Sucking Bites (San Francisco Vampires Series #3) (5 page)

“Paul, sit down.” I let out a breath and then sit myself, totally disgusted with the situation. “You’ve been lazy and incompetent and now you’re fucking the employees. What have you got to say for yourself?”

“Just one employee, sir.” He smiles.

I feel my fangs erupt. I jump up turning away from him, reaching for a cut glass decanter which was full of one hundred year old brandy this morning. It’s now half gone.

“Paul, I don’t care if you are fucking the chorus line. You know we have a policy against that. I explained it the first day you came to work for me. It’s unprofessional. The bigger problem is how you are letting my business run into the ground.”

“I didn’t know that I was. The place is packed.”

“Yes, no thanks to you. And where are you? Back in my personal office getting your rocks off. You should be out in the front mixing with the patrons.”

“I’ll go right now, sir.”

“Yes, you will go. You will gather your things and leave the premises. You are being relieved of your position, as of immediately.”

“But, you can’t do that.”

“I just did.”

“I have a contract!”

“Which you have violated in at least ten different ways, so do not push me unless you want me to sue you for breach of contract.”

“Fuck you, Sebastian!”

I grab the mullet-wearing weasel and slam him against the wall.

“Don’t make me throw you out, you little piss ant. Now go!”

He leaves after he flips me off. I call security and have them escort him to his desk and watch him clear it out and then follow him to the door. Just to be clear, he didn’t have the mullet when I hired him.

I have a boxing bag in the corner of my office for moments like this. Taking my jacket off, I let the bag have it for several minutes until I have myself under control. Then I pour myself a brandy.

The first applicant comes in just after Paul leaves the building. He is a Stanford grad in business with a minor in history. He is just the type of unique applicant I need, someone who can appreciate the nostalgia of the club as well as the business end of it. Tall, black and a classic dresser. I can see him wearing period clothing and in the club easily. We talk well over the hour I have allotted and I promise to call him the next day.

The next applicant graduated from Notre Dame with an MBA and knows his way around a business. He’s very competent but lacks the vision I feel the first applicant has. His farm boy build and good looks would stand out like a sore thumb here, but that wouldn’t stop me if he was qualified. Everyone would expect an “Aww shucks mam and he would quickly prove them wrong.”  But because of this, I think our vendors would give him a hard time. Overall I’m very pleased with the choices the agency has sent me. I need a replacement immediately and my first choice can start right away. I’m feeling better about this part of my evening at least. Charlie, the assistant manager, has the night off and with no assistant manager or manager I will have to close. It’s already twelve-thirty and I’m anxious to know if Lily is home yet.

I call home. Helena tells me she hasn’t come home or called. Surely she will be home before dawn. She hasn’t spent the night somewhere else since she moved in.

I
spend the night in my office doing the paperwork that Paul has neglected, like going through the new resumes we’ve had come in, employee reviews, that sort of thing. I plan on giving Theresa a good review. That joie de vivre is what I want for the club. She will be reminded not to fraternize with the staff again, though. I get the paperwork caught up for Seth, the applicant from Stanford—that is, if he decides to take the job. It’s time to close up. The band is done and the bar is empty. As I look around I can almost hear the echoes of the dancers’ footsteps, a good atmosphere. I walk through the club making sure everything is locked up, grab the cash for the drop, lights are off, and valet will have left my car up front. Time for me to go home.

The sound of the pre-dawn birds coming in through the car window does nothing to ease my troubled mind. All I can think about is Lily and talking things out so that I can have her in my arms. I miss her when she is not with me. My body aches for her soft skin and full lips.

When I get home, it is almost dawn. It seems Helena has finally convinced at least some of the carpenters to work this early. I can hear the pounding and saws. Nothing disturbs Lily when she slumbers.

“I’m home. Is Lily in bed already?” I ask.

“She’s not home yet, Sebastian,” Helena says, hesitantly.

“What?” It’s almost dawn. She can’t make it home unless Aidan transmanifests her back. Maybe she is waiting until the last minute.

“She still has time, my friend,” Julian says.

“Or maybe she really needs space from me and is not coming home tonight,” I say.

“She loves you, Sebastian. Whatever she does, it is only because she has deep feelings that she needs time to sort through. Have faith,” Helena says.

Small comfort but the only hope I have.

“Why don’t we go shopping or to a museum? I never do that anymore,” I say to Aidan’s simple question of what shall we do.

“Which would you prefer?”

“I’d love to go shopping. So let’s go to the boutiques and have coffee outside somewhere.”

“Your wish is my command. I know where we can go. First let me give you these Prada sunglasses so we can look like the beautiful people and off we go,” he says taking my hand after he summons up the expensive shades.

With a warm sucking sensation we pop from his flat in Chinatown to Fillmore Street.

We decide to stop at Kiehl’s first for some skin care products. It’s a fun shop where you can try all the products first. A girl who is way too perky waits on us. She keeps giving Aidan the eye and he flirts back shamelessly. I drag him out. Then we take a break and have coffee at a small table under a tree on the sidewalk. Dappled light dances across the table.

“Don’t pout, Lilith. She meant nothing to me. I was feeding.”

“I knew that,” I say, feeling my shoulders relax.

“Yeah, right,” Aidan says, laughing but looking very pleased.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing, love. Let’s get back to your coffee and we’ll see what other mischief I can get into.

Every once in a while Aidan will gaze intently and someone will drop a bag or another breaks. I think I have figured out his formula. He only picks people wearing green. In spite of my feelings of sympathy, it can be amusing. After a half hour or so I drag Aidan away from his fun into some of the boutiques. He patiently waits while I browse and try on clothes. It’s a pleasant afternoon.

“It’s funny how fashions keep repeating themselves,” I say, not really expecting an answer.

“You have no idea. When you look at the total picture and I mean
total
picture, you see that humans like certain styles and keep bringing it back into fashion over and over. It’s very interesting actually, if you like that sort of thing.”

“You know I do.”

We spend the next two shops discussing fashion, something Sebastian would never do with me. I immediately feel guilty thinking that.

The whole time we keep talking like we had the night before. Sometimes he will tell me about things he has seen and done. Sometimes I will tell him what it is like being a vampire or what I want to do with my life. I don’t use my hand sanitizer once.

When it grows dark, Aidan takes my hand and pulls me into a shop doorway to bring us back to his flat. He tosses my purchases onto a chair. I go to the bathroom to tidy up. When my cell phone rings on the way out, it’s Sebastian.

“Hello, Cherie. I know I am supposed to be giving you space but I wanted to hear your voice.”

I sit down on the bed and twirl one of the curls in my hair.

“Sebastian…”

“Wait, don’t hang up, I need to tell you I love you. When you didn’t come home last night I thought I might go crazy with worry, but I’m trying to be calm and remember that you are ninety-eight. You can take care of yourself.”

“Yes, I can and I would have been crazy in your position. It got late and today I needed a stress-free day.” I blow out a breath and hold myself together with my other arm. “I love you too, Sebastian.”

“I hired a new manager. You were right, Paul was a nightmare.  But now I have to go in and start training him. His name is Seth. I think he is going to work out great.”

He still doesn’t get it.

“That will be a big help for us but it’s not just that, Bast. Yesterday, telling me I couldn’t see Aidan, I can’t have you controlling my life like that. That’s my biggest fear. I don’t want to lose myself and be your puppet. I don’t want to find myself several years from now totally dependent on you for everything,” I whisper, afraid of expressing any more of my worst fears.

“It won’t be like that, Lily,” Sebastian says strongly. “Aidan just knows how to press my buttons. I was over the line yesterday. I apologize for that. He still loves you and I can’t help thinking that you won’t marry me because you still have feelings for him too.”

“Oh, Bast, honey, that’s not the reason why I have wanted to put off our engagement. Aidan has nothing to do with it.” But I wonder if at least a small part of my reluctance comes from my feelings for the jinni.

“I wish we had talked about your feelings before too.”

“What are we going to do?” I ask, throwing myself onto the bed.

“First things first, we need to be in the same place at the same time so I can wrap my arms around you.”

“I miss you, Bast.”

“What are your plans for tonight?”

“I need to feed and then I was going to hang around here for a little while longer. What about you?”

“I have to go back to the club and train Seth on more of the routines. Charlie will close with him so I can leave at eleven. Can we meet back at the manse then, Cherie?”

“I’m not sure. Bast, we fight so much. Maybe we need a small break?”

“No. We need to talk, like we have started doing tonight. Communication will get us through this. Listen to me. I sound like Oprah. What have you done to me?”

I laugh despite the seriousness.

“Okay, I’ll see you at home later.”

“A bientot, ma petite.”

I sit for a minute. Things are not resolved but they are on the way. Despite what I’ve said to Sebastian, I have to admit the crux of many of our problems is Aidan. I refuse to give him up. He is too good a friend and something else. Aidan makes me feel differently than anyone else does. I love Aidan, but not in the same way or for the same reasons I love Bast.

Aidan quietly enters the room and I smile at him letting him know all is good.

“Lilith? It’s dark out. I heard you say you needed to feed. Why don’t we go out and get you some dinner?”

“Doesn’t it gross you out?”

“Not when it’s you.” He looks almost perplexed. “I’m not sure why, but it doesn’t. Come on, let’s go. I know a good spot. Lots of people roaming around and it’s just a couple of blocks away.”

“Okay, but I’m not so good at it unless they’ve been drinking. Helena and Julian are the only ones that can lure people in. I have to have a reason for the person to come to me.”

“Let me summon some new clothes for you and then you will have all the reason in the world to be approached.”

“Oh brother, I can only imagine,” I say as I roll my eyes at him.

“Do you want to eat or not?”

“Yes.”

“Then shut up and put this on.”

He smirks and leaves the room.

It is my worst nightmare and then some. The smallest red dress I have ever seen. Low cut, little straps and short. Black thigh highs and fuck me pumps. He even has bright red lipstick in the bag of goodies. All this bright red will look gauche on a strawberry blonde, but somehow I don’t think the clientele will mind. It doesn’t take me long to put on because there isn’t much to it. He’s right. I’ll be propositioned in no time in this outfit.

“I’m ready and I’m going to kill you for this,” I yell to the next room.

Aidan appears. He swallows hard.

“I wish I had blood, you could have me for dinner.”

“You naughty man, let’s go hunt.”

We pop down to the street. I’m not even sure Aidan has a door like normal people. We walk along the narrow passageways of Chinatown. Down the famed haunted streets. We narrowly miss the Night-time Ghost Walking Tour of Chinatown. Aidan has admitted to messing with them in the past.

He stays close to me for the next two blocks, guiding me by the elbow until the street becomes darker and, oddly, more populated. We pass by closed up vegetable stands and move into a neighborhood that’s thick with tension. The sidewalks haven’t been washed and the shop fronts aren’t cared for like other areas. I notice doorways where single light bulbs shine overhead to illuminate signs in Chinese, advertising I can only guess, above shop fronts. I get the impression the people that habituate this section of town like to remain anonymous. We walk maybe a half mile when I feel Aidan brush his hand against the small of my back and start to fall back which is his cue for me to start hunting.

I check for doorways I can stand near to lure in a prospective snack. It isn’t long before I feel the presence of someone behind me. At first I assume it is Aidan until a breeze brings a strong animal scent, like dog but not quite. An odor I haven’t smelled before. The stench is overwhelming, making my nose wrinkle and my spidey senses go on alert. Before I turn around to confront it something heavy jumps on my back, snarling with deep guttural growls, making the hairs stand up on my arms and my fangs come out. We turn into a snarling fur and fang ball. I struggle under the things iron-like grasp. Never since I became a vampire has something been able to hold onto me when I didn’t want it to. Panicking, I reach behind my head and draw my nails across a hairy beast’s eyes. It’s stink stings my nose and my eyes burn. I can’t find Aidan. Is he okay? Sebastian. Sebastian. Sebastian. This thing is ripping into me leaving burning, searing trails in its wake. My fingernails are as strong as iron nails but my attack doesn’t even register on my assailant.