by I. T. Lucas
Jacki grimaced. “He kept them as breeders.”
She was smart, figuring it out from the few details he’d revealed. If he wanted to keep Jacki’s possible dormancy a secret from her, Kalugal needed to be careful.
“My father is not a nice man.”
“Still, I don’t understand how those women could produce immortal offspring. Are the boys born immortal, and the girls are not?”
“None of the children are born immortal. They need to be activated.”
“How?”
Leaning forward, he smiled. “That’s a secret I can’t reveal.”
“Can’t or won’t?”
“Both. It’s better that you don’t know too many details.”
Jacki let out a breath. “I’m not deluding myself that I’m ever getting free, so it doesn’t matter how much I know about you. If I leave here, Kian will pick me up. My choices are either to stay with you or with the clan. I will never be allowed back to humanity.”
“As I said before. Never say never. You don’t know what tomorrow will bring.”
“I’d rather be prepared than disappointed.”
45
Jacki
With that damn sexy smirk lifting his perfect lips, Kalugal leaned toward her. “Whatever happens, I can promise you one thing. You won't be disappointed.”
What the hell was that supposed to mean?
Of course, she was going to be disappointed.
As much as Jacki tried to stifle her attraction to him and not have silly what-if thoughts, she wasn’t made from granite, and Kalugal was slowly but surely burrowing his way into her stupid heart.
Once he got tired of trying to seduce her, he would send her off to Kian, and that would be the end of her vacation in fantasy land.
She might be a Cinderella, and there might be even a glass slipper in the packages Prince Charming had ordered for her, but there was no fairy godmother to sprinkle magic dust over her and turn her into an immortal, or Kalugal into a human.
She’d better not get carried away and start thinking of herself as a princess. Cooking, washing dishes and floors, and dusting would remind her that she was a Cinderella without the happy ending.
“Can I go up and make room in your closet for the new wardrobe you got me? Or do you want to come with me and show me where I should put the stuff.”
“I’ll come if you need me, but if you can manage by yourself, it would be better. I need to get back to work.”
Hallelujah.
Jacki had to offer, but she was glad that he had other things to do. It was difficult enough to be alone with Kalugal in the sprawling library. The closet was too intimate.
“When would you like to eat dinner?”
“I usually dine at eight, if that’s okay with you.”
“Perfect. It will give me enough time to try everything on and prepare dinner as well. Any special requests?”
“Surprise me. You’re an excellent cook, and I enjoyed myself tremendously.”
It was sweet of him to exaggerate. Her cooking was good but simple, and a guy like Kalugal had probably dined in the best of restaurants.
“Thank you. If you need me, I’ll be upstairs.”
“I will see you at dinner.” He pushed to his feet and offered her a hand up.
When she took it, he brought it to his lips and kissed the back of it. “Thank you. I had a lovely time.”
As the library doors closed behind Kalugal, Jacki let out a breath. Absentmindedly caressing the back of her hand, she wished for the feel of his lips on her skin to linger.
You’re such a fool, Jacki.
Angrily, she collected the dishes, dropped them on the tray, and was about to lift it when Shamash walked in.
“I’ll take it.”
This time, she wasn’t going to argue. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” He took the tray and walked out.
As she hurried upstairs, Jacki was excited about trying on her new clothes. It was frivolous, and she shouldn’t, but she couldn’t help it. As someone who got most of her outfits in thrift shops, getting new designer outfits was a once-in-a-lifetime treat.
Besides, she was curious to see what Kalugal had chosen for her. If half the boxes and bags contained sexy lingerie, and the other half clingy dresses and short skirts, she would know where his mind was. His choices would reveal his intentions toward her.
When she opened the door to her small room, the pile of boxes looked even bigger. The guys had left some on the bed, some on the desk, but most of it on the floor, barely leaving any room for her to navigate her way to the bed.
Jacki started with those first, and with every new package she opened, her heart beat a little faster. So many beautiful things, all elegant without being over the top, sexy without crossing the line into slutty, and the fabrics were mostly made from natural fibers, which she preferred.
Kalugal had exquisite taste, or what was more likely a top-notch personal shopper.
An hour later, she had everything out and grouped. Jeans and other everyday clothes were in one pile, more elegant pants, skirts, and blouses in another, and so on.
There were also eight pairs of shoes, flats and heels, a couple of dresses for evenings out, four silk pajama sets, five sweaters, two robes. And the lingerie sets were the kind she would have bought for herself if she had the money. Soft, not too revealing, but still sexy.
Definitely the work of a female personal shopper. There was no way Kalugal would have known to choose that kind of lingerie for her.
Now it was time for the fun part. Trying everything on. But since her room didn’t have a mirror, she had to do that in Kalugal’s closet.
Not a big deal.
Anyway, she had to put her things away.
His closet was larger than the entire apartment she’d shared with two other roommates, and it was more than half empty. The problem was that Kalugal’s things were scattered throughout, so the first order of business was to organize them in sections according to function.
It shouldn’t have taken her long, but Jacki couldn’t help sniffing each outfit for the faint residual smell of his cologne or holding his dress shirts to her cheek and imagining that she was embracing Kalugal.
Pathetic.
She was acting like a teenager with a crush.
Finally, when his things were all sorted and organized, she started on what she’d come up there to do, which was trying her new things on and then putting them away.
Not everything fit perfectly, but most did, and she wasn’t going to bother with exchanging anything.
Jacki had never felt as elegant and as put together before, except for her hair. The long waves were pretty, but the classy and luxurious outfits called for a more sophisticated hairdo.
She’d never had a professional cut and style her hair, but that wasn’t in the cards because she couldn’t leave the house. Besides, even if she could, she didn’t have money to pay for it. But perhaps she could pin her hair up, or maybe blow dry it straight?
Except, a thorough search of Kalugal’s bathroom failed to produce a blow dryer, and the shopper had forgotten to include round hairbrushes in her acquisitions. She also hadn’t bought any makeup.
Normally, Jacki didn’t bother with it, but the new outfits whetted her appetite for putting more care into her appearance.
Running her hand over the skirt of the beautiful knee-length black dress she’d put on, Jacki turned sideways to check out how she looked in profile. She had heels on, and they made her legs look long and shapely, and her butt lifted and tight.
The black pumps were at least three inches tall, but she had no problem walking in them even though she wasn’t used to wearing heels.
Jacki was all dressed up but with nowhere to go.
With a sigh, she stepped out of the pumps and put them on the shelf with her other shoes.
It would have been fun to Skype with Jin and show her each outfit as she tried it, but Jacki had no cell phone, and she was
n’t going to ask for one because it was too risky to call Jin from Kalugal’s house. If he had Jin’s number, he could call her and compel her to come to him.
Perhaps she could ask for a laptop and send Jin an email with pictures of the outfits. Neither Kalugal nor Kian should have a problem with that.
46
Kalugal
“Wow, Jacqueline.” Rufsur whistled as Jacki entered the office. “You should start an Instagram page.”
She rolled her eyes. “Right, as if I could show my face on social media. But thank you for the compliment.”
“Was everything satisfactory?” Kalugal cut in.
“Everything is great. Thank you, and also convey my thanks to your personal shopper. She did an amazing job.”
“I don’t have a personal shopper. Why would I need one?”
Given Jacki’s raised brow, she didn’t believe him. “If you say so. But some of the things that you got me no guy would have chosen.”
He chuckled. “You are right. I asked the boutique owner’s advice on some of the things. She was a great help, and I don’t mind thanking her for you.”
“Is she a good friend?” Jacki sounded jealous.
“I don’t have human friends. I have acquaintances who know me as one of the personas I assume, and not the real me.”
“That sucks.”
“It is what it is.” He leaned back and gave her a thorough appraisal. “You look very chic.”
She looked down at the loose blouse and skinny pants she’d chosen. “No more fifty-cent containers for your twenty-five-thousand-dollars-a-day perfume.”
Behind him, Rufsur snickered. “That’s a good one, boss.”
Was it, though?
Kalugal wasn’t sure whether Jacki was flattered or insulted by his analogy, and he didn’t want her to think that he objectified her. But trying to fix it now would only make it worse. Instead, he decided to change the subject.
“Are you missing any items?”
“A few small things like hairbrushes and some makeup. I was wondering if I could borrow a laptop.” She shifted from foot to foot. “I can put the things in the cart, but I can’t pay for them.”
“Of course you can.” He opened his desk drawer and pulled out his wallet. “Use this.” He handed her a corporate MasterCard.
She looked at the name. “Calvin Rothman?”
“One of my many aliases.” He reached into the drawer again and pulled out a tablet. “You can use this to make your purchases.”
“Is it code protected?”
“It’s new, and I didn’t activate it yet. It’s yours.”
“Thank you. Can I send emails from it?”
“You’ll need the Wi-Fi password.”
“Can I have it?”
“Who do you want to send emails to?”
“Jin. But I don’t have her email address. I was hoping to ask Kian to get it for me in our next phone conversation.” She smiled. “What’s the point of having beautiful new outfits if I can’t model them for my friend?”
“You can model them for me.”
Jacki chuckled. “I walked right into that one, didn’t I? I meant a girlfriend.”
“Is that something that women normally do?”
“Of course. Women don’t get dressed up for guys, they do it to impress other women, who can actually appreciate how much effort has gone into it.”
“Do you?”
She shrugged. “I’m not that much into fashion. I like to be comfortable and not worry about ruining expensive clothes while I work. It’s all about functionality for me.”
Kalugal pushed away from the desk and got up. “That’s the old you.” He put his hand on the small of Jacki’s back and walked her out of the office. “This is the new you.” He waved a hand over the stylish outfit. “The way we dress influences the way we think about ourselves, and the way we see ourselves influences the way we carry ourselves, which in turn determines the way other people perceive us.”
“You assign a lot of importance to appearances. Where are we going?”
“I thought that you’d like to have afternoon tea with me. We could continue our conversation from before.”
“I would love to. But don’t you have work to do?”
“I do, but I’m taking a break. That’s one of the benefits of being my own boss.” He opened the library doors. “Games table or couch?”
Jacki glanced at the couch and shook her head. “Games table.”
“Do you still have bad memories from that piece of furniture?”
“It’s not that. I just don’t want to accidentally spill something on the gorgeous upholstery.”
“Good save.” He pulled out his phone. “I’m texting Atzil to serve us tea in here. Any preferences? Would you prefer coffee instead?”
“Coffee, if you don’t mind. Trying on clothes is surprisingly exhausting. I need a little boost of energy.”
He typed the message and put the phone away. “Was there enough space for your things?”
“Plenty, but I reorganized your wardrobe. I can show you later where everything is.” She looked at him from under her lashes. “I hope you don’t mind.”
“Mind? I love it. I feel pampered. This place lacks a woman’s touch. Feel free to reorganize anything that doesn’t meet with your approval. You are the lady of the house now.”
For once, Jacki didn’t have a retort ready and just gawked at him. “Okay…”
Experimentally, he patted her hand to check her response and was glad when she didn’t withdraw it.
Not wanting to push his luck, Kalugal leaned back in the chair. “Back to our discussion about dressing the part.”
“I wasn’t aware that I was on stage.”
“We are all on stage all of the time. Even when we are alone. Let me give you an example. I have a hobby which I’m quite obsessed with. Digging for artifacts. The persona I use for that purpose is good old Professor Gunter.” He changed his voice to sound older and affected a slight German accent. He then pushed his belly out and adjusted his pants.
Jacki laughed. “You’re good. That’s really playing a part.”
“Thank you.” He dipped his head. “Since I travel through airports as Professor Gunter, shrouding myself is not enough, and I have to put on an actual disguise. But it’s more than just the rumpled brown suit and hat. I talk and walk like an old man, and because people react to me as if I were an older gentleman, I often find myself thinking as one. I smile indulgently at the kids running around and making havoc, and I call young women liebchen. When I come home, I shower and change, which helps me wash away that persona and become myself again.”
“You lead a complicated life.”
“I do. But at least it’s not boring.”
“I guess. I would love to travel to foreign countries, but digging in the dirt is not my idea of fun.”
“Et tu, Brute? Rufsur shares your opinion on that.” He leaned closer to her and smiled. “Maybe you’ll change your mind after I show you my collection. You see, the digging part is not much fun, but I hire locals to do that. The exciting part is finding something fascinating, a piece of the puzzle to unlock forgotten secrets.”
47
Kian
“I spoke with Ingrid.” Vanessa walked into Kian’s office. “She can’t go.” Pulling out a chair, she sat down and put her purse on his desk.
Kian arched a brow. “Can’t or won’t?”
“It’s both. She said that Richard is fun, but that she doesn’t feel the connection. He is not the one for her. She would have gone to help out with Wendy and Vlad, but she has that new hotel project you assigned her to. If you want it to be ready by the end of the month, she needs to work nights and weekends to catch up on the work she missed during the lockdown.”
“So what do we do now?”
“We need to find someone else who wants to give Richard a chance. I’m going to pay him a visit, make an assessment, and then try to match him with the right female. In
grid called dibs on him because she was there when he arrived. We didn’t give anyone else a chance to get to know him.”
“Good luck.”
“What’s your impression of Richard?” She pulled a tablet out of her purse.
Kian grimaced. “I’m not good at those things. Maybe you should talk to Syssi. Her opinion about people is usually much more positive than mine. Or you can ask Amanda. She is not as kind as Syssi, but she is more forgiving than me. But the best one to ask is Edna. She probed him.”
Vanessa rolled her eyes. “I will call each one and ask them their opinions, but I want yours as well. Syssi will focus on the positives, Amanda will be neutral, and you will focus on the negatives. That will give me a good picture. And then I’ll complete it with Edna’s deeper assessment.”
Kian chuckled. “According to Edna, there is nothing deep about Richard. He is a what-you-see-is-what-you-get kind of guy.”
“That’s not a bad thing.” Using a stylus, Vanessa scribbled on her tablet. “What else?”
“He is not afraid of hard work, which is the one thing that I like about him. He’s decent looking, I would say that his intelligence is above average, and that’s about it. Edna said that he'd never loved anyone, romantically that is, which seemed to shock him because he was convinced that he’d been in love. He’d even gotten engaged, but Eleanor compelled him to break it off with his fiancée and join the program. He’s still pissed about it.”
“Rightfully so.” Vanessa kept scribbling for another minute. “Anything else?”
“He and Jin dated, but that was because of Eleanor’s compulsion. Jin said that he was okay, but that she would have never dated him without Eleanor’s intervention. That’s all I got. Did you ask Ingrid what she thought of him?”
“I did. It’s in my notes.” Vanessa put the tablet back in her purse. “I’m heading to the keep, and from there, I’m going to the halfway house.”
“How is that project going?”
