Men were not a part of her future. She was done.
"So tell me more about the community center," Maggie said, and Erika leaned forward to hear over the band, who'd started again.
"Well, the center is woefully understaffed," Jo said, gladly grasping onto the topic of work. "After Katrina, a lot of the employees and volunteers just didn't return. The building isn't in great condition, either, but at least it didn't suffer any major damage. But even with the lack of staff and facilities, there are more kids there than ever.
"And the kids are great. Well, mostly great. There are a few troubled ones, which, given the area, is to be expected. But they are the kids who need this place the most."
"So will you start looking for staff as soon as you can?" Erika asked.
Jo nodded. "Volunteers, mainly. We just don't have the money to take on full-time employees. Yet. I've been looking into our funding options, what grants I can apply for. Once we know about that, I can start hiring. But my first order of business is coming up with volunteers to help out the kids in our daycare and aftercare programs. We have a lot of kids whose parents can't afford a lot for daycare. And I need to make them the priority at the moment."
Maggie smiled. "I think that's great. And the work seems like something you will love."
Jo nodded. She did love it. She needed to have that sense of helping others. And she loved working with kids. Seeing kids overcome and flourish even against such unfortunate odds. Nothing felt better.
For a moment her mind wandered again, straying to things she didn't want to deal with.
"Yep," Jo said, straightening in her seat, shaking off the sudden sweep of sorrow that filled her. "So St. Ann Community Center will be back on its feet in no time, as long as I can find some volunteers to help me."
"Can I get you ladies some drinks?" said a voice, deep and velvety and tinged with an exotic-sounding accent, from right beside her. Jo started, clapping a hand to her chest.
"Sorry," he said, smiling at her reaction as if it pleased him in some way.
Jo felt irritation rise in her chest, replacing the rapid beat of her heart. He probably thought she was affected by his sudden nearness. Because of some sort of uncontrollable desire, rather than genuine surprise.
She stared at him, trying to ignore the scent of him that managed to blot out the other smells of the bar. Something spicy, like burning incense, earthy and very arousing.
She immediately pushed back her stool and stood, making sure her vacated seat was between them.
"Nothing for me," she managed, then turned to her friends. "I have to run to the restroom."
She didn't look back or wait for her friends' reply as she hurried toward the back of the room and the door labeled LADIES.
Once inside, she leaned against the graffiti-scribbled wall, offering messages of "love 4 eva" and "for a good time call" and "New Orleans rocks!" She didn't pay any attention to the plethora of yearbook-like captions, and instead focused on trying to get her wayward body under control.
She was not attracted to that guy. She wasn't. He wasn't her type and while he might be handsome and sexy and even smelled like sex—really good sex—she wasn't going there. There was just no way in hell. Her life was already too complicated without another self-important, insincere and too-good-looking-for-his-own-good male in it.
And what was she doing thinking about men, period? Hadn't she sworn off them? Hadn't she just left D.C. because of a relationship that went horribly wrong?
She let her head fall back against the marker-and pen-scrawled wall. A wave of nausea hit her and she swallowed several times. Anger and disgust also threaten to gag her.
How could she even be attracted to anyone? Not when her life was in complete upheaval, and she was running away from her past. And her lover, who had somehow managed not to mention—and she'd managed not to notice—that he was married.
CHAPTER 2
Maksim glanced to where Jo had disappeared into the restroom, for the first time feeling just a tad hopeful that she did in fact feel something for him. He couldn't quite decipher what, but she had reacted, and he was taking that as a good sign.
Damn, when had he ever been the type to settle for any old reaction from a woman? He was used to adoration. Attraction. Full-blown carnal lust. Not a reaction that could range anywhere between tepid interest to overwhelming disgust.
Disgust? Over him? That seemed unlikely. But he wasn't sure. How irritating.
Instead of analyzing her reaction any further, he turned his attention to her friends, taking this moment to discover a bit more about the mortal who'd somehow become an odd fixation to him. A fixation that was increasing by the minute.
Did he mention he wanted to lick every inch of that woman?
"So did I just hear that your friend is working down here?" He kept the comment casual as he used a rag to wipe down the table. "Didn't she live somewhere else? Somewhere on the East Coast?"
"Yes, she just moved down here from D.C. about a month ago," Maggie said.
He noted that Erika frowned at her friend. Oh yeah, Erika wasn't going to give him any information. Which meant, go little Pollyanna vampire, go.
He smiled widely at Maggie, pouring on the charm. "So she's living here? Working here?"
Maggie nodded, completely oblivious to Erika's disapproving look. "Yes, she's the new director at the community center on Esplanade."
"That's great," he said with a smile designed to reveal nothing.
"I don't suppose you'd know anyone who'd be willing to volunteer there?" Maggie said, only to be cut off by a sharp shush from Erika.
Maggie frowned at her friend, confusion clear in her eyes.
"Volunteers," Maksim said slowly, his smile widening. Oh, he'd be willing to volunteer for a thing or two with sexy Miss Jo as his director.
Instead he shrugged. "Not right off the top of my head, but I'll think about it."
Maggie smiled. Erika frowned—even more if that was possible.
"So more drinks?"
Both women declined, which gave him no real purpose to hang around. Even though he would have liked to ask more about Jo, he didn't want to be too obvious. He excused himself and headed back to his prison behind the bar. Although tonight, it didn't seem quite so bad. Amazing what a new project could do for his outlook.
"What were you thinking?" Erika asked as soon as Maksim stepped back behind the bar.
Maggie blinked at her friend, confused by her question, but more so by the terseness of her tone.
"What?"
"Do you really think he's the kind of guy we should be asking about volunteers? Who would he know aside from other demons? Are you trying to get some minions from Hell to help Jo with her daycare?"
Maggie grimaced, seeing her point. "I didn't really think about that. With all the paranormal folks in this city, I sometimes forget the people around us aren't—well, really people."
Erika nodded. "I sometimes forget that about ourselves," then added, "But we shouldn't be giving him any info about her. He's very interested in Jo; it's in the air like cheap, really stinky cologne." Erika glanced at him. "It's like he's scenting, staking claim on her."
"Maybe he is." Maggie followed Erika's gaze, watching Maksim take a drink order from a buxom brunette in a dress that barely covered her equally rounded derriere. Then she added, "That was a stupid move. Sorry."
They were silent for a moment.
Then Erika said, "Do you think she even knows?"
"About us?" Maggie asked, not needing any clarification on who «she» was.