set me back on my feet, he looked down at me fondly, his handsome face cracking into a grin. Until I saw it, I hadn't realized how much I'd missed that smile.
'You look exactly the same,' I noted, taking in the curling black hair that touched his shoulders, the eyes so dark a chocolate brown they almost looked black as well. Unlike me, he liked to wear the shape he'd been born with, the body from his mortal days. His skin was the color of the mochas I consumed regularly, smooth and lovely. His nose had been broken when he was human, but he never bothered to shape-shift the signs away. It didn't detract from his looks any; in fact, it sort of gave him a dashing scoundrel persona.
'And you, as usual, look completely different. What are you calling yourself these days?' His voice carried a faint British accent leftover from many years spent in London after leaving the slave plantations of Haiti. He kept that accent and the French expressions of his childhood only for effect; when he chose to, he could speak American English as flawlessly as I could.
'Georgina.'
'Georgina? Not Josephine or Hiroko?'
'Georgina,' I reiterated.
'Very well then,
I spun around, like a model, letting him get the full effect of this body. When I faced him again, he nodded with approval.
'Exquisite—not that I'd expect any less from you. Short, just like every other one, but the curves are in all the right spots, and the coloring is very nice.' He leaned closer to me, studying my face with a professional eye. 'The eyes I especially like. Catlike. How long have you been wearing this one?'
'Fifteen years.'
'Barely broken in.'
'Well,' observed Hugh dryly, 'it sort of depends on how you define 'broken in.''
Bastien and I both turned, remembering we had an audience. The other immortals watched with bemusement, the poker game momentarily forgotten. Bastien turned on a high-beam smile and crossed the room in a few quick strides.
'Bastien Moreau.' He extended a polite hand to Hugh, every inch of him polished and deferential. Incubi, after all, have just as good a sense of customer service and public relations as succubi. 'It's a pleasure to meet you.'
He made equally polite introductions with the rest of the group, pausing momentarily when he reached Carter. A brief flicker of surprise in Bastien's dark eyes was the only other indication that he found an angel in our midst odd. Otherwise, his surface charm remained perfect as he smiled and shook Carter's hand.
Although clearly surprised at Bastien's presence, Peter stood up dutifully. 'Have a seat. You want a drink?'
'Thank you. You're too kind. Bourbon on ice, please. And thank you for allowing me to show up so unexpectedly. You have a stunning home.'
The vampire nodded, mollified at someone finally appreciating his hospitality.
I, however, had other concerns and wondered what had caused the incubus to 'show up so unexpectedly.' I suddenly remembered Jerome's taunting surprise. 'Jerome knows you're here, doesn't he?'
'Of course. Long since arranged.' Our kind could not cross into another's territory without making arrangements with the local supervisor. For a group that had allegedly rebelled against the system, we had a staggering amount of rules, regulations, and paperwork. We made the 1RS look juvenile. 'He told me where to find you tonight.'
'And you're here because…?'
He flung a playful arm around me. 'You're pushy. No 'Hello, how are you'? Can't I just stop by to see an old friend?'
'Not in this business.'
'How long have you known Georgina?' asked Hugh, shifting his solidly built body into a more comfortable sitting position.
Bastien turned thoughtful. 'I don't know. How long has it been? Ages?'
'You have to be a little more specific than that,' I reminded him, my mind slipping back to a London of long ago, recalling rough-hewn streets redolent with the scent of horses and unwashed humans. 'Early seventeenth century?' He nodded, and I let my tone turn teasing. 'Mostly I just remember how green you were.'
'I have no idea what you're talking about.'
'Whatever. I taught you everything you know. '
'Ah, older women.' Bastien glanced around at the others, shrugging his shoulders with feigned haplessness. 'Always so sure of themselves.'
'So, explain how this works,' Cody urged eagerly, young eyes on Bastien. 'You're like the male equivalent of Georgina, right? You shape-shift and everything?' Having been an immortal for less than ten years, Cody was always learning something new about us. I realized he'd probably never even met an incubus before.
'Well, there's really no equivalent for Fleur , but yes, something like that.' I think he preferred calling me Fleur because it was easier than trying to remember the names I kept acquiring over the years.
'So you seduce women?' pushed Cody.
'Exactly.'
'Wow. That must actually be hard.'
'It's not so—wait a minute,' I said. 'What are you implying over there? What's this 'actually' business?'
'Well, he's got a point,' insisted Peter, handing Bastien the drink. 'It's not like your job's all that difficult, Georgina. By comparison, I mean.'
'My job's very difficult!'
'What, getting men to have sex with a beautiful woman?' Hugh shook his head. 'That's not hard. That's not even remedial.'
I looked at them incredulously. 'It's not like I can just jump into bed with anyone. I have to get quality guys.'
'Yeah, as of a month ago maybe.'
Bastien shot me a sharp look at that remark, but I was too annoyed to acknowledge it. 'Hey, I just won an award, you know. Got the certificate and everything. And anyway, contrary to your pathetic love lives, not all guys will immediately give in to sex. It takes work.'
'What, like horns and a whip?' suggested Peter slyly, referring to a particularly embarrassing incident from my past.
'That's different. He wanted it.'
'They all want it. That's the point.' Hugh turned to Bastien reverentially. 'How do you do it? Got any pointers you can share with the rest of us?'
'Several lifetimes' worth,' chuckled Bastien, still watching me. 'Those are trade secrets, I'm afraid. Although, really, in Fleur 's defense, the techniques are the same for both of us. You should have been paying more attention to her. '
'Low-cut necklines aren't exactly a trade secret.'
'Much more to it than that, my friend. Especially with Georgina. She's one of the best.'
Hugh and the vampires looked at me as though they'd never noticed me before, apparently attempting to figure out if what Bastien said was true.
'No need to start that up,' I pointed out hastily.
'Come on, weren't you just bragging about how you taught me everything I know? You and I used to run some good rackets back in the day.'
'What kind of rackets?' asked Peter.
When I wouldn't answer, Bastien merely shrugged. 'Oh, you know. The kind that require a partner. '
Cody's eyes widened. 'Like…group sex?'
'No!' I protested, unable to stay silent at that. Not that it wasn't in my curriculum vitae. 'Partnerships to suck somebody in. Play husband and wife. Or brother and sister. Or…or…whatever it takes to nail your mark.'
Bastien nodded along with me. 'Men really like the thrill of winning over someone's beautiful young wife.
