Page 16 of Ivory's Familiars

“How did you sleep?” he asked, nudging her out of the way. He pressed two buttons and had her baby purring under his competent hands in seconds. She forced herself not to scowl at the traitorous machine. Even her coffee maker responded sweetly to the man.

“Not too bad,” she replied, truthfully. After her initial shock of hearing that robotic voice yesterday, and being told she was ‘bad’ yet again, she had actually felt some relief. Those few days of just waiting for the other shoe to drop had been horribly tense. And the men now had something extra to work with, “Were you able to trace the call?”

Vaughn scowled, and she had the insane urge to smooth out his furrowed forehead with her fingers, “It was from a no-plan phone that had already been disconnected. It’s completely untraceable, so it’s another dead end. Same as Lee. He’s alibied up to his eyeballs and was suitably confused and intimidated when I cornered him yesterday.”

“Vaughn!”

“What?” he asked, all innocent.

She merely rolled her eyes. The man was so exasperating. As long as her best bartender didn’t quit on her, it would be fine.

“Here you go. Your sacred beverage, m’lady,” she could have sworn Vaughn winked at her as he handed her a steaming mug, made just the way she liked it.

She eyed him warily, “Do you have a twitch or something?”

She saw his jaw clench before he took a deep breath as if deliberately trying to relax, “No. You look lovely this morning by the way.”

She looked down at herself. She was wearing her normal work uniform of black jeans but had gone all out and put on a black button-up shirt rather than a plain black tee. She was beginning to get worried, Vaughn was never this chipper. Maybe he was having a stroke? “Are you feeling okay?”

“I feel fine,” he growled, slamming his own coffee mug down on the counter.

Now that was more like it, “What are you doing, then?”

He spun to face her quickly, “I’m flirting with you.”

She swore she felt her jaw literally hit the floor, “You are?” she squeaked.

He huffed irritably, “Well, if you have to ask I’m obviously not doing it right.”

She fought a smile, he was almost pouting. Vaughn never pouted. She cleared her throat, “That’s not what I meant. I mean, why are you flirting with me?”

“Because I like you,” the statement was sweet in its simplicity, “And because Seth told us how you went all feminist on him when he hit on you yesterday. We all thought we should woo you, flirt with you – that kind of crap.”

Sweet?Had she really just thought this blunt, boorish buffoon was sweet just seconds ago? “First; I did not go all ‘feminist’ on Seth – and be careful,” she warned, “that kind of comment will get you kicked in the balls. I simply informed him of the error of his ways regarding men’s thinking and women’s sexuality.”

He snorted, “The way I hear it, you informed him of the error of his ways regarding his diet – adding a little foliage to his protein.”

“Second,” she raised her voice, deliberately ignoring his interruption, “I’ll have you know that flirting is a common and effective part of courtship.”

He crossed his impressive arms over his impressive chest, looking entirely unconvinced, “Waste of time if you ask me.”

It probably was to him, she acknowledged. She doubted he had ever had to work for attention or affections. Legions probably swooned at his feet with the crook of a finger – pre-Seth and Ronan of course. The thing that really confused her though, why was he would choose to try his pathetic wooing techniques on her. Oh, she knew what Seth said; they haddiscussedtheir shared desire of her. Even if she believed them, there were easier ways for them to get her into bed. Seduction being the biggie. Seduction was all about the physical desire. She had no doubt they could seduce the underwear off her in a matter of minutes if they tried. Flirting on the other hand, was more about the mental and emotional desire – encouraging the person to enjoy you as a person and not just as a sex object.

She shook her head, admitting; “I don’t understand you – any of you.”

“What’s to understand?”

How could she make him see her perspective when he was just so practical, she wondered? “You love Ronan and Seth.”

He nodded, no hesitation, “I do. Very much.”

“And yet, you say you like me,” she pointed out.

Another decisive nod, “I do. Very much.”

“How do you reconcile those two things?” she asked, truly curious about his response.

He eyed her thoughtfully, asking his own question instead of answering hers, “Why do women have to make things so complicated?”

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