Page 18 of Bite Me
Then why the hell was I excited about seeing him again?
5
MY NEW BOSS
EDDIE
I was going to be sick.
“He seems okay,” Cat said as we walked down the hallway. “I think I’ve heard the name before. Anthony was all but melting. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him so thrilled. He almost smiled. Did you notice?”
“Yeah.” I choked out the word, looking away so Cat couldn’t see my face.
“Eddie, you’re not upset that our new boss is a vampire, are you?” she whispered as we took the sharp turn toward our little aquarium of an office.
“No. Of course not.”
“I bet it’s strategic. Frank said we lost a couple of big accounts last year because we lacked expertise in the specifics of vampiric socialization.” She used her fingers to make quotation marks in the air. Then she pushed our door open. I walked in behind her and sank into my chair.
Cat pointed a finger at me. Her eyes were shining with sudden understanding. “That’s why Anthony asked us to read the book on vampires! He wants to widen our clientele. But man, those cases can get messy.”
“Messier than what we’re already dealing with?” I asked, my voice wobbly.
She didn’t seem to notice. “I dunno. The details always seem a little juicier when a vampire is involved.” She waggled her eyebrows, the tip of her tongue peeking out.
I had to keep it together. Cat was the nicest to me but also an incorrigible gossip. I could never tell her that I knew Russel Greenwood from before or how I’d met him. I could never tell anyone.
This was a PR crisis management agency. To quote the great Anthony Fowles, discretion and impeccable ethics were the cornerstones of this organization. It was a miracle I’d landed this job, and as the youngest, wildest card on the team, I’d been sitting on the edge of my chair since day one. The tiniest misstep, and I was out.
And now my new boss was the vampire whose lap I’d humped at a dinner club last Friday.
Oh my God, I’m screwed.
My stomach heaved again, and I swallowed against it. I thanked the stars and Sheri that she’d gotten me out of the club before I could have gone home with Russel. I couldn’t imagine the terror I’d feel meeting him this morning after a weekend of actual fucking.
“Eddie. Hello. You in there?”
“I’m sorry, Cat. I think I feel a headache coming on. I slept like shit.”
“Do you want an ibuprofen?” She began rooting in her bag. “I have some left from my last period.”
Not having the brain capacity to come up with an excuse, I took the pill and chased it down with water from the bottle I kept on my desk. Then I went to the bathroom to refill it. I needed a moment alone.
During the ten-thirty meeting, I kept my head down. I answered when asked, but otherwise, I tried to blend in with the pale wood paneling behind me. I could barely look at him. It didn’t help that he was frighteningly handsome in his suit and black shirt, and everything he said was thoughtful and on point. I met his eyesonceand all but puked from anxiety, which the attraction I felt brought me. I would have to get myself under control eventually, but right then, all I wanted to do was curl up in a corner and stay in a fetal position until the world went under.
I was just leaving when Russel called my name.
“Eddie, lunch at twelve. Come into my office, please.”
My throat was dry just from his use of my name. I tried to swallow. “I’ll be there.”
“I’ll order in. What would you like?”
“Um. Whatever you’re having. I’m not picky.”
Russel’s lips twitched, and I wanted the ground to swallow me. He didn’t eat human food. In fact, I knew firsthand what and how he ate. I was most thankful that he didn’t say anything but waited for me to catch up.
“I apologize. Please, forgive me. I… Sushi. A California roll. I can order it myself. Sorry. Thank you.”
