Once Bitten, Twice Shy (5 page)

L
ittle did I
know that the exchange with Lex in the hot tub would be the last time I saw him for weeks. That night, I slept like a rock and got up the next morning sore from sleeping in the same position for so long. I wandered downstairs to find Donna and Conner drinking coffee in the kitchen, both dressed for work. Shit, it was Monday. I had completely forgotten.

I went to the coffeemaker and made myself a cup, still dressed in my robe, my hair in a wild disarray of curls.

Donna eyed me closely. “Sleep well?” she asked, her gaze on my wild hair.

I shoved the mass over my shoulder, pretending to be completely oblivious. I half hoped Lex would see me in this state and change his mind about whatever crazy plans he had for me.

“Yes,” I answered, adding sugar and cream to my coffee.

Conner gave me a knowing grin, which I resolutely ignored, and left the kitchen. Donna waited a good thirty seconds after he left to speak.

“So what did you and Lex talk about last night? What did you say to him?” she hissed quietly.

I shrugged and sipped my coffee. “Nothing important,” I lied. “Why?”

“Because he left before daylight this morning. He came to our room and spoke with Conner out in the hall for a few minutes, then he just left.”

At her words, my heart, my traitorous, idiotic heart, clenched. “What?”

She just looked at me.

I set my own coffee cup down. “He left?”

Donna nodded.

I forced myself to pick up my mug and drink more coffee as though this news didn’t affect me in the slightest. Donna obviously saw right through my act, but I was grateful that she didn’t say anything.

Instead, she changed the subject. “So what are you doing today?” she asked.

I didn’t want to talk about this either, but it was a safer topic than Alexander Dimitriades.

“I have some work to do from home, then I need to start the process of finding another place to live.”

Because I was such a basket case after the attack, I had taken so much time off of work that I didn’t have enough money coming in to keep the apartment I rented. Yet another reason Donna insisted I stay with her and her fiancé. I was slowly getting back into the swing of things, though I was still working mostly part time. I knew I couldn’t do it forever and having more money meant moving out and getting some distance between Lex and I. I needed it, for the sake of my sanity and my hormones.

“Are you sure you won’t stay for a little while longer?” Donna asked.

“It may be a while before I find a place, Dee. Don’t worry, I won’t clear out without talking to you first.”

She nodded, though I could tell she wanted to argue. I was saved from further discussion by Conner coming back into the kitchen.

“Ready, Donna?” he asked.

She nodded and went to put her coffee cup in the sink. The look she gave me said that she wasn’t finished talking about this. I ignored it and waved good-bye to her and Conner as they left the kitchen. He grinned at me as they walked out. For some reason, the damn vampire thought I was hilarious.

I shook my head and set about making myself something to eat. Once I finished my bagel and coffee, I went upstairs to shower and get down to work.

That had been eight weeks ago. In that time, I had started working more and found an apartment. It was smaller than my previous place, but it was much safer. The complex was gated and had a guard at the front. I also had three deadbolts and a chain on my door. Though a vampire could probably just kick it off its hinges, at least I would have protection from human predators.

Also, in those eight weeks, I hadn’t heard a peep from Lex. I assumed he finally decided that the measly human, me, wasn’t worth the effort, and moved on. I told myself that I was glad, that I didn’t want a sexy vampire with dark eyes and phenomenal body chasing after me. I didn’t need someone so bossy in my life.

It was early evening on Thursday and I was leaving a meeting with a client when it happened. The sun was low in the sky and I was digging in my bag for my keys. I was a few feet from my car when a small woman approached me.

I nodded in greeting and kept walking. She stopped right in front of me and I started to sidestep her, thinking that she was being rude.

Even though she was the rude one, I muttered, “Excuse me,” with a hint of sarcasm and moved to skirt around her.

“Wait,” she whispered.

Against my will, my body stopped. Oh shit, not again. I looked up from my purse into her eyes, which were a brilliant hazel, glowing like two amber stones in the setting sun.

“Come with me,” she murmured softly.

She turned and began to walk to a large white SUV with dark tinted windows. My feet moved, even as I fought against it with every ounce of will I possessed. I glared at her, hatred in my eyes, as she opened the back passenger door for me. She gestured for me to get in, which I did, and then slammed the door. I tried to turn my head to watch her walk around the vehicle, but she made me sit perfectly still.

There was a male vampire in the front seat, smirking at me. If he hadn’t had such cold, dead black eyes and a cruel smile on his face, he would have been beautiful. I refused to meet his eyes as the female vamp opened the door directly behind the driver’s seat and climbed into the SUV next to me.

“Look at me,” she said.

Like some sort of doll in a horror movie, my head turned on my neck. Though I could slow down my body’s response to her commands, I couldn’t resist completely. The sharp edge of the memory of my repeated nightmares cut into my composure, but I couldn’t scream or cry as I wanted to. Instead, all I could manage was to face the woman who had essentially kidnapped me.

Her eyes were blank, not cold, not angry, as she studied me. Finally, after what seemed like minutes, she merely said, “Sleep.”

That was the last thing I remembered.

*     *     *

I woke up
feeling well-rested and relaxed for the first time in months. I stretched my arms, arching my back. Sunlight filtered in through my blinds in my bedroom. I glanced at the clock and saw it was just a little after six in the morning.

With a sigh, I rolled out of bed. I looked down and realized I was dressed in my prettiest satin nightgown, the one I bought in hopes that it would inspire some passion in Stanley. It hadn’t worked and I had shoved it in the back of my lingerie drawer. Instead, I usually wore huge men’s t-shirts to bed and baggy shorts. Sometimes a big nightshirt.

I couldn’t remember putting it on, but, for some reason, that didn’t bother me. Instead, I went into the bathroom, slid off the gown, and climbed into the shower. It was Friday and I had made plans with Donna and several of my other friends to meet for girls’ night in at Donna’s McMansion. I couldn’t wait. Conner was supposed to be gone for the night. There was even talk of a sleepover in the huge home theater. Instead of chairs, though there were a few, Conner had installed huge comfy couches and daybeds. I honestly thought perhaps he hosted orgies in there before he met Donna, but I didn’t mention it.

I got ready for work and packed a small bag just in case girls’ night in led to drunken merriment and a sleepover. I even included my bathing suit. I had really enjoyed my last girls’ night with Donna in the hot tub before Lex showed up.

I floated through my work day, feeling less stressed than usual. I was excited about my weekend plans and I couldn’t wait to leave, but I wasn’t restless, which was strange. Usually, when I had fun weekend plans, I was full of energy and couldn’t sit still. I fidgeted through meetings and work. Today, I just did what needed to be done, oddly calm and serene.

I chalked it up to a good night’s sleep. When the clock hit five, I closed down my computer, grabbed my stuff, and headed out to my car. The drive to Donna’s took longer than usual because traffic was horrendous. When I finally arrived, I wasn’t quite as relaxed as before. Still, it wasn’t anything a glass of wine couldn’t fix.

I grabbed my stuff and climbed out of the car. Donna threw open the door as I climbed the steps.

“C’mon, bitch. Get a move on! I need a drink!”

I laughed as I followed her inside the house and we made a beeline for the kitchen. She had several bottles of liquor and mixers on the counter top and glasses. On the island, Donna had arranged several trays of food that looked incredible.

I glanced at her in disbelief. “You made that?” I asked.

She glared at me. “What, you don’t think I could?”

My eyes shifted away from hers as I tried to figure out the best way to tell her that I certainly did not but still not hurt her feelings. I was saved from answering by the clatter of heels from the hallway.

Shannon, Ricki, and Kerry burst into the kitchen.

“No, it doesn’t,” Kerry said.

“It does,” Ricki insisted.

Shannon was holding her phone in front of the three of them. “Sorry, Kerry, I’m with Ricki, it kinda does.”

“What are you three arguing about?” I asked, grateful for the interruption and the protection of the three of them.

Shannon handed me her phone.

“Oh sweet baby Jesus!” I shouted and tried to give it back to her. “What the hell is that?”

“It’s uncut peen,” Ricki answered.

“What?” I asked, trying not to look at the screen, but failing. It was like a car crash. You couldn’t look away, even though you really, really wanted to.

Kerry sighed. “It’s an uncircumcised penis,” she answered matter-of-factly. “And I don’t see what the big deal is. It isn’t a common practice in countries like Great Britain unless you’re Jewish. It’s natural.”

“It looks like a fucking Chinese finger trap, that’s why,” Ricki cried.

Shannon just snorted. I bit my lip to keep from laughing, because, while Kerry had a point, Ricki’s description was spot on and hilarious.

Kerry looked at Donna. “Help me out here, please.”

Shannon and Ricki looked at Donna in confusion for a moment and I realized what Kerry meant. I couldn’t hold in the guffaw that burst out of me and clapped my hand over my mouth.

“What?” Ricki asked.

“Think about it,” I managed to say between giggles.

Finally, the light dawned for Ricki and Shannon.

“Oh my God!” Ricki shrieked. “Does Conner have a Chinese finger trap?”

The rest of us, with the exception of Donna, dissolved into laughter. Donna’s face said it all, as a deep red flush crept up her neck to her cheeks.

“Shut up,” she snapped as she went back to making drinks. “I’m not discussing the state of Conner’s penis with the four of you.” She paused, looking confused. “And why are we talking about this at all?”

Shannon snorted. “Those pictures are from a guy I follow on Twitter. He’s constantly posting pics of his junk.”

This set us off again and it was at least five minutes before we were able to calm down. By then, Donna had mixed up a huge batch of mojitos and was watching us with a perturbed expression on her face.

I wiped the tears from my eyes. “Sorry, Dee. You have to admit it was a little funny.”

She made a face, but kept drinking.

I decided to let the subject drop, as did the other girls. It wasn’t nice to laugh at another woman’s peen. Or at the peen of her fiancé.

I saw the corner of Donna’s mouth twitch and realized she caught that last errant thought. She hadn’t completely lost her sense of humor.

“So who made the food?” Shannon asked.

Donna set her glass down with a sharp snap. “Goddammit, is it so unbelievable that I could cook something like that?”

Kerry and Ricki both nodded.

Donna threw her hands in the air. “Fine. No, I didn’t cook it. Mrs. Brown, the housekeeper, did.”

I walked over and took a glass of mojito from the counter in front of her. When her eyes met mine, I winked. She just shook her head, but smiled. We lived to give each other shit in our group. If we weren’t ragging on one another, that usually meant someone was sick, hurt, or we were fighting like sisters.

We all snacked and drank and discussed our week. It was nice to hang out. Now that things were more settled between Donna and Conner, we tried to have girls’ night in at least twice a month, though we usually had it at her house because it was so much larger and nicer than anything we had on our own. Kerry’s condo was pretty damn cool, as was Ricki’s loft and Shannon’s apartment, but putting the five of us in any of those spaces was a tight fit.

Finally, after we cleaned the platters and stuck them in the sink, we took our booze and headed toward the hot tub. I brought my bag and purse with me so I could change into my suit.

Everyone changed and we all sat in the hot, bubbling water, sipping our drinks, and chatting quietly. It was incredibly relaxing. I felt the last of the tension caused by the earlier traffic jams finally ease. I leaned my head back against the side of the tub and just breathed.

It was going on ten at night when Donna perked up.

“Conner’s home,” she squealed.

She was definitely tipsy, which meant that she had consumed a lot of alcohol. Vampires had to drink much more than an average human in order to get drunk. Or drink blood from someone who was two drinks away from alcohol poisoning. I glanced at the table near the hot tub and saw two empty bottles of rum. Shit, we were all hammered.