by Taylor Dawn
***
“Here,” Gia stood in the living room of the house Micah had taken her to. He handed her a red plastic cup full to the brim with beer.
“No thanks,” she smiled while pushing the drink away.
“You’re not the bubbly Gia I’m used to,” Micah sat the cup down on a nearby table and said.
“I know. Maybe I should go home.”
“Let’s go outside so we can talk. I can’t hear myself think over this loud music,” he grabbed her hand and pulled her behind him. They exited through a set of French doors and into an empty backyard. “This is much better. I must be getting old if the noise bothers me,” he laughed.
“You’re only twenty-four, Micah.”
“And you’re only twenty-six, Gia.”
He took a gulp from his own cup. “Why haven’t we dated?” he asked.
“Because you’re like a brother,” she hated to say something like that to him but it was true. Micah was Zach’s best friend. She had never looked at him in a romantic capacity and that wouldn’t change.
“Awe, come on. I’m sure you can get past seeing me like that. I like you.” He threw an arm over her shoulder, making her uncomfortable.
“You’re drunk,” she grabbed his arm and flung it off her.
“So? I wish you would get drunk. Maybe then you’d fuck me,” he said in an intimidating tone.
“I’m going to call a cab,” she said while pulling her phone from her pocket. She scrolled down the list of numbers and found the one for a cab service.
“Give me that,” Micah plucked the device from her fingers and slammed it on the concrete patio.
“You asshole,” Gia bent over and picked up the pieces of her phone. “I can’t believe you did that.” Her frustration with her brother’s friend was mounting to a dangerous level. Before she could stand up straight, she found herself pushed down to the ground with Micah hovering over her. When she suddenly got a whiff of something that smelled of wet dog she yelled, “Get off of me!” while thrashing around.
“Come on Gia, just once?” he ran his tongue up and down her neck.
“Ugh, Micah.” she tried to shove him off of her but he was stronger. As she lay there expecting the worst, his body seemed to float off of hers then landed about ten feet away.
“She told you to get off of her,” Layton growled and charged at Micah. He picked the younger man up by the throat, Micah gasping for air.
Gia couldn’t let Layton hurt him so she jumped to her feet and ran across the yard. “Don’t do this,” she tugged at Layton’s arm. “Just let him go,” her eyes filled with tears. “I’ll do whatever you want me to if you’ll let him go,” the salty liquid streaked down her face. Just as fast as it began, Layton ended things by tossing Micah to the grass below. The other man jumped to his feet and took off running from the yard.
“Be at my office tomorrow at sundown,” Layton pinned her with a serious expression. “Punctuality means something so don’t be late," he then vanished like a puff of smoke around the side of the house.
Gia’s mind was awhirl with the repercussions of what she’d agreed to. It wasn’t uncommon for a vampire to lay claim to a human, but in their day and age, humans suffered ridicule for being with the undead. “What did I do?” she asked herself as she made her way around the house and to the street.
Four
“YOU’RE LATE,” Layton scorned as Gia entered his office.
Her face was flushed and her breathing irregular. “I’m sorry. Someone was late for their shift and I had to cover until they showed up,” she explained.
“Didn’t I mention punctuality last night?”
“You did.”
“Then I can’t understand why you would be late when that was one of the rules.”
Gia shook her head. “Forget this whole deal. I’ll find my brother on my own.” She turned to exit the office but Layton blocked the door.
“You will stay,” he said with a commanding voice and presence.
“You are nothing but a bully.” She accused.
“Maybe I will change your mind,” he crossed his arms over his chest and stood his ground at the door.
“I guess miracles can happen,” she took a seat in the extra chair while he returned to his own seat.
Layton stared at her for a few moments before opening his top desk drawer. Pulling out the contract he’d drafted, he pushed it across the desk. “I will need you to sign this,” he instructed.
“What is it?” she grabbed the papers and scanned over them.
“It’s a contract. It will dictate you belong to me. For now.”
“How long are you planning on owning me?” he watched her swallow, the artery in her neck pulsing with what he assumed was fear.
“As long as it takes.”
“That’s not an accurate form of measurement. I need dates or I’m not signing anything,” she said and pushed the papers back to him.
Layton was becoming frustrated with the sassy human across from his desk. She challenged everything he said, and that was something he fucking hated. The shitty part was, he was at the point he would offer her the moon if she would just sign the damn contract. “I will amend the contract to state that if I don’t find your brother before the month is over, the agreement will be terminated.”
“A month?” She glanced at the papers once more. “Okay.” She grabbed the corner of the small stack and looked at him. “I need a pen.”
Layton opened the side desk drawer and pulled out a small dagger. “You will sign it with your blood and I will do the same.”
“You want me to stab myself?”
“I prefer to use the word prick, rather than stab.”
“Funny, when I think about you, I like the word prick, too.” She took ahold of the knife he offered. “Is this thing sanitary?”
“Yes.” He watched her survey the dagger. She was an inquisitive human which fascinated him and grated on his nerves. Indecision passed across her delicate features before she sucked in a breath and poked the end of her finger with the sharp object. When she pulled back the cover on the document and scribbled her name in blood, Layton breathed a sigh of relief.
“There,” she said right before she brought her finger to her mouth and sucked on it. Such a simple gesture shouldn’t have made him giddy, but it did. As soon as he put his name on the paper, it would be final.
“Congratulations, Miss Pendleton, you now belong to me.”
“Now what?” she looked at him.
“Now, I do anything I want,” his voice took on a gravelly tone.
“What if you do something I don’t like?” she stood from her chair with a fearful look in her eyes. He loved seeing that look on her face. It meant that his game would be more fun than he’d intended.
“I’m hungry,” Astrid boomed as she flung the office door open, hitting Gia in the back, knocking her to the floor.
Layton rushed to Gia’s side and helped her stand. “Watch what you’re doing, Astrid,” he thundered.
“What is she doing here?” Astrid braced a hand on her hip.
“She’s mine,” Layton sat Gia in the chair.
“Are you kidding me? Have you lost your fucking mind?”
Before he could respond, Gia stood from the chair and extended her hand to his sister. “I’m Gia,” the curvy blonde smiled.
Without warning, Astrid reared her arm back, brought it forward and slapped Gia across the cheek. Her sharp nails causing a scratch to form on the human’s silky skin.
“You will not touch her,” Layton boomed. He placed his body in between the women.
“For 105 years you have kept away from humans, what’s so special about her?” Astrid yelled.
“What I do with my eternity is none of your concern.” He defended.
“She will get you killed, I hope you know that.” Astrid pushed her way past him and left the office.
“I don’t think your sister likes me,” Gia said from behind him.
&
nbsp; “It doesn’t matter what Astrid thinks. My decisions are my own.” He turned to see a deep scratch on her face. “There’s a ladies room at the end of the hallway. Please, go clean the blood from your face.” She did as he said. When she left the room, Layton shook his head. The urge to protect Gia was ferocious and feral. It was something he couldn’t comprehend just yet.
***
“This is ridiculous,” Gia whispered to her reflection in the ladies room mirror. She’d moistened a paper towel and was dabbing the blood away from the cut on her cheek. Layton’s sister had an anger issue she needed to rein in, and the scratch was proof of that. It was a good thing it would heal in just a few minutes.
“So, my brother protects you now,” Gia spun around to see Astrid leaning against the wall of the small room.
“Seems that way.”
“You think you’re adorable, don’t you? You stand there with your perfect skin and warm blood. I have news for you, sweetie. When my brother tires of you, he will toss you away like the piece of garbage you are.”
“Why are you being like this? I’ve done nothing to you,” Gia threw her hands in the air.
“Because I can,” Astrid then left the room. Gia finished with her face and tossed the bloody objects into the trash can. As usual, the cut had healed and disappeared from her skin, causing panic to overtake her. Just as she opened the door to head back to Layton’s office, her phone rang. A number she didn’t recognize scrolled across the screen. “Hello?” she said.
“Hi, I need to speak to Gia Pendleton,” the woman on the other end said.
“This is Gia.”
“Gia, I’m a nurse at Vegas Memorial, we have your father here.”
Alarm threaded through Gia’s body. “Is he okay?”
“Yes, he’s stabilized. His glucose numbers were dangerously low. A neighbor of his brought him in.”
“Okay, I’ll be there soon.” Gia hung up and hurried to the back door of the club. Sneaking out was her best bet because she knew Layton wouldn’t let her leave early. She thanked her lucky stars she had replaced her broken phone earlier in the day.
“Care to tell me where you’re going?” Layton’s voice startled her.
“My dad is in the hospital,” she tried to hold her tears back.
“Nice try. Back in my office, now.”
“Do you think I would make something like that up? My dad is sick and I’m going to be by his side.”
“You belong to me. I decide what you do.”
“You can’t order me around. I’m a human being.”
“I’m aware of that fact.” Gia shook her head at the insensitive vamp in front of her.
“Fuck you,” she pushed the door open and left. A waterfall of tears paraded down her cheeks as she walked. She swiped with vigor but they wouldn’t stop falling. Her dad and Zach were the only family members she had left in the world. With Zach missing, she leaned on her father for support. If something unthinkable happened to him, Gia wasn’t sure how she would survive it.
Five
FOR THE FIRST TIME in just over a century, Layton could sense a semblance of humanity slip through. Watching Gia breakdown—tears invading her otherwise flawless face—was something he never thought would affect him like it had. It was apparent she was close with her remaining family members. Layton was envious of her. She had people who loved and cared about her and he didn’t. The only one around was his sister and as of late, she was a royal pain in the ass. He couldn’t let Gia go to her father alone. Layton may have been an asshole, but he was an asshole who took care of those around him. The blood signatures on their contract weren’t even hours old, but he intended to be with her. “Gia,” he shouted across the parking lot of the club. With her head down, she continued to walk away. With his instinctive speed, he rushed in front of her and put his hand up to stop her. “I need you to stop.”
Her shoulders shook, “I am not a weak person.” She whispered.
“I never implied that you were.”
“Why do I feel weak around you then?”
“I can’t give you the answer. But what I can do is drive you to the hospital.” Suddenly, it looked as if her knees were giving out underneath her. Layton acted in haste—grabbing her in his arms before her body crumpled to the ground. With one arm under her knees and one behind her back, he let himself take a seated position on the pavement. When she pressed her face to his chest, Layton had a peculiar sensation come over him. It was comparable to Déjà Vu but vampires didn’t experience that phenomenon. Things were more or less cut and dry with their kind.
“I’m exhausted,” she said against his chest. Her plethora of tears had already soaked a good portion of his three hundred dollar dress shirt. Each time she spoke, there was a familiarity about it. He couldn’t help but wonder why it seemed like he knew Gia before she had even stepped into his office. Everything in him screamed to protect her and keep her from harm. It was an instinctive possessiveness that clawed at his insides with fervor. He wasn’t the protective type. He was a ruthless businessman and vampire. Somehow, his nature changed when he was around the headstrong woman in his arms. She was like the sunlight he would never cast his eyes upon again. Her luminescence escaped from within, showing him he hadn’t fallen short of his humanity just yet.
“I’m going to take you to the hospital to see your father,” Layton’s voice was calm and understanding. “Do you work at your job tomorrow?” he asked.
“No, I have two days off.” She pulled her face from his chest and wiped at her eyes.
“Then you will stay with me.” He expected her to object and was shocked that she hadn't. Exhaustion plagued her, and she needed to rest but he wouldn’t allow that to happen until she had seen her father. Layton stood with Gia still in his arms and walked to his car.
“You’re strong,” she said.
“One of my many talents I suppose.” It wasn’t long before he was placing her on her feet and opening the car door for her. Layton couldn’t help but test the sudden infatuation with the human. He’d never been in his present position before and even though he deeply needed to possess every part of Gia, he trod with extreme caution.
“I know you want me to sit here and be quiet, but is there any way you could stop somewhere so I can grab something to eat?” Gia said from the passenger side of the car as he pulled onto the main highway.
“You haven’t eaten today?”
“No. I was busy at work and didn’t have time to take my break.”
“From now on, you will eat no matter what,” Layton cited.
“I would argue with you but my head is killing me and I’m too tired to put up a fight.” She sighed.
“Fighting is half the fun,” he smiled to himself. The thrill of the chase was one of his favorite things.
“The fun happens when two people get along so well you can’t find where one begins and the other ends.” She held a hint of glee in her voice.
“I’m assuming you’re speaking of love.”
“Not really. Well, I haven’t ever been in love with someone so I guess my basis for comparison is a moot point.”
“Never?” His surprise was evident in his voice.
“Nope. I don’t know what it's like.” She admitted. “What about you?”
“Many times.”
“Wow,” she chuckled. “That’s quite a track record.”
“When you’ve been around as long as I have, you waste your time on trivial things. Love is one of those things.”
“So, what you’re saying is that you’re a cynical vampire?”
“More or less.”
“Which is it? More, or less?”
“Would it matter?” he turned his head to see something playful pass across her delicate features.
“No, it wouldn’t.”
“Then I believe this is your moot point, Miss Pendleton.” He smiled at her.
“I like that look on you,” she complimented. “You’re not so intimidating when you smile
. Except for the fangs.”
“Trust me, if I had the choice again, I wouldn’t have chosen them.” He denounced.
“But if you hadn’t, I wouldn’t have met you.” Hope skittered across her words, giving Layton an awareness that gave him pause. Seeds of confusion burrowed their way in and he wasn’t sure how to deal with his new found emotions.
***
Gia couldn’t help but forever be the optimist in her life. Even with Layton acting like it was he against the world, she had a connection with him. He didn’t have to take her to see her father in the hospital, but he was taking her there, anyway. Seeing the best in people was something Gia prided herself on, she knew there were horrible things in the world but she created her own little bubble and stayed positive. If she didn’t, life would end up depressing and tiresome. With her dad in the hospital and her brother still missing, she needed all the rays of sunshine she could get. “I’ll be right back,” she told Layton as he parked his car next to a fast food place. She could feel his eyes on her when she walked to the door and entered the building. Gia didn’t have to see him to know he was watching her. It was odd how comfortable she was around him too. In her daily life, she never had to interact with vamps. They kept to themselves and didn’t bother humans much. She knew going into Club Desire would kick up a hornet's nest but she had no idea it would toss a control freak vampire in her path. But, even for all of his shortcomings, she still believed he was a good guy. Contrary to what he showed, Layton Kyle had humanity left in him. Why else would he take her to see her dad? It couldn't have been just because of her contract with him. “Thanks for stopping,” Gia took a seat in the car and shut the door. The aroma of food clouded the interior of the car and had Layton giving her a strange look. “Does regular food bother you?” She’d never given much thought to what human food did to a vampire.
“The smell is off-putting.” He replied.