DraculaVille - New York - Book One (29 page)

He slowly stepped into the foyer. “Okay. Good luck.”

She paused, wanting to say something nice to him. Something to let him know how she felt. But she couldn’t find the right words, so she just hurried out the door without looking back.

Chapter 32

Talia put the key in her apartment door at four the next afternoon. All that kept her going was adrenalin and enormous amounts of coffee.

Drake wouldn’t be up yet. She draped her coat over the couch and headed for her room. She desperately needed a hot bath. Then she’d dress for the meeting and hopefully not fall asleep in between.

She’d pulled off a miracle and had all the promotional pieces ready to show the Romanians. Felix would take the materials to the hotel and set up the room before the meeting. He really was a good little minion.

She stripped off her clothes and tossed them on the bed. Her enormous panda stared at her with big droopy black eyes from its position propped on her pillows. She picked it up and gave it a hug.

“Wish me luck, big guy.” Weren’t pandas supposed to be good luck?

After tucking the bear back in bed, she went to her bathroom and ran hot water in the tub. She’d had so much coffee her hands trembled. After the meeting tonight, she could sleep all she wanted.

When the tub filled, she stepped in and sank into the warmth with a sigh. Her mind ran over her speech and everything they had to present. It was a nightmare of activity. Drake would be there. One more thing to worry about.

After she got out, she dressed in a navy Armani suit with a white silk blouse. She stared at the Louboutins she’d used to kill Lucilla. Nope, couldn’t do it. She chose a pair of navy Jimmy Choo pumps instead.

When she reached Drake’s room, she knocked softly on the door. “You up?”

“I’ll be out in a minute,” he called.

She headed into the kitchen and started a pot of coffee. God, she was tired. Would coffee be enough to get her through tonight?

“Tal?” Drake walked in wearing his Dracula outfit.

“Hey,” she said, smiling.

“Hey, yourself. How did the day go?”

“We got it done. Felix is setting everything up at the hotel.” She poured coffee in a cup and added cream.

He went to the refrigerator and poured himself a cup of blood. “What’s going to happen tonight?”

“I’ll use the items we’ve prepared and instruct them on how to present the project to investors. As far as you’re concerned, just stay in character and say ‘hello’ to everyone. I’m not sure why the secretary wanted you there.” She blew into her coffee and took a sip.

He drained his cup. “Okay. Let’s get it done.”

She took another gulp of coffee. “Thanks, Drake. I appreciate your being so agreeable. I want to get through tonight then sleep for about two years.”

“I know.” He came to stand in front of her and brushed her hair from her face. “I’m tired, too. We’ll get through it and then we can rest.”

She took his hand in hers and kissed his palm. “Thank you, Drake. I can’t tell you how grateful I am for your help.”

He smiled and patted her cheek. “You’ll be great, don’t worry. I guess we’d better get going.”

“Yep. Gerri will be over in a few minutes to stay with Pip.” She drained her coffee and went into the living room to retrieve her briefcase and coat. “Let’s do it.”

***

Talia and Drake entered the meeting room at six-thirty. Felix adjusted the projector then turned it off. Neatly arranged piles of folders and note pads sat atop the long table for ten.

“Hey, boss,” he said. “I’ve set up the projector. The promotional items are on the easels at the front.” He motioned to four draped stands.

“Good. Thanks.” She pulled her notebook from her briefcase and flipped through her notes.

“Well, Tiger, looks like you pulled off your miracle,” Harvey said, striding into the room and glancing about. He frowned when he noticed Drake. “So this is the new face of Romania.” He scanned Drake from head to toe. “What’s your name?”

“This is Dracula, Harvey. Drac, meet my boss, Harvey Saracin.” She gestured between the two men and continued flipping through her notes.

Drake crossed his arms and let Harvey catch a glimpse of his fangs with a quick grin. Her boss blinked and hurried around to the table. He said something in a low voice to Felix.

A few seconds later, the Romanians filed in. Cosmin was quick to beg forgiveness for having to advance the date of the meeting.

“This situation was unavoidable, and I am most appreciative you could move the meeting,” he said, pumping her hand. “Our secretary sends her apologies. She was forced to leave New York last night and will attend this meeting by video conference.”

Talia glanced across the table. One of his group opened a laptop and pointed it toward their presentation screen. “I’m sorry she couldn’t attend in person.”

He lowered his voice and leaned closer. “I must confide to you that there is some unrest in our government right now about the country’s financial situation. The Secretary is working diligently with the president to assist in bringing the factions together. Otherwise she would never have missed this important meeting. She asked me to relay her confidence in your handling of the project thus far.”

“Thank you. I assure the entire agency is focused on making this program work.”

“Also, she was most eager to meet your model for the campaign.” He glanced sideways at Drake.

“Then let’s get started.” She smiled. “I understand you have a flight to catch later tonight.”

She motioned to a seat near the head of the table. Drake stayed at the back, arms crossed, leaning against the wall. His gaze followed her as she strode to the front of the room. Her insides itched with irritation. She’d worked her ass off, missed sleep and called in every favor she owned to make this happen, yet the secretary didn’t even bother to show up. Video conference. Bull shit. Romania had better be ready to go bankrupt to justify her absence.

The presentation had to go on. She gritted her teeth and clicked the remote to turn on the projector. Showtime.

After an hour, she wrapped up her ideas for presenting their material to investors and included a list of potential companies to approach. She clicked off the projector and glanced at the face of the secretary on the computer screen.

The woman hadn’t commented during the entire presentation. Her committee members had interjected questions throughout the presentation and now nodded to each other as they gathered their presentation folders and stowed the new materials in their briefcases.

“A very nice presentation, Ms. Quinton,” Secretary Negrescu said, her blue eyes unblinking.

“Thank you, Madam Secretary.” Talia folded her hands in front of her. “I hope you find the material satisfactory to begin your search for investors.”

“And your model for Dracula, is he there?”

Talia motioned for Drake and he walked along the side of the table to the head. He stared at her only, even when he was in view of the secretary.

“So, this is our Dracula,” the secretary said, her eyes glittering. She did not smile.

“Yes, he’s the focus of the campaign. A mysterious figure full of enticing suspense. We’re keeping him in character even off camera to enhance the air of mystery. We’ve already tested his image with various focus groups. The response was extraordinary.” Talia paused. “He’s going to draw every woman in the world to DraculaVille hoping to seduce him, and every man in the world, hoping to
be
him.” She ran her hands up her arms. It’s what she wanted and feared at the same time.

Secretary Negrescu arched one brow. “I see.”

After a few seconds of uncomfortable silence, the woman smiled. “I think all of your material is excellent, Ms. Quinton. So, we move to the next phase. You’ll need to be in Romania within the next two weeks to begin the site surveys and set meetings with our investors.”

Talia took a step toward the laptop, ready to protest this accelerated schedule. Two weeks? The woman had to be kidding. Why were they in such a rush?

Harvey spoke up before she could speak. He beamed and nodded to Talia. “Thank you, Madam Secretary. We appreciate your approval and look forward to the next phase of this fabulous project.”

“Very good. Until then, Ms. Quinton...” The computer screen went blank.

The Romanians scurried from the room with numerous murmurs of apology at their precipitous departure.

“I’ll be in touch next week,” Cosmin called over his shoulder as he left.

Talia, Felix, Harvey and Drake stared after them. The whole meeting struck her as strange, rushed and superficial. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but it wasn’t like the usual meeting with clients. The Romanians had kept glancing at the Secretary’s face on the computer screen throughout the presentation. Their questions seemed scripted at times, out of pace with what was being discussed.

“Good job, Tiger.” Harvey walked around the table and patted her shoulder. “Ready to head for Romania?”

“I’m ready to head to bed,” she said, stifling a yawn.

“Sure, get some rest. You’ve had a hard week.” He smiled. “We’ll regroup next week before you go to Romania.”

You have no idea how hard my week was
. She dropped the remote on the table. Drake moved behind her and rested a hand on the small of her back. “Let’s go home,” he whispered in her ear. “I want to be alone with you.”

Her heart fluttered and goose bumps ran up her arms. His eyes lowered to her lips and warmth flushed her face.

Harvey cleared his throat, and she looked at the floor, embarrassment fanning her with heat.

“So, let’s meet on Monday and discuss the next step of the project,” Harvey said.

“Fine,” she said. That gave her two days to sleep. “Sure.”

Harvey gave Drake an uncertain look and left. Talia let out a deep breath and crammed papers into her briefcase.

“Hey, Boss, what’s next?” Felix packed the projector and glanced expectantly at Drake. “Any plans for a late night celebration feast?”

“I think Talia needs to rest,” Drake said, his gaze grazing her neck and shoulder.

“Oh, come on. We need to celebrate.” Her assistant finished packing and snapped the case closed. “Gerri’s already there, and she told me she brought champagne.”

“How did she know to bring champagne?” Talia placed her hands on her hips.

“Well, excuse us for having faith in you, boss.” Felix placed his palms on the table and leaned toward her. “You should appreciate that your friends believe in you. This whole thing is about more than just you.”

She glanced at Drake who shook his head and shrugged, laughing.

“Fine, party at my place.” She threw up her hands.

Her assistant grinned and scurried around gathering the promotional pieces. “Great. Everything is going according to plan. It’s awesome. I can’t wait to see Romania.”

She could wait a long time to see Romania, but this project required she go there. She seriously had to gain some resolution to her relationship with Drake first.

Gerri and Pip greeted them when they arrived at her apartment. Pip bounced around whooping as usual.

Her friend hugged them all, a huge smile on her face. “I’m so glad everything went well. No more vampire drama, okay?”

“Hey, I didn’t want what we already had.” Talia put up her hands.

“No more kidnapping if I can help it.” Drake headed into the kitchen.

“What are you making?” Felix followed, Pip hopping along after them.

Her friend escorted her to the living room, her face creased in concern. “Are you okay after everything that happened?”

She dropped her briefcase and purse beside the sofa, shrugged out of her coat, and sank into the welcoming cushions of the couch. “I guess. There hasn’t been a lot of time to think about what I went through. Honestly, thinking about it is disturbing.”

“Why?” Gerri sat in a chair across from her.

She pressed her fingertips to her temples. She hadn’t explained about the
armantor
ceremony yet. She needed advice, so she launched into a brief version of the intimate revelations that occurred during her captivity.

Her friend crossed her legs and pursed her lips. She stared at Talia for several seconds before replying. “Tal, there’s no denying the chemistry between you and Drake. I saw it from the beginning, the night I picked you two up from that alley. If this
armantor
thing is true, maybe that explains it.”

Talia bit her lip. Of course, she’d already come to this conclusion. But what should she do about it? That was the question. “I know. The attraction is so overwhelming. I have to believe there’s some supernatural power behind it. It’s like nothing I’ve ever experienced with a man.”

“So, what are you going to do?”

“I don’t know. I was hoping you might have some advice.”

Gerri closed her eyes for a few moments. “I don’t think I have experience in anything remotely related to this. How can I possibly advise you? I guess you have to work it out with Drake in the end.”

That’s what she feared. Her affection for him would cloud her ability to work toward a decision. She suspected Drake wanted some kind of happy family scene that included Pip as their surrogate child. Was that what she wanted? It certainly wasn’t the direction she’d imagined for her life.

“Food’s ready,” he said, appearing in the doorway to the kitchen and holding a pair of tongs.

She and Gerri deserted their conversation and followed. The island counter held numerous platters of food. Talia picked up a mushroom cap stuffed with crab and melted cheese with her fingers and took a bite. Mmm.

Her assistant passed flutes of champagne and they admired the delicious feast. Drake had straight champagne, but Pip had his sippy-cup of blood
sans
alcohol.

“Here’s to DraculaVille.” Felix raised his glass high.

Drake came around the counter and gazed at her. “And to Talia, the mastermind.”

She smiled and touched the rim of her glass to his. “Next stop…Romania.”

“Something about going to Romania disturbs me,” he said, forehead wrinkled. “I wonder why?”

“Something about going to your vampire roots?” Gerri asked.