Another Curvy Girl and Grumpy Vamp (Just Another Girl Meets… #5)

2. Merri

Merri

I f life is a video game, I’m playing it with no cheat codes, no respawns, and definitely no time for unnecessary distractions—like, say, a tall, dark, and humorless vampire.

Grad school is kicking my ass. My part-time ride-share job is more grind than gig. And now, on top of all that, I need to remind myself a hundred times a day that I don’t have time for men. Especially not the dangerous, possessive kind. I’ve had a front-row seat at that shit show since I was born, and I’m not about to repeat history. But damn, that vampire was hotter than summer sand.

The second I stepped out of my car and saw him standing there, all black suit and smoldering, I fought the urge to drop my books and take him. School be damned. I’ve never had such a panty-soaking reaction to a man before. Broad shoulders, chiseled jawline, tall enough to make me feel small—which, as a curvy girl, is a list topper. And those silver eyes with the crimson rings called me even when his lips didn’t move. His eyes could make a girl say, “Yes, sir,” to any request. Any.

Of course, he ruined it by being all surly. His words came out like nails raking a board. Even without his rude words, his red gaze—the undeniable sign of a vampire, was enough to warrant a refusal. Not that he’d asked me, but I had zero desire to be his personal blood bank. Gross.

I mean, he was sexy as hell, hello—tall, dark and muscular, but there are limits. And mine end right at the blood-sucking, immortal undead boundary.

The traffic light turns red. I drum my fingers on the steering wheel as if I can tap him out of my mind. Would it be different if he wasn’t a vampire? If he was just some regular guy with no dark, dangerous strings attached? Probably. If he wasn’t a vampire, I’d be all over him. But knowing what I know… Yeah, it’s a hard pass. No matter how good he looks in that suit.

My phone buzzes on the passenger seat, Nina’s name flashes on the screen. I glance at the road, waiting for the light to change, and quickly swipe the call.

“Merri, girl, tell me you’re not still working,” Nina’s voice booms through the speaker.

“Why are you even asking. You know I only have two modes. Work or school,” I say rolling my eyes.

“Uh-huh. Well, you better shut it down, ‘cause we’re having margaritas tonight. You, me, and Greer.”

“Can’t, I have a paper due. And I still need a few more rides to hit my bare minimum goal for tonight.”

“Yeah, your daily goal. Got it.” I don’t even have to see her to know she’s eye rolling and air quoting me. I’ve told them a thousand times. I have a daily target. Until it’s met, I can’t turn off the app for the night. I need the cash, even if they don’t. “How much is it again? Can we just request your time?”

I’ve explained this as well. They can’t just buy me for the night. They either wait or party without me. “Um, nope. Besides, I’m not that far off. One or two more rides and I can visit Margarita Villa. Hell, if the tip is big enough I may have enough to move in.” It’s a lame joke, and she knows it. My condo was a gift from an aunt who passed away. It’s prime real estate and if I live in it until I die, I’d be totally okay with that.

“Merri, please. You’re gonna burn yourself out.” Nina’s voice softens, and I know she means well. “One night off won’t kill you. Besides, Greer’s already planning an intervention. You know how over the top she gets.”

I laugh and switch lanes. Waving at the sweet grandma, who let me merge. “An intervention for what?”

“For you. Running yourself into the ground. When is the last night you had off? God forbid you have a date.”

Of course, my mind veers back to the vamp. “Only a year of school left. There’ll be plenty of time for that after I’m finished.”

“Not if you’re dead,” she grumbles under her breath. Nina is also over the top, especially on my dating life—or lack thereof.

“Besides, guys are too much trouble, and I got reminded of that last night.”

“What happened?”

“I’ll tell you when I see you guys, so I don’t have to repeat myself.”

“Didn’t you say we might not see you tonight? Spill girl and give us something to talk about.”

“Nothing much. I parked in some guy’s spot, and he got mad. That’s it. Nothing to report,” I say flatly, so I don’t encourage her.

“Mmhmm, and I’m the Queen. Deets, please.”

The light turns green. “Honestly, it’s not a big deal. He just… had this presence, you know? I can’t really explain it. He was rocking the whole dark and dangerous vibe.”

“Oh, shoot. With tats and a muscle shirt?”

“Opposite,” I grin at the image of the vamp in a muscle shirt. “Business suit, expensive car and…” I hesitate before adding the bit that is going to give her palpitations. “…silver eyes with red rings.”

“Shut up.” She makes some slapping noise. Knowing her it’s either her forehead or her thigh. “And you weren’t all over him.”

“Not my type.”

“A hunky vamp is everyone’s type. You just don’t want to admit it.”

“Pass. And I never said hunky,” I snort. “Besides, I’ve got enough going on without adding in a bloodsucker. Thanks, but no thanks.”

Nina laughs. “Girl, you do know they don’t go around biting people anymore, right? That’s, like, illegal. The Council made sure of that. Plus, the vaccine makes it so they don’t even want blood like they used to.”

“Yeah, I know. It’s still weird though. Who’s signing up for that? It’s not my kink.”

“I dated a vamp once,” Nina says.

“What?” I nearly swerve into the next lane. “You did not.”

“Oh yeah,” she continues, like it’s no big deal. “Nice guy. But let me tell you, the only thing he wanted to suck was my big toe.”

“Your…what?” I burst out laughing.

“Yup,” Nina says, and I hear the grin in her voice. “The man had a serious foot fetish. And honestly, it was more disturbing than any blood-letting could’ve been.”

I’m laughing so hard now; I can barely keep my eyes on the road. “That is…that is truly horrifying.”

Nina joins in the laughter. “Tell me about it. I dumped him the second he asked to nibble on my pinky toe. I have my limits.”

“Well, give him points for creativity, at least,” I say between laugh breaks. “But yeah, no. Blood-sucking, toe-sucking, it’s all a no for me.”

Nina’s still laughing when I pull into the parking lot of my next fare. “Anyway,” she says, catching her breath, “you’re coming out tonight.” She orders, not asks. “And you’re gonna tell us more about your new man, err vamp.”

“Not my man,” I say. “But fine, I’ll be there. But don’t expect any toe-nibbling stories from me.” I cut off Nina’s laughter and greet my passenger.

***

“So,” Greer says later when the margaritas are flowing like waterfalls. “You parked in a vampire’s spot…”

Nina leans forward, grinning. “Yeah, details, girl. And don’t you dare leave anything out.”

Shaking my head, I ignore her finger jabs. “I gave you everything. I parked. He got mad. That’s it. Can we talk about literally anything else?”

Greer tilts her head slightly, her brows knitting together like she’s reading the surface of my emotions, but she’s not prying. “I get it. He left an impression, though, didn’t he?”

“You have no idea.” I groan and set my glass down. “The man was gorgeous. Broad shoulders, thick dark hair, perfect jawline, tall enough to make me feel tiny—and he had this whole ‘Id ruin your life and you’d thank me for it’ vibe going on.”

Nina lets out a low whistle. “Damn. If that’s what we’re dealing with, maybe you should’ve asked him to nibble on your toes.”

I burst out laughing, nearly spilling my drink. “Seriously, though, I was ready to climb him like a tree trunk. But then I saw the red in his eyes and knew.”

Greer raises a brow. “That he’s a vamp?”

“Yeah,” I say, sitting back in my chair. “And if that wasn’t enough, he owns the building I’m living in. The parking spot said reserved for Baden Eames. I’ve lived there a year and never saw so much as a fairy’s feather of an owner. So, when I get in late, it’s the safest spot to park in—right next to the elevator. Honestly, I thought some large corporation must run the building as a tax write off. But as soon as I got to my apartment, I looked up the owner of the business and there he was, Mr. Baden Eames. That was the end of it. It would be icky enough being his blood bank but the whole landlord-tenant thing is problematic.”

Because my girls have no sense, they break into the old joke, “You must pay the rent—But I can’t pay the rent…” Lowering their voices and banging on the table, even waggling their brows in unison.

When they settle down Greer points out with a smirk. “Blood-sucking is illegal now. So, you’re safe from that.”

Nina adds, “Yeah, remember? They don’t even want blood like they used to. Vaccine and all.”

I wave a hand. “Doesn’t matter. I don’t care if they’ve been defanged. I’m not interested.”

Nina grins. “I’m not buying it. Not when you’re still swooning.”

Greer nods, and I snicker at Nina’s wildly fanning hands. Pretending she’s having a hot flash. Okay, fine. Maybe I am attracted to him even if I don’t want to admit it. I’m also not about to act on my attraction just because he looks good in a suit.

“Whatever,” I say, shaking off the thoughts. “It’s not happening. Let’s talk about something else.”

But as the night wears on and the drinks keep flowing, I can’t shake the memory of those silver eyes, and the indescribable pull I felt toward him. He was handsome, yes. But it was more than that. It was like he saw through me. The way his eyes bore into mine, the intensity. It wasn’t normal. I’ve seen vampires before, crossed paths with a few. None of them looked at me like they could see past everything—the stress, the schoolwork, the masks I wear for the world. Straight through to the real me.

And damn it, it’s… unnerving.

I shake off the lingering thoughts as Nina and Greer chat about their latest work drama, but even as I laugh along with them, I’m not fully there. My mind keeps drifting back to him. The way his jaw clenched when he spoke, like he was fighting something. His lips, perfectly sculpted and tense, like he was barely keeping himself from—

No. Stop it, Merri.

I take another long sip of my margarita, hoping to drown the thoughts in tequila. But of course, Greer, with her soft empath abilities, picks up on it. “You’re doing it again,” she says, eyes narrowing. “You’re thinking about him.”

“Girl, stop reading my feelings,” I warn her half-empath behind.

“I’m not reading anything,” she denies. “Your face is doing all the talking.”

I groan, rubbing a hand over my face. “I hate you both.”

Nina laughs. “Please. You love us. Besides, we’re just here to remind you that it’s okay to relax a little. Enjoy your life. Get your toes sucked.”

I laugh despite myself. “Yeah, I’m not ready to cross that line.”

“Good,” Greer says with a mock-serious nod. “No toe-nibbling vamps for you.”

We clink our glasses. The conversation shifts to safer topics—work, school, the usual grind. Greer’s an accountant with a large firm and Nina’s a librarian. We graduated with our bachelor’s degrees three years ago. They work their dream jobs, and their lives are settled while sometimes it feels like I’m still figuring things out. I had plenty of job offers when I first graduated, even more when I completed my masters. But I kept going because school was my haven.

It’s the first place that made sense. A place far away from the drama of my shifter father and human mother. My dad is only one quarter werewolf. Not enough to shift but more than enough to claim my mother. Because he’s a quarter he can’t feel her through the mate bond very well and it drives him literally crazy when he can’t reach her. She tolerates it because she loves him but it’s hard as hell to be responsible for another person’s sanity.

And mating is insanity. I have never understood why one person would tether their life to another. Nope, give me a nice, normy. Please and thank you.

***

I collapse on the couch, my limbs heavy from friends, drinks, tacos, and laughter. I kick off my shoes and stretch out, closing my eyes, but instead of feeling relaxed, my mind drifts right back to him.

Ugh, why is he still in my head?

I grab my phone off the coffee table and scroll through social media. If I’m going to think about him, I might as well gather as much information as I can. He’s a beast in the business world, topping the world’s richest list. I guess when you’re as old as he is you’ve had time to master industry. An article put his age at three hundred years, but another said four. He’s never made a comment. He’s also never appeared in a picture with a woman. Coincidence? Shit, what if he’s not straight? I ask the internet; it answers that he’s arrow straight. But it doesn’t give me any sources of this information. Interesting. Maybe… No. Not with the way he stared at me. His eyes said he wanted me even if every other part denied it.

And what will I do with that knowledge?

I sigh, tossing my phone aside and closing my eyes again, hoping sleep will take me before I can waste any more ridiculous thoughts about silver-eyed vampires. Tomorrow’s another day. Another round of classes, and work. That’s more than enough to keep my mind off Baden Eames.