Blood Trial Supernatural Battle (Vampire Towers #1) - Kelly St. Clare Page 0,11

most of the staff’s strangeness was in my head. After pet store Jenny, coffee sasquatch, and the teen with a power complex, I was just twitchy and stressed.

“My options are few. I mean, I’ve blown any chance at being hired by Montgomery’s.”

Tommy choked, spraying red onion and coriander across the table. She quickly chewed the rest of her mouthful and swallowed. “I would have given money I don’t have to see you hauling ass down the street.”

Hardly fun at the time, but I added my throaty laughter to her breathy one. “I’m so glad there weren’t witnesses. Well… except Rhys.” My eyes slid to her.

Tommy’s ears all but pricked up. “Rhys? Do tell.”

“Boy-next-door type. Tight black tee. Good manners.”

The corners of her mouth tugged down. “Ah well, could be worse.”

I flicked some of the masticated onion and coriander back at her. “No one’s attractive to you at the moment except alternative musicians.”

She conceded the point with a small smile, sipping her watermelon mojito.

“Plus.” I continued. “Rhys was the warm-up. You should’ve seen the specimen who almost ran me over.”

Watermelon mojito sprayed across the table.

I eyed the droplets covering the empty platter. “You should practice keeping stuff inside your mouth.”

“You were almost run over?” she screeched, drawing the attention of the nearest table of college guys.

“Oh, yeah. That happened,” I said, ducking my head. “Guess I should have started with that.”

She slid off the stool and rounded the high circle table. Ignoring my protests, she patted me down.

I batted away her hands. “Jesus, ruffian. Get your damn paws off me. I’m fine.”

Ignoring me, she returned to her stool once reassured I wasn’t an inch from death. The college guys at the table over threw wide smiles our way.

With practiced movements, Tommy scanned them and picked out the most miserable one, winking.

I let my hair fall forward to hide my grin.

“I thought you’d met someone,” I said when she’d finished her first round of flirting.

She flicked her jaw-length chestnut hair back, blasting Mr Misery with another lash-batting come-hither. Poor guy didn’t stand a chance.

Tommy cleared her throat. “I have. But it’s casual.”

“You only do casual.” Which concerned me. She was the same age as me—and had never had a boyfriend. Not even a two-weeks-when-you’re-thirteen one. I was fine with her having fun as long as my main girl didn’t have some commitment problem.

“Exactly,” she announced. “Anyway, you were telling me about nearly dying from hot guy.”

I thought of the man who’d approached in slow motion as though we were in some kind of perfume commercial. Or maybe the slow-motion part was just my dirty mind. Wowsies, he was truly the hottest guy I’d ever seen. Talk about instant ladyboner.

Then I remembered his superiority complex and scowled. “I didn’t nearly die from hot guy—though he’d agree with you.”

“So he was really hot then. And rich.”

“I—” I squinted at her. “How did you know he was rich?”

“It’s your ironic caveat. You hate the rich world, but you’re attracted to rich men.”

“Wash your mouth out.”

Her chestnut gaze danced. “Am I right or am I right?”

“Rhys might not be rich,” I grumbled. Though I had envisioned him in a suit. Did I have a complex?

Tommy sighed. “For what it’s worth, what happened to you at that party with Business Guy when you were seventeen has probably made you hate them. Rich guys, that is.”

I sipped at my mojito before remembering I’d necked it in the first five minutes. The straw made a bubbling sound of complaint as it encountered thin air.

I know, buddy. I know.

This was one of those days where I would’ve kept them coming, but I wouldn’t do that on Tommy’s dime. She helped her father pay all the bills at home—including the bill for her pop in the dementia ward of Bluff City Retirement Village.

“I dislike rich guys because I’ve never met one who wasn’t an A-hole,” I shot back. “That arrogance in guys sets my blood at boiling point. Though he did have a three-piece suit on. With a slim tie. That, if he wasn’t a jerk, I might have had the urge to loosen.”

Her eyes glazed. “Oh yeah. I’m there now. And are we on a white leather sofa or poolside? Is he wearing anything else? What are you wearing?”

Laughter trembled on my lips. She always made me feel better. “You need to message your guy tonight for an urgent sleepover. But back to the job thing. I’m not going to worry about it. From what you and Rhys were saying,