by Tina Folsom
“I did. It’s my ancestral home. My family came from England.”
“It’s beautiful. Is the home still in your family’s hands?” It was more a castle than a home, but the warmth Delilah felt when she looked at it made her realize it had been a true family home with love and laughter.
She turned to him and saw the pain in his eyes for one second, before he planted a smile on his lips.
“No, not anymore. They lost everything after some unwise investments. The family became penniless, and everything was sold off. That’s what brought me, uh, my ancestors to the United States. Their only son came to this country in the late eighteenth century to make a name for himself.”
“And did he? Make a name for himself?” Delilah asked with interest. She loved history, especially when it was connected to somebody she knew personally.
“Yes and no. He was successful in business in the end, but he never saw his parents again. It was the biggest regret of his life, having to leave them behind. Never to hug his mother again, never to converse with his father about the things that mattered to a young man.”
There was pain in his voice. She felt a sense of loss slam into her chest.
“You say it as if you knew him. It was over two hundred years ago.”
Samson blinked then gave her another smile. “I’d like to think that I know him. It’s what I would have felt in his situation. Losing family is the hardest thing to get over.”
She understood all too well. “When did you lose yours?”
“Too long ago.”
He pulled her into his arms and kissed the top of her head. She felt his need for tenderness and molded into him, wrapping her arms around his back.
“Come, join me in my favorite spot.”
Samson pulled her down onto the large floor pillows in front of the fireplace. Delilah rolled onto her stomach and gazed into the flames. Shadows created by the fire danced on her bare skin. Her long dark hair was sprawled over her shoulders. Some of the strands were wet from the shower.
His body was turned toward her, and his head rested on his hand as he admired her beauty while he played with her hair. He enjoyed running his hand over her bare ass, caressing her more tenderly than he’d ever caressed a woman before. Her skin was deliciously soft and flawless.
“You said you’re on a business trip. How long will you stay in San Francisco?”
Samson dipped his head to kiss the delightful indentation at the base of her back.
“Till Wednesday. I’m taking the red-eye back to New York.”
He felt a sharp stab in his chest. Indigestion? Not likely—vampires didn’t get indigestion.
“New York? I used to live in New York. Tell me what you do there.” He wanted to get her talking so he could get his mind off what he really wanted to do—bury himself in her again, and again, and again. Maybe nibbling his way over the swells of her ass would take the edge off. He did just that, letting his lips graze over her delicate skin.
An appreciative moan was her response before she spoke again. “I work as an independent consultant. I travel a lot for my job.”
“What kind of consultant?” He wasn’t really interested, but he still hadn’t heard Carl come back and knew he had to kill the time somehow. As much as he wanted to go down on her again, he didn’t think he’d have enough self-control left to stop himself from plunging into her this time. There was no way he wanted to piss her off by sleeping with her without a condom, since he figured she was the kind of woman who’d just ditch him if he did something against her will.
Of course, as a vampire he could always force her, but he didn’t want to. He wanted her to come to him of her own free will. He had the feeling that sex with Delilah was much more satisfying when she wanted him. The thought of forcing her gave him a strange sense of guilt.
“Financial stuff. It’s really not that interesting.”
It sounded like she didn’t want to talk about it. Being the hunter he was deep down, he felt the challenge rise to get an answer.
“Try again.” To encourage her, he placed soft kisses on her sexy ass.
“What?” She turned her head back to him and gave him an inquisitive look.
“Let me get this right. You don’t want to tell me what you do?” Samson propped himself up.
She cringed. “Because it’s really not that interesting. And once I tell you, you’ll think I’m boring just because of what I do.”
“Issues, issues. There’s no way I could ever look at you and think you’re boring.” His eyes deliberately scanned her naked back and ass. No, boring was definitely not the right adjective to describe her. Luscious, hot, sensual, but not even those words could really capture what he saw.
“You’re going to laugh.”
“Have a little faith in my abilities to control myself.”
“I’m an auditor.”
“An auditor?” he repeated before he felt a stifled laugh build in his chest. He tried to suppress a grin, but too late. She was worried he’d find her boring because she was an auditor? That was just too funny.
“You can audit me anytime.”
“I could count and measure all your parts to make sure everything’s where it should be.”
“You’d better have a real large measuring tape on you.”
A second later a pillow hit him in the face.
“I knew it! Go ahead, make fun of the little auditor—but it won’t be original. I’ve heard every joke before.”
Samson snatched the pillow and threw it right back at her, starting a pillow fight. He knew she wasn’t mad at him when he heard her giggle. Delilah rolled and hit him with another pillow which he immediately appropriated before immobilizing her by pinning her down underneath him. She panted. He kissed her before he released her again.
“What made you want to be an auditor?”
“It was just something I was good at.” She appeared reluctant to talk about her career choice.
“But you didn’t know that before you started the job. There must have been something that interested you.”
“It wasn’t really interest in the job, more like … I don’t know, the fact that I could be in control of something.”
The answer surprised him. Delilah didn’t strike him as a control freak. “I’m not quite sure I get that. What do you mean by control? Did you want to be the boss?” She was a strong woman. He could certainly see her as a leader in her field.
She shook her head. “Nothing like that. I wanted to control risk, to make sure things didn’t go wrong.”
“But is that really what you do now? Control risk?” As if she was afraid of something. What could she fear?
“In a small way, yes. I make sure things get fixed when they go wrong. I find the culprit and correct the situation. It eliminates risk in the future.”
“Why is that so important to you?” Samson was curious now. Why was a gorgeous woman like her interested in such a seemingly mundane field? Shouldn’t she be interested in something more feminine?
“Because some outcomes can hurt people. If I can reduce risk, I can reduce bad situations.” Interesting concept.
“And people won’t get hurt?”
She nodded.
“Couldn’t you help people better if you’d become a doctor instead?” It seemed like a much more straightforward path to helping people if that was what she wanted to do.
She waved him off. “God, no! I get nauseous at the sight of blood. Figures I can handle, blood I can’t.”
Samson swallowed hard. If she couldn’t handle blood, it could definitely be a problem later when … What the hell was he thinking about? There wouldn’t be a later. She’d never have to deal with blood. He wouldn’t bite her.
Time to change the subject. Fast.
He pinned her down once more, imprisoning her wrists and lowering his head. Her breath mingled with his. “You’re the most exciting woman I’ve ever met.” Too abrupt a change of subject? Maybe, but she didn’t seem to care.
“Is that why you’re hard again?” His erection was hard to miss, pressed against her warm thigh.
“And the most perceptive. And if Carl doesn’t show up here in the next ten minutes I don’t know what I’m going to do with you.” He underscored his statement with an exasperated breath.
Delilah rubbed her thigh against his hard-on, tempting him even further.
Little minx!
“Make that five minutes,” he corrected himself and moaned.
Samson loosened his grip on her wrists, and she freed one hand to put it on the back of his neck. “Maybe I can help you pass the time.” She pulled him down and touched her lips to his. As soon as he felt her soft skin and then seconds later her moist tongue slip into his mouth, he was completely lost. For a few seconds he gave into her, returning her passionate kiss, but the urge to penetrate her was getting to be too much. With all his remaining strength, he pulled himself off her and rolled onto his back.
He sat up and moved away from her. “Okay. Here’s the deal. You stay right over there.” He pointed to one end of the floor pillows. “And I will stay on this side.”
“And then?”
“We’ll talk. Maybe I should loan you a robe.”
“A robe? So you’re done looking at me?”
“Not even close. But it might be fun to rip it off you once the condoms get here.” He could already imagine the scene. Damn, was his mind not capable of thinking of anything else but sex, or rather, sex with Delilah? He had the feeling it might take longer than one night to get this out of his system.
***
Carl pulled the limousine into the garage and got out. In two trips, he brought both the groceries and all of Delilah’s personal items into the foyer, including the flowers Samson had given her. The house was quiet except for the low voices he could hear coming from upstairs. His hearing was as sharp as Samson’s. In the kitchen he saw his boss’ note immediately. When he read it he raised his eyebrows. His boss thought of everything.
Without hesitation he moved all blood from the main fridge into the smaller one in the pantry and locked it. Delilah would not find anything out of the ordinary, and their secret would be safe. He didn’t like the idea that the woman was staying in the house, but he would be the last man to question his boss’ decisions.
Carl was absolutely devoted to Samson. His loyalty was unsurpassed, and he would give his life for him should it ever become necessary. After all, Samson had revived him when a gang of criminals had robbed him of his human life. Granted, he was now a vampire, but in Carl’s books it was better than being dead.
Carl finished filling the fridge with human food before bringing Delilah’s luggage, as well as the bunch of red roses, into the guest room. He knew she wouldn’t be staying in the room: he could hear them both in the master suite.
He paused in front of the door and set the box of condoms down when he heard Samson laugh. He hadn’t heard his boss laugh like this in a long time. He was finally happy, at least for a moment. And it would only be for a moment. What Carl had found amongst Delilah’s things when he’d packed for her concerned him. He needed to bring it to Samson’s attention.
He lifted his hand to knock at the door, but hesitated.
He remembered Samson’s explicit instructions of not wanting to be disturbed tonight, and despite his concerns, Carl didn’t have the heart to disrupt him. Samson needed a night of fun and games. It would have to wait.
Carl left the house, knowing his boss would have already heard him on the stairs. There was no need to let him know he’d executed all his wishes.
As soon as he was back in the car he dialed a number.
“Yes, Carl?” Ricky answered instantly.
“We need to talk. It’s urgent.”
“I’m with Amaury. We’re down in Dog Patch, behind the old mill.” Dog Patch, part of the Potrero Hill neighborhood of San Francisco, was one of the shadier neighborhoods in San Fran and not a place where humans liked to hang around after dark. Vampires, on the other hand, did, because it was away from the curious eyes of humans.
“Fifteen minutes.” Carl pressed harder on the accelerator, and the car shot down the hill heading for the Embarcadero.
***
“What do you mean? Was he armed?” John Reardon hissed into the cell phone. He nervously paced on this patio, constantly glancing back at the house, hoping his wife wouldn’t overhear him.
“I don’t know what happened, but I’m telling you: I’m out.”
“That wasn’t the deal, Billy. I’ve already paid you.” John’s voice was panicked now.
“And I’ve earned my money, but the bitch keeps on getting help. You told me she didn’t know anybody here, and suddenly she’s with this guy who defends her with his life? I’m telling you, there was something creepy about that guy. Don’t mess with her.”
“Damn it; just give it one more try. I’ll see her in the office tomorrow, and I’ll find out what she’ll do in the evening. I’ll make sure you’ll get her alone. Please, help me out.”
He heard Billy inhale sharply several times until he finally spoke. “If you weren’t married to my sister, we wouldn’t even be having this conversation. Okay,” he paused again, “but this time you’ll tell me the whole story. Then I’ll decide if I continue to help you. I’m not gonna risk my neck for you blindly anymore. Family only goes so far.”
“It’s better if you don’t know too much.” As much as John wanted his brother-in-law to help him get him out of the mess he was in, he thought it safer if Billy didn’t know everything.
“Bull. Start talking or I’m out.” Billy’s various brushes with the law had given him a badass attitude.
“Promise me you won’t tell Karen anything about this.” John didn’t want his wife to know what he’d done. They were fighting enough about everything as it was.
Billy grunted in agreement.
“I cooked the books. It was really simple at first, just some accounting entries, and I wrote down equipment to scrap value. After that it was easy to sell it and pocket the extra money. It helped. We needed the money after we bought the new house.” John knew it was no justification for stealing, but he’d really had no other choice. The interest rate on his mortgage had spiked, and he couldn’t make the payments anymore.
“That’s it? Sorry, but that’s not enough reason to get rid of the auditor,” Billy declined flat out. “You don’t even know if she’s going to find out.” If Billy only knew what was really going on, but he couldn’t trust him to keep his mouth shut.
“She’ll find out; she’s one of the best. I’ve checked her out.”
“So she finds out, and you’re gonna get a slap on the wrist. Big deal.”
“I’ll lose everything.” John still couldn’t tell him about the man who was blackmailing him. No. He was too afraid of him to even mention him to Billy, as if the man would find out somehow. “Please, Billy. Do it for Karen.”
There was a long pause during which he almost thought Billy had disconnected the call.
“Okay, but this is the last time. If she gets away again, you’re on your own. And you’ll owe me another grand.”
“Thanks, Billy.” John flipped the phone shut. Billy was the least of his problems. At least he could manipulate his brother-in-law into almost anything. And with a rap sheet as long as his arm, Billy had enough resources at his hands to make things happen. Plus he was always in need of money.
John dreaded the phone call he had put off all evening.
Once he’d started cooking the books he’d thought his troubles were over, but then one day he’d received a phone call from a man who knew what he was doing. The man had started blackmailing him. In exchange for his silence he’d asked for access to the company books. John never asked what the man wanted, figuring the less he knew the better.
Now, with the unexpected arrival of the auditor from New York, he was worried that she’d find what he’d done. His career would be finished. Not only that: h
e would be criminally prosecuted. But that wasn’t even the worst. The man had told him to get rid of the auditor, or he in turn would get rid of John.
John had never seen him and only spoken to him on the phone. He didn’t even know his name, but he knew the man meant business. Whatever his blackmailer was up to, it was a much bigger fraud than the few thousands John had embezzled. Why else would he need John’s logon and password to the company’s systems? And why else had he requested to take care of the auditor?
As John dialed the number, he secretly hoped he would get his voicemail, but he knew chances were not good. No matter what time of the night he called, the man picked up, whereas during the day he often reached only his voicemail.
“What is it?” the familiar male voice answered.
“She got away again.”
“I know.”
“How?” John didn’t feel comfortable that he was already aware of his screw-up.
“I have eyes and ears everywhere. You should have gotten her when you had a chance. Now she’s being protected, and I’m going to have to take care of it myself. Idiot!”
“I’m sorry.”
“Oh, you will be when I’m done with you. I need another week, and if you can’t get her or any other auditor out of those books until then, I’m going to have to find somebody else to do your work. Do you understand me?” His voice was sharp.
John shivered. “Yes. There won’t be any more problems. I promise.”
“Good.”
A click on the other end, and the call was disconnected. Nothing was good. John instinctively knew it. One day soon, the shit would hit the fan, and he would be standing right in front of it. It wasn’t a pretty picture.
“John!” he heard his wife’s voice behind him as she stepped out onto the patio. “Did you not pay the credit card bill last month?”
He turned to her and saw her holding the bill in her hands. She looked more than annoyed.
“Of course I did. I always do.” Had he paid it? He couldn’t remember whether there’d been sufficient money the previous month.
“Then why are they charging us a finance charge and interest on this one? That can’t be right! I’m gonna call them.”
