A Bite to Remember Page 0,48

up the groups so that each has an immortal and a human on it. The way it stands, an immortal would have no trouble slipping in before the seven P.M. to three A.M. immortal shift starts and any time after it ends."

"You're right," Vincent said with a sigh. "We've never really been concerned about immortals breaking in here. The security is to keep mortal thieves out, or to handle upset mortals who didn't get roles or jobs and keep them from causing trouble, not to defend against immortals. There's never been a reason to fear immortals causing trouble."

"There is now," Jackie pointed out.

"Yes," he acknowledged with a small sigh that spoke of his unhappiness with the knowledge that his saboteur was one of his own. Jackie cast him a sympathetic glance, but didn't say anything as he suddenly took both her arm and Marguerite's to turn them into the last door at the end of the hall.

"Vincent!" Sharon nearly leapt out of her seat as they entered what was obviously her office. You would have thought the woman had been shocked with a cattle prod, she got up so swiftly.

"Hi Sharon. You remember Jackie. And this is my aunt, Marguerite Argeneau," Vincent greeted as he paused before the woman's desk.

"Oh, Mrs. Argeneau, hello," Sharon gushed, hurrying around the desk to offer her hand. Jackie couldn't help noticing that her presence was completely ignored.

Vincent seemed to notice too, however. At least, she thought the tightening around his mouth might be because of the rude exclusion of her presence. He didn't comment, but he did immediately begin to herd her and Marguerite toward the inner door and away from the woman's fawning over his aunt.

"Is there any coffee around here?" he asked as he walked and then added pointedly. "Jackie might like a coffee. So would I. What about you, Aunt Marguerite?"

"No, thank you," Marguerite murmured as he ushered them into his office.

Sharon wasn't given time to respond to his comments as by the time he'd finished making them, Vincent was closing the door to the office.

Jackie glanced around the large, luxurious office as she and Marguerite followed him to the desk. Pausing in front of the two chairs before his desk, she then turned slowly, her gaze drifting over everything in the room. All she could think as she took in the huge marble desk and opulent decor of the room was that the man had expensive taste. Or perhaps it was his decorator who did, Jackie decided as she took in the stark black and white interior. The office was nothing like his home, where the neutral base colors were all offset by colorful accessories such as throw rugs, pillows, candles, and paintings in rich, vibrant colors.

"I take it you really don't come in here often?" Jackie asked with amusement as Vincent walked around the desk to drop into the chair behind it.

"What makes you think that?" he asked, expression wary.

"Oh, I don't know," she said with amusement. "Perhaps it's everyone's apparent shock at your being here now... and the dust on your desktop," Jackie added to prevent his coming out with the "I've never been here this early," comment again.

"She's right, dear," Marguerite commented. "It is rather dusty. I think you need a new cleaning service."

Vincent just grimaced and said, "I fear I prefer acting to the business end of things... or I used to." He acknowledged his growing boredom with what used to be his passion for acting with an unhappy expression. "I tend to travel a lot with the acting too, so I have a vice president who takes care of the boring business stuff."

"Human or immortal?" Jackie asked curiously.

"Both," Vincent answered. "I actually have two vice presidents. One human for daytime matters, and one immortal who manages everything at night. Neil and Stephano Notte pretty much take care of everything between the two of them and just check in with me on occasion to be sure we're all in agreement on things."

"Ah yes, the Notte brothers," Marguerite murmured, settling in the chair beside the one Jackie stood in front of. "Bastien has mentioned them. He says you made a wise choice employing them."

Jackie raised her eyebrows at this comment, then said, "Let me guess: Stephano is the immortal and Neil the mortal."

"Why would you say that?" Vincent asked.

"Because Neil is a nice, normal, mortal-type name, and all you immortals seem to have exotic -ien, -ius, or -o-type names," she answered dryly.

"Exotic -ien names?" Vincent asked with