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Chapter One
The air huuitar and raht place
Ian MacPhie strode across the renovated warehouse, his steps falling into rhyth drums The Horny Devils was the best place he could think of for finding a wo with theht red and blue laser lights zipped here and there, highlighting the ladies’ scantily dressed, bouncing bodies as they danced close to the stage They surged in tih tide, and he was sucked toward thehts zoo hih him What if none of these ladies found hionizing pain to look older andugly?
As a Vamp he couldn’t see his new face in a ital photos at JeanLuc’s wedding, or he thought he had He hadn’t recognized the strange ood, but she’d been such a happy bride, she’d thought everything was beautiful that day
As Ian’s vision readjusted, he realized his moment of panic didn’tat hiazes riveted on the male dancer who strutted down the runith an Indian warbonnet on his head The war paint on his hairless chest depicted an arrow that pointed south where a bunch of strategically placed eagle feathers hid his wampum
Ian took a deep breath and assessed the situation True, the ladies hadn’t noticed hiet their attention yet These lassies were certainly in a lusty ood Time to put his new face to the test
He eased into the crowd Nohat should he say? Jean-Luc had successfully courted Heather using char, ladies"
The roar of the music was so loud, only two lady Vamps heard him They turned their heads and boldly inspected him
"Not bad," one of theave theh it faltered a bit when he noticed the second girl earing black lipstick He supposed the ave hiue
"Nice kilt," the black-lipped girl yelled "Cute knees"
"Aren’t you a dancer?" the first girl shouted
"Nay Allow me to introduce ht your kilt was a costuhed "Do you seriously dress like that?" The black-lipped girl joined in on the laughter
"We need to see more than your cute knees!"
Ian hesitated He needed a witty, chared"
Unfortunately, his attee of high-pitched screae Feathers were flying, and the crowd of women bounced up and down, deter yer pardon" Ian tried to regain the two girls’ attention "Could I buy you a drink?" "That one’s irl to the side so she could nab a feather
Ian stepped back, dislanced at the stage and gulped By all the saints, the women had plucked the dancer like a chicken These ressive than he’d realized When it ca
Ianjostled by the frantic feather-grabbing wo was very i prey He would sit back and wait for the right moment Sooner or later, the dancers would have to take a break, and maybe then the ladies would be more easily impressed
And while he waited, he’d fortify his nerves with a stiff drink He strode toward the bar He had it all figured out He was searching for a girl as honest, loyal, pretty, and intelligent In that order And of course she would need to be madly in love with him
That last part was a little tricky How did he go about irl fall in love with hih
The female bartender had a phone to one ear and her hand pressed to the other toSo you’re from California? Land sakes, that’s far away"
Two young ladies materialized beside her They’d used the sound of the bartender’s voice as a beacon to help theht location
"Welco up her phone "What would you like to drink?"
"Two Blood Lites," one of the California girls ordered She snapped her sparkly rhinestone- covered cell phone shut, then dropped it into her shiny handbag
The second girl pointed toward the stage "Oh ot all about their drinks as they scareeting "Good evening, ladies"
They passed hi Indian, as down to his last two feathers
Ian sighed What was the world co to when a man with honorable intentions had to compete with a male stripper? How could he impress these modern lassies? Maybe Vanda could advise hi, she’d become a very modern wo from the West Coast to come to her club
Ian settled on a stool at the bar and received a bright ser wore hoop skirts and her blonde hair in ringlets, but she still sounded like a Southern belle froreeted hi in Fusion Cuisine?"
"There’s so
"Yep It’s called Bleer Synthetic blood mixed with--"
"Beer?"
Cora Lee looked disappointed "You’ve already had it?"
"Nay Lucky guess I’ll take a glass" Ian removed a fiver frolass with amber liquid The aroma of blood and yeast made his mouth water By all the saints, it had been centuries since he’d tasted beer
"Here you go" Cora Lee set the glass in front of hi drink, then licked the reddish foarinned "Glad you like it Are you new in town?"
Bloody hell He had thought her initial snized hiulp of Bleer to ease the sting Cora Lee had been in Ro in the saed that much?
"It’s me, Ian"
Her blue eyes widened "Ian?"
"Aye Ian MacPhie"
"You can’t be Ian He’s just a young’un"
He glowered at his glass of Bleer It was a wonder he hadn’t gone crazy fro treated like a child for five centuries "Ye used to ask ht I was too young to be eyeing the curve of yer hips or the way the corset pushed yer breasts--"
"Why, I never!" Cora Lee stepped back
"Nay, no’ with me, that’s for certain"
She huffed "I would never bed a child"
"I’rowled
She tilted her head to study him "I do declare, your eyes bear a remarkable resemblance to Ian’s" "That could be because I am Ian"
"Are you sure?"