by Kallysten
"Just to bring everyone up to date,” Brett continued, “a woman was found drained nearby this morning, and the police think her death is linked to the club. Any of you tell the cops you saw her here?"
No one answered, and Brett wanted to sigh in relief.
"Anyway, whether she was here or not, they think one of our customers is to blame. I don't need to tell you they'd love an excuse to shut down the club, so please, by all means, cooperate with them if they ask you anything else, and let them and John know if you notice anything strange. Anything at all."
"So you think the killer really is a customer?"
He had expected the question, but not that Lisa would be the one asking it. He looked straight at her as he answered, putting all his confidence into his words.
"I don't know. But I'm pretty sure there'll be cops here tonight, and probably Special Enforcers as well. We don't want any misunderstandings, and we don't want to give them any reason to think they're right if they're not. The sooner they catch their killer, whether it's here or not, the better for all of us."
He waited a few seconds to see how they all reacted to the announcement. There were a couple of nods, some quiet exchanges, but no one seemed to have any questions.
"That was the first announcement,” Brett started again, drawing their attentions back to him. “The second is a bit more pleasant. I hired two bartenders today. One for weekends. Her name's Joana, and she'll be there Friday and Saturday nights to help at the main bar. The second is here tonight.” At Brett's gesture, Leo stood and turned to face everyone.
"Hi, all. I'm Leo."
The staff called back greetings, and Leo sat again, leaving Brett to finish the introduction.
"Leo's a vamp, and he'll be working at the main bar during the week."
A hand shot up, and Brett acknowledged it with a nod and a grin.
"Yes, Wallace, that means the dance floor bar is all yours. I hope you brought your earplugs; and, no, you can't change your mind again in a week."
There were a few chuckles. Wallace had been asking to do more shifts at the small bar on the lower level for weeks. Brett had a private bet that his enthusiasm would fade along with his hearing, but that was Wallace's choice.
"That's it, people. The house opens in—” He gave a quick glance to his watch. “—seven minutes. Let's get ready, and have a great night."
Everybody stood in a clatter of chairs and tables being pushed back into place. Brett noticed that a few people were introducing themselves to Leo, including Daniel, the bartender who would be sharing the first floor bar with him. They walked together to the bar; Leo seemed at ease already as he helped Daniel remove the stools from the counter and set them up.
"Why didn't you tell me about the cops?"
Turning his eyes back to Lisa, Brett slipped an arm around her waist.
"I didn't hear about it until this afternoon, and then—"
"And then you lost track of time while you were working,” she finished for him, half teasing and half exasperated. “You work too much."
He kissed her cheek. “Yes, mother. I know. I'll try to do better."
She glared at him, but ruined the effect by breaking into a smile.
"Good to hear. You're going to start now and have a glass of wine, and then you'll dance with me."
Brett wanted to refuse the wine; he hadn't had anything to eat since lunchtime, and his tolerance to alcohol wasn't so good with an empty stomach. Already, however, Lisa was pulling him toward the bar, and he let her. A small glass wouldn't be too bad.
They sat down together on high stools at the bar, and for the first time Brett noticed Lisa's dress. It was one of his favorites. Baby blue, it fell down to her knees and covered her cleavage up to her neck, where a metal circle gathered the fabric and served as necklace as well. It looked rather conservative, until one noticed the openings that ran up to her thighs on each side of the dress, or the entirely bare back. Brett's mouth was dry suddenly, and he needed that drink after all.
Lisa ordered for the both of them, requesting not the most expensive bottle, but the one she liked best. Leo served them, already all charm and professionalism in his role as bartender.
"Serve yourself as well, if you want,” Brett offered.
Behind Leo, Daniel threw them a curious glance, but turned away when Brett raised an eyebrow at him. He picked up his glass and waited for Leo to finish pouring a glass for himself.
"A toast. To old friends, and new ones."
Lisa and Leo repeated his words, and their three glasses met with a small chime. Brett only took a small sip before observing his companions. He wondered how long their precarious arrangement would work. There was a lot he didn't know about Leo and, as he had been reminded of it when talking to him, about Lisa as well. What he knew, however, was that it would be worth it to make their relationship work, and he intended to do his best to make it last.
* * * *
Usually, Lisa came down to dance later in the evening, when the dance floor was crowded and the music so loud that it was hard to exchange more than a couple of words with anyone. This time, though, she and Brett were amongst the first dancers, with only a dozen or so customers around them. The DJ was playing his usual mix of music, alternating pop songs that were at the top of the charts and music pieces from local bands. The sound, however, wasn't anywhere as high as it would be later on in the evening, and the beat was slower, as though waiting for more dancers to arrive to pick up in speed and volume. Lisa preferred faster rhythms as a rule, but with Brett's arms around her, this suited her just fine. She could let herself relax against him in a way she didn't dare with her prey, and the change was soothing.
With her face right against his, his scent was all around her. The lust was there, as always, a spicy note that lingered over everything else, complimented by the point of pressure against her hip. She didn't think she'd ever tire of the effect she had on him. Behind the lust however lurked something that she couldn't recognize for a long time, probably because it rarely permeated Brett's scent. She wasn't used to seeing him wary, but she could guess what was troubling him.
"What's on your mind?” she asked him. She was sure that Leo would feature in his answer somehow, but his reply still surprised her.
"Why did you and Leo break up?"
She resisted the impulse to draw back to see his expression, and tried to put some humor in her voice when she answered. “It was so long ago, I don't remember."
Brett turned his face and laid a kiss on her earlobe before breathing one word. “Liar."
She smiled; she hadn't expected him to believe her, but the kiss that had accompanied that simple word told her that he wasn't upset by her reluctance to answer. She returned the kiss to the crook of his neck, easily finding Leo's healing bite so that she could feel him shiver against her.
"Since we're talking about Leo,” she murmured, “tell me what you thought of last night."
His body tensed against hers, but she kept dancing as though she hadn't noticed. Eventually, Brett relaxed again and answered her question.
"It was ... interesting."
She laughed and pulled back so she could see him. In the flickering lights of the club, his features were harder to read, but his voice had revealed his nervousness. “Interesting?” she repeated. “That's all?"
"Maybe ... maybe more than that."
His hesitation was just adorable. He was such a confident man usually; this aspect of his personality intrigued Lisa. She slid a hand up his arm and to his face, tracing his jaw with a finger. She could feel the light prickling of his facial hair beneath her fingertip.
"Was it interesting enough that I should ask him to come by after he ends his shift?"
He leaned into her touch like a kitten demanding to be petted.
"If he wants to."
She chuckled. She always forgot how young Brett was and how naïve, sometimes. “Oh, he'll want to."
"I'm sure. He wouldn't pass an invitation to be
with you again."
She raised an eyebrow, both at what he was saying and at the renewed wariness in his voice and scent.
He explained what he meant on a tone that strived for humor, and failed. “If you vamps didn't insist you can't love, he'd have fooled me."
The strange notion left her puzzled and blinking. “Leo doesn't love me, he loves company."
Brett didn't look convinced.
"From the night he was turned,” she insisted, “he always hated being alone. He never slept as well as when he was between two bodies. Believe me, if he comes to our bed, it'll be as much to fuck you as it'll be to fuck me."
Even with the shy side of himself he had already showed, she was surprised to see color rise into his cheeks at her bluntness.
"You're blushing,” she teased. “It's kind of cute. Especially from the man who was peeping on us this morning. You weren't blushing then."
The hardness against her hip pressed in a little more, and the lust in his scent seemed to double suddenly. She had a feeling that he had enjoyed the show even more than she had first believed. Or was he excited at the memory of how the show had ended?
"Are you ready for more?” she asked, her words going from teasing to enticing.
She expected more blushing, even a little stammering, maybe. She got neither.
"Ready for more work?” He pressed his lips to her cheek and dropped his hands from her waist. “I guess I don't have much of a choice. I have a ton of paperwork to finish."
She watched him climb the staircase until he had disappeared, then started dancing on her own, knowing that she wouldn't remain alone very long. Brett must have been more hesitant than she realized, more afraid, maybe, about going any further with Leo. They had only played so far: a little frottage, some naughty touching, kissing, biting, and Leo's mouth on Brett's cock. Maybe she ought to leave them to themselves for a while before she joined them later that night and give them a chance to get better acquainted. If she were lucky, she'd even get to watch them a little when she got upstairs. Brett wasn't the only one who liked a good show.
* * * *
Ever since Leo had served Brett and Lisa and toasted with them, the other bartender, Daniel, had been keeping a curious eye on him. It could have been the simple wariness of having to share his workspace with a newcomer, but Leo thought it was more than that. There was more than enough work for the two of them, and no reason for Daniel to feel protective of his territory.
The explanation came as Leo watched Lisa come up from the dance floor, a man on her arm. He seemed young, maybe no older than twenty, and he was attractive, but Leo spared him no more than a glance. It was Lisa he was interested in. He hadn't seen her hunt in years, and it was striking to him just how much more confident she had become. She had always been a born seductress, but she used to let the prey come to her and let them believe they were seducing her rather than the opposite. What he was witnessing now, as Lisa guided the young man to a private booth in the back of the room or as she rested a hand on his on the table, was just the opposite. She was leading the dance, and doing so beautifully.
"You realize that's the boss’ girl, right?"
Abruptly jolted out of his thoughts, Leo glanced at Daniel, frowning. “What?"
A customer was waiting at the bar, and Leo turned to her with a smile, listening to what she wanted, then grabbing a glass and ice.
"The woman you were staring at?” Daniel insisted, lowering his voice so the customers around them wouldn't hear. “Lisa? She's Mr. Andrews’ girlfriend."
There was something in Daniel's voice when he said Lisa's name that made Leo instinctively look at his neck. Sure enough, there was a healed bite mark there; Leo would have bet his new job that it was Lisa's.
"I know she is.” He turned to grab syrup and juice, and he could feel Daniel's eyes following his every movement as he mixed the drink, clearly expecting more. “We're ... friends. Have been friends for a long time."
"Friends, huh?” Daniel chuckled and clapped Leo on the back. “That's not what your eyes say when you're looking at her, but she's not my girl, so I guess it's not my business."
The expectant note on which he ended clearly said that he wouldn't have minded making it his business and hearing about how long exactly Leo had known Lisa, but all Leo offered him was an amused smile and a shake of his head. Until Lisa or Brett showed him otherwise, he would assume that what happened upstairs was to be kept under wraps.
Without another word to Daniel, he finished pouring the drink and placed it in front of the customer. The woman's hand brushed against his when she took her drink, too slowly for it to be an accident.
"Are you new?” she asked him with a sweet smile.
"I am, indeed. Does that mean you're not?"
She took a sip from her drink before answering. “I'm here most nights. My name's Karen."
"Leo."
He chatted with her for a little while, then her friends arrived and she left for the dance floor with a last smile and wink at Leo. He smiled back before turning to his other customers, but even so, he always kept an eye on the booth at the end of the room. Lisa had been in there with her prey for a long time. He wondered what Brett thought of this; he had to know, certainly. They must have made an arrangement, rules maybe. He'd have to figure out how he fit in with all that, and what rules applied to him.
He laughed to himself, shaking his head when Daniel looked at him askance. He'd never have believed, if someone had told him, that one day he would be looking forward to having rules to follow and live by.
Chapter 5
Going back to work after dancing with Lisa had been a mistake, Brett admitted to himself after a couple of hours. He should have gone upstairs for dinner, or even taken his laptop and worked in the apartment. At least, upstairs, he would have had some quiet. In the office, the music was toned down but still too loud to ignore. The beat pulsed in Brett's veins, and every few moments the image of Lisa dancing formed in his mind, enticing and harder to resist with each passing minute. When he wasn't thinking of her, it was worse. It was Leo who would then occupy his mind, and the images here were much more imprecise, leaving Brett increasingly nervous. He had always been equally attracted by women and men, but until the previous night, he had never acted on his attraction to men in any way. He wanted this ‘something more’ that Lisa had dangled in front of him, but at the same time it made him more nervous than he had ever been as a fumbling teenager when kissing a girl for the first time.
Caught between his arousal and nervousness, he eventually gave up trying to reconcile his bank statement and expense account. As it was, he would no doubt have to check all his work again when his mind was clearer. Unplugging his computer, he didn't bother with the case and simply carried it. He made sure to lock the office door when he walked out and hesitated just as he was turning to the nearby door that led to the apartment. He could wait a few more minutes before getting dinner.
He looked around the room as he went over to the bar. He didn't see Lisa. There were a lot of customers on the first floor, more than usually came during the week. He would need to see the final numbers in the morning, but he had a feeling this would be a very good night. He couldn't find an empty stool at the bar, but he leaned against the counter and caught Leo's attention.
"How's everything?"
"Fine! I haven't had so much fun in a long time."
Brett couldn't help grinning at Leo's obvious delight. He was practically beaming, and his whole body exuded energy and excitement.
"Glad to hear. If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask."
A customer called Leo—by name, Brett noticed—and he looked at her, making a small sign to show he had heard her before turning back to Brett.
"I never got around to asking you what time my shift ends."
"The club closes at three during the week. You get a half hour break. You can take it any time you want, just talk to Daniel so there's always someone at the bar. Fridays and Saturda
ys, we close at five, but you still end at three. We have another bartender here from one to five. You have a night off per week, again talk to Daniel to figure out when works best."
Leo nodded. “Sounds good. Can I leave the club during my break?” At Brett's questioning expression, he explained himself. “I need to go get my clothes from the apartment where I dropped them last night."
Brett wanted to kick himself. He hadn't even thought about that since offering one of his shirts for Leo to wear earlier that day.
"No problem. Is it far? I can give you a ride if you want."
"Thanks, but I'll be fine. The apartment if just minutes from here."
That made Brett frown. “I thought you'd just arrived in town? You found that apartment pretty fast."
"That's where I used to live with Lisa, way back."
The same customer called out for Leo again. She sounded impatient now.
"Back to work,” Brett said, pushing away from the counter. “We'll see you later."
Leo's wink said that he understood the implicit promise in those words, and he went to serve the customer who had called him. Brett watched him for a few more seconds. He seemed just as comfortable now—with the ambient noise, customers lining the bar, another bartender to share the space with, and waitresses calling on him every so often—as he had been that afternoon, when it had only been him and Brett. If Brett had had any doubts about hiring him, they disappeared in that moment.
With his stomach grumbling its displeasure, Brett finally went up to the apartment. A quick cold-cut sandwich and apple later, his hunger was satisfied and he was slipping into a hot shower. Immediately, his mind filled with memories of Lisa and him, in this same shower the previous evening, mingling with memories of that morning, when he had watched her and Leo. Before he knew it, his cock was full, straining toward his belly and demanding his attention. He fisted it loosely and pumped his hand up and down a few times, squeezing a little harder at the tip. He stopped mid-stroke when he realized just how silly he was. Two beautifully sensual people would come to him before the night was over. What was he doing, jerking off alone in his shower?