They were interrupted by a discreet cough, a man holding a tumbler of brandy coming to a stop next to Alexis’s chair. “Ladies, I trust you’re enjoying yourselves?”
Murmurs of assent and a few pithy greetings were exchanged. Alexis was not amused by the interruption.
“Darling, do you know anything about our new guest, Tiffany ... What did you say her last name was?”
“Winters,” Cassandra supplied. Vera growled softly, but didn’t say anything once she caught Cassandra’s warning look.
“Tiffany Winters. We’re discussing bringing her into the pack.”
Everyone ignored Vera’s scowl.
“Oh, I don’t know. Maxwell usually handles the background checks. I think he’s by the barbeque, why don’t you ask him?” said Samuel.
“Honey,” Alexis whined, “we want to know now, not next week. Can’t you ask him? Or see if Gabriel will okay us issuing a contract? We don’t want to miss out on this one.”
His dark brown eyes rolled heavenward, muttering something unheard. She reached up to adjust the lapel of her husband’s Dolce & Gabbana jacket, frowning at a crease in the otherwise sleek lines. He waved her off before inclining his head in deference to Cassandra at her pointed look.
“All right, ladies, I’ll check with Gabriel. Give me a few minutes.”
“You’re a peach!” Heather favored him with a brilliant smile that he was quick to return. Alexis turned that formidable frown on her, but it was blithely ignored. Cassandra’s attention sharply turned on Vera when she hissed something unpleasant under her breath and shoved her chair back, stalking into the house.
“Trouble brewing,” Alexis murmured. Heather and Cassandra said nothing, their eyes briefly glittering with a touch of luminescence as they locked on Vera’s retreating form.
“I know what you’re up to.”
Tiffany, who was laughing softly at something one of Todd’s companions said, quieted and turned to face Vera. Brows arched on high and painted mouth puckered in a moue of surprise, she batted her lashes and pressed a hand to her chest. “Excuse me?”
“I know what you’re up to,” Vera repeated, her teeth showing in a shark-like grin, “and don’t play the innocent. It’s so tacky.”
Tiffany stared at Vera, her cheeks flushing. Todd and his friends—as well as a few of the other guests nearby who had “overheard” the conversation—were staring at Vera as though she’d grown another head. With a hasty “excuse us,” Tiffany gestured sharply for Vera to follow her as she spun away from the group, seeking privacy. Speculative, disapproving whispers trailed in their wake, growing louder as they left the room.
Before long they found privacy in the form of a study, bookshelves lining one wall and a set of oxblood chairs placed around a low table and desk. It was all Tiffany could do to keep from slamming the door behind them once Vera marched in, right on her heels.
“What is your problem?” Tiffany snapped, eyes flashing as she gestured back the way they had come. “I was in the middle of a very important business deal! Couldn’t you have waited until I closed him before interrupting to bitch at me?”
It was Vera’s turn to flush, though she wasn’t dissuaded. With difficulty, she drew in a few calming breaths, settling her nerves so her eyes wouldn’t glow with her increasing anger.
“You,” she enunciated carefully around growing fangs, “don’t belong here. You’re not part of this community, and I can smell the trouble following you. You should go back to wherever you came from and leave us alone.”
Tiffany sniffed indignantly. “Vera, I don’t know where you got these crazy notions about me, but I’m not here to cause trouble for anyone. All you’re accomplishing right now is embarrassing yourself.”
“I don’t care what the others say. You’re up to something. I’m going to find out what.”
Tiffany met her gaze, her jaw set and fists clenching at her sides. Her nostrils flared as she tilted her head up, causing her carefully maintained coiffure to shift, blond strands slithering over her shoulders and hissing softly against the silken fabric. Her voice took on the same whispery tones—soft, dangerous, and deadly.
“You might want to watch yourself, Vera. Dig too deep and you won’t like what you find.”
Vera watched her go, the door clicking quietly shut behind her as the sound of her Prada heels clacking against the marble floors faded into the hum of the party.
CHAPTER 5
Money is your servant—do not let it be your master.
—An American Proverb
The women were not surprised to see Tiffany paused on the threshold of the patio, searching the fire pits and tables for her friends. The people outside turned to watch as she passed, their eyes flashing brilliant hues of green or gold as her scent—heavy with the reek of agitation even through the cloud of citronella—caught their interest. Once they noted where she was headed, many returned to their conversations or to picking at the hors d’oeuvres, but several continued to watch her with veiled interest as she paused behind the seat Vera had earlier vacated.
“Ladies. Sorry I took so long to join you.”
Tiffany’s tone was light, but her white-knuckled grip on the back of the latticework iron chair bespoke her irritation. Heather, who had been nervously nibbling her bottom lip, leaned forward and put her hand lightly on Tiffany’s arm.
“Are you okay? Vera didn’t find you, did she?”
“She did,” she replied, her smile cold and humorless, “but don’t worry. We came to an understanding of sorts.”
The others were clearly interested in hearing about it, but too polite to push—beyond more than overly curious, questioning expressions—and Tiffany was not budging in her silence on the topic. After a wordless conversation composed of nothing but significant looks, raised brows, and slight twitches of lips shared between Cassandra and Tiffany, they came to an understanding.
‘Don’t ask. You won’t like the answer.’
‘Come on, you know you want to tell us what happened.’
‘It’s none of your damned business.’
‘You know she’ll give us the details when you’re not around anyway. You might as well tell us your side of it now.’
‘It’s my story to tell or not. Don’t push me.’
‘Are you sure? It might not be wise to keep so much to yourself. ’
‘Drop it.’
Eventually, Cassandra broke eye contact, feigning a sudden and intense interest in her drink. Gradually, Tiffany’s grip on the back of the chair loosened, and she gestured at the partygoers mingling and chatting nearby.
“There are a lot of people here I don’t recognize. Heather, I don’t suppose you’d be a love and introduce me, would you?”
“Of course she will,” Cassandra said. “We’ll all join you. There are a few people I’d like for you to meet, too.”
Heather shot a helpless look at Cassandra, and then pushed her chair back with a harsh scrape over the patterned brick. Alexis smirked, but didn’t utter a word, setting her drink aside so she could smooth out her skirt and brush her hair back over her shoulder.
Cassandra hooked her arm through Tiffany’s and paraded her through the gathered throngs in the gardens and around the fire pits as if she were a show pony. She breezed through introductions, highlighting a few interesting tidbits and assets—both of Tiffany and of the people she was meeting—before pushing her along to the next group. Once she was introduced to a few of the young men Cassandra called “terminally single,” Tiffany’s mood lightened considerably, as she batted her lashes and flashed dazzling smiles at the more attractive of the bunch.
Several of them returned her obvious interest in kind with heated looks and a choice turn of phrase, but she expertly maneuvered through their flirtations without insulting or abandoning her hosts.
“I do believe Travis has taken a shine to you,” Alexis remarked as they paused in their rounds for drinks and to nibble a few hors d’oeuvres. “He’s still watching us
. Look.”
Tiffany giggled, a cute, girlish sound that drew more curious eyes their way. “Oh stop. I was just playing with the boy. He’s too young for me, I think.”
“No harm in having a bit of fun with him, though,” Heather said.
Cassandra chuckled at the exchange before popping a slice of strawberry in her mouth, and then urging the girls to continue their rounds.
They gradually worked their way deeper into the garden toward those who were clearly more familiar with the house and each other, and were more interested in talking business than showing themselves off as the people inside were doing. There were not many women this far from the lights and tiki torches, and much of the talk was hushed, muted by distance or burbling fountains. Some—but not all—were older, and all of them radiated strength and vitality that was lacking in those who stayed closer to the house. Cassandra made the effort to introduce Tiffany to each person, and her introductions became more formal and elaborate.
Lastly, they joined Cassandra’s husband, Gabriel, who was speaking to Alexis’s husband and a trio of older gentlemen. Cassandra drew Tiffany in front of her, settling her hands familiarly on the girl’s shoulders, earning speculative looks from the men.
“Darling, this is Tiffany Winters, that charming woman I’ve been telling you so much about. Tiffany, this is my husband, Gabriel Sachs. I’ve been meaning to introduce you two all night.”
Gabriel cut a fine figure in his fitted slacks and a button-down shirt that put the tailors of Savile Row to shame. He had the tanned skin and sun-bleached hair of a man who spent a great deal of his time outdoors, and proved that he wasn’t afraid of hard work by his rough, calloused hand, which closed gently around Tiffany’s. He inclined his head, gaze sliding to Cassandra before returning to the new girl.
“A pleasure, Tiffany. I’ve heard so much about you.” He smiled as her cheeks colored in a blush, and extended his hand to each of his companions, introducing them in turn. “Might I introduce Arthur Norris, Basil Thornwood, Phillip Edgington, and Dr. Greene?”
A quick round of welcoming words, handshakes, and head nods set Tiffany at ease. More so when one of them asked who her husband was, noting the ring she had not yet removed. It was enough to make her laugh, holding her hand up so the gem could catch the light.
“Don’t let this fool you. I’m only wearing it as a reminder.”
“I can’t imagine what a woman as lovely as you is doing here alone. If only I were a few years younger, so I could catch your eye as those young bucks by the house do,” lamented Phillip, a silver-haired gentleman. He caught and held her upraised hand so that he could bow over it, his thumb lightly stroking her knuckles. Tiffany demurely lowered her eyes, while the other ladies were busy rolling theirs. “Do feel free to call on me, charming thing that you are. I’d delight in your company.”
“That’s very kind of you, Phillip. I’ll be sure to look you up.”
Gabriel cleared his throat. “Right, then. Well, we do need to get back to business here... .”
Cassandra’s eyes narrowed, but she nodded, and the other girls followed her lead as she backed away. “We’ll talk more later.”
Gabriel didn’t answer, his gaze locked on Tiffany as he spoke in low tones to his companions.
Heather and Alexis were quite pleased, speaking with carefully reined enthusiasm. Cassandra was silent, brooding, and Tiffany gave no hint as to her feelings about her introductions beyond a sly curve to her lips.
“Well, this has been rather enlightening,” Tiffany said.
“I hope the whirlwind introductions didn’t leave you dizzy,” said a man waiting in the shadows of a nearby cherry tree. His teeth gleamed, a slash of pearl in the dark as he smiled, before he stepped forward to offer his arm to Tiffany. He inclined his head to the other girls, who were unamused by his theatrics. “I beg your pardon, ladies. I hope you don’t mind if I steal Tiffany away for myself for a while.”
“Not at all, Travis,” drawled Heather. “I’m sure you two will have fun.”
Tiffany feigned a blush and smiled up at Travis, taking his offered arm. Cassandra shook her head and the three werewives drifted off as Travis led Tiffany back toward the house.
“That’s not going to end well,” Alexis mused.
“For who? Him or her?”
“Both,” Alexis said, gesturing for the girls to walk with her toward the woods at the edge of the property instead of back toward the mansion. “I foresee her eating him alive and spitting him out. He’ll moan to the other males about what a frigid bitch she is. Then, in a few days, she’ll seduce another one of them and start the cycle over again.”
Heather nearly choked on the drink she was sipping, a touch of laughter in her whispered words. “Keep it down, someone will overhear. What makes you say that? You barely know her.”
“Maybe. I’ve known enough like her to see the signs. She’ll keep working her way up the social ladder until someone takes her in hand.”
Cassandra frowned. “If that’s really the case, we need to contract her—and do it before she pushes one of the boys too far.”
“Gabriel didn’t seem very interested. He might not let us do it,” Heather said.
“I know. I’ll talk to him about it after he gets home. I need to clear my head so I can think. You ladies want to go for a run?”
Heather glanced back toward the house, frowning. “I’d like to, but I’m Tiffany’s ride.”
“She’ll make it home fine, I’m sure,” Alexis said. Heather gave her a scathing, offended look before collapsing into giggles as Alexis added a leer and suggestive waggle of her brows to go with it. “Come on. The party is winding down anyway. Let’s go have some fun.”
Together the ladies drifted into the woods, pausing only to remove their shoes. Once they had their heels in hand, they did not stop until they reached a small clearing far from the lights and prying eyes at the party. Alexis cursed when her silk skirt caught on a thorn and tore, yanking the delicate material free so hard that she widened the rip. Heather smothered a laugh, while Cassandra busied herself with removing her blouse.
“There goes fifteen hundred dollars.” Alexis sighed, tugging the offending material off and hanging it on a low-hanging branch.
Vera silently drifted out of the shadows, her eyes aglow and her feet bare, Jimmy Choos dangling from one hand. She took in the scene, the curl in her lip lessening when she noted Tiffany’s absence.
“I take it Gabriel said no?”
Heather, busy removing her own clothing, huffed impatiently. “Darling, I don’t know why you’re so dead set against her. Even if you’re suspicious of her, it wouldn’t kill you to be polite.”
“I’m rich. I don’t have to be nice.”
Heather frowned at her. “It certainly wouldn’t hurt for you to try once in a while. Besides, Gabriel hasn’t given his answer yet. Cassie will convince him tonight.”
“With a little lip action, I’m sure,” Alexis muttered. Cassandra shot her a glare that she pretended she hadn’t seen. “Give the man some deep throat and he’s yours.”
Heather and Vera broke out in laughter while Cassandra swiped nails arched into talons at Alexis, who danced out of the way just in time. Grinning, she shimmied out of her skirt and top a safe distance away as Cassandra growled and huffed, tugging off her own clothes and folding them into a neat pile.
“I’ll get you for that!”
“Got to catch me first!”
Alexis laughingly dashed off into the dark, her body changing as she ran. Her skin grew darker in tone, limbs stretching, bones and tendons cracking as the shift brought out her inner beast. Without losing a single stride, she was soon running on four legs rather than two, the gray-coated timber wolf racing deep into the forest.
Vera, who had already shed her clothing and jewelry in preparation for a shift, set the bundle of her belongings aside and joined her. Her coat as a wolf was as dark as her deep auburn hair, a rusty reddish brown that easily blended wi
th the forest. Cassandra raced to catch up, ghosting between the trees as a pale gray shadow, seen only briefly as she flashed through patches of moonlight that filtered through the canopy of foliage. Heather was the last to shift, a mousy brown color, smaller than the others, but much faster. She soon caught up, and they were away, a silent pack running together and enjoying the freedom of the night.
Tiffany stepped out from between the trees, tucking a video camera back into her purse before she toed the clothing the girls had left behind.
CHAPTER 6
I don’t need a man in my life.
—Enya
Afew days after the party, the ladies made plans to meet again. Cassandra had been attempting to corner Gabriel long enough to speak to him about Tiffany, but he was too tied up in both his company and his pack’s business to discuss it. She’d put off getting together as long as she could; Tiffany had started questioning Heather about whether she’d upset Cassandra.
As they didn’t want to have her snatched up by another pack or to take the lack of time spent together as a slight, Cassandra was bound and determined to make this their last social call before she put a contract in front of Tiffany.
By way of apology, Cassandra had offered to pick up the tab for dinner at a new restaurant that had just opened a few blocks from Times Square, some fanciful place with a theme of diamonds and crystals. It was all the rage, garnering rave reviews in the local papers and an excellent ZAGAT rating. Anybody who was anybody had been spotted there. It was, rather inevitably, called Star Dust.
Tiffany had gladly accepted, and the women met outside the restaurant, decked out in shining Gucci as only it had the requisite number of rhinestones to match their need to outshine the restaurant’s décor.
“Good to see you all again,” Tiffany said. She smiled at Alexis and Cassandra when they joined her at the fringes of the line waiting to get in. Her expression quickly turned neutral when she saw Vera bringing up the rear, trailing a few yards behind the others.
A Vampire Bundle: The Real Werewives of Vampire County, When Darkness Comes, Real Vamps Don't Drink O-Neg, & Hunted by the Others Page 29