“Whew! You have no idea how relieved I am to hear you say that.” I wiped imaginary sweat off my forehead. “Are they really that strong?”
“Crazy-strong. Like,can pick a car up and toss it across the streetkind of strong.”
I grimaced.
“Oh, don’t worry. They’d never hurt one of us. Michael would kill them if they did.”
Was that supposed to be reassuring? “That’s good to know,” I said dryly.
“So, who are you going out with?”
“Some big CEO named Robert Bramsin or Bramwell—something like that.”
“RobertBramson?” she asked with amazement.
“That’s it! Bramson. Wait, did you just cringe?”
She giggled. “Okay, maybe you havea littleto be nervous about. I decoyed for him at a charity dinner once. He’s kind of . . . uptight.”
“Uptight?”
“Not chatty, you know? He’s awfully private about his personal life. He’s gone out with a few girls here and they’ve all had similar encounters. He hasn’t requested a decoy in months, though. How nice of Marlena to partner you with him for your first time out,” she said with sourness.
“It was probably her way of throwing me into the deep end—see what I’m made of.” It was the most diplomatic thing I could think to say about Marlena.
“No doubt!” She rolled her eyes and flipped her hair again, a little ball of infectious energy. “I don’t want to stress you out before your date, but I got the vibe that Robert isn’t into the whole humans and vampires mixing thing. Some vampires like us more than others. When I decoyed for Robert, it was almost as if he tolerated my presence begrudgingly, like humans are a necessary evil of doing business.”
“It’s funny you say that. I’m going to a gala his company is throwing,” I said.
“There you have it.” She tapped a French manicured finger on her nose.
“Great.”
Erika flapped her hands at me. “Whatever about Robert! You’ll have a great time. It would be hard not to inthatdress. And if it makes you feel any better, Robert is hot with a capital H.” She fanned her face dramatically.
This surprised me. “Really? I expected him to be some dour old man with white hair. That’s how I always picture these big CEOs.” I’d been meaning to Google him, but somehow the day had gotten away from me. I’d also figured that I probably wouldn’t have found much on him, anyway, given how private vampires were.
Erika cackled. “Oh, honey, noteven close! You’ll see.”
I started to probe for more details—hey, I appreciated a beautiful man as much as the next girl—but then I remembered Marlena’s stern warning against romancing the clients. That would suck (no pun intended), getting fired right when I’d managed to finally find a job.
Erika looked around the closet, scrutinizing the dresses. “This place is amazing, isn’t it? The clothes, the vampires, the places we get to go, the things we get to see? Never in a million years would have I imagined having this life. The money isn’t all that bad, either, right?” She grinned at me with an eyebrow arched.
“What did you do before this?”
“I was a bookstore clerk, barely making ends meet. I lived paycheck to paycheck, had about thirty cents in the bank by the end of each pay period. I drove a fifteen-year-old Toyota that died if you let it idle too long—I prayed for it not to break down at every stoplight! Now I drive a brand-new Mercedes, pay all my bills early each month, and I just closed on my first home. It’s not a mansion like this place, but it’s mine and I love it.”
“Wow,” I said, happy for her but a little envious. Poor as I was, it was hard to envision such prosperous lights at the end of my broke-ass tunnel. “I actually thought Dignitary might be a scam because of how much they paid. Well, not so much a scam as an escort service.”
“Me too!” she laughed. “Michael is great, though, about as solid as they come. He treats the decoys like family.”
“He’s great.”
Casually, she asked, “And Marlena, what do you think of her?”
“What doyouthink of Marlena?” I deflected.
“I think she’s a nasty piece of work. Trust me when I tell you this, Olivia, you donotwant to cross her.”
