“I don’t usually, but there is a difference between transfused and proper blood. Since I’ve been having a bit more of that recently, she could very well be the perfect outlet for my…um…for my extra energy.”

“With Napoleon out of the way, do you still need to do that? Tap into veins, I mean.”

“You and Max are forever on my back about doing precisely that, and now that I am, you want me to stop? Make up your bloody mind.”

“It’s not…it’s not that I want you to stop. It’s just…it’s just why bring a mortal into the mix? Why can’t you just visit Max’s like you’ve done before?”

Bennett’s eyes narrowed. “And how do you know about that?”

“I told you, guardians talk.”

“Too much by the sounds of it,” Bennett muttered.

“Maybe so, but my point is you already have an outlet.”

“Perhaps I’m looking for a bit of variety. Like I said, Ruby seems to be quite the free spirit, and why travel to Max’s when she lives one floor up?”

“And she’s okay with this? I mean, knowing you’d simply be using her for…for sex.”

“She’s made it fairly clear she’s not looking for a white picket fence, and I’ve made it crystal clear, I’ll never give her one. And if I’m not mistaken, that’s exactly what you’re doing with Jimmy.”

Lisa's shoulders drooped. “It’s not even close.”

“Keep telling yourself that,” Bennett said, flicking her hand as if shooing away a child. “Now, why don’t you go run along so I can get on with my work, and by all means, take next week off. Enjoy your honeymoon, Lisa. Sans the legalities, of course.”

***

Ruby lugged her groceries from the car Wednesday night, and after unlocking the brownstone's front door, she was about to open the second when it suddenly swung wide, and Bennett Archer appeared.

“Oh…um…hi,” Ruby said, stepping inside. “I’m…uh…I’m glad I ran into you. I wanted to apologize. It was wrong of me to end our evening the way I did, especially after you paid for dinner.”

“I suppose I was being a bit sanctimonious,” Bennett said, holding out her hand. “Here, let me help you with those.”

“Are you sure? I mean, you’re usually gone by now, and I don’t want to make you…” Ruby stopped when she realized Bennett’s ensemble was again not her norm. In place of a business suit, she wore skintight jeans tucked into knee-high black leather boots, and a loose-fitting, dark blue sweater. “That’s a new look for you.”

“Not one you’ll see often, I assure you,” Bennett said, motioning toward the stairs. “Shall we?”

They climbed the stairs, and they spoke not a word until they reached Ruby’s apartment.