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Damn, where the hell had that come from?
“Excuse me.” I approached her slowly, forcing myself to relax and appear non-threatening—not easy considering this meat suit was almost two feet taller than her. Ultimately, my goal was to collect the dues owed and convince her to turn this place back into a butcher’s shop. But the minute I opened my mouth, the plan changed, and I couldn’t remember making the decision.
Looking at my phone, I pretended to read the screen, “I’m looking for … shit, I can’t remember the name. There’s a new jewelry store that opened today? My mom stopped by and has been texting me incessantly, dropping hints about some birthday present she picked out for herself.” I glanced at her, trying to look sincere. “Do you know where I might find it?”
“Uh,” was the only thing she managed to say. She looked confused and shocked at the same time. Then, she puffed her chest with pride as she turned to face me. “Constellations. Yeah, it’s a few doors down. I’m the owner.” She pulled the key from the lock, tucking it away and offering me her hand. As we shook, she sized me up, taking in my height.
“Ah, damn. I missed it, didn’t I?” Reluctantly, I pulled my hand from hers, immediately missing her warmth. I dragged my fingers through my hair instead.
“We closed a little early today. There was an accident. But I’m still here. I’m happy to let you in if you want?”
She smiled, and my meat suit's stomach flip-flopped strangely, leaving me feeling fuzzy. How unusual. “Would you?”
“Sure, not a problem.” She tilted her head to direct me before taking the lead. “I’m Eden, by the way.”
“Matteo.”
“Nice to meet you.” She glanced over her shoulder and smiled at me before turning to unlock the door cautiously.
The bell overhead tinkled as the door opened, announcing our arrival. Expecting her to step out of the way, I ducked through the doorway, and my body brushed against hers. A shock went through me, and my stomach fluttered again as I noted how well her body folded against mine.
For the first time in several hundred years, I imagined what it would be like to have a woman pressed against me without her clothes. And now I couldn’t stop picturing what she would look like naked.
If she was doing the same, it didn’t show as she cleared her throat and stepped away. “Do you know what piece your mom was asking about?”
Technically, I didn’t have a mother. It was a ruse, obviously, one I now had to keep up. “To be honest, she loved everything. You don’t mind if I look around a bit, do you?” I offered her a smirk, the closest thing I had in my arsenal to a smile.
“Sure, take your time.” She nodded casually before walking over to the counter and leaning against it. Her movements were stiff and forced. Were my attempts to appear unthreatening unsuccessful?
With a nod, I turned away to give her time to collect herself, mildly disappointed that the tiger on the phone earlier had reverted to a kitten in my presence. Would she be different if she knew who I was?
The longer I lingered, the more it felt like a waste of time, and I finally turned to look at her. “Alright, this is a terrible ruse.”
“I’m sorry?” She looked alarmed.
I tried to smile, which did nothing to ease her discomfort. “I was wondering if I might convince you to go for a drink with me.” I didn’t want to date her, but disarming humans was a useful tactic when it came to convincing them to do what you wanted. I could smell her lust for me in the air, so I figured if I gave her a small taste of what she craved, it might be enough to rope her into my plans.
“A drink?” Her eyes widened as she looked at me in surprise.
I nodded in encouragement.
Her throat bobbed as she swallowed. “You’re not here to buy anything?”
“No, not unless it’s a drink for you. Honestly, I saw the badge on your chest and rolled with it.” I nodded to the embroidered Constellations logo on her blouse.
She glanced at it before returning her gaze to me. “So, your mom wasn’t texting you about this place?”
“No. I was in the neighborhood for something else.”
“Adrink.” She said it so disbelievingly that I wondered if she would call me out on my bullshit. Maybe I needed to use a little supernatural encouragement to get her to believe me. She shrugged. “Alright. What can a drink hurt?”
“Doesn’t have to be a drink.”
“Oh, good.” She laughed in relief. “How about ice cream? There’s a cute parlor down the street I’ve wanted to check out.”
“Ice cream.” It took me a moment to think about it before nodding. “Alright, let’s do ice cream.”
