Page 31 of Resurrecting the Witch
“Ugh, not her again,” Cliona muttered. I caught her pretty eyes roll then widen, clearly not realizing her voice was still projected. I couldn’t help but bark a laugh.
“Can Lavinia give her speech now? I will be helping her with her request, and she has my full support,” I said to the room.
Lavinia did not seem pleased with my declaration and stared daggers at me. Her eyes shifted to yellow before she got control again. “You don’t even know what I am proposing,” she told me between her clenched teeth.
I ignored her and continued to the room. “She is my friend and an asset to this town. She will bring only the best of ideas to Haven Pass.”
“Very well, Patrick.” Arch didn’t tear his eyes away from Lavinia. He looked at her like he couldn’t decide whether to fight or fuck her. She was gorgeous, with generous curves, similar to my Cliona but not nearly as captivating. Cliona was perfect in a way I couldn’t compare her to anyone else. “Let’s see what the gorgon wants to imbue our town with.” The vampire swirled his hand as if to beckon her forward.
Lavinia walked to the podium facing the council that most everyone had used to speak about the Samhain plans tonight. The rest of us got a view of her arse and the snakes that jostled to the top of it. She was dressed in tight black pants with tall leather boots pulled over them that stopped at her knees. Her blouse was black and flowed down her body in a way that looked like something a human might wear at a corporate job.
“Thank you all for your time this evening,” Lavinia began. “I know these meetings are typically attended to by folks of all ages, so I would like to give this opportunity to anyone attending with a youngling to step out as I am going to be discussing an adult entertainment venue.”
No one got up from their seats, and I hadn’t seen any children except Gioia, but she wasn’t really a child either, even if folks treated her like one.
“Looks like there are no innocent ears tonight, Lavinia. Thank you for asking,” Grom said.
He spent a lot of time with the kids at the school, cooking and taking them on trips. He was helpful all around town but found a particular joy with raising the younglings. I made a note to talk to him about what sort of physical education they were getting so I could present a good reasoning for my future involvement with Guillermo.
“Thank you, Grom. Council chairs and Haven Pass residents, I would like to propose an adult entertainment venue on the outskirts of town for folks to explore their sexual desires in a safe and secure environment. I have opened and run these types of clubs before and have brought my portfolio for you all to review.”
Lavinia walked toward the council podiums and handed each a folder filled with several papers for them to review.
“I know it seems unconventional, so I am willing to discuss any questions in a more private venue if this isn’t appropriate. I have included financials, guest attendance, past performance, and theme nights that were successful at my previous clubs.”
“Theme nights?” a resident from the audience asked.
I knew folks would be excited about this. Hell, I’d give anything to find out more about Cliona’s own bedroom desires if we could just get some feckin’ time alone together.
“You know, like a Dom/Sub match night. Or an auction night. Or a masquerade,” Lavinia spoke to us all. “The possibilities are truly endless, and I’d be looking to bring on staff that would aid in the creative process. I’ve also found there are a lot of ways to raise money for various charities and causes.”
The council all individually reviewed their papers for several moments before looking toward each other to acknowledge they were ready.
“Thank you, Lavinia. This is very detailed, and your portfolio is very impressive,” Dom commented. “I am ready to vote now.”
“I call for the vote as well,” Guillermo added.
“All in favor?” Cliona asked.
Grom, Guillermo, Dom, and Cliona all raised their hands. I looked to Arch, who was smirking at Lavinia instead of raising his hand to vote.
“As the Fire Council chair in charge of theater and entertainment, I would like to say that I look forward to working very…” He paused and licked his bottom lip, exposing his fangs slightly, without removing his eyes from Lavinia. “Intimately with you on seeing the opening of this club through to the end, Lavinia.”
Arch raised his hand to complete the vote.
“With five council votes, the motion passes. Our Fire Council chair will schedule a meeting with you to begin the work, Lavinia,” Cliona said. “And with that, I think we are going to call it quits for tonight, everyone! I look forward to seeing you all at the Samhain Festival next week and addressing any concerns about merchants and agendas in between now and then.”
Chapter 9
I’d been going to town council meetings since I was a young girl. The grandparents insisted every Ó Cuinn attend, even if they weren’t on the council or officially in the coven. This included my five aunties and uncles, their partners (for those who had them), and their children (which none had, but it was assumed they would eventually). Gran always had me participate more than anyone else because she told me I’d be Spirit Council chair one day and eventually High Priestess, but I hadn’t taken every lesson of hers seriously.
If I regretted anything the most, it was my lack of attention when Gran was trying to explain the ins and outs of running HOMES. Thankfully after the attack, I had enough folks in town remaining, like Anya and Drew, who could help me rebuild and keep things running smooth until I brought Guillermo in and the other chairs.
With that said, council meetings were typically a drag, but tonight I at least had some eye candy in my fine-ass fae boyfriend. Was Patrick my boyfriend? We hadn’t really discussed it yet. Which was mostly my fault. Patrick had texted me every day for the last week and I had been too busy with Samhain Festival prep things I couldn’t even meet up with him. He started each day with a “Good morningmo peata.” And then, after a few messages back and forth, he’d offer to help with whatever I was working on, but I always told him I had it handled.
Did I?
No. Of course not.
