Forever (The Forever series Book One) (3 page)

Don't get me wrong: I am good at my job. Damn good. I've
been around the block a few hundred times and there are few things I don't know
about. About anything. As previously mentioned, I have a photographic memory,
something I had as a human--not that it did me any good back then--and a
thousand years of learning at the best universities in the world has made me a
very smart girl.

I sit back with a confident smile, trying not to laugh at
the astonished look on smug Geoff's face and I see Devon out of the corner of
my eye hiding his proud smile behind his hand. I always find it quite amusing
when Devon feels proud of me. It is supposed to be the other way around. And I
am. I am so proud of him and everything he has achieved over the years but he
isn’t really supposed to feel the same way about me, at least not in the way
that he does. I am his mentor, his teacher. This is another clear sign that our
bond goes deeper than the average tie.

"Uh, well thank you, Liv, for your input," Geoff
stammers. "We will most certainly look into acquiring the firm, after the
initial audit has been completed."

Mergers and acquisitions are not in Geoff's job description.
He authorizes the audits but he likes making himself sound more important than
he is. I ignore him, unimpressed, and stand.

"Geoff, Devon, if you will excuse me, I have another
meeting I must attend," and exit the office before either one can say a
word.

I don’t have another meeting; I just wanted to go back to
mentally sifting my closet in an attempt to come up with the perfect outfit for
my date.

On the ride home, I consult my watch. Traffic is bad and I
am impatient. It is Friday and I don't want to be late for my date with Cole.

"For fuck's sake!" I yell in frustration.

Devon glances at me in amusement. "Anxious, my
dear?" he queries.

"Yes!" I snap checking my watch again. Three hours
until I have to be ready and back in the city.

Devon's hand reaches over to my thigh and pushes my
too-short skirt up. Frustrated, I indulge him and open my legs as his hand
slips in between. He draws a sharp breath as his fingers slip inside my
panties. The light touch of his fingers sends a jolt through me. Typically the
traffic starts moving again and he needs his hand to drive. Glancing at me he
licks his fingers quickly and I feel myself going crazy for him. He grabs my
hand then and pushes it to his huge erection. I stroke him and then unzip his pants.
Pulling him free I work my hand over him all silky and smooth. On impulse I
lean over him and take him in my mouth. He groans with pleasure as I suck him,
hard. Luckily Vampire driving skills are excellent otherwise we would have no
doubt ended up in the ocean. He comes quickly in my mouth and I swallow,
sitting up with a feral grin.

I leap out of the car as soon as it stops and head straight
for my shower. So little time left. I dry myself off and set to work on drying
and straightening my hair.

Having already decided on my outfit, I open the closet. A
huge walk-in affair blocked off in sections according to the occasion, the back
wall dedicated to shoes. I pull out the chosen outfit: a long black skirt with
a simple black bustier and black Louboutins. Quite conservative for my usual
style of night attire, but this is a first date after all. Cole has called me
every day since we met on Saturday, and even sent flowers to my office at the
studio. They forwarded them on to Saxon, which was sweet. Our conversations
have been long and informative, the getting-to-know-you-part mostly, with a
large amount of flirting thrown in for good measure. The fact that he has
bothered to ring at all makes me smile and wonder even more about the feeling I
had when I first saw him, about him being a part of my destiny.

Make up complete, I head back downstairs and call for
Grayson to bring the car around. Devon joins me by the front door, Scotch in
hand. With his tie discarded and shirt unbuttoned I mentally swoon at the sight
of him.

"Well, Kitten, have fun tonight,” he says slyly.

"Stop calling me Kitten and I intend to," I
respond, casting a quick glance at him. He's wearing a smug smile, attributed
to our drive home, no doubt. Absolutely confident I will return to his bed
tonight he bids me farewell and I step into the car absolutely confident I will
have Cole in my bed tonight. A pang of nerves hits my stomach unexpectedly. I
remember the last time a man made me feel this way. I just don't know what it
is about him that has turned my head so.

Half an hour later, Grayson pulls up outside the restaurant
and comes around to open my door. Checking my watch, 7:55, I alight gracefully
with a nod of thanks and a flash going off in my face. Plastering a smile on my
face for the fucking paparazzi, I make my way into the large, busy French
restaurant that I chose for the occasion. Better for a first date to have some
background noise in case of any awkward silences, although I am sure there
won’t be any.

My Vampire senses scan the room, finding Cole in seconds,
standing at the bar. Punctual. Good. I personally am always early. I make my
way over to him, confidence returning as every eye in the room is on me.
Vampires are very alluring and downright irresistible when a bit of effort is
put into it. Sensing me, he turns around and his eyes tighten and his lips part
as he sees me walking towards him. I stop in front of him and it takes him a
second to compose himself.

"Hi," he breathes, taking my hand; he grazes his
lips over my knuckles. A tingle goes down my spine as I smile in return.

"Hi," I say.

"You look beautiful," he murmurs.

"Thank you," I say, looking him straight in the
eye. No modesty from me. "And you look very handsome," I return the
compliment.

He relaxes as the maître d’ ushers us to our table. The best
in the house
pour moi
, of course. This gives me a few seconds to take in
his gorgeousness. His eyes, so unusual, are dark blue this evening. I assume
that has something to do with the navy dress shirt he has on. He’s wearing
fitted navy pants that complete his outfit and show off his best features. The
man knows how to dress to impress, and I am impressed all right. He is all
kinds of good-looking.

Once seated with menus on the table he smiles at me and I
just want him to kiss me with that sexy mouth.

Stop that!
I yell at myself and in order to bring my
racing libido in check I pick up the wine list to peruse. I tilt it towards him
and ask, "Do you mind?"

He shakes his head, relieved to be free of that duty. I
motion to the sommelier. I don't need to look at the menu, as I know what I
want and order it in fluent French, much to the surprise of my date.

"That's pretty impressive."

I shrug it off. "It's nothing. I have an affinity for
languages. I find them easy to pick up.”

"Languages, plural?" he asks.

"Mm," I murmur noncommittally. How does one say to
a man you've just met that at only twenty-six, you speak twenty-two different
languages fluently and that two of them are dead?

My Blackberry buzzes. Glancing at the Caller ID it flashes
“CK.” Oh shit.

Smiling apologetically, I hold my finger up in an “I’ll just
be a minute” gesture. I answer in Italian,
“
Hello, my sire. To what do I
owe this pleasure?”

“Good evening, Liv,” CK’s glorious baritone comes down the
phone.
“
I haven’t heard from you for a few days. Thought I’d check in,”
he says smoothly.

Hm, interesting…

“Everything is going well with your new… friend?” he
inquires innocently.

Crap, there it is. He knows already. I sigh inwardly, of
course he does.

“Couldn’t be better,” I say a little too jovially and
Constantine chuckles. He knows me too well.

“Well, I can’t wait to make his acquaintance.”

Oh, hell no!

“Hm,” I murmur.

“Are you going to Monaco?” he asks, his usual abrupt change
of subject startling me.

I respond,
“Si,
of course
.”

He is referring to the Monte Carlo Grand Prix that I attend
every year.

“
Good
.
I will see you there then, my dear.”

“You’re going?” I swallow nervously. CK barely leaves the
confines of his beloved Italy unless he absolutely has to.

“I am,” he states.

“Okay, great. I will see you in a couple of weeks. I miss
you,” I add suddenly. It has been too long since I have seen him this time.

“I miss you too, my sweet,” he sounds pleased. “Now have a
fun night with your friend.
Ti amo.”

“Yes, my sire,” I say as one would say “Yes, Dad” and roll
my eyes. “I love you too.”

“So you also speak fluent Italian?” Cole asks, as I hang up.

“Yes,” I smile up at him, conscious of the short answer.

“Hm, languages indeed. Anymore I should know about?” he asks
jokingly.

“We’ll see.”

“So whom do you tell that you love them in Italian?” he asks
feigning innocence.

What? He was listening… and furthermore, he understood me?

Laughing at my expression he explains his rudimentary
Italian.

Fuck! I desperately think back to if I said anything he
shouldn’t have overheard.

“He’s my… mentor. Like a father figure you could say,” I
state finally. All true, no lies so far.

“Ah, I see,” he asks.

Changing the subject swiftly, I ask about his day and the
general conversation shifts into easier topics. We get on really well and I
learn that we have more than a bit in common. I sense a strong connection and I
think he does too as he waits outside with me for Grayson to pull the car
around. I move subtly closer and look up at him, gaze sweeping from his eyes to
his mouth and back again. Works every time.

"Thank you for dinner," I murmur.

"It was my pleasure," he murmurs back gazing into
my eyes.

I step even closer and place my hands on his chest. I tilt
my head back and he pulls me to him, lips locking together in a kiss so
passionate it probably isn't allowed in public. My fingers move up into his
hair pulling his head further down so I can shove my tongue deeper into his
mouth. He tastes divine and my fangs are aching to drop and sink into his
flesh. Abruptly, I pull back, calming the Vampire down. Whoa, that was intense.
It's been too long since I fed on human blood, choosing to sustain myself with
just Vampire blood out of some sense of morality, and even longer since I fed
on my favorite blood type, which even from here I can smell running through
Cole's veins.

Breathing heavily, he leans his forehead against mine with
eyes closed, his hands on my hips.

"I want you," he whispers.

My knees go weak as I say, "I want you too."
Knowing this could potentially be a disaster waiting to happen, I pull his
mouth back to mine for a second kiss that leaves me wet and aching for him.

Life's too short dammit
, my brain yells at me. Well
actually, my life is long. Very, very long, but in an effort to convince
myself, I grab onto all the old clichés. Carpe diem and all that. After all,
they are clichés for a reason, right?

Coming up for air, I take the leap of faith and ask,
"Will you come back to my place?"

A simple "Yes" before he reclaims my mouth.

Grayson's subtle clearing of his throat pulls us apart.
Patrons leaving the restaurant are staring open-mouthed and the paparazzi are
having a field day trying to get the best shot around Grayson's massive size
blocking their way. Laughing, we climb quickly into the back of the limo and
our mouths find each other again. So much for a low profile, Liv, my annoying
brain sneers at me. Ignoring it I climb onto his lap and can feel his erection
in full force. I reach down to release him but his hand stops me.
"No," he whispers against my mouth. I pull back like I've been
struck, the Vampire in me roaring in frustration. I glare at him questioningly.

"Not here, not like this," he mumbles,
embarrassed. "I really like you," he carries on, "and I feel
like we might have something here?" It's a question requiring an answer
before he continues, so I nod. He looks relieved. "I don't want our first
time to be..."

"A fuck in the back of a limo?" I offer up with a
raised eyebrow.

Startled at my choice of words he then grins, "Exactly.
Not how I would have phrased it, but yes."

"Okay then." I climb off his lap and sit chastely
next to him with a small smile twitching at my lips.

"Okay then," he says as well, taking my hand in
his.

Christ, this is the longest drive home, ever. Why did I
suggest a place in L.A.? Malibu has perfectly fine places to dine.

Sensing my impatience he says, without looking at me,
"Just think of the anticipation as foreplay."

Holy hell was
that
the wrong thing to say as my
libido takes a flying leap into the deep end. Staring at him, he glances at me
sideways and asks, "Do you live much further away?" He has an amused
look on his face.

Grayson, thank the gods, chooses that moment to announce our
arrival.

"Not much further, no," I reply thankfully. And he
laughs.

Grayson pulls up outside my front door and gets out to open
the car door for me. Cole follows quickly and stares up at the house in
surprise. "Wow, this is some house you've got."

"It'll do," I respond, eager to get him inside.

Hoping Devon is nowhere to be found, since that's still a
conversation needing to be had about our living arrangement, I push open the
massive front door.

Stepping into the foyer my heels clack on the marble floor
and I quickly slip them off to keep the noise to a minimum. I can see that Cole
is in awe of the grandeur of the place. I grab his hand, distracting him.
"I'm all anticipated out," I whisper and pull him over to the staircase.
He follows behind me as we ascend the stairs, cursing myself at how many there
are. Fortunately we don't encounter Devon on the way up. I can't sense him so
he is probably out.