Throwing his head back he laughed. “I like you. You aren’t afraid to say what is on your mind.” He beckoned to the guards and Jimmy came running over. “I will be seeing you again. What do I call you?”

Thea was stunned silent. Marcus not only seemed to like the fact that she was trying to get one over on him, but he wanted to see her again. Granted he didn’t know the extent of why she was here, but it was still unexpected. Seemed that the damsel persona was not the best one to win him over. At least this would be easier to maintain as it was closer to who she really was.

“My name is Thea,” she told him.

Marcus nodded slowly. “Thea.” He tried the name on his tongue. Although Thea would never tell a soul, she found that she liked how he said her name. It made it sound exotic.

Jimmy was standing a few feet away with his hands behind his back and his face blank. Marcus kept his eyes on Thea when he spoke.

“Guard, take Thea back into the party but let me know where she is living. We will be seeing a lot more of her.”

Thea supposed she should have felt proud or happy. This was the first step of the plan, and it was set in motion. Yet it made her uneasy how quickly he had seen through her first lie and how intently he watched her. No matter how pretty he thought she was if he discovered that she was here looking for some weakness of his to exploit then he would crush her.

Hoping that no one could hear the pounding of her heart Thea followed Jimmy out of the shelter. Casting one final look over her shoulder she saw Marcus, his long body laid out on the lounge and his gaze still on her. Whipping her head back around she tried to convince herself that there was no point in being uneasy. She had to do this.