“Is the incident from this morning and this issue related?” I lobbied the question to Arlo, still keenly aware of Dimitri’s gaze upon mine.
“You tell me, Corinne,” Arlo volleyed back.
Nothing was simple with these men. If I asked a question, I received a question by way of reply. It was infuriating.
Dimitri was actually looking at me as more than just a cheap parlour trick, and until this moment, I hadn’t realised how much I had needed him to believe in me - or at the very least, acknowledge my abilities.
What was wrong with me? Why was I craving Dimitri the jackass’ validation?
Nevertheless, it was as if he had finally looked up and saw my value, my worth, and the look on his face alone had me flushed, unsure of how to tread next.
Arlo positively glowed in elation, and I realised that they had been expecting me to refuse, forcing me to take pause for a moment and evaluate whether I should have denied them. I would have to call Charl when I left here.
He looked at me expectantly, his greying hair magnified from the lighting above. The excited gleam of his gaze indicated that he was waiting for me to unravel my deck of cards and spread them on top of the table in the middle of a burlesque club.
"I can't read here," I blew out, countering Arlo’s silent question, "I won't be able to make or hold a connection in this environment," I gestured around me, highlighting that we were still in a burlesque club.
His eyes shuttered in understanding.
"I can do the reading when I get back to my hotel tonight and give you my findings in the morning," I suggested.
"I'll meet you for breakfast so that you can run through your findings with me," Dimitri’s voice jolted me from my thoughts, and I realised that this wasn’t an offer made out of friendliness, rather it came from his need to control. He wanted to be the one I debriefed with so that he could control how the information was received and dispersed accordingly.
Arlo looked pleased at the outcome, whilst I was left feeling perplexed.
"Of course," I smiled tightly.