I knew right there and then that this room would be one of my happy places. I still had an interview to get through, though, and I needed to meet my boss and everyone in the villa to see if I’d be comfortable working here. So far, through my tour with Aiwin, and spotting the scurrying employees in the villa, I’d felt great about being here. All the chaotic feelings that I had become used to weren’t present.
I puzzled over this as my eyes finally found the male sitting behind the desk, and my feet instantly turned into useless blocks of concrete. I squeezed my purse in a death-grip and tried in vain not to gape at the beautiful person across from me.
Glorious, chocolate curls adorned a face that looked like it belonged either to a runway model or a Michelangelo statue. Sculpted cheeks, beautifully formed nose and lips, expressive, arched eyebrows, and smooth, café au lait skin all short-circuited my brain from my mouth. I gaped at him. I’d heard the stories, that vampires were beautiful so they could lure their prey in, but it wasn’t until right then, standing in that sweet smelling office, that I came to believe in those stories.
I marveled at my maybe future boss for what must have been a full minute before I pulled myself together and could form sentences that weren’t gibberish. Did vampires have a lure?
Draven laughed, that deep sensuous sound, and I felt those effervescent bubbles popping again in my chest. “To answer your unasked question, Miss Durran, all vampires have a slight lure. It’s autonomous. We can’t control the base level of the lure. We can, however, turn up the heat, so to speak. What you’re feeling is the autonomous lure that I can’t control. I would never use the other on you. You’re safe here.”
“Yeah, that might be a problem,” I could finally say. It felt like I literally had to unstick my tongue from the roof of my mouth to say it. “If I can’t function, I can’t do the job you want me for.”
He smiled, and my brain went a little blank. Like the cartoons where they hung up a sign behind their vacant eyes that saidOut to lunch.I shook my head to clear it, and closed my eyes, breathing deeply, and reaching for my sense of inner balance.
Mr. Leto let me; the room descending into quiet. When I opened my eyes, I felt more centered, and more able to tackle Mr. Leto’s unearthly beauty, and the lure that he couldn’t control.
Draven smiled and clasped my hand as he waved me toward a seat on one of the couches.
“Please sit. You needn’t worry about the lure. The longer you’re in my presence, the weaker the lure will get, until eventually, you won’t even notice it anymore.”
I nodded as I sank into the decadent couch. If I never moved again, I would consider myself lucky. The couch sucked me in like it had been made of fluffy, supportive clouds. “That’s good to know. On the outside looking in, this is a very bizarre, at least for me, job interview.” I paused, searching what I was feeling. I didn’t feel the same peace I’d felt on the phone with him, but I felt at ease and calm. That was better than 90 percent of my past jobs, so I was pretty happy with that.
“Thank you for coming. I know this is all new to you.”
“Thank you for the opportunity to interview with you.” I was proud of myself for my poise. I’d only slept the 3 hours in the car. My brain felt like someone had stuffed it with fuzzy cotton, and even though I was intrigued by the fact that Mr. Leto was a vampire and Moonhaven Cove was full of supernaturals, I tried to let my curiosity and expectations go so I could focus.
Aiwin came in with some peppermint tea. I sipped my tea and studied Aiwin. He looked to be in his mid to late 80s. He was wearing a gray suit, but the white shirt underneath had a lace collar, and he had an apricot colored ascot in place of a tie. He felt mischievous to me, though I couldn’t see it from my observations of him. My guess was that he was an elf or fae of some kind. His ears were tipped at the ends, and though he had a willowy build, he looked strong and fit.
“Will there be anything else, Master?”
“No, Aiwin, thank you.”
Aiwin bowed himself out, and Mr. Leto asked if I wanted chocolate cake.
I peered at him, wondering if this was a trick question.
He shook his head and chuckled, serving me a thick slice of the chocolate cake with a linen napkin, a heavy silver fork, and a beautiful plate with red and pink roses around the gilded edges.
I tried to control my ravenous appetite, but the smell of the decadent chocolate threatened to undo me. “Pixie ponies, this cake is amazing. I’d love to take your chef home with me if this doesn’t work out.” Well, there was nowhere to go if this didn’t work out, but I was pointedly ignoring that train of thought at the moment.
“I’m sure his wife would miss him.”
I nodded my head, trying in vain to daintily eat the best cake I’d ever had in my life, instead of shoveling it in my face. Not only was I starving, but I’d never had cake this good. I was tempted to sneak in after the interview and snag the rest of it. “I would miss him too.” After sipping a scalding gulp of peppermint tea, all conversation halted as I devoured the cake.
Devoured.
I ate it so fast that if I were an innocent bystander, I think I would have been terrified.
I could feel Draven’s eyes on me the whole time. I felt as though he got a lot of satisfaction out of seeing me eat that cake, but I didn’t know why, and I was a little too occupied to ask right then. After the cake was gone, I looked at the plate and wondered how impolite it would be if I licked up all the crumbs.
“By all means,” Draven said. “Lick it clean. Or you could just have another slice.” His humor made me remember our phone conversations the last 2 weeks. How I’d reached out to him. His humor and kindness on the phone. It made me feel as though I knew him already, which I realized was a dangerous trap. I didn’t know him. And I needed to remember that.
“I just might,” I mumbled. Sighing, I sat the plate on the nice table and sat back.
“You seem comfortable in my presence, Miss Durran.” Draven’s right eyebrow winged upward. “Can I assume you aren’t afraid of me?”
I squinted at him, my tired brain taking in his presence. I really wanted to see his teeth. In horror, I realized I’d said the knee-jerk thought out loud when he spluttered and laughed.
“I am not a horse.”
