The Vampire's Assistant

Chapter Three

Monday night was my night off. I usually spent it doing exciting things like laundry and catching up on episodes of my favorite TV shows. At first, I had tried to use my Mondays as regular human days, getting up in the morning and going to bed at night so I could get in a few extra hours of sun than usual. But I realized very quickly that operating on an opposite schedule the other six nights of the week made that impossible. So that's why one Monday night, when there was an unexpected knock at my door a little after three, I was wide awake to answer it.

I was on the couch, wrapped up in a blanket with a bowl of popcorn, watching reruns of "The Office". The loud, sudden sound gave me a jolt. I couldn't imagine who it could be at this hour, or that it could be anything good. I hesitantly crept across the hardwood floor to the door and peeked through the peephole. My boss's broad frame filled the view.

I opened the door, the shock evident on my face, I'm sure. "Mr. Northman?"

"Good evening, Abby," he said smoothly. "May I come in?"

His manner indicated he'd just dropped by for a casual social call, but I'd grown accustomed to the more subtle nuances of his body language. He was stiff. Well, stiffer than he usually was. I also found it highly unlikely, no matter how bored or lonely he might have gotten, that he would choose to drop by my humble little apartment on a whim.

I studied him carefully for a moment before stepping aside and issuing the necessary invitation. He looked relieved once he stepped over the threshold and I closed the door behind him.

"To what do I owe this unexpected pleasure?" I asked, crossing my arms over my chest. The suspicion dripped from my voice.

He gave me the look he always does when my attitude is not appreciated and instead of answering, looked around my tiny living room.

"I pay you better than this," he stated bluntly.

I bristled. "I happen to like my apartment; it suits my needs. And how I spend my money is my business."

He shrugged out of his leather jacket and tossed it over the back of the couch before taking a seat, crossing one long leg over the other. I sighed and resumed my position on the other end of the couch.

"What are you watching?" Mr. Northman asked, nodding towards the paused TV.

"I'm watching my boss being super evasive about why he suddenly decided to stop by my house at three o'clock in the morning."

He looked at me sharply. "Aren't all southerners supposed to be famous for their hospitality?"

"Not at three o'clock in the morning when there are obviously some ulterior motives going on."

"Maybe I came here to ravish you."

I snorted. "Because all the fangbangers of Shreveport suddenly fell ill?"

He turned his body toward me and leaned in closer, his face suddenly very intense. "Because I've wanted you since you walked into my office a year ago and I'm tired of waiting."

I stared at him, blinked, and said, "Seriously, why are you here?"

He sighed and leaned back against the couch, spreading his arm across the back. "I find myself in need of asylum."

"Why? What's going on?"

Mr. Northman shrugged nonchalantly. "Politics. I just need to keep a low profile until it blows over."

"And you want to do that here?"

"Yes."

I considered it. Obviously, there would be risk involved. My boss was trying too hard to look casual for there not to be. But I knew enough about vampires to know I would never get the details out of him. I knew that Mr. Northman held a position of importance within the vampire community, but I didn't know what that meant exactly. At first I'd thought that it was his age that commanded the respect of the vampires that came to Fangtasia, but I quickly came to suspect it was something more. I was curious, but smart enough to understand it was probably better that I didn't know.

"Okay, worst case scenario, how dangerous could this potentially be for me?"

He looked at me purposefully. "Dangerous. But I would not let anything happen to you."

Ridiculously, his words made me feel all warm inside. I reasoned that it was my female instincts, accustomed to having four older brothers around, ready and eager to defend me at the drop of a hat. And maybe it was a bit of those damned eyes of his when he said it too.

"I'm going to need hazard pay," I said staunchly.

He laughed. "That can be negotiated."

We determined that Mr. Northman would have to spend his days in my bedroom as it was the only room in the apartment that could be made light-tight. There were no windows in the room so a little duct tape around the door edges would make it sufficiently vampire safe. I wasn't exactly thrilled about this though. All my clothes, my toiletries, my books, everything I considered personal and private was in that room. But there wasn't really anything I could do about it.

After an hour or so of working out all the particulars, I was beat. Thankfully, Mr. Northman realized this without having to be told and after I found the roll of duct tape for him, he wandered off to the bedroom and left me to my rest. I threw a sheet over the couch cushions and snuggled under my blanket, trying not to think of my boss in the other room fondling my underwear and reading my diary.