by Sydney Addae
Looking through some catalogs online, and gathering his measurements, he ordered a full wardrobe, including sunglasses to hide his eyes and brown contacts. Later, he dealt with the issues of his business. Three days later his clothing arrived. He couldn’t put off Rauff any longer. His partner knew he’d returned and his excuses were no longer accepted.
Baron’s mind raced over all the information he’d learned over the past month. And that final kick in the ass. How could they even think of him with a human? A face drifted across his mind. He pushed it away.
On the way to meet Rauff, he sent Lukian a message of where he’d be and requested they meet at the club later. He needed to prepare Rauff first. Walking in the building, the bouncers looked at him strangely but didn’t bother him. Dressed comfortably in dark trousers and a short sleeved shirt, he strolled across the floor checking out the patrons while scanning for his partner. Rauff stood in the shadows with a lit cigarette as Baron approached. Rauff wore his signature color, a gold long sleeved shirt with the sleeves rolled up, and brown dress pants. Baron felt his partner’s gaze and allowed the man a few moments to look at all his changes.
“I need to talk to you,” Baron said first, breaking the silence.
Rauff blinked and licked his lips. “Sure, what’s up?”
At Rauff’s husky voice, Baron scowled. “Shit, Rauff, breathe man. It’s me, Baron. I need to talk to you,” he growled, and stalked off toward the office.
Eyes wide, mouth open, Rauff did as instructed, which had to be a first. Catching up, he opened the door as Baron walked in. “What, what happened?” Rauff whispered, apparently unable to take in all his business partner’s changes at once. “You smell like Baron and sort of look like him, a supercharged, beefed up sexy version.”
“Last of my line. I inherited some traits from everyone in the line to pass on.” He accepted the compliment while giving an oversimplified version to the question.
“But you’ve been totally changed, not in a bad way, but is there any of the old you in there?” Rauff asked, looking him over from head to toe.
Smiling, he glanced at Rauff, who stood beside the closed door while Baron took a seat at the desk. Amazing, it appeared their roles had reversed. Granted, he was now taller, larger, and most definitely meaner than Rauff, but basically, he felt the same. “I’m still here, just enhanced by my line that’s all.”
Rauff continued staring at him.
“Lukian just arrived and is headed back here.” Pausing, Baron asked, “Are we alright? Is this change going to be a problem with our partnership?”
Rauff flicked his cigarette. “There’s the Baron I needed to see. Straight to the point as always, I just need a moment to adjust to this super-sized you. I like it by the way,” he added with a smile.
“Good,” Baron said as the door opened and Lukian walked in.
“Hey Rauff,” Lukian said as he stared at the man in the chair. “Baron? Is that you?” He inhaled again. “It has your scent, but it’s different. What happened?” He moved closer to grab Baron’s arm in greeting. Same thing he’d done countless times before, and took a seat.
Pleased with Lukian’s response, Baron gave him an edited version of his transformation. Lukian appeared entranced with the information. When Baron finished, he asked why he’d been looking for him. Reaching into his pouch, he pulled out a sensory device that Baron had created and passed it to him.
“It’s been malfunctioning and I wanted you to look at it. I want to be sure no one’s been tampering with it.”
They all looked at the gadget in Baron’s hand.
“What has it been doing?” Baron reached into his pocket and pulled out a placket that held some tools. Laying them on the desk, he searched for the correct one while listening to Lukian. He sensed Rauff’s interest. Normally, by now Rauff would have left him and Lukian as they went into “nerd talk.”
“It starts out all right, then it short circuits, and I hear a hum when I shouldn’t.”
“Hmmm.” Baron looked at the unit now without the casing. “Someone tampered with it all right. It’s missing a few parts. I want to run this through some tests to see what it’s designed to do now. Is that alright?”
Lukian nodded at the device as he tapped the desk. “Sure, you think someone planted a tracker in there?”
“I’m not sure. Rauff, where are the plastic bags?”
“Check the top left drawer. If there are any left, that’s where they’ll be.”
“Thanks.” He pulled a bag out and placed the unit inside, sealing it shut. “I’ll let you know as soon as I discover something. Have you had a chance to try out the stun machine I sent you?”
Lukian nodded. “Yes, it's much more efficient and faster than the older model. I need to set up a meeting for training and place an order.”
Baron smiled. “You can train your people at any time. However, you’ll need to contact sales for the order. That, my friend, hasn’t changed.” They all laughed as he stood. “Rauff, you ready?” Baron asked. “We’re going to grab a bite to eat, would you like to join us?” He looked at Lukian.
“No. Unfortunately, I can’t. I was on my way to a meeting when you summoned. I let them know I’d be late, but I must continue.” Glancing at a quiet Rauff, he smiled. “I will see the two of you later.”
Rauff nodded. Then shook his head at Baron, obviously still having problems grasping what had happened. He walked out the door behind Lukian, while Baron brought up the rear.
Lukian disappeared before they hit the club area. Rauff and Baron took a table and placed an order. Neither spoke as they watched the happenings in the club. The building was in an older part of town. Rauff had been hesitant initially, but Baron had insisted that it would be a good deal. They’d bought this old warehouse and the adjoining building a year ago, cheap. After tearing down the other building for parking for the club, Baron had watched his vision come to life. Most of the exterior walls had been salvaged to maintain congruency with the area. Everything changed once you stepped inside the hip, upbeat, mirrored and chrome interior. They’d broken down the club into sections, private and public. The public club offered food and dancing. For most people, that was enough. Only members could access the dungeons of the club.
Once their food was delivered, Baron ate with relish. He’d gone without his favorite foods for weeks and was suddenly starving. After decades of eating food, living off bagged, refrigerated blood alone held little appeal.
“Hungry?”
“Yeah, I am.”
“I could tell. Now that I think about it, I don’t think you’ve ever eaten here before.”
Baron didn’t comment and continued eating. When Rauff was right, he was right.
“You left your satchel in the office. Do you need it?”
Since it had been there for weeks, Baron shrugged. “Maybe later before I leave.”
“You know, that’s the third female who’s come over here to offer you a refill on your full glasses of water. How does it feel?” Rauff watched as Baron drained both glasses.
He shrugged. “I don’t pay it much attention. At first, it was a nuisance, now it’s just the way it is.”
At his matter of fact attitude, Rauff smiled. “Are you aware that a lot of guys are checking you out as well?”
Baron shrugged it off again and didn’t respond. He signaled to the waitress, who almost tripped over her feet to get to him. “Could you see if Bernard has any apple pie? I’d like it with a scoop of ice cream if he does. Thank you—” He paused to read her name tag. “—Tammy.” He nodded at her as she rushed off.
“You have no idea, do you?” Rauff said.
Baron glanced at him. “You mean that you’re interested in me sexually? Yeah, I know,” he stated as Rauff opened and closed his mouth.
“Are you going to do anything about it?” Rauff asked in a softer voice.
“No Rauff, I’m not. I value our friendship, and while I may have dabbled with others like that in the past,
we’ve never been interested in each other before. I’m not going to start now.” Watching Tammy swing her hips as she delivered the dessert, he licked his lips realizing a new hunger for more than food, but not from here. Not with people who worked for him.
“Thank you, Tammy,” he said as she set the plate in front of him.
“Do you need anything else, Sir? Anything at all?”
“Not right now, but thank you all the same.”
Rauff burst out laughing. “Same old Baron. Polite to a fault. Has your sex drive changed along with everything else?”
His eyes pinned Rauff to his seat. “Yes, yes, it has.” He had already told Rauff no. He had no interest in repeated innuendos from his associate. They gazed at each other until Rauff squirmed in his seat, breaking the contact. Baron smiled inwardly, he’d been the butt of Rauff’s sexual jokes and hints for centuries. He no longer had a taste for them.
“I need a list of all the female vampires and their locations. Do you have access to that information?”
“Yeah, I can get that for you. There’s one in Raleigh. I believe she’s visiting. You want me to contact her?”
“No, I want to go over each one first and then choose. Send me the list later tonight or first thing in the morning.” He ignored the surprised, then thoughtful, look on Rauff’s face. Fems were in great demand. They typically chose their lovers, even though any vampire who wanted a chance at procreation could set up appointments.
“By the way, don’t forget to send me the quarterlies.” Standing and dropping a large tip on the table, he smiled at his partner. “Walk with me and introduce me around so I won’t have problems later.”
Chapter 7
Simone pushed through the door of the upbeat club. This time she’d promised her friends she’d actually come inside rather than drive around the parking lot and then go home because she couldn’t find parking.
Tressie and Annie waved her over as she entered the dim room. Loud music pumped through sophisticated speakers kept bodies gyrating on the large dance floor. Moving through the twisting throng, Simone felt the beat of the bass through the soles of her shoe. She greeted Anna, her office manager and surrogate mother-hen. The older woman wore a simple black and white pantsuit that looked good on her. Tressie, the queen of the divas, sat next to Camilla in a lavender sheath that hugged and clung to all the gifts God had blessed the size six beauty with. She wore her long hair in a messy updo, showing off a huge necklace with purple and lavender stones. The divas were out tonight.
Simone had just begun sipping her drink when her cell phone vibrated. Reaching into her purse, she looked at the number, trying to figure out the caller.
“Oh shit,” Camilla breathed out, staring straight ahead, her mouth agape. Her red spaghetti strap dress bunched higher as she pushed her chair closer to the table. Although she was small, she was stacked and enjoyed showing her assets. Slanted dark eyes in a triangular face emphasized by a short pixie haircut with various shades of browns and red hinted at the diva beneath the sassy smile. Keeping her body pure and toned allowed her skin to shine with health and vitality. The woman was hot and exploited it. Getting excited over someone else was a rare occasion and called for immediate attention.
Glancing over at her friend while trying to determine the identity of the caller, she gave the number another glimpse before returning it to her purse, and followed Camilla’s gaze.
Simone’s breath hitched, her mouth dropped open as she stared at the masculine perfection headed their way. He was taller than everyone on the floor. Light blue eyes conquered hers with his intense stare. Too soon, he was at their table. She felt robbed of not seeing him move, graceful yet determined. He reminded her of a tiger she’d seen on a TV documentary, a smooth predator. Without thinking, she licked her lips and inhaled. His scent seemed familiar and not. Heated eyes scaled up his lengthy body, only to be seized again by a hot look staring hungrily at her mouth. Her libido clicked into overdrive as she glanced at his full lips. Dampness spilled between her legs, she clenched her thighs to ease the ache.
His nostrils flared as he leaned forward. His breath brushed her cheek. “Hello, my name is Baron, what is yours?”
Simone was amazed at how clearly she heard him over the noise. Afraid that she’d misheard or that there was some mistake, she discreetly glanced at her more glamorous friends, then back at him. He smiled at her apparent confusion, which left her mute. His firm lips were enhanced by a small dimple in his left cheek. Up close she corrected her assumption of his eye color, they weren’t just blue, they had an ethereal quality to them she’d never seen before, kind of like blue on steroids. She sent up a silent prayer of gratitude to the god of one-night stands that this hunky man paid her attention.
“Please, dance with me.” He reached forward, taking her hand, and pulled her up.
“Your voice, it sounds... familiar.” And should be illegal. The way the deep, dark tempo swept against her private areas caused her to pause and catch her breath. Brushing up against him, her nipples pebbled in salute.
“I’m Baron, and you are?” he asked again. His nostrils flared again, closer to her face.
“I’m... I’m Simone,” she said before clearing her throat. “These are my friends, Tressie, Camilla, and Anna. We came here together tonight. Together, my friends and I,” she fumbled, pointing between the women twice.
Nodding his head in their direction, he introduced his friend Rauff, who appeared fascinated by the exchange.
“Hi.”
The women acknowledged Rauff, but quickly turned to watch their friend leave for the dance floor.
“Well, damn, can you believe that? Simone speechless... somebody get me a drink, I don’t think I’ve ever seen her lose it like that, you Tress?” Anna, the office manager said.
“No, I’ve never seen her respond to anyone or anything like that. Thunderstruck is the word that comes to mind.” Tressie laughed, sipping her drink. “But damn, who wouldn’t be. That man is too fine.”
“I guess we’d best watch tall, dark and fine to make sure home-girl’s okay. You feel me?” Camilla threw in as she took another sip of her drink.
Simone ignored their voices and floated in a daze toward the dance floor, unable to believe he’d chosen her. Hostile glares came from all directions as he held her gently and securely swaying from side to side in the middle of the floor. Everyone around them danced to Michael Jackson’s “Beat It” as they rocked according to their own beat.
“You are very beautiful,” he whispered in her ear.
“Thank you, ah, Baron.” Her thoughts scrambled for something witty to say. He was so out of her league, she didn’t party or date, and she didn’t know how to flirt, so she fell silent.
“I like that you are tall and fit well against me,” he added after a moment.
Smiling, she decided not to touch that comment. Her heart slammed against her chest as she inhaled his sexy scent. Frowning, she looked up at him. “Like I said, you seem familiar, have we met before?”
His long lashes softened his penetrating gaze as he imprisoned hers. A long shudder ran through her in response.
“I’m sure we’ve never been introduced before. I don’t think either of us would have forgotten the other, do you?” he murmured close to her ear. His breath tickled the tip, causing her to shiver again. He pulled her closer as the music changed and slowed down. She couldn’t answer, so she nodded and leaned against his chest.
Baron’s mind moved at an accelerated rate, cataloging everything about her. He recognized her as the human from the bookstore and the cafe. Soon he would unravel the mystery, why her? He had stopped by the club tonight to return some signed documents to Rauff and had picked up her scent. Changing directions mid-stride, he’d followed her fragrance like a dog following a bone. There should be no connection, yet he sensed an invisible string tightening between them, pulsing, drawing them closer. He shouldn’t have picked up her scent out of this crowd, but he had and that meant s
omething. He didn’t know what, yet. Thankfully, some of his linesmen were quick-witted with the ladies, because he honestly didn’t know where half his responses came from. Later, he’d make sure to have a heart to heart with them about their interference, however grateful he was right now, he wouldn’t condone them popping in and out of his life.
Interestingly enough, she remembered him, albeit it in a vague way. As a human that should have been impossible, especially since his transition. Placing the disc jockey in a trance, he slowed down the music, Rauff be damned.
Inhaling her scent, he attempted to zero in on her thoughts. Surprise raced through him. How could she continue to block him? With the transition he operated from a stronger power base, only those of Counsel status should be able to block him. Frustrated, he pulled her tighter and tried again. Her nose nuzzled against his chest, the sigh she released sent a tremor of need through him. His body leapt to life.
He frowned at the hardness which rose between them. That hadn’t happened in years without his express permission. A replay of the conversation with his linesmen a few weeks ago returned full force. Jaw tight, he looked upward and slammed the door shut on their ramblings. Tingling sensations at the base of his back, near his symbol, jarred him from his thoughts. The woman was human, which made her off-limits. This was an experiment; he needed to know why he couldn’t read her, among other things.
Why is your body responding to this human?
Grinding his teeth against the question from his disturbing linesman, he demanded they leave him alone so he could figure out the puzzle on his own. A moment later, the tingling stopped.
For some unknown reason, he wanted her with him. Baffled, he frowned at the realization that he enjoyed her in his arms. She was soft and smelled sweet. He’d never thought of women, human or otherwise, in those terms. Her slight movements on his erection stole all rational thought. He ached as his arousal grew. Her nipples stiffened against his chest. Her breathing shallowed. Instinctively, he pulled her closer. She rolled her pelvis on his hard erection. Their movements slowed to a crawl.