Succubus Blues CHAPTER 10

Jesus. What had I been prizeing? I had to work today. Not hardly that, I had to work in ten minutes. I had no cartridge clip for real cloaffair or compo r on the wholeyion. With a sigh, I shape-shifted form, my robe giving way to gray slacks and an ivory blouse, hair and subscribe toup suddenly d one(a) to my normal, immaculate perfection. Brushing my teeth and adding perfume could non be faked, and after perform those tasks, I grabbed my purse and sprinted out.When I reached my lobby, the desk clerk c on the wholeed out to me.Got nighthing for you. He handed oer a straightaway parcel.Still conscious of the time, I quickly tore at the wrapping and stifled a gasp at what I found. Black Velvet Paint by Number Kit, read the package. A subheading proclaimed Create Your Own Masterpiece Contains Everything You Need to Paint unless Like a echt Artist The masterpiece I could create depicted a desert landscape with a teras cactus to one aspect and a howling coyote on the other. A n eagle soargond in the sky, and a ghostly, rid Native Ameri rout out head floated nearby. Terribly stereotyped and cheesy.A small piece of paper had been tape-recorded to it. Start small, the none said. Love, popish. The writing was so perfect as to be unreal.I was still chuckling when I got to work. In my office, I settled in front of the computer and discovered a second morning surprise another e-mail from solidification. It had been sent at five in the morning.Georgina,A fewer days ago, while writing Gods of G gaga, I met a woman at a class I excessivelyk on South American archaeology. I dont subsist how it is for women its probably not steady always the same for us men. hardly for me, when I play off several(prenominal)one Im attracted to, time stands still. The planets bother in into alignment, and I stop breathing. The angels themselves descend to sit upon my shoulders, whispering promises of love and devotion while less heavenly creatures whisper promises of a n earthier, baser nature. I guess thats detonate of beingness a man.Anyway, that was what happened with this woman. We fell clean hard for each other and dated off and on for a very long time. Some days we wouldnt be able to leave each others side for more than a minute, and then later, months would go by without any sort of physical contact. I set out to confess, this last mentioned behavior was more my fault than hers. I mentioned before that Cady and ONeill ar demanding. During phases when I was hot into my writing, I wouldnt be able to mobilize close to or do anything else that didnt involve my novel. I knew it hurt her knew she was the kind of psyche who wanted to settle prevail over and start a family, live a quiet and committed heart. I was not that kind of person Im not even sure I am now simply I interchangeabled the idea of always having any(prenominal)one more or less, someone reliable who I could telephone up when I was at last ready to control time . It in reality wasnt evenhandedly to do that to her, always leave her pause uniform that. I should surrender ended things early on, however I was withal selfish and too comfortable.One day, after not having spoken to her in a few months, I called her up and was dazed to hear a man answer the phone. When she came on the line, she told me shed met someone else and wouldnt be able to try out me anymore. To joint I was shocked would be an understatement. I started rambling, going on and on around how much I cargond for her, how she couldnt throw away what we had. She took it all pretty nicely, considering what a psycho I must have sounded bid, still in the end, she closed things by saying I shouldnt have expected her to wait forever. She had her own life to live.The priming coat I share this embarrassing tale from the canon of Seth Mortensen is twainfold. First, I need to rationalise to you for what happened tonight. In infract of my grumblings, I really did intend to meet you. A couple hours before the game, I ran home to get something and suddenly thought of a solution to the snag that had been blocking me all day. I sat down to write, only planning to spend an hour on it. As you efficacy be guessing by now, it took a lot longer than that. I got so caught up that I in all forgot almost the game and some you. I never heard my phone ring. I wasnt aware of anything else merely getting the fable out on paper (or rather, my screen).This, Im afraid, is a problem I frequently have. It happened with my ex, it happens with my family, and unfortunately, it happened with you. Dont even get my brother started about how I nearly missed his wedding. The worlds and people in my head are so alive to me that I lose track of the real world. Sometimes Im not even persuade Cady and ONeills world isnt the real one. I never think about to hurt people, and I feel terrible afterward, barely it is a failing I cant seem to overcome.None of this proficientifie s abandoning you last night, moreover I hoped this might tenderize some insight into my unbalanced worldview. Please escort how very sorry I am.My second reason for the memoir is to address your comment about Cady getting some. In thinking about her and ONeill, I distinct that Cady wasnt the kind of person who would wait around forever either. Now, dont get me wrong I dont think Cady and my ex-girlfriend have a lot in common. Cady isnt expression to settle in the suburbs and pick out curtains with ONeill. But, she is a brilliantly and passionate woman, who loves life, and wants to live it. A lot of people were upset to see her break out of her devoutly chaste, puppy-at-ONeills-side role, but I think she had to do it. permits face it ONeill replications her for granted, and he needed a wake-up call. Now, does this mean travel are being made to finally bring them together, as so many readers have asked? Naturally, as their creator, my lips are sealed on that, but I can say t his I have a lot more books with them in mind, and readers tend to lose interest when protagonists hook up. SethP.S. By the way, I bought the condo. Mistee was so excited that she took me on the spot, and we made love all over the granite countertops.P.P.S. All right-hand(a), Im do up that last part. Like I said, Im a man. And a writer.My nerves still heavy with sleep, I sluggishly pondered the letters message. Seth had had a serious girlfriend. Wow. That shouldnt have surprised me, especially considering the sex scenes he wrote. I mean, he couldnt have pulled them all out of imagination. Still, it was hard to picture introverted Seth participating in all the social exchanges normally required of a long-term relationship.And then the other part, his reasons for not showing. What to think of those? He was right in saying his burst of inspiration was no excuse for what he had through. The explanation did take away some of the sting, however, moving him from rude to simply thoug htless. No, maybe thoughtless was too harsh. Scattered, that was it. Perhaps staccato wasnt such a bad thing, I mused, since ignoring the real world allowed him to work on the written one. I and didnt know.I pondered all this for the rest of the morning, my anger from last night growing cold in the wake of time passing and my speculation on a brilliant writers mind. By the time lunch rolled around, I realized I had gotten over the hockey mishap. He had not intended the neglect, and it wasnt uniform my night had turned out too badly after all.Around late afternoon, Warren came circulate around.No, I said immediately, recognizing the life in his eyes. I hated his presumption, yet always found myself eerily drawn to it. Im in a terrible mood.Ill make you feel better.I told you, Im too momentchy.I exchangeable you bitchy. The succubus feeding instinct began waking up. I swallowed, annoyed at it and my own weakness. And Im really busy. thither are things I should do My excuse s ounded halfhearted, though, and Warren apparently recognized that.He walked over to me and knelt by my chair, rivulet a hand over my thigh. I wore thin, silky slacks, and the feel of his fingers stroking me through and through that smooth-spoken veridical was almost more sensual than on bare skin.How was your date the other night? he murmured, moving his mouth up to my ear and then my neck.I arched my head obligingly, in spite of my best resistance, liking the way his mouth grew fiercer once morest my skin, his teeth just teasing me. He was far from being a boyfriend but was still the closest I had to any sort of consistent relationship. That meant something. Fine.Did you hump him?No. I slept alone, alas.Good.Hes coming screen tonight, though. For the trip the light fantastic lesson.Really? Warren unbuttoned the top two buttons of my blouse, revealing a pale pink lace bra. His fingertips traced the shape of one of my breasts, following its inner cut down to where it met the o ther one. accordingly he locomote his hand up to that breast, playing with the nipple through the lace. I closed my eyes, surprised at my s well(p)ing desire. After helping Hugh close the contract with Martin, I wouldnt have thought Id need a fix so soon. Yet, the hunger tugged ever so jolly within me, mingled with lust. Pure instinct. Well introduce him to Maria.Maria was Warrens wife. The thought of passing roman print off on her was too funny.You sound jealous, I teased. I pulled Warren toward me, and he responded by pushing me on top of the desk. I moved my hands down to unfasten his pants.I am, he grunted. Leaning over, he pulled the bra down to bare my breasts and lowered his mouth to one of the nipples. He hesitated. Are you sure you didnt fuck him?I think Id remember something like that.A knock sounded at the accession, and Warren hastily sprang away from me, pulling up his pants. Shit.I, too, sat up and returned to my chair. With Warrens eyes on the door, I quickly us ed some more shape-shifting to sort out myself up and rebutton my blouse. Satisfied we were both decent, I called, Come in.Seth opened the door.I clamped down on my jaw, lest it drop open in astonishment.Hi, said Seth, cheeking back and forth between Warren and me. I didnt mean to interrupt.No, no, you arent, Warren assured him, clicking into public relations mode. We were just having a quick meeting.Not a very important one, I added. Warren gave me a droll look.Oh, said Seth, still appearing like he wanted to bolt. I just came by to see if maybe you wanted lunch. I e-mailed you about what happened.Yeah, I read it. Thanks.I grimaced at him, hoping to silently communicate that all was forgiven. The worried look on his face was so heart-wrenching that I felt certain his conscience had suffered more than my ego last night. sensitive idea, boomed Warren. Lets all go get some lunch, shall we? Georgina and I can meet again later.I cant.I reminded him about how short-staffed we were and how I was needed for coverage. He scowled when I finished.Why havent we hired anyone?Im working on it.Warren ended up just taking Seth out something the writer seemed highly nauseating about and I was left alone, feeling abandoned. I would have half desire to hear what else Seth had to say about writing taking over his life. I might have even liked getting laid. Neither was to be. Ah, the injustices of the universe.I apparently had one karmic favor left, however. Around four, Tammi the red-haired girl from Krystal Starz showed up to settle my staffing problem. As suggested, she brought a friend. After a quick interview, I felt satisfied by their competency. I hired them on the spot, pleased to have one task taken off my list.When the store finally closed later, those few hours of sleep were catching up with me more fiercely. I felt in no mood to teach a spring lesson.Realizing I needed to change, I closed the office door and shape-shifted my outfit for the second time th at day. It felt like cheating, as always. For dancing I selected a conceited dress, clingy through the bodice and flowing through the skirt just right for twirls. Colored in blending hues of discover and orange, I hoped the dress would warm my mood up. I also hoped no one had noticed I hadnt carried a change of clothes in with me this morning.On the overhead speakers, I heard one of the cashiers make the announcement that the store had closed, just as another knock sounded on my door. I called an entry, wondering if it might be Seth again, but Cody appeared this time.Hey, I said, forcing a smile. Are you ready for this?I had taught Cody to totter dancing a year or so ago, and he had picked it up remarkably well, probably half repayable to vampire reflexes. As a result, I had against his better judgment recruited him to be my coteacher in these impromptu lessons for the staff. He kept claiming he was no good, but in both lessons so far, hed proven remarkably efficient.What? s altation? Yeah. No problem.I glanced around, ascertaining we were alone. Any more unearthly occurrences?Cody shook his head, blond hair framing it like a lions mane. No. Its been pretty quiet. Maybe I was overreacting.Better safe than sorry, I advised, feeling like somebodys cliched grandmother. What are you doing after this?Meeting Peter at a bar downtown. You want to come with us?Sure. Wed all be safer as a group.The door pushed open, and Seth stuck his head inside. Hey, I oh, Im sorry, he stammered, catching sight of Cody. I didnt mean to interrupt.No, no, I said, waving him inside. We were just talking. I gave Seth a curious look. What are you still doing here? Are you staying for the lesson?Er, well I, that is, Warren invited me to but I dont think Ill actually dance. If thats okay.Not dance? What are you going to do then, watch? I demanded. Be like a voyeur or something?Seth gave me a sage look, appearing for the first time in a while like the guy who had written the comic o bservations about real estate agents and old girlfriends. The guy Id once followd in a stumbling flirtation with.Im not that desperate. Not yet, anyway. But its really safer if I dont dance. For those around me.Thats what I used to say until she made me try it, remarked Cody, clapping me on the shoulder. Just wait until youve been in Georginas capable hands. Youll never be the same.Before any of us could acknowledge that declarative comment, Doug appeared behind Seth, outfitted as his grunge band self rather than assistant manager self.Hey, are we getting this party started or what? I came back here today just for this lesson, Kincaid. You better make the trip worth my while. Hey, Cody.Hey, Doug.Hey, Seth.Hey, Doug.I groaned. All right. Lets do this.We left en masse for the cafe, where tables were being moved to give us space. I introduced Cody and Seth along the way. They shook hands briefly, the young vampire looking at me meaningfully when he realized just which Seth this must be.You sure you arent going to dance? I asked the writer, still puzzled by his obstinacy.Nope. Just doesnt feel right.Yeah, well, after the shitty day Ive had, running this shindig doesnt feel right to me either, but we all endure. Put on the happy face and go, you know?Seth looked like he didnt know, only giving me a small, bemused smile. A moment later, that smile dimmed somewhat. You said you got the e-mail did it do youIts fine. Forget about it. His bizarre social habits might not mesh with mine, but I couldnt stand seeing him give care anymore about last night. Honestly. I patted his arm, gave him my Helen of Troy smile, then turned my precaution to the scene upstairs.Most of the staff whod worked today milled around, along with a few others who, like Doug, had come back. Warren and his wife waited with them, and so did Roman.He approached with a smile when he saw me, and I felt a faint wave of lust sweep me, supreme of any succubus feeding. As good-looking as ever, he wore black slacks and a teal shirt that gleamed like his eyes.Group date, huh? For my safety. Ive always found it best to keep a few 12 chaperones on hand.Youll need a few dozen more in that dress, he warned in a low contribution, those eyes molesting me from head to toe.I flushed, taking a few steps away from him. Youll have to wait your turn, like everyone else.Turning away from him, I inadvertently made eye contact with Seth. He had obviously overheard the brief exchange. My blush deepening, I fled both of them for the center of the floor, Cody in tow.Putting on the supposed happy face, I pushed my long day out of my mind and grinned at my coworkers whoops and cheers. All right, gang, lets get going. Dougs in kind of a hurry and wants to finish this up as quickly as possible. I understand thats pretty standard for him in a lot of matters especially romantic ones. This elicited both positive and negative catcalls from the crowd, as well as an obscene gesture from Doug.I reintrodu ced Cody, who was less comfortable with the attention than I was, and began sizing up the group. We had more women than men, per usual, and a wide range of skill levels. I pull couples up accordingly, putting especially adept women with other women since I felt confident they could dance the staminate part for this practice and switch effortlessly later. I didnt have such faith in everybody some of them still struggled to follow a beat.Consequently, I started the lesson by reviewing from last time, turning on the music and making everyone practice basic steps. Cody and I monitored, making minor adjustments and suggestions. My tension from the long day eased slightly as I worked the crowd. I loved swing dancing, had loved it when it first emerged in the early 20th century, and had been thrilled when its revival came around recently. I knew it was going out of style again, which was part of the reason I wanted to pass on the knowledge to others.Not knowing Romans level of expertise , Id placed him with Paige, a pretty skilled dancer. After watching them a minute or so, I shook my head and approached.You hustler, I chastised. You acted all nervous about dancing, but in reality, youre a pro.Ive done it a few times, he admitted modestly, taking her into a turn I hadnt taught them yet.Stop that. Im splitting you guys up. Your skills are needed elsewhere.Oh come on, pleaded Paige. Let me keep him. Its about time we had a man around here who knows what hes doing.Roman cut me a glance. She said it, not me.I turned my eyes heavenward and reassigned them to new partners.After a bit more supervising, I grew satisfied with the whole groups prowess, convinced Id see little change. Deciding to move on, Cody and I taught them lindy kicks next. Not surprisingly, chaos soon broke out. The gifted in the group picked the move up right away, those who had struggled previously continued to struggle, and some who had performed fine with the basic steps and turns now fell totally apart.Cody and I moved through the dancers, doing damage control, offering our words of wisdom. bear on the tension in your wrist, Beth not too much, though. Dont hurt yourself.Count, damn it Count The beats are still the same as before. relieve facing your partner dont lose track of her.My role as teacher consumed me, and I loved it. Who cared about vampire hunters and the eternal struggles of good and evil?I caught sight of Seth sitting off to the side, just as hed vowed. Hey, voyeur, still just want to watch? I chided, breathless and excited from running all over the makeshift dance floor.He shook his head, a faint smile playing crosswise his features as he studied me. Plenty to see from here.Standing up from his chair, he leaned forward in a familiar sort of way, startling me when his hand reached out and pushed up a dress whip that had slipped off my shoulder down to my arm There, he pronounced. Perfect.Goose bumps rose on my flesh at his touch, his fingers warm and gentle. F or just a moment, a look I hadnt seen before crossed his face. It made him look less like the distracted writer Id come to know and more well, male. Admiring. Considering. Maybe even predatory. The look was gone as quickly as it had come, though I still felt taken aback.Keep an eye on that strap, warned Seth mildly. Youve got to make him work for it. He inclined his head slightly toward some dancers, and I followed the motion to see Roman walking one of the baristas through a complex step.I admired Romans graceful moves a moment before turning back to Seth. Its not that hard. I can teach you. I held up a hand by way of invitation.He looked as though he might agree but shook his head at the last second. Id make a fool of myself.Ah yes, and sitting here alone, while everyone else dances and were short of men yes, that doesnt make you look foolish at all.He gave a soft laugh. Maybe.When no other explanation came, I shrugged and returned to the dance floor, continuing my instruction. C ody and I added a couple new tricks, assisted in more practice, and finally stood off to the side admiring our pupils. call up theyll be ready for the Moondance ? he asked.The Moondance Lounge was a ballroom dance club that hosted monthly swing dance nights. We considered this groups appearance thither to be the ultimate triumph of graduation.One more lesson, I think. Then we can take them out in public.An arm caught me around the waist, pulling me onto the dance floor. I healed my footing quickly, falling in step with Roman as he spun me into an intricate turn. A few people nearby stopped to watch.Its my turn to be teachers pet, he admonished. Ive hardly seen you all night I dont think this counts as a date.I let him lead me around flamboyantly, curious as to just how good he really was. Youre always changing what you want, I complained. First you just want to go out, now you say you actually want to be alone with me. You need to pick a story and stick with it. Be more specific.A h, I see. No one told me that. He led me into a rustle whip, and I followed through flawlessly, earning a grudging look of approval from him. I dont suppose theres a Georgina Kincaid study Manual around somewhere to help me avoid these embarrassing blunders in the future.We sell them downstairs.Oh yeah? He began improvising steps now, and I enjoyed the challenge of second-guessing where he would go. Is there a page on how to woo the fair Georgina?Page? Hell, theres a whole chapter.Required reading, Id imagine.Definitely. Hey, thanks for the paint by number.I expect to see that on your wall the next time Im over.With that horrible Native American stereotype? The next time you see it will be on the ACLUs hit list.He spun me out into a flourish-filled ending, much to the cheer of everyone else. They had long since stopped dancing to watch me make a spectacle of myself. I felt slightly conscious but shrugged it off, savoring the moment, taking Romans hand to bow luridly to my cowork ers applause.Get ready, I announced, because thats going to be next weeks exam.Cheers and laughter continued, but as they faded and the group dispersed for the night, Roman persisted in keeping on to my hand, his fingers laced with mine. I didnt mind. We walked around, making small talk and saying goodbyes.You want to go get a drink? he asked me, once we were momentarily alone.I turned toward him, stand close, studying those gorgeous features. In the now-warmed-up room, I could strongly smell his perspiration mingled with cologne, and it made me want to bury my face in his neck.I want to I began slowly, wondering if alcohol and raw animal lust would be a wise combination with someone I wanted to avoid sleeping with.Looking beyond him, I caught Codys eye. He was talking earnestly with Seth, which I found odd. Suddenly, I remembered my earlier promise to go meet the vampires at the bar.Damn, I muttered. I dont think I can. Still holding Romans hand, I led him over to Cody and Seth. They stopped talking.I feel left out, joked Cody a moment later. I saw you do some stuff just now that you never taught me.You were supposed to have been doing it for homework. I cocked my head in consideration. remove you met Roman, Cody? Or you Seth? I made quick introductions around, and they all politely shook hands, guy-style.Once that was done, Roman settled his hand comfortably on my waist. Im trying to get Georgina to have a drink with me. But I think shes playing hard to get.Cody smiled. I dont think shes playing.I looked apologetically at Roman. I told Cody Id meet him and another friend tonight.The young vampire made a wave of dismissal. Forget about it. Go have fun.Yeah, but I cut myself off and made significant eye contact with him ?la Jerome and Carter. I didnt want Cody to go off alone, lest he be targeted by the vampire hunter, but I could hardly say that in front of the others. Take a cab, I said at last. Dont walk.Okay, he said automatically. Too automatically.I mean it, I warned.Yes, yes, he muttered. Do you want to call it for me?I rolled my eyes at him, then suddenly remembered Seths presence. Feeling kind of embarrassed with him standing there while we all made plans, I wondered if I should offer to invite him along or send him with Cody.As though reading my mind, Seth bluntly declared, Well, Ill see you guys later. He turned around and left before any of us could answer.Is he mad or something? asked Cody after a moment.I think thats just the way he is, I explained, not sure Id ever understand the writer.Weird. Roman turned back to me. Ready to step out?Seth quickly left my mind. Roman and I walked over to a small restaurant crosswise the street from Emerald City, sitting together on one side of a booth. I ordered my vodka gimlet, and he got brandy.When our drinks arrived, he asked, Should I be jealous of anyone back there?I chuckled. You dont know me well enough or have any claims on me to worry about jealousy yet. Dont jump the gun h ere.I suppose not, he agreed. Still, famous writers and suave, young dance partners are certainly exalted company.Codys not that young.Young enough. Is he a close friend? intimately enough. Not romantically close, if thats what youre still driving at. Roman and I had snuggled together in the booth, and I gave him a playful poke in the ribs. Quit worrying about my acquaintances. Lets talk about something else. read me about the world of linguistics.I meant it half-jokingly, but he complied, explaining his specialty classical languages, ironically enough. Roman knew his material well, speaking about it with the same wit and cleverness used in his flirtations. I followed these explanations avidly, enjoying the opportunity to engage in a topic few others knew anything about. Unfortunately, I had to taper my participation, lest I show just how well versed in the subject I truly was. It might look a little weird if a bookstore manager knew more about an area of study than someone who ha d made a career out of it.Throughout this whole gripping discourse, Roman and I stayed in contact arms, hands, and legs touching. He never tried to kiss me, for which I was grateful, as that would have been walking into dangerous territory. We were really on an ideal date for me stimulating banter and as much physical contact as a succubus could safely handle. Our flirty conversation flowed effortlessly, like reading from a script.Our drink flew by in an eye blink, and before I knew it, we stood back outside, parting ways and making arrangements for another date. I attempted my protests, but both of us could see how weak they were. He kept claiming I owed him a real, unchaperoned outing. Standing there with him, warmed by his presence, I felt surprised at how badly I wanted that date. The thing about sparing nice guys was that I always ended up lonely. Looking up at Roman, I decided then that I wanted to put off being lonely again just for a little while.So I agreed to go out agai n, ignoring the mental warn bells this decision set off. His face lit up, and I thought he would definitely try a mouth kiss now. My heart thumped loudly at the prospect, scared and eager.Apparently my previous neurotic rants about not getting too close hit home, however. He merely held my hand, finally brushing his lips across my cheek in a kiss that was barely a kiss. He wandered off into the streets of Queen Anne, and a moment later, I walked the half-block back to my apartment.When I reached my door, I discovered a note taped to it. My name, done in beautiful, heavily inked calligraphy, lay scrawled across the surface. An apprehensive coldness ran through me. The note readYou are a beautiful woman, Georgina. Beautiful enough, I think, to even tempt angels into falling something that doesnt happen nearly as often as it should anymore. Beauty such as yours is effortless, however, when you can make it anything you like. Your large friend, unfortunately, doesnt have such luxury, which is a damned shame after what happened today. Fortunately, he works in the right business to moderate any damage to his appearance.I stared at the note like something that might bite me. It bore no name, of course. Ripping it off the door, I hurried into my apartment and picked up the phone. I dialed Hughs number without hesitation. With the references to large and right business, he was the only one the note could be referring to.His phone rang and rang before giving way to an respondent machine. Annoyed, I dialed his cell number.After three rings, an unknown female voice answered.Is Hugh Mitchell there?There was a long pause. He cant talk right now. Who is this, please?This is Georgina Kincaid. Im his friend.Ive heard him talk about you, Georgina. This is Samantha.The name didnt mean anything to me, nor did I have the patience for this runaround. Well, can I please talk to him then?No Her voice sounded strained, upset. Georgina, something bad happened today