The valet at the country club smirked as he climbed into my beat-up Mazda. What a snob club valets can be. I’d considered driving Nevi’s far more presentable Volvo to the party, but felt uncomfortable about over stepping my privileges with it. I was sure he meant that I drive it to my house and back to his again; not around the countryside and especially not to a party he wasn’t invited to. I felt bad about his lack of invitation. I almost invited him to join me, but thought better of it. It was a little too soon for him to meet the family. Besides, my mother was up to something and I didn’t want to complicate things by introducing Nevi to the mix.I squared my shoulders, tossed my head up high, and started toward the club house entrance. I imagined I was on the Red Carpet at an awards dinner and walked the  most regal walk I could muster. The arrogance of the valet was exactly why I was so determined to make it on my own. Most of the employees at

When I came out of the darkness, I was resting comfortably on the bed in the room I’d been occupying. The man I’d noticed clearing the snow from the front of the house the first time I’d stayed over—and given a peep show to, I recalled with embarrassment—was carrying in a tray laden with a tea pot and two cups. He set the tray down on a small side table near the wing backed chair that Nevi was seated in and scurried out of the room. When Nevi heard me stir, he put the papers he’d been reading down and came to my side.“How are you feeling?” he asked with genuine concern.“I…” My hand flew to the bandage on my throat as the memory of my nightmare encounter flooded back to me. “Oh my god! I was bitten by a crazy woman. I think she was a…a vampire!” I turned to Nevi and looked at him as if I was seeing him for the first time. “You…she said she was…she was…&rdqu

I woke up to find a note on the pillow where Nevi’s head usually lay. I rubbed my eyes to focus and began to read. It was another of his apologetic notices of absenteeism and the usual request for me to make myself at home. He reassured me Sasha had been removed from the premises hours earlier. Marie–the woman who brought the tomato bisque—and Paul, the snow removal man—were there to assist me with my needs and to make sure that I would be safe until he returned. There was no mention of where he’d gone or when he intended to return. There was also no indication of when he’d left.What constituted soon?I felt unexplainably and intensely annoyed, impatient, and antsy. I wanted to jump out of my skin, or punch something or someone, or run somewhere… something! This was a new and unexpected change in attitude. I was at a loss at how to handle it.As I climbed out of the enormous bed I’d been sharing with my vampire l

I was in heaven. After the bitter cold of winter, the sun felt marvelous against my pasty white skin as I stretched out on an expensive chaise lounge, nestled in the sands of the private beach belonging to the gorgeous hotel we were staying in. Geoffrey reserved adjoining rooms for us—something I greatly appreciated. Kissing was one thing, but I wasn’t quite ready to be sexually unfaithful to Nevi. Nevi and I had settled into a pleasingly comfortable relationship. I wanted to keep it that way.It wasn’t until I lay basking in the sun’s rays that I remembered Nevi. I hadn’t called to tell him that I was leaving town or for how long. We’d agreed to a small separation for at least a week to help me readjust to life, but he would still expect me to call him. He would have definitely expected me to inform him of my leaving town. I know I would have expected it of him.I needed to give him a call.I sat up and grabbed my cell phone

Nevi was waiting for me at the airport.Shortly after checking in for my flight, I’d come to my senses and realized that I owed Nevi an apology for hanging up on him like I had and offered it as soon as I stepped into the terminal. He accepted it with the usual class he displayed in most situations and suggested that we put it out of our minds. He emphasized that he understood completely what kind of shock the news about Frank must have caused.As he held me in his arms and kissed me with gentle passion, I could feel his yearning for me. He was telling the truth. He had missed me; in more ways than one.I couldn’t help comparing Nevi’s kisses to Geoffrey’s. Nevi’s kisses relayed more of what he was feeling for me. They seemed very real. Yet, Geoffrey’s kisses were the ones that brought me to an instantaneous height of passion. Nevi’s kisses hinted of the exotic spices that flavored the gourmet vegetarian dishes that he a