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Chapter Eleven
The incessant ringing of my cell phone pulled me, reluctantly, from my slumber. My first thought was to wonder why my phone continued to ring instead of redirecting the caller to voice mail. I was going to have to call my cell phone provider and ask them just that.
“What?” I snapped as I held the phone to my ear.
“Gracious, dear, is that any way to answer the telephone?” my mother asked.
“I’m sorry,” I mumbled, “I’m not quite awake.”
“It’s after ten. I thought you’d be working. Isn’t this your day to work the breakfast shift?”
“I have some time off,” I replied, hoping she wouldn’t ask me why. Before she had a chance I added, “Complements of Ollie.”
“Well, that’s a pleasant surprise. This works out wonderfully. I’m throwing a small dinner party and I need you to come help me host it,” she said.
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The valet at the country club smirked as he climbed into my beat-up Mazda. What a snob club valets can be. I’d considered driving Nevi’s far more presentable Volvo to the party, but felt uncomfortable about over stepping my privileges with it. I was sure he meant that I drive it to my house and back to his again; not around the countryside and especially not to a party he wasn’t invited to. I felt bad about his lack of invitation. I almost invited him to join me, but thought better of it. It was a little too soon for him to meet the family. Besides, my mother was up to something and I didn’t want to complicate things by introducing Nevi to the mix.I squared my shoulders, tossed my head up high, and started toward the club house entrance. I imagined I was on the Red Carpet at an awards dinner and walked the most regal walk I could muster. The arrogance of the valet was exactly why I was so determined to make it on my own. Most of the employees at
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It was eleven-thirty when I pulled Nevi’s Volvo down his long drive and stopped where it circled in front of the house. What was I thinking? Was I expecting a valet or someone to park the car for me? I shook my head, started the car back up, and drove it into its assigned space in carriage house. I was just closing the door when Nevi rushed in.“I was getting worried about you,” he said.“Really?” I was surprised to hear this. “I left you a voicemail telling you that I had to go to my parent’s dinner party tonight. Didn’t you get it?”“I did. Yet, I still worried,” he chuckled. “You’ve gotten under my skin in the short time we have known each other, my little minx. You mean so much to me and, considering the tragedy with your friend, I just worry about your safety and well-being.”Wow. That was quite a statement on Nevi’s part. Could it be his feelings for me were de
The Vampire, The Handler, and Me Chapter Fourteen
When I came out of the darkness, I was resting comfortably on the bed in the room I’d been occupying. The man I’d noticed clearing the snow from the front of the house the first time I’d stayed over—and given a peep show to, I recalled with embarrassment—was carrying in a tray laden with a tea pot and two cups. He set the tray down on a small side table near the wing backed chair that Nevi was seated in and scurried out of the room. When Nevi heard me stir, he put the papers he’d been reading down and came to my side.“How are you feeling?” he asked with genuine concern.“I…” My hand flew to the bandage on my throat as the memory of my nightmare encounter flooded back to me. “Oh my god! I was bitten by a crazy woman. I think she was a…a vampire!” I turned to Nevi and looked at him as if I was seeing him for the first time. “You…she said she was…she was…&rdqu
The Vampire, The Handler, and Me Chapter Fifteen
Nevi and I spent most of the night talking. Mainly it was him talking and me interjecting with a question here and there. I discovered my lover was the leader of a large group of vampires born of humans. We decided human-vampires was a good term for them. They had banned together—along with other races of vampires which he told me I was better off not questioning him on for the time being—and they’d rid the world of a considerable amount of the rogue vampires. Unfortunately, although vampires do procreate, the rogues learned they could also create vampires by making sure the human ingested vampire blood within a few hours prior to death. Because of this, they were making vampires to replace those Nevi and his colleagues destroyed. He was sure it wasn’t just the rogues of the night-walkers performing this act. There were too many vampires for night-walkers to have been able to create them all.I didn’t know why I never mentioned Geoffrey and his v
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I woke up to find a note on the pillow where Nevi’s head usually lay. I rubbed my eyes to focus and began to read. It was another of his apologetic notices of absenteeism and the usual request for me to make myself at home. He reassured me Sasha had been removed from the premises hours earlier. Marie–the woman who brought the tomato bisque—and Paul, the snow removal man—were there to assist me with my needs and to make sure that I would be safe until he returned. There was no mention of where he’d gone or when he intended to return. There was also no indication of when he’d left.What constituted soon?I felt unexplainably and intensely annoyed, impatient, and antsy. I wanted to jump out of my skin, or punch something or someone, or run somewhere… something! This was a new and unexpected change in attitude. I was at a loss at how to handle it.As I climbed out of the enormous bed I’d been sharing with my vampire l
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True to his word, Nevi stuck by me over the weeks that followed. In fact, he never left my side. With his help, I learned to tolerate and correctly use my new and heightened abilities. Every night, he returned me to the comfort of my own home at bedtime. He was incredibly gracious about the step down in comfort and conveniences. During the daytime, he took me back to his place to use the gym in the west wing of his home. It was beautifully equipped and a pleasure to use. I didn’t mind in the least.To my surprise, Nevi had far more staff than I was aware of. Little by little, they surfaced as the need for them arose. I worked with his trainer, Mitch—a delightful middle-aged Irishman who came to the United States when he was a young adult. We focused on skills such as boxing, martial arts, and even fencing. We put in long, hard hours. I had no idea why I’d ever need to know these, but I enjoyed the exertion required by my body to learn them.I’d
The Vampire, The Handler, and Me Chapter Eighteen
I was in heaven. After the bitter cold of winter, the sun felt marvelous against my pasty white skin as I stretched out on an expensive chaise lounge, nestled in the sands of the private beach belonging to the gorgeous hotel we were staying in. Geoffrey reserved adjoining rooms for us—something I greatly appreciated. Kissing was one thing, but I wasn’t quite ready to be sexually unfaithful to Nevi. Nevi and I had settled into a pleasingly comfortable relationship. I wanted to keep it that way.It wasn’t until I lay basking in the sun’s rays that I remembered Nevi. I hadn’t called to tell him that I was leaving town or for how long. We’d agreed to a small separation for at least a week to help me readjust to life, but he would still expect me to call him. He would have definitely expected me to inform him of my leaving town. I know I would have expected it of him.I needed to give him a call.I sat up and grabbed my cell phone
The Vampire, The Handler, and Me Chapter Nineteen
Incessant, loud knocking yanked me from my fantasy dream land back into the reality. Something was off… missing. It took me a moment to focus on where I was and why I was there. I surveyed the room. Everything looked in place. What was off? What was missing? What was I sensing?The last thing I remembered was listening to Geoffrey’s steady heartbeat. As my head cleared, I realized that what was missing was Geoffrey. The source of the knocking also registered. Someone was knocking on the door.I slithered off the bed, feeling energized enough to have been sleeping twenty-four hours instead of the mere seven I actually had. I placed my eye to the peep hole in the door to get the identity of the person on the other side. It was Geoffrey.“Good grief. Don’t you have a key?” I demanded—a little too gruffly—as I pulled the door open and made my way to the sofa.“Actually, no. This is your room, remember?” h
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