by Reders, E. M
Copyright
All rights reserved by author
Published by E.M. Reders
Copyright©2013 by Emma Reders
This is a work of fiction
All characters appearing in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead is purely coincidental.
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Amber & Lochlann
By E.M Reders
Prologue
On the outside it looked just like any normal club. A large black marble front with wide glass doors, special nights advertised in frames on the walls, two large bulky blokes in suits manning the doors, while a large queue backed down the street. But in truth Flesh and Blood was anything but normal.
It was an exclusive club; there was no getting in, unless you were a member. Once a month the club would open its doors to all - well to whoever was deemed worthy by the guys on the door, Tex and Al. Once through the doors and past the lobby you entered the main club, a large circular room with a dance floor and DJ booth in the middle, surrounded by bars. Above the dance floor was the members’ balcony where the members could watch the club below from plush leather booths, and be served at their own private bar. Above that was another floor, the main facility that was open nightly, 7 days a week, all year round. It was there that the name Flesh and Blood had true meaning, because in all honest truth Flesh and Blood was a strip club, a strip club where all the members… were vampires.
Chapter 1
Amber loved her job… most of the time.
She was a dancer, an exotic dancer, or as most people referred, a stripper. In any place, be it the clients were human or not, it could be a dangerous job. And while the dancers at Flesh and Blood were strictly off limits, it didn’t always stop some members from trying. So far she had been lucky, only once had a vampire approached her for blood, but Rachel had been near and had had him removed instantly.
Rachel was the clubs assistant manager, a human. Like the dancers she was free from being fed from, but not all the staff were. While all the dancers were hired by the club’s owner the rest of the staff were not so lucky, all of them were ‘Owned’ by the club. They were all people that had run into trouble and asked the vampires for help to get them out of it. Tristan, the vampire who owned the club would help anyone in need, but there was always a price to be paid. From the moment a deal was made he owned you and set you were to work either in the club or at his private residence. All the human waiting, bar and cleaning staff belonged to him, and all had the added job of supplying blood to the elite members when asked.
The only night they didn’t have to give blood was on the nights the club opened its doors to the public. On that night no matter where you looked a vampire would be feeding from one of the drunken humans that ventured into the trap. They would sit and watch the growing crowd of humans below, salivating over the pounding of hearts, the flow of blood in their veins. If they took a fancy to someone they would be invited up to the next level where the vampires would feed and seduce them. If things went well the human had a chance at a night of mind blowing sex and a little light headedness from blood loss, while the vampire got their fix from the life in their blood and the energy of orgasm. But if things went bad, well sometimes the human would end up dead.
Tonight luckily enough was not one of those nights.
Amber had just finished her set and was about to get dressed when Rachel entered the dressing room looking completely out of place in her fitted grey suit, long brown hair held back from her face in a tight bun, looking very professional amongst the scantily clad girls in sequins and leather. “Amber, can I have a word?”
“Sure,” she answered walking over to the small office in the corner that Rachel kept for chatting with the girls.
“Take a seat,” she said as Amber shut the door behind her. “As you have probably noticed we have had a few extra members in over the past few days.”
She had noticed a few extra seats taken lately but when she danced she forgot all that was around her, completely lost herself in the music.
“Well one of them is an ‘Elite’ member, and has been coming to the club since it opened, though he has not visited in some time. Occasionally ‘Elite’ members will select a staff member to be their private entertainer, and they pay highly for them. This particular member, well… he has asked Tristan for you.”
“What?”
“Yes, it seems you have captured his interests. He has spoken to Tristan about it and understands that you are not owned by the club and are not available to him in the capacity that the ‘Owned’ staff are, but he would very much like to pay you to be his private dancer for the remainder of his stay.”
Amber was shocked. She had heard of staff being brought by members once in a while, hired out, but never imagined something like that happening to her. What could she do? Tristan didn’t like his members to be disappointed, would he be angry at her if she refused? But she really could do with the extra money. She had moved to the area with nothing but a few boxes of clothes, and her car was on its last legs. She had managed to find a place to stay at a local bedsit but would need to find a place of her own soon; she had already stayed at the bedsit much longer than she should have.
“I understand that this is a lot to take in and usually if a member asked this Tristan would refuse immediately, but this is a very old and important client so he wanted to leave the decision up to you.”
“I don’t know, I could do with the money but I'm worried, I’ve done the odd private dance from time to time but never anything like this. What would be expected of me?” she asked. She needed all the information before she could even consider a decision.
“You would move into one of the guest rooms in the apartment upstairs where he is staying, there you would make yourself available to him during the night, the day is your own time to do with as you please.”
“When you say available to him?”
“To dance, accompany him to the club, be his escort if you will.”
“Just pole dancing like I do on stage, or would he want more?”
“Yes, he may not ask you to but lap dancing is something you do during your job here so he very well might ask that of you at some point.”
“He won’t want to feed from me will he?” She couldn’t help but ask. If she was one of the ‘Owned’ she would have had no doubt that it would be expected of her, but she wasn’t and she had no plans on letting any fangs near her neck. She knew what could happen when a vampire lost themselves to bloodlust during a feed. She’d seen it.
“No, he is well aware that our dancers are in no means feeders, he would not take blood from you unless you offered it to him.” As she sat there silently, not knowing what to do Rachel said, “Listen, go home and think about it. We don’t expect an answer now, but Tristan will want to know what you have decided before opening tomorrow night.”
Nodding her head in understanding she left the office, quickly getting dressed and headed out to her car. She needed sleep and time to think it through. That was if she could sleep at all now.
*****
Lochlann was sat in his usual booth deep in the shadows at the back of the club waiting for Tristan to join him, hopefully to give him the answer that he wanted. He had known that Tristan had no say in the matter when he had gone to him and asked to purchase Amber for the next few weeks. Tristan had begged him to pick another girl, one of the staff he ‘Owned’ instead, but he w
anted her and nothing was going to make him change his mind. There was just something about her.
Since his arrival at the club he had spent every night sat in his booth watching the girls dance but none had caught his eye. It had been well over a decade since someone had interested him. They were all the same to him, just a meal wrapped in flesh. He had considered leaving early and heading back to his home in the highlands but then she had appeared on stage and everything had changed. When she danced he saw nothing but her, thought of nothing but her, and hell was she beautiful. Her skin looked like cream silk, her hair the colour of flames falling in waves down her back. He had been tempted to move closer to get a better look, to see the colour of her eyes, the shape of her mouth. But he had held back and just watched her preform.
He had wanted her then, but she was a dancer and Tristan’s dancers were not for sale like the other members of staff. She was off limits. Eventually though he decided he didn’t care, he wanted her even if it was just to dance for him, at least it would be for him alone for the remainder of his stay. He had to have her, only question was, would she say yes?
“Tristan,” nodding in welcome as his old friend sat down opposite him. “Did she agree?”
“She has not given an answer yet. Rachel asked her to think it over and inform me before opening tomorrow night.”
“Do you think she will agree?”
“Honestly I don’t know. She needs the money but I'm not sure if that is enough incentive, we can only wait and see. Are you sure there is no other member of staff that you would prefer?” he asked once again for what must have been the tenth time since Lochlann had first asked for her.
“I'm sure. I want her, and I want her to dance for me, and me alone.” He knew he was asking a lot of his friend, they had known each other for centuries and he had never failed him, but he thought maybe time he was asking for the impossible.
Deciding that as he would not be getting his answer or see her preform again tonight he headed up to the suite he was staying in, in an attempt to sleep the time away until the answer came.
*****
Amber still hadn’t made up her mind, she couldn’t. It would mean more money, money she so desperately needed but it would also mean having to stay in an apartment with a vampire, to be around him for his every waken moment. The longest time she had spent with a vampire alone had been the night she was hired when Tristan had spoken to her for all of 15 minutes before passing her off to Rachel. The thought of being alone with one was terrifying for her. Yes she danced in front of them every night, was surrounded by them, but Tex, Al and the other security guys were always around, even during private dances there was always someone else nearby. They made her feel safe. She didn’t even know this vampire, he was an old member, an ‘Elite’, but she had no idea what he was like, or which one he was. But did it make a difference who he was? He was still a blood drinker after all.
Still unsure she got her things ready for the night ahead and headed down the stairs, checking her mail on the way, she noticed that there was a small note in her pigeon hole.
Amber,
You have been here for a while now and while I think you a lovely charming young lady I do need to ask that you find a new place to live. You have 2 weeks at the most in which to find somewhere permanent. Should you need references I will gladly supply them.
Mrs Brown
Tears streamed down her face as she made her way to the car. Mrs Brown was the owner of the bedsit and a lovely woman. If she was resorting to leaving her reminders then she really had over stayed her welcome. What was she going to do? She had looked everywhere for someplace to live but all she could afford at the moment were grotty room lets and the few she had visited she swore were actually drug dens or brothels.
She had sat so long in the car too worked to drive safely that she was running late for work. Quickly parking round the back of the club and running to the back door she kicked against it praying that someone would hear the bangs her small feet made.
“Please, please open up,” she begged banging again. After what seemed like forever the door finally opened and a familiar face peered out. “Tex? Oh thank god,” sighing with relief.
“Wondered where you were, quickly get inside they have been waiting for you,” he told her pulling her in. As he got a better look at her, taking in her red rimmed eyes and tear streaked face, “hey sweetheart what’s wrong?” pulling her into a tight hug.
Stood at 6ft 8, Tex towered over everyone, his large muscular frame was intimidating to most but he was a softy at heart, and Amber felt some of her worry slip away as he held her, stroking her hair.
“I’m fine, really,” she said holding back the new flood of tears that threatened to spill down her cheeks. “Who’s been waiting for me?”
“Tristan and Rachel, they’re in his office.”
She had completely forgotten. After spending all day tossing and turning, agonizing over the offer she had forgot all about it as soon as she got the note from Mrs Brown. She was still unsure and scared of what might happen being at the beck and call of a vampire but the idea of living at the club, be it temporary, was suddenly very tempting. It was the best option really. She could earn the extra money she desperately needed and keep a roof over her head. The vampire was supposed to be staying for a while yet, that would give her some time. She just prayed that she survived whatever her new employer asked of her.
Chapter 2
Rachel had been a little surprised when she had agreed to do it but Tristan had been delighted and said that he would make all the arrangements for a bedroom to be ready for her by the end of the night. Tonight would be her last performance on the main stage, from then on she would only dance for the vampire. Tristan had promised he would introduce her to him later that evening after her set. She was nervous about meeting him. What would he be like? Attractive was a given, they all were, but would he be cruel, kind, creepy, nice, or even evil? She had met very few nice ones in her time. Tristan was always kind to the dancers, and even to the staff he ‘Owned’ but she knew he had a dark side, they all did, and no one truly good would demand ownership over a person surely? Would she be safe with him, without Tex or Al around to watch her back? She had no idea what to expect, she just hoped that he had good control on his thirst. With him being an ‘Elite’ member he should, but age was never a guarantee.
“Don’t worry Amber, Lochlann is an old vampire, fully in control of all his senses,” Rachel said as if reading her mind.
“What’s he like?” she asked.
“I don’t really know him. This is his first visit in a very long time so he is new to me as well, but he shows no signs of bloodlust around the girls and is always very gentle with those he feeds from. I would say your safe with him darling, but you must still be careful, he is still a vampire after all.”
She was a wreck by the time Rachel called her to head to the office. She had finished her set over an hour ago and had been sat fidgeting, or nervously pacing the dressing rooms ever since. Beth, one of the other dances, had tried to ease her worries a little by talking about some of the regulars that she had privately danced for in the past, but her story about Al having to rip one of them off her when she had caught her heel and fell, cutting her knee had not helped.
“Lochlann is waiting in my office,” Rachel said walking into the room. “Are you ok?”
“Fine,” Amber said forcing a smile.
*****
She had agreed, actually agreed to be his private dancer, his escort and companion for the duration of his stay. He hadn’t felt so much emotion in decades. Was it happiness he felt? He wasn’t sure, but it was certainly different from the emptiness that had filled him these last few years.
Tristan was taking care of all the arrangements and would bring her to meet him later that night before sunrise. He didn’t know how he would react to being in such close proximity to something, someone that he desired so much, but it was best to be safe, so instead of sitting
in his booth and watching her preform on the main stage one last time he went to see Marcy, an ‘Owned’ member of staff that worked during the day as a cleaner.
She was getting on in years now, in her early fifties he believed. They had met a few times in her youth, back in the days when he had regularly visited the area. Over the years they had struck up a kind of friendship. He only ever fed from her when he was here. He liked to know where his blood came from, that it was pure, clean of substances and most importantly… freely given.
Marcy had fallen into the world of prostitution in her youth - well dragged into it by an abusive boyfriend. He had taken her to one of the clubs open nights thinking he could sell her to a few vampires for large sums of money. No one would take up his offer though, they had more respect. Tristan had been enraged at the man. He hated people being taken advantage of, forced to do things they did not want, so had taken her away from her pimp there and then. He ‘Owned’ her now, her life belonged to him, though she was not asked to do things like feed or entertain the way others in his service were. No, she had been through enough and had been forced into a hell that was not of her choosing. She was ‘Owned’ but she was free to live her life in the safety of the club. She did feed a few vampires, a select few she trusted and was glad to call friends, Lochlann being one of them.
“So I heard that you have purchased a new… being,” she said with a raised brow once he had had his fill.
“Yes, a remarkable young woman named Amber I believe.”
“Amber? The dancer?” The shock evident on her face, “I'm guessing I will see you a lot more then as you will not be able to feed from her. Are you sure this is wise? I know you are in control of yourself but still.”
“Tristan has said the same, but there is just something about her, I want her in every way possible and though I know that is not going to happen I will take whatever she is willing to give.”