"He's my neighbor! I don't want him pissed at me."
"It's not like he's going to know we were here," I pointed out, admiring the intricate tile laid in the entryway.
"He's going to know I was here if I leave a big puddle of wee," she said, her legs crossed as she did a little hopping dance. "Let's go back home. I really have to go!"
"OK. I don't see him anyw - hoo! I see him!" Terri plastered herself to the glass on either side of the double front doors, loudly jabbing the glass with her finger. "Look! Do you see? Oh, baby, you're right. He is gorgeous, although he's not naked. Hey, he's looking this way. I wonder if he can see us."
"It's night outside," I said, waving my arms around to show her the night. "See? Black. Night. No one can see us. We're like ninjas. Except for the wee puddles."
The door opened, light spilling out from inside, the silhouette of a man clearly visible. "Can I help you?" he asked, his voice deep and alluring with a slight German accent.
"I have to wee!" Patsy wailed, clutching at herself. She shoved the bottle at me and pushed past the neighbor into his house.
"Second door on the left," he directed her. She ran in the direction he was pointing.
He turned back to us, but I couldn't see him clearly, what with the light behind him. "Is there something I can do for you ladies?"
"Pats said you like to swim in the altogether," Terri said, looking hopeful.
"Ah. Well, I've had my swim for the day. Is there anything else?"
He stepped out of the doorway and onto the entryway, straight into the light cast by a standing yard lamp a few feet away.
I dropped the bottle of wine, pointing at him as my skin tried to crawl away.
"What's wrong, Cora?" Terri asked, weaving slightly. "You look like you're going to barf."
"Vampire," I said, the word coming out as a croak.
The man, who had been reaching out to steady Terri, suddenly whirled around to look at me.
"What?" Terri asked, wobbling her way down the lone step.
"Vampire," I repeated.
The man narrowed his green eyes at me. "Who the hell are you?"
"VAMPIRE!" I screamed, and suddenly, the world started to spin, and a great big black hole opened up at my feet, and I fell into it.
The last sound I heard was that of Patsy. "Oh, thank you, Alec. I really didn't want to wee on your lovely tile work. What's Cora doing on the ground?"
Dear Readers,
Lest you be freaked out by the excerpt that follows - and I know right now some of you are looking worried at even the mention of doing such a thing - let me reassure you that even though the excerpt from It's All Greek to Me is (gasp!) a contemporary romantic comedy, there are more Dark Ones and dragon books coming.
Why, then, you might be asking yourself, did I suddenly run amok and write a contemporary? I can answer that in two words: my muse. Or, rather, three words: my pesky muse. She had an idea for a book that would poke a little gentle fun at some romance novel stereotypes, and I learned long ago to listen to her when she insists we write a book.
While I'm on the subject of upcoming books, let me add a note about the Dark Ones in particular. I know many of you are hoping for another Ben and Fran book, and I want to reassure you that they have a significant part to play regarding the situations brought to light via the previous Dark Ones book, In the Company of Vampires . They may have to adopt secondary roles for the next book, but they will, indeed, be present and looking for some answers.
Katie MacAlister
The man in front of her was crazy. That, or he was having some sort of an attack - one that involved dancing up and down and gesturing wildly, all the while talking a mile a minute, his words tumbling out with such speed, they all ran together into one dense, unintelligible stream.
Not that Harry could have understood the words even if he had been speaking slower. She stood up from where she'd been seated on a wooden lounge, enjoying the peace of the balmy Mediterranean night. "The temptation to say 'I'm sorry, but it's all Greek to me,' is almost overwhelming - you do realize that, right?" she asked the man.
He continued his dancing-gesturing-babbling routine, this time adding a peculiar plucking motion with the hem of her linen tunic.
She glanced around, wondering if she'd misunderstood. "Am I not supposed to be here? Is this garden off limits to us? Derek said it was the garden area on the other side of the house that was for guests only. Did I get that wrong?"