Vampires and Sexy Romance by Mercy Walker, Eva Sloan, Ella Stone Page B

office door for leverage.  Four inch heels were never good for putting on the breaks in.
    Luvici looked back at her.  His eyes had turned back to their previous glaring mode.  “We have to hurry, princess.”
    Okay, that’s it!  Now he’s calling me that too...
    “Get off me, you freaking troglodyte!”
    Luvici let go of her arm like she’d burnt him.  He rounded on her and stood there, practically nose to nose with her.  His breath was making Lucy’s eyes water, but she wouldn’t back down.  This guy was just a big bully, and after all, who’s the one doing the blackmailing around here?
    “I—am—not—a—caveman!”    He looked so pissed Lucy thought he was going to strike her.  “I went to Stanford, just like your old man.”  Suddenly his face seemed to crumble, and she saw that his eyes were getting glassy.
    “Are you going to cry?”
    “NO!”  Luvici roared.  But his face was starting to look like he was indeed getting ready to cry.
    I really don’t need a blubbering fool right now.
    “I’m not a caveman, the missing link, or a freaking giant...”  He hands were out, palms up, beseeching.  “I’m just big boned, for crying out loud!”
    Lucy shook her head, and then switched to nodding in agreement.  “Sure...I totally see that.”
    “Then why’d you say that?”  The hurt in his eyes made Lucy cringe.  Where was the nasty, lecherous weasel that was checking her out just ten minutes ago? 
    “Everyone said that,” he grumbled.  College...even my goddamn wife calls me a Cyclops!”
    “Oh,” Lucy couldn’t help but feel sorry for him.  Okay, his eyes were a little close together, but with a little creative eyebrow plucking...
    A tear was threatening to leak out of his left eye.  Lucy couldn’t take it if he started to cry now.
    “So, where is this place, where we’re meeting creepy phone guy.”
    Luvici got back that annoyed look on his face .  I can handle annoyed, just not weepy.
    “We don’t call Mr. Enoch creepy phone guy.  So remember that.  He’s rich and powerful...hell the entire family’s rich and powerful.  They all work for the company.  Hell, they are the freaking company.”
    “Okay, Okay.”  Lucy put up her hands in surrender.  “He’s now only known as Mr. Enoch.  So where are we going?  And why were you in such a hurry?”
    This elicited Luvici to check his watch, groaning and swearing under his breath as he gestured again for me to walk.
    “We’re meeting Mr. Enoch and his nephew at Caulderon’s.”
    Lucy smiled.  Her father had taken her there the day she’d passed her driver’s license exam.  And he’d said they’d go again when she got accepted to Stanford.  It was expensive.  They didn’t even serve tap water, only fancy French and Italian stuff with bubbles.
    “Excellent!” she chimed.
    Luvici started moving down the street with some real speed.  Now that he wasn’t dragging Lucy behind him, she suddenly had a hard time keeping up with him.
    “Caulderon’s is just a couple blocks away,” Lucy yelled after him.  “Why are you in such a rush?”
    He stopped abruptly and turned to face her again.  Looking down at her he said, “We have to dress you.”
    Dress me?  But I’m not naked...
    But then it hit her.  Jeans and a frumpy top weren’t going to impress people that were rich and powerful, or that frequented Caulderon’s.  And then Lucy remembered that creepy phone guy—er…Mr. Enoch—had said he was looking for a “suitable young lady.”
    Definitely, I need something else to wear.
    With a sudden desperate tug at her heart she realized she didn’t have enough money to even buy underwear in the shops they were passing by, no less a dress.
    “I can’t afford these shops.” Lucy said, grabbing hold of Luvici’s wrist as he jerked toward a boutique’s entrance.
    Luvici rolled his eyes.  “It’s on me, kid.”
    “Thought you were broke?”  she groused, stopping in her tracks, hands on