"Hey, it's fine by me." He shook her hand. "More money for me. Although, like we talked about on the phone, I can save you some money, since we can finally clean in the day. You know, I don't think I've ever seen this place during the day."
She held up a finger. "Don't start giving out discounts just yet." She was almost afraid of her next admission. "I, uh…do have maybe a few more rooms to clean than last time."
"I don't like the way you said that."
"Oh, don't worry. It'll be fine. You did bring a few extra people?"
"Victoria—"
"Say, are you thirsty? I've got some beer in the fridge."
"No, but thank you, though."
"Are you serious? Last time you drank enough beer for your entire crew."
He laughed. "It was ten thirty at night, and I wasn't driving."
"Okay, well, you know where it is. Tell everyone they can help themselves. Let's talk while everyone gets started."
Chaz signaled his team, and mortals started flooding into Victoria's home. She watched each of them. There were a few new faces in the crowd, but most had been in her home before.
Victoria and Chaz sat at the dining table while two women cleaned the kitchen. It was fairly routine, but Chaz still had plenty of paperwork for Victoria to sign. She answered emails and signed her name at the same time.
"So, why so early this time?" Chaz asked. "I'm not complaining. I could always use the business. But seriously, Victoria, this place isn't really all that dirty."
"That's because you did so great last time," she said. "I'll be having a guest for a while, and just wanted the place to be spotless when they got here."
"Eight thousand square feet," he said, admiring the kitchen. "It's an awfully big place for one person."
"I throw wild parties. Naked men and woman, running around. Sex, drugs, porn. Hair-pulling, hot wax, animals, leather. And toys, too. Can't forget the toys."
He ran a hand over his bald head.
"So, uh…when were you going to invite me over?"
They shared a laugh. Victoria felt a twinge of guilt as she regarded Chaz. Like nearly every relationship she ever had, there was one underlying problem. Chaz was getting older, while she was not. It was an urban legend that redheads aged more gracefully, but there would eventually come a point where Chaz would question why his client's skin was still perfect, her figure still flawless. She would have to fire him, and get another crew that didn't know her.
And the cycle would start again.
"Really, Victoria," he said. "I can't believe you're single. Are they all too scared to step up to you? Is that it?"
She smiled as she signed the last form.
"Yeah. I can be pretty scary."
"Well, look, I know this sweet guy. I know he's sweet, because he's my brother—"
"You tried to set me up with your brother last time."
"That was the other brother. This is another one. Much sweeter. And good looking, too. Like me."
She handed over the forms and took a deep breath. Paperwork could be more stressful than battling the supernatural.
"Okay," she said. "Is that it? Make sure everyone knows I got pizza coming at lunchtime."
"Aww, Victoria. You know you don't have to do that."
"I know. But you came here, again, on short notice. You're always early, never late, and you do a great job."
He eyed her suspiciously.
"Are you buttering me up for something?"
"Uh, yeah. I am. Let me show you these rooms you've never cleaned before. It's only two of them."
"Just two? That doesn't sound bad."
Victoria said nothing.
She led him out the kitchen, through the hallway, past six people carefully dusting the artwork on the walls. On the other side of the mansion, near the dance hall, was a single door, far away from the front, or any windows. There was a single keypad on the adjacent wall, not wired into the main security system. Its sole purpose was to control the nearby door.
Chaz sucked in a surprised breath as she punched in the first two numbers. She turned to face him, amused.
"Is everything okay?"
"Uh, yeah. It's just…this is the basement, right? You said the basement was always off-limits. I'll be honest. A lot of the crew gossip about what's down there."
"Most of the sex toys I was telling you about."
"You're…not serious, right?"
"No," she said, smiling. "I'm not."
The door buzzed after she finished the code. She pulled it open and peered down the dark set of stairs. Flipping a single light switch bathed the stairs in light. At the bottom of the stairs was another row of switches, which she turned on, one after another.
Chaz gasped behind her.
"Holy fuck," he said. "Talk about your open concept…."
Victoria laughed and put her hands on her hips as she admired her basement. At one time, her basement was her sanctuary from the sun. With her wealth, she decided it might as well have been a well-equipped sanctuary.
There were no walls separating the huge space, no windows of any kind. The only exception was the bathroom in the corner. The living space consisted of a television mounted on the wall and two reclining couches, as well as a chair. A king-sized bed, with racks to hold clothes. The racks were now empty. She had long since migrated to the upper levels of the house. What once served as her office was against the outside wall, complete with desk and computer. The kitchen and dining area were new additions. She had no need for them, but the occasional mortal guest could certainly put them to good use. The pool table was also new.
"See?" Victoria said. "Two rooms. The bathroom, and…the rest."
"Two rooms, my ass. This is a whole new floor."
She turned to see a genuine look of worry on his face. His eyes traveled along the basement, growing darker as they fell on each new area.
"Chaz? Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. It's really not that bad down here. It's not like it's filthy or anything."
"Great. There is one more thing."
"Victoria, I think you're about out of things."
"No, no. This isn't for you. Does your cousin still work with pools and hot tubs?"
"Yeah."
"Well, I need two Jacuzzis. One for down here, and another on the back deck."
"I'll tell him to give you a call." A smile slowly took hold. "You know, he's single, too."
"Nice try."
They were ready to walk back upstairs when her security system chimed once again. Frowning, she glanced at Chaz over her shoulder as they made their way across the basement to the computer.
"Is all your crew here?" she asked. "Expecting anyone else?"
"Nah. All my guys are here."
She quickly logged into the security system and switched to the camera at the gate. There was a Toyota Yaris, waiting with the driver's window rolled halfway down. She couldn't see the driver. A sleeved arm reached out and pushed the call button again, sending another chime throughout the house.
Victoria leaned forward and hit the call button on the keyboard.
"Hello?" she said.
The window rolled down, and a familiar head poked out. He leaned closer to the intercom and peered into the camera.
"Uh, Victoria? Are you in there?"
"Hi, Amit."
She opened the front gate with a smile. However, her smile quickly faded into a frown as her mind raced. Amit was at her home in Baltimore. During the day. There were mortals scattered about cleaning her home that didn't know she was a vampire. Amit himself didn't know she was immune to the sun. It was a potential disaster in the making.
She looked at Chaz. Her thirty-year-old disguise started to fade. Her voice and mannerisms, even her posture, changed as a being much older began to show.
"May I ask a favor of you?"
"Uh, yeah? Sure. Is that your guest?"
"He's a guest, for sure. But not the guest. Please, greet him at the door. Bring him to me here. Do not talk wi
th him, and don't let your crew talk to him. Give us two, maybe three hours alone down here. No interruptions. After he leaves, this place will be open to clean."
"No problem. Victoria, is everything okay?"
She smiled brightly, changing once again. She shifted her hips and tugged at her tee shirt, all calculated actions to draw attention to her breasts. Nothing distracted a man more so than a pair of breasts.
"Oh, yeah, everything's fine. Thank you, Chaz."
He nodded and turned to leave, casting one last curious glance behind him.
Five minutes later, there was a quiet set of footsteps making their way to the basement. Victoria wasn't dressed in the least to entertain, but she didn't care. Waiting patiently at the dining table, she smiled when Amit finally appeared. He returned her smile, and she rose to her feet to embrace him. Even away from his duties in New Delhi, he was dressed immaculately.
"Amit," she said. "It's so good to see you."
"Are you sure? I wasn't sure I should just drop by, especially during the day. I thought you might be asleep."
She wagged her finger at him. "Just because we hide from the sun, doesn't mean we sleep all day."
He looked her up and down. "Whether a lovely dress, or sweatpants, you are still beautiful."
"Aww. You're so sweet."
He eyed her basement. "And what a place to sleep. Wow. I thought the upstairs was impressive."
Victoria followed his gaze, very conscious of the fact that she hadn't slept in the basement in months. She could only hope he didn't pick up on that detail and turn it into a conversation.
"Do you want something to drink? Or eat? I can have something brought in."
"Oh, no, thank you. I can't stay long. I'm actually waiting for my next flight. I'm on my way to California for some business."
She smiled at his butchering of the word California. Her accent also tended to add humor to some words.
"Ah, the old layover," she said. "How long?"
He checked his phone. "I'll be flying again in four hours."
"Perfect. Stay here for two. Get a quick bite to eat. We'll watch a movie, maybe play some pool."
He laughed. "I didn't realize how lucky I was when I was assigned to you."
"I'm the lucky one. You really pulled me out of the fire on my last night. You didn't happen to…see Patrick after that, did you? Did he say anything?"
"I'm afraid not. He left the next day."
She shoved aside her girl crush.
"Ah, got it. Well, let's put on a movie and kick our feet up."
Victoria truly enjoyed Amit's company. She put on a random Blu-ray she had laying around, but neither of them watched it. It served as mere background noise as they chose instead to talk to each other.
The conversation was trite at first, meaningless. But as time passed the talk changed to something more personal. Amit spoke of his family. He had a wife, daughter, and son. He reached over from the couch to show her pictures.
She would never share too much of her past, or her secrets, with many others, but found herself comfortable around him. It was a surprise even to herself that she answered some of his questions honestly.
"Were you ever married?" Amit asked.
"No, not me."
"Really? Such a long life. I thought you'd have been married several times."
"I've been close a few times, but that's all. Attachments don't always come easy for our kind."
"Such a shame. Well, just so you know, you're still the talk of my hotel."
"Yeah. We sometimes have the tendency to draw a crowd."
"No. I mean you."
She turned to face him. "What?"
He leaned toward her and lowered his voice, even though they were alone.
"I wasn't completely honest when we first met. Your kind is good to us, mostly. Financially, there is no doubt. And there's certainly civility. But some of your kind look at us like we're…walking hamburgers."
Victoria leaned her head back and laughed, loving the comparison.
"Well, I hate to say it, but that's not far from the truth."
"There also have been…let's just say incidents. Some of the female employees have quit over them."
She wasn't sure wanted to know any more.
"Anyway," he went on. "You were a breath of fresh air. Kind, respectful, considerate. Everyone envied me before your stay was over." He smiled. "You should have heard some of the requests Walter had. Although, I'm bound to secrecy, of course."
"Of course."
"That's why I'm hoping you'll join us again next year. I'd be honored to serve you again."
She cringed at his use of serve, and also wondered if the others had asked him to help recruit her.
"You're starting to sound like Terry. I don't know, Amit. Look at me. I'm just a homebody girl. I like my dull little life."
"I somehow doubt your life is dull."
"Well," she said, smiling. "It has its moments."
Two hours came and went quickly. Before she even realized what time it was Amit was rising to his feet, announcing that he had to leave. Victoria walked him to the bottom of the stairs, claiming that she couldn't accompany him to the front door. A lie she wished she didn't have to tell. Amit hugged her goodbye and asked to use the restroom. She offered up any of the six her home had to offer.
Not once did the magical incident in her hotel room come up.
*****
The tea-maker slowly popped and hissed on the kitchen counter as Victoria stocked her refrigerator with more blood. It was eight o'clock at night. From the window above the sink she watched the full moon light up the sky. She wondered how many werewolves were out there now, howling in delight. Vampires would also be on the move, enjoying the night. She always found it fascinating that vampires and werewolves were both tied to the night, but for different reasons.
The doorbell rang. Not the intercom at the front gate protecting the mansion, but the actual doorbell on the porch. Victoria smiled. Only a handful of people knew the code to the gate. Her guest had finally arrived.
She'd changed clothes since earlier in the day. Strictly for comfort reasons, her hair was pulled in a ponytail, to keep it off her neck. Jean shorts and a blouse rounded out the simple look. She didn't want to overwhelm her guest with exotic clothes. She walked to the door and pulled it open, still holding a glass of blood.
"Alex," she scolded. "How many times do I have to say it? You don't have to ring the doorbell. Just come in."
"The last time I did that, you were vacuuming naked."
"Well, maybe I did that on purpose."
Alex Teague reached out for a hug, which Victoria obliged.
"If Cindy caught you saying that—"
"Yeah, yeah," she interrupted before he could finish. "She'd drive a stake through my heart. How is she doing?"
"She's great, even though she's still married to me."
Victoria noticed an elbow peering out behind Alex. Before she could ask the question, he stepped aside.
"Victoria, this is Zoey. Zoey Gallner."
The girl couldn't have been more than eighteen. Zoey shriveled at having the spotlight thrust on her. She stood behind Alex with a single travel bag over her shoulder. Her figure was frail and bony. Her shirt stopped short of her navel, showing off her midriff, and her jeans hung loose on her hips. Her jeans were full of holes and tears, revealing thin legs. Victoria wasn't sure if the jeans were simply old, or if the holes were a conscious design choice.
She could see that at one time Zoey was very beautiful. Light brown hair, amazing blue eyes. But besides her figure, there was something missing in her expression as well. She was hurting.
Alex brought her to the right place to heal.
She took in her friend for a moment. Every member of her inner circle was amazing, and Alex Teague was no exception. Besides his demonic powers, he had a heart like none other. Only he could travel to Florida on his first official case, to bring closure to a murder, and end up helpi
ng a newborn vampire at the same time.
"Zoey, this is Victoria," Alex said, pushing her forward slightly. "You've been talking on the phone with her the past few weeks. Don't get shy now."
Zoey held out her hand, which Victoria shook. Her grip was strong, at least.
"Thank you," she said. "For the blood. And for letting me come here."
Victoria returned her gratitude with a smile and friendly nod. She stepped aside and held the door open.
"Come on inside."
Alex led the way, and Victoria watched as Zoey's jaw dropped upon crossing the threshold. Her eyes moved about, taking in Victoria's home.
"Shit," she muttered. "It's even bigger on the inside."
"Hold on, hold on," Alex said, rummaging through his back pocket. "Before we get too far ahead of ourselves. In case you ever need to get a hold of me or anything." His hand flashed from his pocket. "Pow!"
It took Victoria a moment to realize he was holding a business card in front of her face. Smiling, she took it from him and looked it over.
Demons LLC. Alex Teague. President. There was even a logo in the upper corner.
"Wings. Cute."
"He's been waiting to do that all day," Zoey said. "That's all he talked about on the drive over. 'Watch me when I pull out my card.'"
"Can you believe it?" Alex said. "Business cards!"
"It's very good," she said, meeting his eyes. "Is Kevin still mad that I hired someone to spice up the website?"
Alex shrugged. "He was mad for about five seconds, then Alicia took him away. He came back happy."
She could tell from Zoey's confusion she didn't know who they were talking about. She didn't know Alex's sister or Kevin, which was perhaps good. One thing at a time.
Alex lifted his nose.
"Is that tea?"
With that, he walked ahead into Victoria's home. She laughed quietly as she gestured for Zoey to follow. Without a word, Victoria took Zoey's bag and deposited it near the archway to the living room. The bag alone was another conversation.
"Why do you have tea?" Zoey asked. "Can we drink tea?"
The first lesson she would impart to Zoey wasn't exactly deep or profound, but hopefully she would take it to heart.
"No, we can't. It's for my friends," she said, nodding to Alex. "And also…I just love the smell of brewing tea."
Four Centuries (Damned and Cursed Book 7) Page 10
