Free Scarlet Masquerade by Jett Abbott Page A

me.”
    Clarissa smiled at Alexandra’s determination. It was clear she rarely took no for an answer.
    “All right, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
    “Hmm, don’t be surprised if you’re at my summer home soon.”
    Smiling to herself, she realized she liked this dark, secretive woman. Something about her was dangerous, yet protective of Clarissa. Looking down at her arms, the goose bumps were back, and a tingling had vibrated through her body when she took Alexandra’s arm. Clarissa looked up at Alexandra and studied her as they walked arm in arm down the street. Yes, Alexandra was definitely an interesting woman she wanted to learn more about.
    Clarissa relaxed in the bath as she thought about the masquerade ball. She loved the opportunity to dress up in period clothing, especially a period familiar to her. There was still so much left to be done that she needed to make sure the students stayed on task. There was only one problem. This year a major donor had pulled their funding because of the rough economy. She was surprised more donors hadn’t done the same thing, but was thankful for the few who had assured her of their long-term support. This event wouldn’t be a success if the club couldn’t replace that donor. The economy had hit everyone hard, including the university. Dean Marsh had made it clear no money would be coming from the university. Carol had recommended a few of the bigger companies that did research for the university, so tomorrow she would send a letter to each and find out what their level of interest might be. One company looked promising. A research and development company had recently set up a lab on campus and had made it clear that they were interested in helping the university in any way they could. No one on campus knew much about the company so the details were light. She had asked the grants and finance department to send over what they could about the new company.
    She thought about Marge and the call that she needed to make. After the experience in the garage, she needed some grounding and Marge was just the person to help her. Marge had lived twice as long as Clarissa had and would be able to give her some much needed advice.
    Clarissa had led a protected life for the past eight years, but now she was worried she had been too careful. With the exception of Marge, she didn’t have any friends like herself. She stayed out of the culture for a reason, but now it looked liked her past might be looking for her. She had heard of a sub-culture of vampires called seekers, but she hadn’t seen any evidence of them. Maybe last night had changed all of that. Clarissa tingled as she remembered how easily her body had worked into the orgasm. The only person who could do that to her would be an older, established vampire like De Marcus. De Marcus wouldn’t hide though, he would take what was his. And she was still his, if he was alive.
    Dunking her head under the warm water, she tried to rinse the prior evening’s memories from her head. Things were getting complicated and maybe it was time to start thinking of moving. But, first things first. The masquerade ball and then deal with the insanity that was starting to swirl around her.
     

Chapter Eleven
     
     
    A.J. grabbed the first available elevator and made her way to the back. Her shoulders pressed firmly against the wall. She always stood in the back, watching who got on and who got off. This time though, she noticed there were a lot of new faces. She didn’t like new faces, even if she didn’t get a vibe off them. She liked knowing who worked for her. It was what kept her safe. Getting off at her floor, she half smiled at the receptionist in the lobby and went straight to her office. It was still early and Kevin wouldn’t be in for another half hour. That would give her plenty of time to walk the floors and check things out. She didn’t like it when she lost focus on what was important, and this company was important to