by J. L. McCoy
I grabbed my red bra and mesh shirt out of my bag and made my way behind one of the changing screens. I quickly switched bras and shirts and checked my hair in the mirror. I tossed my old clothes back in my bag, darkened and refreshed my makeup, spritzed on some DKNY Be Delicious perfume, and stuffed my bag into my designated locker.
I strolled through the long hall and out onto the club’s main floor. I spotted Jameson over by the bar talking to a group of handsome men. I quietly sauntered over and took a seat on one of the barstools.
“Ah. Here she is,” Jameson said and walked over to me. “Everyone, i’d like you to meet Archer’s new executive assistant Skye Morrison. Skye, these are some of our good friends from Houston and Boston. They’ll be working here at the club with us.”
I turned to the group and smiled. “Hello. Nice to meet you.” I felt a small flutter in my stomach and looked around to see if Archer was near. He wasn’t, so I quickly dismissed the feeling.
A handsome red-headed man stepped out of the group and offered me his hand. “I’m Lochlan.” he said in a heavy Irish accent, his dark blue eyes drinking me in from head to toe. “Well, you’re a fine feek, aren’t ya? I can see why o’ Archer hired ya. You’ve got a right set of larries on ya, don’cha?”
“Lamb a’ da Lord Jaysus, Lochlan,” said a tall man in an even heavier Irish accent as he came to rescue me from Lochlan’s hungry eyes. He pushed him out of the way. “I’ve ‘ad about enough o’ ya feckin’ flirtin’. Archer said yer no’ ta touch dis one, ya wanker.” He cleared his throat and smiled down at me, offering me his hand. “I’m Seamus, love. Do’na pay no mind ta here Lochlan. He’s a right gimp.”
I smiled and nodded, pretending I understood every word he said as I shook his hand. “It’s alright. It’s nice to meet you Seamus.”
“Save some room for me, ol’ boy,” called out a smooth southern accent. I looked over and saw a handsome young guy of about twenty-five push forward through the group. He had gorgeous green eyes and nice smile. “I’m Hunter. It’s a pleasure to meet you, ma’am.”
“Pleasure’s mine,” I said shaking hands with him and smiling. Man, was he cute! Hunter had short brown hair, a strong square jaw line, and a dimple in his chin. He reminded me of a U.S. Marine poster boy. I felt butterflies start up in my stomach and I quickly pulled away. I looked at him closely and it dawned on me. No wonder I felt like I wanted to jump his bones. “You’re a vampire, aren’t you?”
Hunter looked over at Jameson and the group of guys and then back to me. “Well, yes ma’am. We all are. I thought you knew.”
I shook my head and tried to cover my surprise. I knew there were other vampires out there. I guess I just didn’t figure that I’d be working with a lot of them.
“There’s nothing to worry about, love,” Jameson said as he came over and threw his arm around my shoulders. “These boys are like my brothers. They’re a good lot and know their place. Won’t any of them step out of line with you. Aye, gentlemen?”
“Aye,” they all agreed.
A laugh sounded at the back of the small group of five. “Archer would positively castrate us, right men?” A burly man in his mid-thirties stepped out and came up to shake my hand. He was intimidating tall and had huge corded muscles. “I’m Quinn. It’s nice to finally meet you. Archer told us all about you on the flight here.”
I blushed a little and smiled as I shook his hand. “All good things I hope.”
Everyone laughed except Jameson. “Oh,” Quinn slyly joked “It was all pretty good.”
I blushed even harder and dropped his hand. I was suddenly embarrassed by the thought of the guys talking about me. I wondered what he meant by ‘It was all pretty good.’ Is Archer kissing and telling?
“Don’t embarrass her, you big oaf,” said a thin young man in a rich southern lilt as he came over to stand beside me. “Pay no attention to these BOYS, Skye. They’ve always seriously lacked in the manners department,” he said as he greeted me. “Well, all except young Hunter there. That boy is a cool drink of water on a hot summer day.”
The men snickered and Hunter frowned. “Watch it, Trey,” he growled.
“I’m Nathaniel Herschel Thomas Hatfield the third,” he said as he reached over and daintily shook my hand. “Everyone calls me Trey for short. But, you can call me friend.”
Trey oozed femininity and true old southern hospitality. I decided right then and there that I was going to adore him. I grinned at him. “I am very glad to make your acquaintance, friend. I have a feeling you and I are going to get along just fine.”
Trey let out a small squeal and quickly hugged me. “Me too!”
“Alright, gentlemen,” Jameson said as he came over and extracted me from Trey’s arms. “I think we have taken up enough of Sky’s time for now.” He turned to me and continued. “I believe Archer wanted to see you as soon as you got here. He’s probably up in the office.
I called a quick goodbye to the guys and made my way up the wide metal stairs to the second floor. I greeted Gunnar outside of the door that lead to Archer’s private stairwell and office/apartment.
“Evening, Gunnar,” I said, nodding my head in hello.
“Pleasant evening, Miss Morrison,” he nodded back. “Mr. Rhys is expecting you.”
“Thank you,” I said as he held the door open for me.
I ascended the stairs and heard muffled voices coming from Archer’s open office door. I quieted my footfalls as I got closer. I heard a high pitched voice accompanying Archer’s and froze outside his office door. From what I could tell, Archer and a female were in Archer’s apartment and the door to it was open. My heart sped up as I listened into them talking to each other.
“But, Archer, they deserve to know,” the female voice pleaded.
“I already had this discussion with you in Boston. You aren’t even supposed to know, and how you found out in the first place is beyond me,” Archer argued.
“I have my ways,” the female purred. “You should know better than anyone, Archer. If I want something, I always get it.”
“They mustn’t find out, Aoife,” Archer sighed. “We have to stick to the plan. Do you understand?”
I slowly peeked into the office and saw that they were indeed in Archer’s apartment. The door was half open and they stood just beyond it not far from the bed. Standing in front of Archer was a beautiful woman who had long wavy blond hair and full pink lips. She wore a gorgeous strapless seafoam colored ruffled dress and she oozed sexuality.
I watched as the woman reached up and ran her fingers through Archer’s hair. He leaned his head into her hand, closed his eyes, and sighed. It felt like my heart stopped beating for a few seconds. My stomach clenched and I had to remind myself to breathe. What was he doing with this woman? Who the hell was she and why did it look like they were an item? I bit my bottom lip and forced myself to continue watching. I inched my head further to the side and got a better look.
The woman reached up and placed both of her hands on Archer’s cheeks. “I understand,” she purred. “My lips are sealed.” I watched as she caressed his face and pulled him into a kiss.
My hand flew to cover my mouth and I swallowed the gasp I had almost let slip. I watched Archer kissing her back for all of three seconds before I couldn’t take it anymore. It felt like Archer had stabbed me in the heart and I fought the sudden urge to vomit. I quickly, but quietly, turned around and hurried back down the spiral staircase and out through the door. Gunnar said something to me, but I wasn’t stopping to talk to him.
I carefully walked down the stairs to the first level, waved off the guys as I crossed the club’s main floor, and, once out of everyone’s sight, ran down the long hall to the employee lounge. Once inside I shut the door and leaned heavily against it. I took quick deep breaths and tried to calm my angry, racing heart. What the friggin’ frick was that?! I silently fumed. What the hell is Archer doing with another woman? I thought he said he was single. What I saw up in his office was defin
itely not single. There was intimacy and carnal familiarity between them. A blind man would have been able to see that.
My hand flew to my mouth and I gasped, sinking down the door to sit on the cold polished cement floor. It’s not me Archer wants. It’s my blood. He’s not attracted to me, he’s only attracted to the stupid liquid that runs through my veins. I felt the blood drain from my face and I tightly clutched my stomach. A sudden wave of nausea overtook me and I couldn’t fight it any longer. I crawled over to the small trashcan a few feet from the door and promptly lost my dinner.
Once I finished and got control over my breathing, I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand and walked over to the mini fridge. I pulled out a bottle of water and rinsed out my mouth before taking a few small sips. Damn it, girl. Get a hold of yourself. No guy is worth this. I walked over to the lighted mirror and saw the mess that my tears had made of my makeup. “Oh, hell,” I said aloud. I hadn’t even realized I was crying. I turned and went to my locker to retrieve some tissues and my makeup bag. I went back to the mirror and carefully wiped at my cheeks and under my eyes. You promised yourself that you wouldn’t ever cry over a guy again, Skye Everleigh Morrison. You know better than to let someone have your heart.
I threw the tissue down in anger. “Stupid damn vampire and his stupid damn vampire pheromones,” I quietly hissed. I picked through my makeup bag and found my face powder and small retractable kabuki brush. I quickly dusted my face and put it away. I touched up my eyeliner and lipstick, then put the bag back in my locker and shut it. I ran my hands through my hair and tousled it a bit. “Much better,” I said, looking at myself in the mirror. My makeup and hair may have been perfect, but my eyes were a dead giveaway to my internal pain. “Smile. Be friendly. Nothing happened,” I sighed. But EVERYTHING happened! I shook my head and silently admonished myself. Quit the pity party, girl. He’s a man, what did you expect. I laughed out loud as I realized those were my mother’s words. You’re right, mama. What DID I expect?
I took a deep breath, walked back over to the trashcan, and removed the soiled liner. I knotted the bag closed and took it outside to the dumpster located just beyond the employee parking lot in the back alley. On the short walk back I starting thinking about what Archer and that woman were discussing before the kissing started. Just what were they talking about? What was Archer keeping from us?
As I walked in the backdoor and through the hall, I worked hard on my smile. Smile. Be friendly. Nothing happened. I repeated silently. I walked onto the main floor and back over to the bar. The boys were sitting around laughing and cutting up with each other as Trey poured them drinks from behind the bar. I walked over to join Trey in serving the group.
“Uh-oh,” Trey said under his breath, turning to me. He sat down the bottle of whiskey that he was pouring from and pulled me a few feet away from the guys. “Something is very wrong, dear, I can tell.”
I shook my head quickly and glanced over at the guys to see if they had noticed our exchange. They were laughing at a story Quinn was telling and were paying Trey and I no mind. I looked back at Trey and shook my head again. “No. Nothing’s wrong. I’m fine.”
His brow furrowed and he placed a small hand on my shoulder. “Honey, now, I know something is wrong. You are positively dripping with hurt, anger, and confusion.”
My eyes got big and I felt my breath hitch. “Don’t panic now, darling. It’s okay. No one else can tell how you feel but me,” Trey said soothingly. “I’m an Empath. I can feel exactly what you are feeling right now. I can feel the emotions that you’re trying so desperately to hide from everyone. You can talk to me if you need to, darling. I’ll understand better than anyone.”
I signed and closed my eyes briefly. “That’s your vampire gift, isn’t it? Archer called it your ‘divine power’. You can pick up how I’m feeling?”
“Yes, honey. To both questions,” he said leaning in to speak in my ear. “I can tell that you don’t want to talk about your feelings right now, and that’s perfectly okay, dear. But just know that I’m here if you ever need a little girl talk.”
I smiled and genuinely thanked him before we both turned back to making the drinks. Trey finished pouring the whiskey while I made him and I a margarita on the rocks.
“Where’d ya run off ta in a hurry?” Lochlan asked me as he slid his glass in my direction for a refill.
Trey waved his hand in Lochlan’s direction and shushed him. “You just mind your business, now. She doesn’t have to answer to you.”
The men laughed and I felt Jameson watching me out of the corner of his eyes. I made sure to put on my best megawatt smile as I poured Lochlan’s drink.
“Well, I see you’ve met my rowdy bunch of brothers,” I heard a voice call out. I looked up to see Archer and the woman in the strapless seafoam colored dress descending the stairs. Gunnar silently followed them down.
My stomach lurched and I swallowed thickly. I didn’t want Archer to know that I had overheard him and Tall, Blond, and Gorgeous talking upstairs. I definitely didn’t want him to know that I had seen him making out with her. I quickly did the first thing I could think of to mask my thoughts. I started singing along silently to the first song that popped into my head. It happened to be Lady Gaga’s “Marry The Night”.
Archer, TB&G, and Gunnar crossed the floor and stood at the end of the bar. “They haven’t been giving you a hard time now, have they?” he asked me with an amused smile.
I didn’t trust myself to speak yet, so I just smiled my best megawatt smile and shook my head. Lochlan scared the crap out of me by slapping his hand down on the bar, and I jumped at the sound. “Ya d’nt tell us she was such the looker, Archer,” Lochlan said as he laughed. “How’s a man ta stay ou’a trouble around this feek?”
“Always the consummate flirt,” Trey said with a bored roll his eyes and a flick of his delicate wrist. “Some things never change. You were spouting the same tired old pick-up lines the last time I saw you eighty-some-odd years ago. As I recall, they didn’t work then. What makes you think they’ll work now and on this dear sweet girl? You’d think that after all these years you’d be able to recognize when someone was too good for you.”
Hunter, Quinn, Seamus, and Jameson roared with laughter as Lochlan stared daggers at Trey. I lowered my eyes and tried not to crack up myself.
“Alright, gentlemen,” Archer interrupted. “Calm down. You’ve only been here a few hours. It’s too early to be having your first fight.” Archer turned to Trey and shook his finger at him. “What did I tell you about instigating, Nathaniel?”
A chorus of childish, crescendoing “Oooohhh”s broke out amongst Jameson, Quinn, Seamus, and Hunter followed by snickers. “Sorry, boss,” Trey apologized. “I’ll mind my Ps and Qs.”
Archer turned to me. “If any of these brutes gives you any trouble, you just tell me,” he said with a wink.
I smiled, nodded, and focused harder on the song.
Archer turned to speak to Jameson but quickly did a double take back to me. His brow furrowed and he tilted his head slightly in my direction.
My heartbeat sped up and I knew by the look on his face that he was reading my thoughts and was confused as hell. I silently sang louder, scared that I’d slip up and let him in.
Archer shook his head in annoyance and scrunched up his face in distaste. “What is that?”
I bit my lower lip and busied myself with making a needless drink. “Nothing,” I said with a shrug of my shoulders.
His eyes narrowed on me and he pursed his lips. I could tell immediately that he knew I was trying hard to hide something from him. By the look on his face, he was far from happy with me. “Very well, Miss Morrison. But, a little piece of advice…never play poker. You’re easier to read than an open book.”
All eyes in the room turned to me and I blushed a furious shade of red. He didn’t have to say that in front of everyone and embarrass me like that. It pissed me off to no end. I roughly set the drink I was making down, cocked
my eyebrow and pursed my lips. “Thank you so much for the suggestion, Mr. Rhys. I’ll try to keep that in mind,” I bit back at him. ASSHOLE.
Trey slid closer to me, handed me the glass I had just put down, and a random bottle of liquor. “I’m dying for that drink, girl,” he said in an attempt to break up the sudden tension in the room.
Archer’s eyes narrowed even further and he scowled at me. I pretended not to notice as I poured the liquid from the glass into a shaker and added ice. I gave it a quick shake as Archer shook his head in frustration and turned his attention back to the group of men in front of me.
“Tomorrow we open,” he said to the men. There was state of severity to his voice that hadn’t been there earlier. I swallowed the huge lump in my throat. “Seamus will be working the front door. Trey and Hunter, I want you working the first floor bar. Quinn will be working the staircase to the second floor.” Archer turned to Quinn. “You make sure that only VIPs wearing the black wristband are admitted. Humans are only allowed if they are escorted up personally by a VIP or myself. Our human employees with access to the second floor will also be wearing the black wristband. If an employee tries to go up those stairs, and they don’t have the wristband, you turn them immediately away. Got it?”
Quinn stood up straighter and bowed his head. “Yes, sir.”
“ Lochlan, you will be working the second floor bar with Aoife (pronounced ee-fa).” Archer continued. “I want all of you here by five o’clock sharp. When you come in you are to be dressed appropriately and be ready to work. I want your stations sparkling, bar crew.”
“Aye, sir,” they all said in unison.
Archer straightened his spine as he raised his chin and voice. “You will remember to not feed from our patrons or employees. Blood will be provided in my office, should your need arise. Do I make myself perfectly clear?” Everyone nodded their head including me. Archer’s voice was so commanding. It demanded your immediate submission. “Stealth is key, gentlemen,” he continued in a softer tone. “If I find out that you alerted an unknowing human to our presence here in this city, I will personally deal with you myself.”
