Chapter Eighteen
THE NEXT DAY, I had my all-important interview with the vampire, Soren, and my stomach churned at the thought of having to work in close contact with another vampire. I had been told that the majority of vampires were not as savage as the two I had dealt with, but I thought it more likely they only hid it better and didn’t make a public spectacle of themselves. I had already formed a prejudice after two unpleasant associations with the preternatural beings, so it was going to be hard to remain objective in my dealings with them.
I dressed smartly in a white shirtwaist blouse that buttoned up the front and sported quite a bit of see-through lace at the modest, square neckline, and a dark brown skirt decorated with tiny, white pinstripes. I wore fashionable brown leather boots with my dirk stashed safely inside, along with a small, white velvet hat with a wide, brown ribbon and a tulle train hanging down the back. I’d vetoed some of the more atrocious hats that had feathers and such, but hats were a huge part of 1904 fashion, and I had to comply. A pair of white lace gloves and my butterfly cuff bracelet completed the ensemble.
I couldn’t quite bring myself to eat much, so I munched on toast and had a glass of tea before Zachary brought the carriage around to take me to Soren’s home.
I expected a short drive through town, but I didn’t realize the vampire lived on the outskirts of the city, nor did I take into consideration that travel took longer than I was used to. At least an hour later, the carriage pulled up to a monstrosity of a home. Zachary opened the door to the carriage and helped me down. I thanked him and made sure he knew I wouldn’t be too long. After I smoothed my skirts with only slightly shaking hands, felt for my thigh holster through my skirt for reassurance, and took several deep breaths, I strode up the steps to the front door.
I gave the doorknocker a few good raps and amused myself wondering if a bald hunchback or maybe a thin, deathly pale grim-reaper sort of person would answer the door. Much to my disappointment, a very average, if not stiff and formal, butler answered. I handed him the calling card Elaine had had made for me.
“Ms. Sage Hannigan. I have an appointment with Sir Soren Blackwell.”
I raised my eyebrow and purposely left off the vampire part of his title, but I couldn’t keep a tiny grin off my face when I thought of calling him Sir Soren Blackwell, Vampire Extraordinaire.
I was led into a sitting room to wait while Sir Soren was told of my arrival. I looked around the cheerful room decorated in shades of blue and rolled my eyes. This room was boring even for my taste, much less a vampire’s. Where was the black, red, and skulls? Maybe he reserved those for his torture chamber. I was grinning at my own clever self when the butler returned to fetch me to my hopefully soon-to-be employer.
The butler preceded me into another sitting room, this one a bit smaller and cozier. I scanned the room and noticed an adjoining door on the other wall, behind a large desk.
“Sir Blackwell will be with you momentarily.”
He poured me a cup of tea, making it how I preferred, and left me grasping the china cup while sweat started to trickle down the small of my back. I put my teacup down, sat on the beautiful settee, and closed my eyes to get a handle on my fears and try to banish my self-doubts. I felt a little calmer after a few moments and opened my eyes, only to shriek like a little girl when I found myself looking up into the gaze of one Sir Soren Blackwell, vampire leader—who, unfortunately, had been my annoying mystery vampire companion from the party the previous night.
I narrowed my eyes at him, but his devastatingly sexy grin only grew wider.
“Ms. Hannigan, how very nice to meet you.”
“Sir Blackwell, it seems I am at a disadvantage. I didn’t realize who you were last night, and I see now that you knew the whole time who I was.” I raised my eyebrow, daring him to deny it. Of course, he didn’t.
I stood up and, before I could think, nearly stuck my foot down my own throat. “You knew I would be seeking your employment today, and you were just playing games. Did you even plan on interviewing me at all, or did you just want to see the look on my face when I realized who you were?” I could feel my blood pressure rising along with my anger.
“I wasn’t playing games, Ms. Hannigan. I wanted to see the real you before you went on your best behavior for this interview, and I don’t apologize for it.”
When he put it that way, I felt like a teenage drama queen who was overreacting to the entire situation. The previous night must have affected my emotions more than I’d realized.
I took a deep breath and said, “I’m sorry. Of course, you were well within your rights to do so. I’m just a bit tired—I didn’t sleep well last night.” I put all the womanly charm I could muster into a smile as I gazed up at him through my lashes. I must admit, it felt pretty awesome when he sucked in a quick breath and his eyes dilated just slightly, accentuating the unnatural golden ring around his irises. “Can we start over?” I asked as I held out my hand to him.
“Who could deny such a beautiful young woman?” he murmured as he kissed the back of my hand. Even though I had my lace gloves on, I could still feel the unsettling way something fluttered deep in my stomach when his lips pressed against my hand. My heart was beating erratically, and I nearly snatched it from his grip. Luckily, I was able to restrain myself. He looked at me like he could devour me, and I shivered at the thought.
Frickin’ vampire.
I cleared my throat and took a tiny step back, out of his personal space. He looked amused at my retreat but motioned for me to take the seat in front of his desk. Of course, instead of sitting behind the desk, he leaned on the corner of it only a foot from me. I tried really, really hard not to scowl at him.
“So, exactly what kind of position are you looking to fill, Sir Blackwell?” I asked, ready to get down to business.
He didn’t answer right away, and when I realized the mistake in my word choice, it was too late. My cheeks warmed, and that, of course, ratcheted up my aggravation meter. I thrust out my chin and narrowed my eyes at him, channeling Elaine’s teacher stare, daring him to mention my unintentional double entendre. The vampire wasn’t that stupid, though—brownie points for him.
“I have a position that recently opened up, and I need to fill it as soon as possible. I’m a busy man, and I have some functions and other things that I cannot attend without a female escort. I would require you to attend parties, a few meetings, write letters for me, and indulge me in some harmless eccentricities.”
I nearly snorted at that last, but reined myself in at the last second. Standing, I walked slowly over to a large window. “I don’t understand why you have this position in the first place. You’re a good-looking, wealthy man with many connections; why not just snap your finger so some young, beautiful girl will follow you around, doing all those things for free?”
Oh my God. Why did I just say that? He didn’t seem offended or even surprised that I’d asked, though, so I didn’t freak out just yet.
“I am all those things, and I could do just as you suggested—”
I rolled my eyes since he couldn’t see my face.
“—but that would cause a whole other set of problems I have no desire to deal with.”
I turned around to face the handsome vampire with a question on my face.
“Those young women would have marriage on their minds, and more than likely, so would their mothers. I don’t want to deal with matchmakers and empty-headed young women gossiping about fashion and whatever else young women flitter on about.” He grimaced at his train of thought, and I found myself grinning at the powerful vampire who was cringing at the thought of dating a debutante.
“I understand,” I said after a moment, “but why would having me on your arm keep the matchmaking mothers away?”
He looked a little surprised at my question, and I wondered what I was missing.
“Surely, you are not so naïve?” he asked with an incredulous look on his handsome face. “Everyone will assume you ar
e my mistress, darling.”
My mouth popped open with a little ‘O’, and I wondered why Travis or Elaine hadn’t warned me. Of course that was his plan. I should have realized…
I thought it over for a minute, but really, there was nothing to mull over for long. I didn’t care what people thought of me normally, and I hoped to be long gone from 1904 soon, so I definitely didn’t need to keep a pristine reputation here. Working so closely with him would give me ample opportunity to find out all I could about the supposedly rogue vampires.
I smiled across the room at my bloodsucking companion. “I’d be glad to be your pretend mistress, then. Should I call you Soren?”
The vampire walked across the room to stand only inches away from me. His power seemed to roll off him, making me realize in a blink who and what I was dealing with. Unfortunately, he seemed prone to dark mood swings at the most bizarre moments. I caught myself before I backed up a step to get away from the power radiating from him. I couldn’t appear to be a weakling, cowering away from his stare at every turn. I stiffened my back and tilted my chin up to stare directly into his powerful eyes. Idly, I wondered how old he really was and how much he had seen in those years to make him seem so untouchable.
“Yes, Soren would seem right, wouldn’t it? And I’ll call you Sage, of course.” He leaned in a bit closer, his eyes boring into mine, and his breath stirring the hairs around my temple. “It won’t be so bad pretending to be lovers, will it?” he asked in a low, husky voice.
I swallowed and wet my lips with the tip of my tongue. His gaze followed the movement, and I’m pretty sure my heart rate would have tripped emergency alarms had I been hooked up to a hospital monitor.
“No, it won’t be so bad,” I honestly replied. “But, that’s all it will be, correct? Just an understanding? A masquerade to keep your bachelorhood intact, so you can carry on with your nefarious deeds?” I was trying for a teasing tone, wanting him to take the bait and ease back on the powerful waves rolling off his body. I felt like those waves were battering my body against the rocky shore of a deserted beach somewhere.
He produced a devilish smile that did nothing to assuage my nervousness, and his eyes twinkled at the challenge.
I gulped.
“Having you on my arm will be a delight, I’m sure. I find myself looking forward to our… conversations.”
His voice lowered to a rumble, causing the deep recesses of my stomach to quiver. His tone made it clear he had more in mind than mere conversations, but I wouldn’t let his insinuations scare me off; I was getting exactly what I needed out of this deal. I felt ecstatic and wanted to jump up and down or dance a jig.
A moment of insanity seized me, and I decided to see how safe I’d be while working in close quarters with Soren. I’d never known that somewhere inside me was a little girl who liked to play with fire. Hell, this little girl evidently was a pyromaniac, just waiting for the right moment to add gasoline to the mix and pray she wouldn’t get burned. Before I lost my nerve, I leaned my body slightly into his and wrapped my arms around his neck, burying my fingers into his hair.
“Seal the deal with a kiss?” I asked, my lips an inch away from his.
He seemed momentarily thrown off kilter but recovered amazingly fast as he gently rubbed his lips across mine; one caress, two caresses, three caresses. Oh my. Suddenly, his lips mashed against mine as he angled his head to gain better access; his arms encircled my waist, and he crushed me against his chest. I brought my hands down to his shoulders to steady myself against the tremors that threatened to wrack my body.
My mind screamed that this wasn’t supposed to be happening just as my lips opened to allow his tongue access inside me. The rational part of my mind went completely silent as my pretend vampire lover kissed me like I was some foreign delicacy to savor. I ran my tongue over his bottom lip, and he answered in kind with a growl deep in his throat.
Somewhere between the growl and my aggressive response, something that neither of us expected happened. I felt my body tighten like it was getting ready to spring—or like I was about to warp—and a warm rush of power washed over me, leaving a tingly sensation all across my body. I gasped, and Soren jerked away from me like I’d whipped out a stake and gone all Buffy on him.
Oh, shit.
Time Warper: Fated, A Sage Hannigan Novel Page 19
