by J. K Harper
“So working for The Vamp Within would be—”
"A dream come true!" Molly shouted before blushing at her eagerness.
Charlotte smiled at her enthusiasm. “I’m just curious,” she said, staring at her hands before choosing her words, “do you think vampires actually exist?”
“Without a doubt.”
“Does that make you nervous?”
“Not at all. I’d be more afraid of some of the people I’ve seen on the subway.”
"That's an excellent point," Ivy chimed in.
They went over her training, computer skills, and social media savvy. She offered to intern just to prove her value, but Charlotte wouldn’t hear of it.
“I think you’re a perfect fit, and deserve a salary. We do need to get you out of that roach hotel sooner than later. It's totally up to you, though. I don't want you to think staying here means you're at my beck and call."
“Yes, it does,” Ivy whispered playfully.
“Whatever. Ignore her. Why don’t we get started by looking at the photo mockups for the Christmas sale?”
“Vampires and Christmas?” Molly asked. “Who'd have thunk it?”
“We’re a ‘Vampires 365’ sort of company,” Charlotte explained.
“Count me in.”
As they were examining pictures, a loud noise came from the kitchen, causing them all to jump. Julian's voice echoed as he swore and clanged dishes around. Charlotte made a mental note to block the tunnel access for him. He walked out with one of Ivy’s popsicles hanging out of his mouth.
“Mmm goodness. This is so tasty.” He looked Ivy directly in the eyes as he ran his tongue along the frozen treat. Ivy shuddered with disgust. “Hey, Kansas. Want a lick? You might like it.”
As he leaned towards Molly, Ivy reached up and snatched the popsicle from his hand. “We’re working now. Don’t you have someplace to be?”
“Maybe a bathroom stall?” Charlotte asked, raising her brow.
He looked Molly up and down, licking his lips as he took in her curves. “Can the new girl come? They probably don’t have ‘glory holes’ in Kansas. It will be like Julian 101 class.”
“Sorry, Molly. He can just be a dick sometimes. Off you go. You are five seconds away from being punched in the nuts.”
“Awww,” he whined. “And a fine morning to you as well.” Before leaving, he leaned close to Charlotte’s ear and whispered, “I’ve always liked the taste of a milk-fed innocent one. You might have to fight me for her.”
Charlotte growled through clenched teeth. “Fuck off.”
He scowled at her and made his way around the table, leaning in to kiss Molly’s hand and stealing a quick pat on Ivy’s head. He called out to Ivy as he exited through the front door. “You might want to add some spinach to your diet for iron. That popsicle tasted a little flat.” He blew her a kiss and was gone.
“What is his problem lately?” Ivy asked. “He seems to be getting more ornery.”
"Full moon? Hormones? Your guess is as good as mine," Charlotte said, shaking her head. "I know he's cute, Molly, but it's best to steer clear of him. I make it a point of not sharing my donors with him."
“Donors?”
“She meant assistants,” Ivy quickly clarified. “Assistants are generous with their time. They donate their time.”
“Ahh okay.”
Charlotte changed the subject by pushing more photographs towards Molly. “Any thoughts about the merchandise?”
“You have a little bit for everyone. It’s a good mix. Maybe you can add stuff with a BeDazzler.”
“Aha!” Ivy shouted. “I told you that was a fabulous invention.”
“I’ll keep it under advisement,” Charlotte said with a laugh. “I’m starting to get a little hungry. Should we order some lunch?”
With that comment, Ivy knew it was time for a quick donation. She had the popsicle wrapped tightly in a napkin and was afraid the metallic blood odor would grow stronger as it melted.
“Let me help you with that,” Charlotte said as she wiped the table with extra napkins and started to follow Ivy to the kitchen. "Can I get you something to drink, Molly? Water or maybe a shot of vodka after that visit from my brother?”
Molly shook her head.
“I think I’ll order from the steakhouse around the corner. They have a steak tartare that’s to die for.”
“Are their burgers any good?” Molly asked.
“The best!”
“Hmm … okay, I’ll take a cheeseburger and a DP.”
Ivy and Charlotte looked at each other and burst out laughing. They tried to cover their mouths to no avail.
“Did you just say you would like a DP?” Ivy asked, trying her hardest not to laugh again.
“Diet Pepsi. Do they not carry it? I don’t mind Diet Coke.”
This only made them laugh harder.
“Okay, Kansas,” Charlotte said, catching her breath. “DP is a common pornography term that stands for double penetration.”
Molly nodded slowly at first until her eyes grew wider as a mental visual sunk into her brain. “Ohhhhh. Let me change my order to a cheeseburger and DIET PEPSI,” she said slowly.
The women escaped to the kitchen and closed the door behind them before laughing again.
"I adore her," Charlotte said. "And I am starving."
“I’m afraid she’ll walk in on us. Do you want to finish the rest of this popsicle?”
“Fuck no! I have no idea where his mouth has been. Stand against the door. I’ll be fast.”
“You need to put a knob with a lock on it,” Ivy said as she held out her arm.
“And block the tunnel!”
“Amen to that! I still can’t believe he behaved that way.”
Charlotte quickly palpated Ivy’s wrist and gently sank her fangs in.
“When and how are you going to approach the topic of donating?” Ivy asked, nervously switching her gaze from the door back to Charlotte.
Charlotte didn’t answer until she had enough. She held her face towards the light so Ivy could inspect for any traces of blood. “We just need to keep feeling her out. She loves vampires, so we already have an in. We're going to have to keep an eye on Julian, though. You know how he loves curvy girls, and I don’t like sloppy seconds when it comes to donors.”
“Maybe it’s time to talk with Frederick about getting him back in line.”
“Dad has always had a soft spot for him. He can get away with murder.”
“I sort of want to drag his ass into the sun for a few hours,” Ivy said with a laugh.
“You know that has no effect on us.”
“I know, but it irritates his eyes … and I just feel like being mean.”
“Take all the women away. That would be the worst!”
All of a sudden, the door lurched forward and slammed into Ivy before Molly could be heard groaning on the other side. Molly thought the door would simply swing open and tried to lean in with her shoulder only to ricochet back and collapse on the floor. Charlotte cautiously opened the door and found Molly giggling on her knees and rubbing her arm.
“Are you okay?”
“We had a swinging door like that at home. It didn’t even occur to me that you’d be on the other side. I just wanted to catch you before you placed that order. I think I will try that steak tartare. I’m trying to go outside my comfort zone.”
Charlotte tried to contain her excitement. “I’ll call it in now. Listen to this.” After ordering the steak, she playfully told the man on the phone they would like a DP, which caused a moment of silence and then nervous laughter. “Umm… Miss Van Kampen?”
“I’ll let you off the hook,” Charlotte teased. “Diet Pepsi.”
“Phew.”
They reassembled at the table and waited for the delivery. Molly was grinning from ear to ear and switching her gaze between Ivy and Charlotte.
“What is it?” Charlotte asked.
“I’m just happy. It’s true what they say—if you can make it here
, you can make it anywhere. It’s going to happen for me. I feel it.”
The door to the kitchen flew open again as a breathless Aunt Agnes came zipping past them.
“What is it with everybody today? Why is my kitchen being used like a train terminal?”
All Agnes could say between breaths was, “My God he’s so hot. He’s so damn hot.”
“Who’s hot?”
They all jumped again when the doorbell rang. Agnes pointed as Charlotte got up to answer the door. Holy brick house. Charlotte felt herself getting breathless as the tan, muscular figure smiled at her. Before she had a chance to speak, Agnes poked her head out and greeted him.
“Hi, Detective Sandoval!”
The detective did a double take as he stared at Agnes and tried to figure out how she’d come from her place to Charlotte’s so quickly.
“She used to be a gymnast,” Charlotte blurted out, understanding his confusion. “She’s very spry.”
“You’re just gorgeous,” Agnes mumbled.
The detective blushed and tried to regain his composure, but every time he looked up at Charlotte, he found himself at a loss for words.
“Oh come in,” Charlotte said, holding the door open. “How rude of me.”
Detective Sandoval entered and smiled at the others who were now sitting around the meeting table, gawking.
“What can I do for you, Detective?”
He pulled a flyer from a folder he was holding and held up a photo of a pretty blonde-haired woman.
“I’m canvassing the area to see if anyone may have seen this girl last night. Her name is Gina Cagliotti.”
“She doesn’t look familiar to me at all.”
"Her friends said she was going to O-Negative for a Halloween celebration, and she failed to show up for lunch with them today."
“The club was packed last night. The servers won’t be there until this evening. Would it help if we looked at the security videos?”
“Tremendously. Would we be able to do that now?”
“Absolutely. Anything I can do to help. Poor girl.” Charlotte felt guilty even looking at the hunk when this girl was missing, but his scent was driving her over the edge. There was something different about him, though. She couldn’t put her finger on it just yet. It wasn’t merely his sexiness, the broad shoulders, or his hazel eyes. The badge and gun on his waist certainly helped, but even that wasn't it.
As they were exiting, the steakhouse delivery arrived. “They have a delicious marrow dish. Ridiculous. Trust me,” he said as he inhaled deeply.
“I’ll have to try that one of these days." She noticed the bag didn't have any markings and yet he knew which restaurant delivered it by scent alone. That’s odd. Maybe he just eats there a lot and knows the delivery people.
“I can drive us in the car. It’s not that far, but I know those heels can get uncomfortable.”
“I’ll take you up on your offer,” Charlotte said. “Thank you.” As he held open the door for her, she turned back to wave at the others. “I’ll be right back.”
“Take your time,” Aunt Agnes replied with a mischievous grin. “I can’t guarantee I won’t eat your food, though.”
“I’m sure you need to replenish your strength after last night, Aunt Agnes,” she said with a wink.
Detective Sandoval quickly moved some papers off the seat. "Sorry, my car is a mess. I don't usually have passengers in front. This has been a crazy month.”
“I can imagine. One good thing about working in New York is that you’ll always have job security.”
“Ain’t that the truth?”
Once belted in, she started looking around his car. He had a picture of a fluffy gray and white cat taped to his dashboard. “Is that your cat?”
“Yes, my attack cat,” he said. “I named him Ivan the Terrible.”
She laughed and said, “He doesn’t look that terrible?”
“You’d be surprised. Ivan is the only cat I've had who will drag my shoes through his litter box if I'm five minutes late to feed him."
“He might be related to my brother,” she said under her breath.
When they reached the club, Charlotte escorted him inside and up the stairs to the security office. “I’m glad you came as soon as you did because we usually only keep one week of recordings at a time. I can have them put fresh tapes in, so you can keep these.”
“That would be fantastic. Would it be okay if we scanned a few right now? Do you have time?”
“Oh, you want me to stay?”
“Only if it’s not an inconvenience.”
Charlotte pulled up a chair, a little too fast for the level of coolness she tried to present, and sat a few inches from Sandoval. The heat from his body was oddly powerful and incredibly soothing. She stared at his shaved head and used all of her self-control to not reach out and rub it.
"I'm sure you already know how to use the equipment."
“Most systems are pretty similar,” he said as he started toggling the controls.
“What are we looking for?”
“Any shots of Miss Cagliotti or anyone who looks interesting to you.”
“Wait until you catch a glimpse of Aunt Agnes. She’s interesting alright.”
As he stared at the screen, she could see him trying to sneak glances at her in the reflection.
“Sooo vampires?” he asked after a few moments of silence.
“What? Where?” She focused on the screen to see if he had witnessed something awful.
“The website. The nightclub. Why vampires?”
"We're just really hot right now. Ah ... I mean, all things vampire are really hot right now.”
“I like vampires.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah, they’re cool. I love that George Hamilton movie."
“Love at First Bite.”
“Yes! And the movie with Lauren Hutton where she has to drink the blood of a virgin to stay alive.”
“Once Bitten.”
“Hey, you’re good at this vampire trivia.”
“So I’ve been told,” she mumbled.
“Is that her?” he asked, squinting at the screen.
Charlotte’s face dropped as she saw Gina entering the club with Brandi, the woman who had entertained Julian in the bathroom stall. All sorts of thoughts started running through her head. Had Julian done something to her? Did she somehow make her way down to the basement and get lost in the tunnels? Why the fuck does Detective Sandoval smell so good when I’m trying to focus on something serious? As he maneuvered the controls, veins popped up on the back of his strong hand. She felt herself salivating at the sight and wondering if all his appendages were as venous.
He laughed as he got to the footage of Aunt Agnes getting her groove on with the young men. Charlotte caught herself holding her breath as he zipped through the recordings. She saw plenty of other vampires who must have arrived after she'd gone home. Charlotte had no idea what Sandoval might see.
“There’s Gina!” he shouted as he pointed at her figure on the screen. “She leaves the club at 12:45.”
Charlotte breathed a sigh of relief as she saw Brandi leaving with her and Julian still dancing with a crowd on the dance floor. "It doesn't look like any men followed her out."
“It doesn’t, but your cameras may have missed subtle interactions between people. I still want my guys to interview your employees tonight.”
“Whatever you need.”
“Marrow.”
“Huh?”
“Right now I need marrow and so do you. I interrupted your lunch. The least I can do is make it up to you.”
“Okay!” Dammit. Stop acting so enthusiastic. “Sounds perfect,” she said in a much slower, softer tone.
When he walked her out of the building to the car and from the car to the restaurant, he kept his hand on the small of her back. His hand felt enormous against her and it took everything in her power to not grab it and slide it between her legs.
“Hi, Artie,”
she said to the host. “May we have a table in the shade?”
“Of course, Miss Van Kampen. I saw you coming and already have it ready for you.”
“Look at you, Miss Van Kampen,” Detective Sandoval teased. “I’m with the mayor of New York.”
Just then the server approached the table and without missing a beat asked, “Your usual, Detective Sandoval?”
“Two, please. Thank you, Marie.” He sat up taller in his chair and dusted off his shoulders.
“Your usual? I guess you can be the vice-mayor.”
He laughed and leaned on the table. “Don’t you just love this place?”
“I’ve never had a bad meal here, although I wonder if today’s will come with any drool from the waitress. She was totally ogling you. And speaking of ogling, I apologize for Aunt Agnes.”
"No need. Your Aunt is adorable." He paused and straightened out an edge of the tablecloth several times before speaking again. “Artie called you Miss—”
“I’m not married. Is there a Mrs. Sandoval?”
He wiggled his ring finger in the air and smiled, letting his eyes linger on hers longer than necessary. She broke first, staring down as she fidgeted with the silverware. “Crazy that marrow has its own spoon. I saw something the other day that goes on your fingertips while you eat chicken wings.” Yes, win him over with your knowledge of utensils. Sigh.
“Really? Wings are one of those food items that should be messy. I’m not afraid of getting a little messy,” he said as he met her eyes again.
Charlotte cleared her throat nervously. “What do you think happened to Gina? I'm hoping she just met a nice guy and partied a little too hard. Hopefully, she's waking up now and calling everyone."
“That would be the best-case scenario. Worst-case … we find her during the ‘Spring Thaw.’ I never thought I would hate that time of year, but I do.”
“Spring Thaw?”
“When all the bodies that get dumped into the rivers pop up after bacteria builds in their cavities and causes them to swell and float.”
"Mmm that marrow sounds delicious right about now,” she said, wincing.
“Oh God. I’m sorry. It’s the whole cop thing. You don’t think about this stuff being offensive when you’re working with it all day long. I knew a guy who could watch an autopsy and then go outside and eat a sandwich.”