Pixie Dust (Karli Lane #1) (9 page)

Leo motioned for me to take a seat when we arrived at his office. “Would you care for a drink?” He asked.

“Oh, no thank you. I think I’ve had plenty to drink tonight.”

“Ah, yes. You did seem like you were…..having a good time out there.”

Oh crap! He saw that? I looked up at the security monitors and got a clear view of the room that I had just vacated. Oh God, I think I just broke the record for most embarrassing moment with your boss. Blushing profusely I said, “Uh yeah, sorry about that. I’m not normally like this. I’ve just had a lot going on lately, and I had like five or six shots, and well, there’s people having sex everywhere you look around here! Things just kinda happened.”

“Please, do not apologize for indulging your body’s desires.” He said with a grin. “That’s what this place is for. It is Mr. O’Brien who should be apologizing for interrupting you right before you were about to
really
enjoy yourself.” Okay scratch what I said before.
This
was the most embarrassing moment.

“Um, I’m assuming you didn’t call me back here to talk about that, did you?” I asked, completely mortified.

“No, of course not.” He replied. “I just wanted to let you know that I will be spending my evenings at Pixie Dust once it reopens. I want to keep an eye on things in case this demon is targeting my employees. I’ve already reserved a room at the hotel so I can be there during the day if need be.”

“Well, I appreciate the offer, but that’s really not necessary.” I said. The last thing I needed right now was to spend more time with a vampire. Especially not
this
vampire.

“Karli, I wasn’t asking for your permission. I do own the place if you recall.”
Shit, now I’ve stepped in it!
“As one of my Head Bartenders, I thought you should know.” He added. “Besides, it is my responsibility to ensure my employee’s safety. I’ve made many enemies throughout the years. It’s possible this could all be a personal attack on me.”

“You really think so?”

“I have no idea at this point. Hopefully I will know more as your detective does his job.”

“He’s not
my
detective.” I corrected.

“Duly noted.” He smiled.

“Well, what about sunlight?”

“What about it?”

“Aren’t you worried about it, staying in the hotel? I mean, I know you’re fine with indirect exposure but is it safe for you to be there?”

“Your concern is touching, but you needn’t worry. The hotel is vampire friendly. One of my companies helped build it actually. I had UV filters and blackout drapes installed in all of the luxury suites. Vampires are well known for enjoying the finer things in life you know.”

“Um, yeah I’ve noticed.” I said. “When do you think the bar will reopen?”

“The police said they will let me know. Hopefully by Sunday at the latest. It is not good for the books to be closed for any length of time, as I’m sure you can imagine.”

Okay, I had to ask while I had the chance. “It seems like you and Vance know each other. When did you two meet?”

“Wow, you’re beautiful
and
astute. Impressive.” He paused. “Vance and I go back many years. You could say we had some common ……
interests
back in the day. Perhaps he’ll tell you about it sometime. Now, as much as I’m enjoying your company, I’m guessing your detective is getting a little anxious by now. Excuse me,
the
detective. I’ll walk you back to him if you’d like.”

“Um, okay.” Wow, just call me Miss Articulate!

Leo opened the door and gestured for me to pass. Vance was standing right outside looking really pissed off. Leo grabbed my hand, turned it over and placed his lips on the inside of my wrist. My eyes rolled back involuntarily when the tip of his fangs touched my skin. “It’s been a pleasure, dear one. Until next time.”

I looked at Vance and saw a muscle twitching under his eye as he squared his jaw; He reminded me of an angry cartoon character with steam coming out of its ears. Leo went back into his office and shut the door. Vance grabbed my arm and starting yanking me towards the back door. “What was that all about?” He growled.

“It was no big deal.” I replied. “Geez! Will you loosen your grip please? He just wanted to tell me that he’ll be spending time at Pixie Dust. He reserved a room at the hotel, said it was a business thing. He wanted to ensure his employee’s safety. Yada, yada, yada.”

He released my arm as we left the building. Hoping to lighten his mood and desperate for a change in subject I asked, “Did the truth spell worked on Chad?”

Clenching his jaw even tighter he replied, “Yeah, he was being completely honest with
every word.
I have no idea what you ever saw in that asshole.”

Okay, well so much for my change the subject idea. “Hey, he wasn’t like that when we were together.”

He dangled the crystal in front of me. “Lie.” Fuck, I forgot about that damn thing!

I blushed. “Okay, maybe he was a
little
like that when we were together. But in my defense, he was much better at hiding it.”

“Yeah, I bet.” He said.

 When we got to his car, he opened my door and held it out for me. I stumbled a little bit and plowed right into his unyielding chest. He steadied me while I took a moment to catch my bearings. We stood there, barely inches apart just staring at each other for who knows how long? The anger drained from his face as he started moving in for a kiss.  I thought putting on one show for the evening was more than enough so I ducked inside before he had a chance. Besides, this whole hot and cold thing he had going on was really starting to bother me.

We drove in silence almost the entire way. Right before pulling into my parking lot he said, “Look Karli, I think we should talk about what happened between us earlier.”

Ugh! I was so not in the mood for this. First we start talking about getting it on in public, and then what? Oh yeah, maybe some “Hey Karli, I know you’re a fairy so let’s talk about that too!” No thank you!

“Vance, I’m really not in the mood to talk about
anything
right now.” I said firmly. “I’ve had a long night and a lot to drink. I think it would be best if we just called it a night. I really want to go inside and get some sleep.”

He pulled the car in front of my building and got out to open my door.  “Would you like me to walk you to your door?” He asked.

“No, I think it would be best if we said goodbye here.” Trying to avoid yet another awkward moment, I reached up and lightly kissed him on the cheek. “Goodnight Vance. I’ll see you soon.”

I walked into my building without looking back. My body was fighting me every step of the way, desperately wanting more contact with his. If I risked a glance, I may have asked him to come in and I really couldn’t afford to go there right now. I unlocked my door, threw my keys on the counter, and kicked off my boots. I took a few aspirin to fight off the inevitable hangover and staggered into bed. 

Chapter 8

***************************

I woke the next morning to the sound of my phone ringing. I fumbled around until I found it and pressed the talk button. “Hello?” I said in a scratchy voice.
God my head hurts!

“Good morning Karli,” said a deep, silky voice, “it’s Leo. I hope I didn’t wake you. Although I must admit, the thought of you in bed is quite appetizing.”

Surprised, I sat up in bed and said, “No, that’s okay. I needed to get up anyway.”

“I have good news.” He continued. “The police are done collecting evidence. We will be opening the bar tonight at eight. My secretary, Liza is calling the rest of the staff but I wanted to give you a call personally.”

“Why do I get the honor of getting a call directly from the boss?” I asked.

“Because, I wanted to hear your voice and I didn’t want to wait until tonight.” He said matter-of-factly.

 “Oh.” I so eloquently replied.

“Listen, I’m already at the hotel. I moved some of my things in overnight. I’d like you to meet me in my room before you start your shift tonight.”

“Your room?” I asked.

“Yes, I’d like to review my plans with you for the time that I will be spending at the bar. I’d imagine it will be busy since it’s a Saturday night. I’d prefer to meet with you beforehand so we do not get distracted.”

Yeah, like being in your room won’t be distracting
.
“Um, okay. What time would you like me there?”

“Seven o’clock should be fine.” He replied. “That will give us plenty of time to talk before the bar opens.”

“What room are you in?”

“I’m in the penthouse. I will leave an envelope for you at the front desk. You will need it to get up to this level. I’m in suite number two.”

“Got it. Envelope, front desk, number two.” I said.

“Great, so I’ll see you then.”

Before he hung up I said, “Hey Leo,”

“Yes?”

“Shouldn’t you be asleep right now? Don’t vampires usually sleep during the day?”

He laughed. “We require very little sleep, my dear. It comes in quite handy when we need to attend to business……or other more basic needs.”

Not wanting to think about the basic needs of a vampire, I said, “Oh, okay. I was just wondering. I’ll see you tonight.”

“I look forward to it.”

I took a shower and spent the next few hours running errands and doing laundry. I hadn’t heard from Vance at all which was perfectly fine by me. I wasn’t ready to have that talk quite yet. At six thirty, I grabbed my keys and headed for the hotel. When I arrived, I went up to the front desk and asked for the envelope, giving the clerk my name. She handed me a sealed envelope and directed me to the private elevator bay for the penthouse suites. I opened it and pulled out a small black key fob. I headed to the elevator and waited.

When the doors opened, I pressed the fob against the sensor and the button labeled PH lit up. It took me straight up to the top, into a well-appointed lobby. Directly in front of me were a set of double doors. Nope, not the ones I needed. I looked to my left and saw another set with the number two on them. I headed down the long hall, stopped in front of his room, and took a deep breath.
Here we go!

I knocked lightly. The door opened right away, revealing Leo wearing nothing but a golden bath towel. His hair was wet and he smelled like some kind of intoxicating manly soap. I had to fight the urge to get closer for a better sniff.

“Please come in.” He said as he stepped aside. “Please excuse my appearance, I’m running a little behind. I just got out of the shower.” I couldn’t seem to direct my eyes on anything above his waistline. Oh, if only that towel would fall……. Leo cleared his throat. Oh fuck! Did he just catch me staring at his crotch? I met his eyes and he smiled. Yep, totally busted. Christ, I think I’m incapable of being around this man without blushing incessantly.