Chapter 17
17
M y phone rang while I was unpacking the gorgeous-gorgeous-gorgeous “casual” outfit Michael had sent over, which consisted of a buttery soft leather skirt, clingy cashmere sweater, suede ankle boots, and black tweed clutch by Seraphim Blythe, plus pavé diamond hoop earrings by David Yurman. Criminy, what must this get-up have cost? I wondered. Easily more than all the clothes in my and Liz’s closets combined.
I groaned when I saw who was calling. Leave it to Nick to sully something so beautiful.
“What do you want?” I snarled once I answered. “Or rather, what’s so important, Nick, that you’ve felt entitled to call me five million times within the last twenty-four hours?” And send a dick pic.
He replied with a sob.
If I rolled my eyes any harder, they’d detach from their sockets. Why wasn’t I born a witch so I could magically make him forget he ever knew me? Or turn him into a toad. “Oh, for the love of—”
“I miss you, Olivia! I miss you so much !”
I rubbed my temples, silently chanting don’t take his bait, don’t take his bait, don’t take his bait.
“I made a stupid mistake! I’m only human.”
No, Nick, a stupid human mistake is knocking the saltshaker over at the dinner table or taking a parking spot when you didn’t realize somebody was already waiting for it, not putting your penis in other women while you’re in a relationship. I picked at a hangnail, noting that my nail polish was chipped, and exhaled scornfully for his benefit. Funny to think that a few months ago I would have been the one crying hysterically, wallowing in bed all day, staring up at the celling, depressed.
But now? I genuinely felt nothing for Nick beyond annoyance, which only went to show that life does get better if you can manage to hold on to your sanity when the road gets rocky—i.e., when you walk in on your live-in boyfriend jackhammering some floozy he’d picked up at a bar. Though, had anyone tried to tell me this at the time, I probably would have punched them in the face for being so optimistic. I was in a bad, bad, place back then, more so after Tilly passed. Nick’s disappearing act had only made everything shittier, though now I could see the bullet I’d dodged by getting him out of my life.
I said, “I really don’t have time for this. So, if you could get to the point—”
“I need you, baby!”
Baby?
“That’s rich!” I snorted, unable to help myself. “Because when I needed you , you couldn’t spare two minutes to return any of my calls.”
“I know, I was such a dick! I’m a big enough man to admit it,” he said, as if he was somehow being magnanimous. “I’ve seen the light, Olivia. I messed up bad!”
Did he seriously say I’ve seen the light? What a tool.
“The only thing you’ve seen, Nick , is a newspaper article that showed me out with another man. Now you’re jealous and— what —you expect for me to come crawling back to you? After you cheated? After you moved your things out of our place while I was in Florida at my grandmother’s funeral?” I shouted, getting worked up. Damn him for getting the best of me. “Do you have any idea how bad it was for me? No, of course you don’t, because you ghosted me like the coward you are! Blocked me on your phone, email, and social media, like I was the one who did something wrong. How dare you!”
“That chick—it was the first and only time. I swear. It was a stupid moment of weakness.”
Like that somehow made it okay, even if I didn’t believe Nick as far as I could throw him. What he didn’t know was that a few of his mistresses contacted me looking for him after our breakup, if you can believe the audacity of those women. Seemed he’d disappeared on them, too. One even thought she might be pregnant with his lovechild. Great, right? Even better was when I found out that Nick had been cheating on me long before we’d even moved in together.
“I think you mean that it was the first time you got caught . God! How stupid do you think I am?” I said, stopping to catch my breath. “But while we’re on the topic, how is Cindy? I heard you might be a father, though you’ll have to forgive me for not congratulating you sooner.”
I could practically feel him flinching. That’s right, asshole, I know all about her. And the others, too.
“There never was a baby. She’s a liar!”
“Sure she is,” I said in the tone of a parent listening to a crumb-faced child blame missing cookies on the dog. “And Kim, Stacy, and all the other women—are they liars, too?”
I could hear his breath catching in his throat. “I need you!” he howled like a broken record, as if I hadn’t heard him say it the first time.
“No, what you need is to get a fucking life . Move on, Nick, because I have!” And at that, I hung up.
The phone rang two seconds later.
“Oh my God, this is getting beyond pathetic,” I hissed. “Wow, you totally fooled me, calling from another number so I’d pick up! What is it going to take to get you to leave me alone?”
“Olivia?”
I smacked myself on the forehead. Hearing his rich, velvety voice took the wind right out of my infuriated sails. “Robert? Hi.”
“Yes. Is everything all right?”
Damn Nick and his idiotic path of destruction!
“Oh, yes. I’m great. Pesky telemarketers.” I laughed nervously.
Sure, it was a boldfaced lie, but I felt it best to leave out the trashy Jerry Springer-esque details of my past relationship. I doubted that a debonair vampire like Robert would have any similar experiences of his own to impart. Frankly, I was embarrassed to have a guy like Nick in my dating history, since he in no way reflected what I believed to be positive traits in a romantic partner, or any human being in general.
I also didn’t want Robert to think that I had low standards. Had Nick shown his true colors before we’d entered a relationship, he wouldn’t have managed to get my phone number, let alone a first date. However, people (or as was the case here, vampires) can sometimes forget that lovers change, that the man you fell in love with is not the same man you broke up with. Like anyone could anticipate such incomprehensible behavior from a lying, narcissistic individual like Nick who was so skilled at portraying himself as decent. Until he isn’t.
“So, I spoke to Michael,” I said, quickly changing the subject. “He said you booked me three more times?”
“Yes, I do hope that was okay?”
I wanted to burst out laughing. Was that okay? Like I hadn’t been obsessing over him since we’d parted. “Of course!
“I rather enjoyed our time together, but I do wish I hadn’t carried on so much about myself. It was improper of me. I scarcely know a thing about you, yet you know an awful lot about me.”
“To be fair, I did interrogate you,” I said. “And your history is a lot more interesting than mine.”
“Looks like I’ll have to see for myself if that’s true.”
“Well, I hope I don’t disappoint you,” I said teasingly, but I was uneasy. How could I compete with Robert’s rich history? My childhood in the trailer park would fall flat when compared to his vivid past. He’d lived through some of the most exiting events in human history—hell, during our time at Locomotive, he’d nonchalantly mentioned meeting both Abraham Lincoln and Jim Morrison like they were merely acquaintances he’d run into at the post office. What was I going to do in return, regale him with anecdotes about the crazy customers I’d had at Budget Mart?
“Unlikely,” he purred. That was quite a talent he had, making even the blandest of words sound so damn sexy.
“I’m wondering, though, why you booked me for so many times outright. What if you stop having fun with me?” I asked playfully, though I remained baffled by what he saw in me that was so different than the other decoys.
“If I am to be perfectly candid, my motives are selfish.”
“Oh?”
“I want to keep you all to myself. I can’t get you out of my head, Olivia,” he said, and I wondered if I might be hallucinating. This stunning immortal couldn’t get me out of his head? Me ?
Did that mean he wanted to get romantic? I wasn’t sure how I felt about it if he did. Excited, obviously, but also scared. Not of him, but intimacy. I didn’t want to get hurt again, not after the way Nick had done such a number on me. I also didn’t want to be just another notch on Robert’s century-long belt. Did sex mean anything to him anymore?
“But I’m also aware of Dignitary’s policy regarding the two of us.” Dryly, he added, “Rather, I should say that I’ve become aware now that Marlena has called.”
“She . . . called you?”
He grunted. “She can be quite unpleasant.”
“You have no idea.”
“Anyway, I figured the only way around our obstacle was to book more outings with you—through Michael, of course, who advised me to keep the details from Marlena. I would feel terrible if you lost your job because of me.”
I was touched. And shocked. I still couldn’t believe what I was hearing.
I ran a hand over the borrowed Dignitary outfit that was nicer than anything I’d ever had in my own closet. “I’m looking forward to tomorrow, but I don’t know what it is that we’re doing. Want to give me a hint?”
“I’m taking you to the theatre. It’s a playhouse run by vampires, so I thought you might find it interesting. The show we’re seeing is a satire of sorts. Interview with the Human , it’s called.”