Tall Dark and Hungry(54)

"Already?"His eyes widened. "I should have gone to see it on opening night, but I didn't know it had opened. Did I?"he asked, not at all sure that he hadn't been told and either not paid attention or just let it slip his mind. Many things had slipped his mind since Terri left.

Marguerite stopped her pacing to say with exaggerated patience, "It never made it to opening night, Bastien.»

His eyebrows rose. "Why?»

"They had to close down. Too many of the cast and crew dropped out due to illness.»

"What kind of illness?"Bastien asked, his eyes narrowing.

Marguerite hesitated. "They weren't sure.»

He couldn't help noticing that his mother was suddenly avoiding his gaze. "Mother,"he said in warning tones.

Sighing, she admitted, "They weren't sure, but apparently it was some sort of contagious anemia.»

"Contagious anemia,"Bastien echoed with disgust. There was no such thing as contagious anemia. Now he knew where Vincent had been doing his feeding since arriving in New York. He shook his head in wonder. "The man ate himself out of his first lead role in a play. Dear Lord! How did he manage that? What was he thinking?»

"I don't think he was,"Marguerite said with a sigh. "Thinking, that is. I suspect he was so nervous about his lead role that he just-"

"He didn't seem nervous,"Bastien snapped. He had known the man for four hundred years; nothing made him nervous.

"That's true,"his mother allowed reluctantly, then her expression cleared. "Well, of course!»

"Of course, what?"Bastien asked, suspecting he didn't want to know.

"Well, it was probably comfort eating.»

"Comfort eating?"he repeated incredulously.

"Mmm."Marguerite nodded. "Well, there were Etienne and Lissianna, happy with their life mates, and Lucern marrying his, and you with Terri… He was probably lonely, suddenly aware of his solitary status, and overfeeding because of it.»

"Dear Lord."Bastien sank back in his seat and shook his head.

"The poor boy,"Marguerite murmured.

"Yes, poor boy,"Bastien said dryly. He rolled his eyes. His mother had always had a soft spot for Vincent; he was her favorite nephew.

"Perhaps I should go visit him,"she murmured thoughtfully.

Bastien perked up at this suggestion. "Perhaps you should. Understanding as you are, you might be able to help him.»

"Yes."Marguerite picked up her purse off his desk. "A trip to California would be nice this time of year.»

"I hear it's lovely,"he agreed encouragingly.

"Yes. I think I will."She slung her purse strap over her shoulder, then paused to peer at him. "You know I love you and wouldn't run off to California to tend Vincent if I didn't already know your little problem was taken care of, don't you?»

Bastien's head jerked slightly. Her comment caught him by surprise. "I don't have a problem,"he growled, then added, "And what do you mean it's been taken care of?»

Marguerite ignored the question. Whirling away from the desk, she headed for the door. "Well, I'm off to California. Vincent will no doubt insist I stay with him, so ring me there if you have any… news.»

"Wait! Mother!"Bastien half rose, then paused and simply sank down in his seat again when the door closed. For a minute, he stared blindly at the closed door, wondering what she had been talking about. Bastien suspected she had meant his broken heart when she spoke of his problem, but he had no idea what she meant when she'd said it was taken care of. The possibilities were endless. No doubt a half-dozen New York psychologists were going to call him over the next couple of days-pretty, single female psychologists-all claiming a need to talk to him about his mother.

Bastien scrubbed his hands through his hair with agitation. Marguerite Argeneau had to be the most annoying, interfering… And she was now Vincent's problem. For a while, at least.

"Sorry, Vinny,"he muttered under his breath. A small smile plucked at his lips at the idea of the chaos his cousin was about to suffer, but it died quickly. As annoying and persistent as she could be, Marguerite Argeneau often got what she wanted. She had managed to get Kate back for Lucern when the woman had fled him for New York. And she had arranged for Thomas to get Etienne and Rachel back together when they had fallen out. It was just a shame she hadn't set her mind to getting Terri back for him.

Not that he wanted her interference, he assured himself.

Meredith was talking on the phone when Terri walked into her office. The woman stopped dead in the middle of her conversation and gaped at her; then she hung up the phone without a word of good-bye or an explanation to whomever she had been talking to. "Am I glad to see you.»

Terri smiled. "Well, it's nice to see you too, Meredith.»

"Trust me, not as nice as it is for me to see you, Terri."The secretary stood, collected her purse and jacket, and walked around the desk. "He's been a miserable grouch ever since returning from England. He loves you, you know.»

"Yes."Terri smiled. "He told me that in Huddersfield. The problem was whether I could handle what you all are."One of the things that Kate had explained was that most of the employees at the upper level were vampires as well. There were many employees at Argeneau Enterprises who weren't, but those in important positions were. It eliminated the possibility of a disgruntled employee blabbing about what they were to the rest of the world.

Meredith paused in front of her and nodded. "And now?»

"And now, I'm unemployed, homeless, and here,"Terri said wryly. She'd quit her job, and even managed to sell the cottage before leaving. She intended to look for a position in America, or Toronto, or wherever it was that she and Bastien ended up. If he still wanted her.

Smiling, the secretary leaned forward and hugged her. "Welcome to the family,"she said. Then turned to gesture to Bastien's office door. "It's not locked. He'll be happy to see you. I'm going to an early lunch.»

"Thank you,"Terri said quietly. She waited for the older woman to leave the office before she knocked, waited for his "Enter»-which was rather snappish, she noticed-then walked in.

"Meredith, where the hell did I put-" His harassed tones died abruptly as he glanced up and spotted her.

"Terri.»

Terri.

"You didn't put me anywhere, but you left me in Huddersfield."She closed the door and crossed the room, suddenly unsure that Kate and Meredith were right, and that he would really be happy to see her. He didn't look too happy.

Bastien was confused for a minute; then he reran his last words to himself-"Meredith, where the hell did I put… Terri."Understanding dawned. "I waited the two days.»

"I'm a slow thinker,"Terri said apologetically. "And thick sometimes. Kate had to come see me before I got over old presumptions.»

"Old presumptions?»

"Well, you know. Thirty-three years of vampire movies can leave an impression,"Terri explained with a shrug. "I was stuck on the word, not seeing the man. Or the woman, for that matter."She paused in front of his desk. "I was even afraid of Kate when she first showed up at my office in Leeds.»

"Kate came to the University?"Bastien asked.

Terri nodded, a small smile tugging at her lips. "She said she just knew that you'd mess up the explaining part.»

"I didn't mess up the explaining part,"he snapped.

" 'Have you seen the movie An American Werewolf in London?' " she quoted back to him. She shook her head and laughed.

Bastien flushed. So, okay-maybe that hadn't been the smoothest opening. Since then, he'd thought of at least a dozen better ways to start.

"I was under a bit of pressure,"he excused himself. He gave a weary shrug, then sat back in his seat and eyed her. "Are you going to tell me why you're here? Or are you enjoying torturing me?»

"I'm here because I love you.»

That sounded hopeful, he thought, his body tensing.

"And because I hope you still love me.»

Bastien stared at her for a minute, part of him wanting to leap over the desk and take her in his arms and show her how much he still loved her. The other part urged caution. "And what about»-he gestured to his body-"my medical condition?»

Terri gave a laugh. "Medical condition?»

Bastien sighed wearily. "You know what I mean.»

She hesitated, then asked, "Do you still love me, Bastien? Or are you so hurt that I needed time to think about this that you aren't sure you want anything to do with me anymore?»

"I still love you,"he admitted. "I'll love you forever. Or at least for the next four or five hundred years. After that, we might have to work at it.»

Terri grinned and walked around the desk.

Bastien watched her, unable to move, still wary, then gave an "oomph"as she dropped into his lap.

"I can accept your 'medical condition,' " she told him. "And I'd like to spend my life, however long it is, with you. Now, if you wouldn't mind, would you make love to me please?"She slid her arms around his shoulders. "I know we still have talking to do, but I really need to feel close to you again. I've felt so cold and scared inside since you left.»