Free Control by M. S. Willis Page A

sizzle.”  David had
pulled up beside me and was talking to me from inside his car.  He rolled
up the window and climbed out.  A little beep sounded as he turned on the
alarm.
    We
walked into the restaurant and the hostess seated us in a booth.  Our
waiter came up to take our drink order.  The waiter was a good looking guy
with brown hair buzzed short, but not too short.  He had friendly green
eyes that were as dark as jade and even through his uniform you could see that
he had a slim swimmer’s build.  He smiled down at me but his eyes
brightened when he took a look at David.  David didn’t miss the look on
the waiters face and he flashed him a brilliant smile.
    The
waiter cleared his throat and introduced himself.  “Uh, hey, my name is
Matt and I’ll be your server today.  What can I get ya’ll to drink?”
    Wow. 
His thick southern accent was divine.
    I
ordered an orange juice and David ordered one of the weird mango and wheatgrass
health smoothies.  I gave David a strange look and waited for Matt to walk
back to the kitchen.
    “Mango
wheatgrass smoothie?  Really?  What happened to your standard vanilla
shake?”
    David
quietly laughed and looked quickly in the direction of the kitchen before
turning back to me and responding in a hushed tone.  “That Matt guy was
dreamy and looked like he took care of himself.  I want to give him the
impression that I’m not a human garbage disposal.”
    I
laughed.  David was not the type to miss the opportunity for love.
    “So
tell me, Paige, what was up with the mental vacation at the red light down the
street, hmm?  Were you looking at the same thing I was looking at?”
    I
turned my head to look out the window and then turned my attention back to
David.  “Hot guy, balcony and a half dressed redhead?” I asked.
    David’s
face broke out into a grin and he responded. “That would be it.  That man
was amazing, wasn’t he?  Artists have spent many years trying to replicate
his body with paint and clay.  He put Michelangelo’s David to
shame.  But I have to tell you I’m a little surprised you noticed
him.  You’re not exactly the type to admire the scenery.”  He angled
his head in question.
    I
looked out the window again and responded, “Yeah, well, that was Daemon. 
He’s a little hard to miss.”
    David’s
jaw dropped and he made a motion with his hand like he was picking his jaw up
off the table and closing his mouth.
    “ THAT was Daemon?  As in ‘speaker asswipe’ himself? That guy?”
    I
chuckled and nodded my head.  “The very one.”
    David
considered what I said for a moment and then let out a low whistle. “Damn
girl.  I know the guy is a prick but I think that body of his would more
than make up for it. In fact, he meets two out of three of my strict criteria.
I think you should reconsider your hatred of all things Daemon.”
    I
scoffed at his suggestion.  “What criteria are you talking about and what
does he have besides his looks?”
    “Well,
isn’t it obvious?  He has money.   And in my book, looks plus
money is a good combination.  The sparkling personality can be optional.”
    This
time my jaw dropped, but then I thought about what he said. “Why do you think
that he has money?”
    David
gave me a pointed look to silently imply I was being ignorant.  “Um, did
you see where he was standing?  Do you know how much those
apartments cost?”  He clapped his hands. “Oh!  I bet he’s
loaded.  You should go back to Tomb tonight and wrap him in your love
spell.  I’ll go with you and watch.”
    I
quickly turned down David’s offer but then started questioning what he was
pointing out.  Why was Daemon standing on that balcony?  I
know a person can make decent money being a bouncer, but not enough to afford
those apartments.  I wondered if maybe he had gone home with the redhead
and that was her place.  The question was bothering me and I decided that
I would have to check Daemon out a little more