Free Finally Dead (Eve Benson: Vampire Book 1) by P. S. Power Page A

blood will be cheap, so you’ll probably never make
that back. That sounds like a good deal, doesn’t it?” It wasn’t like they’d be
serving three hundred million people, after all. If there were fifty thousand
Vampires in the world, she would have been highly shocked.
    To her
surprise, he stuck his tongue out at her. Not like a little kid, but more like
a person thinking.
    “A
hundred million, and fifteen percent, gross. Also you have to sleep with me,
whenever I want.”
    Bey made
a face, and looked away. She couldn’t tell what it was about though. It might
have been anything from disgust to anger, or even just a desire to do that to
her himself. Not that he wouldn’t get the chance if he wanted.
    “That,
but sex only if it fits into my schedule. Five years on the sex part
too, and then you have to renegotiate. Also that means we’re dating, not just a
booty call type thing. So dinner and a movie, or at least a concert, now and
then.” She shrugged, and smiled. “Well, the occasional booty call. Just
normal sex though. No freaky demon stuff. Unless I okay it first. I mean, it’s
not like I’m a prude .”
    They
shook hands on it, and he very carefully didn’t say it was a deal. What he did
was get it all down in writing, and had her sign it, which he did himself. It
was cute, but even the sex stuff was in there. Like he had to bargain for that?
A little geeky, perhaps, but he was still hot. More so now than when they’d
first met and he could have gotten some off of her back then, too. Not that
he’d ever tried.
    She used
the phone there to get in touch with Richard again.
    “Hey,
it’s Eve. I have you down with Zack for one round trip. You’ll have to schedule
it all out with him, in advance, but it’s already taken care of. I just have to
let him take me up the behind for the next five years. Well, other ways too,
but that stuff is all fun. You’re ready to back your part in this? Full support
for the new blood, provided I can show you it doesn’t suck ass?”
    “That is the bargain. I… Really didn’t expect that much, to tell the truth. Did you
truly offer yourself to him, just to arrange this for me? I don’t know if
that’s of equal value, but thank you.”
    She
shrugged.
    “He’s
cute, and I also gave him part of the business. That way he’ll have to back us
up in it, you know, with Line Travel and all that? Here would you like to talk
to him? Set that trip up?”
    Zack had
gone back to shoving food into his face, which he did efficiently, but he
swallowed fast enough to take the phone and speak smoothly. The first thing out
of his mouth though was a lot different than she expected.
    “Don’t
worry Richard, I won’t abuse her. She’s friends with both The Mistress of Souls, and The Technician, so she knows how to bargain correctly, I assure you.
Say, are you and your family coming for Christmas this year? I’m thinking we
could all get together. Macy’s what, eleven now?”
    That was
right, it seemed. Nearly twelve, from what Rich said, his voice smooth when
talking about it.
    “Good!
Make sure that goes in your schedule. I’ll reconfirm that in a month or so. Now
I just have to get with everyone else on it.”
    They
chatted for a bit, and then Zack hung up, not offering the phone back. Without
waiting, or looking anything up, he dialed a different number from memory, and
handed her the phone.
    “Marissa.”
He said it softly, just as it picked up. Because cold calls always worked,
didn’t they?
    “Good
evening?”
    “Um,
hello. This is Eve Benson, I’m kind of starting a new business, and it was
suggested to me that you might be a good person to get to come in on it with
me?”
    “Oh?
That sounds different then. Most don’t recommend me highly in those
circles. The opposite, in fact. May I enquire as to whom suggested such?” The
voice was a nice tenor, and could either be that of a young man, or a slightly
older woman. In other words, probably perfect for the Vampire