by I. T. Lucas
The color was a very dark purple, nearly black, the dress was sleeveless and had sheer panels that precluded wearing a bra, but that wasn’t a problem. Her breasts were small and perky enough to get away with it. The dress was sophisticated and daring without being too showy or trashy.
Kevin would be furious if he found out that she’d gotten it at a boutique specializing in used designer attire, but hopefully he wouldn't check the receipts from her purchases.
She just hadn’t had the heart to spend a fortune on a dress for one night. So what if some celebrity had worn it once? It was absolutely gorgeous and had been dry cleaned.
Everything else she’d gotten was new, and the shoes had cost twice as much as the dress. Opening the box, she pulled out the black velvet Louboutins and gazed at the masterpiece of craftsmanship.
“Hello, gorgeous.” She pulled them out, slipped them on her feet, and walked over to the full-length mirror attached to the back of her bedroom door.
Wearing only a pair of skimpy bikini bottoms, a lacy bra, and the shoes, she looked hot if she said so herself, and she couldn’t resist striking a pose and admiring herself in the mirror.
Not bad for a thirty-four-year-old.
It was a shame, though, that she didn’t have anyone to model for. Not in her underwear anyway. The last time anyone had seen her without her clothes on had been over a year ago.
With a sigh, she turned around, lifted the dress off the bed and pulled it on. As evening gowns went, it was very comfortable. The fabric was stretchy, and it molded to her body perfectly.
“Cassy?” Her mother knocked on the door. “Can I come in? I want to see what you got.”
Smiling, Cassandra opened the door. “What do you think?”
Her mother’s hand flew to her chest. “Oh, Cassy, you look so beautiful. I wish your father could see you like that.”
She stifled the urge to roll her eyes.
Cassandra had never met her father and didn’t even know who he was. Her mother’s stories about him changed according to her mood. Sometimes he was a surgeon whom she’d met while recovering from an injury in a hospital. Other times he was an astronaut in training she’d met in a bar, or an ambassador from Ethiopia whom she’d met on the beach, and so on.
Her mother had always lived in a fantasy world, and yet she’d somehow managed to raise Cassandra well and provide her with everything she needed. They had lived in a one-bedroom tiny apartment, but it had been in a good area with decent schools. Cassandra had never felt like she lacked for anything.
Now that she was making excellent money, she’d bought a house and was taking care of her mother.
“Who is he this time, Mom?”
“What do you mean?”
It was pointless to challenge the stories, but sometimes she just couldn’t help it. “Never mind. Aren’t you going to your book club meeting tonight?”
Cassandra doubted that her mother’s outings were always as innocent as book club meetings or bingo night with her girlfriends, especially since she often came home in the early hours of the morning.
She was a beautiful woman, who didn’t look old enough to have a daughter Cassandra’s age, and she was most likely more sexually active than her daughter.
Not that that was difficult to achieve. Cassandra didn’t do hookups, and she’d broken up with her last boyfriend over a year ago. If not for her trusty BOB, she would have turned into a virgin again.
“It’s tomorrow.” Her mother sat on the bed. “Just look at you.” She sighed. “I just wish you were going to the gala with a nice young man instead of your boss.”
“I don’t have time for dating.”
“You work too hard.”
“I work as hard as I have to. Kevin is not paying me a quarter of a million salary for a nine-to-five job.”
Her mother leaned her elbows on her knees and rested her chin on her fist. “I know that you don’t have time to go to clubs or wherever young people go to mingle these days. But what about those dating apps everyone is talking about? You could try those.”
Cassandra had tried a couple, and her mother had known that, but Geraldine’s memory was spotty, especially long-term memory, and she’d probably forgotten.
It was best to ignore it. Her mother got upset when anyone noticed her memory issues or commented on them, and she tried to cover up for the lapses by making up stories.
“I tried, Mom. It was a colossal waste of time. People lie on their profiles, post pictures that are a decade old or Photoshopped, and it was one disappointment after another.”
“Perhaps you are too picky?”
“I’m not going to lower my standards. I’m not looking for a dashing billionaire, but I want a guy to be in reasonably good shape, have a paying job, and be able to hold an intelligent conversation for more than five minutes. I don’t think that makes me picky.”
There were other requirements as well. Like respect and fidelity. Cassandra had met a few players in her life, and she’d dropped them as soon as she’d figured out the pattern. If a guy only wanted to hang out around her place or his, didn’t introduce her to any of his friends or family, and found excuses for not taking her out, it meant that he wasn’t serious and was probably seeing other women at the same time.
The right guy also shouldn’t mind that she still lived with her mother and had no intentions of moving out anytime soon. Or ever. Her mother needed to be taken care of, and she had no one other than Cassandra.
Geraldine had many friends but no relatives, or at least none that Cassandra was aware of. Her mother might have forgotten them.
All they had was each other.
“I just don’t want you to end up alone, Cassy.”
Neither did she, but what were the chances of her finding a man who checked off all her boxes?
Cassandra sat on the bed and wrapped her arm around her mother’s shoulders. “I’m not alone. I have you.”
10
Bowen
“Good morning.” Leon saluted Bowen with his mug. “Coffee?”
“Definitely.” Bowen pulled out a stool and straddled it. “Is Anastasia still sleeping?”
As an immortal, she would need no more than four hours of shuteye, but she was still recuperating from the transition.
“My mate is not an early riser, and I don’t think that’s going to change even when she’s fully transitioned.” Leon handed him a steaming mug. “I wish I could stay in bed with her longer, but waking up at dawn is a habit that I can’t seem to break.” He sat next to him.
“When she recuperates fully, I’m sure she’ll need less sleep.”
Leon smiled. “I hope so. I’m looking forward to early morning walks and other fun activities before our workday starts.”
“You are one lucky bastard.” He took a sip from the piping hot coffee.
“I know.” Leon swiveled the barstool to face him. “But maybe you are too.”
Bowen lifted a brow. “Meaning?”
“Eleanor made an interesting observation. On the face of it, Ana and Margaret have nothing in common. But despite the age difference and their very different backgrounds, they became best friends in no time. Eleanor thinks it might be affinity at work. Margaret might be a Dormant.”
For a brief moment, his heart leaped at the kernel of hope, but then it dropped back down and sank low.
“I wish. But she doesn’t have any paranormal talents. I know that not all Dormants have them, but it would have been helpful to have a big-ass hint like that. Margaret is fragile, and she went through hell before joining Safe Haven. I don’t want to hurt her any more than she’s already been hurt by giving her hope and then taking it away.”
“Do you have feelings for her?”
“I think that’s quite obvious.”
Leon seemed to be mulling over something, but then shook his head and said nothing.
“What do you want to ask?”
“It’s none of my business.” He took a sip of his coffee.
<
br /> “What’s on your mind, Leon? We’ve been friends and partners for a long time. You are like a brother to me, and nothing you can say will offend me.”
“I’ll remind you of that when you swing a punch at me.” He put his mug down and pushed it aside before turning back to face Bowen. “When I met Ana, all I could think about was making her mine. I was fighting it with everything I had, but she obliterated my resistance because she felt the same. I know that you and Margaret like each other, but I don’t sense that overpowering need to get naked together from either of you.”
“She’s recuperating from surgery, and she has a cast on her entire leg. I can’t think of her as a sexual being when she’s hurting and so breakable. And as for Margaret, I think that she doesn’t believe in her own appeal, so she’s afraid of letting herself feel anything other than friendship toward me.”
Seeing that no punch was heading his way, Leon lifted his mug and took another sip. “Unless you try, you won’t know. Don’t let Margaret return to Safe Haven without making sure. She might be your one.”
Bowen shook his head. “How do you propose I do that?”
“Easy. Make love to the woman, just be gentle.”
Bowen winced. “I’m afraid to touch her the wrong way and undo all the progress she’s made. Besides, I know nothing about wooing a woman, romancing her. All I know is how to seduce women for hookups.”
Leon pulled out his phone. “I’m sending you a link.”
Bowen chuckled. “What for? Dating advice?”
“How to make love to a woman whose leg is in a cast.”
“Don’t tell me there is an instructional YouTube about that.”
“It’s an article written by a woman who had surgery on her knee just like Margaret, and how she managed to have sex safely despite the cast. She gives a lot of practical advice.”
Arching a brow, Bowen crossed his arms over his chest. “Did you actually research that?”
“Anastasia did on the way here.”
“Oh, that’s just great. You two had nothing better to do than to plan how to get Margaret and me in bed?”
“Ana is really excited about the possibility of her best friend being a Dormant. She’s already making plans for how the two of them will live in the village and get to hang out together.”
“It still doesn’t solve my problem of how to approach Margaret. I’ve been playing the role of the Good Samaritan. How do I switch to being a romantic interest?”
“You can start by asking her out on a date. Margaret would love that. And then you seduce her. Come on, Bowen, you’re not a kid. I don’t need to explain the birds and the bees to you.”
Bowen groaned. “If she’s a Dormant, I don’t want to induce her transition without her consent, and I can’t ask her consent before I’m sure that she’s the one for me.”
“You said that she’s easy to thrall.”
“So?”
“Use condoms until you are sure of your love for her and her love for you, and then get her consent before going bareback.”
“I don’t have any.”
Smirking, Leon rose to his feet. “Lucky for you, you have a friend who thinks of everything. Ana and I stopped at a Walgreens on the way, and I got you enough condoms to last you a couple of weeks.” He headed for the bedroom he shared with Anastasia. “I’ll get them for you.”
Bowen shook his head. “I don’t know if I should be mad at you or thank you.”
“Thank me. You are definitely going to thank me.”
11
Onegus
Onegus tossed the key to the valet. “Take good care of my baby.”
“I will.” The young guy eagerly sat behind the wheel of Onegus’s borrowed black Porsche and drove away.
Onegus had a room reserved at the hotel, but he still hadn’t decided whether he was going to spend the night there. The drive to the village wasn’t long, and staying in the hotel was more a safety precaution than a convenience. The paparazzi would certainly try to follow him, and some would lurk in the vicinity throughout the night, but there would be fewer of them tomorrow, and losing them would be easier during the day, using Turner’s mall parking lot trick.
Fixing his bow tie, Onegus strode through the front doors and headed straight for the podium. As the official host of the event, he was the first speaker, and therefore had arrived early, but he wasn’t the first one there. About a quarter of the guests were already sitting at the tables, the men in black suits and tuxedos, the ladies in evening gowns and sparkling jewelry.
Waiters in white jackets and black bow ties circled between the tables, taking drink orders and serving hors d’oeuvres.
As people turned to look at him, Onegus flashed them his signature broad smile, waved at those he recognized, and scanned the faces of those he didn’t for potential trouble later on.
So far, it seemed like not many young socialites had made it to the event, but he knew he wouldn’t be that lucky.
“Onegus.” Brandon waved him over. “Meet my very dear friend Mrs. Warbleton.”
“Enchanted.” Onegus leaned and took the matron’s gnarly hand, brushing his lips over the back of it.
“I’m sure.” She flashed him a smile full of pearly white teeth. “I’m looking forward to hearing your speech.” She leaned closer. “I hope it’s not too long.”
“It isn’t. I promise.”
“Good. When you’re done, come back to my table. I want you to meet my granddaughter. She’s a lovely young lady, and she’s single.” The matron winked.
He forced a smile. “It would be my pleasure.”
Great. The evening hadn’t started yet, and he was already getting propositioned.
Well, at least the woman’s granddaughter wasn’t a gold-digger. Mrs. Warbleton was one of the richest women in the country, but not many knew her by her married name, which was how she preferred it.
At the podium, Onegus pulled out his notes and read over them one more time. By now, he had them memorized and could deliver the speech without looking at them, but it never hurt to keep them at the ready.
When he was done, he lifted his eyes to scan the crowd again, glancing at Mrs. Warbleton’s table to see if her granddaughter had arrived. Perhaps if he flirted with the woman, her grandmother would make a larger contribution.
Onegus didn’t like the idea of pimping himself out, but he could stomach a little innocent flirting for a very deserving cause.
The matron’s table was filling up, but none of the guests was a young woman, and he moved his eyes to the next table over.
Now, that was a woman he wouldn’t have minded doing more than flirting with. Tall and willowy, she had a model’s body and posture but not the vacuous stare so many beautiful women wore. She looked regal, confident, and a little bitchy, which he didn’t mind in the least.
A gorgeous woman like her was probably accustomed to fending off overzealous male advances, and the sneering expression was her defense against unwanted attention. She reminded him a little of Rihanna, just minus the curves, and she was taller, towering over the guy she was with. She was all sharp angles, except for her ass. It was small, but perfectly rounded.
The woman was simply spectacular.
The top of her dress had sheer panels, but it wasn’t immodest, just a little daring, her hair and makeup were impeccable, and her jewelry perfectly matched her outfit. She either had an exceptional stylist or great taste.
He recognized the guy she was with, the founder of a cosmetics company that had been growing exponentially over the last several years. He’d attended the gala last year, but Onegus couldn’t remember who his companion had been. It certainly wasn’t the stunning beauty he’d brought this time.
Onegus would have remembered her.
The only reason he remembered the guy was the generous contribution he had made last year, and the name of his company that was a clever play on those books that had been all the rave a decade ago—Fifty Shades of Beauty. The name was easy
to remember, not only because of the books bearing a similar name, but also because of the monthly boxes full of his company’s cosmetics that had been arriving like clockwork at the sanctuary and the halfway house ever since last year’s gala.
Was she his wife? His lover?
She smiled at something the guy had said, and then turned to the woman sitting on her other side and struck up a conversation. It was hard to tell whether the two were romantically involved.
Onegus was staring, and at some point she must have felt his eyes on her and turned, pinning him with her intense dark eyes.
He flashed her one of his practiced charming smiles, but she didn’t smile back. Her eyes lingered on him for a moment longer, and then she turned back to her companion as if Onegus wasn’t worth her time.
Damn, it hurt.
Usually, women undressed him with their eyes and salivated over his good looks, even when they were with someone else.
Onegus wasn’t used to being ignored.
Perhaps she was in love with the cosmetics guy, which would be a damn shame.
12
Cassandra
Wow, talk about a punch to the gut.
Cassandra averted her eyes to sever the sizzling electrical current the guy’s smile had sent straight to her core.
He was seriously gorgeous, but when he smiled, he was devastating.
She leaned toward Kevin. “Who’s the guy on the podium?”
“That’s Onegus McLean. The head of the ‘Save Them’ charity foundation.”
She’d heard about him from Kevin. The elusive billionaire who only showed his face to the public to solicit donations for the charity his international conglomerate had started.
Except, the guy didn’t look like any billionaire she’d ever seen on television or in the news. Elon Musk was handsome, but he had nothing on Onegus McLean. Billionaires who looked like that could only be found on the covers of romance novels.