Total pages in book: 22
Estimated words: 20635 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 103(@200wpm)___ 83(@250wpm)___ 69(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 20635 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 103(@200wpm)___ 83(@250wpm)___ 69(@300wpm)
"You don't even have your headset on!"
Toni places said headset over her ears and mouths, 'Sorry, I've got incoming.'
'Liar', I mouth back.
Toni faces her monitor and makes a show of answering a call. "Good afternoon, this is Antoinette of Nox Customer Support. How may I help you?"
The rest of the day proceeds as expected, with people from other departments making up all sorts of excuses just to pop by and have a look at That Girl. While being stared at doesn't bother me like it used to, the whole thing is still crazy exhausting, and I'm out of my chair as soon as the hour hand strikes twelve.
It's lunch break, and that means freedom.
Finally!
I'm almost tempted to throw my arms wide open as I step out of the building and breathe Night Bloom's, fresh, chill, gossip-free air.
It's the first week of November, and while New York in autumn has always been a mood, Night Bloom at this time of the year is on a whole different level. The contrast between the city and fall's foliage is stark but almost mystical, with the all-black structures somehow finding a way to magically blend with nature's vivid splashes of reds, oranges, and yellows.
It's been a while since I last had lunch out here, and I temporarily shove all of my worries away as I start cart-hopping like a pro: a burger from this food cart, cheesy nachos from that food truck, and finally, a cup of specialty coffee from the pop-up booth across the street.
There's a small, secluded park at the back of the Nox, and I'm relieved to see that my favorite bench facing the stone fountain is unoccupied. I take a relaxing whiff of my coffee, and the aroma alone from my regular-sized Americano is relaxing.
Bliss.
A couple of stray cats that have made their home here start purring when they see me, and yes, it still hurts every time I see anything feline. I don't think it will ever stop hurting, but I get that not everyone in this world will understand my pain.
I go down on my knees and make eye contact with them. "Hey there." I crouch down until my chin is almost scraping the ground, and my chest squeezes with bittersweet pain when they return my slow blink with one of their own.
I always have a few packs of cat treats with me for moments like this, and it's while I'm feeding the little cuties that my phone starts buzzing in my pocket.
Huh.
Why is Nox's Senior VP for Investor Relations calling me? How does she even know I exist?
Chapter Five
It just makes me sad every time someone tells me I can't call myself a 'mom' because my baby happens to be a cat. These people are usually women themselves, and they're usually the same people who think women with adopted children will never understand what it is to be "real" parents as well.
I think of myself as a mom, and I think of my cat as my child. That's how I feel, and since I've never forced anyone to think or feel the same way I do, why must some people go out of their way to tell me that I can't call myself 'Mom'?
~ The Thirty-Something Heroine: A Blog
MICHALIS WAS ALREADY waiting in the shadows by the time Catalina came out of his building.
Humans generally assumed that the abundance of greenery in his city was a sign of Michalis' commitment to environmental preservation, but while that was certainly a factor, his ulterior motive was to allow his kind to move behind the looming figures of trees and shrubbery without being seen or heard.
Catalina's pussy continued to pulse as she went about her way, and the way its rhythm matched her heartbeat was...interesting, to say the least.
Did that mean her pussy functioned like a second heart of her body? How did that even fucking work?
The mystery surrounding her had Michalis paying closer attention every time she happened to be within sniffing distance of a preter, but none of them appeared to sense the strange pulsing force between her legs.
A more optimistic person might have interpreted this as a mysterious bond between the two of them, but life had taught Michalis to be cynical. Could this not also be seen as evidence that something nefarious was afoot?
The higher-functioning vampires were notorious for obsessively experimenting all the time, and that pulse between her legs could've been designed and weaponized to have him under his thrall. The only question was whether or not Catalina knew about this, too.
Could she be working for those creatures—-or was she merely a pawn?
There were just too many variables to consider, and for as long as she remained an enigma, Michalis knew it was best to keep his distance and bide his time.
An Uber came to pick her up as soon as she was out of Night Bloom territory, and Michalis had no trouble remaining in the shadows while trailing after the vehicle. She was eventually dropped off at Oak & Pine, which Michalis was familiar of but had never cared to visit, despite the numerous invitations its board had delivered to his office.