Seventh Seal: A Reverse Harem Tale (Lovin' the Coven Book 7)

by Jacquelyn Faye

  "Oh? You're already planning on being on them for extended periods of time?" He grinned as I got in.

  "Well, I was. But if you're not going to show an iota of consideration…"

  "How about I kiss your poor shins and your abused knees. Give you a gentle backrub, and then hold you tight for the rest of the night? Would that be considerate?"

  "It's a start." I returned his grin and let him shut the door. "Where are you taking me to eat?" I asked once he got inside the car and started the engine. "And you better not say the diner."

  "Nope. Some place new."

  "New? There isn't any place new in Cedar Falls."

  "Didn't say we were staying in town, now did I?"

  He backed out of the driveway and headed for the highway. "We going to Amersville? My second trip today. I should write that down in my record book."

  "You were there earlier?"

  "Yeah. Yuki and I made a run to Wally World."

  "I'm sorry."

  "Meh. It wasn't that busy, really."

  "It's a Christmas miracle."

  "Christmas is over. Now we can concentrate on the three months of shit weather."

  "New Year's will be fun. Our first."

  "Yuki wants to have a party."

  "Are you?"

  "I might. Can't promise I'll stay up 'til midnight, though. That shit is for youngins."

  "Oh, please. When was the last time you went to bed before midnight?"

  I shrugged. My sleep schedule had been all sorts of fucked up as of late. There had been times when I stayed up for two days straight and got off with a light nap. Then there were days I didn't want to get out of bed. Especially when I wasn't alone.

  Traffic going into Amersville was twice as bad as the traffic leaving. We drove past the Walmart and the mall and headed to the south side. I'd driven through it once or twice, but never noticed it was a little posher than the north side. More chain restaurants became prevalent and I figured we'd end up at the TGI Fridays, but Chief pulled into someplace called Brewskies.

  "A sports bar?"

  "Kind of. It's like a mixture of sports bar, raw bar, steakhouse, and brewery."

  "Okay then." I chuckled, opening my door and sliding out of the Cherokee, careful not to let my dress ride up too high. Didn't need to be flashing the parking lot the skimpy black panties that matched my dress and had been Chief's request.

  "Honestly, next to the seafood place, they have the best food in town. Their wings are to die for."

  "Was just picturing something a little more romantic."

  "Yeah. That isn't what this is about." He chuckled and opened the door for me, ushering me inside. "Hi. Reservation for Bill?"

  "Not about romance? I think you're missing the point of a date, Chief." Something was afoot and I couldn't put my finger on it.

  "Right this way," the hostess smiled at him, grabbed two menus, and led us to our booth. In the back. In a very unbusy area. In fact, the only other people close to our seats were Jimmy and Dennis in the booth adjacent to ours. I'd been set up.

  "Really?" I blinked at him in disbelief.

  "What? Oh, hey guys. I didn't know you'd be here…"

  "Fucker. I'm surprised you told me to wear panties." I wasn't mad. Not in the least. I mean, how could I have been? It was Jimmy and Dennis. "I thought you guys were fishing?"

  "We were. Until we got the call from Bill and told us where we should have dinner." Dennis looked confused; Jimmy looked hungry. And not for chicken wings.

  "Um, excuse me Miss Blackwell. This is our date. You're supposed to ignore the hired help." Chief chuckled and slid into the booth, motioning for me to sit beside him, facing the boys.

  "Oh. My apologies, oh great one." I bowed and scooted in next to him.

  Chief put his hand on my thigh while he perused the menu with the other hand, slowly sliding his calloused palm over my sensitive skin.

  Jimmy and Dennis were looking over their menu, giving me little glances and smiles.

  "Hi! I'm Devin. I'll be taking care of you folks tonight. Can I start you out with some beverages?"

  "Bud draft?" Chief answered first.

  "Sure thing. And for you, ma'am?"

  I almost ordered a glass of wine. But I had a feeling I was going to need something stronger. "Whiskey sour." It wasn't like I got to enjoy my last one, anyway.

  "Since when?"

  "My youth. Long story."

  "Learned something new about you."

  "Learned something new about you, too," I answered.

  "What's that?"

  "You bought another new aftershave."

  He chuckled and went back to the menu. "Do you like it?"

  "Best one yet."

  "Tell you what. Next one, you pick out."

  "Deal." I grinned.

  He kept sliding his hand up and down my leg, stopping short of going under my loose dress. It wasn't just his aftershave that I smelled… It was his fear. Since the moment Dennis and Jimmy came into view, the whole situation felt awkward. Forced. I had an inkling why.

  I leaned against him. "You don't have to do this you know."

  "What?"

  Turning my head, I kissed his cheek. "First, tell me why you set this all up." I already knew the answer, but I don't think he realized the truth of it.

  "Because the last time–" He shut up when the waiter brought our drinks. Another server, in a skirt shorter than my dress, walked up to Jimmy and Dennis's table. I growled instinctively.

  "Here's your drinks, folks. Need a few minutes?"

  "Please," Chief answered for us while I watched the blonde bimbo engage in a little bit of flirt and serve.

  Devin glanced at me nervously and left us alone.

  "Did you just growl?" Chief's question had been the slightest of whispers.

  "Maybe."

  He chuckled. "So, as I was saying, I planned all this because that night…was the hottest thing I'd ever seen."

  "So, you though to recreate it with the shoe on the other foot?"

  He chuckled nervously. "Yeah."

  "Not going to work, Chief," I answered adamantly.

  "You don't want to?" I could hear his heart cracking.

  "It doesn't matter if I want to or not. You don't want to."

  "Huh?"

  I sighed and took a long pull off my whiskey sour. It was heavy on the whiskey and light on the pucker. I coughed instead of squinting. Turning in the booth, I faced Chief. "Jimmy is Jimmy. You are you."

  "What does that mean? You don't think I'm as fun as Jimmy?"

  I put my hand on his leg to show my sincerity. "It's not who is more fun, or who is better looking. Hell, it's not even about who has the bigger dick." I wiggled my eyebrows at him. "I love all of you for different reasons. But this doesn't have anything to do with me, and everything with the two of you."

  "I'm confused."

  "You're a man. It's your nature." I patted his leg. "Jimmy likes to show me off. You like to watch. He's an exhibitionist. You're a Voyeur. Watching him have his way with me is what turned you on so fucking much. Why would you ever think the reverse would work out?"

  He opened and closed his mouth several times while he thought about it. Then he gave me an apologetic look. "You're right."

  "You did all this to show me a good time, didn't you?"

  He nodded.

  That earned him a kiss on the nose. "We could have eaten KFC on the couch, and I would have had a good time with you. You're kind of a pain in my ass most of the time, but even when we fight, even when I'm angry, one thing I love is talking to you. That's our thing. Conversation and extremely hot sex." I shot him what I hoped was a genuine smile.

  When he did his little head tilt and smile thing, I knew he finally understood. "Sorry."

  "For what? Trying to make me happy? Thanks for understanding that you don't have be somebody you're not to do it."

  "Promise?"

  "Promise."

  "You're not going to get bored with me?"
<
br />   I laughed, leaned closer, and kissed him like I meant it. "Can't. You piss me off too much for me to get bored."

  "Gee. Thanks." He rolled his eyes and drank some of his beer.

  "And you make me smile too much to get bored. Make me happy. Make me feel loved. And squishy. I love you, Bill."

  "Uh oh. I'm in trouble." He threw his arm around me and I shifted in the seat, leaning into the crook of his arm.

  "Because I called you Bill?"

  "No. Because you're perfect." He kissed the side of my face.

  "Awww. Suck up." I chuckled at him.

  "No. That part comes later." He whispered in my ear and a shiver ran down my back. "So, what do we do with those two?" He nodded at the other table.

  I turned and looked. They were very focused on their beers, trying their damnedest to not drop eaves. "Well? You kids wanna sit at the big people table?"

  They let out the breath they'd been holding, smiled, and grabbed their drinks.

  Jimmy let out the breath he'd been holding and looked at Chief. "Oh, thank the Lady. I mean Lambresco's was one thing, but this place is packed. No way I would have started anything in here. You and I are going to have a long talk tomorrow about when and where."

  I laughed at Jimmy's relief.

  "Nah. Stuff like that is better left to the perverted delinquents," Chief answered with a chuckle.

  "Damn straight."

  ∞ ∞ ∞

  "You sure you want to spend the night?" Chief had his hand on the key, ready to unlock the front door of his house.

  "I'd love to. But only if you want me to. The memories in this house are yours, not mine. We can sleep at my house if you'd rather. I don't want to intrude."

  He let go of the keys and wrapped me in his arms. "You're not intruding. Ever. I want you always. Not just in certain places."

  "Then let's go in. It's fucking cold."

  "Should have worn more clothes… Jeez. What were you thinking?" He laughed and unlocked the door. Not fast enough. I swatted his ass.

  He laughed again and pushed the door open, letting me go inside.

  "Beer?"

  "Please."

  He flipped on the lights and headed for the kitchen. I smiled at the cuteness of the place. I understood why he hadn't changed anything, Rebecca was everywhere. For the first time, seeing her didn't hurt so much.

  The house wasn't much warmer than outside.

  "You cold?"

  "Yeah. It's freezing in here."

  Chief shrugged and handed me my beer before turning and fiddling with the thermostat. The heat came on, blowing warm air from the duct above me. "Movie?"

  "Sure." I smiled at him as he took my beer back, set both of them on the small table by the door, and got me out of my jacket. Mostly. Just before I was completely free, he grabbed it and pulled me close to him, his lips meeting mine.

  "What was that for?"

  "No reason except I couldn't resist."

  The lights around us flickered, and the lamp on the table buzzed and the bulb blew. I couldn't help it. I yelped.

  "Huh. That was weird." He reached over to the switch by the door and turned the rest of the lights on in the living room. They blinked to life and held steady.

  "When was the last time you changed that bulb?"

  "Couple of months ago. I knew I should have gotten the LED ones. They last forever. Sit." He pushed me gently toward the couch and grabbed our beers, handing me mine as he plopped down on the couch beside me and grabbed the remote.

  The DVD player and TV both flickered to life and when he hit play, the movie started. "You planned this all out, didn't you?"

  He grinned.

  "Better not be porn."

  He hit the stop button. "Do you think I would do that to you?"

  "Before dinner, I would have said no. Now, I'm not so sure…"

  He hit play again, and the Disney theme played loudly, filling the room. "Loser." He grinned and took a sip of his beer.

  "If it's Frozen, I'm leaving. And telling all your friends."

  Lucky for him, it was Maleficent.

  "Oooh. I haven't seen this yet. I told Mother she should audition but she was holding out for the old hag role if they remake Snow White."

  He chuckled. "Oh, shut up. You know your mom is hot."

  "Should I change my name to Stacy?"

  "I said she was hot, not that she had it going on."

  "Should I be worried?"

  "Uh. I'm the one that should be worried. I keep waiting to wake up on a platter with an apple in my mouth as she cackles maniacally and sets the oven temperature to three-fifty."

  "Four-twenty-five. Otherwise the outside is crispy, but the middle is too rare."

  "You're scaring me." He smiled, leaned over, and kissed me.

  The rest of the lights blew.

  "Okay, what the fuck is going on?" He stood up, walked over to the window, and threw open the lace drapes to look up and down the road. "I don't see any power trucks."

  "Check the rest of the house?"

  He walked across the room and leaned into the kitchen, flicking the lights on. "This one works. Check the others?"

  I got up and moved to the hallway. "This one works!" I looked toward the kitchen, but he had headed toward the garage. Turning back, I moved to the end of the hall to the bedroom. Leaning in, I flipped the switch and screamed.

  She stood there, billowing and angry as she frowned from the corner of the bedroom beside a dressmaking form next to the window. If I hadn't seen a hundred pictures of her in the living room, I probably would have been confused and angry instead of shitting kittens. It wasn't every day that you ran into your boyfriend ex. It wasn't every day you ran into her ghost, either. At least she was whole and normal looking. I don't think I could have handled burnt briquette Becca.

  Chief's footfalls echoed down the hallway as he skidded to a stop behind me and gasped. "Rebecca?"

  "Maybe we should go to my place…"

  Chapter 7

  One thing was for certain, after the night I'd had, I needed some fucking pie. And some coffee. I was fucking freezing and it had nothing to do with the weather. Chief had the heat pouring into the Jeep full blast. I don't think he was all warm and squishy on the inside, either. In fact, he hadn't said a word since we ran for the Jeep.

  "Want some coffee and pie? We can talk."

  He turned his head and let his eyes shift from the road to my face. Forcing a little smile, he gave me a slight nod.

  "You okay?"

  "We'll see after the pie and coffee."

  He pulled into the parking lot between the station and the diner and we walked across the street. "Chief of police, jay walkin' like some sort of criminal." I chuckled and grabbed his hand.

  "No jokes. Not right now, please."

  Pursing my lips, I gave him a sad smile and nodded.

  The woosh of warm air and the smells of the warmer food pushed some of the icky 'I just saw the ghost of my lover's dead wife' feelings out of the way. Tabby, Marge's niece who worked the night shift, waved from behind the counter and made coffee motions. Chief and I both nodded emphatically. Tabby narrowed her eyes and nodded.

  Chief sat on the other side of the booth instead of taking the spot next to me. Not being a petty woman, I let it slide without comment. This was hard on me. It had to be like teaching Josie Calculus for him.

  "All these years…" He shook his head and set it in his hands, resting his elbows on the table.

  "She was right beside you and you didn't know?"

  He pulled his face from his hands and shot me a rather unpleasant look. "No. All these years I thought she had moved to the next life or was roaming the celestial planes. Anything but being stuck in this world as a ghost." He nearly sobbed as he worked his way through the sentence.

  "We don't know that she was. For all I know, it could just be my powers manifesting her spiritual imprint on the house. I don't know how all this ghost shit works." I reached over and took his hand. "One
thing is, I do know I'm sorry if my being there gave her form."

  "Can we lay her to rest?"

  Yeah. If I punch her in the gut, turn her into a zombie, and let her melt into the ground. "I don't know, but I'll try."

  Tabby stepped up to the table and set two mugs and two pieces of rhubarb pie in front of us. She had broken out the good shit for the occasion. I gave her a grateful look. "You looked like you all just saw a ghost. Figured you needed it. There's a bitta Marge Magic in that coffee, too. So, drink it slow."

  We were both staring at her in shock.

  "Marge Magic. That means whiskey." She blushed.

  "We know. How'd you know we'd seen a ghost?" Chief gulped.

  "It's an expression? Wait! You actually saw a ghost?" She plopped down into the booth next to him, turning her head back and forth waiting for someone to spill the story.

  Chief pleaded to me with his eyes.

  "Tab? Give us a minute. I'll tell you all about it later. I promise."

  She opened her mouth to protest, saw the look on Chief's face, and understanding outweighed curiosity. "Oh. Yep. No worries. Holler if you need more pie."

  "Trust me when I say we will." I nodded to drive the point home.

  She smiled, rubbed Chief's shoulder, and headed back toward the counter. I forked a bit of my pie into my mouth, let the flavor seep into my buds, and washed it down with a little bit of whiskey splashed with coffee for flavor. It was no small wonder why Tabby was a waitress and not a bartender.

  Chief took a bit of pie, too. Then, the worried expression etched itself back on his face. "We've got to do something."

  "Well, I've gone to Nana and Mother for the ghost issue before. They weren't much help. If you want to go back, I can try."

  "No. Not tonight. I don't think I can deal with it right this moment. Mind if I stay at your place?"

  "If you don't mind the crowd, you can stay as long as you want or need." I smiled at the thought.

  "Well, if I get to be a bother, let me know. I can bunk with the Jimmy."

  "The Jimmy?"

  Chief smiled for the first time since we'd run out of his house in a panic. "Slip of the tongue, but fitting."

  "He is definitely the Jimmy. Just like you're the Chief." I forked the bit of pie into my mouth and grinned at him. Until I felt the storm behind me. No rain, no clouds, no thunder, just a heap of 'oh shit' brewing outside. Dropping the fork, I turned in the booth to see the storm front move inside the door of the diner. Three vamps were standing inside the door looking for someone while the remainder of the kiss waited outside. A moment later, their eyes met mine and relief and fear washed over them like a wet blanket. Apparently, I was the someone they were looking for.