Date with a Vampire Read Online Free PDF Page A

Melody noticed her hand shook.
    Great. With her own nervousness threatening to swamp her, the thought of traveling with another novice flier did nothing to ease her mind. She hoped the combination of nerves and champagne didn’t wind up making Sugar sick. “Have you worked for Tristate long?” she asked.
    “This is my first gig.” Sugar must have noticed Melody’s look of shock, for she reached over and patted her hands. “Don’t worry, hon, I’ve been in the business for years. Just never worked for a big TV studio before. My days were spent behind a chair. I’ve worked on famous people, though. Mostly models. You know Jasmine Loka?”
    Melody nodded. “I’ve seen her in magazines.”
    “Yeah. She’s real famous. I do her hair.” Sugar nearly beamed with pride. “So it was a no-brainer for my friend Angela, who’s due to have a baby any day now, and I sure hope it’s soon cause she looks about ready to burst, to recommend me for the Fiji shoot. I mean, Angela’s been working for Tristate forever, and she’s real good, but nobody’s better than Sugar.”
    Melody hoped Sugar’s talent matched her ego. “I’m very pleased you’re here,” she said with a forced smile, then closed her eyes. She could feel a headache coming on. Melody knew it was nerves. She needed to relax, and the best way for her to do that was with a good book. Unfortunately, she’d packed her reading material in her tote in the limo’s trunk, so maybe she could doze a little instead. The ride to the airport wasn’t long, about an hour, but any amount of time worry-free would be a welcome relief.
    What seemed like seconds later, she felt a jab in her ribs—Sugar’s elbow.
    “Wake up, hon. We’re here.” Sugar bounced on the seat like an excited child.
    Melody glanced out the window as the limo pulled up to the United terminal. JFK swarmed with people. Rupert came around to open her door, but without waiting for assistance, Sugar bolted out the other side and proceeded to yank luggage out of the trunk. The way she manhandled their bags, Melody had visions of them popping open and their clothes strewn everywhere. Luckily, an airport employee took over for her.
    After thanking Rupert and watching the limo weave in and out of traffic as it roared away, she followed their mountain of luggage to check-in. Sugar jostled ahead in line with her airline ticket in hand. Melody fumbled through her purse for hers. From the corner of her eye, she noticed an extremely handsome man watching her. She hugged her shoulder bag closer to her body. Hadn’t Mags warned her about purse-snatchers targeting women traveling alone? Melody edged closer to Sugar—as if the perky bombshell would provide any protection. Still, better than nothing.
    “We made great time. There’s more than two hours till our flight leaves,” Melody said, glancing at her watch.
    “Good. We can freshen up and find somewhere to buy a pack of gum. I hear chewing helps to keep your ears from popping.”
    Trying to remain inconspicuous, Melody pretended to flick a piece of lint from her pants in order to catch a glimpse off to her right, where the handsome stranger had been standing. Shoot! He caught her staring. Maybe he didn’t want her purse, but her. Her cheeks grew hot. He must have recognized her. He could be one of those persistent gold-diggers. She tapped her foot impatiently. Why wasn’t this line moving more quickly?
    The gorgeous man retrieved two bags from the same airport employee who had handled her luggage. He reached into the pocket of khaki trousers that hugged his thighs perfectly and pulled out his wallet, tipped the man, then took his place in line.
    Well, how much more paranoid could she be? The man had been waiting for his luggage, that’s all. Okay, he’d obviously been checking her out, but so what? Men had been admiring women for centuries. She had to stop thinking everyone who looked at her wanted her money. Maybe she needed this vacation far away