(Glory St Clair 11) Real Vampires Say Read My Hips

by Gerry Bartlett

  “Good idea. Or I may rent it to my sister. Charis? You met her.” I glanced out at the sidewalk. A few people walked past. I pulled my phone from my jeans pocket and saw it was still early enough for the club to be open. “I need a drink. Think I’ll walk down to the club anyway. I could at least take a look at that board and see what places are renting for. Anything else you need to tell me before I go?”

  “It’s about Kira.” He leaned against the doorway. “Hot shifter that works here?”

  “Yes, the panther. Lacy hired her while I was gone. I like her.” I sat again and leaned against the counter. My meeting with my mother had drained me. “What about her?”

  “She’s one reason your shop is in the black. The woman spends more than she makes here each month.” He grinned. “I noticed she dresses well. Now I know why.” He glanced around the shop. “She likes the kind of stuff you sell. Old things and buys a ton of it.”

  “We call it vintage. And I give the clerks twenty percent off. Which you’ll get now too.” I grinned. “No kidding. She basically works for free?”

  “Yeah. It’s been months since Lacy has had to write her a paycheck.”

  “Good to know.” I got up and headed for the door. “Thanks, Ed. Leave me a bill and I’ll write you a check when I get back. I won’t be long.”

  “Sure. Thanks, Glory.” He started to go back into the storeroom. “Oh, and I’m sorry about your mother. My own is great. Can’t say I relate to what you’re going through but I have a big shoulder if you ever need one to lean or cry on.”

  I stared at him and looked into his kind eyes. “I appreciate that, Ed. I really do. I’ve discovered you can never have too many friends in our world.”

  “Know what you mean. Rafe and I go way back. It was a lucky day when I hit Austin and ran into him again.” He shrugged. “I know you and he are friends. I’m giving you what we call the ‘family discount’ for my services.”

  “Wow. Thanks.” I blew him a kiss then headed out the door. That encounter had gone a long way toward lifting my mood. I walked down toward Rafe’s club, N-V, wondering if I’d run into Charis there or if she’d tried one of the other bars still open on the busy street. Another bouncer was at the door when I got to the club, a vampire I knew who was happy to let me in.

  “Rafe’s here, in his office, if you want to see him.” The man obviously remembered when I’d been first on Rafe’s speed dial.

  “I think I’ll just hit the bar. You’re really crowded tonight.” I was going to have to push my way through a lot of people to place a drink order.

  “You must not have seen the sign out front. Israel Caine is on at midnight. Special performance. He has a new album coming out soon so he worked out a deal with Rafe to do a short set of the new songs, as a preview.”

  “Oh, wow. Glad I stopped by.” I looked up at the balcony. This was where the vampires usually congregated and I was glad to see a few of them there, including Flo’s brother Damian. He waved at me to come up and I hurried toward the stairs.

  “Glory! Where are you going?” Charis intercepted me before I made it up the first step.

  “Upstairs. Some friends are there. I’m going to join them.”

  She looked up and of course Damian was checking her out. “Oh. Is that great looking guy..?”

  “He’s like me.” I glanced around, surprised some of her men weren’t flanking her. “You know what I mean. Not sure you want to get involved.”

  “You don’t think I could handle one?” Charis grinned. “Introduce me.” She gave me a shove between my shoulder blades. “Dare ya.”

  “Oh, hell.” I didn’t want to do this, but she was right. Of course my sister could handle a vampire. I smiled, thinking of her whipping out a blazing finger if Damian got too fast, too soon. So I stomped up the stairs, still pretending that this was against my will.

  “Gloriana, it’s been too long.” Damian was on his feet at the top of the stairs. “Who is this lovely lady with you? She looks like you, but is not, how you say, one of us.”

  “I’m Glory’s long lost sister.” Charis held out her hand.

  “Charis, this is Florence’s brother, Damian Sabatini.” I kissed Damian’s cheek. “Damian, Charis St. Clair.”

  Damian kissed Charis’s hand in his Italian way and began to charm her. We were introduced to his party, a group of visiting vampires from Houston. Apparently they were in town to study the way he ran the local Vampire Council.

  “I know Florence. We met when Glory was visiting my home.” Charis had claimed the chair next to Damian’s. “Flo is such fun.”

  “Yes, my sister can be.” Damian obviously had questions about that home but his manners were too impeccable for him to ask in front of these guests. “Glory, have you talked to Ray since you got back from your, um, visit?”

  “No. I need to. I was gone much longer than I expected.” Not that I expected to be gone at all. I turned my chair to face the stage when the lights dimmed and it became obvious the show was about to start. “Ray must have been worried.”

  “Charis, this Ray we are talking about is Israel Caine. He and Glory used to be a couple.” Damian smiled.

  “Really. You and a rock star, Glory?” Charis leaned forward. “Good for you. I saw the posters. This guy is hot and obviously very famous.”

  “Yes, he is. He took Glory to the Grammy awards once.” Damian had managed to rest his hand on Charis’s shoulder. “They were engaged at the time. He was frantic when she disappeared. He was sure you had been kidnapped, Glory.”

  “Engaged!” Charis sat back. “Is he..?”

  “We don’t need to talk about it here, Charis.” I was determined to end this conversation. “Love the dress.” Tonight she wore a slinky cocktail dress in electric blue made of a stretchy fabric that showed off her perfect figure. It was cut low in front and high on one thigh. Damian was certainly noticing.

  “Thanks.” Charis shrugged off the compliment. “Damian, Glory was kidnapped. Her mother dragged her away against her will.” Charis had a martini in front of her already. How, I had no idea.

  No one had even asked me what I wanted. Now the lights dimmed completely and I gave up hope on a drink. At least that had ended the conversation that was going in a direction where it had no business going.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, Israel Caine!” The crowd roared. Then there was silence as a throbbing beat came out of the darkness. Finally a single spotlight hit a man dressed in black. Ray. He stood there, looking out at the room, but I knew he couldn’t see us. He looked good, dark hair a little long, curling at his shoulders. He wore a black silk shirt and snug black leather pants. The shirt was open over his chest. I knew what every part of him looked like and didn’t blame Charis when she sighed and tapped me on the shoulder.

  “Girl, I can’t believe you had that and chose Blade.”

  I reached back and pinched her knee. Damned mind reader.

  “She’s gone. The woman I loved. Gone. Where did she go? She took my heart and left me wanting her.” He sang as if his heart were broken. The lyrics went on. How he’d searched. Tried to substitute others for that woman, but they weren’t the same. Couldn’t fill the hole where his heart had been.

  Damn him for making me feel guilty. We’d had this out before I left. But that was Ray, pouring his emotions into his music. It was cathartic for him, I knew that. By the last note, when he bowed his head and the audience went crazy, I had to wipe away a tear.

  The lights went up and so did the beat. He grinned and talked to the crowd.

  “Bet you thought I was done. I know I sounded like the sorriest son of a bitch you ever heard, pining for a woman.” He walked the stage, leaning down to shake a hand, making a girl giggle and sigh. “But I’m moving on. Sometimes you have to wallow a little before you suck it up and say, to hell with that, to hell with her.” He gestured and girls squealed.

  “Now I’m no monk. I have needs. You feel me, guys? Do I hear a ‘Hell, yeah.’?” There was a resounding
answer from the men in the crowd. “So I picked myself up, which wasn’t easy since I quit drinking, and found a new woman. And this is what she did for me.”

  The beat that had been gradually picking up steam behind him got louder and faster. The drummer, a man I knew well, started really rocking. The rest of the band picked up the tempo and Ray launched into a song about hot nights, good times and easy love. No strings and no worries. It was a good dance song and the crowd got into it. I know my toes were tapping.

  Charis jumped up and dragged Damian down the stairs with her. They were soon in the middle of the crowd, bumping up against each other and laughing about it, hands in the air. The music swiftly segued into an up-tempo song, another new one. This tune had an island feel and I knew Ray must have gone back to the Caribbean, where he had loved to play before he’d been turned vampire and was robbed of sunlight. I was glad he’d done that. He sang of hot island nights. It was perfect.

  Finally he ended the set with one of his greatest hits. It was a slow song that had the crowd dancing body to body. Damian had Charis draped over him and that made me worry. I was halfway down the stairs before I realized what I was doing. I stopped and looked at the stage when the song stumbled. Ray was staring right at me. Oh. Maybe he hadn’t heard that I was back. Shit. I waved at him, not daring to smile, then I plunged into the crowd, working my way toward the stage. I stopped next to Damian first, hissing in his ear that he’d better be careful with my sister, then kept going.

  Ray had kept going too, quickly regaining his composure and finishing the song to thundering applause. There were cries for an encore and stomping feet, but he just dropped the microphone, shook his head, and walked off the stage. I knew where he was heading and followed him to the dressing room area. Would he speak to me? There was only one way to find out.

  Chapter 17

  “Ray? Can I come in?” I knocked on his door. No answer.

  “You mean you just walked in here and surprised him?” Rafe came up behind me. “Shit, Glory. The guy was a basket case when you went missing.”

  “I’m sorry. It’s not like I did that on purpose. Am I supposed to apologize for being abducted?” I knew I sounded defensive but this wasn’t fair. “Ray, I know you can hear us through the door. Come out here. Please talk to me.”

  “Maybe you’d better go. He’s probably embarrassed. You heard his song. He pretty well laid his heart out there for anyone to see.” Rafe winked at me. Yes, he was goading Ray. The men were old rivals and never had liked each other. The fact that Ray performed here was strictly business.

  “Fuck off, Valdez.” Ray pushed open the door. “Get in here, Glory.” He grabbed me, hauled me inside then slammed the door in Rafe’s face. “I’m never embarrassed about my music.”

  “Of course not.” I looked down at where he gripped my arm. “You really want me to go home to Jerry with your fingerprints on me?”

  “I’m not afraid of that asshole.” But he did let go. “Sorry. I don’t want to hurt you.” He threw himself into a chair. “Where the hell have you been for almost a year? Are you okay?”

  “Olympus. My mother kidnapped me. Yes, I’m all right. Now.” I sat across from him, making it clear the subject was closed. I wasn’t about to tell him all the gory details of my visit up there. “Loved the songs. New album almost ready to drop?”

  “Yes. I got my groove back. I know that first one seemed pretty bleak but I was in a dark place for a while. Then I snapped out of it.” He took my hand. “I could finally hear my music again, Glory girl. I know who I have to thank for that.” He kissed my fingers. “Can you blame me for freaking when you just disappeared?”

  “You got yourself clean, Ray.” I gently eased my hand from his. “I love seeing you like this. Loved the songs too. Tell me more.”

  He leaned forward and started talking. His eyes were shining and he looked better than he had when I’d left. He’d obviously come to terms with the vampire lifestyle.

  “What about Sienna?” I asked when he finally ran down.

  “The great Sienna Star. Kicked me to the curb as soon as she felt like she had a handle on the vampire thing.” Ray ran his hands through his hair. He opened his mini-fridge. “Drink?” He pulled out two bottles of premium synthetic blood.

  “Thanks. So where is she now?”

  “Touring. Management set her up with a team that understands her special schedule. She’ll be okay. No thanks to me.” Ray took a deep swallow of his synthetic. “She’ll never forgive me. Not that I blame her.”

  “Lesson learned?” I would never forget how Ray had almost drained Sienna dry when he’d been drunk. To save Sienna’s life, I’d had to turn her vampire. Since he’d also been turned against his will, it was an accident that haunted him.

  “Definitely. I won’t touch the stuff again.”

  “Good to know. Since you’re turning out amazing music, sober.”

  “Which is helping me stay on the wagon.” Ray stood and pulled me to my feet. “But I almost fell off when you just disappeared, Glo. Seriously. Kidnapped? By your own mother? Can I help your old man get revenge?”

  “My old man. Jerry?” I laughed. “Okay, I’ll give you that. He’s got a few centuries on you. But then so do I.” I touched Ray’s cheek. Such a beautiful man. He’d been my crush long before I’d met him in person and we’d had a brief fling. “No revenge, unfortunately. I’m stuck with my family. I have to swallow my feelings and deal with it. At least the wedding is back on.” I told him the date.

  “You want me to sing? I’ll do it. Just to show Blade that I can. He may have won you now, but we have forever for you to get tired of the son of a bitch.” He grinned then pulled me close, setting our bottles on top of the fridge before he pressed one hand on my butt.

  “Ray.” I rested my hands on his chest. “Stop it.”

  “I’ll be here for you. Waiting.” He tipped my chin up then kissed me hungrily.

  Call me a slut but I allowed it. Even enjoyed it.

  “Just a little reminder, Glory girl. You know we have it. That chemistry. Sizzling still.”

  “You have chemistry with every woman you meet, unfortunately. But it’s not enough, Ray.” I pushed gently and he let me go. “I just listened to your new songs. You can’t wait more than a nano-second before you have another woman in your bed. I get that. It’s all about your ‘needs’.” I grinned at him. “Man whore.”

  “If I were with you, my needs would be satisfied, Glory girl. Every night.” His eyes burned, the blue so bright I had to look away.

  “Never going to happen. Move on, Ray.” I made myself face him again. “I love you, I do. As a friend. I’ll always value our friendship.”

  “Fuck friendship.” He picked up his bottle and drained it. “You want me to sing at this wedding or not?” He tossed the empty into a trash can.

  “Of course I do. You’ve always been my favorite singer and that is forever.” I managed a smile. “Have to keep Jerry on his toes, don’t we?”

  “Now that’s my Glory.” He gave me one more hug before I walked to the door. “Text me your song selection.”

  “Will do. And thanks. I’m sorry I made you worry.” I stopped with my hand on the doorknob.

  “You sure we can’t make your mother pay? I’m up for it.” He was the picture of cocky male. My heart turned over. He was probably right about one thing--I’d always have a little thing for him.

  “You don’t want to know what she could do to you, pal. The world she’s from…” I shook my head. “Well, Jerry found out how things are up there and it almost killed him.”

  “Too bad.” Ray picked up my bottle this time and drank out of it. “Mmm. I can taste you on this. Shit. I may have to write another sappy love song.”

  “Do that. They’re my favorites.” I had to fight to keep from touching him again. He was very appealing, standing there and pretending to wallow in his disappointment but more bad boy than any woman would ever be able to tie down. He’d move on and quickly t
oo. But he’d always draw me in a very physical way. I could resist him because I knew who was waiting for me down the street and I would never betray him now.

  He’d moved close again, bright blue eyes intense, trying to read me. I shut him out. “You need me, Glory girl, call. I mean it.”

  “I’ll remember that. Thanks.” I gave in and ran my hand down the scruff on his lean cheek before I whirled and bolted out of his dressing room. I hadn’t gone more than five feet when I met Rafe.

  “He okay now?” He took my arm and walked me toward the dance floor.

  “Yes. How about you? This thing with Lacy moved kind of fast, didn’t it?” I breathed in the reek of a hundred mortals to get the smell of Ray out of my system. They were still dancing to Ray’s hits, blasting from the sound system. No sign of Charis and Damian. But I couldn’t worry about that now. I was still trying to show Rafe how not affected by Ray I was. Yeah, right.

  “You were gone a long time. It just seems fast to you.” He kept his voice even, not giving anything away, but I knew him. Was he happy, trapped? I couldn’t tell for once.

  “Come on, Rafe. We’re still friends, aren’t we?” I stopped and nodded toward his office. “You want to talk about it?”

  “Not really. It is what it is. I stepped up. The baby’s mine and I love Lacy. We’ll make it work.” He pulled me along, steering me around the crowd. “Our families are going to be a problem. But you know what that’s like.”

  “Yes, I do.” I finally saw Charis heading for the door with Damian. “Look who my sister is leaving with.”

  “Casanova.” Rafe laughed. “You think I should go run interference?”

  I told him about Charis’s powers. “I have a vision of Damian making her mad and running away with his pants on fire.”

  Rafe stopped next to the outside door that led to the sidewalk. “I’d love to see that.” He kissed my cheek. “You want me to walk you home?”

  “No, I’m okay. I have Ed at the shop. He’s doing my books. He said you were his reference. Should I be hiring him?” I moved over when a couple came out who couldn’t keep their hands off of each other.