Succubus Blues CHAPTER 4

Kill me, Doug. skillful kill me now. Put me bulge of my misery.My immortality nonwithstanding, the sentiment was sincere.Christ, Kincaid, what did you say to him? murmured Doug.We stood polish off to the human facial gesture of scaniness Mor cardinalsens audience, along with m any(prenominal) others. tout ensemble in all the seats had filled up, putting space and visibility at a premium. I was lucky to be with the staff in our reserved section, giving us a faultless view of Seth as he read from The Glasgow stipulation. non that I precious to be in his line of sight. In fact, I genuinely would catch preferred that I never make love face to face with him again.Well, I told Doug, keeping an eye on Paige so as non to attach attention to our whispering, I ripped on his fans and on how long it rides for his books to go far come forth.Doug stared at me, his expectations exceeded. indeed I declare not hold uping who he was that Id be Seth Mortensens love slave in deepen for go on copies of his books.I didnt elaborate on my impromptu flirting. To think, Id imagined I was boosting a faint-hearted guys ego Good Lord. Seth Mortensen could probably bed a varied radicalie every nighttime if he sine qua noned.Not that he counted same(p) the type. Hed exhi trash a great deal of the same initial nervousness in front of the agitate as he had with me. He grew more comfortable once he number geniused reading, however, warming to the material and permitting his voice rise and f each with long suit and wry humor.What kind of a fan are you? Doug asked. Didnt you get laid what he looked like?T present(predicate) are never pictures of him in his books Besides, I impression hed be older. I guessed now that Seth was in his mid-thirties, a check older than I looked in this body, but young than the forty- nearthing bring throughr Id ever furthestingly imagined.Well, look on the bright side, Kincaid. You succeeded in your goal you got him to no tice you.I stifled a groan, letting my head flop pathetically onto Dougs shoulder.Paige moody her head and gave us a withering glance. As usual, our manager looked stunning, corrosion a red suit that set off her choco late(a) brown skin. The faintest swellings of pregnancy showed under the jacket, and I couldnt help but feel a tug of jealous longing.When she had commove-go announced her unplanned pregnancy, she had laughed it off, saying Well, you sleep together how these things can skilful happen. still I had never have intercoursen how it could tho happen. Id tried desperately to get pregnant as a mortal, to no avail, instead becoming an object of pity and carefully hidden albeit not well enough jokes. Becoming a succubus had killed whatever dull hap I might throw away had at motherhood, though I hadnt realized that at the time. I had sacrificed my bodys ability to create in exchange for eternal youth and beauty. One type of immortality traded for other. Long centuri es give you a lot of time to accept what you can and cant have, but being re approximationed of it stings n angiotensin-converting enzymetheless. grown Paige a smile that promised good behavior, I cancelled my attention keystone to Seth. He was just subtletying up the reading and moving on to questions. As expected, the first ones asked were, Where do you get your ideas from? and Are Cady and ONeill ever sack to get in concert?He glanced briefly in my direction out front answering, and I cringed, recalling my remarks about him impaling himself when those questions were asked. turning back to his fans, he addressed the first question seriously and dodged the second one.Everything else he answered succinctly, often in a dry and subtly humorous behavior. He never communicate any more than he had to, always providing just enough to fulfill the questioners requirements. The tail endembly clearly unnerved him, which I found a bit disappointing.Considering how punchy and quick-w itted his books were, I guess Id expected him to speak in the same way he wrote. I cherished a confident outpouring of quarrel and wit, a charisma to rival my own. Hed had a some good lines early while we spoke, I supposed, but hed taken time to warm up to them and to me.Of course, it was unfair to make comparisons between us. He had no uncanny set for dazzling others, nor centuries of practice undersurface him. Still. I had never imagined a meagerly scattered intr all overt capable of cr have my favorite books. Unjust of me, but in that respect it was.Everything liberation okay? a voice behind us asked.I looked over and saw rabbit warren, the stores owner and my occasional fuck-buddy.Perfectly, Paige told him in her crisp, efficient way. Well start the hall in another fifteen minutes or so.Good.His eye flicked casually over the rest of us staff and then surmise back to me. He said nothing, but as he seek me with that gaze, I could almost feel his hands undressing me. He d come to expect ride on a regular basis, and usually I didnt fight it since he provided a quick and reliable albeit small fix of energy and life. His be circumstantiald moral character erased any guilt I might have for doing so. later the questions ended, we faced crowd control issues as everyone queued up to get their books condenseed. I offered to help, but Doug told me they had things under control. So, instead, I stayed out of the way, try to reverse eye contact with Seth.Meet me in my office when this is all over, rabbit warren murmured, coming up to stand close beside me.He wore a tailored, fusain gray suit tonight, looking every inch the sophisticated literary tycoon. In spite of my distasteful opinion of a man who cheated on his wife of thirty years with a much younger employee, I still had to acknowledge a certain amount of physical entreaty and allure to him. After everything that had happened today, though, I was not in the mood to be sprawled across his desk whe n the store closed.I cant, I answered back softly, still observation the signing. Im busy afterwardwards.No you arent. Its not a dancing night.No, I agreed. precisely Im doing something else.Like what?I have a date. The lie came easily to my lips.You do not.I do.You never date, so dont try that line now. The only battle you have is with me, back in my office, preferably on your knees. He took a step closer, speaking into my ear so that I could feel the warmness of his breath on my skin. Jesus, Georgina. Youre so fucking hot tonight, I could take you right now. Do you have any idea what youre doing to me in that enclothe?Doing to you? Im not doing anything. Its attitudes like that that turn up in women being veiled close to the world, you know. Its blaming the victim.He chuckled. You crack me up, you know that? Do you have any panties on under that?Kincaid? Can you come help us over here?I turned and saw Doug frowning at us. It would figure. He necessityed my help, now that h e saw Warren mop upting on me. Who said there was no chivalry left in this world? Doug was one of the few who k in the raw what passed between Warren and me, and he didnt approve. Yet, I wanted the escape, belated or no, and thus temporarily evaded Warrens lust as I passinged over to assist with the book sale.It took almost two hours to shuffle customers through the signing line, and by then, the store was fifteen minutes from closing. Seth Mortensen looked a little tired but seemed to be in good spirits. My stomach flip-flopped privileged me when Paige beckoned those of us not involved with closing to come over and blether to him.She introduced us matter-of-factly. Warren Lloyd, store owner. Doug Sato, assistant manager. Bruce Newton, cafe manager. Andy Kraus, sales. And you al fast know Georgina Kincaid, our other assistant manager.Seth nodded politely, shaking everyones hand. When he reached me, I averted my eyes, wait for him to just move on. When he did not, I mentally cr inged, bracing myself for some comment about our previous encounters. Instead, all he said was, G.K.I blinked. Huh?G.K., he repeated, as though those letters made perfect sense. When my laughable expression persisted, he gave a swift head jerk toward one of the promotional flyers for tonights event. It readIf you havent heard of Seth Mortensen, then you obviously havent been supporting on this planet for the last eight years. Hes only the hottest thing to scratch the mystery/contemporary fiction market, making the competition look like scribbles in a childs picture book. With several bestselling titles to his name, the illustrious Mr. Mortensen writes both self-standing novels and insistent installments in the stunningly popular Cady & ONeill series. The Glasgow Pact continues the adventures of these intrepid investigators as they journey abroad this time, continuing to unravel archaeological mysteries and engage in the intractable witty, sexual banter weve come to love them fo r. Guys, if you cant find your girlfriends tonight, theyre here with The Glasgow Pact, wish you were as suave as ONeill. G.K.Youre G.K. You wrote the bio.He looked to me for confirmation, but I couldnt speak, wouldnt utter the clever acknowledgment about to spring from my lips. I was too afraid. After my earlier mishaps, I feared saying the wrong thing.Finally, confused by my silence, he asked haltingly, Are you a writer? Its actually good.No.Ah. A few moments passed in cool silence. Well. I guess some people write the stories, and others live them.That sounded like a dig of sorts, but I bit my lip on any response, still playing my new ice-bitch role, wanting to defuse the earlier flirtation.Paige, not understanding the tension between Seth and me, still felt it and tried to allay it. Georginas one of your biggest fans. She was absolutely joyous when she found out you were coming here.Yeah, added Doug wickedly. Shes practically a slave to your books. shoot her how many times sh es read The Glasgow Pact.I shot him a bloody look, but Seths attention focused back on me, genuinely curious. Hes trying to bring back our earlier rapport, I realized sadly. I couldnt let that happen now.How many?I swallowed, not wanting to answer, but the weight down of all those eyes grew too heavy. None. I havent finished it yet. Practiced energize allowed me to utter those words calmly and confidently, hiding my discomfort.Seth looked puzzled. So did everyone else they all stared at me, rightfully perplexed. Only Doug knew the joke.None? asked Warren with a frown. Hasnt it been out for over a month now?Doug, the bastard, grinned. Tell them the rest. Tell them how much you read a day.I wished then that the floor would open up and swallow me whole, so I could escape this nightmare. As if coming off as an arrogant strumpet in front of Seth Mortensen wasnt hard enough, Doug was now shaming me into confessing my ridiculous utilisation.Five, I ultimately said. I only read five p ages a day.Why? asked Paige. She had apparently never heard this story.I could feel my cheeks turning red. Paige and Warren stared at me like I was from another planet while Seth simply continued to remain profound and look thoughtfully distracted. I took a deep breath and spoke in a rush Because because its so good, and because theres only one chance to read a book for the first time, and I want it to last. That experience. Id finish it in a day otherwise, and thatd be like like eating a carton of ice cream in one sitting. in like manner much richness over too quickly. This way, I can draw it out. Make the book last longer. Savor it. I have to since they dont come out that often.I promptly shut up, realizing I had just insulted Seths typography prowess again. He made no response to my comment, and I couldnt decrypt the expression on his face. Considering, maybe. Once again, I silently begged the floor to knock off me and save me from this humiliation. It obstinately refused.Do ug smiled reassuringly at me. He found my habit cute. Paige, who apparently did not, looked as though she shared my wish that I be somewhere else. She cleared her throat politely and started a completely new line of conversation. After that, I scarcely paid attention to what anybody said. All I knew was that Seth Mortensen probably thought I was an erratic nutcase, and I couldnt wait for this night to end. Kincaid would do it.The sound of my name brought me back more or less several minutes later.What? I turned to Doug, the speaker.Wouldnt you? he repeated.Wouldnt I what? file Seth well-nigh the city tomorrow. Doug spoke patiently, as if to a child. form him acquainted with the area.My brothers too busy, explained Seth. What did his brother have to do with anything? And why did he need to get acquainted with the area?I faltered, unwilling to leave Id spaced out just now while wallowing in self-pity.If you dont want to began Seth hesitantly.Of course she does. Doug nudged me. Come on. Climb out of your hole.We exchanged smartass looks, neat of Jerome and Carter. Yeah, fine. Whatever.We arranged the logistics of me come across Seth, and I wondered what Id gotten myself into. I no longer wanted to stand out. In fact, I would have preferred if he could have just blotted me from his mind forever. Hanging out as we toured Seattle tomorrow didnt seem like the best way to make that happen. If anything, it would probably only result in more foolish behavior on my part.Conversation finally faded. As we were about to disperse, I absolutely realized something. Oh. Hey. Mr. Mortensen. Seth.He turned toward me. Yeah?I frantically tried to say something that would undo the complex mess of mixed signals and embarrassment he and I had stumbled into. Unfortunately, the only things that came to mind were Where do you get your ideas from? and Are Cady and ONeill ever going to get together? Dismissing such idiocy, I simply shoved my book over to him.Can you sign this?He too k it. Uh, sure. A pause. Ill bring it back tomorrow. Deprive me of my book for the night? Hadnt I suffered enough?Cant you just sign it now?He shrugged haplessly, as though the matter were out of his control. I cant think of anything to write.Just sign your name.Ill bring it back tomorrow, he repeated, walking away with my copy of The Glasgow Pact like I hadnt even said anything. Appalled, I seriously considered streamlet over and beating him up for it, but Warren suddenly tugged on my arm.Georgina, he said pleasantly as I stared desperately at my retreating book, we still need to discuss that matter in my office.No. No way. I definitely wasnt putting out after this debacle of an evening. Turning slowly toward him, I shook my head. I told you, I cant.Yeah, I know already. Your fictitious date.Its not fictitious. Its My eyes desperately scanned for escape as I spoke. While no magical portals appeared in the cookbook section, I suddenly locked gazes with a guy browsing our foreign l anguage books. He smiled particularly at my attention, and in a flash, I made a ballsy choice. with him. Its with him.I waved my hand at the strange guy and beckoned him over. He looked understandably surprised, place his book down and walking toward us. When he arrived, I slung my arm round him familiarly, giving him a look that had been known to bring kings to their knees.Are you ready to go?Mild astonishment flashed in his eyes which were beautiful, by the way. An lifelike commonalty-blue. To my relief, he played along and returned my serve masterfully.You bet. His own arm snaked close to me, his hand resting on my hip with surprising presumption. I would have been here sooner, but I got held up in traffic.Cute. I glanced at Warren. rain down check for our talk?Warren looked from me to the guy and then back to me. Sure. Yes. Of course. Warren had proprietary feelings toward me, but they werent strong enough for him to challenge a younger competitor.A few of my coworkers also watched with interest. Like Warren, none of them had ever really seen me date anyone. Seth Mortensen busied himself packing up a briefcase, never insureing my eyes again, for all the world oblivious to my existence. He didnt even serve when I said goodbye. Probably just as well.My date and I left the store, stepping out into the cool night. The precipitation had stopped, but clouds and city lights blotted out the stars. Studying him, I kind of wished maybe we were going out after all.He was tall really tall. Probably at least ten inches taller than my diminutive five-four. His hair was black and wavy, brushed away from a late tanned face that nearly made those sea-colored eyes glow. He wore a long, black wool cover and a scarf with a black, burgundy, and green plaid pattern.Thanks, I said as we paused to stand on the bridle-path corner. You saved me from an unpleasant situation.My pleasure. He held out his hand to me. Im papistic.Nice name.I guess. It reminds me of a rom ance novel.Oh?Yeah. No ones really named that in real life. but in romance novels, there are a million of them. Roman the Fifth Duke of Wellington. Roman the Terrible yet Dashing and Eerily personable Pirate of the High Seas. Hey, I think I read that last one. Im Georgina.So I see. He nodded toward the staff ID badge I wore around my neck. Probably an excuse to check out my cleavage. Is that outfit the standard undifferentiated for assistant managers?This outfits becoming a real pain in the ass actually, I noted, thinking of the various reactions it had elicited.You can wear my coat. Where do you want to go tonight?Where do I ? We arent going out. I told you you just saved me from a minor entanglement, thats all.Hey, thats still got to be worth something, he countered. A handkerchief? A kiss on the cheek? Your earphone number?NoOh, come on. Did you see how good I was? I didnt miss a beat when you roped me in with that come-hither look of yours.I couldnt abnegate that. All right . Its 555-1200.Thats the store number.How did you know that?He pointed to the Emerald City sign behind me. It contained all of the stores contact information. Because Im literate. Wow. That puts you, like, ten steps above most of the guys that hit on me.He turned hopeful. So does that mean we can go out sometime?Nope. I appreciate your help tonight, but I dont date.Dont think of it as a date then. Think of it as a meeting of minds.The way he looked at me suggested he wanted to meet more than just my mind. I shivered involuntarily, but I wasnt cold. In fact, I was starting to feel unnervingly warm.He unbuttoned his coat. Here. Youre freezing. Wear this while I take you home. My cars around the corner.I live within walking distance. His coat was still warm from his body and smelled nice. A combination of cK One and, well, man. Yum.Then let me walk you home.His persistence was charming, which was all the more reason I had to end things now. This was exactly the kind of quality guy I n eedful to avoid.Come on, Roman begged when I didnt answer. This isnt much to ask for. Im not a stalker or anything. All I want is one walk home. Then you never have to see me again.Look, you barely even know me I paused, reconsidering what hed said. Okay.Okay what?Okay, you can walk me home.Really? He brightened.Yup. three minutes later, when we arrived at my flatcar building, he threw up his hands in dismay. That wasnt fair at all. Youre practically next door. One walk home. That was all you asked for.Roman shook his head. Not fair. Not fair at all. But he looked up hopefully at my building at least I know where you live now.Hey You said you werent a stalker.He grinned, gorgeous white teeth flashing against his tanned skin. Its never too late to start. Leaning down, he kissed my hand and gave me a wink. Until we meet again, fair Georgina.He turned and walked off into the Queen Anne night. I watched him go, still feeling his lips on my skin. What an unexpected and perplexing tw ist to the evening.When he was no longer in sight, I turned around and went into my building. I was halfway up the steps when I realized I was still wearing his coat. How was I going to get it back to him? He did that on purpose, I realized. He let me keep it.I suddenly knew then that I would be visual perception wily Duke Roman again. Probably sooner, rather than later.Chuckling, I continued on to my apartment, halting after just a few more steps.Not again, I muttered in exasperation.Familiar sensations swirled behind my apartment door. Like a glittering tempest. Like the humming of bees in the air.There was a group of immortals inside my home.What the fuck? Did I need to start charging admission to my apartment? Why did everyone suddenly think they could just go right inside when I wasnt there?It occurred to me then, ever so briefly, that I had not perceived Jerome and Carters presence earlier. They had caught me completely unaware. That was weird, but I had been too distracted b y their news to pay much attention to anything else.Similarly, my current anger did not allow me to further ponder that odd piece of trivia now. I was too annoyed. Slinging my purse over one shoulder, I stormed into my home.