Geez, he wasn’t about to listen to their whispered words. A little evil temptation made him want to slide a foot out as they glided past him just to see them trip up and fall flat on their faces.

Of course, he didn’t. That was only the lure of something to occupy his mind rather than his mission at hand. He let the couple walk past him, then turned his attention back to the woman sitting in the corner of the shop, alone, a book in her hand and a cup of coffee by her side.

She wore a simple suit, nice jacket with a black pencil skirt that outlined her figure very pleasingly. A little too pleasing, to his irritation. He had taken an extra-long look when she ordered her coffee, then walked slowly to her table almost as if she knew he was watching her, her hips swaying with enticement.

Then he berated himself.

Women were good for only one thing.

Sex.

And he rarely indulged in it because he could never find a woman who actually enjoyed the simple act. Just sex. No emotions involved.

Sometimes being a psychic sucked. Hearing everyone’s thoughts, wishes, desires. He could pleasure a woman until they screamed his name in ecstasy. Then their thoughts always turned in the wrong direction. To the notion they could snag him, to change him, to make him settle down.

No. He only wanted the sex.

When he let them down gently, their thoughts always turned murderous and bitchy.

Sex was a messy business.

Which was why he rarely engaged in it.

Standing up, he decided he had procrastinated enough. Sitting and staring at this woman was getting him nowhere, except to increase his frustration. His sexual frustration.

Because, as much as he wanted to ignore it, he was attracted to her. To the simple way her hair lay upon her shoulders in shimmering black waves. To the way her brown eyes glittered with delight as she read something amusing in her book. To the way her lips grazed the coffee cup with such delicacy, as if she wanted to savor each sip as if it would be her last. He could only imagine what those lips would feel like on him, grazing his skin with a tantalizing touch.

Gripping his coffee cup a little harder than he should’ve, he stalked to her table with his expression blank, when all he felt was pure rage. She may look innocent and sweet, but she was nothing but evil and sin.

Dragging a chair back on the opposite side of the table where she sat, he took a seat. Then he took a sip of his coffee as if he had no worries.

Her brows rose in confusion. “Can I help you?”

“You can.”

Her puzzlement increased as she shifted in her chair away from him, as if that would protect her somehow. If he wanted to hurt her, make her do what he wanted, he could. But he assumed going the nice route first might be better. He could be nice when he tried.

He only wanted to kill one person.

Dr. Redburn.

But if more people got hurt in the process, then so be it. Anything to protect his sister.

Clearing her throat, she grabbed her coffee cup. To shield herself somehow? To throw it in his face? Calm her nerves? He wasn’t quite sure, and it unnerved him. Frankly, he hated to admit it, because nothing usually made him pause.

“How do you think I can help you?”

Leaning closer, he smiled. Not necessarily an overt friendly smile, but one that he hoped would ease her worries. The smile he always used on women right before he decided he wanted to sleep with them. They always fell for it.

“I want your help in getting access to Redburn Laboratories.” And she could. She was his personal assistant. Worked with him day in and day out. Probably was as evil as the man himself. He hated her for that reason alone.

Her expression stiffened, as did her posture.

“Why do you think I would do that for you? Who are you?”

“I’m Isaac Thorn.” His smile deepened, yet veered more toward the dangerous territory that said he wasn’t playing around. “And I’m not asking, Evie. I’m telling you what you’re going to do.”

Her eyes rounded with shock, but she didn’t utter a word. He stared intently into her eyes, trying to decipher what she was thinking, or even feeling.

Because for the first time in his life, he ran into a stumbling block.

He couldn’t read this woman. He couldn’t hear her thoughts.

He had no clue what she was thinking.

Copyright © 2018 Amanda Siegrist.

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