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I hop from my coffin, zip up the stairs, and go to the front door, giving it a hard yank to yell at whatever merchant is peddling their wares at such an ungodly hour. “What the devil do you…” My voice trails off.
Standing before me is the woman I saw through my window earlier. Her potent, sweet floral scent slams into me like a mallet to the face. It is painfully delicious.
I step back and pinch my nose. Otherwise, I will have to pull her inside and devour her—not the wisest decision when I am now a stranger in a strange land. Killing so close to home in such unfamiliar surroundings may prove problematic, if I am to heed Neli’s warnings.
The young beauty with her silky dark hair and wide inquisitive eyes looks up at my face. Her gaze then begins the journey south until she realizes I am in my nightclothes. “Oh! Oh, God! You’re naked!”
“Yes. As you can see,” I say, still holding my nose, “I am a man, and real men do not wear garments to bed. Now what may I do for you?”
Cheeks red, she closes her eyes and holds out an odd-looking container of pastries. “I, uh…uh…just came by to introduce myself. I’m your neighbor from across the road, Stella Baker. I brought homemade cupcakes.”
A baker at a vineyard? “I do not eat sugar, but I thank you all the same.” Suddenly, I realize two things. One, pinching my nose is completely useless. Her sweet, virginal scent is still entering my lungs and calling to me. And second, I am nude, which is normally no concern of mine—I am a man and modesty is for women—but for some odd reason my shaft is beginning to thicken.
Must be due to my five-century slumber. I have not made love to a woman in a very, very long time. Otherwise, I am always in complete control of my body, including my generous manhood.
“Very nice to make your acquaintance, but I am a busy man who needs a nap. Good day.” I slam the door in her face and glance down at my firmly standing erection.
“Who was at the door…” Cornelia appears, her eyes glued to my nether region. “Boz! Seriously? Please tell me you did not answer the door naked with a giant boner.”
I frown and grumble an ungentlemanly word. “Next time, answer the goddamned door.”
There is a knock on the door. “Hello? Are you still there?” That persistent baker woman is still outside.
Neli’s big green eyes go wide. “Who’s that?” she whispers.
“A neighbor,” I reply, “coming to poke her nose around, under the guise of good tidings and offering baked goods she calls cupcakes.”
“Oh great. And you just had to answer the door naked before slamming it in her face?”
I shrug unapologetically. “It is my castle. I will do as I please.”
Neli narrows her eyes at me. “We need to act like normal people running a normal winery. You don’t understand how quickly rumors spread these days.”
“Hello?” The woman knocks once again.
My, my. She is a persistent little thing. “Answer the door,” I whisper to Neli. “Tell her if she wishes to see another sunrise, she must never return.” My growling stomach takes no prisoners, and at the moment, it is painfully aware of the delectable treat just on the other side of that door.
Neli gives me a look. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
I mouth the word virgin and point to the door.
Neli’s eyes go wider, and she shakes a pale finger at me. “You keep your fangs off her. I am not picking up this castle and moving again because you can’t keep ’em in your mouth!”
“Then make her leave,” I say.
“Fine.” Neli opens the door, and I hide behind it, carefully twisting my body so my still very frisky manhood is not injured. “Oh, it’s you! Great to see you again, Stella.”
Stella is a name that rolls off the tongue like my beautiful native language. I like it. Wait. No, I hate it. As I hate her.
I glance down at my groin, which calls my bluff.
“Neli, right?” Stella asks.
“Yes. Long time no see, Stella. What can I do for you?”
Stella goes on to explain that she just returned home from her studies and is now working at her family’s vineyard across the way. This is not good. Avoiding such a tasty treat so close to home will prove challenging.
“Anyway,” Stella continues, “I just stopped by to see if I could chat with the owner—maybe pick his brain a little on some marketing stuff, but I think I caught him at a bad time.” She adds with a whisper, “He was naked.”
Neli coughs. “Was he? Darn it. Must be sleepwalking again. He works such long hours during the day, and sometimes at night too, dealing with our distributors overseas. It messes with his sleep patterns. I should go check on him, but thanks for coming by.”
