Not only did Sylvie call in sick, but I forced her to follow me to the VA hospital where I needed to take care of Mr. Pearlman's dilemma. While she got the once-over from a nurse, I talked to Mr. Pearlman's doctor, pushing aside the memories of demon ambushes and pretending everything was hunky dory. By the time we loaded my fragile neighbor into Vincent's Bentley, the day was nearly spent.

A hospital nurse followed us home and made a full inspection of Mr. Pearlman's penthouse apartment, giving it a thumbs-up as far as handicap accessibility. I hadn't even seen the place, but Vincent had gone behind my back to make it move-in ready, with a home care bed and a recliner that helped frail people stand. Even an air purifier had been set-up next to the recliner to tackle Mr. Pearlman's gross cigarette smoke. Before the nurse left, she handed me a card with the number to the therapist who would be attending to Mr. Pearlman for the next six to eight weeks, starting tomorrow at six AM.

Mr. Pearlman looked beat when we got him settled into his new recliner, and I figured he would doze-off before dinner. As I thought about all the meals I would be responsible for over the next six to eight weeks, I checked the pantry and found every shelf empty.

"Oh, nuts. I was afraid of this," I said. "The pantry is as empty as a tip jar at the gates of hell, and I don't have the energy for grocery shopping right now."

Vincent walked into the kitchen and hauled me away from the empty cabinets. "We'll have groceries delivered." Whipping out his cellphone, he sat across from Mr. Pearlman, tugging me down with him. "What do you like to eat, Henry? I'll make a list and send it to Russell's. They've got a great deli."

Mr. Pearlman's eyes went wide, as if a deli sandwich would be the best thing to ever happen to him.

"He likes pastrami," I said. "With Swiss cheese, tomato and brown mustard on toasted white bread."

I got a wink from Mr. Pearlman, giving me permission to rattle off the list I knew by heart. An hour later, Harv, the night guy at the security desk, called to tell us our groceries had arrived, and we ate together in the living room while Mr. Pearlman told us about his first New York pastrami sandwich, which he'd eaten back in nineteen forty-five. In between his tall tales, various Valentinos visited the apartment, offering their warm welcomes.

Given Mr. Pearlman's delicate condition, I needed to stay the night with him, and Vincent committed himself to the task as well. That first trip to the bathroom was awkward, but I only had to follow Mr. Pearlman and his walker to make sure they didn't tumble along the way. When Vincent and I finally got the old guy tucked into his orthopedic bed, we stretched out on the couch and snuggled.

"Have you ever considered becoming a nurse?" Vincent said. "You have the bedside manner of a saint."

"We both know that's not true. I read Mr. Pearlman the riot act when he complained about moving in here."

"Yes, but you did it with love. I've noticed you have a hard time saying no to a cause you think is worthy."

"Are you going somewhere with this?" I asked, lifting my head to study him.

"Only that I love you for it." Vincent kissed the top of my head, and I felt him relax beside me. When his cellphone chimed, he didn't move a muscle, and I took it as a compliment.

"It's probably Milt," he said quietly, like he thought I was trying to sleep. "He's not happy about Ori winning the prize. He has threatened to decapitate me, but he's going after Ori first."

"Considering you could crush him like a bug, I'd say that's a no brainer on his part."

"He's a no brainer, alright."

"Oh, hell. I never got by Trinity to take photos. I suck as an employee."

"I'd say you deserved the day off, and I will personally escort you there first thing in the morning."

"Eleven would be prime," I said as I let my eyes drift closed. "Better lighting."

The next thing I heard was my alarm reminding me to wake Mr. Pearlman for his pills, and I shuffled down the hall to the sound of snoring.

"Time for your pills," I said as I flicked on the light.

He shook his head and squinted up at me, looking ancient and bald. "Keep your pills to yourself."

"C'mon. Your body needs these to function." I filled his water glass and set his pills in a row on the nightstand, giving him a chance to come around on his own. "If not for yourself, do it for the ones you love. That was a commercial... for monitoring diabetes or quitting smoking."

I held out my arm and he submitted to my assistance. It was times like these I appreciated my upper body strength, although I could bench press him easily. Once his crackly bones were settled, he grudgingly picked up a tiny white pill, but he didn't swallow it right away. He locked me in his old man gaze first. "Why do you care so much about me?" 

Geez.

"Because I like having you around. Didn't we already have this discussion?"

"Maybe. But my memory isn't as sharp as it used to be, so if you repeat yourself, I probably won't notice. So, thank you. In case I forgot to mention it."

I smiled at my curmudgeonly neighbor. If he had any more near-death experiences, he would be a candidate for sainthood, apart from the smoking bit. "You're welcome. Do you need to pee?"

"Of course, I need to pee."

Mr. Pearlman timed his bathroom break perfectly with his coffee, and I was handing him his mug when I got the call his caretaker had arrived. The commanding bass of Nurse Kathy's voice kept us on our toes for the next fifteen minutes as she shot off rapid fire questions to test my knowledge of Mr. Pearlman's condition, his dietary requirements, and the closest emergency exits. I had no doubt this woman could handle anything Mr. Pearlman dished out, or even carry him down the stairwell should there be an emergency. Vincent and I finally ducked out when she started counseling Mr. Pearlman about the ills of smoking.

At home, Bonnie and Clyde demanded to be appeased for their abandonment, and while they spent the better part of the morning making me throw dog toys just so they could ignore them, I worried about a demon uprising. The commander-in-chief stayed in his den. He probably wasn't thinking about the hive like I was. Whether civil war had broken out. If Christoph was caught in the fray. And what about Willem? Could he defend himself in battle?

"What's wrong, Reese?" Vincent's voice ambushed me, and I blinked up at him from the couch.

"What makes you think there's something wrong?"

"I wouldn't be asking if I didn't have a reason. But, if you don't want to share..."

"Fine. I'm worried about Willem and Christoph. They're both loyal to Cecile and will probably fight to their deaths protecting her. That bothers me."

"Demons are fierce warriors, just as gollums are. It takes a lot to kill them."

Vincent's matter-of-fact tone didn't work for this situation, and I pointed it out with a scowl.

"I'm sorry, Reese. I know you established a bond with some of them, but all we can do is wait and see what happens. It's not our place to interfere with a hive war." He held up his cellphone and tapped the screen. "It's almost ten-thirty. Church."

~ ~ ~

Vincent and I left for Trinity, and everything seemed to right itself when his hand came around mine. He stuck to me like glue as I made my rounds, and we chatted with Charles when he came by to ask about our holiday. It wasn't until my camera had been tucked away that I remembered to ask Vincent something important.

"Why didn't you tell me you had the amulet on you when we discovered the door?" I said.

Vincent didn't seem surprised by my question, and he answered with the cool grace he owned so well. "I didn't think it was relevant. Not until yesterday."

"I know why you thought it was better not to tell me the location of the amulet, but ignorance isn't always bliss. Sometimes it can get your friend cut."

"Anyone with sight can read you like a book, Reese. I think, in this case, your ignorance kept you from handling the situation without gollum help, which you tried to do anyway."

I couldn't disagree with him. I might have done something even more foolish if I had my hands on the amulet, although some of Vincent's ideas had proven to be stinkers. It seemed rulers of world industry were also capable of making mistakes. The subject got dropped, and we enjoyed a pleasant walk back to Exchange Place.

Inside the elevator, Vincent spent the ride up watching me through his peripherals, and just as we passed the fifty-seventh floor, he pushed the stop button. It was then that I noticed a twinkle in his eyes, which I caught just before he backed me into the railing.

"What are you up to, Mr. Valentino?"

"I'm a desperate man when I'm alone with you," he said as he smoothed his hands over my hips. "I want to make you come. Will you let me do that here?"

Vincent's seduction came at me fast, and I stood mute and rigid as he brought his lips down to mine. His gollum scent spiked, assaulting my sinuses with musk as he trailed kisses to my ear.

"But cameras... I'm sure there's one..."

"Don't think about it, Reese. I'll lead you. I just need a nod."

"Yes," I sighed, giving him permission to have his kinky way with me.

Another twinkle danced across the surface of Vincent's mischievous eyes as he rested his palm on the wall beside my head and unzipped his pants one-handed. "On your knees, baby."

With my pulse beating a lusty rhythm down below, I knelt on the elevator floor, and Vincent released himself in front of me. He was flushed and flexed, and a dew of precum appeared, waiting to be taken. I blushed up at his come-and-get-this gaze.

"This is what you do to me," he said as he pressed his weighty head to my lips, making them sticky. I opened to taste him, sweeping my tongue over his hardness then curving my lips around his crest to draw him into my mouth. "So good," he crooned. "Keep your hands at your sides. I just want your mouth on me."

Vincent seemed perfectly content to stroke himself while I sucked him off, and his fingers grazed my lips as my tongue circled him. He moaned with every luxurious pass he made, and his veins bulged as he sought pleasure in himself and in me. My center quivered against the seam of my jeans, and I squeezed my thighs together until I felt the sweet build-up. Damn, this was hot.

"Et receptum release." Vincent's command came out harsh, and I quickly complied, opening my mouth and letting him go.

Not this again.

"Up," he said. "I need you naked from the waist down."

"What?"

"No questions. Just do it."

I gave into my sex hormones and dropped my drawers as I watched him pull the belt from his pants. The belt was made from a braid of flimsy cotton and served no other purpose than to accessorize, but I had a feeling Vincent was going to demonstrate a kinkier use for it.

"I'm going to tie your left leg to the elevator railing with this belt. Is that okay?"

"You want to tie me to the elevator?"

"Only your leg, baby. It will keep your body stable while I'm eating you. Don't you want this tongue on your pretty cunt?" He pulled my face toward him, taking me in a powerful kiss that involved a lot of tongue. When he broke away, I nodded eagerly.

"Okay."

After discarding our pants on the floor, Vincent got to work tying me to the shiny, gold railing. Once my leg had been cinched into a ninety-degree angle, he got on his knees and dove between my thighs, tonguing me with hungry laps as he stroked himself beneath me. The whole thing was beyond erotic, and I forgot about our location for a minute and let him make me come. It wasn't long before Vincent tracked down my magic unicorn, and my legs trembled in anticipation of the capture.

"Give it to me, Reese. Beat me to it."

I followed his urging without pause, letting his expert tongue send me into a spiraling orgasm, and Vincent's guttural moan came close behind as he shot his warmth against my bare foot. The sensation took me by surprise, but I also felt an overwhelming rush. Volo carnalis, most likely, and when I looked down at Vincent's satisfied face, I wanted nothing more than to give that to him again.

Before either of us had recovered, the intercom crackled on and Harv's voice echoed out of it. "You alright in there?"

Vincent stood and tucked himself in as he pressed the intercom button. "Yes."

"Okay. You gonna be through with the elevator anytime soon? Mrs. Hendricks and her yorkies have been waiting more than five minutes."

"The elevator will be at her disposal as soon as it travels down fifty-eight floors." Vincent untied me and cleaned up his mess with a handkerchief he had conveniently pulled from his pocket. Then he got the car moving again. A second later, the elevator opened on our floor. As we casually stepped into the hall, Harv's disembodied voice carried out of it.

"You two have a good day now."