“I thought he was going to give me a tour of the grounds this morning?” I tried to keep the confusion and hurt from my voice.
“He did say he was supposed to do that, and that he’d do it later. But he had to go to his office this morning. Something came up. He told me to get you settled with the new laptop in the office. Then if he isn’t back, he told me what to show you next.”
“OK,” I replied in disappointment as I began to scoop eggs onto my fork.
I sat there pushing my food around, eating a bite here and there. My inexperience was going to cost me this job. He left because he couldn’t stand to spend any more time alone with me. He was probably going to back out of the contract and find someone who’d better fit his needs—and it was within his rights to do so. I wasn’t honest about my experience. My parents had always taught me honesty was the best policy. I knew better.
I wasn’t sure why I was so upset by the thought of him backing out of our agreement. It wasn’t the money or even the experience. There were other opportunities on the table for me to earn money, not as much, but enough. And there were other proposals that would get me good experience. So why was I distressed that Toven may send me back?
Mrs. Burkett pulled out the chair next to me. “Chin up, dear. There’s no need for the long face.”
I tore the edges off my piece of toast. “Mrs. Burkett, I’m not sure I’ll be staying.”
“Why not, dear?” She took a sip from her coffee mug.
“I don’t think I’m quite what Toven expected when he hired me.”
A warm chuckle erupted from her lips. “I should say not. You’re nothing like any of the women he’s hired since I’ve known him. And you’re certainly the opposite of the women he’s shared his evenings with. Though it’s been a very long while since he’s had a woman over to the house that I’m aware of.”
“But I think he’d prefer if I was like them.” I took a bite of the crispy bacon. Mmm, there was a hint of sweet with the salty.
“No, dear. I think you confuse him. I think you’re so different from everything he’s used to . . . and that scares him. But I think you can help him. I believe you can get him to stop being a recluse, content with only his piano for real companionship. You’re a breath of fresh air in his ancient, stale lungs. He may run to get his bearings, but he won’t let you just walk away. Even if he doesn’t accept it, he needs you. And something tells me that you need him too. But what do I know? I’m just a crazy, old woman with a romantic’s heart.” She nudged my untouched coffee cup toward me.
I wrapped my fingers around the handle. “How long have you known Toven?” I asked as I dumped in sugar and cream from the small dishes on the table. My spoon clinked against the porcelain as the dark roast turned caramel-colored.
Nostalgia softened her eyes. “My whole life, so more than sixty years now. My parents worked for Toven. My mother was hired by him when she was just eighteen. My father already worked for him at that point. Mother had worked for him for four years by the time she had me. My parents were with him for twenty years or so before they retired.”
“Did you always know what he was?” Lifting my cup, I took a sip. Perfect. The liquid began to warm the parts of me that had grown cold with Toven’s rejection.
“Yes. As a child, I knew he was different. I wasn’t sure how or why, just that he was. I was never afraid of him, though. My mother didn’t know when she first started working for him, but my father clued her in pretty early on. We always treated it as just another trait of his, like hair color or eye color. It was a part of him, but it didn’t define him. When I was young, he was very discreet about his feedings and urges. I think he was afraid it would frighten me. Once I fully understood what he was, I approached him about it with childlike curiosity. He explained things to me. For a time in my early teenage years, I fancied him. It was a silly schoolgirl crush. He could’ve taken advantage of me, but he never did. I outgrew the crush when William was hired to drive and take care of the grounds.” She sighed dreamily as she looked into my eyes. “Apparently, when the one enters your orbit, you see no one else anymore. From the moment I laid eyes on William, I was gone. Toven had a talk with William, made sure he’d be honorable and would do right by me if he wanted to keep his job.” She chuckled and drank deeply from her cup.
“I could totally picture Toven being all protective, like a big brother.” I snagged another piece of bacon.
“Over the lifetime that I’ve known him, he’s played many roles in my life. First, he was simply my parents’ employer. Then he became my friend who answered my questions without any hint of annoyance. Then he was the object of my first crush. Then he was like a brother when William first started pursuing me. And once I grew to look older than Toven, he became like a son. William and I were never able to have children. So, I kind of took to mothering Toven. I don’t think he was ever really mothered as a child. He yearned for it. And I needed to give it,” she explained simply.
“I think it’s sweet that your relationship has evolved over the years. It definitely gives me something to think about. A lot of my ideas about vampires seem to be incorrect. I always thought vampires didn’t form attachments to anyone except their own master. And that attachment wasn’t by choice.”
“Oh, you’re correct in those thoughts. Most vampires don’t attach to anyone or anything. Someone may catch their eye, hold their attention for a while, but no one ever captures their hearts. They can’t seem to form the emotional bonds needed to sustain a long-term attachment. But Toven isn’t your typical vampire. I dare say he loves William and me in his own way. He’s never said it; it isn’t his way. He typically doesn’t even keep staff as long as he kept us. We love him. So, trust me, child, I know what I’m talking about when I say he needs you.” She patted my hand.
I didn’t know how to respond to her, so I just smiled and cleaned up my now empty breakfast dishes.
“Enough serious talk. Let me show you to your workspace. He set up an area for you inside his office.”
I followed her past the stairs and down the hallway, beyond the music room. She led me to a closed wooden door. When she opened it, I was astounded by the size. Oversized windows illuminated the space with warm sunshine. A large wooden desk and a comfy-looking chair dominated the space. A state-of-the-art computer sat in the middle of the desk. A couch lined one wall. Off to one side was a moderately-sized desk and chair. A laptop sat in the center. A stack of old-looking, leather-bound ledgers perched on one corner.
“This is your workspace. Paper, pens and other office supplies are in the various desk drawers. Get acquainted with your space. The laptop is already logged into the Wi-Fi for the house. Toven said for you to start learning what the world knows of him and come up with a list of things that need fixing in his image. Once you get a grasp of how the world views him, he left a few of his songbooks for you to browse through so you can start seeing who he is as a musician. If you finish with those and he still hasn’t returned, come find me and I’ll get you more. If you have any questions about him, jot them down and you can ask me over lunch.” She clicked on the desk lamp.
“Thank you, Mrs. Burkett.”
I settled into the comfortable seat and opened the laptop. Mrs. Burkett left me to my work. I pulled out a drawer and found a notepad. The top sheet had a note scrawled on it.
Celesta,
Sorry I had to go to the office this morning to take care of some things. I don’t know how long I’ll be. Make yourself at home. Use the laptop and music composition books to familiarize yourself with me. I’ll see you this evening.
Toven
Hmm, maybe he wasn’t running away from me. Maybe something really did come up. Either way, at least he left a note. Which means he was thinking of me when he left. Knowing that warmed something inside me. Just in case he had any doubts about keeping me, I’d make myself irreplaceable . . . and irresistible.
With that thought, I typed his name into a search engine and began.
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11
Toven
I was such a coward. In all my life, I’d never fled from anything as quickly as I bolted from Celesta this morning. But the beast was barely caged before her admission. Afterward, all bets were off. I fought every fiber of my nature to just lie there with her in my arms. Each inhale of her intoxicating scent tempted me. Every thump of her heart sent an enticing elixir rushing beneath her skin. All her wiggles and movements increased my ache. Still, I wrestled myself, so I could continue holding her. But when she dropped the bomb on me that she was a virgin, I no longer possessed the strength to keep my inner beast leashed—he raged to taste her in every way.
I did the only thing I could think of in that moment to protect her and myself—I ran away. Now, I was forced to spend my Sunday morning at the office.
“Oh, Mr. Adams, I didn’t think you were going to be in today. Do you need me to do something for you?” Mrs. Stephenson stammered as I stepped off the elevator.
“Change of plan this morning. But hold my calls. As far as anyone else is concerned, I’m not in today.”
“Yes, sir.”
“And why are you in the office on a weekend?” I asked in a scolding tone.
“Well, sir, I didn’t finish my to-do list on Friday afternoon because I had to pick up my sick grandson from school. So, I figured I’d come in today and finish everything up. I only have one thing left.” She held up her list.
“I appreciate your work ethic, but you didn’t have to give up your weekend. I hope your grandson is feeling better.”
“He’s on the mend,” she answered with a smile.
I walked into my office and shut the door. Lights weren’t necessary for me to work, so I left them off to add to the illusion that I was not in.
With a wiggle of the mouse, the computer whirred to life in front of me. I began to comb through the accounting files from one of my businesses. The discrepancies were quite obvious when I took the time to examine the money that particular branch of the business took in with the money spent plus the money sitting in the bank. Over the course of a year, large sums of money had disappeared from the business in various amounts.
The numbers on the screen began to swim after a while. I poured through Ed Lewis’ accounts and holdings and had no success at finding the money there. While the missing money was a large sum, I wasn’t destitute with it gone. But I couldn’t just sit back and allow someone to steal from me without there being consequences. The fruitless search was giving me a headache.
Ed’s actions after he was accused seemed to indicate guilt. But if he had stolen the funds, where had he hidden them?
All his accounts were frozen before he was confronted. My best computer hackers had been unable to locate any hidden bank accounts here in the U.S. or overseas. He had very little property to his name, and his home had been searched thoroughly. His only living relative barely had enough money to survive in her accounts. Something in my gut urged me to continue digging. Assuming Ed was the thief was just too convenient. Unfortunately, Ed couldn’t aid in his defense anymore.
This search would appear hopeless to a mortal man; however, I had nothing but time and resources. I’d find what was mine and reclaim it. There’d be hell to pay for the one who took it. I closed the financial windows and clicked the hidden icon in the top right-hand corner of my screen. At the prompt, I keyed in one of my access codes. Within seconds, my screen was filled with tiled images showing the live feeds from all the security cameras at my main home. Normally, I never checked my security videos. I’d never really had a desire to make sure my staff was working or to see what went on in my home in my absence.
So why did I feel compelled to look at the feeds this morning?
The beast simpered at my train of thought. I wasn’t fooling him or myself. I wanted to see her. I wanted to check on her. I wanted to watch her. I wanted to imagine that things were simpler. I wanted to fantasize about her.
The beast wanted to grab her. He wanted to touch her, taste her, devour her. And he was the reason I was watching her from my computer screen rather than showing her around the grounds like I’d planned.
I clicked the tile which showed the feed from my office. The live footage filled my screen. She sat at the desk I had moved in for her. Because I’d situated it so it faced mine, I was only able to watch her in profile. She had one foot drawn up in the chair with her chin propped on her knee. With her right hand, she navigated through several screens on the laptop her eyes were glued to. I continued to watch her for an immeasurable amount of time. Every so often, she’d jot something down on the notepad I left for her. I tried to zoom the camera in to make out what was on the screen that had captured her attention or to read what thoughts she felt were worthy of writing down. Unfortunately, my camera didn’t quite have the ability to show me what she was seeing.
Before I could ponder any further, the door to my office swung open after the barest of knocks. Lydia strolled in followed by Mrs. Stephenson. I quickly tapped the upper right-hand corner to make all the video screens disappear
“I’m sorry, Mr. Adams. She insisted on seeing you when she saw you pull up in the parking garage,” my receptionist huffed.
I cast a smile at her. “It’s fine, Mrs. Stephenson. I’m sure this won’t take long. Then you can go home to enjoy the rest of your Sunday. The work will still be here tomorrow.”
“Yes, sir,” she replied as she walked out, shutting the door behind her.
Lydia circled around to the backside of my desk and leaned against the edge. The pose made her hem creep up her thighs. I averted my gaze to my computer screen, which now showed some promising research the head of my research lab had emailed about on the latest Vampiral tests.
When she made no move to speak, I addressed her without disguising the irritation in my voice, “Did you need something, Ms. Summers?”
“Yes, Toven. I came to check on your progress with changing your image and to remind you about the party tomorrow evening you failed to decline the invitation to. I thought—”
“I’m well on my way to changing my image. I bumped into someone just yesterday who’s in marketing. I offered that person the position of fixing my image, so that’s underway already. And I’m well aware that I have an engagement tomorrow evening. I actually accepted the invitation for it yesterday as well. Things are under control.”
“Oh. Do you need someone to accompany you tomorrow? I’ve known Mr. and Mrs. McDaniels for a few years and would be happy to visit with them as your plus-one.”
“I’m not in search of a plus-one, Ms. Summers.”
“Oh . . .. I thought you understood that you needed to start being seen with someone in public.” She ran her fingers along the collar of her blouse.
“I understand just fine. It is you who misunderstood. I said I’m not in search of a plus-one, because I’ve secured my plus-one for the evening myself. Now, was there anything else you needed to talk to me about? Like maybe the other bands on the list I asked you to contact that I haven’t received a status report on?”
“I . . . ummm . . . I’m still working on that, Toven. I’ll have them together for you soon. If you should change your mind about the party, please let me know. I’ve cleared my evenings so I’m available should you need an escort.” Her body weight shifted, causing her hem to rise higher.
“I appreciate the offer, but I don’t think it’ll be necessary. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have work to do.” I turned back to my computer.
“See you later,” she tossed over her shoulder as she stomped out.
I pulled the video feed back up, not satisfied with my small bout of voyeurism earlier. The chair in the office was empty. Where had she gone?
I pulled up all the other camera shots. Mrs. Burkett was in the laundry room. William was cutting the grass, but Celesta wasn’t shown on any of the screens I had available. With quick clicks, I checked the living room, dining room, kitchen, music room, my room, the hallway and the five camera
feeds from around the grounds. She must have gone to her room. I hadn’t installed cameras in the guest rooms because I’d never had guests, and there was no need to monitor rooms that weren’t ever used. I backed the footage up from the hallway until I saw Celesta approach the camera and go into her room. I couldn’t see her now, but I could watch her morning.
I rewound the hallway footage to the place where I’d rushed from her room this morning with a look of fear and need on my face. After a long while, she emerged dressed in tight, dark jeans that sat low on her hips. Her blouse hung off one shoulder in a very tempting manner. As she raised her hand to tuck a stray lock of hair behind her ear, a tiny sliver of skin was revealed along her waist. That narrow strip disappeared when she lowered her arm. The beast salivated at the thought of licking that one-inch ribbon of skin.
I stared until she disappeared down the stairs. Each sway of her hips hypnotized me. By changing cameras, I was able to follow her through the front foyer, living room, dining room and into the kitchen.
I didn’t have audio on the feeds, but I could discern my name on her lips as she spoke with Mrs. Burkett. The beauty on her face fell at whatever Mrs. Burkett’s response was. I continued observing this silent film of the most beautiful girl I’d ever seen.
Everything about her fascinated me. As I watched her bring food to her mouth, I imagined how soft her lips would feel beneath mine. The beast imagined how her lips would feel engulfing my cock, which was to the point of aching.
I shifted in my chair to alleviate some of the discomfort. She chatted with Mrs. Burkett. I was obviously the main topic of conversation, but I couldn’t distinguish more due to my limited ability to read lips. After a while, the two headed out of the kitchen. Once again, I tracked her through various camera feeds until she was shown my office. She examined her workspace, trailing her fingers along the smooth edge of the desk. I pictured her trailing her fingers along my skin, leaving a path of fire in their wake. The beast imagined her fingers gripping my skin as she shattered around me in ecstasy.
Blood Song: Prelude (Blood Song Series Book 1) Page 15
