The Gender Game by Bella Forrest (historical books to read txt) 📗

outside of which was an open-air enclosure of tables. Our group managed to secure a table from a group who'd just finished eating as we arrived.

I didn't have an appetite as we sat down and eyed the menus. I always felt tense around strangers, and particularly these men who were potential obstacles in accomplishing my mission. I told Lee to order me whatever he was having before leaning back in my seat, half in and half out of the conversation sparking up among the men around me. I'd hoped that, as uncomfortable as the meal might be, it would at least prove to be interesting; that they'd talk about their work, and the types of experiments they ran all day in that monstrous lab, but apparently work talk was reserved for work hours. Their primary topic of conversation became a major event that was due to take place soon, a cage fight between two of Patrus' most skilled professional fighters.

I found it endlessly strange to listen to them talk about fighting as a sport, something that people watched for entertainment, when in Matrus any sort of physical combat was discouraged to the point that even a punch could have somebody reprimanded.

Violence was taboo in my world, as much as women getting jobs was in theirs.

"What are your hobbies?" Simon turned to me and asked as the food arrived.

Oh, someone's deigned to ask me a question.

Hm. Hobbies? What hobbies would be deemed acceptable here in Patrus for a woman? Cooking was the first that sprang to mind. Ironically, I actually couldn't cook to save my life. Lee was a better cook than I could ever hope to be.

It felt like the only thing I knew how to do well was fight.

I was glad when Lee helped me out. "Other than being a bread artisan, Violet is a painter. An excellent painter."

I scoffed internally.

"Wonderful," Simon replied, sipping from his glass. "Next time I come to visit Lee, I'll have to take a look."

Yeah… Good luck getting yourself out of that one, Lee. He'd have to go hunting for some unsigned paintings to brighten up his walls, though it shouldn't come to that. I was still holding out hope that this mission would only take a matter of days (then I could see my brother again as early as next week!)—though I'd been given no reason to hope this. Nobody had mentioned a timeframe yet, neither Alastair nor Lee.

"What are your hobbies?" I returned the question to Simon, hoping to divert the attention away from myself.

But as Simon began to answer, I hardly heard him. Something—someone—caught my eye across the tables.

It was my cousin, Cad. Cad, whom I had not seen in years.

He was with two other young men I guessed were friends. The three of them were moving toward our eatery, already scanning for a seat among the outside tables. He hadn't spotted me yet, but that wouldn't last long if I didn't get the hell out of here. Being surrounded by Lee's colleagues, I didn’t have the time or ability to explain anything to Lee, of course. I immediately turned my back on Cad while lowering my hand beneath the table to grip Lee’s knee. I held it firmly, hoping to instill in him my urgency.

"I-I'm sorry, Simon, you'll have to excuse me… Lee, where are the restrooms?"

Lee looked confused, but nodded toward the entrance of the restaurant. "At the back, near the bar. I'll come with you."

"It's all right," I murmured, biting down on my lower lip. "Stay here. " I feared the two of us standing at once would attract more attention our way. Cad might even think that we were a couple freeing up a table.

There was a moment of hesitation in Lee, when I feared that he would insist on coming with me all the same. But it was just the back of the restaurant. That could hardly be considered leaving him—could it?

I tore away from him, trying to make my retreat as undramatic as possible, even as I was forced to walk sideways so that my face remained obscured from Cad, who was nearing closer and closer with his friends.

The restaurant was huge. It had four main entrances, and I could hardly see through to the back of it as I stepped inside because of all the men moving around. I spotted the sign for the ladies' restrooms at the back, but to my dismay, they were closed for maintenance. Closed. How could they close the restrooms? The men's were open on the other side of the bar. Dammit. I was still the only woman in this place that I could see, so I supposed they'd hardly had any complaints.

I backed into the shadows as best as I could while trying to keep a tab on Cad's movements, which was hard with all the bobbing heads. I caught a glimpse of him entering the building with his friends—obviously having failed at finding a table outside. They were making a beeline for the bar, which meant I needed to move again and fast, but I had effectively backed myself into a corner. There was only one path I could take from here to the main aisles that led to the doors, and that would mean crossing straight in front of Cad.

If he saw me now, it could be a disaster. He would cause a scene and demand not only that I explain myself, but also that I go to see his parents. I wouldn't be able to shake him off and he wouldn't believe the lies that I'd fallen into a romance with Lee. Cad would know that it was impossible. And if any of those scientists heard him talking or discovered we were related… it would be far too much of a footprint for me to leave in Patrus.

My palms were sweating as I kept my gaze trained on the out of service sign on the restroom door and their conversation floated in my ears above