Love Nip (16 page)

I didn’t think that my grandmother was competition with Axle
, but she did have a point.

“Plus,” she went on, “if you need a little help I cou
ld teach you a love spell to seal the deal.”

I
laughed. “That’s all right, I think I can handle this one on my own.”

Deep down, I really hoped
that I could.

Robert took me home a little later that night. I gave my
grandmother a big hug and promised I would return.  As we got in the car I looked over at Robert. He gave me a big smile that silently said he was proud of me.

“Thank you
, Robert. She is amazing,” I stated as we pulled out of the driveway.

“You remind me so much of her,”
he explained.

“So where is your dad?” I asked curiously.

He gripped the wheel tighter and nibbled at his bottom lip. Clearly he was uneasy about discussing his father. “My dad does black magic. He lives in New Orleans with a coven of black magic witches and wizards. He had a chance to live a normal life and do good with his magic, but he choose to leave me and mom back in the fifties. I’ve heard a few rumors about him, but we haven’t spoken since then. He’s not a good man, Emily.”

I played with my hands
, rolling a ring around my index finger. I felt like we had something in common. We both grew up without father figures in our lives. For some reason hearing about his father made me less angry with Robert for leaving my mom and me. His father had hurt him and he didn’t want to do that to me. “I really wish you would explain this aging thing that is going on.”

“The more you use your
power, the less you age. You were born to use magic so every time you do it rejuvenates your body,” he explained.

“So how old are you really?” I asked.

He pulled the car into my apartment parking lot and parked next to my car. The engine died and he turned to me. “I was born June 2, 1922.”

“
Wow,” was all I could say.

He changed the subject.
“So, Emily, I was waiting for the right time to tell you something.”

“Yeah?”

“Tomorrow I have to travel to Washington for business. They want to go over options with me and I’ve decided to go ahead and step down, as of today. So tomorrow you are officially in charge.”

“So I got the job?
” I asked in complete disbelief. I didn’t know what I was doing. I thought people got trained before starting a new position at work.

“Gavin and Axle will be there if you need any help and I’ll return on Monday to help you adjust,” he explained.

I sighed, at least I only have to be boss for a day on my own. I could handle a day, what could happen?

“There is one more thing I need to
mention.” His eyes met mine, ans for a split second I could see a speckle of fear.

“Yeah?” I offered slowly.

“Andrew Stanfield is going to be working with you guys for a while, he’s your replacement.”

The next morning,
I dragged my feet around my apartment. I wasn’t looking forward to work but I knew I had to be early. My first day as “boss” I couldn’t be late. Especially with Andrew Stanfield watching my every move waiting for me to mess up so he could swoop in and take it all away from me. After a hot shower I threw on some jeans, a nice blue button up shirt and some black pumps. I threw my hair up and combed some mascara into my eyelashes. I walked in to work fifteen minutes early. I had four coffees in one hand and a box of doughnuts in the other.

“Good morning
, Bob,” I greeted the guard behind the desk. I pulled a coffee from the holder and handed it to him, “Caramel latte with an extra shot, just how you like it.”

Bob seemed nervous for some reason and I glanced over at him with a questionable look.

“Have a nice day, Emily,” he stated.

I knew something was up
. “Spill it, what’s going on?”

He shook his head and took a sip of his coffee. I gave up and headed upstairs. I walked in to an empty office. I threw my purse on my desk and looked over at Robert’s office. His door was shut and I could tell the lights were off. It felt strange to think he was going to be gone.  I didn’t know how to do his job. I didn’t even know what exactly he did. Gavin walked in and smiled at me. I handed him his coffee and smiled.

“Mmh, thank you,” he greeted me. He looked over at Robert’s office with a confused look.

“Robert is gone, at least until Monday,” I explained.

“Where?” he asked as he took a sip of his coffee.

“
Washington to go over his new position, he will be back next week to train me then he’s gone,” I received a confused look from him but didn’t have time to explain. Axle walked in and headed to his desk. He looked me over and smiled politely. I handed him his coffee and held out the doughnuts. Both of the guys took one and sat on their desks.

“Where is Robert, it’s not like him to be late,” Axle asked.

“Did he not explain any of this to you guys?” I asked.

“Any of what?” Gavin asked as he took a bite of doughnut.

“Robert is leaving. He got an offer at the Pentagon and he’s leaving me in charge,” I explained.

They looked at me, then looked at each other and began laughing.

“What is so funny?” an English accent asked.

I looked at the door to see Andrew Stanfield standing in the doorway.

“Who is he?” Axle asked.

“Andrew Stanfield. What are you doing here?” I asked him.

He was dressed in jeans and a long sleeve button up shirt. He had a brown leather bag hanging from his shoulder. “Did Robert fail to mention that I start today?”

I
felt like slapping the smirk from his face. Robert did tell me his was going to be working with us, but he didn’t tell me it would be today. Andrew placed his things down on Ezra’s, I mean Riley’s, desk. He pulled out a note pad and pen. He had an evil look on his face that said he was up to something as he clicked his pen. He began to scribble in his notebook as he shook his head.

Gavin and Axle were star
ing at me, waiting for me to explain. “This is Andrew, he’s going to be working with us. He’s my replacement.”

I could see the anger building up in Axle’s expression. Clearly he did not agree with Andrew being my replacement
. “Thought we had a rule about new people coming on the team?”

“Yeah well
, Axle, no one talked to me about Riley or Andrew so it seems like that rule is no longer,” I snapped. I knew I shouldn’t take my anger out on Axle. I was just so mad at the stupid smug vampire that stood across the room shaking his head and filled with glee like he had just learned an amazing secret.

“Tsk, tsk,” Andrew started, “seems like Robert has let this place go to the dogs.”

I knew the anger I felt at Andrew’s insult couldn’t dare compare to what Axle had to be feeling. I looked over and was instantly sorry I did. Axle was steaming; his cheeks reddened, and his fist clenched at his side.

“Andrew
, we’re a team here. If you want to be a part of us you had better learn to fit in,” Gavin snapped.

I took a few steps closer until I was only about a foot away from the vampire. My eyes never left his as I poked him in the chest
. “I suggest you watch what you say around here, buddy. You want to work here, you better change your attitude.”

A
mischievous smile lit up his face. He silently gazed down the length of my body and back to his note pad. He began to scribble wildly as he hummed an unfamiliar tune. I rolled my eyes at his dramatic show as I walked back to my desk. I could hear the pen on his paper as he continued to write. As soon as he finished he clicked his pen. His feet made an annoying audible click with every step he took. I looked up as soon as he reached my desk. He bent down until he was but inches away from my face.

His breath was chilly on my skin as he whispered into my ear, “
Mark my words, you are done here
witch
.”

I snapped. Every bad emotion I had bottled up in my life
came to the surface. I felt my face redden as I grabbed his neck with one hand and jumped over the desk with one fluid movement. I slammed his head on the desk and squeezed his neck between my fingers until I could feel it about to pop.

“Emily,” I heard Axle call out.

I couldn’t stop myself. It was as if I was another person, I was trapped inside my body forced to watch this evil side of myself rise to the occasion.

“Y
ou’ve done it now, little girl, just wait until the leaders hear about this behavior,” Andrew croaked.

I held his life in my hands and yet he forced a smile unto his face. His confidence sickened me.

I let my fingers relax just ever so slightly as I bent close to his face. I intentionally inhaled his fragrance as I brought my mouth to his ear. I wanted my next words to be only for him and I wanted him to remember them forever. “You threaten me, or anyone I care about again, I’ll bite you, turn you into a human and then feed you to a pack of hungry wolves. And you know I can do it, so don’t test me.”

I let him go and walked back
around my desk. I flipped opened a file that rested near where Andrew’s face had just been and began reading. I couldn’t pay attention to the words, however I knew I wouldn’t be able to face the three men who stood gaping at me. I wanted to tell them to get back to work, but I didn’t know if I would be able to articulate words.

I heard Andrew’s
footsteps head back to his desk and then out the door. I gave a loud sigh and leaned back in my chair. Gavin and Axle stood, staring in awe.

“It’s not polite to stare,” I snapped.

*
**
*

The
main bar was packed, so Dee-Dee grabbed my hand and pulled me to the back bar. She ordered a few different shots and two beers. We sat at the bar and gulped the random shots down.

“Damn, you guys started without us,” Kimmy greeted
us.

I turned aroun
d to find her and Riley, who looked slightly uncomfortable. I wasn’t sure if my offer for her to join us was such a good idea. I gave Kimmy a hug and smiled at Riley.

“Can you even drink
alcohol?” Dee-Dee asked. I had to fill her in on the fact that both of the girls I had invited were vampires. She didn’t seem too keen on the idea, but at least she acted open minded.

Kimmy smiled and walked over, grabbing
one of the shots from the bar she threw it back.

“Impressive,” I
approved.

“We can drink and eat just like you guys
, it just doesn’t taste very well,” Riley chimed in.

“But I must say
, alcohol tastes the same.” Kimmy winced.

The bar had a small stage up in the front and two long bars in the back. The rest of the room was for dancing, there weren’t many places for sitting around. A guy with long black hair and way too much eye liner walked across the stage and picked up a guitar. Two guys followed him and took to their instruments. A
red-headed, scraggly looking teenager took another guitar to the lead’s left and a shiny bald man stood to his right. A girl with tight black leather pants walked on stage and sat behind the drums, her hair was black with bright blue streaks.

“That’s my boyfriend,” De
e-Dee proudly exclaimed.

I didn’t know which guy she was referring
to and honestly I was scared to find out.

The lead man strutted up to the microphone
. “We’re Pain Stake, hope you enjoy.”

They began playing. I’ve never been a fan of rock music
, but it was actually pretty good. The lead singer’s voice was raspy and even. I felt a tap on my shoulder and looked back. A man I didn’t recognize stood with a huge grin on his face. He was wearing a blue t-shirt tucked into his jeans and tennis shoes. His brown hair was untidy and the scuff on his face told me he didn’t own a razor.

“
You here by yourself, sweetheart?” he asked, nodding his head to the music.

Gag. I wasn’t interested in getting picke
d up at the bar. I began to feel woozy from all of the shots. I turned around for some female guidance and found myself alone. I looked around, but my friends were nowhere to be seen. “I’m actually here with some friends,” I tried, hoping he would take a hint.

“Well, let me buy you a drink. You are looking fine,” he said as his eyes swept over my body and settle
d on my breasts until it became very uncomfortable for me.

“No
, thanks. I’ve had enough. I should really find my friends,” I said as I began to walk away.

He grabbed my arm tight and pulled me back
. “It’s one drink, plus its free,” he said as he signaled for the bartender.

I got upset
; I never liked for people to tell me what to do. “Thanks, but no thanks.”

He ignored me and ordered two double shots of tequila
. “So are you from around here? I’ve never seen you in here before.”