Twisting the Pole Read Online Free Page A

credit card.” She chuckled. “How about you?”
    “Oddly enough, my name was exotic enough for this purpose. Salk Arthwait is my actual name.”
    She finished her burger and wedged the last of the fries into her mouth. When she cleared her mouth, she sipped at her beer. “It is a nice name.”
    “Thank you.”
    Silence hung between them. It wasn’t awkward, but it did give her a chance to finish her beer. He drank his and raised his brows at the flavour, pausing after to read the label. “Where did you get this?”
    “At the local vendor. It took a bit of trial and error, but I finally found one that I consider palatable.”
    “You did very well.”
    She chuckled. It was definitely a change from apple cider, mulled cider, hot cider, cold cider. There was not a lot of variety at the archive of Santa’s workshop. It felt like Santa had forgotten that they were even there on days other than Christmas Eve.
    He shifted on his chair, and she got up to clear the bag and fold the cloth in the basket. When it was clear, she set it on the floor and folded the table away.
    “Pivot, take a step and we can sit in the living room.”
    She walked past him and sat on the couch built into one end of the tiny space.
    “How big is this place?” He wandered over and sat next to her at an angle so that their knees touched.
    “Two hundred and eighty square feet.”
    “Wow. It seems that you have everything you need in here.”
    She looked at him and considered her answer. “Yeah, I do seem to have what I need at my fingertips.”
    “Was it a custom build?”
    Cora laughed, “No, I got it at Tiny Castles R Us. ”
    He snickered. “Fair enough.”
    They sat and drank their beer in silence.
    Cora asked, “What drove you to the fights?”
    “The exercise was entertaining. I am used to having a bit more activity in my life, and this was a chance to reclaim it.”
    She nodded as if she understood.
    “What about you? How did you come to work with silver?”
    She answered honestly. “I learned it at my father’s knee. My mother was a designer, and my father made her sketches come to life.”
    “Are they still living?”
    “No, they passed on years ago. It still feels like just yesterday.” The truth of the pain was in her voice.
    He reached out and put his hand on hers. “I am sorry for your loss.”
    She shrugged. “It is fine. I just haven’t had much ability to deal with it.”
    Salk nodded, paused for a moment and then asked. “What were you doing when I arrived?”
    “I was working on designs. I draw far more than I could ever create.”
    “May I see them?”
    She grinned. “Of course.”
    She got up and went to the small cubby where she had tucked her sketchbook. She turned and brought it back to the couch, sitting closer than she had before, ostensibly to show him the drawings.
    She inhaled the scent of him and enjoyed the masculine touch to her quarters. There was something familiar in his scent that she couldn’t put her finger on, and it made her want to investigate further.
    He flipped through the designs with intense focus. “These are amazing. Hey, here is the pattern for my medallion.”
    She snorted and then fought the urge to grab the book and pull it back. The medallion he was wearing was one of nine designs and the only one she had created. The word Comet was written quite clearly beneath the pattern.
    “You drew one for all of Santa’s reindeer?”
    She cleared her throat. “I thought that if anyone needed a little Christmas treat, it would be the reindeer.”
    “Why did you make Comet?”
    Cora licked her lips. “I don’t know. I suppose it was just the design that I wanted to make first.”
    He smiled slightly and closed the book. “Well, I have imposed on your hospitality enough for one night. I will see you tomorrow.”
    She got to her feet as he stood. “You don’t have to go yet.”
    His eyes gleamed. “I think it is for the best. I do have one thing to leave you with...”
    She stared