The Vampire's Masquerade

by Kiersten Fay

  Alone and overheated, her body propped up by the wall, she heard the urgent beeping from the payphone’s dangling receiver. As she hung it up, the music seemed to bump louder through the speakers than before, the vibration finding its way to her bones. A nearby group deep in conversation grew more boisterous.

  She took in a breath. Was she really about to go on a date with a vampire?

  Out of morbid curiosity, she scanned the room for Brian and Rita, but she didn’t recognize any of the faces in the crowd. She tried not to think of what the two might be doing at the moment—it no longer concerned her—or how easily Brian had set her aside, as though he could pick her back up when he was done playing with his new toy.

  The gall.

  She deserved better.

  She ran her fingers through her hair. It would be foolish to get carried away with this vampire—Lex. She recognized she was in a vulnerable state. The full weight of her break up couldn’t have set in yet. Maybe that was why she wasn’t feeling bad about it. It stung, sure, but not as much as she thought it would. Surely tomorrow the situation would settle in and she’d have a good cry about it. Till then, why not have a little fun? A real fling? She’d see where the night took her. Lex was clearly looking for a good time; she certainly needed one. She just needed to make sure to keep things between them simple.

  Lex reappeared, sexy smile in place. “Are you ready?”

  “Definitely.”

  7

  There were about ten cars scattered throughout the club’s underground employee parking deck, most of them new and shiny and expensive looking, but for one shabby paint-chipped vintage pickup truck in a dark corner. Business was booming, apparently.

  Lex fished a set of keys from his pocket and an eggshell BMW beeped, headlights flashing. She took an appreciative lap around the vehicle and whistled. “You own this beautiful machine?”

  His shoulders went back a little. “I don’t often indulge, but as you can see, we all seem to be competing for the nicest ride.” He shrugged as if everybody had that problem.

  “How many people work at the club?”

  He turned thoughtful? “Cortez employs about a hundred people, give or take.”

  There were only about twenty people at the Tribune where she worked.

  “Why?” he asked moving to the driver’s side. “Are you looking for a job?”

  She smiled over the hood of his car. “I’ve got one, but heck, if your salary affords you this? Maybe I should consider a career shift.” She slipped into the passenger seat, he claimed the wheel and pressed a button on the console. The engine purred to life. She had the urge to pet the dash.

  “What do you do?”

  “I work at the Tribune.”

  “Are you a reporter?”

  She laughed. “No. Brian’s the reporter.” He was good, too. Next month, he was getting honored at an annual award ceremony. “I’m just an assistant to the editor. I do grunt work like schedule meetings and get coffee. You know, very important stuff.” She wouldn’t be doing it forever, though. Her real dream was getting a position as an editorial photographer. The Tribune would be the perfect stepping stone. As soon as a position opened up, you’d better believe she was jumping all over it.

  “Oh, you must work for Mr. Dixon.”

  Her lips parted at hearing her boss’s name. “You know Mr. Dixon?”

  Lex gave her a conspiratorial smile. “He comes in at least once a month. Orders a shot, a beer, and a cocktease.”

  She blinked. Mr. Dixon was a kindly older man with salt and pepper hair, a paunch, and suspenders to hold up his slacks. She always saw him as a straight-laced, by the book, and even a little prudish. Her mind traded that wholesome image with one of Mr. Dixon salivating over Ever Nights’ dancers. Could she ever look at him the same?

  As they pulled out of the parking deck, moonlight glinted off the hood and bathed them in a dim navy hue.

  “What do you like to eat?” he asked.

  “I’m not picky,” she replied. “Something quick will be fine.” Her tummy growled again as if to concur.

  “Kasima, I’m not taking you for fast food.”

  She stifled a shiver at her name rumbling from his lips.

  “How about Le Petit Bistro?”

  Le Petit Bistro was pricey, and usually booked out the wazoo. “We don’t have to do anything so lavish. Besides, don’t you need reservations for that place?”

  “Cortez has a standing reservation. It’s not a problem.”

  “He’ll be okay with you using his name?”

  “If he’s not, he can take it up with me later.”

  She suddenly worried she was causing him trouble—during the masquerade, he’d ditched work to be with her. Was he ditching again tonight? Casually she asked, “Will you be missed back at the club?”

  “They can handle tonight without me.”

  They drove in silence for a moment. She gazed out the window, watching the scenery roll by. The darkened sky was clear, and the stars were particularly bright as they winked for her.

  From the corner of her eye, she noticed the vampire glance from her legs to the road and back.

  Her body grew warm, and her mind drifted back to their night of passion, the way his kiss had burned so sweetly, how his muscles had toiled over her. He hadn’t held back, neither had she, and she’d reveled in it. Wanted more.

  He white-knuckled the steering wheel, a rumbling sound reverberating from deep in his chest. “Dinner or my place?”

  “Huh?” She squirmed in her seat. Had he followed the trail of her thoughts? Or were her pheromones giving off signals that his keen vampire senses had caught on to? She gulped, a steady thrum, thrum, thrum drummed through her nerves. “How close is your place?” She could have him naked in a matter of minutes, feasting on his rock-hard flesh—

  Her stomach chose that moment to growl once more.

  “Not as close as Le Petits. Dinner it is.” He sighed and scrubbed a hand down his face.

  Arriving moments later, he pulled into a parking spot. Before she could unbuckle her belt, he was already out of the car and heading around to her side to open her door. Inside the restaurant, Lex only had to mention Cortez and they were immediately seated.

  Kasima glanced around. The restaurant was lavishly decorated in a bygone French style with glittering crystal chandeliers, artwork outlined by ornate gilded frames, and massive floral bouquets in every corner that reached well above her modest five foot four inches. Several uniformed waiters lined the walls like statues, waiting to be called upon, while more servers scurried throughout, refilling glasses and checking on guests. Nearly every table was in use.

  She picked up her menus, plural—she’d been given three in total. A dinner menu, a drinks menu, and the specials of the day. Most everything was labeled in elegant French script. Glancing from one menu to the next, she must have looked overwhelmed, because Lex muttered, “Tell me what you like and I’ll order.”

  “You speak French?”

  “I know enough to be dangerous.” He winked.

  She smiled. “Well, like I said, I’m not too picky. I’ll eat just about anything as long as it’s cooked properly, but better keep it simple to be safe.”

  When the waiter came by, Lex ordered a bottle of white wine with a long tongue-twisted name, and then muttered a few words in French. The waiter nodded once, and then hurried away.

  “Very impressive,” she said.

  “I ordered you the roasted chicken breast with lemon cream sauce.”

  “Sounds good. What did you get? Oh...sorry.” She blushed. “I guess you won’t be eating.”

  “Of course I will. I ordered the scallops in a caramelized onion sauce.”

  She blinked up at him. “And you’ll actually eat it?”

  His lips curled at the edges. “You haven’t been around vampires too much, have you?”

  “Not really.”

  “Human food is pleasant to eat on occasion, though it does nothing fo
r us on a nutritional level.”

  Interesting. “So what about the having no reflection thing?” If she took his picture, would he show up on film?

  “A ridiculous myth. So many of the myths are bogus. Such as the belief that we can’t go out in the sun.”

  She knew that from seeing them out and about town at all hours.

  “I love garlic. Crucifixes don’t burn us. Neither will holy water. A stake through the heart wouldn’t kill us. It would hurt like hell though.”

  “So are any of the myths true?”

  “Beheading could kill us, but let’s be honest, that’ll kill anything.”

  The waiter returned with their wine and filled their glasses.

  She took a ginger sip. “This is a very lovely place. Thank you for bringing me here.”

  “You’re very welcome.”

  Another server floated by, dropping a steaming basket of bread on the table between them. Perfect timing. She needed something to do with her hands. Plucking up a roll, she pinched off a piece to nibble.

  His tone dipped an octave. “So, how are you doing?”

  “Good,” she rushed out, her voice a little off. “I mean, I’m okay. A little nervous, I guess. Which is silly if you think about it because I’ve already seen you naked, and you me, so what more is there to be embarrassed by? Uh, not that it was embarrassing seeing you naked. Er, I mean, your nakedness was fine. Better than fine.” OMG, stop talking! She pinched her thumb and forefinger together, making a circle. “It was A-okay.” What is wrong with me? She shoved the roll in her mouth.

  He stared at her for a beat before his grin turned amused. “I meant how are you doing with your breakup. Were you serious about that? I didn’t get the impression Brian thought so.”

  Chewing slowly, she replayed Brian’s dismissive tone as he’d told her they’d talk later. He probably thought they could patch things up after a long boring conversation about how he was right and she was wrong. Before this fiasco, she had thought Brian was going to ask her to move in with him soon, maybe even for her hand in marriage, given time. But tonight proved he wasn’t ready for that kind of relationship. He wasn’t ready to be exclusive with anyone. She just wished she’d recognized that sooner.

  “Brian and I never would have worked out,” she finally supplied.

  “Oh?”

  “I was trying too hard to make things work. To be what he wanted. I let a lot of stuff slide that I shouldn’t have, and I kind of lost myself.”

  “It’s good to figure these things out before you’re in too deep.”

  She nodded stonily, but she wasn’t sure she had anything really figured out. Had she made the right decision? She and Brian had so much in common. From the outside, it looked as though they were the perfect couple. The exclusive part of their relationship had really just been in its infancy. It may have just taken Brian a bit more time than her to get on board. Secretly she had dreamed of them working together; her doing the photographs for his top stories. They’d have made a great team. Still might, despite their breakup.

  “Will it be a clean break then?”

  Crumbs of bread had gathered on her plate from the fresh roll she was idly fiddling with. “Yes and no. We don’t live together, but we do both work at the Tribune. It might be a little awkward for a while.”

  Lex pursed his lips and nodded. “Do you work closely together?”

  “Not really. We bump into each other on occasion when he’s not out investigating a story. We’d gotten in the habit of meeting for lunch a few times a week, but that will stop now, and he’s often out on assignment.”

  “So it won’t be too difficult for you to see him in passing after tonight?”

  She shrugged. “Honestly, I’m not sure. Maybe I haven’t fully processed everything yet. But he has dated a couple other women in the office before me, and they seemed to have gotten along fine for the most part.”

  “Seemed to?”

  “Most of them had moved on to other ventures shortly after their breakup.” Now she wondered if some of them had left for more personal reasons. Had the relationships ended mutually? Or had Brian broken their hearts?

  “I’m sorry he was so easily swayed by Rita tonight.” Lex paused. “Actually, if I’m being honest, I’m not sorry at all. But I am sorry if it hurt you.”

  She sighed. “I won’t lie. It was...rough.” A blow to the ego if there ever was one. Brian had acted as if her feelings were completely irrelevant. She squared her shoulders. “I think everything turned out for the best.”

  There was something like respect in Lex’s small grin.

  Their food came moments later. A delicious mixture of fragrances dancing in her nose. The first bite had her eyes rolling back in her head. So good.

  When she gave him a thumbs up, he dug into his own dish.

  “This is amazing,” she murmured after several more bites.

  He nodded in agreement. “When I’m of a mind to eat human food, this is my favorite restaurant.”

  “Well, for a vampire, you have surprisingly excellent taste.”

  He gave a wry scowl. “For a vampire, huh.”

  Her cheeks heated. “You know what I mean. The last thing I’d expect is for a vampire to have a Michelin-star pallet.”

  He leaned in, capturing her gaze. “If I’m being honest, I could take it or leave it. What I’m really craving is more of what we did the other night.”

  The bite of food she’d been about to eat fell from her fork and plopped on the plate.

  “I’m fighting the urge to rush you out of here so I can have you all to myself again.”

  A rogue shiver charged through her body. She pushed her plate away. “Look at that! I’m full. Now, where is that waiter?” She scanned the room, signing for the check.

  Lex purred a dark chuckle. “Please finish eating. I would feel bad if you left here still hungry.” He forked more food into his mouth and so did she, both of them eating with marked efficiency.

  When the check came, he slipped several bills into the sleeve without glancing at it, and they headed back to the car, her nerves taking the reins in her gut. Was she really about to go home with a vampire? She scanned his powerful body as he walked ahead of her to open the passenger-side door. There was something animalistic in the way he moved, like a sleek panther, sure of every step. When she stood in front of him, he reached out to cup her cheek, running his thumb lightly across her lips, his gaze riveted.

  “We don’t have to go to my place. We don’t have to do anything. I can take you home if that’s what you want. I’d understand.”

  The offer was so unexpected, so sweet, and so not what she wanted. She smiled, looking up at him from under her lashes. “I’ve always been curious to know what a vampire’s home looks like.”

  He grinned back, giving her a flash of one sleek fang, which she found far too sexy. “You’re about to find out.”

  8

  Turned out vampires lived like ballers.

  Well, this one did, anyway.

  Mechanized wrought iron gates opened to an expansive manicured yard that coiled smoothly around the sides of the house, lined with flourishing square-trimmed bushes. An army of trees with trunks three times her width stood bastion on either side of the driveway, their branches arching overhead, blotting out the moonlit sky. The house wasn’t a mansion, per se, but her little two-story townhome was a glorified shack by comparison. Its contemporary style, red and brown tiled roof, and delicate mixture of stone and stucco siding, made it both sleek and natural looking, melding nicely with its environment.

  The three-car garage opened as he pulled up. She spotted a tarped vehicle, and a monster of a motorcycle.

  “Do you ride?” he asked, noticing her staring.

  She shook her head. “I’ve never been on one.”

  “Maybe I’ll take you out sometime.”

  “I think my grandmother would turn over in her grave.” As well as both her parents.

  The inside of his hom
e was equally amazing, with high vaulted ceilings and accent lighting over abstract artwork. Dark painted walls matched the deep grey furniture, contrasting beautifully against the ivory carpet. A huge entertainment system recessed into one wall, facing a luxe leather reclining couch with built-in cup holders in the arm rests. A fully stocked wet bar took up the entire far wall. Through a wide archway to her right, she spotted a pool table displayed proudly at the center of a small room with cue sticks mounted beside it.

  “You have a nice home.” Or would bachelor pad be a more appropriate moniker?

  “I rarely stay here,” he confessed.

  “Why not?”

  “I work so much, it’s easier sometimes to just stay at the club.”

  “So you don’t often bring women here?” Why did that sound like she was fishing?

  His lips curled into a wry grin. “Would you like a drink?”

  “Please,” she said, allowing the evasion. Once more she felt very unsure of what to do or say. What was expected of her? Was she supposed to act casual, funny and amusing, or alluring and sensual? She seemed to have done well for herself at the masquerade, but that had been wholly accidental.

  At the bar, he uncorked a bottle of white wine, found two glasses, and filled them generously. “I think we should get something out of the way before this goes any further.”

  “Oh? What’s that?”

  He returned to where she stood and handed her a glass. “You should understand that I’m not boyfriend material.”

  She sipped her wine, not sure how to respond to that.

  “What I mean is, I can give you a fun time, but...” He rolled his hand in the air.

  Ah. “But I shouldn’t expect anything more than that,” she finished for him.

  “I wouldn’t want you getting the wrong idea about what this is.”

  “So you’re like the eternal bachelor.”

  He smiled. “Something like that.”

  “And this is just a one-night stand?” Or rather, a second night stand. Did she want more of what he offered? That would be a hell yes to the second power.

  “Well, I’m hoping for more than one night…”