A few mouthfuls of the pungent chicken and Gwen felt more like herself. She and Bree went over the rest of the plans. Score another one for Affairs to Remember. Even with such a short time to prepare, they had pulled it off as she knew they would. At least from her end, the grand opening should go off without a hitch, but there was no accounting for any surprises during the evening. Gwen wondered how many people knew that the new club was owned and run by vampires. Sebastian hadn’t told her that it was, but if the two of them existed, she was sure they weren’t the only ones.
Once Gwen got back to her office, she called the caterer and confirmed the hors d’ oeuvres for seventy-five. Gwen then called over and left a voice mail for Sebastian, letting him know the pending head count. Now all she needed was to figure out what she was going to wear and how to deal with two horny vampires.
Chapter 15
Gwen parked her Mustang in the restaurant parking lot. Roger’s car was already in there. She was surprised that he hadn’t called at least one more time that afternoon to make sure she wasn’t going to cancel. He’d definitely been different these last couple of months. Something was going on. She wondered if he’d tell her this evening.
She really wished she was at home with a pint of Häagen-Dazs mint-chocolate-chip ice cream. Instead, she took a deep breath and walked through the front door of La Fiesta Kitchen. Roger was sitting at their usual table.
He stood up as she approached, always the gentleman. Too bad they got along better as friends than they ever did as husband and wife. He brushed his lips across her cheek and pulled out her chair.
“Thanks, Roger.”
“You’re welcome, sweetie. How are things? You look tired.”
“The opening is Friday, and I’ve been putting in a lot of time to make sure it is the most amazing event this town has ever seen.”
“Yes, I know how you are, Madame Workaholic.”
“Geesh, between you and Bree, you’ll have me packed off on vacation.”
“Maybe you should think about one. You haven’t taken any time off since you started the business.”
“Because I’m building the business, and I need to be here to make sure it happens. Besides, all my money is staying in Affairs to Remember for now.”
“Relax. I’m just worried about you. I’m not trying to start an argument.”
“Fine. I’m sorry. I am on edge, and I shouldn’t be taking it out on you.”
“It’s okay, sweetie. I understand, and you know I’m always here for you.”
“Yes, I know. But we are not married anymore. You don’t need to protect me.”
Roger shrugged and reached for Gwen’s hand across the table. “But you’ll always be mine in my heart.”
Gwen sighed. It would always be like this with Roger unless she moved away or remarried, or maybe both. He had been a way out of her mother’s house. Marrying him had been a big mistake, one that took ten years of her life to rectify.
“Roger, c’mon. We’ve been over this so many times. We are friends. You are not my protector.”
“Whatever, Gwen.”
She was saved by the bell, or, rather, waitress, who took their order. They ordered margaritas straight up with salt and guacamole and chips for an appetizer and the number four special for dinner. This had been their favorite restaurant. If their usual waitress had been here they wouldn’t have had to order at all. The food would have just materialized on the table. I guess we truly are creatures of habit.
Gwen knew Roger had something on his mind. When he was like this it was hard to dissuade him. Besides Bree he was her best friend. But if he wanted to talk about the vampires at Eternity, he was going to strike out tonight. She knew that he would freak out totally or think she had lost her mind. I’ll just have to keep them out of the conversation. That’s all. Yeah right, who am I kidding?
“Gwen…”
Gwen blinked her eyes and realized she had been staring right at the subject of her musings but hadn’t heard a word he’d said. “Um…yes?”
“Where were you just now?”
“I’m just thinking about the opening. It’s going to be a big deal in this town, and it could make or break my company.”
“True, you won’t let one T go uncrossed.”
Gwen smiled, the first and last for the evening, probably. “Gee, thanks.”
“You know it’s true.”
“Yeah, I know.” She nodded and reached for a chip then dipped it into the hot salsa. “Mmmm…they definitely make the best salsa ever.”
Roger laughed. “Yes, they do. Nice subject change.”
Gwen winked at him. “You noticed?” Of course he did. He noticed everything. He was equally observant and totally oblivious to the most important things. But she loved him, just wasn’t in love with him. Actually, if she was truthful with herself, she would have to admit she was more than half in love with the vampires, and that was the whole problem.
“I have to admit I can’t wait to see what you have planned for Friday.”
“I’m hoping everyone will be impressed.”
“I’m sure they will. So tell me about the guys that own the place.”
“There isn’t much to tell.” Even as the words left her mouth she knew she was in trouble. She could not lie if her life depended on it. The heat slowly spread up her neck and onto her cheeks until they were a lovely shade of pink.
“So how come you’re blushing then?”
“It’s nothing. They are my clients, okay, gorgeous ones, but just clients.”
“And that’s it?” He looked dubious, but she was determined not to give him any more information.
“Yep, that’s it.” She thanked the goddess she wasn’t Pinocchio because her nose would have been halfway across the restaurant.
“Well, I drove by the club last evening, and I saw your car parked outside around midnight. I didn’t think you had business meetings that lasted so late.”
Gwen dipped another chip while she tried to come up with a viable explanation. She figured she’d stick as close to the truth as possible. “Well, they were giving me a tour of the place when Sebastian got ill.”
“So you were taking care of him?”
“No, don’t be ridiculous. I left and was most of the way home when they called to ask me to come back and finish the tour. Then we had some wine and finished up the plans.”
“Okay,” Roger said, but he sounded far from convinced.
“Honestly, Roger, I don’t owe you any explanations.”
“I know. I’m sorry, but dammit, I worry about you, Gwen.”
She reached for his hand and gave it a squeeze. “It’ll be okay, Roger, really, I’m fine.”
Before he had a chance to answer, the server was back with their dinners. She placed the scalding hot plates in front of them and reminded them to be careful. After making sure they had everything they needed, she left them to their meal.
“It smells delicious. This was a good idea.”
“I figured you could use some time away from the office.”
“You were right. I really did need to get away for a bit.”
They dug into their dinners. The homemade salsa smothered the spicy shredded beef enchiladas, refried beans, rice, and chili relleno. It was always too much food, but Gwen could never pass it up. Her mouth watered just looking at the menu.
Gwen was savoring her enchilada when Roger dropped what amounted to a bomb.
“I’ve been hearing some weird things about those two, you know?”
She choked, the food turning to sawdust on her tongue. She took a large swallow of water so she could stop coughing. “What do you mean?”
“Just some weird stuff. Have you noticed anything?”
“No, but it might help if you tell me what the ‘weird stuff’ is?”
“You’ll think I’m crazy.”
“Roger, you’ve told me plenty of crazy things in the past. Just spit it out.”
She watched him take another bite o
f his dinner. Probably trying to figure out how to tell me without me freaking out. Gwen pushed her plate away. All of a sudden, her dinner didn’t have the same appeal it had earlier.
“C’mon, Roger.”
“Fine. I heard some rumors that they are vampires.”
“What?” Gwen’s voice squeaked. “You are crazy. Vampires?”
“I knew you’d say that. But why can’t they exist?”
“Because it’s ridiculous.”
“Why?” Roger leaned back and crossed his arms. That was always an indication that he was not going to give in easily.
“Okay, fine. For argument’s sake, say they do exist. Why them? And who in their right mind would even say something like that?”
Roger looked kind of embarrassed. “I got an anonymous e-mail.”
“You’re kidding me, right? And you believe this?”
“Well, yeah. They show up in town. Six weeks later, they have won over the entire town. They are opening a club no one knows anything about, and yet the zoning board approved it.”
“So, I’m sure this isn’t the first time something like this has happened.”
“Maybe not, but you have to admit it’s pretty damn strange.”
“Did you ever think that maybe someone was doing this just to get free publicity for the club? That if it got around everyone would want to go to ‘check out the vampires’?”
“Well, no, not exactly.”
“Maybe you should. So who else did you tell this to?”
“Only you. I have a reputation to maintain, too. I don’t need to lose my clients because they think I’m crazy.”
“Well, thank goodness for small favors.”
Roger pushed his plate away and gave her an odd look.
“What’s wrong, Roger?”
“Well, I think you are protesting a little too much about all of this.”
“Huh?”
“You won’t tell me about them, and you’ve been acting strange lately. I don’t know. I think something is really up.”
“What do I have to do to convince you that everything is fine? I’m just very busy. Nothing is going on.”
“Gwen. C’mon, I know you better than this. I’m not buying it.”
Gwen sighed. “What do you want me to tell you? That I’m having mad passionate sex with two vampires?” Gwen couldn’t help herself, she giggled, because that was exactly what had happened.
“Geesh, Gwen, you are crazy.”
“Maybe I am.”
Roger shrugged his shoulders. “Can we please discuss this rationally?”
“Wait, you want to discuss the fact that you think they are vampires. That is rational?”
“Well, yes.”
“Roger, I don’t know what to say.”
“Tell me you’ll be careful. That you won’t let them hurt you.”
“I won’t let them hurt me, okay. Is that good enough?”
“No, it’s not, because I don’t believe you.”
“What the hell do you want from me, Roger?” Gwen knew she had raised her voice since people at the other tables were starting to give them strange looks. “I don’t know what to tell you. Vampires don’t exist.”
“Yes, Gwen, they do. I know they do.”
“How, how do you know they do? Because you received an anonymous e-mail?”
“Well, no, not just that. A woman visited my office. She showed me proof. If I had known all of this, I never would have referred them to you.”
Gwen took a deep breath, and she tried to calm herself. This had all the signs of getting out of control, and this was not the time or the place. “All right, Roger. Even if all of this is true, what do you expect me to be able to do?”
The waitress chose that moment to reappear at their table. She cleared the plates, and before she could ask if they needed anything else, Roger requested the check. She left it on the table and wished them a good night. Gwen hoped that this was her opportunity to bring all of this to a close. But it didn’t look like she was going to be that lucky.
“Gwen, let me take care of this, but then please come back to the house.”
“Why?”
“So I can show you the evidence. They are dangerous.”
“I don’t believe that.” But even as those words left her mouth, Gwen knew she wasn’t sure she believed it, either. They had promised not to bite her, but the other night that was exactly what they did. What if they didn’t have any control, would they hurt her? All of that made them very dangerous, at least to her heart. What would a relationship with vampires really mean?
“All I’m asking for is a chance to prove it to you.”
“Okay, but if I come there, will you let it go after that?”
“I think you’ll feel differently after I show you everything.”
Chapter 16
Gwen followed Roger through the front door of what used to be their house. It was always a little weird for her to be here. It had been their house for nearly ten years, but no longer. When she walked away from the marriage, she left behind the house and the life that went with it. She hadn’t wanted it. She had wanted a new start, and she had gotten it. But she had never really gotten Roger out of her life, nor had she wanted to. But this time when she walked through the entrance, it felt different, strange, and a sense of foreboding washed over her. Uh-oh. This isn’t good.
She barely had time to form that thought in her head when she was face-to-face with a very old…gypsy? Seriously?
“Roger, who is your guest?” She turned to give him a scathing look and hoped he realized how much she hated this ambush.
“Don’t give me that look, Gwen. You never would have come if you knew she was here.”
“You’re right. I wouldn’t have, and I’m leaving now.”
“No, please wait.” He moved behind her and blocked the door. The up-to-this-point-silent gypsy moved toward her. She looked ancient, all wrinkled and withered, and was dressed in what must have been traditional gypsy dress at some point. The sound of tinkling bells followed her movement.
“Gwendolyn. I am Luminitsa. I vill not hurt you, child. It is good Roger brought you to me, you are in grave danger.”
Gwen looked from Roger to Luminitsa and didn’t know what to think. Her flight response was in high gear. She wanted to run as fast as she could in the other direction. But what if this woman’s presence was a threat to Sebastian and Christian? She had to know.
She followed the old gypsy into the living room and sat down on the leather sofa. She hated that sofa. It was stiff and uncomfortable, just like the situation she found herself in.
Roger sat next to her after helping Luminitsa sit in one of the chairs across the cocktail table from her.
Gwen looked into the gypsy’s face. Her eyes were black, unreadable, and in the center of a wizened old face. Seriously? How old is she?
“Older than you can imagine, child. But this is not important. Your life is in jeopardy.”
“How can you say that when you don’t even know me?”
“You are vrong. I know all there is to know. I have seen your future and your past. You are about to make a very dangerous decision.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Gwen whispered, and a feeling of dread washed over her. Umm, is this the week to have my mind read? Could someone tell me the winning lottery numbers? It was looking more and more like she was in the Twilight Zone.
Roger took her hand. “Please, Gwen, just listen to her.”
“Fine, go ahead, old woman…but I will be a hard sell. Trust me.”
Luminitsa looked like she was gathering her thoughts, and then she reached out a withered old hand in Gwen’s direction.
“You are associating vith the undead. They are demons and need to be destroyed.”
“That’s it. I’m out of here.” But as Gwen attempted to get up to leave, Roger grabbed a hold of her arm and pulled her back down.
“No, you need to listen to this. Please, just li
sten.”
“Roger, did you hear her? She is older than Methuselah and totally insane. Undead? Seriously?”
“Gwen, please. Just listen. Then if you still don’t believe, you can leave, and I won’t bring it up again.”
Gwen glowered at her ex-husband. He truly seemed to believe all this craziness. She knew better. Neither Sebastian nor Christian were dangerous. She wouldn’t believe that.
“Fine. She has one hour then I need to go home and get some rest.”
“Let me tell you a story. Then maybe you vill believe the vords I say to you. It vas many years ago. My only son vas very ill. I vould do anything to save him. I know this is hard for you to understand because you are barren.”
Gwen grimaced. How the hell does she know that?
“I saw in my gazing ball that he had one chance to be cured. A voman vas to be his salvation.” Luminitsa leaned back in the chair and appeared lost in thought. Gwen and Roger exchanged looks and wondered if the old woman was going to continue or had fallen asleep. “Nay, I do not sleep. I am having remembrances, I think you say.”
They waited to see what she would say next. She appeared to be in a constant state of deterioration. Gwen could swear that there were more wrinkles on her aged face than there had been when they first sat down.
“I searched for dis voman. I knew she vas in England. The family traveled a great distance to find her there. But it did not turn out as I had seen. She did not help him. She killed him. She took him from me, and for that I cursed her.”
Gwen was intrigued despite herself. “What do you mean cursed her?”
“I put a curse on her and all of her progeny.”
“What do you mean, ‘progeny’?”
Luminitsa looked at Roger and shrugged. “I thought you explained to her already.”
“I tried, but she doesn’t believe me. That’s why I brought her here.”
“I vish that this vas not so. Gvendolyn, you have to believe they are vampires. They are the progeny of the voman who killed my son. I have to destroy them all so she vill understand what it is like to lose those she loves.”
Twice Bitten Not Shy [Vampires of Eternity] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 8