Suck It Up, Buttercup: A Paranormal Women's Fiction Novel (First Fangs Club Book 2) Read online

  “There is that.”

  “The truth is, right now, you’re part of my very small circle of trust. Having you close seems like the best idea. I don’t want to have to run downstairs every time I want to talk something over with you.”

  “That would be less than convenient.”

  She tapped her index finger against her chin. “Although, there is some value in having you in the other apartment, getting to know the admin and driver. But I suppose if they worked for Claudette without issue, they should be fine working for me. I hope.”

  “I can still get to know them.” A more serious expression crossed his face. “You know I will do everything in my power to keep you safe.”

  “I do know that. You’ve already shown me that by defending me to the council.” She ran her hand over the kitchen countertop just to feel the stone under her fingers. “I wonder what your salary is. And if I have the power to give you a raise in case it’s not sufficient.”

  He grinned. “Probably something else your admin will know.”

  “Then let’s go meet her. Or him.”

  “Artemis said there’s access from the penthouse to the apartment below. Do you want to look for it?”

  “I think for our first meeting, it’s better we show up at the front door and not suddenly appear in the living room or wherever.”

  He nodded. “Good call. First impressions and all that.”

  Chapter Two

  They rode the elevator down one floor, and Pierce knocked. An older woman with silver hair cut fashionably short and spiky opened the door immediately. Her trim navy pantsuit was accented by a fuchsia blouse and flats and sculptural silver jewelry. She smiled at them. “Hello there. You must be Belladonna Barrone, the new governor.”

  “I am,” Donna answered. “Hello to you. This is my assistant, Pierce Harrison.”

  “Pleasure to meet you both. I’m Charlene Rollins, your administrative assistant. You can call me Charlie, if you like.”

  “Nice to meet you, too, Charlie.” The woman had a competent air about her. And her outfit was great. Donna liked her instantly. “Anyone ever tell you that you give off a Jamie Lee Curtis vibe?”

  “I get that a lot.” Charlie took a few steps back. “Come in, please. Temo is in the kitchen. He’s your driver and head of security.” She hesitated. “Unless you’d like a tour of this apartment first?”

  “No, there’s time for that later. Like tomorrow.”

  This apartment had the same spectacular views as the penthouse, but the decorating was much more comfortable. Oversize burnished brown leather couches, fluffy white area rugs, lots of pictures, soft lighting, and a crackling fire in the fireplace. The scent of baked goods lingered in the air.

  Donna smiled at the photos on the mantel. “This place is a lot homier than the governor’s apartment.”

  “I hope that’s okay,” Charlie said.

  “It’s perfect,” Donna answered. “You live here, after all, so it should be to your tastes. Assuming it is. Did you decorate it?”

  “I did. Mostly. I’ve been here longer than Temo, so it was up to me anyway. Thankfully, he’s fine with it. He’s added a few touches of his own too.”

  “Well, you did a great job.” Donna looked at Pierce. “I want some of these fluffy rugs. Lucky would love them.”

  Pierce looked at Charlie. “Will you let me know where you got them?”

  “Sure.” Charlie smiled. “Come in. I’ll introduce you to Temo. And get you your welcome packet.”

  “There’s a welcome packet?” Donna glanced at Pierce and mouthed the words, “Who knew?”

  They followed Charlie through to the kitchen.

  A large man with twinkling eyes and black hair scraped back into a long braid was stirring cream into a cup of coffee. Nearby on the counter was a plate with a stacked sandwich and the ingredients that had gone into it. A tray of cookies was on the stove. Sugar, maybe.

  “Temo,” Charlie said, “this is Governor Belladonna Barrone. Our new boss. And this is her assistant, Pierce Harrison.”

  Temo nodded. Black tribal tattoos swirled out from under his rolled-up shirtsleeves, wrapping his arms down to the wrists. They peeked out from the neck of his dress shirt too. “Nice to meet you, Madam Governor. Mr. Harrison.”

  “Call me Pierce, please.”

  Donna wanted to tell him to call her by her first name as well but refrained. Would that be a breach of protocol? She wanted to be friends with these people, but at the same time she had to maintain a professional relationship with them. At least until she got to know them better. “It’s great to meet you both.”

  Charlie stood with military stiffness. “I have a master’s in business management, and before coming to work here, I was the executive assistant to the CEO of Rothchild’s Antiquities in London for fourteen years. Before that, I was a concierge at the Regency Hotel, also in London. I hold dual citizenship in the UK and the US.”

  “Wow, very impressive.” Donna’s brows rose a little. That was quite a résumé.

  “My background’s not so fancy,” Temo said. “I was Special Ops, did two tours I’d rather not talk about, then got out and went to work as security at a club in the city. I’ve done some high-end private security too. Besides my tactical mobility training in the military, I’ve been to evasive-driving school and racing school.” His smile was bright and broad. “I’m pretty good behind the wheel.”

  “Sounds like it,” Donna said. “I think your résumé is just as impressive as Charlie’s, but for different reasons.” Then came the big question. “How did you both like working for Claudette?”

  Temo glanced at Charlie.

  The older woman picked up a manila envelope from the counter as she laughed and shrugged. “She’s not our boss anymore, so I suppose it’s okay to be a little honest. She was fine as a boss for me. For Temo, not so much.”

  He frowned. “She didn’t like me.”

  Donna thought he seemed pretty likable. “Can I ask why?”

  He sipped his coffee but didn’t make eye contact until a second later. “I’m sure she had her reasons. But she almost never used the car.”

  Donna thought he was holding something back. If he didn’t want to speak ill of Claudette, Donna respected that. She might be in Claudette’s position someday herself. “She told me she ran everywhere. I guess that was her way of not needing you. It struck me as weird when she said it, but hey, to each their own, right?” Donna smiled at him. “I will be using the car.”

  Temo smiled back. “Good. Because I don’t like feeling like I’m being paid for nothing. Is there anywhere you need me to take you this evening? Or any security concerns you’d like to discuss?”

  “No. I have my own vehicle here, and we’re heading back to my house soon. I wasn’t prepared to stay here tonight. It’ll probably be a day or two before that happens. Plus, Claudette needs to move her things out.”

  “That won’t take much doing,” Charlie answered. “She has a studio in the Village. Most of her possessions are there. Here’s your welcome packet, by the way.” She held out the envelope.

  Charlie knew a lot about Claudette, more than Donna had known, but the woman had been Claudette’s admin, so it made sense. She took the packet. “Well, that’s good about Claudette. I’m glad she’s not homeless. Say, if I have some things sent to this address, will you take delivery of them if I’m not here?”

  Charlie nodded. “Absolutely. And if you’re buying anything for the apartment, please use the credit card in the packet. It’s paid by the governor’s account. Use it for all your expenses from here on out. And just so you know, when you’re not here, I do a daily check on the apartment, bring the mail in, that sort of thing. I actually work out of the office on this floor. Unless you’d rather I not.”

  “No, that’s great. I’m probably going to add some plants. I suppose those might need watering on occasion. And I have a cat. Lucky. I hope having him here will be all right?”

  “You can ha
ve any pets you like,” Charlie said.

  Temo chewed the bite of sandwich he’d just taken, then swallowed. “I like cats. I can’t wait to meet him.”

  “You’ll like Lucky,” Donna said. “He’s a sweetheart. I’m not sure how he’ll like the change in his environment, but hopefully it won’t bother him too much. Good to know he’s allowed in the building too.”

  “I haven’t been a good host.” Charlie took a mug down from the cabinets. “Would you like some coffee? Or something else?”

  “No, thanks. I’m fine. Pierce?”

  He shook his head. “I’m good. And we only have a couple hours before sunrise.”

  “Thanks for reminding me,” Donna said. Even though the sun wouldn’t affect her, she had to keep up the ruse that she was as vulnerable as every other vampire. “We should get going. I look forward to working with both of you. I am very new to all of this, so I hope you’ll be patient with me.”

  “Of course,” they both said.

  She looked at Charlie. “Can I ask you to do something for me?”

  Charlie smiled. “You can ask me to do anything. That’s what I’m here for. What we’re both here for.”

  Donna nodded, laughing softly. “Right. That’s going to take some getting used to. Can you put together a little dossier on the governors of the surrounding states? Artemis told me there’s a good chance they’ll drop by. Governor Fitzhugh especially.”

  “Oh, he’ll be here.” Charlie pulled out her phone. “I’ll get them to you by sunup. I keep files on all of them. I can email them to you, in fact. Which reminds me, we need to exchange contact information with both of you.”

  They all got their phones out and took care of that detail, then Donna was about to say goodbye when the lights flashed.

  Charlie looked up. “There’s someone at your door.”

  “Is that what that means?” Pierce asked.

  She nodded. “Part of our system. Helps us be ready in case we’re needed, but it can be turned off if the governor wants more privacy, although it’s only activated in the common areas.”

  “I’m okay with it, I guess.”

  Charlie’s brows rose slightly. “Are you sure? Because it’s very easy to turn off. Claudette never wanted anyone sneaking up on her.”

  “I’m kind of surprised visitors aren’t buzzed in or announced or something.”

  “They are, unless they’re on a vetted list.”

  “Oh.” Donna tucked her phone back into her purse. “Maybe it’s Claudette coming to get her stuff.”

  “This close to sunrise?” Temo asked. “I don’t think so.” He rolled his head around, audibly cracking a few vertebrae like he was prepping for a fight. “You want me to see who it is?”

  “No, I’ll do it,” Donna said. “I’m the governor, right? It’s my job. But good to know you’re available for such things if necessary.”

  Temo grinned. “Happy to assist as muscle when needed.”

  “Nice,” Donna said. She’d never had her own lunk before. Although, Temo was too nice to refer to by that term. Still, being the vampire governor was starting to feel a little like being back in the Mafia. But without the dark underbelly of criminal intent.

  “Technically,” Pierce said, “getting the door is my job.”

  She shot him an amused look. “Well, then, I should let you do it.”

  He headed upstairs and toward the door while Donna, Charlie, and Temo followed, out of sight several yards behind. He opened it. “Can I help you?”

  “I’m looking for the new governor,” a man answered.

  “Who’s calling?”

  “Governor Fitzhugh,” he said.

  Pierce glanced back at Donna and silently mouthed the words, that didn’t take long.

  No, it didn’t, she mouthed back. There was no other option. They couldn’t take the chance that Fitzhugh’s hearing would pick up their conversation. I’m not ready to meet him.

  Mostly because her casual outfit of leggings, boots, and oversize sweater wasn’t really the first impression she wanted to make. When she met the other governors, she wanted to wear something like a power suit and good heels. Something much more woman-in-charge than woman-on-a-Starbucks-run.

  Pierce nodded but didn’t open the door any wider. “You can make an appointment. Tomorrow at 10:00 p.m. is open.”

  “I’ve come all the way from uptown Manhattan.”

  “Without an appointment,” Pierce pointed out.

  Donna grinned.

  A moment of silence followed. “Fine. I’ll be back tomorrow evening.”

  “Very good.” Pierce shut the door and faced Donna. “He must really want to see who’s taking over for Claudette.”

  Charlie clucked her tongue. “He just wants to know if he can intimidate you. He’s counting on being able to. He talked Claudette into co-sponsoring a few things that did a whole lot for New York and nothing for the state of New Jersey except make a dent in our budget.”

  Donna frowned. “Doesn’t he have his own money to spend?”

  “Sure, but why do that when you can get someone else to kick in?”

  Donna snorted. “That’s not happening on my watch. Claudette doesn’t seem like the pushover type. How did he talk her into doing those things?”

  Charlie crossed her arms. “Simple. He’s a good-looking guy and very persuasive. Claudette wanted him to like her. They might have…actually, it’s not my place to say.”

  “Say what?” Donna asked. “Come on, I need to know what kind of relationship my predecessor had with him.”

  Charlie sighed. “Call it intuition, but I always got a feeling when they were together that they’d been…intimate. Just a feeling, though. Nothing I can substantiate.”

  “I can,” Temo said.

  Everyone looked at him, but Donna spoke first. “How do you know that?”

  He made an odd face. “Because it happened in the car. That’s why she didn’t like me. I just didn’t want to say anything earlier, but since we’re being straight up, why not? When it happened, the privacy screen was up, but I knew what was going on. She was embarrassed by the whole thing and didn’t want to see me after.”

  “Wow. That explains that,” Pierce said.

  Donna snorted. “If Fitzhugh thinks we’re going to have that kind of relationship, he’s going to be very disappointed.”

  Charlie pursed her lips for a moment. “Fitzhugh probably wants to meet you to suss you out. You’ve only been a vampire for a short period of time. Your rise has been a little meteoric, and I’m sure he’s curious to see what kind of woman survives a council trial and becomes governor a week after she’s turned.”

  “Is that whole situation common knowledge, then?”

  “It is,” Charlie answered. “You’re a little bit of a celebrity in the local vampire world. I’d say you can expect a lot of appointments in the coming days. Mostly from vampires who want to meet you, but also so they can try to get on your good side.”

  Temo chuckled. “Doesn’t hurt that people also know about your human history. Adds to your street cred, if you know what I mean.”

  Donna had a pretty good idea. “You mean that I was married to a mobster?”

  He nodded. “That would be the history I’m talking about.”

  She pressed her fingers to her temple. “You know, that isn’t really history in the sense that it’s behind me. I mean, Joe’s dead, but I haven’t fully extricated myself from the Villachi family. And there’s some complications with the Russian mob too.” She shook her head. “I do hope to take care of all of that as soon as possible.”

  Temo’s brows lifted. “You need help, boss, you just ask us, okay? Again, that’s what we’re here for, you know? Not just helping you keep appointments and protecting you and driving you places. Think of us as your personal soldiers. I can’t speak for Charlie, but I’m down to crack skulls together if need be.”

  Yep, her very own lunk. “That is very kind of you, but—and not to be indelicate—
aren’t you human?”

  Temo laughed. “Not entirely. I’m a descendant of Mafui’e, the Samoan god of earthquakes.”

  Donna blinked. “Wouldn’t that make you a demigod? My driver is a demigod?”

  He shrugged one massive shoulder, but he was still smiling. “The bloodline is a little too dilute to call myself a demi, but I have enough of my family’s powers to be effective as muscle when needed.”

  “But you’re working as a driver and security. That doesn’t seem like a job befitting your obvious skills.”

  “I was a bouncer in Manhattan when Artemis found me. I like this a lot better. And not just because the pay is about fifteen times what I was making at Spotlight.”

  She looked at Charlie. “And you? Are you also something more than human?”

  “Half banshee on my mother’s side with a smidgen of fire mage on my dad’s side.” Flames crackled in her gaze. “It’s a very useful set of skills in the right situation.”

  Donna shook her head. “Wow, this is all good to know. Especially if the Russians come calling. And on that note, I think Pierce and I should head home before the sun comes up. I’ll see you both tomorrow night, and we can talk some more.”

  Charlie nodded. “I look forward to working with you, Governor.”

  “Same to both of you.” A banshee and a demigod. Things were certainly getting interesting.

  Chapter Three

  Pierce was driving, something he’d told Donna he thought he should do as her assistant. She’d let him, only because she wanted to see what kind of driver he was. People who lived in the city weren’t always great on the road because they drove so infrequently, but he was doing fine.

  Okay, he was also driving because he had an Aston Martin. She’d never ridden in one before, and now that she had, she was a little bit in love. It was a gorgeous piece of machinery.

  Didn’t hurt that James Bond drove one.

  But she was letting her mind wander, and she had something important to talk to him about. She watched his face now to see his reaction. “I think…I should move into that apartment.”