by Pace, Pepper
“Who is this perspective assistant?”
“Her name is Samantha Hogue. I used to work with her several years ago. She was my office manager.” He placed his hands on the breakfast bar and looked into the distance.
“The first firm that I worked for made a huge mistake when they let her go. Sam was my unit’s office manager but she seemed more than that. I mean, she seemed to know what everyone in the office needed before we had to ask. She remembered each of our clients and had no problems reminding me if I needed to call one or the other. She managed our office affairs just as if she herself was a broker.”
He shook his head and smiled. “In that firm we weren’t just stock brokers but insurance brokers, commodity brokers, mortgage—everything. But Sam knew everyone’s job! She kept contracts and commissions straight. You go to school for risk management but she would correct your strategy with nothing more than knowledge of the markets.”
I listened with interest. “Well the firm decided to cut corners and they phased out the office management position because it supposedly could be done by a receptionist and Supervisor.
His brow moved up in a slight smirk. “But once she was gone no one could seem to get back on track and those two people put together could not do the job that Sam did. It became pretty obvious that she had done more than she was required to do. And with no one to fill in the missing pieces the firm lost clients and money—as well as some of their best workers; I left for a better job.”
I was very intrigued. “Well if she’s that good she probably got a job somewhere else.”
“Not in another high profile firm because she never finished high school. Sam got her office management position without any type of management degree. And she did it by working her way from the bottom up.”
“Oh,” I said in understanding. Back in a time before degrees were needed for a certain positions Sam had evidently proven herself. And by the time she was let go it would have meant starting all over again. That must have been very bitter for her.
“I took a chance that she hadn’t been able to get her foot in the door at another firm and I was right. She’s been working four months out of the year as a tax assistant for one of those quick tax refund companies. When I told her what we were looking for she seemed eager.”
“Paul…she has no idea what we are.” Even though I wanted a human Assistant, I assumed we would select one from our own community, one that already understood what it meant to work for a Vampire.
Before he could respond his nose crinkled and he passed me the warm bottle. “BJ needs her diaper changed.”
“What?” I tried to hand him the bottle back. “You smelled it first ... ”
He grimaced. “I can’t help but smell it first! Honey…you know my stomach-”
I rolled my eyes but suppressed a grin. “Big bad Werewolf can’t stomach a poopy diaper…”
He sputtered, “I’m trying to get my stomach to deal with it … ”
I lifted her from her swing and carried her upstairs where I freshened her up, got her fed and then put to bed for a few hours—with any luck. During that time I heard the doorbell and knew that our guest had arrived. I wish I’d had the time to ask Paul more questions. Working for me was not the safest thing in the world. I didn’t want my Vampire needs disrupting her family or causing them to become suspicious of me. There was just so much to consider when bringing a human over into our world.
I took a moment to lean my head against the doorjamb. Damn I was tired. Now I wished that I’d taken the time to sleep. Of course it would have been hard to get me up and aware in time for this interview. No, we needed to make this happen with no more delays.
With a sigh I went downstairs to meet my perspective new Assistant.
~***~
Paul was in the entranceway chatting with an older woman. When he saw me at the top of the stairwell his smile broadened.
“Ah, here she is. Honey, this is Samantha Hogue.”
The woman turned to me with a pleasant smile on her face. It didn’t waiver or look forced and her expression didn’t appear surprised that Paul was married to an African American woman. Point in her favor. If she became freaked out by an interracial relationship than working for a dead person and a Werewolf would be tough.
“Hello,” she greeted me. “It’s nice to meet you.” Samantha appeared to be in her late forties or early fifties. Her eyes were a clear blue-gray and her salt and pepper hair was cut into a short style. The fact that it wasn’t dyed didn’t cause her to look older. In fact, she was very pleasant in appearance. She wore a simple black skirt, low heels and a white blouse beneath an unbuttoned cardigan.
I reached out and shook her hand. “It’s my pleasure. Paul has said some very nice things about you.” Her handshake was firm. She was a big woman, tall and broad but it didn’t diminish her kind look, it only served to emphasize that she would not easily be tackled in a game of touch football.
“Come inside. Would you like a refreshment?”
“How about a cup of tea? Do you still drink that instead of coffee?” Paul asked.
“Religiously!” She laughed. Paul and I exchanged careful looks before he led the way to the kitchen.
“Sam, I’m happy that you agreed to be interviewed for this position.”
“Well, I’ll admit to being surprised when I received your call. Oh my goodness!” she exclaimed when she saw the kitchen. “What a beautiful house you have. How long have you two been married?”
She directed the question at me instead of leaving me out of the conversation. “A year-“
“Two years-”
Paul and I both answered simultaneously. His face colored and I stumbled to explain when Sam’s face clouded in confusion.
“Paul is right, we’ve been married two years but…circumstance required that we separate for one of those years.” I gave him a meaningful look. “We’ve been living together for the last year.”
Though she couldn’t possibly understand she nodded in acceptance and took a seat at the breakfast bar instead of at the table. I was starting to like her. I joined her while Paul filled the teapot with water and set it on the stove to heat.
“Paul says you two have a daughter, three months old—adopted at birth.”
I nodded. “Julie. It’s the biggest reason that I need an Assistant. A three month old does not follow anyone’s schedule but her own.”
Sam smiled but seemed to watch me closely. Most probably wouldn’t have noticed but I wasn’t most. “They have wonderful Au Pairs for children. They live right in the house with you-”
“No one’s raising my daughter but me,” I said adamantly.
“Uh…and me,” Paul added. “We may never have any other children … ” he spoke seriously. “We want to enjoy this experience completely.”
Sam’s smile had never waivered but I could see that it had returned to it’s previous warmth. Somehow I thought that we were being interviewed as well.
“I’ve never had any children of my own. Unlike you two, I made the mistake of focusing on career instead of family,” she shrugged good-naturedly. “And now I have neither.”
I hadn’t even given her a suggestion and she was very forthcoming. “Paul told me about the mistake your previous employer made by letting you go. He said that no one understood how to manage the office and the Firm suffered because of it.”
She nodded and placed her hand on the granite counter. “And yet they didn’t offer me my job back. They made it impossible for me to bid for a higher position because they all required college degrees. And the ones that I was technically qualified for were back at the bottom where I had started. They didn’t care that I had the specialized knowledge—only that I didn’t have the degree.” As she recounted the story with a sense of sadness and loss I didn’t hear bitterness in her words. “They did send the receptionist to my house to ask why the timekeeping program didn’t work. And I explained that I had no idea because I did the timekeeping in my hea
d.”
I smiled when I saw the glint of pleasure in her face.
Paul came over with two mugs; one for him and one for her. “Serves them right. But I wasn’t thinking that back when they kept messing up my commissions!” He poured simmering water into the mugs over teabags that immediately floated to the top.
“Paul where is Kim’s mug? You don’t enjoy tea, dear?”
I shook my head. “I’m not much of a tea drinker.” I noticed that she appeared to distrust that and I suppressed a smile.
“What do you do, Kim? Not for refreshments,” she chuckled. “For a living?”
I suppose it was the witching hour, time to mesmerize her. I stared deeply into her eyes noting that one was blue while the other was a more prominent shade of gray.
“Sam, I need an Assistant to help me with my personal as well as my professional affairs.” I willed her to listen, to be honest and later—if needed, I would will her to forget. Paul watched quietly from the other side of the breakfast bar.
“Sam, I need to ask you some questions first and then I will give you more details about the position, ok?”
“Yes, that’s fine,” she responded easily. She took well to the suggestions. I could see the glazed look that had developed in her eyes but she continued to remain relaxed and pleasant.
I found out that she had no husband, no children and to Paul’s chagrin, she offered that she hadn’t had a boyfriend in eight years but had engaged in a one-night stand on her forty-fifth birthday.
“Tell her to forget she told us that,” he whispered. And I did.
I asked her about her religious beliefs. Regardless of how human I acted, a person who had deep rooted religious beliefs would face an impossible conflict by being a blood donor to a Vampire. And in order for me to work with Sam I would need to take her blood. It would keep us connected but it would also keep her healthy and prolong her lifespan.
She scowled. “Why do people care about other people’s religion? I believe in God but I’m not religious. I think I’m more on the spiritual side. Which means that while I love God I also respect the belief system—or lack thereof, of others!” She was getting fired up but I allowed her to continue. “Why is it so hard for some people not to judge others? All the -isms out there sicken me.”
Paul and I glanced at each other in confusion.
Noting our confusion she continued. “Racism, sexism, age-ism! People say they are open minded, free thinking, liberal, non-judgmental; but consider this--I don't even judge the people that judge me. And that is an even harder concept for some to grasp. It took me a long time to get to this phase of my life where I can honestly say that someone else' opinion of my spiritualism doesn't phase me, change me, mold me, hurt me or influence me!”
Whoa! Did she just rock her head like a sista? Oh I wanted her! I wanted her with such desire that it felt nearly predatory. Suddenly the cramping hunger slashed through me. Call it lack of sleep or just relief that I’d found someone that I could connect to, but my eyes zeroed in on the strong pulse in her neck.
I needed to taste her, to make her mine. I stood and glided to her.
“Kim!” Paul said firmly and reached to stop me. But he was too far away and she was much too close to me. My lips met her neck before she had an opportunity to even be alarmed at what I was doing.
Instantly, a sharp burning pain against my lip and chin blew me back about three feet where I landed on my ass!
I was dazed but at least the blast of pain had shaken me from that overwhelming desire to feed from her. Paul was at my side in less than a split second.
“What the-?” he looked back at Sam who was rubbing her neck and coming out of the trance that I’d put her in.
Fuck! I’d fucked up royally. I covered my burning chin and yelped in pain at the contact.
Paul moved my hand anxiously and examined my injury. He got up and went to Sam and without speaking he gently moved the collar of her blouse to reveal a sterling silver crucifix nestled above her cleavage.
I grimaced and looked away. No, looking at silver didn’t affect Vampires—it affected me. I couldn’t stomach the sight of it after my punishment…
“Are you okay, Sam?” Paul asked with concern as she continued to rub her neck.
“I…I think so.” She looked at him in confusion. “What just happened?”
Paul swallowed slowly but I answered instead. I placed her back under my power but didn’t try to give her any suggestions. I had been taught long ago that this is the time to be most honest. A human had to make the decision honestly and with no pressure or it could result in loss of their sanity.
“The reason your silver necklace burned me is because I’m a Vampire.”
She didn’t respond and I remembered when I had first told Paul about my condition. He had said, ‘Okay…but Kim, I don’t believe in Vampires.’ The memory of it brought a smile to my face.
I got to my feet and Paul gave me a measured look. “I’m okay.” I shook my head. “I have control over it.”
Did I just try to blood rape her? I’d never done anything like that before and I was immediately ashamed by my actions.
I sat down in the bar stool next to Sam making my movements intentionally slow so as not to alarm her. She watched me but at least she didn’t try to run away. I didn’t sense any fear yet…that would probably come later. It wasn’t difficult for me to read the expression on her face, without even using any Vampire abilities; Overwhelming confusion.
I had never had to convince anyone to be with me before…usually it was the opposite. Paul had been the first human that I had needed to convince to be my donor, which was fairly simple since his price was physical attraction. Sam’s price was much different…hers was a desire to be needed. My job was to convince her that she would be invaluable to me.
Sam looked at Paul. “And you?”
He shook his head. “No. I’m something…different.” He busied himself with refreshing her mug of tea.
“Is it more strange than what I just heard?” She prompted.
He poured simmering water into her mug. “When Kim told you that we were apart for a year—well that was because I was searching for something powerful. Something that I could use to protect her.”
“So when we worked together you weren’t this…powerful…thing?”
He passed her the sugar, which she ignored. “No,” he looked directly into her eyes and explained about searching continents upon continents and legend after legend—so many wild goose chases for something that could give him super abilities. And then he found the Lycans in Poland who changed him.
Her haze was unwavering. “How did they turn you?”
“With bites.”
And then her eyes moved to the visible scars on the back of his hands—scars that she had already undoubtedly noticed. She turned her gaze back to me and again I got the distinct impression that we were no longer holding the interview; she was.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” I asked. Sam touched her neck in a distracted way while she watched me. The skin there was a bit red in the spot where my chin had made contact with the silver. Thankfully it hadn’t burned her.
She dismissed my concern with a slight shake of her head. “It doesn’t hurt. I’ll be fine but what about you? May I see your chin?”
I didn’t want her to see it…but this was the first step to complete honesty so I lowered my hand with a slight grimace. It still hurt. It was the nature of silver towards the Neratomay. Silver was like an acid. It took a while to stop actually burning even when the silver was no longer in direct contact with Neratomay flesh. Accidental contact with silver maimed countless Vampires each year. It took mere moments to lose a limb to the deadly metal, however a limb lost to silver would eventually regenerate. I was proof of that.
Sam reached up and touched the puffy area around the burn.
“It’s hot to the touch! Paul, bring a cool cloth,” She commanded. “Kim, you didn’t touched that necklace but a fra
ction of a second, and it burned clean through to the muscle. Is this going to leave a scar?”
Her touch hurt but I sat there and bore it. “Maybe, I don’t know.” I’d healed some of my other scars from the silver curtain, but after a year I was still horribly scarred. And then Alexis had taken the rest of them upon himself. After he’d taken them I had been left with flawless baby fresh skin. That would have never happened had it not been for the power of Alexis.
Paul handed Sam a damp, clean dishtowel filled with crushed ice and she placed it gently on the wound. Paul and I exchanged glances. This was a good sign…although generally Vampires preferred to go somewhere alone to lick their wounds.
“How does that feel?” She asked as she dabbed the cloth gently on the burn.
“Better,” I said honestly. “Thank you.”
“Hmmm. Now just so that I’m sure; as a Vampire…” Sam blinked rapidly at having to even say the word. “… you drink blood?”
I nodded. “Yes. Everyday … more then once at times.”
“And…are you the … undead?”
Paul and I exchanged glances.
“Be completely honest with her … ” Paul urged silently.
“I know.” After a moment I nodded. “I died about two years ago. I was in an auto accident. A friend and I had gone out dancing and a strange man approached me. He…mesmerized me so that I would accept his bite, then while he was driving me home we were involved in a bad accident. He took me to my home while I was dying in his arms. That night he turned me—changed me into a Vampire to prevent my total death. Afterwards I didn’t know what had happened to me. And for him to turn me was a violation of Vampire law, punishable by death. So after turning me he fled. I was left to figure this out by myself.” I sighed, not enjoying having to relive this story.
“Soon it was obvious that I had strange new abilities, greater strength, better eyesight, hearing—I was faster. And I kept getting sick when I tried eating…even though I kept feeling as if I was starving to death.