The Zombie Billionaire's Virgin Witch (Zombie Category Romance) by Joely Sue Burkhart

upon
the creator are significant.  So not only do you have to pay the price to
release such a massive amount of energy, but you also have to be willing to
suffer the aftereffects of the curse.”
    He
studied the cup before him like he’d never seen it before.  “So whatever
he did to me…might have backlashed onto him?  Or Remy’s ?”
    “If
he did actually curse you—and honestly, Mr. Michelopoulos, as much as you two
battled over the years, I still don’t believe he would have done such a
thing—then yes, it could have affected him.  I don’t know that it could
have affected Remy’s , though.  I’ve never heard of that kind of
recoiling effect.  The problems you mentioned—were they happening even
when you weren’t here?”
    He
twisted the signet ring on his finger, and while his eyes blazed with emotion, his
face blanked into an empty mask.  “Problems brought me here, Ms. Remy.”
    Her
instincts insisted she was very, very close to something he didn’t want her to
see or know.  “And are you having any issues yourself?  Whether you
were here at Remy’s or not?”
    He
leaned forward, his mouth quirking into that arrogant smirk once more. 
“I’m not the kind of man to have issues, Ms. Remy.  I pay other people to
take care of those problems before I’m even annoyed by their existence. 
That’s why I came looking for you.  Yet I must admit that my annoyance
factor is still very high.”
    She
refused to be baited by his deliberately snide remarks.  Honestly, did the
man think he was dealing with a toddler in a diaper or a full grown
woman?  “Perhaps you should take a nap, then, sir.  I certainly
wouldn’t want to annoy you this evening when we open the restaurant.”
    His
eyes narrowed to slits.  “ I haven’t decided if Remy’s will
open tonight.”
    Ignoring
his dark look, she rose and dumped the coffee into the sink.  Hopefully he
didn’t notice how much she’d wasted.  “The menu’s ready for you to take a
look.  I thought it might be nice to return to one of my father’s original
specials that put Remy’s on the map.”
    “I
certainly never said you could come into my restaurant and change my menu.” 
Each word rang with heavy intent, carefully—and loudly—enunciated. 
    Common
sense told her to cease teasing the man, but she just couldn’t help waving the
flag beneath the bull’s nose.  “Check our contract, Mr. Michelopoulos.”
    “That
damned contract is…”
    She
turned with a bright smile.  “Oh, so I can leave, then, with my father’s
ring?  Because if you fail to uphold our signed contract—that you
prepared, I might add—then the ring becomes immediately due.”  Batting her
eyes at him, she sashayed over and dropped the menu she’d written out over her
first cup of tea this morning.  In her sweetest voice, she said, “I hope
it meets your approval, Mr. Michelopoulos.”

 
     
    FIVE
     
     
    Yiorgos
stared in disbelief at the packed dining room.  He’d finally relented as
gracefully as possible and agreed to open Remy’s tonight, but only
because he hadn’t expected any customers to actually arrive.  At heart,
this was still a small town, and news got around fast.  All it’d taken was
one poor word-of-mouth review soon after he’d put on that blasted ring, and
their customer base had dwindled alarmingly.  But that small town gossip
must have acted in her favor tonight, because every backwoods hillbilly must be
here.
    Had
she advertised somewhere?  Made a few calls to some of her father’s old
buddies?  When he questioned Dmitri, the man only shrugged.  “She
claims that all she did was cook her father’s specials, and the people knew.”
    “Oh
come on, don’t tell me you buy that nonsense.  Bribes or threats?”
    “Bribes.” 
Dmitri grinned.  “If she cooks it, they will come.”
    “I’m
French and even I know that’s a very bad joke from a very bad movie.” 
Paul didn’t appear distressed that he’d been