Sex and the Single Vampire

'Money laundering?'

He smiled, and suddenly I had a glimpse at what it was that had attracted Joy to him. 'It was the only thing I could think of to get in there quickly.'

I grinned back at him. 'Well, I truly am grateful for your help.'

He murmured something about it being his pleasure as he peered out through the rain-streaked window. The rest of the ride was spent in silence.

'I wish there were some way to repay you for your help,' I told him a short while later as he delivered me to the door of his building. 'I would have been in serious trouble if you hadn't come when you did.'

He smiled. 'Don't mention it. Your taking Christian's attention away from Joy is repayment enough.'

The answering smile faded from my face. I straightened up and waved as he drove off. I couldn't tell him that I wouldn't run the risk of diverting Christian's attention any longer.

'Oh, man, what a horrible muddle,' I said, rubbing the ache in my forehead. I sighed again and pulled the blanket around me as I waited for Joy to buzz me into the building. I felt like someone had taken a baseball bat to me, both externally and mentally. I was abused, mentally raped, drained and heartsore. I was such a mess that I burst into tears the second Joy opened the door to me, and didn't stop crying for twenty minutes, ending up in a fetal ball on her couch, a box of tissues at hand, blankets heaped over me, two worried women hovering just beyond my view as I cried out the pain of knowing Christian was lost to me forever.

'That baby has addled your brains. She doesn't need coffee; she needs a stiff belt.'

'Alcohol never solved anything, Roxy. Coffee and chocolate, however, can work miracles.'

'Don't go all teetotaler on me, missy; you're just saying that because you can't drink anything stronger than a Shirley Temple now.'

I sniffled one last time into a tissue and looked up. Roxy and Joy stood next to the couch, Joy with a steaming cup in one hand, a bowl of something that look chocolatey in the other. Roxy held a bottle of whiskey. My decision was quickly made.

I took the cup from Joy, poured a sizable slosh into it from Roxy's bottle, and scooped up a handful of chocolate-covered almonds. 'Thanks. This'll work just fine.'

'Oh, good, you're done with the water show,' Roxy said as she pulled a chair over to where I sat. 'Now you can tell us everything. And don't leave out any of the good parts, the way Joy does. First off, did you and Christian do the nasty? I bet Joy you wouldn't be able to hold out against the scrumptious Mr. Dante for very long.'

'Oh, for God's sake.' Joy whomped her friend on the arm. 'Will you stop prying into things that aren't any of your business? Just ignore her, Allie. She was raised by wolves and has no manners.'

Roxy just grinned at me. 'So? Did you?'

'Roxy!'

I swallowed the mouthful of almonds and washed them back with spiked coffee. 'I will tell you what I told my ghostly friends: the subject of physical relations between Christian and me is off-limits.'

'Atta girl,' Joy praised me as she lowered herself into an armchair.

'Well, you can at least tell us about why Christian did the mind-meld thing with Joy and had her getting Raphael worked into a frenzy. What was all that about?'

It said a lot about my wounded, exhausted state that I didn't even consider shielding them from the truth, as I might under normal circumstances. People not directly involved in paranormal research usually don't take hearing about things like powerful psychics and ghosts and such without a lot of distress. I've found it's easier to pick and choose a few things to tell the general public, and keep the unvarnished truth for the experts. Unfortunately, I was too tired and sore to think rationally, so I spilled all of it to Joy and Roxy.

'Wow,' Roxy breathed when I was finished. 'You have five ghosts now? Bring them here, would you?'

'Another time, maybe.' I smiled wearily.

'That's right, another time. You just sit there and rest, Allie.' Joy glanced at the window. 'The sun should go down in about an hour, Christian will come and get you then.'

I was shaking my head even before she finished speaking. 'No.'

'No, what?'

'No, Christian will not come and get me. I don't want to go with him. I was hoping I could stay here with you for the night, until I can find another hotel.'

Joy glanced quickly at Roxy. 'Allie, I know Christian is very concerned about you; he asked me just a few minutes ago how you were feeling, and—'

I sat up straight and pushed the blankets off me. 'He what?'

'He was concerned; he said you weren't talking to him and he wanted to be sure you hadn't been hurt —'

'That… that…'

'Man,' Roxy supplied helpfully.

'Man!' I yelled, snatching another tissue and blowing my nose. 'How dare he question another woman about me? How dare he pry when it's clear I don't welcome his concern! How dare he —'

'—be so much in love with you that he chafes at the fact that he couldn't be the one to save you?' Joy finished.

'I can save myself,' I snarled at her, immediately feeling ashamed because it's not a nice thing to snarl at a pregnant woman. 'I didn't mean to attack you, Joy; I'm just angry at Christian. And he doesn't love me. I'm not his bloody Beloved; you are.'

'You know,' Roxy said thoughtfully as she popped a chocolate almond into her mouth. 'That sounds awfully jealous to me. I think maybe you're not being quite honest with yourself or Joy. Or Christian, for that matter.'

I glared at Roxy.

'Rox, you're not helping matters.'

'Well, I'm trying to!' she argued, and took a swig off the bottle of whiskey. 'Look, Allie, this thing between Joy and Christian just isn't important. So they can do the mind-meld, big deal. You only have to get Joy and Raphael together for a couple of minutes before they're going at it like rabbits. Joy couldn't give a hoot about Christian, not in the way you do. She punched him in the nose once, almost broke it. Not to mention kneeing him in the happy sacs.'

I stared at Joy, who nodded. 'Christian can be a little overbearing sometimes. So can Raphael, but it looks much better on him.'

'You hit him? You hit Christian?'

'And she stomped on his foot. He limped for a week afterward. It's 'cause she weighs as much as a draft horse.'

We both ignored Roxy.

'It's not something I'm proud of,' Joy said at last, not looking in the least bit contrite.

I nodded, sucking on an almond. I wondered if I would ever get so mad that I could punch Christian in the nose.

'I fervently pray you do not. I do not wish to experience that again.'

I stared at the man leaning elegantly in the doorway, my eyes opening wider as I looked beyond him to the window.

It was still daylight out.

'Christian, what on earth are you doing here? I told you Allie was all right!' Joy gave a little grunt, hoisted herself out of the chair, and bustled around the windows, closing the drapes and shutting out the weak daylight.

I looked back at Christian as Roxy turned on the lamps scattered around the room. 'You shouldn't be able to do that, should you?'

He shrugged and peeled off his coat and hat. 'No, but I did. I believe I owe the gain in tolerance to daylight to you.'

I shook my head. 'I'm not your Beloved, Christian. Joy is, only she has other priorities.'

He ignored my protest and kissed Joy's hand, kissed Roxy on the cheek when she threw herself into his arms, and then sat next to me with the casual possession of longtime lovers. I wanted to push him away, but it felt too