"My, my, Y/n. You're rather clueless, aren't you?"
She stiffens at my words.
"What you see and what they see are two different things," I chuckle, my breath fanning her cheek as I nod in their direction. "They sense the tension between us, but not the murderous kind." I move closer, my lips skimming her soft skin. "Even now," I whisper, feeling her shiver under my touch. "They see our interactions. The way you tremble when I put my hands on you…"
And to show her, I gently move my hands down her shoulders, eliciting a small gasp from her lips.
"They hear your soft whimpers and the way your breath hitches in my proximity," I continue. "And they see the way I look at you."
"What… What do you mean?" She asks, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Like I can't wait to get you alone," I smirk against her skin. "Like my hands are itching to close around your neck, feel your pulse beneath my fingertips…"
The reaction is immediate, her breath erratic as she tries very hard to keep herself still.
"They see the way you arouse me," I pause as she opens her mouth on a throaty gasp.
Moving my hands back up, it's to circle them around her neck, gently massaging her flesh. "But they don't know that my dick gets hard only at the thought of snapping this lovely neck. That which they perceive as desire is merely my need to have you at my mercy."
Her entire body is quaking, her lids opening and closing as she fights for control. Her lips part as she's about to reply, but I quickly shush her.
"No. Don't speak," I command her. "Play for me, little liar. Play for me and show me how much you hate me."
And with that, I'm off her, backing away while holding her gaze captive.
For a moment I don't think she's going to do it. Not with the way she's looking at me, her expression a delicious mix of fear and desire.
But as I resume my seat at the table, a note echoes in the restaurant.
Everything seems to come to a standstill as the music begins—slow and tentative at first, before bursting into a burgeoning storm of feeling.