The Meridian Gamble (14 page)

And I look to the clock on my
dresser, shocked at how late it is. Thank God for the rush of energy making
love with him has given me. I jump up and head for the shower, hurrying to get
ready.

Because right
now, time is not on my side.

I’m walking toward the Creative
Quorum building, and can see it a block away. By some miracle, I’ve made it
here within 20 minutes, a new personal record. And I might even get to work
early, which would be nice. It’s silly, but I’ve never been late in all of my
six years at the company, and I hate to tarnish my perfect attendance record
now. Not that it’s ever done me any good.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see
Jacob Hollander walking along the sidewalk, in close proximity. And I try not
to make eye contact, so I don’t have to greet him. From my peripheral vision, I
spot the ridiculous teal-colored trench coat he sometimes wears, the one that
makes it seem like he’s trying too hard to dress from the pages of GQ. And I
can almost see the smug expression that’s perpetually plastered to his face.

Jacob is a Creative Quorum suit,
perhaps the one I hate most, though I’m not sure why. And even worse, he’s poor
Staci’s boss, though she finds him more tolerable than I do, perhaps because he
so perfectly embodies everything she hopes to achieve, a certain crass level of
success. But to me, he’s just another bland, cute guy with more ambition than
talent, which is all he really needs to succeed in the world of advertising.

I remember the day when I first met
him, back when I was still a receptionist, and was given the task of filling in
for Roy Thompson’s vacationing assistant. Jacob was a former intern who came
back to interview for a job working for one of the young vice-presidents in the
Creative Division. And he had seemed so fresh-faced and adorable back then, so
full of ambition. I escorted him up to the 18th floor for his meeting, and days
later, called him up to tell him that Creative Quorum wanted to hire him. Of
course, they did. He couldn’t have been more perfect for the company. But back
in those days, it had all still seemed so fun, when Staci and I were
receptionists and would go to lunch at trendy new places with Jacob and the other
assistants. But he quickly climbed the corporate ladder, easily passing us
both. And now he’s too good to even acknowledge me in anything more than a
cursory way.

God, as I’m walking through the
revolving glass doors to the building, it feels like Jacob is going to step in
with me. But at the last moment, he pauses, and goes through the section that
spins behind mine. But when we enter the lobby, I inadvertently make eye
contact, and I’m forced to acknowledge him.

“Hey, Jacob,” I mumble.

“Hey, superstar,” he says, with a
fake smile.

And I groan inside.

Then I see the little yellow signs
on the floor around the elevators, which means that one of them is broken. Which
means that Trevor might be lurking around to fix it, which is how I met him in
the first place, and the last thing I want is to see that bastard. It feels
like a bad omen, to cross paths with someone creepy right as I see the broken
elevator signs. I’m hoping it doesn’t mean the day will take a turn for the
worse. But I’m not about to let anything get me down.

Because I feel fantastic.

It weirds me out, just a bit, to
know that it has something to do with Adam and our sexual encounter. But it
also gives me a thrill, to think that groveling with my vampire lover can give
me an energy boost. It’s like a vitamin B shot … or something.

And I don’t just feel good, I look
good, too. I’m wearing a red suit that I don’t usually have the guts to put on,
and I can see myself in the reflection of the gleaming, brass-like elevator
doors. My hair has some of the fullness from the night before, and as I walked
to work, I managed to put on some red lipstick. It’s strange how life works,
that the one time I barely put any effort into it, I somehow manage to look my
best. And I wonder if it’s another weird after effect of making love with Adam.

Even Jacob seems to notice. He
begins to eye me with interest, even though he’s never looked at me that way
before. Probably, he thinks I’m too old for him, a woman his same age. Or he
doesn’t think I have the right sorority girl appeal to impress his friends. But
today, I’m the one who looks younger than he does. I’m the one who looks like a
million bucks, despite his overpriced business suit, and his haircut that cost
more than I make in a week.

The elevator finally arrives, and
when we get in, he turns to me.

“Hey, Meridian … didn’t we have a
business meeting?” Jacob asks, with a cocky grin on his face. He thinks I’m as
pleased to get his attention as he is with himself.

“I don’t think so …”

“Yeah, we did. My secretary told me
you wanted to take a meeting with me,” he says with a smile.

Of course, I’m being a bitch, just
to mess with him. I know we had a meeting, or rather, that I had tried to
schedule one, back when I was still desperately trying to figure out a way to climb
the corporate ladder. Last week. I’m just surprised that he would mention it.

I was stupid, I thought that maybe
I could schmooze and flirt with him, hoping he would remember that we had once
been friends. That maybe he could help me get a menial assistant’s position
with someone in his group, one that I would never climb out of, just so I could
have the thrill of working one step closer to the people who are considered
good enough to be creative. And the little jerk didn’t even both to call me
back.

But now that he seems to care, I no
longer give a shit about any of that.

“What did you want to talk to me
about? Maybe we could discuss it over lunch?” he says, trying to douse me with
his oily charm. As if I would ever share another meal with this prick.

Things change, and now I’ll never
give him another moment of my time. And I certainly won’t tumble into bed with
him, so he can have another notch on his belt to brag over with the other
jackass executives, or to convince himself he isn’t gay.

“Oh, you know what? I did call your
office a few weeks ago. But that’s okay, I don’t need your help anymore,” I
say, casually.

The elevator doors open.

“Are you sure?”

“I’m the sort of girl who helps
herself, Jacob,” I say, staring him down. “And, let’s face it, the only person
you’ll ever really help is yourself.”

I step out of the elevator and walk
away without even looking back. As the doors close, I can hear the other
passengers in the car snickering at my diss, and I’m sure Jacob is furious at
being made to look stupid.

It’s probably foolish of me to
insult him. I may have an exciting new boyfriend, but I still have to work
here. Ah, screw him, I think. Let him go off to his floor above me with Staci. Maybe
I’ll have Adam wipe his mind. I’m sure it’s weak enough to manipulate. And if I
do let the vampires buy me the agency, Jacob will be the first person I fire.

When I get to my desk, the phone
rings, and I quickly throw my things down to grab it, hoping it’s my new lover.
But I catch a glimpse of the screen as the receiver touches my ear, and see
that it’s Staci, instead. Which isn’t such a bad thing.

It will be interesting to talk to
her, now that I realize she was probably my sister in a past life.

“This is Meridian …“

“Hey, pal. Listen, I’m not going to
be able to meet you for lunch today. I’m super swamped with the client
presentations we’re having this afternoon.”

I can practically hear Staci
getting ready to hang up on the other end of the line, but I know how to grab
her attention.

“Oh, that’s too bad. Now you’re not
going to get to hear all about my new boyfriend.”

“Oh my God! The stalker guy?”

“Yep. Although it turns out he’s
more hunky than stalkery. We went on a date last night.”

“Tell me all about it! Where did
you go?”

“Are you sure you want to hear,
sweetie? I know you’re busy with all those client presentations …”

I can’t help myself, but I say it
in a tone that’s more playful than bitchy. Because I’m in too good a mood to be
mean.

“Oh, screw the clients,” Staci
says. “This is way more interesting.”

“We went to Grill, that upmarket
Korean barbecue place,” I say.

“The one we were going to go to for
your birthday? How was it?”

“Super yummy. They bring you lots
of these great appetizers. Little seaweed wrappers and rice to put in them,
these amazing dumplings. And the meat was, like, scrumptious. But it was hard
for me to enjoy the food. I was incredibly nervous. Hopefully, we’ll go again,
because I would so not pay those prices on my own.”

“I know. Lauren Fairbanks went, and
even she said it was expensive. And we both know she makes bank,” Staci says.

Lauren Fairbanks is one of the
lawyers, a woman with gorgeous brown hair and a rail thin frame. And she
definitely makes the big bucks. She’s another of Staci’s close friends, I
suspect in part because of her good fortunes.

“So did you do anything else? Go
see a movie or a play?”

“We walked around for a while. Then
we went back to my place.”

“You slut!”

“I know. Well, maybe not a total
slut. But things did get a bit R-rated.”

I’m not quite sure if Astral Plane
sex makes you a slut, although everything we did there we did in the real
world, apparently. And I feel a certain soreness when I walk to prove it. But
our encounter seemed more … spiritual, somehow. Plus, there’s still a part of
me that’s conservative that doesn’t want Staci to know what a whore I am, how
quick I was to go down on a vampire.

“So how was he? Did you have a good
time?”

“Let’s just say the evening was
quite memorable. He’s really an amazing guy.”

“Wow. You’re so lucky. It’s sounds
like maybe you’ve found your Prince Charming.”

“Yeah, I guess so. Although …”

“Uh-oh. What is it? Is he married? Divorced?
A recovering addict?”

“Oh, God, no. None of that,” I say,
laughing. “It’s just that … he’s very intense. This guy is definitely not some
himbo airhead. In fact, I have a feeling this relationship is really going to
keep me on my toes.”

“Hunh. Interesting,” Staci says,
sounding just a bit confused. “Well, I’m happy for you. Let’s grab coffee in
the afternoon, so we can dish some more.”

“I may be calling you before that,
to sob. He’s supposed to call me this morning to schedule our next date. It
will be the first real test of our relationship.”

“I’m sure he will. Let me know what
happens.”

Staci hangs up, and I try to do my
work, but it’s pointless. Because my mind keeps getting lost in thoughts of
Adam. And I have to admit, a part of me feels annoyed that he ran out so
quickly this morning. Somehow, his telling me he’ll call by noon makes it feel
like he won’t. But I know I’m being ridiculous. He hardly seems ready to end
the relationship. And if he did, that would probably involve his eating me.

Luckily, I don’t have to sit
pondering negative outcomes for long. The phone rings again within minutes, and
the display reads a familiar message, “Blocked Number.” And I know for sure
that it’s Adam this time.

“This is Meridian.”

“I can only talk for a second. But
I just had to hear your voice. It’s driving me crazy that I’m not with you
right now.”

And I feel a certain warm glow, a
secret pleasure that he called earlier rather than later. And thank God for
that. Maybe now I can get some work done.

“So what are you doing?”

“I’m staking out a possible hive of
our enemies.”

“Oh. Wow. So I guess stopping by my
place at lunch for a quickie is out of the question?”

“I can’t, unfortunately. But I also
can’t wait much longer than that. I want to see you tonight. Are you
available?”

“Yeah, I’m available,” I say,
laughing inside. It’s almost ridiculous to ask. Of course, I’m available. I’m
practically foaming at the mouth to see him again.

“Great. There’s a little dinner
tonight. It’s something we do once a week. I’d like you to come, so you can
meet my family.”

I involuntarily spring up in my
desk chair. In an instant, the entire tone of the conversation has shifted into
something very different.

“Wait a minute. Are you saying you
want me to meet other vampires?”

“Yes, I am. And this way, you can
get a better idea of what you’re getting yourself into by fooling around with
me.”

A feeling of anxiety rushes over
me. I’m beginning to freak out inside.

“Adam, why do I have to meet other
vampires? Can’t it just be you and me? I’m not sure I’m ready for this.”

“We have no choice. My people watch
one another very closely, and they’ll soon notice that I’m seeing you. If I
don’t bring you to meet them right away, they’ll become suspicious. They’ll
think we have something to hide. And the first thing they’ll think of is Saga.”

“Why do they care so much about
Saga? She’s dead. Can’t they just let her rest in peace?”

“Meridian, they’re not stupid. They
know I’ve been looking for you all this time. And every time I’m with a woman,
it could possibly be you.”

“So you’ve brought other women to
meet them?”

“Yes, I have. Other women who’ve
had certain psychic resistances, to confuse them. I’ve had to, so that when you
finally came back, they wouldn’t know if it was you, or just another decoy
designed to throw them off the scent. Or better yet, to make them think that
I’ve finally moved on. But so far, they’re not quite convinced.”

Shit. Shit, shit, shit. This is
deeper than I thought. Adam wasn’t kidding when he said he had been waiting for
me. And he’s even been planning for my return. But I hadn’t really thought
about the fact that there are other vampires out there, that I might have to
face them. I hadn’t thought about the more serious implications of the
relationship, beyond my romantic yearnings.