employee."
She rose, and to his surprise, without comment. He slid out from the booth and stood, staring at Mina. She stepped back from him, but, also to his surprise, she didn't flee. Her chin lifted and her eyes met his.
"I think we should discuss your opinion of me somewhere a little more private," he suggested.
Mina crossed her arms over her chest and glanced around. "Why? Everyone knows what you're like already."
Sebastian glared back at her, and before he thought better of it, he seized her arm and hauled her to the back entrance of the club. Without hesitation, he pulled her toward the narrow staircase at the end of the hall that led up to his apartment.
"No," she said, her voice breathy and panicked. "Let me go!"
She struggled, digging in her feet, tugging at his fingers that held her like a vise, but her attempts to break free barely even slowed his strides. Not until he'd started up the stairs and she tripped, falling to her knees on the steps, did he realize what he was doing.
He stared down at her, seeing the distress and panic in her eyes. What the hell was wrong with him? Why did he keep reacting like a damned Neanderthal around this woman?
Yes, he was pissed about what she'd just done. Yes, he wanted answers as to why she had such a terrible opinion of him. Especially given that he'd had two valid opportunities to fire her, and he hadn't. But that didn't give him the right to drag her around like some demented caveman.
He reached down, catching her elbow. She allowed the assistance, but as soon as she was on her feet, she shifted away from him. He allowed the slight escape, because he could feel her fear curling around them like wisps of smoke. He didn't want to scare her any more.
But he did want answers.
"Why do you have such a low opinion of me?"
She didn't answer or look at him, instead she moved down another step. He stepped onto the same one, their bodies forced to face each other in the narrow stairwell. But he made sure not to touch her.
"Tell me," he demanded with more force than he intended, mainly because she still stared down at the steps instead of at him, and her reluctance to even look at him irritated him.
This time he kept his voice calmer as he pointed out, "You've only worked at Carfax Abbey for a couple weeks. What have I done in that time to give you this opinion of me?"
Still she didn't answer. More fear encircled them. Something about that fear bothered him. It was different, sharper, more desperate than any fear he'd felt before. Why?
"Better yet, why don't you tell me why you are so frightened of me?"
Her head snapped up, and she glared at him. "I'm not frightened of you."
He studied her for a minute, then sighed. "You know that's not true."
She straightened to her full height, which only brought her up to his chin, but her eyes focused on a point over his right shoulder.
"Mina-" he started, and her eyes snapped to his, narrowed and angry. Somehow he found that glare more bearable than the panic he'd seen there earlier.
"That's not my name," she stated.
He frowned, so they were back to this. "Your name is Wilhelmina, I know. But frankly, you don't look like a Wilhelmina to me. You look like a Mina. However, I'll gladly remember to call you by your full name if that will give you a higher opinion of me."
Her eyes searched his for a moment, then looked away again. "It won't."
He sighed. "No, I didn't think so."
They stood there for a moment, he watched her and she watched a point on the floor.
"Why are you so scared of me?" he asked softly.
She shifted away as if she planned to move down a step and then bolt. He couldn't let that happen, not before he understood what had brought on this outburst.
"Mi-Wilhelmina, talk to me." He placed a hand on the wall, blocking her escape down the stairs.
She glared at him with more anger and more of that uncomfortable fear.
"You can bully your mortal conquests," she said, her voice low. "But you can't bully me."
Sebastian
She rose, and to his surprise, without comment. He slid out from the booth and stood, staring at Mina. She stepped back from him, but, also to his surprise, she didn't flee. Her chin lifted and her eyes met his.
"I think we should discuss your opinion of me somewhere a little more private," he suggested.
Mina crossed her arms over her chest and glanced around. "Why? Everyone knows what you're like already."
Sebastian glared back at her, and before he thought better of it, he seized her arm and hauled her to the back entrance of the club. Without hesitation, he pulled her toward the narrow staircase at the end of the hall that led up to his apartment.
"No," she said, her voice breathy and panicked. "Let me go!"
She struggled, digging in her feet, tugging at his fingers that held her like a vise, but her attempts to break free barely even slowed his strides. Not until he'd started up the stairs and she tripped, falling to her knees on the steps, did he realize what he was doing.
He stared down at her, seeing the distress and panic in her eyes. What the hell was wrong with him? Why did he keep reacting like a damned Neanderthal around this woman?
Yes, he was pissed about what she'd just done. Yes, he wanted answers as to why she had such a terrible opinion of him. Especially given that he'd had two valid opportunities to fire her, and he hadn't. But that didn't give him the right to drag her around like some demented caveman.
He reached down, catching her elbow. She allowed the assistance, but as soon as she was on her feet, she shifted away from him. He allowed the slight escape, because he could feel her fear curling around them like wisps of smoke. He didn't want to scare her any more.
But he did want answers.
"Why do you have such a low opinion of me?"
She didn't answer or look at him, instead she moved down another step. He stepped onto the same one, their bodies forced to face each other in the narrow stairwell. But he made sure not to touch her.
"Tell me," he demanded with more force than he intended, mainly because she still stared down at the steps instead of at him, and her reluctance to even look at him irritated him.
This time he kept his voice calmer as he pointed out, "You've only worked at Carfax Abbey for a couple weeks. What have I done in that time to give you this opinion of me?"
Still she didn't answer. More fear encircled them. Something about that fear bothered him. It was different, sharper, more desperate than any fear he'd felt before. Why?
"Better yet, why don't you tell me why you are so frightened of me?"
Her head snapped up, and she glared at him. "I'm not frightened of you."
He studied her for a minute, then sighed. "You know that's not true."
She straightened to her full height, which only brought her up to his chin, but her eyes focused on a point over his right shoulder.
"Mina-" he started, and her eyes snapped to his, narrowed and angry. Somehow he found that glare more bearable than the panic he'd seen there earlier.
"That's not my name," she stated.
He frowned, so they were back to this. "Your name is Wilhelmina, I know. But frankly, you don't look like a Wilhelmina to me. You look like a Mina. However, I'll gladly remember to call you by your full name if that will give you a higher opinion of me."
Her eyes searched his for a moment, then looked away again. "It won't."
He sighed. "No, I didn't think so."
They stood there for a moment, he watched her and she watched a point on the floor.
"Why are you so scared of me?" he asked softly.
She shifted away as if she planned to move down a step and then bolt. He couldn't let that happen, not before he understood what had brought on this outburst.
"Mi-Wilhelmina, talk to me." He placed a hand on the wall, blocking her escape down the stairs.
She glared at him with more anger and more of that uncomfortable fear.
"You can bully your mortal conquests," she said, her voice low. "But you can't bully me."
Sebastian
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