Real Vampires Live Large (19 page)

“Get out, Greg. Do us all a favor and never come back here again.” I nodded and Will and Valdez moved out of the way. Greg turned the dead bolt and then gave me a last lingering look.

“Big mistake. Think about it, Glory. Vamp Viagra could take you to a whole new level. You've been settling, babe. Trust me, the sex, the sensations, you'll never forget them. Even better than New York.”

“Trust you? Sure. Like I'd trust Valdez next to an open bag of Cheetos.”

“I don't know what the hell you're talking about, gorgeous, but think about what I said. The VV could change your life.” He winked and was gone.

“Creep.”
Valdez moved closer.
“I'm definitely telling Blade about this and you can't stop me. Especially after that Cheetos slam.”

“Hey, bud, I was just making a point. Be a tattletale. Nothing new there. But did you see me handle Greg?” I stomped back to the counter and my pile of necklaces. “He's gone, we're all okay. Problem solved.” If only. This was so not fair. Surely there were other vamps, other sources for this power the EVs were so hungry for. Valdez came over and lay next to my feet. I reached down and buried my fingers in his warm fur.

“I'm sorry, pup. That
was
a low blow. This whole EV thing has me rattled. And the idea that I have a past I don't remember bugs the hell out of me.”

I blinked back tears. “Thanks, puppy.” Will nudged me from the other side.

“We're both here for you. Like I said, I got no performance issues. That Kaplan dude was blowing smoke. He probably wiped your memory because his dick's as limp as Granny's hanky without the VV.”

I laughed and scratched behind his ears. “Okay, I feel better.” Will ambled back over to the door, but Valdez just looked at me.

“I'm okay. Really. Guard the door.” I
was
okay.
Powerful.
I could start fires with a look, move so fast I was a blur and pick up heavy objects with one finger. I sat on the stool. Okay, so it wasn't all that heavy. And my vamp moves were a few seconds short of a blur. I looked around at my newly redone shop. The fire thing I was pretty good at, but I wasn't about to risk the store to prove it.

I distracted myself sorting silver chains, crystal beads and ropes of pearls, at one point flinging a locket across the room with a look, just to prove I could do it. The first wave of night-shift shoppers came in and I could almost forget the whole Greg thing. Almost. By the time Lacy came in to relieve me, I'd convinced myself that power-hungry EVs didn't freak me out.

Vampire Viagra. Naw. Gloriana St. Clair didn't need any help finding her bliss. But what was the deal with Flo? She was always mysterious about her boyfriends. Nothing new there. But this interest in Vamp Viagra . . . That worried me. If this stuff was addictive and Flo was hooked on tsunamis of pleasure . . .

Ridiculous. My roomie might be heavily into her own fulfillment, but she was also the toughest vampire I knew. I couldn't imagine her addicted to anything beyond shoe shopping. Come to think of it, she hadn't done
any
shopping lately. I shivered as the door opened again, letting in another customer and the chill night air.

Maybe it would be a good idea to call Flo's brother. Damian had to know about this Vamp Viagra. He was into everything sensual, seeing as how he claimed to have been the original Casanova. I'd been avoiding him since he'd pulled some stunts with me. I didn't trust him, but I knew he'd do anything for his sister.

I picked up the phone. Oops. I still had Greg's Razr phone. I was about to punch through his contact list when the customer asked a question. Okay, business first. I dropped the phone into my purse. I definitely was doing
something
about this. Just what, I didn't know.

Thirteen

"Gloriana, I think you're overreacting. Florence has always loved her secrets.” Damian strolled around my living room and stopped in front of my loaded book shelves. Self-help books mostly. I know, you'd think I'd have given up by now. He picked one up.

“Put that back.” Leave it to Damian to go straight to my copy of
The Sixty Second Orgasm
.

“You're kidding, right?” He thumbed through it.

“Be careful. I stood in line for over an hour to get that autographed. ” It was a cry for help. I'd had a run of really inept lovers and I just wasn't getting there. You know? And the author was this really hot doctor of something called sensuality studies. I'm a sucker for advice from an expert.

“Satisfaction in sixty seconds?” Damian laughed. “What fun is that?” He smiled knowingly and slid the book back on the shelf. “I can give you an orgasm . . .” He was suddenly right in front of me, his hands on my ass. “. . . that lasts as long as you want it to.”

“Chill, Damian. We're here to talk about Flo.” I used my own vamp move to put the couch between us. Flo yes. Orgasms no. At least not tonight. And while I didn't doubt Damian could push all the right buttons, I wasn't going there again. “What do you know about the EVs and this Vampire Viagra?”

“Me? You're asking
me
about Viagra?” Damian pushed his hands into his pockets so I could see how he didn't need a boost to spring into action.

“Relax, stud muffin, I know you're not . . .” I swept my eyes down his zipper. “Impaired.”

“For vampires it's not about erections anyway.” Will was still way too interested in the subject. “It's about heightening pleasure. Who couldn't use a little of that?”

Damian gave Will a look and the dog shut his mouth with a snap. Clearly Damian didn't discuss his love life with furry, four-footed animals, even those with the ability to morph into vampires when they weren't indentured.

I sat on the couch and watched Damian prowl around my living room. Damian was arguably one of the finest looking vampires in the known and unknown world. Of course his personality defects cancelled most of that out. He was full of himself, called himself Casanova, and resorted to mind control when his charm failed to get him what he wanted.

All that didn't stop me from admiring the package and now I had the whole never ending orgasm tape playing in my head. I blocked him even though it gave me a headache. No way was I letting him get a clue that I admired any part of him. He turned for another lap around the couch. Damn, he had a fine butt.

"EVs have been around for centuries, but I didn't know they'd settled in Texas. Stay away from them, Gloriana. They're bad news.” Damian picked up a bottle of Fangtastic and sniffed it with a frown. “This is okay, but”—he gave me a wink—“you would taste much better.” He put down the bottle and moved closer, fangs glinting in the lamp light. “All this talk of EVs and pleasure is making me . . . hungry.”

Both dogs growled, but I silenced them with a look. Since they knew I had steaks thawing for them, they subsided with a grumble.

“Forget it, Damian. We were discussing your sister, remember? ”

“Florence is too smart to run with the EVs.” Damian sat next to me on the couch, just a few inches too close.

“A man approached me who said he works for the EVs. Gregory Kaplan. Do you know him?” I watched Damian's face this time. He shook his head.

“Never heard of him. He approached you? Did he threaten you?” Damian's green eyes narrowed.

“No. We were . . . lovers once. Not that I remember it.”

Damian put his hand on mine. “Are you telling me he did what you call the whammy on you?”

My fangs popped out, a knee-jerk reaction when I thought about the way Greg had manipulated me. Someday I was going to rip open his lying throat and drain him dry.

“He did, didn't he?” Damian was suddenly all sweet concern. “Bastard. I can punish him for you, Glory. Just say the word.”

“The word.” Damian looked startled and I found my sense of humor. “Don't bother, Damian. He's a sleaze, obviously. But what worries me is that he insists Flo knows something about the EVs. She didn't come home last night, so I haven't been able to ask her about it.”

“Of course Florence knows about the EVs. We both do. There was a time in Madrid . . .” Damian waved his hand. “She knows they're dangerous. They are like, hmm, I guess you could say a cult. They have devoted followers, weak-willed paranormals who are seduced by their promises. But my sister is not so easily swayed. She wouldn't get involved with them.”

“I hope not.” I got up and headed into the kitchen. Both dogs followed me and looked up hopefully. “What kind of promises? Is it all about sex?”

“No. They can do other things with power.” Damian was right behind me. “What are you doing?”

“Cooking for the dogs.” I poked the steaks with a fork. “Sorry, guys. Still frozen. Maybe I should stick them in the microwave.” I looked down when Will groaned. “Just on defrost. I've got to go downstairs soon.”

“Do it, Glory.”
Valdez was obviously a less discriminating diner than Will.

“If you turn it into some kind of gray crud . . .” Will looked over his shoulder at Damian.

“They're
dogs
. You shouldn't coddle them, Glory.” Damian frowned at the steak. “Disgusting. Also disgusting that Blade doesn't trust you to handle your own affairs.”

“My relationship with Blade is not up for discussion.” I couldn't blame Damian for his attitude. He and I had come
this close
to hooking up. Then Blade had managed to kill the mood. “He only wants to keep me safe.”

“I could keep you safe.” Damian whispered it next to my ear, his breath sending shivers down to the general area of my G-spot. Which I knew well. Hey, it was in the book.

“Good to know.” I stuck the steak in the microwave, setting it for defrost. “But I
do
handle my own affairs. My canine companions are backup.”

“Backup, my ass.”
Valdez had muttered it, but he'd known I would hear. I gave him a look that promised retribution.

“Shut up, Yankee-Doodle. When she's pissed, she might throw down a bowl of Alpo.” Will wagged his tail. “You can handle yourself, Glory. We saw it. That Kaplan creep was quaking in his boots.”

“Dangerous women fascinate me.” Damian rubbed my shoulders.

I thought about fascinating him with an elbow to his stomach, but he'd probably take it as foreplay. Instead, I stared at the microwave until it dinged, then threw the steaks into a pan and turned up the heat.

“About the EVs. Apparently I have lots of power, stored power.”

“Of course you have lots of power. The way you refuse to shape-shift, and the way you”—Damian glanced at the dogs—“let others fight your battles for you. Your power is just sitting there, waiting to be tapped.” He ran his finger up my arm, under my sleeve. “The EVs would turn it into something they could profit from. Why not use it yourself?” He leaned close again. “Ever made love on a cloud?”

“Who hasn't?” I flipped the steaks and frowned down at them. If I stabbed Damian with the fork, he'd bleed. More foreplay in the vamp world. I know, we're twisted. But— what can I say?—blood does it for us.

“Rare, Glory. Turn off the fire.” Will pressed against my leg. The fact that he'd pushed my tie-dyed skirt up almost to my waist wasn't lost on Damian.

“Step away from the stove, all of you.”

Damian just shook his head. “What next? Takeout from a five star restaurant?”

“Good idea, Sabatini. Give Glory the phone number. I've got a craving for Italian. Comes from being around Florence all the time.”
Valdez was pressing me on the other side and I had to shove him away to reach for a knife. I dropped each steak on a plate.

“They're not even. I just bet Valdez gets the biggest piece.” Will had his front paws on the counter. “You never did like me, Glory. Not since I grabbed your tit at Campbell Castle.”

I shoved him down and picked up a knife and fork. “Thanks for reminding me. You know I never did tell Blade about that. What do you think he'd do if he knew how you'd disrespected me?”

“What the hell do you mean you grabbed her tit?” Damian was clearly appalled. Otherwise he would never have deigned to speak to a dog directly.

“She was an actress, man. You remember what that meant a few centuries ago? I apologized. Done deal.”

“Valdez, you've hit the jackpot.” I deliberately trimmed an inch from Will's portion and dropped it on Valdez's plate.

“No!” Will threw back his head and howled.

“Fair is fair.”
Valdez wagged his tail.
“I'd never grab any part of you, Glory, unless it was to save your life.”

Damian frowned. “Blade has much to answer for, saddling you with this . . . menagerie.”

I dropped a bite into Valdez's open mouth. “This one saved my life and Flo's not long ago.” I finished cutting the steaks into bite-sized pieces and set the plates on the floor, a good three feet between them. “Eat. I'm running out of time. I need to relieve Lacy in the shop.”

“You really do spoil the beasts.” Damian frowned at the dogs. “But I guess they do have their uses.”

“Damn right they do.” I patted them both on the head, but they were too busy inhaling steak to notice. “I guess it's some latent mothering instinct, but I don't mind doing for them.”

“Regrets, Glory?” Damian put his arm around my shoulder and guided me into the living room. “I know I've only planted one kind of fantasy in your mind, but if you've got a notion to play housefrau, I'm up for it.” He turned me to look into my eyes, his hands warm on the back of my neck.