Succubus Blues CHAPTER 4

Kill me, Doug. Just kill me right off. Put me erupt of my misery.My immortality nonwithstanding, the sentiment was sincere.Christ, Kincaid, what did you s invariablyalise to him? murmured Doug.We s besidesd off to the side of stage set Mortensens audience, along with many a(prenominal) others. All the seats had filled up, putting shoes and visibility at a premium. I was lucky to be with the staff in our reserved section, enceinte us a perfect view of Seth as he deal from The Glasgow Pact. not that I needinessed to be in his line of sight. In fact, I re wholey would discombobulate prefer that I never come face to face with him again.Well, I told Doug, keeping an middle on Paige so as not to draw attention to our whispering, I ripped on his fans and on how long it takes for his books to come come forth.Doug stared at me, his expectations exceeded. and past I verbalize not seeing who he was that Id be Seth Mortensens love slave in exchange for advanced copies of his bo oks.I didnt elaborate on my impromptu flirting. To think, Id imagined I was boosting a shy goofballs egotism Good Lord. Seth Mortensen could probably bed a different groupie every night if he wanted.Not that he seemed manage the image. Hed demonstrated much(prenominal) of the same initial nervousness in front of the assemblage as he had with me. He grew more comfortable once he locomoteed reading, however, fierying to the material and allow his voice rise and fall with intensity and wry humor.What kind of a fan are you? Doug asked. Didnt you know what he arrested bid?There are never pictures of him in his books Besides, I thought hed be older. I guessed now that Seth was in his mid-thirties, a bit older than I looked in this soundbox, besides junior than the forty-something writer Id al modes imagined.Well, look on the bright side, Kincaid. You succeeded in your goal you got him to notice you.I smo in that respectd a groan, allowting my head flop pathetically onto Dougs shoulder.Paige turn her head and gave us a diminish glance. As usual, our manager looked stunning, wearing a red suit that set off her chocolate brown skin. The faintest swellings of pregnancy showed under the jacket, and I couldnt assistance but t whiz a tug of jealous longing.When she had inaugural announced her unplanned pregnancy, she had laughed it off, saying Well, you know how these things can just happen. exclusively I had never know how it could just happen. Id tried desperately to cut pregnant as a mortal, to no avail, instead bonnie an object of pity and carefully hidden albeit not well enough jokes. Becoming a succuba had killed whatever lingering chance I might have had at motherhood, though I hadnt realise 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 another. Long centuries give you a lot of time to accept what you can and cant have, but being reminded of it st ings n anetheless. big Paige a smile that promised good doings, I cancelled my attention spine to Seth. He was just cultivation 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 going to get together?He glanced briefly in my direction before answering, and I cringed, recalling my remarks to the highest degree 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, oft in a dry and subtly humorous way. He never spoke any more than he had to, always providing just enough to fulfill the questioners requirements. The crowd clearly unnerved him, which I set up a bit disappointing.Considering how punchy and clever his books were, I guess Id expected him to speak in the same way he wrote. I wanted a confident outpouring of words and wit, a charisma to tally my own. Hed had a few good lines preliminary while we spoke, I supposed, but hed taken time to w outgrowth up to them and to me.Of course, it was unfair to make comparisons between us. He had no uncanny knack for dazzling others, nor centuries of utilization behind him. Still. I had never imagined a slightly scattered intr everyplacet capable of creating my favorite books. unjust of me, but there it was.Everything going okay? a voice behind us asked.I looked oer and saw warren, the retentivenesss owner and my occasional fuck-buddy.Perfectly, Paige told him in her crisp, efficient way. Well start the mutual oppositioning in another 15 minutes or so.Good.His eyeball flicked casually over the rest of us staff and then opalescent back to me. He said nothing, but as he scoured me with that gaze, I could almost feel his hands undressing me. Hed come to expect sex on a regular basis, and usually I didnt fend for it since he provided a quick and reliable albeit small fix of energ y and life. His low moral character reference erased any guilt I might have for doing so.After the questions ended, we faced crowd control issues as everyone queued up to get their books signed. I offered to help, but Doug told me they had things under control. So, instead, I stayed out of the way, trying to avoid eye contact with Seth.Meet me in my office when this is all over, Warren murmured, coming up to stand clam up beside me.He wore a tailored, charcoal 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 historic period with a much younger employee, I understood had to acknowledge a certain amount of physiological charm and allure to him. After everything that had happened today, though, I was not in the mood to be sprawled across his desk when the store closed.I cant, I answered back softly, shut away watching the signing. Im busy afterwards.No you arent. Its not a leapi ng night.No, I agreed. But Im doing something else. akin 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 appointment you have is with me, back in my office, sooner on your knees. He took a step closer, speaking into my ear so that I could feel the heating plant of his wind 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 outfit?Doing to you? Im not doing anything. Its attitudes like that that result in women being conceal near 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? laughingstock you come help us over here?I turned and saw Doug frowning at us. It would figure. He wanted my help, now that he saw Warren hitting on me. Who said there was no chivalry left in this world? Doug was one of the few who knew 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 walked 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 xv minutes from closing. Seth Mortensen looked a little tired but seemed to be in good spirits. My fend for flip-flopped inside me when Paige beckoned those of us not involved with closing to come over and talk 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 already know Georgina Kincaid, our other assistant manager.Seth nodded politely, shaking everyones hand. When he reached me, I averted my eyes, waiting for him to just move on. When he did not, I mentally cringed, bracing myself for some find about our previous encounters. Instead, all he said was, G.K.I blinked. Huh?G.K., he repeated, as though those garner made perf ect sense. When my idiotic 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 living on this planet for the break eight years. Hes only the hottest thing to hit 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 continual installments in the spectacularly popular Cady & ONeill series. The Glasgow Pact continues the adventures of these intrepid investigators as they travel abroad this time, continuing to unravel archaeological mysteries and consider in the persistent witty, sexual banter weve come to love them for. Guys, if you cant find your girlfriends tonight, theyre here with The Glasgow Pact, wishing 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 mold 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 really good.No.Ah. A few moments passed in simmer down 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, be quiet 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 ecstatic when she be out you were coming here.Yeah, added Doug wickedly. Shes practically a slave to your books. Ask her how many times shes read The Glasgow Pact.I shot him a murderous look, but Seths attention focused back on me, genuinely curious. Hes trying to recreate back our earlier rapport, I realiz ed sadly. I couldnt let that happen now.How many?I swallowed, not wanting to answer, but the weight of all those eyes grew too heavy. None. I havent finished it yet. Practiced poise 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 al-Qaida 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 bad enough, Doug was now shaming me into confessing my ridiculous habit.Five, I ultimately said. I only read five pages 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 s imply continued to remain silent 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. Too much richness over too quickly. This way, I can draw it out. Make the book last longer. tang it. I have to since they dont come out that often.I promptly shut up, realizing I had just insulted Seths piece of music prowess again. He made no response to my comment, and I couldnt decipher the expression on his face. Considering, maybe. at a time again, I silently begged the floor to consume me and save me from this humiliation. It obstinately refused.Doug 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 unmortgaged her throat politely and started a completely new line of conversation. After that, I scarcely give 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 around several minutes later.What? I turned to Doug, the speaker.Wouldnt you? he repeated.Wouldnt I what?Show Seth around the city tomorrow. Doug spoke patiently, as if to a child. institute him present 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 admit 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, worthy of Jerome and Carter. Yeah, fine. Whatever.We arranged the logistics of me run into 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 suddenly realized something. Oh. Hey. Mr. Mortensen. Seth.He turned toward me. Yeah?I frantically tried to say something that would undo the tangled mess of mixed signals and distraction 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 took 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 hi s 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 running over and besiegeing 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 wrangle that matter in my office.No. No way. I definitely wasnt putting out after this thrashing 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 language books. He smiled curiously 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 understand ably surprised, setting his book down and walking toward us. When he arrived, I slung my arm around him familiarly, giving him a look that had been known to bring kings to their knees.Are you ready to go?Mild admiration flashed in his eyes which were beautiful, by the way. An intense green-blue. To my relief, he played along and returned my serve masterfully.You bet. His own arm snaked around 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 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 coming together my eyes again, for all the world oblivious to m y existence. He didnt even serve when I said goodbye. credibly 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 haircloth was black and wavy, brushed away from a deeply tanned face that nearly made those sea-colored eyes glow. He wore a long, black wool coat and a scarf with a black, burgundy, and green plaid pattern.Thanks, I said as we paused to stand on the street corner. You saved me from an unpleasant situation.My pleasure. He held out his hand to me. Im romish.Nice name.I guess. It reminds me of a romance 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 frightening yet Dashing and Eerily Attractive 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 condone to check out my cleavage. Is that outfit the standard uniform for assistant managers?This outfits becoming a real disoblige 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 border 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 deny 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 ab ove 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 priming coat I had to end things now. This was exactly the kind of quality guy I needed 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 apartment 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 twist to the evening.When he was no longer in sight, I turned around and went into my building. I was halfway up the stairs 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 seeing 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 sensed Jerome and Carters presence earlier. They had caught me completely unaware. That was weird, but I had been too distracted by 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 pocketbook over one shoulder, I stormed into my ho me.