Page 9 of The Donor’s Dilemma

“Naa, doesn’t have the balls for much, does he?” Verity jabbed.

“Hey, I thought we were discussing Mr Sexy Lord Mayor,” Cora said.

Verity tossed her tea towel in the wash basket and donned her coat.

“Yes. Talking of Mr Lord Mayor, I need to get going,” she said and hugged her friend goodbye.

“Give him a bite from me,” Cora called after her as the door swung shut.

The walk to City Hall was a short one and Verity used it to run through the rules of donation, trying to calm herself. The first appointment had been fine, far better than expected. The only problem was that the pain, the closeness, his skin on hers and that predator’s stare, had done something to her. Something she really didn’t want to repeat.

So, she walked, running through protocols and legislation and anything she could think of that might dampen her libido. Until she climbed the marble stairs and walked down the elegant corridors. Until she greeted Stella who told her to head straight in.

Until she knocked on the office door and Theo opened it a split second later. She had expected to be called in and stood so close to the door she almost fell on him as the door swung in.

“Good evening, Verity,” Theo said, stepping back to let her in, pretending not to notice her stumbling.

His sleeves were rolled up, strong forearms on show, fangs out along with that damn smile and dark eyes, and fuck!

“Good evening,” she smiled, slipping into the office and unbuttoning her coat.

Don’t think sexy thoughts! Don’t think sexy thoughts!

How could she not when he watched her like that? Like he was about to eat her alive. Which, of course, he was, sort of.

“How have you been?” he asked, gesturing to the chair in front of his desk.

“Fine,” she said, hanging her coat by the door.

Don’t think sexy thoughts!

Her feet clicked across the polished wood floor, and she made a conscious effort not to trip on the huge area rug that the desk and chairs stood on, not wanting to look any clumsier.

As she looked down, she noticed perhaps the first imperfection in the timeless room. The rug was threadbare. Not terribly, but patches here and there, the backing just visible through the carpet fibres. The edge closest to the door and under the seat she sat in. It was probably worse behind the desk where Theo worked.

Now that, was an unsexy thought.

“Nothing exciting to tell me since our last appointment?” he asked, pouring a glass of water.

“It’s only been two days.”

“Well, a lot can happen in two days,” he said, setting the glass down and turning his seat to face her before sitting. The fabric of his trousers grazed her knee when he scooted a fraction closer, but she resisted shuffling away. “On Monday I never would have guessed I’d be having my second appointment with a new donor by Friday.”

“Really? She just left?”

“He seemed fine, but apparently, a new opportunity came up, and he didn’t have time to donate anymore.” He shrugged. “It happens.”

“That’s a shame,” Verity said, though she wasn’t sure she meant it.

“It is,” Theo said, with a smile. “But it’s just a job at the end of the day, right?”

Verity narrowed her eyes. He was right, it was just a job, but it also felt cruel. A donor could drop him as if he were nothing, but he needed the blood to survive.

Good gods! One and a half appointments and she was a sympathiser already.

“That feels like a trick question,” she said.

Theo barked a laugh. “Damn, you caught me.” He offered a hand out for her wrist. “Any issues after our last meeting?”