Demon Accords 10: Rogues by John Conroe Read Free Book Online Page B

arrived at the table with a big bowl of steamed carrots and a bowl of beef gravy, setting them on the lazy Susan before claiming the open spot next to her.
     
    Every setting had a water glass, and a big pitcher sat dead center of the lazy Susan.  She helped herself to water.
     
    “Oh, we have much better than that.  There’s a nice cabernet sauvignon open at the bar,” Carl said.
     
    “Oh, no thank you.  I don’t drink,” she said.
     
    “No wonder.  With your low body weight, you likely have almost no tolerance for alcohol,” Kyle said with a smirk.
     
    So that’s his game.  Heard it before—like a thousand times.   Offer a backhanded compliment combined with an insult.  Interest her with a challenge then bed her, especially if she got drunk.  Hmm, wonder how he’d do with the game reversed.
     
    “No, I actually have a rather amazing tolerance for alcohol.  I stopped because men kept challenging me to drinking contests and then cried like babies when I beat them,” she said, accepting the first cut of beef from Hutch, who was being a gentleman.
     
    “Whoa, she just called you out, buddy,” Rodney said to Kyle in a tone that indicated he was happy about it.
     
    “No, she thinks she’s smart, throwing out a statement like that without a chance for backup,” Kyle said offhandedly as he spooned mashed potatoes onto his plate.
     
    I’ll just let him simmer for a moment , she thought.  Turning to her left, she said, “What do you do Mr. Lenzel?”
     
    “I run a wealth management group for a regional bank in upstate New York,” he said.
     
    “Really? Where?” she asked.
     
    “Saratoga Springs,” he answered, watching her face to see if she recognized it.
     
    “Ah, know it well.  Some friends of mine spent the summer there,” she said.
     
    “What do you do, Lisa?” Carl Rose asked, leaning around Hutch.
     
    “I have a number of irons in the fire.  I work with a sporting goods chain, Lupine Sports, and I’m pursuing a degree in Zoology at Columbia, among other things.  That’s why I’m here.  My specialty is large carnivores. Wolves and bears, mostly.”
     
    “You’re here because of Morris?” Dustin asked.
     
    “Yes.  Hoping to shed some light on the mauling,” she said.
     
    “I’m afraid I have to call bullshit.  You’re hardly old enough to have graduated college, let alone developed expertise in predators,” Kyle said.
     
    “And you’re more than a touch insulting, Mr. Garcia.  What exactly do you do that makes you such an ass?” she asked.
     
    “I own a digital marketing company in Boston,” he said, smile gone.
     
    “Interesting.  I’ll be sure to advise both my employers not to bother with your company’s services,” she said.
     
    “As if they matter,” he said, frowning. 
     
    “Actually, Lupine Sports is pretty big in New York, Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire and I even think western Massachusetts,” Hutch said.  “What do you do for them, Lisa?”
     
    “I’m special assistant to the president and his wife, who is the EVP,” she said.
     
    Rodney laughed.  “You can cross them off your prospect list, Garcia.”
     
    “What other company do you work for?  You mentioned two, but how could you have the time?” Dustin asked.
     
    “I also do some work for the Demidova Corporation,” she said, cutting a goodly sized bite of pink beef and popping it into her mouth.
     
    The table went silent.  She glanced around at the different expressions her comment had evoked.  Hutch looked interested while next to him, Carl stared at her with ill-concealed avarice.  Kyle looked momentarily shocked, while Rodney frowned.  Dustin was looking down at his carrots.  Shorty already knew and his face was blank.
     
    “If I may be so bold, what’s your job there?” Hutch asked.
     
    “It varies, depending on what they need.  Lots of PR work, lots of research and investigation stuff,” she said.
     
    “And you’re how old?”