Page 2 of Sparks Flying

I did have my standards, though, and my rules. I never hooked up with the same girl within a seven-day period. I used to say in the same week, but then it became a grayarea determining when the new week rolled over. If I said on Monday, then a woman might expect to see me on Sunday and then again on Monday. That wasn’t happening. The seven-day rule was a much better option.

I simply didn’t do attachments or make any false pretenses about it. I was there for sex and that was it. If someone wanted more than that, then they need to find another tree to nest in.

Because the Davenport house was so big and only my parents and staff lived there, I hadn’t seen the point of moving out. All my siblings had flown the nest, but I sensibly remained at home, where I had the entire upstairs all to myself.

This did not mean I ever entertained there. I had a strict rule about that and never brought anyone back to my place. It was their place or nothing. Well, the occasional hook up in my car or out by the cliffs still happened, but still never at home.

I considered my options and checked my schedule.

Damn.

I wasn’t going to be able to take a long lunch today with a call to Westin Force scheduled at one.

Westin Force was a special ops group of shifters who worked to protect shifters worldwide. They had been imperative in helping me establish my role and credibility as the head of security for Ravenden.

Coming out of college with a degree in cyber security wasn’t enough. After a few incidents, it was clear we needed more physical security. I had the conceptual background for it, but it was far from my dreams of sitting behind a computer all day. Much to my surprise, I still did plenty of that and often enjoyed being out of the office even more.

It was funny how life worked out sometimes. I’d been in the right place at the right time when the need arose. Still green out of college and looking for my place in the Congress, WestinForce had rolled into town and, somehow, I’d convinced my dad, who convinced the leaders of the Congress, to take a chance on me. I liked to think I hadn’t let them down.

My phone rang, and I picked it up to answer.

“Dean Davenport.”

“Hey Dean, it’s Michael. We’ve had a situation down here and I’m going to need to postpone our video call today.”

“I hope everything’s okay.”

Michael was one of my strongest contacts with Westin Force and had proved himself to be a valuable mentor for me. It wasn’t like him to cancel a meeting.

“It’s not at the moment, but I’m praying it will get better soon. My team joined some of the others down here in Australia and there’s been a Collectors incident. I can’t go into detail right now, but things have taken a turn for the worse. But because of this we’re sending some of our recruits out to various sites for a security briefing. I recommended sending a few your way to go over everything. With you being witches and your history with Collectors, I think it’s prudent to add Ravenden to that list. Unfortunately, it will be a new younger team of recruits coming out. I believe Patrick O’Connell will be joining them, so you’ll at least have a familiar face in the mix. He’ll explain things in more detail. Let’s just say the Collector network as a whole is becoming much bolder.”

“That doesn’t sound good.”

“It’s not.” There was some commotion in the background. “Hey, I’ve got to run. We may have just gotten the lead we’ve been waiting for. I’ll touch base soon.”

He disconnected before I could even say bye.

“Huh. I wonder was that was all about?” I said, while staring down at the phone in my hand.

For a split second, I considered the fact that I was now free to call Jill, Ashley, or even Serafina for a lunch breakquickie, but shook my head and hit the intercom button that was a direct line to Bernice.

“Can you call over to the diner and place an order for lunch delivery? A turkey club and curly fries.”

“Extra crispy. I know.”

“Thanks, Bernice. You’re the best.”

“You just remember that when it’s time to sign my Christmas bonus.”

I laughed. “You got it.”

I spent the next hour pouring over the infrared specs, knowing it was nothing more than a pipe dream, the sort of toy Westin Force may justify, but there was no way I could for our tiny town. It was still fun to learn about it, though.

When Bernice knocked on my door, I shuffled the papers back together and stuffed them in my bottom drawer.

“Come in.”

“Heard someone was eating in today.”

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