Savior

by Lane Mason

  As the men joined them at the table, Sally made introductions, “Todd, you remember Erica, and Frank I would like you to meet Erica.”

  Frank smiled brightly, “Hello, Erica, it is a pleasure to meet you.” Frank had reason to smile. Todd had not lied about Erica being a blonde bombshell. Her reputation as a smart and brainy accountant had preceded her. Apparently, beauty and brains could mix. He looked over at Todd and got what appeared to be an “I told you so” look.

  Erica smiled, “Todd, Frank, have a seat.”

  Frank took the seat to Erica’s right, while Todd sat across from her.

  Sally, as per usual, started talking, “Frank is the newest associate in Wells and Associates. He got old Baumgartner’s job.”

  Erica looked at Frank, “Really? What happened to Ted?”

  Frank laughed, “I’m not totally sure, I just heard about the opening. Todd probably knows more than I do.”

  Todd nodded, “The rumor is that Ted had a mild heart attack. No one really knows. He had a meeting last week with the firm partners and said he was leaving immediately for health reasons.”

  “Wow,” Erica said, “Ted wasn’t that old. I’m surprised.”

  Sally scoffed, “He was at least fifty and you know how Wells and Associates overwork their employees. He was probably a hundred years old in normal years after all the overtime he has put in.”

  Todd and Frank laughed.

  Erica smiled and looked casually around the room. Her comfort level increased significantly. At a discreet distance sat Jeffery with an attractive brunette. Jeffery shadowing her reminded Erica of the dangers she faced. She looked at Frank. For all she knew he could be a shifter. As far as she could guess he probably wasn’t a vampire. He was too tanned by the sun. She smiled. But what do I really know about vampires? What she thought she knew she didn’t. It left her with a vulnerable feeling. She was glad for Jeffery’s presence.

  Frank, the surprise blind date, found his interest in Erica climbing to a higher level. She looked at him intently and smiled. If he was reading her body language right she was as interested in him as he was in her. Todd had told him she was recently widowed. He was a bit surprised it was going so well. Perhaps it had not been a happy marriage and she was ready to move ahead. He truly hoped so. Frank was a little rusty with the dating scene. He had been in a relationship for several years that had slowly fizzled out. Different values, too much time apart grooming careers, and not enough commitment to work to build a stronger relationship were to blame. He consciously owned his fair share of the responsibility.

  “So, Erica, what does a beautiful woman like you do every day, other than make men like me want to get to know you?” Frank used a teasing voice, but he was serious.

  Erica raised her eyebrows ever so slightly. “That was a pretty good bit of flattery. I hope you don’t use that line too often.” She could tease too. She surprised herself with the quick way she handled his rather lame and overused pick up line.

  Frank chuckled. “I’m rusty at flirting. Seriously, what do you like to do to relax?”

  Erica nodded her agreement He was rusty. His admission made her feel a little sympathetic. “I love a good book. I like to dance. Are you a dancer?” she responded.

  “I’ve been known to step out on to the dance floor and enjoy it.”

  Sally interjected, “You had better be a dancer. I have a list of skills you must have to date my best friend!”

  Everyone laughed.

  “Oh jeez, Todd!” Frank protested playfully. “You never warned me this would be an interview!”

  Sally playfully wagged her finger. “You need to be gainfully employed, single, untangled, and have monogamy in mind.” Sally looked at Todd. The message was for two men.

  Erica nearly choked on her drink. Sally was taking the bull by the horns again in her usual bold and gregarious way. Frank handed Erica a napkin as she put down her glass.

  Todd raised his hands up, as if surrendering, and laughed. “I didn’t know, man. But I’m okay with the list so far. Are you?”

  Frank grinned. “So far I’m not striking out. I usually take things slow and steady.”

  Sally piped up, “What? You don’t like to sweep a girl off her feet?”

  Frank responded, “I shall plead the fifth amendment. A guy needs to have some secrets.” He noticed Erica’s interest in his answer.

  “Good answer, Frank,” Erica said, as she chuckled. She would be having a conversation with Sally about boundaries, and her willingness to date. Despite enjoying the lunch date so far, Erica had mixed feelings about dating, and had no intentions of letting Sally be her social coordinator.

  The remainder of the lunch date was pleasant as the couples talked about movies, people at the firm, and places to travel. A little gossip, a little chit chat with small revelations about personal beliefs mixed with comments on the weather. It ended up a pleasant afternoon with Frank asking for Erica’s phone number. He even went so far as to ask Sally for permission to ask Erica for her phone number. That brought another round of laughter, and some teasing. Erica gave Frank her new phone number. She almost gave him her old number. It was a reminder of the dangers she was newly aware of. It would be easier to say “no” to an invitation without Sally prompting her to say “yes.” Erica noticed a smug satisfied look on Sally’s face. She gave her the finger when the men were not looking. Sally responded with a, “what did I do wrong” expression. Erica just smiled. It was another “I know what you are trying to do” look.

  Erica glanced quickly and carefully to see Jeffery and his date rising from their table also. It gave her comfort to know he was near. It was daylight. Would daylight give her a reprieve, a measure of protection from vampires? Or did the bloodsucking murderers that wanted her dead wear sunscreen? She had many questions for Jeffery. It was time to go back to her sanctuary and do some more reading in the library.

  8

  After returning to the villa with Jeffery, Erica decided to investigate the library. She perused the volumes. It seemed strange to go back to researching in a library. She wondered how many questions she could just Google and get answers from over the Internet. Erica loved the look and feel of the library. The large number of books, along with the comfy couches to curl up and read on, were a comfort. However, beyond libraries being a good place to read, they were also great places to quietly search on the Internet. A laptop just happened to be on the massive dark pine desk. How convenient, she thought. She opened it. “Welcome Erica” was on the screen.

  Good, she wouldn’t have to feel guilty about using someone else’s computer. With a few prompts, Erica had a password set and with nimble fingers she started her search regarding vampires. The first thing she decided to read was Ten Things You Might Want to Know about Vampires.

  After a chapter, it became obvious that the article was a spoof, meant to be amusing. She chuckled over some of the funny comments and the joking nature of the article. However, the article did contain some gruesome facts about early stories in the 1700’s, where some count liked to only eat with dying men on spikes surrounding him. It was gory. She shuddered. Her mood lightened when she read how to find a vampire grave. Apparently, a naked virgin boy riding a stallion that was also a virgin was in order. When the horse stopped it meant he was reluctant to cross a vampire grave. Erica shook her head.

  It was time to get serious about the myths; it was time to separate fantasy from fiction she decided. My life depends on this. The more she researched the more frustrated she became. She sighed. The sources sounded unreliable at best, the results of authors’ vivid imaginations. She needed to speak first hand to someone with expertise. Who better than Dexter, her husband’s business partner, to help her with unlearning what she thought she knew and learning what she should know. She needed that business card again. A quick dash back to her bedroom, a dive into her unorganized purse, and the card was found. Along with his cell number was his email address. Minutes later, she sent Dexter an email, a requ
est for a crash course in vampire.

  Problem solved, she thought. About then her stomach growled. It was time to look for Jeffrey in the kitchen. Something smelled delicious. Having to leave her apartment wasn’t so terrible after all. A mansion with a cook and a bodyguard all in one were perks to be appreciated.

  Leaving the library, she followed her nose into the kitchen. Jeffrey was stirring a tomato sauce that smelled delicious and very Italian.

  “Are we having spaghetti, Jeff?” She peeked over his shoulder as she asked.

  “Oh yes, we are,” he confirmed. “Someone was hinting earlier that she had a craving for spaghetti and meatballs.”

  Erica smiled. “I did hint. Can I help with anything?”

  “Well, everything is almost ready.” He hesitated and finally said reluctantly, “You can grate some parmesan cheese.” He noticed how she shortened his name. He liked it. He also liked how she offered to help – not that he expected it, but it was nice. He felt compelled to ask, “How did your lunch go? It sounded like you had fun.” He was uncomfortable with conversation. He was more comfortable in the outdoors. Gardening was a good tradeoff for being in the forest.

  Erica grabbed the grater and started on the cheese. “It was good to see Sally, but the blind date aspect was quite a surprise. You shadowing me felt weird, but comforting at the same time. How was your lunch?”

  “Costly. It took a bribe to get a table where I could see you and your friends.”

  Erica frowned. “Oh! Sorry about that.”

  Jeffery interjected quickly, “Not to worry, I have a very healthy budget to look after you.”

  “Who was your companion?” Erica said.

  “An associate,” Jeffery answered with a forced smile.

  “Is she a shifter?” Erica queried.

  “Yes.”

  “And?” prompted Erica.

  “Supper is ready. Would you like to eat in the kitchen, or dining room?” Jeffery refused to be drawn into any more conversation.

  Erica sighed. Getting Jeffery to talk was like pulling teeth. It was almost like talking to another stone statue. She decided she was hungry enough to forgo any pleasant conversation. She sensed she would be dining alone, if she pressed him any harder. She set the plates at the kitchen island in silence. It was a damned good thing he was a superb cook. She wondered if all shifters were the strong silent type.

  Appetite sated, Erica left Jeffery to deal with the dishes. She would normally have offered to help. It was hard not to be miffed at his aloofness, but she remembered the movie The Bodyguard. A bodyguard did not like distractions, at least Kevin Costner’s character fought hard to keep aloof and alert. She mused a bit more, then thought well how is Jeff to know he is not my type, no worries, Jeffie! I have no type nowadays. You are safe from me. Then she laughed at herself, for her vanity. What made her think for a moment that a bear shifter would be interested in her, other than perhaps as a meal. She decided a movie and bath before bed sounded appealing. She would search the DVD library in the media room. Perhaps she reasoned, The Bodyguard would be the perfect movie for her mood, a sexy endearing hero, but no real happy ending, more like how her life was going. It sounded perfect. She found it in the media library, watched it, and naturally cried at the end. She planned on it. She had the tissue box ready.

  Erica liberally poured a jasmine scented bubble bath into the jetted bathtub. She disrobed and sank into the swirling water and thought it was a shame to have such a big tub for only one person. She thought about Jack and how he would have fit so nicely at the end of the tub facing her. Mentally shaking herself she started trying to clear her mind. She focused on the massage effects of the jets. It soothed her. She tried another setting for the jets. Now the jets tingled. It was tempting to let the jets do more than soothe. She gave in to temptation.

  Refreshed, relaxed, sated by food, the only thing she craved was a cigarette. Tomorrow would be soon enough to cut back on the cigarettes, she thought. She almost promised herself to cut back ... but she was not ready. She had quit cold turkey before and would do so again. It drove her friends crazy that she could stop and start at will. Jack did not like smoking and she gave it up in a minute for him, but he was gone and she could smoke like a chimney if needed.

  Erica opened the garden doors and sat on the bench on her balcony. She lit her cigarette and did the ritual, inhale, exhale, relax. It occurred to her she could do the same with yoga. Inhale, exhale, relax. She looked up at the gargoyle.

  “What? You don’t like to see a woman smoking?” she said, deciding It must have been her imagination that made her think his grim facial expression seemed grimmer as she lit up. It must have been guilt playing tricks on her. “I know it increases my chances of dying, but right now it seems smoking is safer than living my life like it was. My husband was murdered you know. Did you know that, Garg? And it is pitiful that I am talking to a stone face. Trying to talk to anyone in this house is like trying to pull hen’s teeth. I miss sharing my day with Jack. Jack was my husband, my lover, my friend. It hasn’t even been a year since he was taken from me. I miss his touch, his smell, and the annoying way he stirred his coffee in the morning. He rattled the cup every morning.” She ground out her cigarette before finishing it. She had so much to get off her chest and Garg, as she named him, was a captive audience.

  “I’m angry, Garg. He kept secrets. Oh sure ... they were to protect me. But it changes nothing. He let me believe in a false reality. Perhaps if he had shared just the nature of his business, I could have insisted he be more careful. We were supposed to be partners. We were supposed to be equals. I didn’t get the chance to have babies with him. I’m so angry. I’m so lost and I want some control over my life. Jack was a good man. He was older than me by ten years. He was not perfect. That is part of why I loved him. He didn’t expect perfection from me. He loved me despite my faults. He made me feel sexy even though my boobs are too small, and I have a big butt.”

  Erica sighed deeply. “It is pitiful that I am talking to a stone face, only a mother could love, but my best friend Sally can know nothing about what I am facing. She is safer in the dark.” As she said the words it was like a Eureka moment. She knew exactly the struggle Jack must have had balancing her safety, with the need for honesty. Forgiveness afforded a new measure of peace. Letting go of her anger, Erica searched the face of the gargoyle. Was it her imagination again that he looked sympathetic? She shivered. She needed to lighten the conversation.

  “You know, Garg, you have beautiful muscle definition. You are just imperfect enough. Maybe you wouldn’t notice my body faults. Totally acting out of character, she opened her robe, revealing a naked body and a gorgeous set of bare breasts. “My breasts could be bigger, but Jack said anything more than a handful is a waste.” The cool air made her nipples harden. She closed her robe. It was time to retreat to the privacy of her bed before she did anything crazier. She felt like a bit of an exhibitionist exposing herself to a stone statue with a grimace that made her think he needed a good lay to fix the expression on his face. What was it about that hideous face that had her talking like a babbling idiot and doing something so totally out of character like exposing herself? Whatever it was it made her feel better. She chuckled thinking perhaps she did need therapy.

  ...

  Dante watched the woman light up her cigarette. He had smoked occasionally. It seemed forever ago. He remembered the pleasure it gave him. He cared not if she smoked but understood the appeal. It piqued his interest that she had the cheek to address him directly again. Garg? Could she have not at least done her homework and found out his real name? He listened patiently as she spilled her emotions beneath his cold gaze. He appreciated that she seemed to honestly mourn the loss of her husband. He thought about the anger he had when his only love had moved on so quickly, after he sacrificed himself for her sake. It seemed as if his gift of his human life had been trivial, of no consequence. His opinion of love was that it was not to be trusted. Love made fools of men
. Apparently, it also made fools of women.

  He sympathized with the woman on the balcony. When she went from thoughtful insight to surprising him by opening her robe to expose her, not so small after all breasts, he remembered the pleasure those womanly appendages could give a man willing to pay tender homage to those delightfully sensitive mounds. He wondered why she thought her bosom was not sufficient. Her husband must have had decently large hands. When her nipples hardened in the cold night air a flicker of desire was ignited. It had been so long since he felt the needs of a mortal man.

  When she retreated to her bedroom he was actually disappointed. As he watched her retreat he thought her derriere was nothing short of perfection. It was pleasantly rounded, and firm looking. Obviously her husband had not worshipped her body as a skilled lover should have if she doubted her beauty. As a man he would have taken much pleasure in assuring the woman her body was perfection. Did she not know how beautiful she was? He thought it was far better to be unaware than to be vain. Her lack of vanity was endearing. He liked the woman.

  9

  When Erica woke, she went to the library to check her email. There was a reply from Dexter. He was arranging to have an associate who specialized in researching the paranormal and studying the magical work of Unreha meet with her in the near future. It still seemed surreal to talk of vampires, shifters. She remembered a time when Jack had laughed when she asked him if he believed in ghosts. She rubbed her eyes wondering why that was so funny considering what she knew now and he knew then?

  Perhaps Jack had been hiding more than she realized. No, she could not go there. No ghosts. No, no, no! It was bad enough to have to learn about, and believe in vampires. She decided she needed a coffee, a jolt of caffeine to stimulate her brain. She padded barefoot to the kitchen and poured herself a coffee from an insulated carafe Jeffery had left out for her. She inhaled the aroma of the fresh brew, and decided to treat herself to cream and sugar in her morning stimulant. She knew Jeffery would be out in the garden this time of morning fiddling with whatever he fiddled with out there. Gardening was not in her skill set. Being a city girl the closest she got to gardening was purchasing fresh vegetables from the farmer’s market. However, she did appreciate the neat weed-free rows of vegetables Jeffery tended, and she did love the taste of the fresh vegetables. Jeffery was more at home outside and it seemed he preferred the company of vegetables.