I don’t know why else she’d warn me.
Sartène sits in southern Corsica, so the flight from Sartène to Paris is only an hour and a half long. I’ve made it several times at this point, but always on an economy flight. Fabien wouldn’t even be able to fit in those seats.
I expect him to take out a laptop or his phone and get to work, because a man like him must be busy. But instead, he only folds his hands like he did at the coffee shop.
I have the sudden desire to fill the quiet with conversation. I don’t know if there will be any comfortable silence around a man of his intensity.
“Is there anything I need to know?” I ask. “I’m guessing you’re not planning on telling your family and friends I’m your employee from your brothel?” I try to sound teasing, but it ends up coming out a bit sarcastically.
“What would you prefer?”
I shrug. “Could be a bit awkward if they know how we met. And I like making up different stories about who I am. You might even say I’m quite good at it.”
His brows rise a fraction of an inch. “Do you?”
I nod. “I can play the role of teacher, sexy nurse, bookish librarian, or kick-ass boss bitch with ease. I could easily play something else as well with enough notice to research.”
“What are you playing now?” Though he keeps his tone light, I don’t miss the sharpness in his eyes. My belly drops.
In a rush of words, I tell him the truth. Part of it, anyway. “I’m not playing anything now. I’m just me.”
“I like just you. So maybe let’s keep just you. You live in Corsica. You were an exchange student. You have a sister in America.”
Wait.
Did I tell him that?
“I don’t see the need to say any more than that,” he finishes.
“How did you know that about me?”
“Some you told me last night, some is in your file. I looked it up yesterday because I was angry at myself for not knowing my employees better. I blame myself for yesterday.”
Interesting. Okay, so that seems plausible.
I quickly change the subject away from my family.
“You can’t control the behavior of every man that comes in there.”
A sudden flare in his eyes tells me he wishes he could.
“I know. But I can increase security measures. I can screen my patrons more thoroughly.”
“Fair enough. So there’s nothing I need to know, then?”
He shrugs a shoulder. “My father was a good man. Some say he wasn’t, but they didn’t know him. He was loyal to his family and my mother worshipped him. She’s never been the same since his death.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
He nods almost imperceptibly. “You’ll like her. She is a bit of a perfectionist but an excellent hostess. Soft-spoken, likes to stay in the background.”
“Got it.”
“I have two younger brothers, Thayer and Lyam. Thayer’s a year and a half younger than I am, plays by the rules. Perfectionist. His attention to detail comes in handy. Lyam’s the exact opposite. The baby of the family, he throws caution to the wind like he was meant to live on adrenaline instead of food. He dove off his changing table at ten months old and broke both of his legs, and pretty much hasn’t stopped since.”
A shadow crosses his face that he quickly hides. Something about Lyam troubles him.
“Oh wow.” I pause. Swallow. “And you?”
