“Christian Duvall, yeah. Anyway, I saw this thing, and then I heard Anthony talking about it, and . . . he lied,” she finished with a whisper. “Anthony, I mean. He lied about what happened, and I think it’s going to get Christian in trouble. And I don’t know if I should tell him about Anthony, or let it go. It’s all vampire business, and they have their own rules, and I’m . . . an accountant.”
“Forensic accountant,” Janette clarified loyally. “And you’re smarter than the average bear, too. If you think there’s a problem, tell the guy. It’s not as if you owe Anthony anything. He’s like the creepy family stalker, the one who nobody knows, but who shows up every Thanksgiving, and never brings pie.”
“He gave me his card,” Natalie said suddenly.
“Ew. Anthony?”
“No! Christian.”
“Which means he wants you, too,” Janette decided.
“I didn’t say—”
“Oh, please. You want him, and I say it’s about time. If you don’t use it as God intended, pretty soon, your vagina’s—”
Natalie hissed at her to shut up. “Can you say that any louder?”
Janette laughed. “Call him, Nat. You don’t have to come right out and lay it on him. Just feel him out first, and then if it flows, it flows. And you can warn him about the other thing, too.”
“You’re right. I need to warn him.”
“But wait until after you’ve had sex to tell him, because—”
“We are not going to have sex. I’m going to call—”
“Fifty bucks says you’re bumping nasties within the week.”
“Bumping nasties. Charming. And I’ll take that bet.”
“Yippee! Momma needs a new pair of shoes.”
“You’re ridiculous.”
“And you’re about to get laid,” Janette whispered. “Do you have decent underwear, or is it all granny panties?”
“Not that it matters, but my lingerie is perfectly presentable.”
“So, granny time, huh?”
“No! Stop it.”
Janette leaned against her, laughing. “I want pictures.”
“Of my underwear?”
“No, silly. Of the hunk-a-licious who finally broke your fast.” She checked her watch, then pushed to her feet with a sigh, using the wall as a brace. “I have to go home and shower. Will I see you tomorrow?”
“Probably.”
“Well, if I don’t, I’ll know why. So, don’t forget the fifty bucks. And the pictures.”
Natalie watched Janette walk along the wall toward the door. She also saw her wave good-bye to Alon, and get a friendly nod in return. Maybe Natalie was in a dry spell, but she wasn’t the only one. And she wasn’t about to break it with a certain sexy vampire either. Not because he wasn’t attractive, but because he was far too attractive. And she had a feeling that once she got sucked into the raging river that was Christian Duvall, she might just drown.
Chapter Six
CHRISTIAN WOKE to two messages the next night. The first wasn’t altogether unexpected. Unofficially, Jaclyn was using her power to boost Anthony’s position as Lord of the South, but officially, she was Raphael’s representative. Kind of an ambassador to Anthony’s court. So it wasn’t a total surprise that she’d want to meet with Christian, and maybe even debrief him on what he knew about Hubert and Mexico. He was sure she’d been updated on the intel he’d shared with Raphael and the others, but she might want her own in-person briefing.
It was the second message that surprised him. His cell phone was sitting on the bedside table, playing the messages on speaker while he dressed. The sound of Natalie’s sexy Cajun drawl snapped his head around, and had him dashing over to pick up the phone and listen more closely. But what he heard was more troubling than exciting. It wasn’t what she said, so much as an undercurrent to her words, a slight tremor in her voice.