Succubus Blues

 I started laughing. And I couldn't stop. After a moment of shock, Roman joined me.

 'Dear Lord,' I said finally, wiping tears away. 'That's the most horrible thing I've ever seen.'

 Roman opened his mouth in disagreement, then reconsidered. 'It just might be.' He saluted. 'But I think it'll hold, Captain.'

 We made a few more mirthful comments before I walked him to the door, remembering to give him his coat back. In spite of his jokes, he seemed more genuinely disappointed about our shelf failure than I did, like he had let me down. Somehow, I found this more appealing than his perfectly timed lines or charming bravado. Not that I didn't love those too. I studied him as we said goodbye, thinking about his 'chivalry' and passionate belief in me following my heart's desire. The lump of fear I always carried around people I liked softened a little.

 'Hey, you never told me your crazy dream.'

 The aqua eyes crinkled. 'Not so crazy. Just still trying to score that date with you.'

 Not so crazy.Just like mine. Companionship over fame and glamour. I took the plunge.

 'Well, then... what are you doing tomorrow?'

 He brightened. 'Nothing yet.'

 'Then come by the bookstore just before closing. I'm giving a dance lesson.' The dance lesson would have lots of people. It would be a safe compromise for us.

 That smile faltered only slightly. 'A dance lesson?'

 'You have a problem with that? Are you changing your mind about going out?'

 'Well, no, but... is it like the Vegas thing? You covered in rhinestones? Because I could probably get into that.'

 'Not exactly.'

 He shrugged, the charisma on high-beam. 'Well. We'll save that for the second date.'

 'No. There's no second date, remember? Just the one, then that's it. We don't see each other anymore. You said so. Super-secret Boy Scout... whatever.'

 'That might have been an exaggeration.'

 'No. That would be a lie.'

 'Ah.' He winked at me. 'I guess those two aren't the same then after all, eh?'

 'I—' My words halted at the logic.

 He gave me one of his roguish bows before sweeping away. 'Farewell, Georgina.'

 I went back inside, hoping I hadn't just made a mistake, and found Aubrey sitting on one of my shelves. 'Whoa, be careful,' I warned. 'I don't think that's structurally sound.'

 Although it was late, I didn't feel tired. Not after this wacky evening with Roman. I felt wired, his presence affecting both my body and mind. Inspired, I shooed Aubrey off the bookcase and started transferring my stacks. With each new weight addition, I expected collapse, but the thing held.

 When I got to my Seth Mortensen books, I suddenly remembered the cataclysm that had sparked this whole evening. Anger kindled in me once more. I'd heard nary a word from the writer the entire time. The getting-hit-by- a-car thing might still be a possibility, but my instincts doubted it. He had stood me up.

 Half of me considered kicking his books in retaliation, but I knew I could never do that. I loved them too much. No need to punish them for their creator's shortcomings. Longingly, I picked up The Glasgow Pact, suddenly anxious to read my next five-page installment. I left the rest of my books unshelved and settled on the couch, Aubrey at my feet.

 When I reached the stopping point, I discovered something incredible. Cady was developing a love interest in this one. It was unheard of. O'Neill, ever the charming ladies' man, got around all the time. Cady remained virtuously pure, no matter the number of sexual innuendoes and jokes she traded across the table with O'Neill. Nothing tangible had happened thus far in the book, but I could read the inevitable signs of what was to come with her and this investigator they'd met in Glasgow.

 I kept reading, unable to leave that plotline hanging. And the farther I read, the harder it was to stop. I soon took a secret, irrational satisfaction at breaking the five-page rule. Like I was somehow getting back at Seth.

 The night wore on. Cady went to bed with the guy, and O'Neill became uncharacteristically jealous and freaked out, despite his usual surface charm. Holy shit. I left the couch, put on pajamas, and curled up in my bed. Aubrey followed. I kept reading.

 I finished the book at four in the morning, bleary-eyed and exhausted. Cady saw the guy a few more times as she and O'Neill wrapped up their mystery—as enthralling as ever, but suddenly less interesting compared to the interpersonal developments—and then she and the Scotsman parted ways. She and O'Neill returned to Washington, D.C., and the status quo resettled.

 I exhaled and set the book on the floor, unsure what to think, mainly because I was so tired. Still, in a valiant effort, I got up from bed, found my laptop, and logged into my Emerald City e-mail. I sent Seth a terse message: Cady got some. What's up with that? Then, as an afterthought: By the way, the hockey game was great.

 Satisfied I'd registered my opinion, I promptly fell asleep... only to be awakened a few hours later by my alarm clock.

CHAPTER 10

 Jesus. What had I been thinking? I had to work today. Not only that, I had to work in ten minutes. I had no time for 'real' clothing or makeup. With a sigh, I shape-shifted form, my robe giving way to gray slacks and an ivory blouse, hair and makeup suddenly done to my normal, immaculate perfection. Brushing my teeth and adding perfume could not be faked, and after performing those tasks, I grabbed my purse and sprinted out.

 When I reached my lobby, the desk clerk called out to me.

 'Got something for you.' He handed over a flat parcel.

 Still conscious of the time, I quickly tore at the wrapping and stifled a gasp at what I found. Black Velvet Paint by Number Kit, read the package. A subheading proclaimed: Create Your Own Masterpiece! Contains Everything You Need to Paint Just Like a Real Artist! The 'masterpiece' I could create depicted a desert landscape with a giant cactus to one side and a howling coyote on the other. An eagle soared in the sky, and a ghostly, disembodied Native American head floated nearby. Terribly stereotyped and cheesy.

 A small piece of paper had been taped to it. Start small, the note said. Love, Roman. The writing was so perfect as to be unreal.

 I was still chuckling when I got to work. In my office, I settled in front of the computer and discovered a second morning surprise: another e-mail from Seth. It had been sent at five in the morning.

 Georgina,

 A few years ago, while writing Gods of Gold, I met a woman at a class I took on South American archaeology. I don't know how it is for women; it's probably not even always the same for us men. But for me, when I meet someone I'm attracted to, time stands still. The planets come into alignment, and I stop breathing. The angels themselves descend to sit upon my shoulders, whispering promises of love and devotion while less heavenly creatures whisper promises of an earthier, baser nature. I guess that's part of being a man.

 Anyway, that was what happened with this woman. We fell pretty hard for each other and dated off and on for a very long time. Some days we wouldn't be able to leave each other's side for more than a minute, and then later, months would go by without any sort of contact. I have to confess, this latter behavior was more my fault than hers. I mentioned before that Cady and O'Neill are demanding. During phases when I was hot into my writing, I wouldn't be able to think about or do anything else that didn't involve my novel. I knew it hurt her—knew she was the kind of person who wanted to settle down and start a family, live a quiet and committed life. I was not that kind of person—I'm not even sure I am now—but I liked the idea of always having someone around, someone reliable who I could call up when I was finally ready to make time. It really wasn't fair to do that to her, always leave her hanging like that. I should have ended things early on, but I was too selfish and too