Page 39 of The Devil and the Dancer
He heard movement from the living room. Walking around the corner, he saw Vivian in a purple dressing gown studying a shirtless young man. Her head was slightly cocked and she stared as the human squirmed. Renard sat in a corner, looking at his phone.
The young man looked up when he saw Gavin in the doorway, and his eyes went wide.
“Out.” Gavin pointed at the door.
Without a word, the man stood, pulled on his shirt, and walked past Gavin with a mumbled apology.
Vivian stood and turned with her hands on her hips. “That was my dinner.”
“And this is my apartment.” He walked to the bar and took out a bottle of blood-wine. “You can have wine or you can go to the club, but don’t feed in my home. Where did he come from?”
“Renard ordered out.”
Gavin glanced at Renard, who only shrugged.
“There’s an app,” he said.
There was an app?
“Get dressed for a meeting,” Gavin said. “Business meeting. I’ve secured an appointment with Cormac in an hour. We need to leave in fifteen minutes, so hurry.”
Vivian sauntered past him, grabbed the blood-wine, and went to her quarters without a word. Gavin knew she’d be out in sixteen minutes and not a second less. She hated being ordered around.
“Renard,” Gavin said.
“Yes?”
“Start packing her things. You’re not invited to this meeting, and you’ll both be leaving tomorrow night.”
Renard looked skeptical, but he also rose and left the room.
Gavin tried not to grind his teeth. He glanced at his phone. Still nothing. He slid it back in his pocket and tried to focus.
He would get Vivian out of his hair.
Life would return to normal.
But with more Chloe.
He was determined that she needed to move in. Ben and Tenzin’s loft was secure, but his apartment was just as secure, more luxurious, and he had an entire practice area for her use. She could use the car during the day if she needed it. She would sleep in one place every night instead of moving back and forth, and Gavin wouldn’t have to wake up every night wondering where she was.
All he had to do was convince Cormac to sell Vivian some damn bourbon casks and hustle her back to France to play with her vineyards and rotating harem of pretty young men.
Gavin decided she’d pay for the favor in Loire Valley red. He’d heard rave reviews of her last release, and he wanted some for his cellar. Vivian annoyed the hell out of him, but he had to admit she was an extraordinary winemaker.
She exited her room in an impeccable grey suit and heels exactly sixteen minutes after she entered. Gavin chose to remain silent and escorted her to the car.
“Renard isn’t—?”
“Renard isn’t coming.” Gavin opened the car door. “He’s packing your things because you’re leaving tomorrow.”
Her smile was smug as she slid into the black sedan. “So you’ve convinced him?”
“No, you’re going to convince him.” Gavin closed the door, walked around to the driver’s side, and gave Abraham instructions before he got in the car. “I secured you a meeting, Vivi. If you can’t convince him, there’s no reason to stay. So you’re leaving tomorrow.”
She pouted, but she didn’t say anything more. They arrived at Cormac’s business office in twenty minutes and sat in a comfortable reception area while his personal secretary announced their arrival.
Cormac arrived only moments later. The vampire didn’t bother with some of the mind games others of their kind enjoyed. He was blunt, and Gavin appreciated that about him.
