“All those weeks I played the fool, begging you to sleep with me. ‘Oh, no, Ray, I can’t. I’m saving myself for Jerry.’ Damn it to everlasting hell.” He picked up the wooden stool and threw it at the steel back door where it shattered with a crash.
“Ray, I didn’t plan it. It just happened. I’ve known Rafe for five years. We’ve lived together. He’s saved my life.” I shut up when I saw this was futile and sounding desperate. I held out my hand. “Ray.”
“Don’t touch me. Not unless you plan to strip off and fuck me right here and now.” Ray’s face was hard, and I’d never seen him look so cold or sound so bitter and heartless.
Something sick and twisted inside me reared its head and shouted, “Wow!”
“You want me, Rock Star?” I slid my panties down my legs and kicked them across the room, then cleared the table and jumped on it. “Come and get me.” I grinned and spread my legs. “What are you waiting for?” I hiked my skirt in case he wasn’t clear on the “get me” part.
“Glory, what the hell is this?” Ray stared at me like I was a stranger.
That look brought me down to earth. What the hell was I doing? I sat up and swiped at stupid tears.
“Missed your chance.” I pulled down my skirt and hopped down. “Besides, that would only prove that I care about your feelings enough to help you get even with Rafe. If you’re keeping score.” I dropped back into my chair. Dear God, but I’d almost made a huge mistake. What was the matter with me? Ray still looked at me like I’d lost my mind. He wouldn’t be wrong. “You want me to do it out of pity, Ray?”
“What the hell? If I didn’t think you’d hate me later, I’d be inside you right now.” Ray picked up the pieces of the stool and slammed them on the table. “How could you sleep with that shifter, Glory? I thought you were in love with Blade, so I could kind of respect that. Where is the Scot, by the way?”
“Out of town.” I probably shouldn’t have said it. It only gave Ray ammunition.
“Excellent. So how long has this affair been going on? Were you two going at it the whole time Valdez was playing bodyguard?” Ray shook his head. “Never thought I’d feel sorry for Blade, but this may do it. Dumb bastard was paying the shifter’s salary, big bucks from what I understand, and the V-man was getting a little somethin’ somethin’ from you on the side as well. Pretty good job, I’d say.”
“It wasn’t like that, Ray. When you and I were together, Rafe and I had never . . .” I sighed. “Hell, why am I explaining myself to you? You think I’m a slut? Fine. I guess that’s all I am to you. I’m sorry I’ve hurt your feelings, but who I sleep with is really none of your concern.”
“Right. I’m just the fool who came here because you asked me to.” Ray picked up the broken stool leg, which looked very much like a stake, and I shuddered. “The idiot who agreed to sing in your lover’s club. As a favor to you.”
“They’re paying you. And wait till you meet his partner, Nadia. She’s just your type. Beautiful with a world of experience.” I stalked over and jerked the piece of wood out of his hand. “You’re making me nervous.”
“What? Afraid I’ll stake you in a fit of jealousy?” Ray shook his head. “The hell of it, Glory girl, is that I am jealous. And as much as I’m hurting, I’d never hurt you.” His expression promised pain of another kind.
“Ray, you’re scaring me.” He was. Not for myself. I knew he wouldn’t lay a hand on a woman. Had always known it. But there was a violence simmering inside him now that I’d never seen before. It made his bright blue eyes into laser beams that were almost painful to stare into, but I couldn’t look away.
He wasn’t the fledgling vampire, who’d needed me to guide him, anymore. This man had come into his power and knew it. He could be dangerous but leashed it now. Barely. Insanely, part of me was turned on by it and still wanted to jump his bones. I backed up, to give myself space.
“Jump his bones.” I swear I heard a voice in my head saying it.
“The person I’d like to ram that piece of wood through isn’t you, sweet thing. It’s that damned shifter. That dog who’s tasted you”—Ray jerked me into his arms—“seen you naked and made you scream his name when you came.” He nuzzled my neck, his fangs scratching across my jugular. “He did make you come, didn’t he, babe? Because if he didn’t—”
“Stop it, Ray.” I shoved him away, my heart pounding, the makeshift stake shaking in my hand. “I can’t do this, play this twisted game.”
“Oh, yes, you can.” I told my inner bad girl to shut the hell up.
“It’s not a game to me.” Ray’s eyes dimmed. “I was never playing with you. That’s the hell of it.”
My heart stalled at the pure misery in that confession, and for a moment I wanted to soothe him and kiss away his pain. Couldn’t do it because something in me wasn’t sure I’d be able to stop at just a kiss. I bit my trembling lip.
“I’m sorry, Ray. All I can tell you is to remember you’re a professional. Sing in Rafe’s club. Sing for Flo’s wedding. Do whatever you need to at the music festival, but forget about anything we once had going.”
“We never had anything going, Glory.” Ray jerked the stake from my fingers as easily as if I hadn’t gripped it tightly. “That’s the problem. I played things too safe with you. Like I would with a human female. Obviously I didn’t have a clue how to deal with an ancient vampire.” He smiled and walked to the back door, turning the dead bolt. “But I’m going to find out. Maybe this Nadia will give me some pointers. Then I’ll be back. Because for some reason, maybe because you aren’t easy to get, you fascinate me. And now that I know you can be unfaithful to Blade? All bets are off.” He tossed the stake onto the table. “See you around.” He stepped outside and closed the door.
“Go after him.”
I shivered, tempted. Wrong. I rubbed my forehead. Concussion. Hearing voices now. Could things get any worse? The phone rang again. Guess so. Blade. I had to answer it this time. At least he couldn’t smell me from Florida. My cheeks went hot with guilt as I punched the button to answer the call.
“Hey, Jerry.”
“Gloriana! Why the hell haven’t you been answering your phone? Are you all right?” Jerry sounded truly worried. Which just made me feel even worse.
“I’m fine. Lost my phone. Finally found it tonight. Sorry if you were concerned.” How easily I lied. Had I always been this glib? This manipulative?
“Everything all right there?” His voice was quiet, as if there might be someone else in the room with him.
“Sure. How’s your business coming?” I picked the stake up off the table. I was saving it. You never knew when one could come in handy. I might use it on my own forehead if this voice didn’t shut up.
“Don’t even try it.”
“It’s a mess here. I’m interviewing new managers right now. Then Richard called me.”
“Oh?” I dropped the wood with a thud.
“He wants a bachelor party. It’ll have to be pretty close to the wedding. I’ll be here for a while yet.”
“Do you need my help? With the party?” I collapsed in the chair with relief.
“No, I’ll handle it from here. Thank God all he wants is poker and cigars. I’ll get Damian to bring some of that potent brew we had at his house. We’ll get the man roaring drunk and have a fine time.”
I heard a knock on my back door. “Sounds great, Jerry. I’ve got to go, someone’s here. See you when you get back.”
“Right. Take care.” He hung up without another word.
Hmm. Pretty abrupt, but we didn’t gush at each other, usually exchanging love words only in bed. I couldn’t stress about it. I walked to the door.
“Who is it?”
“Greg Kaplan. Let me in. We need to talk about your party.”
“Just a minute.” I hurried to shove the broken pieces of stool into the bathroom, leaving the one leg that would work as a stake under a soiled dress, then opened the door.
“What about the party? I thought you had my order all figured out. But the event’s now this Wednesday night.”
“Yeah, well, if you want good eats, you never should have played hardball with Westwood on the phone. Simon’s furious.” Greg strolled in, a shit-eating grin on his face. “What the hell were you thinking?”
I slammed the door. “I was thinking that Simon and Westwood would try to screw me out of my payoff for helping them. So I needed some of my reward up front.” I put my hands on my hips. “I’d think you’d get that, Greg. You’ve been around Simon long enough to know how he does business.”
“Yeah, he always comes out on top.” Greg frowned down at the stained dress. “That one’s ruined.”
“Yes, an accident. So what are you here for? To spank me?” I got between him and the table.
“You go, girl.”
“Glory, Glory, that sounded like an invitation.” His eyes lit up, and he had a look on his face that seemed vaguely familiar. “If you’d been that much fun in New York, I might not have wiped your memory clean.”
“Get over yourself, Greg. Am I getting my car or not? I won’t do the video without one, and I want it up front.” I poked his chest.
“Oh, I brought you a car all right. A loaner.” He tossed a set of keys on the table. “The tow truck will be here later to haul away that piece of crap you used to drive.” He chuckled and sat in the only chair. “How long you had that?”
“Doesn’t matter. It will cost more to get it fixed than it’s worth, so it’s salvage now. I don’t need a loaner; I need a car that I can own, free and clear. I told Westwood that.”