specialty.”
“You’ve definitely got your work cut out for you.”
His comment reminded me of Francis and I realized that since Ty had been following me, he’d undoubtedly witnessed the whole subway episode. “For your information, Francis has tons of potential. It’s just a matter of packaging it a little better, that’s all.”
“You’ll have to work on more than his package. The guy isn’t much of a chick magnet. At least not when it comes to luring female vampires. He isn’t the least bit ruthless.”
“He is, too.” Or he could be. With a little roughing up.
“Maybe as the Italian grandmother. But as himself?” He shook his head and nailed me with his fierce blue gaze.
My breath caught, and my vampire heart went into stutter mode.
Maybe nailed wasn’t the right word to be thinking of when it came to Ty Bonner. Nix pierced. Or speared. Or shish-kababbed. Or any other verb that made me think sex.
“I still don’t get why you’ve been following me.”
“I had to make sure you were legitimate and that you weren’t using this hook-up service as a front for fresh meat.”
“Fresh meat” referred to humans, and I knew he was alluding to the black market that offered humans to vampires who still hadn’t come into the twenty-first century and learned to drink their dinner out of a bottle like the rest of us. There were a few—very few—who didn’t just feed off their victim’s blood. They fed off their fear, as well, and so popping the cork on a bottle of gourmet or calling up the nearest takeout service wasn’t nearly enough to sate their hunger.
Every race had its bad apples, and ours was no different. But knowing it and having it pointed out were two very different things.
“I provide a service, plain and simple.”
“I know that now after watching you for the past few days.” He gave me a strange look before shaking his head. “You’re definitely not a flesh peddler. Not vicious enough.”
A tiny thrill went through me when he picked up my paperweight and trailed a finger over the engraved LIL , the i dotted with a tiny heart. I stiffened.
“Maybe I knew you were watching me and I’m just a really good actress.” Okay, so I’m not vicious. I am a bitch at times, but that’s as close as I get to the dark side. Still, I felt hard-pressed to defend myself. As much as I moan and groan about certain aspects of my existence, I’m proud of my heritage.
My sudden call to arms certainly had nothing to do with the fact that Ty Bonner seemed almost disappointed.
“I can be as ruthless and as bloodthirsty as any vamp. That’s why I keep this dagger on my desk.” I fingered the silver weapon.
He didn’t seem the least bit impressed.
“Bloodthirsty, I’ll buy. You are a vampire. Ruthless?” He shook his head. “Hardly.”
“I am so ruthless.” I pointed the silver blade at him to prove my point. “I could send you to bounty hunter heaven with just the flick of my wrist.”
“Heaven is the last place I’m headed, sugar.” He grinned. “Besides, that’s not a dagger. It’s a letter opener.”
“It could be a dagger. If used with enough force.”
He shrugged and nodded. “But you wouldn’t use it. You couldn’t.” He shook his head as if he still couldn’t quite believe it. “You’re nice. ”
My heart did the flip thing again. Dammit. “I am not nice.”
“You’re cotton-candy nice.” He sniffed. “You even smell cotton-candy nice.”
“That doesn’t mean I am. ”
“You brought coffee to your assistant. Your human assistant. That’s like giving your horse a glass of Merlot.”
“Maybe I spiked it with arsenic.”
He didn’t look the least bit convinced. “You’re offering free dating profiles.”
“That has nothing to do with being nice. It’s completely self-motivated. I’m trying to build my business.”
“You gave five bucks to the homeless man on the corner.”
He had a point.
I set down the dagger/letter opener and folded
“You’ve definitely got your work cut out for you.”
His comment reminded me of Francis and I realized that since Ty had been following me, he’d undoubtedly witnessed the whole subway episode. “For your information, Francis has tons of potential. It’s just a matter of packaging it a little better, that’s all.”
“You’ll have to work on more than his package. The guy isn’t much of a chick magnet. At least not when it comes to luring female vampires. He isn’t the least bit ruthless.”
“He is, too.” Or he could be. With a little roughing up.
“Maybe as the Italian grandmother. But as himself?” He shook his head and nailed me with his fierce blue gaze.
My breath caught, and my vampire heart went into stutter mode.
Maybe nailed wasn’t the right word to be thinking of when it came to Ty Bonner. Nix pierced. Or speared. Or shish-kababbed. Or any other verb that made me think sex.
“I still don’t get why you’ve been following me.”
“I had to make sure you were legitimate and that you weren’t using this hook-up service as a front for fresh meat.”
“Fresh meat” referred to humans, and I knew he was alluding to the black market that offered humans to vampires who still hadn’t come into the twenty-first century and learned to drink their dinner out of a bottle like the rest of us. There were a few—very few—who didn’t just feed off their victim’s blood. They fed off their fear, as well, and so popping the cork on a bottle of gourmet or calling up the nearest takeout service wasn’t nearly enough to sate their hunger.
Every race had its bad apples, and ours was no different. But knowing it and having it pointed out were two very different things.
“I provide a service, plain and simple.”
“I know that now after watching you for the past few days.” He gave me a strange look before shaking his head. “You’re definitely not a flesh peddler. Not vicious enough.”
A tiny thrill went through me when he picked up my paperweight and trailed a finger over the engraved LIL , the i dotted with a tiny heart. I stiffened.
“Maybe I knew you were watching me and I’m just a really good actress.” Okay, so I’m not vicious. I am a bitch at times, but that’s as close as I get to the dark side. Still, I felt hard-pressed to defend myself. As much as I moan and groan about certain aspects of my existence, I’m proud of my heritage.
My sudden call to arms certainly had nothing to do with the fact that Ty Bonner seemed almost disappointed.
“I can be as ruthless and as bloodthirsty as any vamp. That’s why I keep this dagger on my desk.” I fingered the silver weapon.
He didn’t seem the least bit impressed.
“Bloodthirsty, I’ll buy. You are a vampire. Ruthless?” He shook his head. “Hardly.”
“I am so ruthless.” I pointed the silver blade at him to prove my point. “I could send you to bounty hunter heaven with just the flick of my wrist.”
“Heaven is the last place I’m headed, sugar.” He grinned. “Besides, that’s not a dagger. It’s a letter opener.”
“It could be a dagger. If used with enough force.”
He shrugged and nodded. “But you wouldn’t use it. You couldn’t.” He shook his head as if he still couldn’t quite believe it. “You’re nice. ”
My heart did the flip thing again. Dammit. “I am not nice.”
“You’re cotton-candy nice.” He sniffed. “You even smell cotton-candy nice.”
“That doesn’t mean I am. ”
“You brought coffee to your assistant. Your human assistant. That’s like giving your horse a glass of Merlot.”
“Maybe I spiked it with arsenic.”
He didn’t look the least bit convinced. “You’re offering free dating profiles.”
“That has nothing to do with being nice. It’s completely self-motivated. I’m trying to build my business.”
“You gave five bucks to the homeless man on the corner.”
He had a point.
I set down the dagger/letter opener and folded
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