THE UNDEAD NEXT DOOR
by Kerrelyn Sparks
At the Grand Opening of Jean-Luc
Echarpe’s store in Texas,
he watches the mortals from behind the one-way glass in his upstairs office. He
spots a beautiful woman copying his designs and rushes downstairs to confront
her. As a schoolteacher, Heather Westfield can’t afford anything
at Echarpe’s fancy new store, so she decides to sew her own version
of his latest designs. Suddenly, a man comes out of nowhere and threatens
to have her arrested! He must be a security guard, a very handsome
security guard…
Excerpt from Chapter Two:
He took hold of her arm. “I saw you copying the white gown. It is twenty
thousand dollars. Since you are so interested in it, you should buy it.”
She snorted. “I wouldn’t be caught dead in that gown.”
“What?” His eyebrows shot up. “There’s nothing
wrong with that design.”
“Are you kidding?” She pulled away from his grasp. “What
was Echarpe thinking? The neckline plunges past the navel. The skirt slits
up to North Dakota. No woman in her right mind would wear that thing in public.”
His jaw shifted as he ground his teeth. “The models are happy to wear
it.”
“My point, exactly. Those poor women are so malnourished, they can’t
think straight. Take my friend Sasha. Her idea of a three-course meal is a
celery stick, a cherry tomato, and a laxative. She’s killing herself
to fit into these clothes. Women like me can’t dress like that.”
His gaze drifted over her again. “I think you could. You would look...superbe.”
“My breasts would fall out.”
“Exactly.” The corner of his mouth tilted up.
She huffed. “I’m not showing my breasts in public.”
His eyes twinkled. “Would you do it in private?”
Damn him and his pretty blue eyes. She had to think a moment to remember the
gist of the conversation. “Are you going to arrest me or drool on me?”
He smiled. “Can I do both?”
What a confusing man. “I haven’t done anything wrong. I mean,
other than the crab cake. But I wouldn’t have taken it if I could actually
afford anything in this place.”
His smile faded. “You are in need of money? You plan to sell the designs
you copied to another house?”
“No. I just wanted to make one for myself.”
“You are lying. You said you would not be caught dead in one of these
gowns.”
Lying? This guy was full of rotten accusations. “Look, I would
never wear one of these gowns the way Echarpe designed them. I tell you, the
guy is completely detached from reality. Does he even know any real people?”
“Not like you,” he muttered, then held out his hand. “Let
me see your sketchings.”
“All right. If it’ll help clear things up.” She showed him
her notepad. “The first one is the white gown, but I fixed it.”
“Fixed it? I can hardly recognize it.”
“I know. It looks so much better now. I could actually wear it without
getting arrested for indecent exposure.”
He gritted his teeth. “It’s not that bad.”
“If a young boy saw me in it, I’d be listed on a website as a
sex offender. But the point is moot, since I could never afford the dress in
the first place. I can’t even buy a pair of socks here without getting
my truck repossessed.”
“This merchandise is designed for an elite few.”
“Oh, pardon me. I’ll just have Cheeves bring around the Rolls-Royce,
so I can putter over to the airport and take my private jet back to my villa
in Tuscany.”
His mouth twitched as he turned to the next page. “And this is the red
gown?”
“Yes, but much better after I fixed it. There are four more designs
there. I was coming up with so many ideas all at once, I just had to get them
down before they were lost. If you know what I mean.”
“Actually, I do.” He gave her an odd look.
It was odd. He didn’t look like the type to understand the
whimsical creative process. He looked more like an athlete, but with the build
of a swimmer, not a weightlifter.
Could he actually have her arrested? His strange accusations combined with
his handsome looks had confounded her to the point that she’d babbled
like a nervous idiot. She needed to relax and be nicer. “I’m really
sorry. I didn’t mean to steal anything. Am I in trouble?”
He glanced at her with a hint of a smile. “Do you want to be?”
She stopped herself from saying yes. Good Lord, this guy was sexy. And much
too gorgeous for his own good. No doubt, he had trouble finding clothes that
fit those broad shoulders and long legs. He probably had problems with women,
too. They took one look at him and their clothes accidentally fell off.
Aha! That’s what she’d do if he arrested her. She’d offer
herself to him as a sacrifice. How noble. How ridiculous. She would never have
the nerve.
He finished studying her drawings. “These are actually quite good. I
can see how they would be more flattering for a woman with a...more luscious
figure.”
He really liked her designs? Heather’s heart swelled with pride and
joy. She liked being called luscious, too. “Thank you. And thanks for
not calling women like me fat.”
He stiffened. “Why would I say that when it’s not true?”
Whoa. This man was serious trouble. Not only was he gorgeous, but he knew
the right things to say to women. Double the danger. And double the fun? No,
she slapped herself mentally. She’d just rid herself of one male disaster.
No way was she hanging around for the sequel. “I’d better be going.” She
turned to leave.
“You forgot your sketchings.”
She pivoted to face him. “You’ll let me keep them?”
“On one condition.” He glanced behind her. “Zut.
We must go.”
She looked over her shoulder. A big guy in a kilt was confiscating a young
woman’s camera phone.
“But I wanted a picture for my blog,” the young woman objected.
“Come.” The gorgeous security guard grabbed Heather’s arm
and led her toward a set of double doors with the word Private printed
above them.
“Wait a minute.” Heather slowed down. “Where are you taking
me?”
“A place where we can talk.”
Talk? Wasn’t that code for something else? “Uh,
I don’t talk with strangers.”
“You’ve been talking to me.” He gave her a wry look as he
pulled her through the double doors and into a hallway. “You’ve
given me quite an earful.”
“Well, yes.” She glanced back at the showroom. “I just hope
you’re not expecting something more.”
He halted by another set of double doors and returned her notepad. While she
stuffed it in her purse, he punched in a number on a keypad. “What I
am about to show you is very private.”
Oh God, she was afraid of that. “Only seen by an elite few?”
“Exactly. I know you’re a tough critic, but I think you will be
impressed.”
Her gaze wandered south. “I’m sure I will.”
“Heather.”
His soft way of saying her name made her feel all melted and gooey inside.
She lifted her eyes to meet his.
His mouth curled up. “Are we talking
about the same thing?”
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