if anyone had responded to his profiles and wanted to spend some time ‘perusing the lovelies’ after lunch. I promised to be back by two o’clock.
I called Carol as I walked down to the coffee shop. “You’re never going to believe what happened at the office this morning,” I began.
“Some prick named David staged a coup and is claiming to be the owner?” she asked.
“How did you know?” I asked.
“Pete, the janitor, saw the closed sign and called me on my cell. I gave him permission to go in with his keys. I got to listen to him get told off by this David character who said, ‘Carol doesn’t work here anymore’ and slammed the door in his face.”
“I’m so sorry Carol,” I said. I filled her in on the rest of the details. “Mark’s coming over tonight, so hopefully I’ll have more answers for you tomorrow. It would help if you were there too. How’s your back?”
She groaned a little. “Better. God, what a mess this is. I really want to be there. I’ll see how I am later.”
“I’m so sorry all this has happened Carol,” I said. “We’ll figure this out.”
“I wish I had your confidence,” she replied wearily. My phone beeped with another incoming call.
“I’ve got another call coming in. Call me later and let me know if you can make it,” I said, and flipped over to the other call.
I didn’t recognize the number. “Hello?”
Silence. “Hello?” I said again.
“Diana?” said a familiar voice.
Oh, no! Not what I needed right now. “Hi Rick,” I said with some annoyance.
“Don’t sound so thrilled,” he said testily.
“Oh, sorry. I should have said, ‘Thanks for the hickey, you jerk!’” Just thinking about Mark seeing my neck made me crazy.
“Sorry. I didn’t realize I was giving you a hickey when you were jumping my bones in your sister’s van.”
“News flash! We’re not in high school. No one gives hickies anymore,” I yelled. I was standing outside the coffee shop and a snooty-looking woman pointed to the sign on the door that read No Cell Phones Allowed. “Bite me,” I snapped.
She turned abruptly and stomped into the shop. Great—now I had to find another place to get lunch.
“So biting’s okay? Just no hickies—got it.”
“I wasn’t talking to you. I have to get back to work,” I said.
“No,” he insisted. “We need to talk about what happened.”
“Nothing happened,” I said.
“Something almost happened. I want to see you again.” His voice was suddenly soft and silky. It made my toes curl.
“I’ll call you later.” I hung up before he could protest. I had eight minutes to get something to eat and be back at the hotel.
The Count was pacing the floor when I reached his suite. “Ms. Hudson, you are two minutes late.”
I had a bag of chips and a fountain soda from the convenience store across the street. I was hungry, harassed, and stressed. “Sorry, Mr. Pyres. My errands took a little longer than I thought."
He waved his hand around. “Let’s get back to work.”
I rolled my eyes. Work consisted of looking for soul mates for a vampire. How did I get myself into this?
Surprisingly, there were three messages from interested women. Unfortunately, two of them were obviously prostitutes. “What does she mean when she says she’s a submissive?” he asked.
“It means we delete her message,” I said.
“What about the one who is talking about her cat?” I looked at him. Seriously?
“Um, she’s not talking about her cat,” I said pressing the delete button again.
The third woman was promising. She was fifty, a librarian, and liked to cook. “Let’s reply to her,” I suggested.
“She’s not exactly my type,” he sniffed. I cut my eyes at him. “But we should be polite and respond. I agree.”
I typed a bland reply. Within a few minutes she had answered back. She wanted to talk on the phone. Yikes!
Mr. Pyres looked scared. “Should I call her?” he asked.
“Depends on if you want to
I called Carol as I walked down to the coffee shop. “You’re never going to believe what happened at the office this morning,” I began.
“Some prick named David staged a coup and is claiming to be the owner?” she asked.
“How did you know?” I asked.
“Pete, the janitor, saw the closed sign and called me on my cell. I gave him permission to go in with his keys. I got to listen to him get told off by this David character who said, ‘Carol doesn’t work here anymore’ and slammed the door in his face.”
“I’m so sorry Carol,” I said. I filled her in on the rest of the details. “Mark’s coming over tonight, so hopefully I’ll have more answers for you tomorrow. It would help if you were there too. How’s your back?”
She groaned a little. “Better. God, what a mess this is. I really want to be there. I’ll see how I am later.”
“I’m so sorry all this has happened Carol,” I said. “We’ll figure this out.”
“I wish I had your confidence,” she replied wearily. My phone beeped with another incoming call.
“I’ve got another call coming in. Call me later and let me know if you can make it,” I said, and flipped over to the other call.
I didn’t recognize the number. “Hello?”
Silence. “Hello?” I said again.
“Diana?” said a familiar voice.
Oh, no! Not what I needed right now. “Hi Rick,” I said with some annoyance.
“Don’t sound so thrilled,” he said testily.
“Oh, sorry. I should have said, ‘Thanks for the hickey, you jerk!’” Just thinking about Mark seeing my neck made me crazy.
“Sorry. I didn’t realize I was giving you a hickey when you were jumping my bones in your sister’s van.”
“News flash! We’re not in high school. No one gives hickies anymore,” I yelled. I was standing outside the coffee shop and a snooty-looking woman pointed to the sign on the door that read No Cell Phones Allowed. “Bite me,” I snapped.
She turned abruptly and stomped into the shop. Great—now I had to find another place to get lunch.
“So biting’s okay? Just no hickies—got it.”
“I wasn’t talking to you. I have to get back to work,” I said.
“No,” he insisted. “We need to talk about what happened.”
“Nothing happened,” I said.
“Something almost happened. I want to see you again.” His voice was suddenly soft and silky. It made my toes curl.
“I’ll call you later.” I hung up before he could protest. I had eight minutes to get something to eat and be back at the hotel.
The Count was pacing the floor when I reached his suite. “Ms. Hudson, you are two minutes late.”
I had a bag of chips and a fountain soda from the convenience store across the street. I was hungry, harassed, and stressed. “Sorry, Mr. Pyres. My errands took a little longer than I thought."
He waved his hand around. “Let’s get back to work.”
I rolled my eyes. Work consisted of looking for soul mates for a vampire. How did I get myself into this?
Surprisingly, there were three messages from interested women. Unfortunately, two of them were obviously prostitutes. “What does she mean when she says she’s a submissive?” he asked.
“It means we delete her message,” I said.
“What about the one who is talking about her cat?” I looked at him. Seriously?
“Um, she’s not talking about her cat,” I said pressing the delete button again.
The third woman was promising. She was fifty, a librarian, and liked to cook. “Let’s reply to her,” I suggested.
“She’s not exactly my type,” he sniffed. I cut my eyes at him. “But we should be polite and respond. I agree.”
I typed a bland reply. Within a few minutes she had answered back. She wanted to talk on the phone. Yikes!
Mr. Pyres looked scared. “Should I call her?” he asked.
“Depends on if you want to
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