Black Jack

2

"Your condescension. It's fucking annoying, and I will not be condescended to."

Sebastian's head snapped toward him and Jack was gratified that Ms Charbonneau stepped back, surprised but not necessarily alarmed.

"I apologize," she said hesitantly. "Most people are uncomfortable in my presence, so I talk that way to soothe their nerves."

"Why are they uncomfortable?" Jack demanded. "Sebastian said you do something with your eyes."

She blinked rapidly and her mouth fell open. "Uh ... I— I don't know what it is. They've always done that and ... I ... don't know," she finished weakly. "A doctor said it was an idiopathic physiological anomaly, which meant they didn't know and didn't care because we didn't have enough money to run any tests."

Jack grunted. "Of course."

"You don't see that?" Sebastian demanded.

"No, I don't see it," Jack snapped over his shoulder. "She's got gray eyes. There's nothing special about them, much less mystical."

"I'm right here," she said dryly.

"Does that work on women?" he demanded, looking at her again.

"Sometimes," she said with a lot more expression in her voice and face. "I can't detect a pattern with women, though."

"Hm. Well, I'm sorry about yesterday. So's Ramona. She really felt bad. For what it's worth, I liked the purple."

Her eyes did warm up then, but it was because she smiled and that nearly knocked him on his ass. He was so shocked, he did stare at her blankly for a second or two. "Thank you," she said softly, her voice sincere and warm. "I appreciate it."

He gestured to her leathers. "We can take you to lunch downstairs. Won't have to ride anywhere and my black magic'd security guard won't lose his job."

"We?" Sebastian drawled.

"Yeah," Jack drawled in return. "I gotta eat, too, yanno."

"Sure," she said cheerfully. "I wasn't going to make Sebastian ride bitch."

"The leathers will get you the side-eye."

"Meh," Sebastian said. "One look, and they'll welcome her with leis and hula dancers."

Jack snorted. "Yeah, okay. Whatever."

He slid her a glance and felt almost privileged to have that joyful and sincere smile turned on him. He winked at her as if they were sharing a secret because fuck him if he'd ever met anyone who was that happy to meet him. Or at all.

"Let's go," he said and headed off toward the conference room door ahead of her.

"Offer her your arm, dickhead," Sebastian said with weary impatience.

"She's got leathers on. She should be offering me her arm."

Lydia burst out laughing and Jack grinned, watching her laugh, shaking his head slightly in amazement that this woman was the same one who'd fallen apart on stage yesterday. She approached him and cheekily offered her arm, but he gave her a stonily amused look. "No," he said dryly, splaying his hand out over her leather-covered back and gently directing her through the door Sebastian held open.

He kept his hand on her back and pressed a little closer as they walked down the hallway toward the elevator, Sebastian trailing like the good boy he was. "I heard you got a call-back tomorrow," he said throatily.

"I did," she purred. "I don't know who owed whom what favors, but thank you."

He grinned. "Least I could do."