Part 550 – A Failed Recruitment

The waitress stacked the menus together and tapped them against the hostess desk to get them all into alignment.

That vampire never came back here.

Ambrose Smith.

Not that it matters all that much.

It doesn’t matter.

I have other customers.

He can come.

He can go.

My business will run fine all the same.

The front door dinged as someone entered the restaurant.

She raised her head. “Welcome to…”

Ambrose Smith stood before her in all of his glorious wonderment.

“Mr. Smith.” She smoothed the creases in her gray brocade dress. “It’s a pleasure to see you again and unaccompanied by…ehh, whatever her name was.”

“Barbara Addleston. I want a room. Do you have any vacancies?”

“Oh! As a matter of fact, I do. Please. Follow me.”

She led him to an empty room and closed the door behind her. She took off her shoes and knelt at the table.

“Excuse me?”

She looked up at him. “Is there a problem?”

“Yeah.” He chuckled. “You seem to have this strange belief that I am here for you. I’m not.”

“It’s been a busy day. I was just resting my feet.”

“I’m with someone.”

She could feel a scream building up inside of her lungs. “Ms. Addleston, I presume.”

“It’s none of your business who I am with. I am a customer. You are my waitress.”

“Yes, of course.” She remained on the floor. “Just so you know, I have started to gather young men for my harem. If you want to join—”

“I am engaged.”

“Break it off.”

He laughed. “I don’t think so.”

“You have a chance to be a part of a fey’s harem. You have no idea what an honor that is.”

“No idea. No interest.” He sat at the low table. “I want a cup of hot water.”

“I will take good care of you.” She stretched her arm towards him.

He looked at her approaching arm as if it were a strand of poison ivy. “When I say hot, I mean hot. It should be hard to handle. The glass should be on the verge of snapping. That kind of hot.”

“Think of it, Mr. Smith. You’ll be safe. I’ll put my special mark on you.”

“What? Like a brand?”

“More like a tattoo. It will mark you as mine and untouchable. You’ll be able to hunt all you want and no hunter will be able to stop you.”

“Now, there’s a pretty fairytale. And, like all really good fairytales, there’s a dark side to it.” He gave her a belligerent look. “I can pretty much guess what it is.”

“Can you?”

“Yes. You’d keep me on a tight collar and leash. I’d have to roll over and play dead for you. You tell me bark, I bark. You tell me sit, I sit. You tell me heel, I heel. You tell me bed, I bed. It won’t matter what I want.”

“Well. You’d be a part of a harem. What more could you want besides me?”

“Exactly! So, why don’t you go find some affable idiot who doesn’t care what rights you strip from him? As for me, I’m not interested. I’m engaged to a woman who loves me.”

She scoffed.

“And I love her.”

“I can talk you out of that soppy emotion field. I can make you see my worth.”

“I don’t know how many times or how many ways I can tell you I’m not interested before it starts to click inside your stupid head.”

She slipped her shoes on and stood. She smoothed her close-fitting dress with careful deliberation. “Maybe it would be better if you leave.”

“And maybe it would be best if you get me my cup of hot water.”

She wanted to throw one more zinger at him, but none came readily to mind.

The waitress bowed and left.