he already has enough on his plate with the two of you. He shouldn’t have to worry about you trying to seduce his ward now, too.” She adds the last scathingly enough, bolstered with confidence when it’s clear I’m not mad that she informed me.
Atlas catches on first and has to smother his smile with his hand and a cough. Dorian opens his mouth to speak, but Cambria cuts him off by rising from her desk to approach me. Her skirt is hiked higher than it was this morning, rolled at her hips, and the other’s eyes zero in on it.
“Please forgive me, Lucien?” she asks, all faux innocence for Belinda’s entertainment. “I’ll make it up to you when we get home.”
Belinda’s eyes just about bug out of her head before she turns a seething glare in my direction. Just as she’s about to go off on me, Cambria continues, “I’ll scrub the place top to bottom, just you wait! You won’t regret taking me in.”
Belinda obviously can’t take anymore because she grabs her purse, hugs Cambria tightly and mumbles something in her ear, no doubt a warning about all of the lecherous bastards around her, before she leaves. As soon as she’s gone, I turn an accusatory glare at the mischievous fae.
“What was all that about?”
With a smile, she practically shimmers as she starts to look more like herself. Less young and innocent and more appropriately like she claimed; ready to be banged over a desk.
“Glamour. It doesn’t change you into a completely different person, but it can affect how you appear to others. Older, younger, hair, eyes. Basic stuff,” she chirps, stretching her arms above her head and cracking her neck from side to side.
“Basic stuff,” Atlas repeats, eyeing her appreciatively. “Like using it to convince Luce’s secretary that we’re all horny degenerates?”
She holds up her hands in innocence. “Hey, you were the ones flirting. I was just doing my job.” She turns to me and stretches out a hand. “Speaking of, how much am I getting paid?”
Ushering them out of the lobby, I sigh and lock up as we head outside and approach the car. “You get a roof over your head and food while we’re here.”
She stops dead in her tracks. “I’m not working for free,” she argues. “I don’t expect you guys to get jobs when we need to stay in my apartment.”
“Can humans even get jobs over there?” Atlas asks and she pointedly ignores him.
“You can come work with me tomorrow, I’ll pay you,” Dorian offers and she grins, flipping me off and skipping over to him.
“Sounds good to me,” she chirps, but I catch her around the waist and haul her back to my car.
“Oh, no. This situation is already complicated enough without you going home with one of those two,” I rumble in warning.
She gives me a strange look, but I don’t bother explaining that she’s already leading them around by their dicks in case she isn’t aware of it. Dorian would marry the girl if she asked and Atlas’ hand likely needs burn cream by now.
“I’ll drop you off at the shop tomorrow, but you’re staying where I can keep an eye on you while we’re here. I’ll clear out a room for you soon, but for tonight you can take mine and I’ll take the couch.”
She looks at the others as they snort. “Luce has some control issues,” Dorian states, smiling.
“You get used to it,” Atlas shrugs and I glower at the both of them.
I help her into the car and drive off before either of them can add more fuel to the fire and we ride in silence for the majority of the trip home. I’m still a bit too agitated when she speaks, which just succeeds in irritating me further since I’ve never struggled this much to keep a level head. But with her words, I lose my anger as quickly as it took root.
“It’s hard on me too, you know? So maybe this could work to make things a bit less stressful. On that side, I need to be responsible for you three, but over here you can take point. That way we both get a break.”
We pull into my driveway, but neither of us move to get out just yet. “We’ll find a routine that works for all of us.”
I say it as much for myself as for her. I’m slowly coming to terms with things, but it hasn’t really settled in yet that the only way to deal with this situation is adapt or die, that there isn’t an actual solution.
