Page 118 of Maneater

I want to argue that I’m not jealous; I just don’t like the woman. However, Tanya speaks, and I have to focus, forcing my own personal emotions back into a box and turning on my professional interpretation of her every move.

“You called for me?” she asks, putting her handson the chair and leaning forward, a cat-like smile on her lips. If I hadn’t gotten fucked over that very chair just a few days ago, I might be jealous. But alas…

“Yes, yes, I just want to chat with you for a bit. Please sit down.” She makes an exaggerated show of pulling the chair out, popping her ass out as she does before she sits in the chair.

“There was another incident in the spa yesterday. A massage table collapsed while an employee was prepping it for a guest. No injuries, thank God, but it’s the fourth issue of its kind in the spa department that we know of.”

To her credit, Tanya looks shocked and concerned, eyes wide and her lips parted. We did our best to ensure she was not informed of the issue before she made her way to Rowan’s office, and it appears we were successful.

“Oh no! It collapsed? Was it faulty?”

Rowan tips his head before explaining. “Initial investigations show that screws were removed or loosened to ensure a collapse.”

Her eyes go soft and innocent, and for a moment, I almost feel bad.

And then I remember the piling evidence as to why I should not feel bad, most importantly, that she knows who has been creating all of these issues.

“Did you call me in here because…” Her eyes widen, and a hand moves to her chest. “Do you think I’m doing this?” Her voice goes a pitch too high. “I don’t know anything about any of this mess.”

“There it is,” Rory says, noting the same thing. “She’s lying about something. Panicked.”

I nod in agreement and watch as Rowan smoothly shakes his head.

“No, no. I just wanted to tell you personally so you didn’t hear it from anyone else,” he says. Relief washes over Tanya’s face, and she reaches over, touching his hand on the desk and pushing her cleavage together in a way that is far too vulgar for work.

“I really do appreciate that,” she says in a terrible impression of Marilyn Monroe that makes me roll my eyes. People think being the man-eater is easy: bat your lashes, perk your tits, pout your lips, and you’ll have them eating out of your hand, but it’s about reading your target, knowing what they want, and giving them just that. It’s about reading the room, about tempting without giving, and forcing the chase.

It’s clear to me that Tanya thinks she has the skill, but she doesn’t.

“Though, actually…I was happy to have an excuse to call you in here. I feel like we never have time to talk; we’re always too busy with the resort.” He leans back, a small smile playing on his lips as he tilts his head to the side, crossing his arms across his wide chest.

“Oh my god, he’s actually good at this,” Rory says in an awestruck voice.

“Too good,” I grumble, especially when Tanya dons her own catlike smile before leaning farther into his desk and pushing her breasts closer together. It’s a move I’ve done a million times, but she clearly doesn’t have the same ease, making it too sexual and far too obvious.

“You know, I’ve always felt a bit of a connection between us, you know. We have the same work ethic,” Tanya says while fluttering her lashes.

I tighten my jaw, but Rowan just smiles and nods.

“Have you always worked in hospitality? It seems like you were made for this industry.”

She lets out a flirty laugh and waves a hand, shaking her head. “Oh, you’re too sweet. No, no, I worked in a med spa in Miami before this. But a friend of mine told me there was an opening here, and I applied and was shocked when I got the job.”

Rowan raises an eyebrow, and my heart starts to beat a bit faster, my veins filling with endorphins.

“A friend?” Rowan asks.

“Oh, Carter over in landscaping.”

For the first time since she walked in, my eyes leave the monitor and look at Rory, who is staring at me with the same excited look.

Carter, who we caughtrunning to a storage closet moments before the cameras were tampered with.

Carter, who said Tanya was throwing away the job he got her.

She’s leading up right where we need her.

I expect him to take the easy route, to ask another question about Carter or how she knows him, but he doesn’t. Instead, he picks up her hand and holds it, and that familiar jealousy rolls through me. His thumb brushes over her index finger, and a wide smile spreads on his lips.