Page 13 of My Boyfriend Bites

“Contrary to your belief, I don’t need to pay for sex.”

“Just companionship.”

He winced. “You caught me. I’m afraid those currently on my level are all quite elderly or married. I thought it might be nice if I could converse with someone who doesn’t start a conversation with ‘my sciatica’ or smell of liniment.”

“And you wanted me to join you on the geriatric level?” She snorted. “You’re something else.” She stalked to the elevator just as its doors opened. He slid in a moment before it shut.

“What are your plans now?” he asked.

“I’m halfway through my book.”

“What are you reading?”

“Reaping Demons.”

At his blank look, she explained. “It’s about a middle-aged woman who discovers demons are infesting the world.”

“So, a news piece on the current state of affairs.”

She snorted. “These demons are the ugly flesh-eating kind, not the overpaid, lying bureaucratic types.”

“Sounds the same to me,” he quipped, and she couldn’t help but smile. He did have a sharp wit.

“Except in this case, by the end of the series, she’ll have vanquished evil, which I don’t see happening anytime soon in reality.”

“Do you believe in the supernatural?” he asked as the elevator reached her floor.

An odd question and she had to think fast. “I think there are things that can’t be explained by science, yes.”

“Such as?”

As they excited the elevator—together since he seemed determined to make conversation—she replied, “Ghosts, for one. I do believe they exist.”

“Agreed. What else?”

“Your turn,” she countered.

“I think that many of the creatures mentioned in fables and old tales have a basis in truth.”

“You think dragons are real?” she queried with a lilt.

“Yes, but that they were hunted into extinction.”

An interesting position to take. “What about the Loch Ness Monster?”

“A dinosaur that survived the extinction event. It is my firm belief there is a colony of them in that loch, which goes deep underground. Occasionally, one of them escapes to take a peek at our world. Your turn. What of shapeshifters and so-called werewolves?”

She didn’t stumble, and her voice remained steady as she replied. “Seems kind of unlikely. I mean a person metamorphing into a completely different creature? Not scientifically possible.”

“Then I guess you don’t believe in vampires,” he countered.

Laughter escaped her. “Ah yes, pale-skinned dudes allergic to sunlight who go around biting people and can only be vanquished by a stake to the heart or decapitation.”

“You forgot fire.”

“And holy water,” she added with a giggle. “I mean, how ridiculous is it to think that one religion would have the means of stopping a vampire in its tracks?”

“If you don’t believe in vampires, then why do blood suckers appear in fables around the world?”

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