Page 5
Story: Lust (Seven Deadly Sins #2)
CHAPTER FIVE
SYDNEY
“ S ydney.” Something touches my arm, startling me. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to make you jump,” Cressida says. “Could you show this lady to the romance section, please. I need to make a call.” Cressida guides the young woman in front of me with a hand to her back and a bright smile. Most likely to compensate for my lights are on but nobody is home behaviour and complete lack of attentiveness today.
I paste a hyperbolic smile on my face, certain I look like some demonic librarian. “My apologies. If you’d like to follow me.” I walk a step in front of the woman, peeking over my shoulder and ask, “Is there something specific you’re looking for?”
“Er…well, you know just your bog-standard romance.”
I nod despite thinking she’s not looking for the fluffy Hallmark romance she’s trying to convince me of. “Do you have a particular author in mind?”
“A couple,” she replies sheepishly, obviously not wanting to divulge that information.
“Okay,” I say, stopping in front of a wall of shelves filled with more romance than any one person can handle. Although having had a glimpse at the voraciousness of several die-hard readers that come in here almost every week, I’d say that statement is a lie. Turning to face her, I continue, “Romance starts here and”—spinning slowly with an outstretched arm to demonstrate to entire section—“finishes over there. If there is anything you can’t find, come and see me at the counter, and I’ll find it for you.”
“Great. Thank you.” She steps toward the first section of shelves, which are what I call mushy romance, as I step back and turn away from her. Walking back to the counter, I glance behind me and see she’s moved to the smaller dark romance section. I say small, but in the last year I’ve been here, it has doubled in size. According to Cressida, it’s thanks to BookTok. Even Amazon have added a banner for BookTok best sellers.
I face forward and smack into something hard. My breath expels from me harshly as hands wrap around my waist, gripping tight to ensure I don’t fall over.
I become all too aware of those hands on me as tingles thrum where fingers press against my waist. Looking up, I’m met with a pair of hazel eyes, flecked with bronze that spark in the bright lights of the shop, and I momentarily get lost in them.
“You good,” Blake asks, snapping me from my daze.
“Oh my… Er…” I stutter, bringing my hands down to circle Blake’s wrists at my waist. His fingers tighten for a fraction of a second as I apply downward pressure, indicating for him to remove his hands.
“I’m sorry,” I say, getting myself under control. “What are you doing here?” My words come out a little more demanding and accusatory than I intended.
He chuckles. “I’d say buying a book. Is that too vague?” My eyes drop to the ring through his bottom lip as his tongue rolls over it before quickly meeting his gaze again. Humour fills his eyes and a bright, wide smile lights up his face.
“Buying a book?” I repeat, attempting to correlate the idea with the man in front of me.
He leans in close like he’s about to reveal the world’s biggest secret. “This is bookshop, right?” Hot breath tickles my cheek as he pulls back.
I feel my cheeks heat and imagine they are a rosy pink, giving away Blake’s effect on me. I roll my eyes. “And you just so happened to pick this bookshop?”
“I heard there was a lady here who would be only too happy to assist me,” Blake replies, tucking his hands in his pockets.
I frown, wondering just how he knew I worked here. Before I get the chance to ask, Sheila steps up beside me.
“Sydney, everything okay?” She scans Blake dressed in his dark jeans and plain white T-shirt. Not exactly church attire, but who am I to judge what people wear to church. And I try not to judge why he was there at all. Not the book reading or church going type—if I were the kind to judge someone by appearance.
“Everything is fine. This gentleman is looking for…” I look to Blake for him to fill in the blank.
“Crime. Thriller, to be specific.” Blake winks at me. “Something with action, murder and maybe a little se?—”
“This way,” I interrupt before Blake can finish and give Sheila a coronary. She may be the owner of Novel Notions, which stocks some extremely out there romance, but Sheila is what some might call a prude. I begin walking and hope that Blake gets the message to follow.
He does.
“Something I said back there?”
I don’t bother to reply until we get to where the crime thrillers are. I spin to face him. “Yeah, something like that. Those on the left are our more explicit thrillers. I hope you find what you’re looking for. If you’ll excuse me.”
“Hey,” Blake says, snatching hold of my arm and stopping me from leaving. “Where are you going?”
I ignore the heat from him his fingers on my bare arm. “I have work to do. If you need any help, I’m sure one of the other girls can help you.” I look to Blake’s hold on me and then raise my brows as my eyes meet his in silent question.
He frowns but let’s go and I hurry off. By the time I reach the staff room, I’m panting like I ran a marathon and my skin is clammy. A combination of disappointment in the way I treated Blake and anger that he has so much of an effect on me I would react that way at all.
My pa would be furious. As would Sheila if she’d heard the way I talked to a customer. I grab a disposable cup from the holder by the large water bottle and fill it to the brim. I guzzle down the freezing cold liquid attempting to temper the fire burning inside me.
What on earth is wrong with me?
I have never had this much trouble being around a guy before, and certainly not two—one of them a reverend no less. Maybe I’m coming down with something and that’s why I feel so hot.
I refill my cup and start drinking as voices reach me.
“Honestly, Suzi, it was so damn hot. I’ve never come so hard in my life.” Her voice lowers, and I place my cup on the draining board and tiptoe to the door but stay out of sight. “He even suggested we look for someone to join us… you know, in the bedroom.”
I hear a gasp, then Suzi says, “Oh my god. Are you going to do it?” I step back from the door as they pause outside.
“I wouldn’t even know where to start with looking for someone. Can’t lie though, the idea of being fuck?—”
I stumble back, knocking a cup on the table crashing to the floor. “Damn!” I mutter and rush to grab the dustpan and brush from under the sink.
The door opens as I crouch to sweep up the broken china.
“Syd, you okay?” Cressida asks as she and Suzi step inside.
Glancing up, I notice as a questioning look pass between them. They’re now wondering if I heard.
Oh, I heard.
“Yeah. Knocked it with my hand as I was passing,” I say, dropping my eyes back to the mess so they can’t see the lie in my words. I quickly sweep the broken cup up, eager to escape the room. After putting the dustpan and brush back, I face Cressida and Suzi as they trade anxious glances.
“So…” Suzi begins, then stops as her eyes lower to my neck. “What happened to your neck?”
My hand automatically reaches for my neck, but I know what’s there. Since I can remember whenever I’m embarrassed or nervous, I get a rash. Like that doesn’t simply heighten my embarrassment and draw further unwanted attention.
“Allergic reaction!” I blurt. The blatant lie slips easily from my mouth, and I hope they don’t question it. Of course, I’m not that lucky, and karma bites me in the backside for telling two lies in the space of five minutes.
“Fuck! Do you need an ambulance? Oh, wait I have some antihistamines. You could go into anaphylactic shock,” Suzi rambles, pacing dizzyingly.
Worried that it’s Suzi who may need an ambulance for a panic attack and heavy with the weight of my lies and guilt of eavesdropping—on yet another conversation—I drop my head in my open palms, hiding my face.
“I lied,” I declare.
My words are met with a stony silence. When nobody speaks after a minute or two, I drop my hands and lift my head. I’m met with Suzi and Cressida’s confused faces beaming back at me.
“I lied. It’s not an allergic reaction.” Their confusion deepens, and it only takes Cressida seconds to work it out.
“You heard us?”
I nod. “Yes. I’m so sorry for listening in on your conversation. And for breaking the cup. And lying.”
“Sydney,” Cress says, coming toward me wearing an easy smile. “It’s okay. You didn’t do anything wrong. Technically, it’s not eavesdropping when people are speaking in a public place.” She winks. “So, the rash is, what?”
“A beacon of embarrassment, basically.” I roll my eyes, feeling foolish.
Suzi laughs. “You’ve obviously never spent much time with Cressida outside work.”
I don’t spend time with anyone outside work, I think to myself.
“Too true. And I think we should rectify that. Come to dinner with us tonight,” Cressida says excitedly.
“Oh. Er…I don’t know…”
“Yes, you do. You’re coming to dinner. Suzi will pick you up on her way, won’t you, Suzi?”
“Sure can. I’ll pick you up at 7.00 p.m. I’ll give you my number so you can send me your address.”
I hand her my phone and watch as she puts her number in while I wonder what it is I’ve just agreed to. Well, I say agreed to loosely.
The next few minutes are spent with Suzi and Cress arguing over whether to have Chinese or Indian. When they both look to me for a decision, I want to tell them I don’t mind either way, but I swallow down the words. Sod it. I want to go out with friends—I want to be invited to go out for a start. I want to enjoy my life, to have fun. I don’t have to do anything I don’t want to. I’m an adult, independent and can make my own decisions.
“I haven’t had an Indian in a while,” I say, more confidently than I feel.
“Perfect. Indian it is. I have to go before Sheila comes looking for me. I’ll see you both later,” Cress says and disappears out the door. Her head appears around the door frame a second later. “Almost forgot. Syd, BYO.” Then she’s gone again.
BYO? What on earth does that mean?
Suzi laughs. “Oh, Syd. It means bring your own drinks.” There’s no condescending tone. If anything, it’s a little pitying. Not sure which I prefer, but I understand it.
“Of course it does. I knew that,” I scoff with a wave of my hand. I know she doesn’t believe me, but she doesn’t call me out.
“Great. See you at 7.00 p.m.”
Once Suzi is gone, I open my phone and send my address to Suzi. No backing out now. Realising the time, I double check I swept up all the broken china, then grab my things from my locker. When I enter the shop floor, my eyes drift to where I last saw Blake, but there’s no sign of him now. Putting my strange interaction with him aside, I head home to get ready.
Table of Contents
- Page 1
- Page 2
- Page 3
- Page 4
- Page 5 (Reading here)
- Page 6
- Page 7
- Page 8
- Page 9
- Page 10
- Page 11
- Page 12
- Page 13
- Page 14
- Page 15
- Page 16
- Page 17
- Page 18
- Page 19
- Page 20
- Page 21
- Page 22
- Page 23
- Page 24
- Page 25
- Page 26
- Page 27
- Page 28
- Page 29
- Page 30
- Page 31
- Page 32
- Page 33
- Page 34
- Page 35
- Page 36
- Page 37
- Page 38
- Page 39
- Page 40
- Page 41
- Page 42
- Page 43
- Page 44
- Page 45
- Page 46