Once Bitten, Twice Shy Read Online Free PDF

instant high. He nodded, handed the invitation back to me and stepped away from the car.
    "Can you do that for me next time Pete wants to wring my neck?" I asked as I moved the Lexus toward Assan's mini-castle. The rumble in Vayl's throat could've been anything from a growl to a burp. I stole a look at his face, and from the way his lips were quivering decided it was a chuckle.
    The valet had a hard time understanding why any high society dame would want to park her own car. Then Vayl spoke to him and made it all better. He directed us around the side of the house, where I backed into the space closest to the front door. I sort of specialize in quick getaways. Too bad I wasn't driving a Hummer, It would've been fun to pull straight in and then mow over the perfectly trimmed hedges and gigantic urns on the way out.
    Like a good little blueblood, I waited for Vayl to stroll around and open my door for me. We took a path lined with Japanese lanterns around to the front of the house, uh, mansion, um, pretentious freaking monstrosity posing as a home. Yeah, that's more like it. At the top of white marble steps that led to doors the size of rocket silos, a barrel-chested, pock marked man with the eyes of a scorpion took our invitation and added it to a lace-lined basket at his feet. I had a sudden image of him skipping through the woods holding that basket in front of him like Little Red Riding Hood, and laughed out loud. He and Vayl both looked at me strangely. I patted Vayl's arm.
    "Oh, honey, I finally got that joke you told me on the way here. Hilarious!"
    Vayl nodded as if he understood and led me indoors. "You will explain that one to me later, I hope?" he whispered out the side of his mouth.
    "I'll explain it to you now." Then I forgot what I was going to say as we entered a massive, marble-lined hall lit with five, count'em, five sparkling chandeliers. So many candelabras lined the walls that even if the lights winked out you still could've seen well enough to read the fine print on an iffy contract. And the art! I smiled up at Vayl as if I belonged among people who thought nothing of owning paintings bigger than my apartment. I had never felt so sorely out of place. Even my teeth felt fake.
    "You are looking gorgeous tonight, my dear," Vayl said, squeezing my hand.
    Somewhat reassured, I said, "Thank you darling. And may I say you grow more handsome with each passing day?"
    He nodded graciously, every bit the self-assured multimillionaire we wanted our host to think he was. Speaking of the devil, here he came, greeting his guests with the slick friendliness of a tiger shark at a daily feeding. His white tuxedo set off his dark hair and skin to perfection, and the gold rings on six out of ten of his fingers highlighted his remarkably slender, blunt-nailed hands.
    I managed not to flinch as he came at me, all teeth and glittering black eyes. Sometimes things would be so much simpler if you could just pull out your gun and shoot the bad guy. Reason number seventeen why Indiana Jones is my hero.
    "My dear lady," the little snake was saying as he took my free hand and kissed it—yuck—"I am so pleased to make your acquaintance."
    I smiled brightly as his mouth continued to move, but I no longer heard the words.
Oh God, not now
. But God had taken a coffee break and my senses had gone along for the donuts. Another sound had replaced Assan's prattle in my shivering brain. A loud buzzing, like an oven timer on steroids, gave warning. Next my vision would narrow to a speck and then, poof! disappear. I might come back to myself in five minutes. Or it might take a couple of days. Afterwards, if I asked the right questions, I might find out what I'd said and done in the meantime.
    This can't be happening
. But it was, and I felt like I was dying, drowning in the flooded hull of my sinking sanity. I looked at Vayl, hoping he'd throw me a life preserver as I tried not to blow it, not to panic. He squeezed my hand, hard. A throbbing