Zampata: five crew members Sasha had sex with (and one she didn't)

2. Seth

Visiting a Court could elicit a lot of different responses from people. Sasha had seen blushes so deep a red they must have hurt. She had watched jaws drop and eyes widen, heard hearts race and deepest desires uttered unwittingly on a whisper or a gasp. Some people got as excited a small child on their birthday, eager to explore and enjoy. Many were overwhelmed, almost intimidated by the bounty of choices before them.

She couldn't remember the last time she saw someone be angry, though.

No, not angry, she thought as she watched Seth out of the corner of her eye. Angry was too strong, implying a potential for violence she knew Seth wouldn't unleash at Court, if only out of respect for her. There was definitely a note of frustration, but not the kind one might expect upon entering a Court. Several Valets had already tried to catch his eye and all but offered themselves to him, and he wasn't interested. Restless? Sasha wondered. It seemed the closest in spirit, if not truth. Seth, along with all the others, had gone to the Court willingly and, unlike Roman, he had far fewer qualms about Valets and Managers in general. She knew he had hired Valets on a few occasions and from what she could gather from the women he picked, he didn't have a particular type.

Or at least he hadn't. It seemed like things had changed, even though she wasn't certain he was aware of it. Seth was looking around, to be fair, gaze lingering on the occasional Valet before he would grumble to himself and sip at his drink. At first, Sasha struggled to find the thread that connected all the women who caught his eye. One was tall and dark skinned, her gait almost a prowl. The next was pale, her hair and skin almost the same frosty shade, and she looked like she was carved from ice. So it's not skin colour, and it's not hair.... It went on like that for a few minutes before she finally hooked her arm around his and led him gently to a quiet corner. "Can't see anyone who interests you?" she asked mildly. "I know the Manager here; I can ask him if there are any women who are off-duty who would be willing to come in for the night—"

"No," Seth snapped. "I don't need to be catered to. I'm not a princess."

I'm not a princess. Sasha had to lean in and give him a hug to keep herself from laughing. Of course that's it, she thought. Why didn't I see it before? It wasn't about having a type, at least not in the physical sense; he wanted a specific quality. All of the women he had been considering—tall or short, dark or pale, small or stocky—had possessed a bad-ass energy. Becky, Sasha realized. He's trying to find a substitute for Becky. Patting his arm gently, she guided him to the stairs. "I never said you were."

"I know you haven't." Seth spared the frost-pale woman a final glance before following Sasha up the stairs.

Sasha thought for a moment before responding. Seth definitely identified as male, but he seemed comfortable enough with his gender that he didn't take remarks like bitch as an attack on his masculinity. She knew Dean used to call him pretty on the Circuit and while it certainly hadn't been his favourite nickname, he didn't complain about it. So it's less about 'princess', Sasha decided, and more about who's saying it? "If you want Becky to stop," she suggested, "just tell her. She's not the bully type. She probably just thought it was a fun nickname that stuck. If she knew that it genuinely bothered you—"

"It doesn't!" When Sasha grabbed his hand, Seth huffed out a breath and tried to calm himself down. "It doesn't. I mean, it's stupid, but that's all it is: stupid. I know she doesn't mean anything by it." The last bit seemed almost like a revelation and Seth stopped abruptly, nearly making Sasha stumble.

"That's good." After regaining her balance, Sasha urged them forward. If they were going to advance in stops and starts, she wanted to be on solid ground. "What's bothering you, then?"