Read After Hours for Free Online Page B

beams piercing the black night, but she didn’t see any snow. It was barely past five o’clock but looked like midnight. “I don’t see anything.”
    He pointed to a lamppost. “You can see it falling there.”
    He was right. Under the yellow glow of the lamppost, she could see the soft white powder falling. She couldn’t understand his interest, considering the woman he’d hoped to marry hadn’t shown up yet. “It won’t stay.”
    He nodded. “You’re right.” He tapped the glass. “Do you know what’s good about this window?”
    “What?” Amera asked with little interest.
    He looked at her, a faint glint of humor in his eyes. “I can see what’s going on behind me.”
    She stiffened, her cheeks burning, remembering the gestures she’d made behind his back. She lowered her gaze. “I’m sorry, sir. It was a moment of frustration, especially since...” she let her words die away.
    “Since what?”
    Since you’ve dropped me after five years of excellent service, giving me only two weeks’ notice without the decency of telling me why I’m being let go. Even though you know I’m the best and I deserve better. But Amera wisely kept those thoughts to herself. She took a deep breath and raised her eyes to his dark gaze. A look that had never intimidated her. “Since I’ll be gone soon.”
    His eyes became as flat and unreadable as granite. “Right,” he said, then shifted his gaze back to the window.
    “Sir, about Crystal.”
    Curtis turned to her then said in a bored tone. “She’s not coming.” He motioned to the waiter and walked over to the dining table. “Let’s eat.”
    The waiter eagerly dashed off to let the chef know they were ready.
    “But--.”
    He sat down. “But what? I’m hungry.”
    Amera sat in the chair in front of him, not sure he understood the severity of the situation. “Sir--”
    He held up his hand. “Wait until the third course.”
    Amera sighed and they ate the first two courses in silence. When she was finished she said, “Crystal doesn’t want to see you again.”
    “That’s a relief,” he said, just as the waiter set down the third course, one of Crystal’s favorites: roasted leg of lamb, garnished with slices of stewed guava jelly, a sweet tropical fruit, served on a bed of white rice, French beans with sliced almonds, and a side order of freshly baked rolls, and, of course, champagne.
    “A relief?”
    He lifted his utensils and shook his head. “Come on my little parrot. Don’t tell me you’re really surprised.”
    “I at least expected her to show up. It’s not my place to know the inner workings of your personal life, but this is odd even for you.”
    “Even for me?”
    “The woman you’d hoped to marry says she never wants to see you again and you’re eating dinner as if nothing has happened.”
    “I figured as much.”
“And you don’t care?” Amera shook her head, realizing how ridiculous her words were. “I’m sorry, of course you don’t.”
    “And if I did care, is that going to change her mind?” He shrugged. “Disappointment is a part of life.” He pointed at her plate. “Your food is getting cold.”
    Amera glanced down at her plate and calculated the six course meal in despair. She’d ordered too much, but Crystal always liked to have a choice. “We can’t finish all this.”
    “Let me guess,” Curtis said spearing a bean. “You want to donate the leftovers somewhere.”
    “It’s a thought.”
    “Will you regain your appetite if I say yes?”
    She nodded.
    “Fine. Tell them to bag the rest and send it to whatever address you want.”
    “Thank you, sir,” she said then began to eat. She’d never eaten alone with him before. And in such an intimate setting, she felt stiff and awkward. He was a jerk, but his table manners were impeccable, something she’d taken years to learn. She remembered that at the second orphanage where she had lived, which had been established by a strict English socialite, education,