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  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Demetri will be here shortly, and Randall will follow about an hour later. Tonight you will serve as a mediator. We need those two to agree on boundaries. I grow tired of hearing complaints at all hours.”

  “Ms. Pope,” Stacy started, then stopped. She thought they dealt in souls.

  “We do. But we also provide other services for clients. Vampires need willing victims who won’t betray them. Werewolves, well, the kinky sons of bitches love to bite, but if we don’t provide them with a serum, the world would become overrun with them. We provide services to them, much as we provide revenge to mortals. Does that knowledge help any?”

  “Yes, ma’am. And as a mediator, what am I supposed to do? I don’t know anything about the politics of this world. What if I mess up? What if I say something wrong?”

  “Stop. You are going to have to learn to control yourself. It will take time for me to get used to how busy you are all the time. I grow tired being near you sometimes.” Ms. Pope shook her head. “You will do fine. Your job is to ease tensions, however you can. Whether it is by getting them refreshments, offering your own blood, suggestions, or whatever else you can come up with. Keep them from ripping apart the conference room, and have them sign a binding contract with terms both find agreeable.”

  “Yes, ma’am. How will I have the contract ready for them to sign if I’m not typing it?”

  “It will be in the folder on the side table. How is not important. Only know that what they agree upon will be in the contract. You will find a blood pen in your desk. Make sure they use that, or it is not binding.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Good.” Ms. Pope tilted her head. “Demetri approaches. You’ll do fine.” She disappeared without a sound through the weird door.

  Another surge of panic flooded her. “I don’t know where the conference rooms are. What happens if I go in the wrong door?”

  “Take a deep breath. Demetri is a nice enough guy. He can get a little rough sometimes, though. And he can smell fear, so please calm down. He knows you’re new, remember? He requested that this be your first assignment. Just breathe, and relax. He will outline what he needs you to help him with.”

  Almost on cue, a bell rang. Tina smiled and took a step backward. “Open the door, Stacy.”

  It seemed as though she would be doing it all herself. Standing on shaky legs, she approached the door to let her first client in. Part of her was terrified. She didn’t know what to expect. But another part of her was thrilled. Would he look human? Turning the knob, it seemed as though she were trapped in slow motion.

  Getting her first good look at Demetri, her mouth fell open. Wavy dark hair fell to his shoulders, and his dark brown eyes drew her. Unlike Ms. Pope’s dark eyes, his seemed warm, comforting. They enticed her to lose herself inside of them rather than trying to hypnotize her. His lips were full, and she felt lust stirring inside of her. Would he be a perk? What if she said please?

  “I suddenly feel overdressed,” Demetri teased, a half smile tilting his lips. “Should I disrobe and allow you to continue your inspection, or may I enter the office?”

  Looking at Tina, humiliated, she whispered, “Kill me now?” Stepping to the side, she allowed the client to enter.

  Tina was laughing as she denied her request.

  “I’m not sure if I should be flattered or insulted. Hello, Tina, it’s a pleasure to see you once again.”

  “Thank you. I’d like to introduce you to my replacement, Stacy Jones. Be gentle with her, this is her first day. She isn’t used to your teasing.”

  “I have not yet begun to tease her.” It was a simple comment, but it seemed to be filled with promise. Another wave of pure lust washed over her. She was slightly embarrassed by her reaction to him. Closing her eyes halfway, she tried to remember when the last time she’d had sex had been.

  “Don’t worry about it,” Demetri whispered in her ear. “Mmmmm, and I definitely prefer to smell your arousal rather than your fear.” He bit down gently on her neck. “It’s spicier, and very inviting.”

  Another shudder coursed down her body. One that had nothing to do with fear.

  “Very inviting, indeed.”

  “Demetri,” Tina scolded. “Stop it. You are here for mediation.”

  “To business, then. Maybe when it is completed, we can discuss pleasure. Which room shall we be in tonight?”

  “Conference room three.”

  “I shall see you in a moment, then.” His lips brushed against her flesh before he stepped away. One second he was behind her, the next he was gone.

  “You have to watch out for that. Be careful, or they’ll keep sneaking up behind you.”

  So I’ve noticed, Stacy thought wryly. First Ms. Pope, now this Demetri guy. Would she ever learn what to expect?

  “Okay, take this.” Tina moved behind the desk and opened a drawer before handing her a manila folder and a pen. “Conference room three. Through the door take a left. Take your first right, third door on the left. Got that?”

  “Left, right, third door on the left. I think so.” She opened the door. “Is there a ball of string or some pebbles I can drop on my way?”

  “Nope, sorry. Don’t worry, you’ll learn your way around. The most important rule to remember is, knock on a door before you enter it. Never— ever —enter any door without knocking. You never know what’s going on inside, or if you will be forced to participate in it.”

  “Left, right, third door on the left,” Stacy said again around the lump that formed in her throat. Clutching the folder and pen to her chest, she mumbled the directions to herself over and over again until she reached the room she felt certain was her destination.

  Her hand automatically went to the knob, but she remembered Tina’s warning before she entered. Knocking, she heard Demetri call for her to enter.

  “I see Tina has been giving you secrets,” he chuckled.

  “Was that a—why would you—”

  “Calm down. She’s done nothing wrong. Please, have a seat.” He waited until she sat down, then sat in the chair beside her. He was so close she could feel his body heat.

  “Yes,” he said, taking a deep breath. “Much better.” Leaning closer, he closed his eyes and just seemed to breathe. With a shake of his head, he straightened. “Unfortunately we must attend to business, for now. I will sum up the problem.” Standing up, he walked to a wall and pulled down a map. It was littered with different colored areas. “My pack has had control of the green areas for the last two decades. Randal and his vampires have been steadily encroaching. He controls the red areas.”

  “So this is like a gang war?”

  “Not quite. Vampires and werewolves simply have trouble getting along when it comes to our playmates. And though we learned to control our shifting years ago, we are very temperamental during the three days of our cycle. It is when the moon has greatest control over us and sings her siren song. It is when we can, if pressured, revert to our most primal instincts. With them also in the area, that serves to make more than a few of my pack restless. We do not want violence to ensue, but we may have no choice. That is why you are here. We want to negotiate terms that will be agreeable for both sides, and allow the safety of mortals. Do you have any questions?”

  “I don’t...” Before she could say anything else, the door opened and another man entered the room.

  “I hate this room. Why couldn’t we have been placed in the lovely crimson one?”

  “I see you’re early as always, Randal.” The newcomer ignored Demetri and continued to stare at her.

  The question seemed to hang in the air. Realizing that he was waiting for her to answer him, Stacy’s eyes widened. “I’m sorry, I believe that one is already occupied,” she said diplomatically.

  “Too bad. I find it much more relaxing. Who are you?”

  Standing, she forced a smile on her face. “I’m Stacy Jones, your mediator for the evening.”

  “Already cozying
up to the mutt, I see. Should I assume that you will allow your lusts to control you, or do you think you can handle something as simple as being impartial?”

  “I will do what I believe is best for everyone involved.” With a smile, she extended her hand. “May I get you any refreshments before we begin?” What would she do if he said yes? What did vampires and werewolves eat? What did they drink? Could they read her mind like Ms. Pope did?

  “No. I’d rather get this distasteful business finished as quickly as possible. Unlike some of us,” he looked pointedly at Demetri, “I do not have all night to waste on this.”

  As Stacy watched, Randal sat down across the table from Demetri.

  “Randal, I would like to begin by saying how pleased I am that you agreed to this meeting—”

  “Just get down to business, Mutt.”

  Looking over at the very sexy werewolf clenching his jaw, she wondered how long this would take, or if they’d ever be able to find any compromises. Given the hostility she’d heard in Randal the vampire’s voice, she was certain it would be a long night.

  * * * * * *

  Four glasses of water, two goblets of blood, and one rather large steak tartare later, the men seemed determined not to agree on anything. Stacy wasn’t sure how much more of this she could take. She already felt the urge to walk over to the wall and begin pounding her head against the smooth surface. But unfortunately for her, she liked that shade of green and couldn’t stand the thought of staining it with her blood. And then there was the small factor of she wasn’t sure how Randal would react if he smelled her blood. Would it put him into a feeding frenzy?

  “Enough,” she yelled when the two men resorted to insults yet again. “How’s this for a compromise?” She pointed to Randal. “Your vampires stay the fuck away from his area and the borders on the three nights of the full moon when their prowling urges are the greatest.” She turned until her finger was poking Demetri in his very muscular chest. She only took a half of a second to appreciate the way it felt before she continued. “And your werewolves stay the fuck away from his area and the borders on the three nights around a new moon, when they have the cover of darkness to shield them on their prowling.”

  Both men were silent. Her impatience slowly evaporated until she was left with a desire to whimper in her seat as the two men stared at her in disbelief. “It would be fair to both of you, give you both control when you need it most, and you’ve both agreed that other than those times, your groups seem to co-exist.” Her voice had lost some of its strength. She wondered what Ms. Pope would do to a new employee who had just screwed up in a big way on her first assignment.

  After making Stacy squirm uncomfortably in her seat for at least five minutes, Randal said, “That works for me.”

  “Really?” She cleared her throat. It wouldn’t do to sound that hopeful. “Demetri, do you find those terms acceptable?” She prayed that she sounded professional.

  “I do.”

  With those two words, she could have kissed him. Her assignment was done. And she hadn’t messed things up.

  “Great. Now, I just need your signatures on these contracts...” She pulled out the papers from the envelope.

  “No,” Randal said.

  “What if,” she quickly added, “what if we make an addendum that says you two gentlemen will meet in six months to discuss a more permanent contract if this arrangement has not worked out, or any other options you may come up with?”

  “I will sign that.” The vampire nodded.

  Looking through the contract, Stacy prayed that the new clause would be on the paper. On the last page, just above the spots assigned for their signatures, was the temporary clause. She exhaled in relief and handed her pen to Randal first. She watched as he signed all three copies, then slid the papers and pen across the table to Demetri.

  The werewolf also signed all three copies before passing them to Stacy.

  “What?” She looked at each man as she waited for some sign of what she was supposed to do.

  “You have to sign them as well, since you are the mediator,” Demetri whispered.

  “Oh.” Taking a deep breath, she felt the pen prick her finger as she gripped it and signed her name under theirs. Handing one copy to each gentleman, she held onto her pen and the company’s copy.

  “Now, if you shall excuse me, I believe I need to get this foul taste out of my mouth. Next time, be sure to get me only a-positive or better.”

  “Yes, sir. I’m sorry about that.” She hadn’t known that he would be so picky when she’d run out to grab a wine bottle filled with the stuff. Though she seemed certain that she should be thankful he hadn’t asked her to simply expose a vein.

  “Because you are new, I shall forgive you. This time. Do not let it happen again.” Randal left the room with a flourish.

  Left alone with Demetri, Stacy shifted uneasily. Looking down at the pen still clutched in her hand, she wondered if she could get a disease or become something other than human after being pricked by a needle that had just been covered in vampire and werewolf blood. Would she turn into some weird hybrid?

  “No, you can’t. BSC is very careful about that.”

  “How did you...” Could he read her mind too? Had he been able to read her thoughts? Remembering how vivid some of those thoughts had been, especially the ones where she wondered what his tongue would feel like against the newly waxed and sensitized areas of her flesh, she wondered if she could—or should—add an addendum to her own contract that allowed the earth to swallow her whenever she embarrassed herself.

  “That’s an interesting combination. Arousal and...” he sniffed again. “Shyness? Embarrassment?” He chuckled. “Don’t worry, I cannot read your thoughts. But I do have excellent hearing and you whispered your question.”

  “Oh. I should—I should probably get this contract to my boss.”

  “Do you know where her office is?”

  “Of course.” She straightened her back. Of course she knew where Ms. Pope’s office was. She’d been there more than once. She’d just return to the outer office then be on her way to the woman’s office.

  “From this room?”

  Oops. Busted. “Not exactly.” She blushed. “I sort of got lost when I went out to get Randal’s blood. And again when I got your steak... This place is a labyrinth.” She wasn’t sure why she admitted these things to Demetri, but he seemed so easy to talk to.

  “We figured. Don’t worry about it, you’ll get it in no time. But for now, please allow me to escort you to Ms. Pope’s office. I need to talk with her for a moment as well.”

  She wanted to deny his request. But it did make much more sense for her to accept his offer than to wander around the hallways for who knows how long. Part of her was disappointed that he had more business. It had hoped that he’d want to continue the flirtation he’d began earlier, before Tina reminded them both of the meeting.

  Demetri put his hand on her back and carefully guided her through the halls.

  “This is Ms. Pope’s office.”

  Remembering Tina’s instructions, she knocked on the door.

  “Come in, Stacy.”

  Opening the door, she entered with her escort close behind her.

  “Here’s the contract you wanted signed.”

  Ms. Pope looked over the document and looked at her, one eyebrow arched. “I see you added a clause.”

  “Randal refused to sign it otherwise,” she blurted out.

  “Yes, he would. Very well. Thank you so much.”

  Stacy paused. She really wanted to know how Ms. Pope always knew it was her.

  “Your mind is very distinctive. There is no other creature in this office whose mind is as busy as yours.”

  “Thank you. Would you like me to do anything else before I leave?”

  “No. This meeting was the only thing on your schedule. Have a pleasant evening. I shall see you tomorrow.”

  Nodding, Stacy left the building, wishing that Demetri didn’
t have to linger in her boss’s office. Now that she knew she had the rest of the night off, she started to hope maybe she could do a little bit of firsthand research about werewolves.

  Chapter Four

  Stacy shuffled her feet as she slowly returned to the main office. Tina was sitting behind the desk, painting her nails.

  “Wow, what did they send you after this time?”

  “Nothing, they’re done,” she sighed.

  “They’re done,” Tina said with a cough.

  “Yeah, why? I took forever on an easy assignment, didn’t I? What are they going to do to me, Tina? What do they do to recruits that screw up even the easiest jobs? Don’t spare any of the details. I want to know what to expect when I get here tomorrow.”

  “You didn’t screw up. The last compromise between Demetri and Randal took almost three days of negotiations.”

  “Three days? You’re joking. Stop teasing me, it isn’t nice.”

  “Who’s joking? The Crimson conference room had to be repainted after a faery put a dent in the wall because he got so frustrated. That was only after twelve hours...” Tina seemed to look around. “And where is Demetri? If the meeting is over, he should be out here by now.”

  “He stayed behind to talk to Ms. Pope.” Even she could hear the pout in her voice.

  “You can’t get attached to a client, Stacy. It’s not a good idea.”

  “I’m not attached. I was just looking forward to maybe having the chance to get some firsthand experience when it comes to my knowledge of werewolves.”

  Arms wrapped around her waist. “Mmmm, that sounds promising. What kind of experience did you have in mind?” Demetri whispered in her ear, then sucked her earlobe into his mouth.

  Her entire body seemed to melt into a puddle, and she was certain the only reason she was still standing was because of his grip on her waist. Looking at Tina, she watched the other woman giggle at her.

  “And you are not going to help me, are you?”