Satisfaction Guaranteed

by Samantha M. Derr

  Marco rolls his eyes and catches Hector hiding a smile. "Alice, she'd just rescued me from certain death. She was busy. I wasn't going to pester her for an autograph."

  "Argh," Alice says, rubbing her face in frustration. "Wasted on you."

  Marco grins, and accepts their drinks from Hector. Their fingers touch, they steal a glance, and Hector winks.

  HEARTBEAT

  Mell Eight

  Denton tried to hold his breath. It wasn't as if he actually needed to breathe—he was undead after all—but without air expelling from his lungs he couldn't speak. Of course, speaking required that the woman still chattering at him stopped so he could get a word in.

  "Since I'm so smart, I need a top notch class with a top notch teacher," the woman continued. "It wouldn't do for someone like me to be taught by someone of lesser abilities. I also need to be placed in a classroom with students who will appreciate my brilliance. None of the usual riffraff."

  She was extremely rotund and her third chin wobbled every time she moved her mouth. Her dress was two sizes too small and low-cut, which gave her the illusion of having two sets of boobs. And, worst of all, her blood reeked. Denton didn't know if she was sick, if she was on some sort of drug or if her horrible personality was echoed inside and out. He just wished she'd stop talking.

  "I have the perfect class for you," Denton finally said, cutting in over the top of her chatter. "Modern Fashion would suit someone of your tastes perfectly."

  "Ah," the woman sighed with a flutter of her fake eyelashes. "Yes, I do know the fashion world quite intimately." And she was off again, talking about her connections and her endless knowledge of current fashion.

  Denton had chosen the class for her because the teacher was very handsome, which would spike her attention, and the class didn't require much bookwork. He couldn't see Ms. Oliva Stantonopolis actually stooping to open a book and learn something.

  She was still chattering as Denton gathered the required paperwork from the printer. He wordlessly pointed to the various sections she had to fill out, including where she had to sign to indicate she was willing to pay the cost of the course plus a materials fee. Once that was completed, all without Ms. Oliva halting her chatter or bothering to read what she was signing, Denton went ahead and scheduled her for the late afternoon class. He handed over the schedule, and finally, finally, Ms. Oliva was gone.

  "She does realize this is a continuing education program for people who are working on their GEDs?" Marla asked with a snort of laughter after the office doors closed behind Ms. Oliva's very round behind. "A lot of hardworking people, but it's not exactly your highest caliber program."

  "You think she could get into a real college? They'd laugh her fat ass out the door," Fred, the ever-brash weregoose, insisted.

  Denton finally took a deep breath, smelling only the faintest remaining hints of stench, and sighed. "She's filling a seat in the classroom roster. If we want the GED program to have enough funding to hire three nighttime part-time secretaries, then we should be cheering."

  Fred's honk of laughter was what had given away his species to Denton, although Marla was human and had no idea she was sharing office space with two different supernaturals.

  "You always try to find the silver lining," Fred snorted. "Come on, Denton, just admit that woman was weird and let loose a little bit."

  It wasn't professional and it went against the manners his deportment tutor had instilled in his long ago youth, but modern times and crazy ladies did call for a touch of heckling.

  "She needed a muzzle," Denton said softly, as if the volume of his voice could lessen the sting his words could cause.

  "That's an understatement," Marla snorted, smothering a wide grin behind one hand while Fred dissolved into more honking laughter. Even Denton cracked a small smile.

  It was in that moment, when they were all acting as unprofessionally as possible, that the registrar doors swung open again. Denton immediately straightened in his seat while Fred was still trying to contain himself. Marla ducked off to the side of the secretary's area where she could dry her face and fix her makeup.

  Two werewolves walked up to Denton's station. The first was a beta wolf. His shoulders were broad and his muscles thick, but he also exuded a sense of power that even Marla took notice of. Fred's laughter halted almost immediately when the beta's eyes swept over him.

  The second wolf was a zeta, which was the more modern, albeit ignorant, way of saying submissive. When Denton was young, all the wolves who were weak and in need of the protection given by their alphas, betas, and gammas were known as submissives. Then travel to the New World had begun, to a place where the alphabet ended with the letter Z. Some idiot had decided that zeta was the equivalent last place letter in the Greek alphabet, and suddenly it was flash to call all the submissives zeta wolves. It had caught on and become normalized, unfortunately.

  The zeta wolf was young, maybe in his early twenties, and he was thin and frail looking in comparison to his beta. He had a swimmer's body, his muscles long and sleek, and a head of chestnut brown hair. He smelled like he was unhappy, although the grip his beta had on his arm to tow him forcibly along might have had something to do with that. Denton's nose was still recovering from the previous student, but he thought he also smelled something sweet beneath the unhappiness.

  "This is Orion Smith," the beta said when the wolves reached Denton's countertop. "He would like to get his GED." Rather, the beta wanted Orion to get his GED; Denton could tell that much. Before he could ask, the beta plunked down all the required paperwork.

  No doubt he had printed it all off the web. Denton smiled tightly and began leafing through the paperwork. It was filled out perfectly, even the billing information.

  "I need Mr. Smith to sign here," Denton said when he reached the last page with the line for a signature that had to be completed in front of Denton or another secretary.

  Orion reluctantly stepped forward, awkwardly picked up the pen in his left hand, and scribbled something unintelligible onto the line. He might as well have just drawn an X for all Denton could read it, but he had signed it, so Denton initialed the paper and inserted the paperwork into the copy machine feed tray.

  "I'll need to see Mr. Smith's high school transcript," Denton said as the copier whirred to life.

  The beta handed it over, and Denton looked down the very short list of classes with a barely hidden wince. Orion Smith had passed his art classes. That was pretty much the extent of his transcript. A couple of early tries in math and English had ended in failure, and then he had dropped out mid-sophomore year, no doubt the same day he had turned seventeen and could opt out of school. Denton entered level one classes in math, English, and social studies into his computer to start creating a schedule for Mr. Smith.

  "What elective would you like to take?" Denton asked Orion, ignoring the beta entirely.

  Smith glanced upwards at his beta's set face and his shoulders slumped. "Another English course, please," he said softly.

  "Sorry, in order to complete your GED you need a certain amount of elective credits as well. I'll need an elective course instead." Denton got a mean thrill from the way the beta's face tightened in anger, but he felt better when Orion's face lightened a bit.

  "What do you have in art?" he asked, still speaking softly as if that would keep the beta's ire from increasing.

  "The usual things," Denton replied as he reached over for a course catalogue across his desk. "Painting, sculpture, modern fashion." He flipped through the book until the electives page came up and handed it over to Orion to peruse. "We also have drama, chorus, and band."

  Denton watched as Orion flipped through the pages. He read slowly, often pausing to sound out words. Denton changed Orion's English schedule around on the computer, putting him with the teacher that specialized in remedial reading and writing specifically.

  "Isn't there anything practical on this list?" the beta snapped, obviously impatient. Of course, he began to speak
just as Orion's eyes lit up in excitement. Instead of choosing the course that had interested him, his shoulders slumped and his fingers moved to turn the page.

  But then his fingers froze against the paper and he took a deep breath and looked upward, directly at Denton. The full weight of his mahogany brown eyes surrounded by thick black lashes hit Denton, and his dead heart gave a thump.

  A vampire's heart only beat for one reason, or rather, for one person.

  Denton pushed that thought aside—this wasn't the time or place to dwell on the implications, as much as Denton might want to, especially not with the beta snarling nearby—as Orion passed the catalogue back to him. Orion pointed to the entry on the page, his face set and his back straight. Of course, he still looked like a stiff wind would bowl him over, but he was making a decision and his beta could be damned if he didn't like it. Denton's heart gave a second thump in appreciation.

  "That one, please," Orion said, pointing downward at the entry that read Finger Painting.

  Denton flashed Orion a closemouthed smile and immediately turned to the computer to begin adding the new class to the schedule.

  "You realize there is a materials fee for the course?" Denton asked Orion, ignoring the beta whose scowl was growing.

  "Now, see here," the beta growled, his other nature coming to the fore with a flash of wolf-gold in his eyes. Orion ducked his head and Denton mourned the loss of those wide eyes focused on him.

  "I can pay it," Orion insisted, tilting his head towards his beta in such a way that his neck was offered in submission even though his jaw was set in determination. Denton's heart gave a third thump at the sight. "I have a paycheck."

  The beta snorted. "As if Alpha Carter would allow you to use your own money to pay for your education. Bill us the materials fee along with the cost of the courses."

  Denton made a notation on the materials fee paperwork and handed it over for the beta to sign. That done, he printed Orion's tentative schedule and handed it over to make sure the timing was okay for the classes.

  "Why are they all at night?" Orion asked after he had slowly read through the classes and the times.

  "You work during the day," the beta reminded Orion.

  Orion grimaced. "I hate that job. I was hoping I could quit for a while."

  The beta sighed. "You know you can't do that. Once you have your GED, you can get a better job anyway."

  "I know," Orion grumbled. "But I had hoped."

  "It looks good to me," the beta insisted.

  Denton waited for Orion's nod of agreement before hitting the submit button and finalizing Orion's schedule. He printed out the confirmation paperwork and handed over the entire stack that belonged to Orion.

  "The bookstore is back out in the hallway to the left," Denton said. "I hope you enjoy your classes."

  Denton watched as the beta dropped a heavy, albeit gentle, hand onto Orion's shoulder to guide him out of the registrar's office. He watched as the zeta wolf that actually made his dead heart beat left through the doors. When they closed behind Orion's back, Denton put a hand up to rub at the unfamiliar ache in his chest. His heart hadn't beat since he was alive. Even the couple of thumps it had given off were enough to strain the unused muscle.

  "Someone's got a crush!" Marla said in a singsong voice.

  Denton looked up sharply in surprise, which only made her grin widen.

  "I want to hear all about it. But tomorrow," she added. Denton glanced over at the clock and realized it was already nine. Marla and Fred's shifts were over, whereas Denton had only been on the job for fifteen minutes. There were summer classes that went all the way until eleven at night and the registrar's office needed to remain open for them. Denton was happy to take the graveyard shift, even if it meant being alone.

  Marla and Fred headed out and Denton refocused on his paperwork. The fall registration session for GED students was open, which always meant a lot of paperwork. He created files to pass on to billing, created academic folders for each new student and updated the folders for returning students, as well as all the other jobs that had to be done. He forced himself to remain focused on his job despite the fact that his hand kept creeping up to rub at his chest. He didn't want to be caught distracted while at work.

  Around eleven o'clock, Denton heard the voices and footsteps belonging to the students just getting out of class. One or two stopped in to make sure they were on schedule for graduation, but otherwise it was a very quiet night. At midnight, Denton shut down his computer, locked up, and headed home.

  He didn't live far from the college where he worked, so he walked the deserted streets the couple of blocks to his basement walk-up. The basement was originally a boiler room, but when the apartment block had been totally renovated and the landlord realized the new technology took up much less space, he had converted what was left of the basement into a nocturnal apartment.

  The landlord was a spook, someone who had magical ability of no real power or species origin and had been intelligent enough to market the basement apartment with no windows to the magical community. Denton had only needed to look at the space once before he handed over a security deposit.

  His apartment was comprised of two rooms, one a living area that consisted of a comfortable couch and extra-large TV with a mini-fridge tucked into the corner. The other was his bedroom, and he headed there first to change into pajamas. His bed was a king, which only left a little room for a nightstand and chest of drawers, but gave him all the space he needed to sprawl out while the sun held dominance in the sky. Then he headed for the mini-fridge with an attached microwave on top where he happily heated up dinner.

  His fangs punctured two holes into the blood bag. In a human's neck, his fangs kept the vein open, but in a cheap plastic bag they just got in the way. Denton freed his fangs and grabbed a straw instead. He sank into his overstuffed couch with a sigh and started sucking contemplatively.

  His heart had beat again. It was a continuous thought that he had been forcing away while he was at work, but while sitting in his own home he finally allowed it to return at full force. Those deep brown eyes had tugged something inside of Denton, and the merest hint of something sweet had perfumed the air for a long while after.

  Orion Smith. Denton let his lips move over the name, re-experiencing the thrill of mahogany colored eyes stubbornly meeting his. Even from just a memory, his heart gave a lurch.

  Denton had met very few vampires who had ever found the one person that would bring their hearts back to life. It was a totally involuntary reaction, something to do with the magic that allowed him to be dead yet fully functioning, but none of the vampires who had beating hearts had complained in the least.

  Still, zeta wolves had caused none of their heartbeats. Denton didn't know when or if he would ever see Orion again. He wasn't about to force his way into Orion's life, especially when that overprotective beta wolf would likely rip his beating heart right out of his chest. Orion had a home and a family; he had no need for an old vampire to disrupt his life.

  He could continue his existence without a beating heart, Denton decided as he slurped the last of the blood from the bag. Denton tossed both bag and straw into the trash and went to find a good book so he could curl up in bed and await the sunrise. It didn't matter that his soul mate was living somewhere nearby; Denton was happy being alone.

  His resolve held for well over a month. The rush of the end of the summer session and the beginning of the fall semester had kept him unpleasantly distracted from thoughts of Orion Smith. His heart hadn't beat even once. Although that wasn't something he could really be proud about. Every vampire yearned to hear the thump-thump they had lost upon their undeath, and Denton wasn't any different, but he knew what was right.

  Damn. He was thinking about it again.

  Denton refocused on his work, filing a few hundred manila folders in the back room of the registrar's office. He had drawn the short straw by being absent when Marla and Fred had chosen who would get the pri
vilege. The sun was still up at the time and Denton fast asleep, so it wasn't really fair, but he was getting paid, so he did it without complaint.

  "Just letting you know it's quitting time," Marla yelled from the main office. Denton heard the ruffle of coats as he neatened the stack of files and left the back room. The clock told him it was exactly nine o'clock. Fred and Marla said their goodbyes and left. Denton remained behind, alone with only a stack of files and hastily aborted thoughts of Orion to keep him company.

  He was used to being alone. Nocturnal creatures even in the supernatural world were few and far between. And he had to work to be able to pay for his apartment, which left little time for socializing even if he had any friends to socialize with. Even before he had left the old county, where there were many more vampires around, he had been left in solitude.

  Denton stifled a sigh and found the sign that said he was working in the back for anyone who needed the registrar's office so late at night. With the necessities completed, Denton returned to his stack of files.

  He worked diligently for another hour uninterrupted. Night classes wouldn't end until eleven, so there was still a chance he would need to help a student, but that chance was slim.

  Denton jumped in surprise when his pocket vibrated, only belatedly realizing that his cellphone was stuffed in there. He hurriedly pulled it out and looked at the unfamiliar number in his caller ID.

  "Hello?" Denton answered, hoping the call was actually for him instead of a wrong number.

  "Is this the Supernatural Tutoring Service?" a familiar voice at the other end of the line asked. Denton felt his chest tighten as the beta wolf that had been with Orion spoke. It took him a few extra seconds to find his voice again.

  "Yes, this is Denton. How may I help you?" He fought to keep his voice bland and only sound interested in what the beta had to say on a professional level.