Carl might not always be there to look after me. He couldn't come to work with me.
I found Matt, the show's sound engineer, as he came back from supper. One of the benefits of my newfound success: Someone else could pay attention to make sure the right public service announcement played at the right time. He was laid-back, another intern turned full-timer, and always seemed to have a friend who could do exactly the job you needed doing.
"Hey, Matt—do you know anyone who teaches a good self-defense class?"
Chapter 3
"I'm Kitty Norville and you're listening to The Midnight Hour, the show that isn't afraid of the dark or the creatures who live there. Our first call tonight comes from Oakland. Marie, hello."
"Hi, Kitty. Thank you for taking my call."
"You're welcome. You have a question?"
"Well, it's a problem, really."
"All right. Shoot."
"It's about my Master. I mean, for the most part I have no complaints. He's really sexy, and rich, you know? I get lots of perks like nice clothes and jewelry and stuff. But—there are a couple of things that make me uncomfortable."
I winced. "Marie, just so we're clear: You're human?"
"Yeah."
"And you willingly enslaved yourself to a vampire, as his human servant?"
"Well, yeah."
She certainly wasn't the first. "And now you're unhappy because—"
"It isn't how I thought it would be." And Marie certainly wasn't the first to discover this.
"Let me guess: There's a lot more blood involved than you thought there would be. He makes you clean up after feeding orgies, doesn't he?"
"Oh, no, the blood doesn't bother me at all. It's just that, well—he doesn't drink from my neck. He prefers drinking from my thigh."
"And you're quibbling? You must have lovely thighs."