by Sarah Bailey
Say what now? Is this guy for real?
She opened her mouth to retort, but something in his expression caused her to pause. He looked like he was trying to figure her out.
He was gone before she could blink. Sat back behind the desk, his hands folded on it as if nothing had occurred between the two of them.
“Tell me, what did this vampire look like?”
It took her a moment to regain her voice. The strange interlude had her scrambling for an answer.
“He… um, had blonde hair and these super intense blue eyes.”
“I will have my people conduct some enquiries.”
She didn’t know whether to be disappointed he didn’t immediately know who it was or not.
“I guess you don’t keep tabs on everyone.”
“I have underlings who do that sort of thing.”
“So, you vampires have a whole hierarchy and society that most humans know nothing about?”
He inclined his head.
“And I’m guessing you don’t want me asking further questions about it.”
“Your assumption is correct.”
She tapped her fingers on the arm of the chair, unsure of what else to say. She stood, deciding it was time she went home.
“Well, thank you for seeing me. I’ll get out of your hair.”
“Before you go.” He fished something out of his pocket and held it out for her. “This is my card. Please contact me if he shows his face again.”
She took a step forward, reaching out to take the card from him. Her fingers brushed against his. It tingled, sending a jolt straight to her core.
What the fuck?
She snatched her hand back, taking the card with it.
“Um, well, thank you again.”
She needed to get out of there.
“I’ll be in touch.”
She made herself walk to the door at a normal pace. Not wanting to draw attention to the fact that she was incredibly flustered. She waved to the bartender, Neave, who gave her a reassuring smile before she left.
What had that been about?
She could still feel the phantom touch of his fingers on hers. She needed to get a grip. Vampires were dangerous.
It was only when she was sitting on the tube that she realised she hadn’t given Gavin her number. How would he get in touch with her? Smacking her hand against her head. She pulled out his business card.
Mr Gavin Blake – Investor and Entrepreneur.
The lettering embossed on the stark white card. If he was an investor, then he must be loaded. How old was this guy? She knew they were immortal. If he had reached such a position of power, then he must’ve been around for quite some time.
She wasn’t quite sure what she should say. She popped him into her contacts list on her phone. When she got out at her stop, she dropped him a quick message.
‘I realised you don’t have my number so here it is.’
‘It’s Daisy, btw.’
She was about to put her phone away when it vibrated in her hand.
‘I could’ve asked Lukas for it.’
She huffed. A thank you would’ve been nice.
‘You’re an interesting woman.’
She read the message three times as she stood outside the station.
‘Are you attached?’
She almost dropped her phone. Had he just asked if she was single? She groaned. She wanted to lie and say yes, she had a boyfriend, but something about Gavin intrigued her. Despite the alarm bells going off in her head, she decided to stick with the truth.
‘No. Why?’
‘Meet me tomorrow night and you’ll find out.’
‘Are you serious?’
‘Perfectly.’
She tucked her phone back into her pocket, stunned. She couldn’t imagine what piqued his interest. They’d interacted for no longer than twenty minutes and all she’d done was piss him off as far as she could tell. But he said he wanted to see if he could break her. The thought sent her hurrying down the street towards her flat. There was no way in hell she was going to get herself involved with a vampire. One was already stalking her, and that was more than enough.
She kept an eye out for any sign of movement as she unlocked the front door of her building. She dashed inside, slamming the door shut behind her. She wasn’t usually so jumpy, but tonight had been strange, to say the least. She walked up the first flight of stairs and unlocked the door to the flat. She slumped down on the sofa after she’d walked in.
“And I thought you were lying about not having a booty call,” Lucy called from the kitchen.
She almost jumped ten feet off the sofa. She hadn’t realised Lucy was still up.
“Fuck, Lucy, you scared the crap out of me.”
Lucy popped her head around the door, giving her a small smile.
“Sorry, couldn’t sleep. Where were you?”
“I had to go meet someone.”
“At this time of night?”
She wanted to smack her head. She should’ve come up with a better excuse.
“Yeah, you know… Tinder date.”
Lucy raised an eyebrow.
“Was he any good?”
“What? No, I didn’t sleep with him.”
There was no way in hell she was sleeping with a vampire. She shoved that thought away. She wasn’t going to think about the fact that he wanted to see her again or how attractive he was.
“You’re no fun.”
“It’s not my fault your boyfriend is away so much. You can’t live vicariously through me.”
“He’s back next week.”
“What day?”
“Friday, why?”
“Because I intend to make myself scarce. No offence, but I don’t want to listen to the two of you at it all night.”
Lucy grinned and gave her a little wink.
“On that rather nauseating note, I’m going to bed.”
“Night, babe.”
“See you on the flip side.”
She got up and shuffled off to her room, shutting the door behind her. She stripped off her clothes before crawling into bed in. She grabbed her phone off the bedside table and re-read the messages Gavin had sent. He didn’t seem like the kind of guy who would mess around. Why was he interested in her? Against her better judgement she typed out a message. She knew he’d still be up despite it being almost 1 am. He was a vampire after all.
‘Just tell me when and where.’
Her finger hovered over the send button before she pressed it. Dropping her phone on the bed like it was a hot potato, she lay back, covering her face with her hand. What the hell had she done? He was right. She didn’t have self-preservation at the top of her list of priorities.
Her phone buzzed.
‘I didn’t expect you to say yes.’
‘I’m curious what exactly you want with me.’
‘I’m not going to harm you. I value my life too much.’
She frowned. Why would he say that? Wait. Oh. Ella and Lukas would have his head if he did anything to her.
‘Don’t want to piss off the hybrids.’
‘Is that what you call them?’
‘They did tell you what they are now, right?’
‘Yes.’
At least she hadn’t put her foot in it, but it was high time she got some sleep. She had work tomorrow, but thankfully not until midday.
Another text appeared just as she was about to put her phone away.
‘Is 8pm suitable for you?’
‘I’m working till 9. I could do 10?’
‘10 is fine. Goodnight Daisy.’
She decided not to respond. She plugged her phone in to charge and tucked herself up under the covers. She was asleep within minutes.
§
Gavin leant back in his chair after placing his phone back in his pocket. If Daisy was guilty of lack of self-preservation, then so was he. There was something about her defiant nature that called to him. The urge to make her submit was dri
ving him to distraction. The human girl was a force of nature. He could tell. Even in the small amount of time she’d spent in his presence.
He was playing with fire. If Lukas or Ella got wind of his interest in Daisy, there would be hell to pay. Quite literally, given that the both of them were half demons. He could handle any issues that arose, but it would be better if they weren’t involved. Although, Daisy being Ella’s best friend complicated matters. Girls liked to gossip.
Regardless of his desires, he needed to look into why one of his kind was after her. It seemed a little strange. The only connection Daisy had to vampires was through Ella and Lukas and even that was tenuous. He rose, pulling on his jacket and going through into the bar. He leant on the end, inclining his head to Neave.
“What’s up, boss?”
“Have there been any new vampires in the area recently?”
She frowned for a moment.
“Not that I can think of.”
“Specifically, a male with blonde hair and blue eyes.”
“Are you talking about Samson? He’s not exactly new.”
“Who is that?”
She shrugged.
“He used to do odd jobs for Raquel when she was in need of someone outside our territory.”
“I see.”
He stifled the urge to grit his teeth. Raquel was a sore subject. He had only become head of the territory due to her death at Ella’s hands. No one knew he’d asked Lukas to make sure Raquel died after she’d kidnapped Ella. If the higher ups found out, they’d strip him of his territory. The punishment for killing another vampire without a valid reason was severe.
“Do you have any way of reaching this Samson?”
“No, but I’m sure I can find someone who does.”
“Get it done. I wish to speak to him.”
Neave gave him a nod.
“Is this to do with why Ella’s friend was here?”
“It seems someone has taken an interest in her.”
“She’s pretty.”
“I hadn’t noticed.”
She smiled knowingly. He stifled the urge to slam the vampire’s head on the bar, but that was no way to treat your subordinates. Violence and blind obedience was not his style. He commanded respect without the need for force.
“Don’t look so put out, boss. I know you don’t mix business with pleasure, but that doesn’t mean I can’t.”
“She is out of bounds.”
She pouted.
“Fine. Whatever. I don’t want to get on Lukas’ bad side anyway. Shit, that guy is scary when he’s all pent up.”
He gave her a toothy grin.
“I have yet to have the pleasure of seeing his girlfriend in action, but I imagine she is a sight to behold as well.”
She shuddered a little. No one knew what to expect when it came to the half angel, half demons. They were unique.
“Anyway, I’ll get one of the guys to do some digging for you.”
“I’m sure you won’t let me down.”
She tipped her imaginary hat at him. He pushed off the bar and strolled out into the cold night air. Looking up at the sky, he sucked in a breath which he didn’t technically need. Appearing human had become second nature to him. He smiled. It was high time he fed. He may well not get a chance to do so tomorrow night.
Chapter Three
Daisy paced the pavement outside the block of luxury flats Gavin had given her the address for. She couldn’t believe she was going through with this. She stepped up to the buzzers, taking several deep breaths. She’d been anxious about this the entire day. It wasn’t usually like her. Everything about what she was doing was out of character. She didn’t meet strange guys at their flats, let alone shady supernatural types.
She shook herself and pressed the button for his flat. She heard a crackle, but there was no other sound.
“It’s Daisy.”
The door buzzed. Well, so much for being polite. He hadn’t even bothered to say anything. She pulled the door open and walked through the lobby. It was rather elegant. How expensive must these places be? It was practically Central London. She got in the lift and rode up to his floor.
Her palms were sweating when she knocked on the door. What had gotten into her? She straightened her spine. She was not going to let him intimidate her. She was here to satisfy her curiosity. Nothing more.
He opened the door, standing there with a blank expression on his face. She couldn’t read him at all. He wasn’t wearing his glasses, but he was still neatly dressed. A dark grey shirt, the sleeves folded back and navy chinos.
“Come in.”
He stepped back. She was careful not to brush him when she walked in. She didn’t want to feel the same jolt she had when they’d touched briefly yesterday. He shut the door behind them and looked down at her. He was awfully close. She couldn’t help gritting her teeth. She stared back. His eyes were unreadable. She was already regretting agreeing to meet with him.
Without another word, he moved down the corridor and stepped through a large pair of double doors. She followed him into an open plan living area. There was a large kitchen with a breakfast bar and an impressive view of the London skyline.
She shrugged off her coat, folding it over her arm and went over to the window, looking out at the twinkling lights.
“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”
She jumped at the sound of his voice. She turned her head to find him standing next to her. He’d moved faster than the eye could see again. Just as he had done in the office last night.
“I don’t get to look at London like this much.”
He took her coat out of her hands.
“Can I offer you a drink?”
He cocked his head to the side, his gaze intent on her.
“What do you have?”
He walked over to a cabinet by the wall, placing her coat on the back of a chair on the way, and opened it. She followed him, peering at the bottles. He had quite a collection for someone who didn’t drink alcohol.
“Oh, a gin and tonic?”
She was going to need some Dutch courage to get through this evening. He set out a glass before he wandered over to the kitchen. She watched him select a lime from a fruit bowl on the counter and slice it. He was making an attempt to be as human as possible around her. Perhaps he didn’t want to make her any more nervous than she already was.
He brought the sliced lime back with him to the cabinet along with a small bucket of ice. He placed a couple of cubes in the glass and meticulously poured out the alcohol and tonic water. He topped it off with a slice of lime and handed it to her.
“Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.”
She didn’t expect him to go to that much effort. She could’ve quite happily drunk it without ice and lime, but she didn’t want to seem ungrateful. She wanted to gulp it down to calm herself, but that would be particularly unladylike. Not that she considered herself a lady. She took a sip. It was a wonder how much better it tasted when you had the expensive stuff. She gave him a nervous smile.
“Would you like to sit?”
She nodded, not trusting herself to speak quite yet. She followed him to the large sofa, making sure to keep her distance when she sat down. He turned to her, his expression blank. She was beginning to get the impression this was normal for vampires.
“What exactly is it you want from me?”
She wasn’t going to beat around the bush. She was relatively sure he wasn’t expecting her to either. He leant back against the cushions, resting his arm on the back of the sofa.
“I have a proposition for you.”
Her eyebrows shot up in surprise.
“A proposition?”
“I am a man of specific tastes.”
“And those would be?”
Where on earth is this going?
She wasn’t sure she was going to like what he said next.
“I am sure you heard me last night when I told you that I wished to break you.”
/>
Her mouth dropped open. He had been serious about that then.
“What exactly do you mean by break me?”
His expression remained impassive.
“I want to teach you to submit.”
Um, what? Was he into BDSM?
“This isn’t some kind of fifty shades shit you’re into?”
“That’s not my style.”
“But you want to dominate me?”
“Yes.”
His eyes turned predatory. It made her gulp. This was not at all what she had been expecting. For once, she’d been rendered speechless. She took a sip of her drink, just to do something.
“Well… that’s a little fucked up. You don’t even know me.”
He smiled at her in a way that made her feel distinctly uncomfortable.
“You didn’t cower away from me when I threatened to snap your neck.”
“I told you, I don’t let people intimidate me regardless of whether they’re supernatural or human.”
“I think you’re a little intimidated by my proposition.”
She wanted to curse him. He was right. She had no interest in being someone’s submissive. It was most definitely not up her street. She took another sip of her drink before placing it down on a coaster on the coffee table.
“I’m not interested.”
“No?”
He arched an eyebrow.
“No.”
“Then why are you here, Daisy?”
She had no answer for that. He intrigued her, that was for sure, but it was no reason for her to come all this way.
“You don’t know, do you?”
“You’re making a lot of assumptions about me.”
“I think you’re here because you like to flirt with danger.”
Her feathers were well and truly ruffled now. She had no interest in playing dangerous games. None at all.
“Excuse me?”
“You know what I am and yet you agreed to meet me, alone. Did you think about your safety?”
“You said you weren’t going to hurt me.”
“I’m not, but I could.”
He sat up, leaning towards her. His hand extended, curling around her wrist. She felt her skin tingling again, just as it had done the night before. His grip wasn’t gentle. She winced a little.
“Do you see how easy it would be?”
She gritted her teeth.