Elle's Seduction by Abby-Rae Rose Read Free Book Online

them covered in black cloth.
    A murmur rose from the table.
    Fred shushed everyone. “Ladies and gentleman! The future of Z Toyz.” He motioned to the men located around the room and the black cloths were lifted to reveal a large square glass frame with several worms crawling around against the glass. Ants also took up residence and were building a rather large ant hill.
    Gasps and shrieks ran up the table as several chairs toppled to the floor. Fred shouted in glee at the reactions. “I give you Vermilcitude!”
    “Christ. No.” Maxwell groaned as he realized exactly what this was —a huge black hole. No wonder money was disappearing left and right from Zackary’s company.
    “This is an exciting new toy that mixes the needs of our environment and the education of our children in a fun and exciting new way.”
    Murmurs faded as each person stared at their Vermilcitude Farm. Maxwell couldn’t believe it. Worms. Fred’s idea of innovation was worms. “This had better be good.”
    Fred nervously glanced up and down the table. He motioned for several plates to be brought out. Each plate held wilted lettuce and potatoes. “Each farm is opened from the top. There you can put your compost and then voila, you can watch what happens as the worms and other organisms digest the vegetables.”
    Elle leaned forward and frowned. “This is going to be a long, slow process.”
    Seconds passed as some of the people put the vegetables in their farms and others just stared at the glass, unable to comprehend what they were to say or do. Maxwell felt sick. How on earth could Fred think that anyone would want to sit and watch insects and worms eat refuse?
    And they had to look at that through their dinner. Maxwell cursed under his breath as he met Darren’s eyes. He wasn’t sitting here through this. Fred had overstepped his authority and was about to take Z Toyz and his brother Zackary’s name with it. He couldn’t allow that.
    Lost in thought, he almost missed Elle’s voice across the table.
    “Oh. My. God. No.” Elle sat staring at the farm in front of them, her face white.
    They’re just ants and worms,” Maxwell stated, disgust making him impatient and rude.
    “No, it’s not that,” Elle replied pointing at the side of the frame. “If I’m not mistaken, they’re escaping!”
    Up and down the table, chairs toppled and women and men lurched away.
    The ants continued to scurry in their little farms as, one by one, they escaped their chamber. Elle didn’t think twice, she burrowed into her purse and pulled her mace. She might not get all of them but she’d keep them from escaping.
     
     
     

Chapter Five
     

     
    Maxwell pushed his chair out and flipped his phone open. He waved at their ant farm and her mace. “Good thinking. Thank God someone has a lick of sense around here.”
    “Excellent idea,” Luke said beside her. “I’ll get trash bags. Just try to contain them.”
    “Bloody hell!” Darren threw down his napkin and flung himself out of his chair. “Fred!”
    Careful not to spray directly across but down, Elle began going up and down the now empty table, spraying the edges of each of the farms. Ants curled on their sides and stilled at the onslaught even as she realized she couldn’t get all of them. The owner arrived to the chaos and spoke in rapid-fire Japanese to Fred who was blustering about trying to calm the man down.
    As Luke came out with trash bags, Maxwell took charge. “Darren, you speak Japanese. Go talk to the man and tell him we’ll take care of it. Fred, get over here and help Elle and Luke clean this mess up.”
    Seconds ticked by as the room evacuated and things quieted. Darren had managed to quiet the owner and several of the staff were pulling plates and mopping up behind Elle and Luke’s cleanup efforts. Within moments, the floor was mopped and every available surface was washed down.
    Zackary Stranton arrived in grand style, his coat fluttering out behind him. At 6’2 his