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“So you make sure that...”
“I make sure that mortals are not changed accidentally. It still happens, of course, but since this council has been together, we’ve made a huge difference. The number had lowered from approximately one hundred accidental changes a year, to approximately twenty.”
“Wow. How did I live in this city and never know about this side of it? Why don’t more people know about vampires and werewolves and—” What else did she not know about?
“I think most people are content not to know. And fortunately for us, now that we know about Goth cliques, we can avoid accidental exposure. When they first became all the rage, we were nearly exposed numerous times. We have even been able to infiltrate some of the more zealous cliques. Our operatives are able to keep us apprised of what they are doing, and how close they are to fact. Thanks to them, we’ve been able to keep them from discovering the truth more than once.”
Stacy nodded. She still wasn’t sure how she felt about learning that she’d had blinders on even more than she could have realized. Not just about Thomas, but apparently about everything around her. There was a slight amount comfort in the fact that she wasn’t alone.
“Shall we get to work, then? Unless you have more questions, that is.” Jack smiled, and she responded in kind.
Shaking her head, she once again positioned her pen, then looked up. “I’m ready whenever you are.”
* * * * * *
Stacy stretched her back. She’d have thought if they had some magickal way to have contracts that could write themselves with any clause you could think of, BSC could have a better way to take notes.
“I’m sorry. You need a break. How thoughtless of me. Please forgive me.”
“It’s—No, don’t worry about it.” She’d started to tell him it was all right, but even her hand was cramping up. She’d been writing for at least three or four hours. She had gone through at least ten pages—front and back—in the notebook, if not more. All she could think of was standing up, stretching and possibly getting something to eat. She wasn’t sure how long it had been since she’d eaten something.
“We’ll take a break. I’m sorry, you are so easy to talk to and efficient, I forget you aren’t used to our world.”
She blushed at the compliment. “I don’t know about that. I feel like I’m all thumbs.”
“No, trust me, you aren’t.” Jack approached her. “Would you like to order something to eat, or perhaps we could go out and get something? If you do not mind having a vampire for company...”
She was confused. Why would she mind? “Of course I don’t mind. But are we allowed—can we leave the building to get something to eat?”
“If you would like to, we can.”
“I—” She was about to refuse, but stopped herself. Why should she? He’d been nothing but a perfect gentleman. The only reason she could think of was because he wasn’t Demetri. And as she thought about it, that reason didn’t seem like a valid enough one to be so rude. “I would really like that.”
Jack extended his hand, offering her assistance in getting out of the seat that her ass now felt welded to. She accepted his help, her muscles practically groaning as she straightened. “You know what I find amazing?”
“What?” He placed his hand on her lower back to help steady her.
“Since I got to BSC, I’ve been treated with nothing but respect. I’ve met men who treat me like I’m a lady.”
“Is that a complaint? How are we supposed to treat you?”
“A little. Where were all of you before?” Part of her wondered how she could be so at ease teasing her boss. Because, for the night, he was her boss.
“It’d be bad for our reputation if word got around. Haven’t you read the books?” They traveled through the hallways. “We are supposed to be bad boys. The ultimate alpha men. Isn’t that what women want these days?”
“I think you misunderstand. Yes, we want a man that knows how to be an alpha. But it’s nice to know that you don’t think of us as bitches or sluts or any of the countless other things that goes with the persona. Being a bad boy doesn’t mean you have to be a disrespectful thug.”
“Hmmm, an alpha who knows how to be caring. That’s a novel idea. Perhaps you should write a book. Perhaps tell men how to accomplish that particular feat?”
“If I could tell men how to do that, I doubt I’d be getting—” Her easygoing manner was gone in a second.
“I won’t lie to you and say I’m sorry you are getting a divorce. If you weren’t, I’d never have had the pleasure of your company tonight.”
“Maybe you should write the book.” She nudged Jack with her shoulder. She didn’t ask how he knew about her divorce. Everyone seemed to. “You seem to be doing just fine when it comes to the charm and alpha qualities.”
“May I ask you a personal question?”
“Sure.” What could it hurt?
