by Amber Lynn
They also hinted that I should stay away from him. Okay, it wasn't really a hint. They were shocked that I was actually standing in front of them after meeting Sebastian. Every other Collective agent that has had the misfortune of meeting him has gone missing. He seemed pretty nice to me, so I just shrugged it off.
“Well Nyx, my sweet, I was hoping that we could come up with a business arrangement of our own. Follow me to my office, so we can talk in private,” he said leading me towards the back of the building.
When we reached his office, I glanced around to find a very neat organized space. There was a large desk with a beautiful green marble top against the far wall. It had neat piles of papers covering parts of it. On the left wall there was a black leather sofa that seemed to match the black leather office chair behind the desk and the two guest chairs in front of it. The right side of the room was more of an art display that contained pictures of people in different states of undressed. At least one of them showed a vampire feeding on its victim while pleasuring them in other ways.
“Please sit,” he said indicating the sofa where he took a seat himself. He set the bottle of blood on a table and focused in on me.
I glared at him for a second wishing he would have chosen to sit behind the desk. He did say this was supposed to be a business meeting of some sort. I reluctantly took a seat on the couch opposite him.
He softly chuckled and said, “I choose the couch because if you accept this arrangement we will have to get to know each other a little better in order for you to be comfortable. I know you are new to the world of assassins and anyone worth half their mettle in the field has built up a network of contacts over a number of years.
“As you have noticed my establishment here attracts all sorts of people from the lower sect of life. With my age has come talents that are very useful in the crime-fighting field, but nothing has ever compelled me to use them in the past. If it got out that I had been helpful in this capacity, I fear that my loyal customers may not be so willing to enjoy the attractions I have to offer.”
“I can see where that would be a problem,” I told him. “Do you mind getting down to exactly what you want from me? I have a feeling you are willing to offer what help you can, but I want to know what it is going to cost. I am relatively new in this line of work and haven’t got that much saved up in bribe money just yet.”
“Patience, my sweet,” he purred at me. I remember how annoyed I was that he kept calling me that. “You will find I like to draw things out a little when I can. After being alive as many years as I have been the status quo way of doing things gets really mundane, so I have my own style. The business arrangement I want to set up with you involves me giving you information on when the miscreants you may be looking for show up here and, when needed, my assistance for removing them from the premises. In return, all I ask is that you once a week or so join me for dinner where you will be the main course.
“Now while you let my request sink in, let me say that I will not be taking much from you for obvious reasons. If I want this to be a weekly affair I cannot very well drain you dry. If you want, during these feedings we can engage in other activities designed to take your mind off of me having supper, but that part of the deal would totally be up to you.”
“I am guessing these other activities do not include us playing Parcheesi?” I asked knowing the answer to the question already.
“No and the fact that you ask makes me believe that you will not be willing to partake in those activities, at least not in the beginning, and I accept that decision. I will just have to work at trying to make you want to take me up on that offer,” he replied with a predatory grin.
“So basically, you help me advance my career and I come over to feed you when you are feeling a little low and no one else is available,” I said working it out in my mind. “Why? From what has been hinted, you don't exactly like the Collective and you are not the helpful type.”
“I do not approve of the Collective, you are correct in that statement. I have many reasons, none of which I am going to share with you tonight. This deal we are speaking of has nothing to do with them. It is between you and me. I find you intriguing and that isn't something I find very often.”
I laughed. “I am sorry to say that you are sticking yourself with a dud. I am a mere human parading around with paranorms. There isn't anything special or even slightly interesting about me.”
“I would like to find that out for myself. I think there is something just under your surface that maybe you haven't realized yet.”
We locked gazes for a few moments trying to read each other. I have no idea what he was expecting from me, but his deal was way too good to pass up.
“I can live with your proposal. I haven’t fed anyone before, so I should be free of any vampire-transmitted diseases. I am currently only given about a case a week, so I should have plenty of time to swing by for dinner.”
“You are clean, I have already checked. You cannot live to be as old as I am without picking up the ability to sniff out diseases. I also know that now that you have spoken your verbal agreement to the deal there is no need for us to sign on a dotted line. You will live up to your end. Are you ready tonight to fulfill your part of the bargain, or do you need some time to prepare?”
“There is no time like the present. You didn’t mention having a preference on where you took from, but I would prefer left wrist if it isn’t too much to ask for. Neck and thigh are a little too personal and I am right handed,” I told him.
“Your wrist will be fine. I will heal it right away, so you really don’t have to worry about which side I take from. I imagine you don’t want to return to the Collective full of holes like some of the feeders that show up here,” he said taking my wrist into his hand.
“I would be grateful if you did,” I replied watching as he paused and sniffed my wrist again like he did the other night. His eyes instantly changed to the full black eyes of a vampire about to feed. I saw his lips move briefly, almost like he was speaking, but I heard no words. I thought maybe he likes to say grace before his meals.
I leaned back and saw his fangs lengthen to their full two inches. I hadn't ever seen fangs that long, which means he must be older than I thought. He slowly licked my wrist like he was swabbing an injection site with alcohol. He then gradually began to sink the fangs into my wrist. Surprisingly I felt no pain and after a second I had a reaction I was not prepared for.
Then he began sucking and making sounds I had only heard in the outer area of Sins. I imagine, by the way I was feeling, if noises were escaping me they sounded very similar. I focused just on him because the thought of how I was being affected was too much to think about for more than a second.
He only took a minute that first time, and I think he got way more than he bargained for because when he withdrew and closed the wound he looked up at me with starry eyes. Literally, his eyes were still black, but white and gold little lights could be seen moving in the blackness.
“You really should have asked for more,” he told me shaking his head bringing his eyes back to normal.
“Technically, I didn’t really ask for anything. You came to me with a business proposal and I accepted said proposal,” I replied.
“It was good for you, right?” he asked staring at me with those dark eyes like my answer to that question was the most important thing in the world.
Not really wanting to let him know how good it was for me, I replied, “It didn’t hurt and I would go as far to say that I enjoyed myself.”
“Next time I will try to last longer, so maybe you can finish as well,” he said with a knowing smirk. “I don’t want you to get all offensive on me, but I didn’t actually know it would be like that with you. I wouldn’t have offered to play Parcheesi, if I knew it wasn’t actually going to be necessary.”
I laugh at his joke a little bit more at ease with him. “You didn’t know?” I asked not really believing him. “I am sure this wasn’t your firs
t time feeding, so I find your statement to be questionable.”
“Cross my heart and hope to die,” he replied with a statement most people would find comical since he was dead already according to them. “I have never experienced that with just drinking alone. I have heard rumors of things like that happening, but always believed they were just that, rumors. Because of the reaction, I would prefer if you refrain from feeding any other vampires.”
“No problem there. I am not planning on making any other deals where I have to give of myself so literally. I should be making decent money soon enough that my bribes can be paid in cash,” I replied moving to stand. Since it seems we both have gotten what we want for the night, I thought it would be a good idea to take off.
“If you need any help with those bribes, let me know. I have a feeling you will be a good investment,” Sebastian said rising quickly and going to the door. “Before you go, we should probably exchange numbers, so we are able to keep contact.”
It was a good idea, so I got my phone out ready to enter his information. “Just in case either of our phones is compromised we should probably come up with code names, then you aren’t immediately linked to me.”
“Great idea,” he said after thinking for a second. “How about this, you can call me Hawk in all of our communications and I will call you Cheeseburger?”
“You are joking, right? Cheeseburger. Can’t you come up with something a little more, I don’t know, sexy?”
“No, I think Cheeseburger is perfect. I have never been able to taste one before and as much as the humans go on about them, I am sure that is just what you taste like. You have a kind of special sauce taste going for you,” he said with a wink.
“Whatever,” I said ready to leave his presence after that remark. We exchanged numbers and I hurriedly made my way back to the front of the building without his assistance.
Over the years, it turned out that he didn’t call me once a week. It ended up being once every three weeks or so. I imagine during the down time he has had other people to snack on and that is fine with me. No matter how sexual in nature the feedings are, we aren’t exactly romantically involved. He is well aware that I have a fake boyfriend in the Collective community and I don’t know for sure, but I imagine he has a harem of women just waiting at his beck and call.
It has actually been a month since our last meeting for this purpose and with how busy I have been I am happy he has been able to find other sources. I pull up into my usual parking spot a couple blocks away from Sins. With how recognizable I have become these days, I have had to work at concealing myself from wandering eyes. I put on my blonde wig and blue contacts which is a total one eighty from my usual long black hair and dark brown eyes. The curls on the wig tend to make me want to vomit, but no one would expect me to look like this.
I climb in the back of the Suburban and quickly change into an outfit more fitting of the environment. The bright pink, plastic mini dress is another thing people would not expect to find in my black outfit laden closet, but it fits well with the wig. One of these days, we will have to find a more beneficial place to conduct these meetings, but in the past three years neither of us has come up with a good solution.
For now, I climb out of the van putting on gold sparkly stilettos that may or may not have knives that shoot out of the heels. Hey, besides the little bit of space under my wig, where I hide a small gun, there isn’t a whole ton of room for weapons in this outfit and even with Sebastian’s protection, I have to be ready to throw down in case anyone recognizes me.
I walk down the street allowing my hips to sway and ingrain myself into the persona I become in this outfit. If anyone asks, I am Kitty and I can make anyone purr within minutes. Yeah, I know, it makes me vomit every time I think about it, but it is necessary. There is a lot of vomiting going on in my mind right now.
Chapter 3
Just a little midnight snack
As usual, when I walk through the doors of Sins, the smell of sweat and perfume assails my nose. It always turns my stomach and tends to make me want to immediately leave. With the amount of sweat and the temperature in the building it feels humid and sweat humidity is really nasty. The scenes before me are uninteresting. It must be Beginner’s Night at Sins. Sebby, my personal nickname for Sebastian, doesn’t want to scare away potential customers, so things tend to be tame at least one night a week.
The walls of the place are different shades of red and pink with the overhead lighting casting red shades throughout the room. The floor is black and white tile, but other than that the pink and red theme carries through the showroom. It kind of reminds you of someone eating a Valentine’s Day cupcake and throwing it up on every available surface. There are pink couches and pink comforter coated beds spaced around the floor with red dividers interspersed giving couples or groups that want a little privacy the illusion that it exists.
If you cannot tell, it isn’t my idea of cute decorating. I guess I shouldn’t really talk, though, because I come in wearing a pink dress to only add to the vomit. That is probably part of the reason I usually wear this color here. If I want to disappear, I just have to go stand up against one of the walls.
I carefully make my way towards the back of the building doing my best not to draw attention to myself. It usually isn’t hard because people are either watching or a part of one of the shows going on. Today is no different and I easily make my way to his office. When I arrive I knock softly as a courtesy. Sebastian already knows I am here.
“Come in, lover,” I hear him say softly and I open the door.
The place hasn’t really changed much since the first time I visited. In fact, other than a few personal photos he has put on his desk, it is the exact same. Oddly enough, the photos are of me and him, but none of the photos actually show my face and some are in my disguises to give the illusion they are of more than one girl.
“You know I hate it when you call me that,” I say taking a seat next to him on the sofa allowing him to wrap his arms around my shoulders as he pulls me close and smells my hair.
“I know and it is because you don’t think the term applies in our situation, but I beg to differ. So, did you have any trouble with your target tonight?” he asks giving me a quick kiss on the neck.
“Does it smell that bad?” I ask aware that I must have left over werewolf guts on my hands or something from picking up my chains.
“To someone without my acute sense of smell probably not, but to me it is a little rancid. Do you want to wash up first? Are you in a hurry to get back to the Collective?” he asks.
“A shower would be great if you don’t mind waiting. I had no other plans for tonight, so I was actually glad to see your text. Ryan has been acting weirder than usual and I was hoping to spend most of my time out this evening,” I say standing up and heading towards the secret panel leading to his living quarters. “Can I trust you to stay out of the bathroom like a good boy or do I need to lock the doors?”
“I am always a good boy around you, my love. Go clean up, then we can enjoy the night without having to smell dead werewolf,” he says not moving from his spot.
The plan sounds good to me, so I quickly make my way to the bathroom grabbing a pair of black workout clothes, which I leave over in case I want to change. I shimmy out of the dress and chuck the wig off to the side and jump in his very large and awe inspiring shower.
After I wet my hair, I glance at my options for shampoo. Sebastian loves different scents, so he has a wide variety. I find a coconut pineapple variety that I don’t remember seeing before and decide to go ahead and give it a try. The bottle feels full. I am guessing it really is a newer purchase.
I soap up my body making sure to get everything cleaned, especially under my nails where guts like to hide. When I finish, I step out of the shower and grab my towel. Yes, it is my towel; it even says Cheeseburger on it. Isn’t that romantic? I dry off and throw my sweats on not bothering with underwear. I wrap the towel around my long hair and
leave my wig, dress and shoes to retrieve later.
I walk out of the bathroom into Sebastian’s bedroom and find him lying on the bed. It doesn’t really shock me these days. I am just happy to see he has remained in the majority of his clothing. His shirt must have spontaneously combusted on his way in, though.
I settle in on what is considered my side of the bed while I am here. “Better?” I ask.
“You used the new shampoo that I got for you. I like it and yes, you smell much better. So, do you want to tell me why you are avoiding your ‘boyfriend’? I can only hope he has offended you in some way that you are finally ready to end the charade,” he says rolling over to face me.
“I would love to end it. He has gotten way too wrapped up in the acting and has started carrying it over behind closed doors,” I tell him.
“That sounds like we have an issue. I am okay with sharing you to keep the idiots from making derogatory comments about you because they seem to upset you, but I will not allow him to have any other part of you,” he says angrily.