Abbey sat up straighter. “The vampire socialite?”
“The very same. She wants to sign up.”
“That’s fantastic.”
Vivian shook her head. “There’s a problem. Her sire.”
The infamous Lucian Redgrave.
Abbey nodded her understanding. The man was the vampire lord of New York. In nonhuman terms, he was basically king of the undead, at least in this part of the country. The human world knew him as a powerful but reclusive CEO. He came out for a few photo ops every now and then but mostly kept to himself in his spacious mansion outside the city. In supernatural circles, he was well known for his resistance to change.
“Melissa wants to use us but Lucian refuses until he’s vetted us thoroughly.”
Abbey frowned. “Both of you are old as dirt. Surely you’ve met before?”
“The man hates sirens. No accounting for taste.” She flicked a strand of silver hair over her shoulder. “You need to drive out there and give our pitch.”
Abbey blinked. “No.”
“Abbey, this is no time to be difficult. We need to land Melissa.”
“I don’t go near vampires. You know that. The bloodsuckers are far too peckish when they get around humans. No way I’m driving for hours to lock myself in a house with two of them.”
“Probably more than two. They have servants, after all.”
“Not happening.”
“I’ll give you three evenings off.”
“Nope.”
“Four.”
“Free time is no good if you’re dead.”
Vivian threw up her hands. “Don’t be dramatic. Lucian is a vampire elder. If he can’t hold it together, no one can. You’ll be perfectly safe.”
“Highly unlikely,” she muttered.
“I’ll let you make your own schedule next week and I’ll give you five extra vacation days. I’ll even set you up with a nice griffin I know.”
“Not interested in dating nonhumans,” Abbey said for the millionth time. “I only made a profile because it was part of my job description.”
“Whatever. You are going. Case closed.”
“Jessie can do it when she’s back from lunch. Or Chloe.”
“It has to be a human. You have no allegiance to any race and no ulterior motive to get an audience with an elder. You have no idea how in demand that vamp is.”
“I also have no way to defend myself if this goes bad.”
Perfectly manicured nails clacked on the marble countertop, a sure sign of Vivian’s waning patience. “Let me cut to the chase. If we don’t land Melissa Redgrave, I will hold you personally responsible. You will be fired immediately and without a reference, and you know as well as I do that matchmaking is a small world. One word from me and no agency in this town will touch you, human or otherwise. You’ve got a good thing going here, Abbey. It would be a shame to lose it.”
More than a shame, it’d be disastrous, and Vivian knew it. As a college dropout, Abbey had few prospects to begin with. Matchmaking was work she excelled at, and if she ever did leave Fated Match, it would be for another agency. But Vivian could ruin all her credibility with a few well-placed words. Then it’d be back to waiting tables and tearing her hair out trying to make rent.
“Underhanded, Viv.”
The siren didn’t look at all regretful of her vicious promise. “Take a recruitment briefcase with you. Everything you need to sign up Melissa Redgrave is in there. I’ll text you the address and you can use one of the company cars. Oh, and change into something a little more professional.”
Abbey looked down at her T-shirt, which read “Team Human.”
“I think it suits the situation just fine.”
“Change.”
Vivian flounced away without another word.
Abbey sighed, twirling in her swivel chair. Not only did she not want to waste time driving out to the sticks, but she also didn’t relish convincing a ridiculously old vamp to loosen up a bit. But she needed this job.
She headed for her office. She always kept a spare change of clothes in there. In this line of work, one never knew what the day would bring. A blood splatter here, a gooey handshake there. At least her job wasn’t boring.
Grabbing her respectable black pencil skirt and red blouse, she changed quickly. A silver briefcase waited by her desk, already filled with everything she’d need to recruit Melissa Redgrave.
Tossing her coat over her arm, she grabbed the case and headed out of the office. Her cell phone pinged as she walked past a smiling Vivian, no doubt with directions to the Redgraves’.
“This is a bad idea,” she tried one last time.
“Have a good drive. Try to be back before dark.”