Chapter 5
Piper
The masters were beingsuspicious today. Not that they weren't every day. I mean, they were vampires. Being mysterious was kind of their MO, but today they were even more paranoid than usual.
My day had started off like any other day. Up by seven. Took a shower where I did NOT give in to the urge to touch myself. Antoine had pretty much killed that desire with his comments about me sounding like a dying cow. One would think that I would moan even louder to spite him, but I was too mortified by the fact that they could hear me do it, anyway. If I did do it, I made sure it was midday, and I was as silent as the grave. No utterances of who I was thinking about or otherwise... which also brought on another dilemma.
Rayne.
A woman couldn't even masturbate in peace without worrying about someone catching snippets of what they're thinking about. I mean, it was bad enough they could hear me and smell me, but Rayne could literally see what I was fantasizing about. It really cooled one’s desire, to say the least.
So, my showers were decidedly fast and cool, lest I have the urge take me. I then went downstairs and had breakfast with Darren. Once again, he asked me if I was going to tell the masters about my stalker.
It's not that I didn't want to tell them. It was more that I didn't want to worry them or give them a reason to fire me. I mean, they acted like they cared about me, but I didn't know how far that extended when coming up against one of their own.
I just didn't want to chance it. Better to ignore it and hope Valentine got bored.
So, after dodging Darren's questions, I went about my day cleaning as usual. Okay, so maybe I messed around and snooped through some of the other's rooms... like Antoine's. That guy was just too put together not to have some kind of embarrassing kink. Alas, I found nothing but business suits and perfectly lined-up loafers in his closet. A girl could die of boredom with how un-vampire-like these guys were. Really, the only saving grace was the occasional dinner party where they were certainly not eating steak and potatoes.
Tonight was one of those nights... or it was supposed to be. However, when I came down for dinner, Darren didn’t try to rush me through my meal or hurry me back upstairs. Instead, he was sitting at the kitchen table with a cup of hot tea, something he only drank when he was upset, and the skin between his brows pinched together.
"What's going on?" I slid into the chair opposite of him a frown on my lips. "No dinner party tonight?"
Darren glanced up from his teacup only for a moment to acknowledge my presence before looking back to it. "No. It's been canceled."
I glanced at the kitchen where nothing had been prepared for us by Gretchen or any semblance of something I could grab to eat.
The oddities just kept coming.
"So..." I drew out. "Where is everyone? Big night out?"
With a shake of his head, Darren sighed and pulled his white gloves off to set them on the table. My eyes widened. I'd never seen Darren without his gloves, not even to wash the dishes. How he kept them from getting wet or ruined was beyond me. It was like watching someone taking off their pants, An oddly personal thing that I felt like I should avert my eyes for.
"The masters have taken their meals to the basement. They will be there all night and have asked not to be disturbed." He shot me a warning look before returning to his tea.
I inclined my head and sat there waiting for him to elaborate. Seeing that I wasn't getting anything else from him, I stood up and made my way to the fridge. Pulling it open, I searched through Gretchen's pre-made meals. Spaghetti. Meatloaf. Ah, chicken salad. That was quick and easy.
After grabbing the container, I snatched the bread on my way to the island. I placed my treasures on the top of the counter and went to retrieve a plate. While I was moving around and preparing my food, I could feel Darren's eyes on me. I wasn't sure why he was watching me. I wasn't doing anything out of the ordinary. It really started to bug me when I started to eat my sandwich and he was still staring.
"What?" I asked through a mouthful of sandwich. My question made Darren grimace, and I swallowed my food. "I mean, why are you looking at me like that?"
Darren stood and brought his teacup over to the sink, his hands still gloveless. "I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop."
"Huh?"
With a shake of his head, Darren washed his cup and put it in the drainer. "You are usually incessant in your questioning. You are the nosiest human I'd ever met, and yet you have yet to ask why they are spending the evening in the basement or anything else. You'll forgive me if prior experience has made me cautious."
I shrugged. "What can I say? I'm just not that interested in what they're doing down there." I took another large bite of my sandwich and chewed it around all the while Darren continued to stare at me. Swallowing my bite this time before I spoke, I sighed dramatically. "What now?"
Darren arched a brow. "So, you don't care at all what they are talking about down there?"
"No, I don't." I nodded firmly, proud of myself for being a mature adult.
"Even if they're talking about you?"
"What?!" I exclaimed. I dropped my sandwich on my plate and ran for the basement door. I wiggled the door handle and cursed. Locked. Not to be deterred, I pressed my face up against the door. The wood made my face cold, but I powered through it, urging my ears to be better. I listened for a few moments and tried to hear something anything.
What could they be talking about down there? What did I have to do with it? Did they find out about the vase in the guest bedroom? I hadn't meant to break it. I mean, who puts a decorative vase in a guest room? Especially one with breakable parts. That mermaid didn't need her tail, anyway.