Free Natural Selection by Amanda Lance

shrimp.”
    She saw his jaw shift back and forth. Though it wasn’t possible, she could have sworn she heard his thoughts—all the names he was calling them in his head. She looked back from Paula to Elaine and knew that whatever he was calling them was probably pretty accurate.
    “Ladies, I thought I made my terms clear. I prefer to work with Miss. Ward.”
    They looked at each other before looking back at Emilia.
    “Right.” Elaine said nervously.
    Paula’s reply was almost simultaneous. “Certainly.”
    They dispersed awkwardly. Elaine made her way back upstairs and Paula pretended to talk with the contractors. Neither Emilia nor Kasper , however, failed to notice how both women gazed at the odd pair and whispered amongst themselves.
    “It is terribly loud in here .” Kasper stepped forward, making Emilia shiver though the air condition was barely on. “Why don’t we go somewhere more—” he whispered in her ear, “private?”
    She stepped away, fearful to even shove him away after the reaction he had on her body the night before. “I work here . If you want to leave, you’re more than welcome.”
    “I don’t think your colleagues would agree…” Emilia almost swore she felt him smile. “But very well.”
    He followed her silently to the staff room, which, he observed with irritation, was little more than a flimsy table and a homely refrigerator. As she gathered some papers from the side of a copy machine, he looked around, allowing himself to laugh at the outdated poster of a cat hanging from a clothes line and the hats and various other clothing items hanging from broken hooks. A note on the refrigerator threatened untimely death for anyone who ate something that did not belong to them, and the wallpaper with cartoon bones and fire hydrants was flaking off.
    “What are you laughing at?”
    “You should have come to me a long time ago for assistance with this establishment,” he said. “It is disgraceful.”
    She blanched and made sure to keep her eyes on anything but him. She had come to him a long time ago—had tried to, anyway—and money had nothing to do with it. Had he really so easily forgotten the sort of person she was?
    “That’s only your opinion.”
    He made a noise between a laugh and a huff. “More than that if Home at Last is nearing bankruptcy. There is a reason why private shelters have ceased to function in this day in age.”
    “ Since the financial crisis there are fewer government shelters and private shelters have stepped up. Fewer animals are euthanized as a result and—wait—” She stopped herself and relived the conversation in her head. “How did you know that we were nearing bankruptcy?” The question, of course, had been completely rhetorical. Without thinking about it, Emilia knew what the answer was. “Damn it.” She laughed and glared up at him, the remainder of anger taking over. “You were spying on me again, weren’t you?”
    “Hardly .” He looked around and closed the propped door behind him. If she was going to yell at him, the least he wanted was privacy with which to be scolded in. “I was making small inquiries into your life—”
    “No! That’s enough, just shut up! I don’t want to know what you’ve been doing, what you know or don’t know —just the fact that you don’t think I’m capable of taking care of myself is an insult…” Emilia pushed the hair from her face and sat at the table. “You want to organize this thing? Fine, let’s do that and get it over with so you can go home and I can file a restraining order.”
    He smiled and watched her under the fluorescent lights. It wasn’t so terrible, but it was not the same as firelight or the sun and something between lust and longing clenched at his heart.
    “Come on .” She gestured to the chair across from her, but Kasper stared at it as if it were something vulgar. “It isn’t fancy, but I promise it won’t bite, either.”
    “Funny .” He smirked. “I’ve known