Maudlin's Mayhem (Bewitching Bedlam #2)(19)
I had put on jeans and a light knit tank top, and I slid my phone in my pocket, shut my bedroom door behind me, and before Thornton could say a word, headed out the door.
It wasn’t far to Ralph’s place. The Heart’s Desire Inn was only a mile or so away, which was part of the problem. At least for Ralph. He really didn’t like the fact that I had opened a bed-and-breakfast so close to his place. But truth was, we had entirely different clientele, even though he didn’t want to admit it.
The driveway in front of the inn was pretty packed. It looked like they had a full house, which was good in one way. It would keep Ralph and his brothers from spouting off about how I was stealing their business. I slammed out of my car, tossed my purse over my shoulder, and headed inside. As I entered the lobby, sure enough, Ralph was there, behind the counter. Which meant his brothers were probably off on a bender. They took turns roughhousing with their friends.
“Yo, Ralph.” Nobody else was in the lobby as I crossed to the desk. The inn was about one and a half times the size of my B&B.
He frowned as I came into view. “What do you want?”
“I’m here because your skanky actors showed up, asking for a place to stay and I really wish you’d make certain you have room for a bunch of horny dwarves and their queen bee before telling them to go forth and find accommodations. What you’re doing is bad enough without sticking me with the porn star brigade. At least they can pay their bill but damn it, what the hell are you thinking?” I was getting louder as I went. Sex had relaxed me, but all my irritation of the day came sweeping back.
He gave me a side-eye look. “Maddy, you’re pushing it.”
“No, I’m not the one pushing it this time. You are. You were last time. You’re always falling into some screwball thing. It’s bad enough you helped a vampire set me up to be killed—”
“You just can’t let it alone, can you? That’s the trouble with witches. You have long memories and you nurse grudges like a baby on a tit.” He slammed his hands on the counter, leaning across to glare at me.
Ralph was six-three, muscled up the wazoo, and wore shorts revealing his silky brown goat legs. The hair on them shimmered—at least he kept himself clean. His eyes were wide and slightly slanted, the color of rich topaz, and his hair hung to his butt. Usually he kept it braided, but today it was hanging loose. I also knew he had a huge cock.
Not from experience—at least not with him, but from my past exploits I knew full well that satyrs were always over-endowed. They were horny as hell, usually fun, but self-serving in far too many ways. And, unfortunately, for me and the rest of Bedlam, Ralph and his brothers weren’t exactly the brightest bulbs in the socket.
“I’m not the only one who nurses a grudge. Not three weeks ago I found out you hired away my gardener. I booked him in advance and all of a sudden, he couldn’t take on my landscaping because he ‘forgot’ about a project he was doing for you.”
Ralph snickered. “It’s not my fault you don’t know how to keep help. You think I don’t know it was you that sicced the glo-worm on me?”
“Ralph? I wanted to ask you—” A woman’s voice echoed from around the corner. A second later, she appeared. She was gorgeous, with big boobs and a tiny waist and big, curvy hips, and she was wearing a pair of short shorts and a crop top that barely covered her nipples. Her hair, long and red, was caught back in a ponytail, and she was carrying a plant and a trowel. “Oh, I didn’t know you had company.” She gave me a long look, cocking her head to the side.
“I’m not company, exactly,” I started to say.
“This is Maudlin Gallowglass,” Ralph said. I wasn’t sure why he exaggerated my name, but then figured he must have told her about the murder and everything that had come out of it. “Maddy, this is Honey. She’s…a distant cousin.”
All satyrs were male, and their mothers were usually nymphs. If a human woman and satyr mated, the result would be half-satyr and male, or human and female. If the mother was a wood nymph, then the child would either be nymph—female, or satyr—male. Occasionally, a nymph would have fraternal twins, which made for an interesting family portrait. Honey appeared to be human. I quit trying to calculate the dynamics there.
“I’ll be with you in a minute, cuz,” Ralph said.
Honey gave me a long look, a cunning smile curving on her lips. A shiver raced up my spine, but I couldn’t figure out why. She nodded to Ralph, then darted back around the corner.
Ralph turned back to me. “Listen to me. I’m not doing anything illegal. You know the sheriff can’t ding me on using constructs in my productions—”
“Productions?” I snorted. “More like, cheap bargain-basement knockoffs. This seems crass even for you, Ralph. When the fuck did you decide that you could become the next Hugh Hefner?” I followed his suit, slamming my hands on the counter next to his, and staring right back at him.
Ralph’s nostrils flared and I swear I saw steam rising from them. After another moment, he slowly pulled away from me, crossing his arms. “Go home, Maddy. Keep your nose out of my business. Nobody held a gun to your head to force you to give Snow and her boys a room. Right?”
I clenched my teeth. I hated it when I lost an argument to somebody I didn’t respect. Ralph and I used to be buddies, but once he had decided I was trying to put him out of business, his friendliness had turned to watchful sarcasm.