“Amen, sister!” Davii exclaimed.
“How does a woman with such religious parents end up living with a gay man?” Derek wondered aloud.
Vienna smiled, thinking about her father. He was always her rock. Not to mention the buffer between her and her mother when they’d get into arguments. He was the kindest and noblest man Vienna had ever known, the ruler against which all the men in her life would forever be measured.
“Daddy always said that love is love,” Vienna said. “Love doesn’t follow creed, race, or whatever mental roadblock you want to put in front of it. Love is from the heart and soul. It has nothing to do with our bodies.”
“Speak for yourself,” Davii muttered.
“I think that’s wonderful,” Derek said.
“Daddy knows the Bible cover to cover,” Vienna stated, “and he knows a lot of people twist its meaning to fit their own agenda. He never preached hate, only acceptance. As long as two people love each other, what’s the harm in that?”
Derek looked at his watch and groaned. “I have to get back to work. I wish Natasha had gone to your daddy’s church.”
“Praise be to God,” Vienna said, rolling her eyes. “I still have a half hour. I’ll see you later.”
As Derek left, Davii said, “I love to watch him walk away.”
“It might help your agenda if you flirted with him once in a while,” Vienna said. “Especially when he’s actually at the table.”
“I can’t help it if I’m subtle,” Davii said demurely.
“Please. You’re about as subtle as a fox in a chicken coop with a red rubber glove on his head.”
Davii pondered her words and asked, “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Daddy would’ve said it better,” Vienna admitted. “Why do you need me to feel out the Derek situation? Why don’t you just ask him out?”
“How do I say this?” Davii asked aloud. He thought for a moment, idly making trails in a blob of ketchup with a french fry. “Derek’s not like the guys I usually date.”
“Fuck,” Vienna clarified. “I’m sorry, but you don’t date.”
“Fine,” Davii admitted, dropping the french fry and throwing up his hands in defeat. “He’s not like the guys I usually pursue. He’s sweet, has integrity, and he’s smart.”
“He has a boyfriend,” Vienna reminded him. “I’m the result of a broken marriage. I’m not too fond of the idea of interfering in theirs.”
“They’re not married,” Davii said.
“Unfortunately, that’s not an option for them. But that’s a lunchtime topic for another day. I get the idea that Derek needs friends, not a new boyfriend. I know I said I’d help you, but—”
“He makes me want to be a better person, okay?” Davii blurted. “There. Happy? I see Derek and want to be more like him. I’d like to end up with a guy like him. And from what you tell me, if this current boyfriend of his doesn’t appreciate him, why can’t I?”
“Fine,” Vienna relented. When Davii grinned like a boy who’d worn down a parent to get a puppy, she added, “But I mean it—I’m not wild about interfering. Give me a little more time to feel out the situation.”
“If you need any help feeling him out, let me know.”
“I’m about to be late,” Vienna announced and began collecting her things.
“Do you need another shot of Drayden’s Kool-Aid?” Davii asked.
“Our customers are our neighbors, and we must always treat them as if we’re in their backyard,” Vienna intoned, speaking in a zombielike trance. She brightened and said, “Nope. I’m good to go. See you tonight at the Galaxy.”
7
Other People’s Money
Christian Mercer rode the Galaxy Building’s elevator to the ground floor, where he accessed Mall of the Universe via the Light Year Passage. Space-age music played in the corridor, which was lit to resemble the winter sky over the Northern Hemisphere.
Hello, Orion, Christian thought as he walked beneath the constellation.
His phone vibrated on his hip, and he hit the SEND button and kept walking while a distraught client’s voice pierced his hands-free headset. “She quit! I’ve got a presentation tomorrow at ten, my slide show isn’t ready, and she just walked off the job!” Shauna wailed.
Christian ducked into Comet Cleaners. Kate was in the back, and she nodded to let him know she’d be right with him before she darted into what he assumed was the employee bathroom.
“Shauna, calm down,” Christian said soothingly. “Who quit?”
“My secretary! I don’t even know how to open Power Point! Crap, hold on. My other line’s ringing.”
Christian hummed along to the hold music until Kate joined him at the counter, having obviously brushed her hair and applied a fresh coat of lipstick.
“Hi, Christian,” she said brightly, taking the pile of shirts from him. She looked them over and asked, “Do you ever actually wear your clothes? They look like you take them off the hanger and bring them here.”
“I do,” he agreed. “It’s all an excuse to see you.”
She laughed and said, “Right. Seriously, do you ever sweat?”
“Like a Chinese fortune cookie,” he answered with sparkling eyes. When she looked bewildered, he added the popular fortune cookie ending. “In bed.”
“I don’t have a spare secretary in my bed,” Shauna said acidly through his headset.
“Just a second, Shauna,” Christian said, then asked Kate, “Day after tomorrow?”
“Unless you need them back sooner. I can rush it.”
“No need. You’ll be here when I come back, right?”
“Whoever she is, don’t rely on her if she’s a secretary,” Shauna warned.
“I’ll be here,” Kate promised.
He stepped out of the dry cleaners and said, “Shauna, take a deep breath. You need someone proficient in Power Point. Anything else?”
“Willing to work overtime,” Shauna said. “But there’s no way—”
“Have you forgotten who you’re talking to? I’ll have a temp there before noon. Take care of what you can, don’t panic, and I’ll see to it that your presentation is in capable hands.”
“What would I do without you?” Shauna said. “You’re saving my life.”
“Keep it up and I’m adding ten percent to your bill,” Christian said. He disconnected the call and hit speed dial for Terre Temps.
“Christian!” Debby said when she heard his voice. “It’s been too long!”
He told her what he needed, and Debby assured him that she’d have the right match for Shauna well within his time frame. After they hung up, he took out his PalmPilot and made a notation on Shauna’s account. It was going to cost her, but she wouldn’t complain. No matter how daunting his clients’ needs, he always delivered, and they knew it.
Fifteen minutes later, freshly shampooed, he sat back in a chair and relaxed, knowing he was in the capable hands of Davii. Davii was just about the only person who could tame Christian’s unruly auburn curls, not to mention that he knew how to properly tweeze a man’s eyebrows. The one time Christian had gone to Star Power