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Chapter 4
Antoine
There is a moment inevery vampire's long life in which he wishes to have never chosen immortality. This was one of them.
"I'm telling you, Mr. Durand, I triple checked the numbers. We're still missing over half a million dollars in that investment account," the quaky voice of my accountant, Joey, squeaked in my ear. He was a tiny blip of a man, not hardly worth the thousands I paid him to keep our household accounts up to date, but he accepted our odd hours and didn't ask too many questions.
However, this time, I knew he was lying to me.
"Are you sure, Joseph?" I calmly asked as I pushed my powers of persuasion into my voice.
Each vampire awakened to a certain type of power when they were changed. Some discovered the ability to levitate, some shapeshifting, and still, others didn't get anything. I happened to have been blessed or cursed, depending on how you viewed it, with multiple gifts. One of those gifts was the ability to force my will onto another. I didn't like to use my power if I didn't have to. Taking someone's choice away had never been my particular kink. I preferred people to come to me willingly rather than be forced. It made things so much more enjoyable.
However, Joey was not a smart man. He thought he was pulling the wool over the eyes of an old-fashioned client. As if I wouldn't notice the money was missing or question it. I could use a computer just like anyone else. I just preferred to use paper and pen over such bipolar machines. They hated me as much as I hated them.
"Y-yes?" Joey stuttered out, and I could feel him fighting my persuasive tone. "I think so, I mean, I'm sure. Yes. I'm sure. Someone must have taken it or moved it to another account? I can run the numbers and see where it might have—"
"That won't be necessary." I sighed and leaned back in my office chair. "I know exactly where the money has gone, and I expect every cent of it back where it belongs by the year-end. Am I understood?" This time I pushed my powers through the phone line even harder to make sure my commands stuck.
"Of course, of course. Mr. Durand, the money will be back there at the year's end. You can count on me. I will make it happen. I—"
"Good." I hung up the phone and tossed it on the top of my large office table. As I leaned my elbows on the table, I rubbed my temple. One would think that, as the undead or whatever it was we were, we wouldn't get headaches. I was prone to them. Especially, when I had to use so much power on such insignificant bugs.
I missed the old days when people did business in person and not through electronic boxes. Then you could bypass all the trouble of deciphering the tone of their voice and see in their eyes whether they were crooked or genuine.
Things were much simpler then.
Without knocking, my office door opened, and Piper sauntered into my office. "Don't mind me, just getting the trash."
I leaned up off my elbows to watch her move across my office like she owned the place instead of just being the maid of it. Her long blonde hair was up in a messy bun, giving me an unobstructed view of her long neck, and the hunger to taste her came raging forward. It didn't help that she wore a pair of cut-off shorts that practically showed off her backside and a bright pink tank top that read 'Bite me' with a cartoon set of fangs surrounding it. She didn't even seem bothered by my eyes on her as she bent over in front of me to gather my garbage. I shifted in my chair to hide my growing arousal.
"Miss Billings." I laced my fingers in front of me on the desk.
Piper looked up from the trash and hummed in my direction. Those pretty brown eyes were wide and surrounded by long eyelashes. She made the predator in me want to come out.
"What is this horrendous outfit you are wearing?"
Her brows furrowed for a moment, the trash bag in her hand poised to be taken out. Then her eyes dipped down to her chest, and her eyes widened in horror. Her delectable lips formed an o-shape as she turned toward me.
"Oh, my God. I totally forgot I was wearing this."
"Clearly," I mused and pushed back the urge to smile at her discomfort. "Do we need to have another discussion about the declaration for someone to 'bite you,' or is this your way of telling us you would like to be on tonight's menu?"
Piper's face flushed red, and she shook her head violently. "No, no. I didn't mean that. It's a joke, I swear." She gestured a hand on a tank top with an annoyed pinch of her brows. "I got it for Halloween one year after my friends kept pestering me to dress up with them."
She glanced up and locked eyes with me. With a huff, she stomped her foot like a petulant child before crossing her arms over her chest. It did nothing to cover up the words on her shirt and everything draw my attention to her breasts.
"I blame you and your workaholic ways. It's freaking noon. Shouldn't you be dead to the world already?" She waved a hand at me with a fiery glare.
"Yes, normally, I would be dead to the world, as you put it." I paused and let the words sink it. I watched with delight as her uncertainty whirled through her mind and across her face. She was so easy to read. It was almost like watching one of those television sets. Amusing, indeed. "However, while I might be a vampire, the rest of the world is not, and they sometimes require me to be available in the middle of the day."
She was quiet for a moment and then let out a little, "Oh." Shifting in place, she dropped her arms and gripped the trash bag tighter. "Well, then good for you. I'm going to go... clean something. That's right. Uh, bye."
I watched her hips sway in those tiny shorts as she marched to the office door she hadn't bothered to close. Before I could stop myself, I called out to her, "Miss Billings?"
"Uh, yeah?" She paused at the door without bothering to turn around and face me.
"Do not wear those shorts around my brothers,” I warned her. “They do not have the restraint I do when seeing your lovely legs in such a provocative fashion."
