Page 24 of Curse of the Wolf
At least I didn’t see any armored SUVs. I wouldn’t put it past Radomir to have figured out I was coming here so he could send his thugs to try again to kill me.
“Bolin’s car would fit in here more than mine.” Jasmine waved at a valet who was eyeing us like we were potentialthieves. “Too bad he was driving his parents. He could have given us a ride.”
“He offered to bring us.”
“Yeah, but we might have ended up squeezed in the back with his mom and dad. That would have been weird.”
If Jasmine had accepted his offer, he probably would have shown up without his mom and dad. I smirked as I imagined him punting his parents out and telling them to get an Uber as he patted the passenger seat to invite Jasmine in.
“I wasn’t sure about riding with him regardless.” She glanced at me as she bypassed the valet and drove toward empty spots at the back of the lot. “I get the vibe that he wants to ask me out.”
“That might be an accurate vibe. You’re not interested?” I hadn’t asked that before. Maybe I should have instead of helping Bolin with his selection of rap music with which to serenade her.
“He’s… not horrible looking.”
“Don’t say that within his hearing, or he’ll have tremendous hope of his pursuit being fruitful.”
Jasmine made a face. “It’s just that he’s pretty geeky. Like if he were a wolf, he’d be an omega. It might be like dating my dad.”
“Your dad seems like a good guy. He keeps doing research for me for free, and he makes his own hard cider.”
“Heisa good guy. You know, for my mom. For women who want to be married and have a stable life. I’m more into the alphas and betas. And I want someoneexciting.”
“Bolin’s life has gotten pretty exciting since he started working for me.”
Jasmine laughed. “I don’t doubtthat. My last few weeks have been pretty interesting too.”
She parked and grabbed a gem-studded green purse that went with her outfit, wisely adding a fur-trimmed jacket as well. Despite the atypical sun we’d had today, the light—and warmth—it emitted this time of year were wan, and it was already setting.
Hoping I wouldn’t have any urges to change during the party—the networking event—I grabbed a jacket of my own. Even if I didn’t adore my dress clothes, I also didn’t want to pay to replace them if something prompted me to get furry. Curling a lip, I tugged at the turtleneck collar again.
A doorman let us in without asking for proof of invitations, and we passed through a marble-tiled lobby with fancy fountains and chandeliers, each probably costing more than the alley-adjacent condominiums Jasmine had mentioned.
A uniformed elevator operator with the build of a bouncer asked to see our invitations. An email that Bolin had forwarded from his parents did the job, though someone else with a gilded envelope entered with us. The operator pressed a button to send us toward the penthouse before stepping out.
“I guess this is where you work if robots and automation make your job obsolete,” Jasmine murmured.
“I shouldn’t have to worry about that for a while. I haven’t seen many robots capable of replacing toilets yet.”
The woman in the elevator looked over at us. Her expression wasn’t exactly scandalized, but I did get the vibe that this wasn’t the kind of shindig where one brought up such pedestrian items as toilets. Considering it was for real estate people, that struck me as odd. Surely, some of them had replaced bathroom fixtures as they made their way up in the world.
When the doors opened, the woman stepped out quickly, waving to acquaintances and hurrying away from us. The foyer up here was almost as fancy as the one downstairs, and only four doors marked units on the floor, one standing open.
“I don’t think I’m going to fit in here.” As we entered, I eyed servers with trays of one-bite appetizers and sparkling beverages in crystal glasses. The help was dressed nicer than I was, makingme wonder if this was a more formal affair than Bolin had led me to believe.
“Probably not, but it’s a cool view.” Jasmine waved to floor-to-ceiling windows that overlooked Lake Washington in the distance. Another uniformed doorman stood at the balcony access point, allowing guests to come and go. Outside, patio heaters glowed warmly for those interested in mingling in the evening air. “Muchcooler than any condo I’ll ever be able to afford.” She sighed longingly.
“The alley freeway in Everett isn’t the view of your dreams?”
“It’ll be okay for a starter home. Anything to be independent and stop feeling like I’m mooching off my parents.”
“Maybe you should rethink your interest in Bolin,” I said, though I approved that she didn’t seem to find him more appealing because he came from money.
“Does he have a penthouse?”
“I’m not sure. I just know his car is expensive and coddled.”
“Mostguys’ cars are coddled.”
