Page 92 of One Life to Loathe

She broke out in a wide grin. “Then I’ll see you down there in thirty minutes.”

“You will.” I caught her for a kiss before she could leave. It would be my last chance to lay my lips on her until tonight. “I’ll see you in a few.”

“You will. I’ll be the one with toast crumbs on my face.”

“Just how I like you.” I gave her bottom a playful smack as she disappeared through the door. Then I stood there and stared in her wake. “What am I going to do?” I asked out loud. There was nobody there to answer. Even my pesky inner voice was nowhere to be found.

I was digging myself in deep. I couldn’t deny that. How was I ever going to get myself out?

HALF THE CAST WAS ON THE SPEAKEASY SETfor the big reveal. It was a tentpole episode, meaning everybody was coming together for what would likely be the most memorable scene of the first season.

Sam’s plucky but naive heroine was about to find out that vampires were real … and it was going to rock her world. She was going to scream … and cry … and pretend she was horrified. Then, in the next episode, we were going to end up in bed together. That’s how it went with a soap opera I guess. Personally, I couldn’t decide if I was looking forward to the sex scenes or if I was dreading them. Pretending I wasn’t comfortable climbing on top of her would be the best bit of acting I’d done in a good long while.

We had to get through this first, though.

“Okay, Sam, you’re on the stool.” Miles pointed. “Bethany, you and Sylvia are arguing behind her. You both know something is wrong, but only Sylvia knows what that something is. You’re going at her because you know that she knows and you want her to tell you. Got it?”

Bethany skewered Miles with a disgusted glare. “I’ve got it. You don’t have to write it out in crayon or anything for me. I’m not Sylvia.”

I straightened. I was behind the bar. When the attack came for Sam’s character, the other vampire would shove between Bethany and Sylvia and go for Sam. I was to leap over the bar—I had wires attached—and rip out the other vampire’s throat. It was actually a fairly cool scene. Apparently, I’d missed something, though, because I hadn’t realized that Bethany and Sylvia were no longer getting along. That was obvious when looking at them, though.

“What’s going on here?” I asked Dexter in a low voice.

“Oh, you haven’t heard?” Dexter looked far too amused. “They’re sworn enemies now.”

“I thought they were friendly.”

“Oh, no.” Dexter shook his head, his smile growing wider. “They were friendly, until they found out both of them were sleeping with Ed.”

I shouldn’t have been surprised. I was, though. “Are you kidding me?”

“Nope.” Dexter was all smiles. “Ed took your challenge to heart, and he’s been romancing them both.”

“I want to hurt him so badly right now,” I gritted out.

“Personally, I’m surprised he didn’t go after Sam—she would’ve been a feather in his cap—but she’s not around enough for him to get his hooks into.” Dexter’s gaze was heavy when it landed on me, suggesting he knew exactly why Sam hadn’t been around. I didn’t acknowledge his curiosity. It wasn’t his business.

“How long has this been going on for?”

“Apparently, he started romancing both of them right after you picked a fight with him. They didn’t find out until two days ago, when he screwed up who he was texting and they both showed up to his room at the same time.”

I didn’t even know what to say. “I want to kill him,” I admitted. “How hard is it to have a modicum of respect for your co-workers?”

“Is that what you’re doing?” Dexter asked. “Having a ‘modicum of respect’ for Sam?”

I narrowed my eyes. “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I lied.

“Really? So that wasn’t the two of you I saw over by the witch village three nights ago?”

My heart skipped a beat. “I … don’t believe so.”

“Don’t.” Dexter shook his head. “Nobody else knows if that’s what you’re worried about. I was alone when I saw you. Yourmouths were mashed together, though, and you had a case of wandering hands.”

I remembered the moment well. Sam had decided to climb me like a tree again, and I’d helped her by grabbing her butt. “Don’t tell anybody,” I said finally. “She doesn’t want anybody to know.”

“I have no intention of telling anybody,” he assured me. “You don’t have to hide it, though. She’s pretty great. The others are too self-absorbed to even notice. You’re fine. I’m just smarter than everybody else combined.”

A smile came to my lips, unbidden. “She is pretty great. I like spending time with her. I figured anybody who might come across us would just assume that we were acting for Miles’s little project.”

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