Her Vampire Addiction - Tabitha Black Page 0,16

to one of them as Liam, so I try that when they notice me.

“Hi, Liam,” I say loudly, paying close attention to see which one reacts. The blond one. Right. “Maximus is expecting me.”

My heart is pounding and I hold my breath, hoping against hope that Maximus is even in the club. To be sent away now would be both devastating and humiliating, considering dozens of people are watching me.

For once, I’m in luck.

“Go on in,” Liam says, stepping aside.

Not until I’ve passed under the refreshing blast of air-conditioning do I allow myself to exhale. And it’s then that I realize I never planned further ahead than this moment. In all likelihood, Maximus is downstairs. And I have no idea how to get down there without an express invitation. Seeing as the entrance is hidden in the coat check area, I highly doubt that just anyone is allowed to march on down the steps.

Crap.

There’s a bored-looking guy sitting in the coat check booth, and I approach him with my most winning smile. “Hi,” I say, glad I sound more confident than I feel. “I’m here to see Maximus.”

“Is he expecting you?”

“Yep.” It’s only half a lie. I did tell him I’d return his coat today. But if I say that, this guy might take the jacket and promise to pass it on, and I can’t bear the thought of having to leave again without seeing the man who’s been on my mind for nearly twenty-four hours now. “He said I should just ask for him here and that you’d let me go down.”

The guy’s eyebrows rise and I suppress a groan. Maybe that was too far-fetched? “He said that, did he?” The dude sounds skeptical.

“He did. If you don’t believe me, call him up here. It’s no difference to me.” I shrug as casually as I’m able to.

“It’s just—I can’t let you go down there unescorted,” the guy says. He has a narrow, attractive face, albeit a bit pale.

I lift my chin. “Can’t you escort me then?”

The corner of his mouth lifts and he shakes his head. “Someone needs to man the booth.”

“Then I’d say we have a bit of a dilemma, don’t we?”

Another man in a dark suit arrives then, and the first guy visibly brightens. “Augustus. Would you please escort this young lady down to the club?”

What is with this place and Roman names, anyway? I wonder.

Augustus’s eyebrows go up and he looks first at me, then back at the coat check guy. “Sure.”

It’s all I can do to suppress the grin of triumph from spreading over my face.

Result.

“Thank you,” I say sweetly, entering the booth without an invitation and threading my arm through Augustus’s.

“She’s here to see Maximus,” the first man says. It seems like Augustus is superior to him, and he feels the need to explain himself.

“It’s fine,” Augustus says. “I was about to head down anyway.” He punches a code into a keypad beside the door—funny, I never noticed Ethan doing that yesterday—and it slides open to reveal the stairwell. “Have you known Maximus long?” he asks casually as we begin to descend the steps.

“Not very,” I admit. Augustus is very attractive, I notice, with his closely cropped beard and rugged features. He’s not a patch on Maximus, though.

“I see.”

I’m tempted to ask what exactly he means by that, but then we’ve reached the downstairs club, and my heart begins to pound in my chest at the thought of seeing Maximus again in just a few short moments. I can’t believe I actually made it back in here on my own steam.

Augustus scans the area, and I don’t miss the way his nostrils flare. If anything, the club is even more busy than it was yesterday, but there’s just one face I’m looking for in the crowd.

“Over there, in the corner.” Augustus points. “I assume you can make your way alone from here?” His accent is also strange, also slightly British. What exactly is it with these club employees?

“Of course. Thank you.” Sure enough, there he is, barely discernible in the red gloom, but even after such a brief time, I’d recognize those broad shoulders anywhere.

“Have fun,” Augustus says, and as I turn to cross the dancefloor, I half expect him to pat my butt. He doesn’t.

This is it. Be cool, I tell myself as I take yet another deep breath and thread my way through the throng.

Maximus is watching someone else; he hasn’t spotted me yet. Once I’m a few feet away, I will