Vampire Brothel Volume 2 {Explicit Content}

Roberta Hawkins Client 146 - Chapter Three

I couldn't stop thinking about the meeting with Dylan Mason and found myself looking forward to seeing him again. There was this inexplicable feeling of excitement and curiosity inside me that forced me to wonder what type of man Dylan was on a personal level. I knew next to nothing about him other than the fact that he was on the lookout for a new house. Clearly he was successful in whatever he did for a living but it was the authority he had about him that I found so appealing.

What was I going to do when we met? I had no clue but something inside me wanted to be close to him. Maybe we had a connection or maybe I was just fascinated by him. It didn't make much of a difference either way. I couldn't wait for our first viewing appointment when I would spend at least thirty minutes alone with him, showing him around the beautiful Crystallis Mansion in Hidden Hills.

Something about the combination of Dylan and an empty mansion in an affluent neighborhood made fireworks rise within my core - perhaps from years of wondering what sorts of things went down behind the gigantic doors of those magnificent buildings. I was getting ahead of myself again and I knew it. Dylan probably couldn't remember my name and here I was daydreaming about our next meeting.

The buzz on my phone took my mind off the thoughts of Dylan for a moment and I turned to the screen of the device. My brows furrowed into a frown the moment I saw the name of the person who had texted me. Derek. Why in the world did he think he could crawl out from whatever rock he lived under these days and reach out to me? He was the last person on earth I wanted to hear from. It had been what? Two months or so since he chose that blonde bit*ch over me and he picked today to text me out of the blue.

I rolled my eyes at myself for not deleting his number the moment he broke up with me. A part of me knew the truth which was that I couldn't bring myself to do it. I was so in love with him at the time that I held out hope we'd get back together. Was I pathetic or stupid? I wasn't sure which but I wanted to deny that truth. I told myself I wanted to move on with my life. Perhaps hooking up with a total stranger would help to get my emotions back in check. Derek didn't deserve me. Not after what he did. Not after what they did.

"Delete the text and forget it ever came."

My mind was screaming at me to do the right thing but my fingers gave in to my curiosity and betrayed me. How could I delete the text when I didn't know what he wanted to say to me? Had his preferred blonde broken up with him and he wanted me back? That was most likely what had happened. Why else would he text me now?

Anger rose in my veins once I read the actual words of his text. I blinked several times in disbelief, wondering if I actually read what I thought I did. Was he kidding me?

"Hey, Robbie. You left a few things at my place. I was wondering if you wanted to come get them."

The things I left over at his place were clearly not important to me if I couldn't remember what they were. Why in the world did he think I would want them back if they had lived with him for that long in my absence? Did he expect me to go to his place with his girlfriend around? 

"You can donate them or toss them in the trash!" 

I had fired my reply text before stopping to think. I probably should have ignored him. I shook my head and placed my phone back on my desk before shifting my eyes back to my computer screen. He had given me more than my fair share of heartache and the best thing I could do for myself was to focus on something other than him... anything.

Almost immediately after I turned away, my phone buzzed again. My head turned to it on instinct and I raised an eyebrow at the new message. Derek had replied again, like he was waiting for my text so he could say something else. With the way I was feeling, I would have deleted the text immediately but the first few words caught my attention.

"I'm sorry. I knew it was lame..."

My curiosity got the best of me again and I touched the screen to read the entire message. He wanted to 'talk' things over and thought he could use my things as an excuse to get me back to his place. Damn right it was lame but it was Derek. He was goofy with almost everything and that was one of the reasons I fell in love with him in the first place.

I shook my head in a mini mental protest. Did I really want to talk things over? I was in a love-hate emotional space when it came to him. One minute I didn't care if he lived or died and the next, I found myself missing him like crazy. Clearly my feelings were unresolved but would talking things over help me find the peace I needed?

"Please don't say no."

Another text came in like he knew I was contemplating his request. It was unlike him to be so persistent. I wanted to say no but I couldn't. I needed closure. We never got to talk about what happened between us before the blonde bit*ch came into the picture. But why did he wait two months to request for this talk? Was I right when I thought she had broken up with him?

It was clear the only way to get answers to my questions was to accept his request and meet with him.

"Fine. Where do you want to meet? It has to be a public place and I can only spare an hour."

I didn't know if seeing him again was my best option but I knew I would never find the peace I was looking for if I didn't. For whatever reason, life never presented easy decisions. They just had to be complicated. With those thoughts, I shook my head and dragged my mind back to work.