On the Line (Alternate Places Book 3) (38 page)

“Thank you both! You can't realize how big a burden those
were, carrying the scars with me, knowing that those
things
that had
hurt me had left me marked forever. I... I can't thank you enough...”

They each got a hug then, including Nikki, who hugged the
other Vampire back tightly, as if afraid the girl would bolt.

Everyone had to change clothes for dinner quickly, as the
whole thing had taken longer than Kate had planned. She went and put on a
simple black dress, one that covered a lot of flesh, for her anyway, being strapless
and body hugging, but opaque and thick enough it would just barely show when
her nipple got erect. It didn't look
official
, but she didn't intend to
hide the fact that she was an Alede too. This fit the bill, she knew. Showing
her pride in who she was as well as not directly offending anybody that might
be coming to dinner.

Eloise had her secretary call and let them know that they had
gotten the number down to eight for dinner. Lisa heard this and snorted, turned
to Jelly and rolled her eyes.

“No one wants to run an
embassy
day to day, no
that's
too much like work, but give these people a chance to rub elbows with the rich
and powerful and suddenly they all think they're
indispensable
.” Lisa
wrinkled her nose comically and patted the girl on the shoulder, in a friendly
manner, as if trying to set her at ease.

Jelly hadn't brought any clothes fit for a state dinner and
hadn't had a chance to go shopping, so Claire had given her some of Maria's to
wear. Zack's girl self being nearly the same size as Jelly, except through the
chest. Maria was bigger
that
way, but they found something, a nice dark
red dress that worked well enough and while it showed some cleavage on the
girl, it didn't look
too
slutty. At least Kate didn't think it did. Lisa
kind of made a face, but she didn't say
why
. Which was good, because
other than that, Jelly would be down to her work clothes for the event. Plus,
the girl looked hot.

Blinking, Kate realized that was what Lisa had responded to.
Her new intern looked ready to get someone into bed, and being her boss and a
halfway responsible person, that meant she could only attack her. Not sleep
with her. The idea made Kate want to laugh, but it was a problem for Humans and
Mages, as well as a dozen other races. They
wanted
sex, but had all
those rules keeping them from having it.

When Betty came in Kate didn't recognize her at first. The
transformation wasn't just well done, but had happened in a way that she never
would have imagined Betty going. Not on purpose. She wore a women's business
suit that seemed drab and boring compared to anything that she'd ever seen the
girl in before. Her shoes were sensible pumps and her legs had been covered in
very boring tan pantyhose.

Kate looked at her and sighed, “You look...
perfect
.
You look like a real Secretary of State at least. I look a bit like the call
girl brought in to service the drunk politicians. Oh well... If they get
confused maybe I can get a little on the side?”

Claire insisted that they all wait in the large meeting room
with only Keane and Blake to greet people at the door and escort them in. Both
of the Vampires dressed in fine black suits, with gray gloves and vests, which
made them look a little like butlers. Which, Claire assured Kate, was the
point
.
They didn't want the politicians feeling like they were walking in to an armed
camp after all.

Kate didn't recognize anyone that came except Eloise and
George, but Jelly walked over to one and gave him a hug, surprising everyone. Except
Zack who moved directly over to shake the man's hand as well, ushering both
Mages off to the side where they could talk quietly without interrupting the
meeting.

Eloise introduced a dapper looking older man who then
introduced all of the Mages that had come, including a polite head nod toward
the man talking to Jelly, who turned out to be the noted criminal, Willet Stone.
The man smiled when he introduced the other Mage that way.

Kate wondered if they were supposed to go to him for all
their Mage related criminal needs? The idea made her want to laugh, at first. Then
she decided it could be a good service to have on hand. She didn't know what a
Mage criminal could do after all... But crime was crime and sometimes needed.
He'd need a good job description though. Calling him the head criminal wouldn't
work very well, she didn't think. For one thing it would kind of give
everything away too easily.

Most of the titles went right past her, though she caught the
first names easily enough. Early Alede training having stressed how important
remembering names could be. So she found herself instantly using old memory
techniques to build associations between the names and faces. Then repeating
them every time she looked at anyone.

Claire did the introductions for their side of things,
introducing Britney first, since
she
had an actual title, Domestics
Coordinator. Merri was introduced next as her counterpart. Both women stepped
forward slightly and curtsied together. Merri looked cuter when she did it,
being so small and dainty. Britney just looked hot and as if she wanted to
continue the bend of knee and take on all comers while she did so. Kate knew
that the girl probably
did
want to do that, so let it go.
She'd
do it herself if this party didn't pick up soon. Maybe even if it did. All the
best parties had an orgy room, right?

Lisa was introduced as the Finance Minister, which made
Eloise stand straighter, a proud look on her face for a bit. Betty was up next,
being Secretary of State, which caused Eloise to finally move forward and shake
hands with one of them. It tickled Kate that this powerful world leader
understood instantly that little Vampire Betty actually held importance here
and acted accordingly. It was probably the suit though. She really looked the
part and that was important.

Zack, everyone already knew. The next up was Don, who'd
decided to wear a simple business jacket that Troy had lent him. Zack's things
being far too small to even consider. That meant the jacket, a pair of black
jeans with a black sweater. He looked cute, but about as much like a world
leader as she did, Kate realized. Eloise bowed to him though, like she had to
Zack.

“And, I believe you also know the other Line-Walker? Kaitlyn
Swanson, of the Alede.” Claire said this all very carefully, and clearly. It
was nearly insulting that she did it that way, but Kate got the idea. Super
sluts didn't get to be Line-Walkers too. Except that they did.

Eloise moved forward and gave her a hug, and a brief kiss on
the cheek, which she returned. This made sense, being that she was an Alede.
Zack had gotten a hand shake like Betty had. It took Kate a second but she
realized that no one had told them who or
what
Don was. He looked Human,
but so did she
and
everyone else in the room. Charli, Zack and Don were
the only
actual
Humans in the room. Unless they were still counting Troy
as Human too. Which was a fun joke, because of the way he'd pushed the Mage
Council around by himself, but not the truth. Not knowing, Eloise had opted for
the safe option of a bow.
Everyone
accepted that as a greeting it
seemed, even if not their own society's custom.

No one else got a personal introduction, since they didn't
have titles yet, even though some of them were obviously going to be very
important in the organization. They sat to dinner first, a fairly simple array
of chicken and beef, with sides of seasoned rice and potatoes and plenty of
vegetables. The only thing that separated it from what you could get at a restaurant
being the quality, which turned out to be so high that everyone noticed it.

Kate looked at her plate and then Merri, mouthing, “no
magic?” to the tiny woman who pretended she didn't see her do it. The little
smile gave it away though.

After dessert, they retired to the meeting room, where she
managed to cage a seat between Jelly and Willet. This caused everyone to end up
sitting in fairly mixed groups, instead of power blocks. Claire looked at it
all and gave her a single half scowl, as if wondering if the girl had
planned
this for some reason. Kate hadn't, but she decided to play it up anyway.

“Notice how were all sitting
together
, as friends,
instead of across the vast expanse of a table like adversaries? Even George and
Nikki are sitting together and, while they may not exactly be holding hands, no
one's stabbed anyone with a butter knife stolen from the table yet either.” A
polite laugh came from around the table. Better than nothing, she figured.

Then she, gracefully, handed the meeting over to other
people, who had a fairly simple agreement worked out already, that basically
said they'd try to work together and be friends within reason. The language
didn't have
any
flowery lawyer talk, she noticed. Eloise told them that
George had drawn the paper up, looking embarrassed.

Zack and Don both smiled and signed it, then passed it down
to Kate who also signed it, with a flourish. The Mages
all
signed it,
except for Willet, who kept being glared at by the Penbrokes, including Lisa,
as if they expected him to steal the artwork from the walls or lift Zack's
wallet.

That would be stupid, since he could get a lot more than
that, if he played his cards right.

Under the table Kate slipped a hand onto Willet's leg making
him jump at first, then
look
at her, wary and amazed. She leaned into
him and whispered for him to meet her in the back hall in ten minutes, then
excused herself and walked out of the room without giving a reason why. Willet
followed about ten minutes later, in a pattern that anyone watching and knowing
she was an Alede would assume meant he went to meet
her
. Most of them
would be assuming for sex of course, which didn't fit her plans at all.

When he reached her, she pulled him into the back room she
stood outside and shut the door, talking to him in a hushed voice. For five
minutes she grilled him on what
kind
of crimes he'd committed and gotten
away with and if he'd be willing to leave his career as a criminal, if he had
enough money and what not.

“Sure. It's always been about providing a good life for my
family... That and the fact that I'm a greedy S.O.B. But mainly the family
stuff. If I could do that working a normal job half as well, I would. Less
trouble that way. Wouldn't most people?” He asked, perplexed.

She nodded, then offered him a job.

He laughed at this.

“What, you want me to be your head thief?”

She shook her head.

“No, our head
spy
. It means the same thing, but sounds
better. We'll call it something good though. Head of intelligence services?”

He laughed, then realized that she wasn't laughing too. He
considered it, for about ten seconds, then told her he didn't think he was
really qualified, but really, being
qualified
for anything or not had
never stopped him before. Then he asked what it paid.

She told him twenty thousand gold per year, realizing that
she'd made that much herself that day inside ten minutes, so she included that
there would be the potential for bonuses if he did good work. She said this
last innocently, but
he
smiled wickedly and asked if she thought he was
worth a signing bonus?

Shrugging she smiled at him and sank down to her knees. He
looked ready to pass out when she started working his fly.

“Why not? After all, this is what everyone
thinks
were
doing back here anyway. That has to make it a good cover, don't you think?”

When she finished she kissed him on the mouth, and told him
to meet her at Frozen YoGurt at Underwood the next day at one in the afternoon,
and to try not to be seen if possible.

He told
her that he'd meet her there, as he refastened his clothes.

The next ten days were exhausting for all of them.

Kate and Don were put to work taking most of the line traffic
for that whole time, so that Zack could have a vacation with Claire and Libby.
They all deserved it, but the amount of work that Zack did each day pushed the
two newbies to almost breaking. Kate began to realize one of the reasons that
Zack remained so thin all the time. This Line travel stuff took work and a
lot
more energy than it felt like at any one time. Don looked like he lost about
ten pounds in that time, even though he'd been eating normal meals. Much more
and she'd have to start making sure he ate better. Blaine worked away steadily,
but didn't say anything to anyone about his sister getting a title and a job in
the new government and him not being even noticed.

Seeing this as a
good
sign she pulled him in with
Willet and Hilda, along with Don and Zack before he left for his vacation. No
one would tell them where Zack and all were going for that, saying it would be
healthy for them all to work without a safety net.

They went on a picnic of sorts. No food but a big soft
blanket got spread on the ground in the meadow that Zack picked. Hilda looked
around and then brightened.

“This is
home
!” She said, bouncing up and almost
running off to see her mother before Kate could stop her.

“First things first, Hilda. We've all met, but I wanted you
three to meet in particular and to explain what I've been working on behind
everyone's backs for the last two days. I've arranged for Willet here to head
our Espionage division and Hilda to lead our Military. As it is.
All
five people we have so far. I want to pull Blaine here as head of the training
division. That will overlap with both your areas, and you'll need to get with
him for trainers and facilities to do that training in.” She turned to Blaine.