by Reders, E. M
He left Marcy and headed to his suite to check on the room that had been set up for Amber. They had been planning on putting her in the small guest room but he had told them to place her in the main room instead, he would take the small one. The room had been cleaned, bed freshly made, and her costumes and makeup from the dressing room back stage had been brought up, along with a few new items he had selected for her himself. Dresses with matching shoes, even underwear, though he didn’t know if she would dance for him in anything other than her outfits, but he hoped that she would. He was anxious to get this first meeting out of the way. He didn’t know how she would be in his company, nervous no doubt but he hoped to put her at ease soon enough. He and Tristan had had a little chat about the arrangement, about what she was comfortable with as a performer. She had done a few private dances before and even some lap dances during her employment, he definitely planned on having her do that, but not until she was ready of course. Now he sat waiting for Tristan to bring her into his office.
When they entered his eyes immediately went to hers. Hazel, finally an answer to one of the many things that had been rolling through his mind since he first saw her, her eyes were hazel. She glanced at him for a second then quickly looked away and focusing on the floor. He could hear her heart picking up speed, the blood pumping through her veins, could taste it in the air, making his mouth water. Yes it was definitely a good thing he had been to see Marcy first.
Tristan invited her to sit on the small sofa opposite him alongside Rachel. No doubt Rachel wanted to check him out also. He didn’t think the young human was all that keen on leaving one of the girls alone with a vampire. She had not long met him herself so he couldn’t blame her, he was worried himself. Amber tested his control like no other. What was it about her?
“Amber, this is Lochlann. All the arrangements have been made; you will still be paid by the club but will perform only for Lochlann until further notice. You will also receive an extra bonus pay to account for the tips you will miss out on during that time.” Her head nodding in thanks but she remained silent.
“Now we will leave you two alone for a moment to talk,” Tristan said getting a sharp look from Rachel as they both rose to leave.
“I’ll be right outside,” she whispered to Amber as she followed Tristan through the door.
*****
She had almost lost herself in his crystal blue eyes; they were the first and only thing she had noticed about him. Only now that they were alone did she slowly move her eyes from the spot on the floor she had been staring at and take in the man before her.
Vampire, she told herself. I have to remember that.
He was wearing a black tailored pinstripe suit trouser, the material hugging the large thigh muscles beneath as he sat ankles crossed in the chair opposite her. His crisp white shirt was left open at the top allowing a small view of his hard smooth chest, the sleeves rolled up over his bulging muscles. She had never been fond of built men but somehow Lochlann had the balance just right. It was as if he was naturally built for the outdoors, not over worked like bodybuilders tended to be. She had never seen a vampire with a body like that before. All the ones at the club were normally quite slim. They were toned of course, vampires were incredibly strong, but never had she met one so healthy looking. She wondered how old he was, what he was before his turning to be gifted a body like that. Finally her gaze fell on his face, though she did not look him in the eyes again, afraid that she would be lost if she did so.
He was beautiful, the most handsome man she had ever seen. His short dark hair seemed windblown, perfectly messy, a style that humans seemed to spend hours trying to achieve. He was smiling softly with plump kissable lips. His nose had a slight kink to it as if it had been broken in the past. She was happy to see that little imperfection; it made him seem more real, less a thing of fantasy. Why did they have to be so good looking? And he seemed even more so than the others.
“You do not need to fear me Amber, though I understand why you do. I am much older than the majority of members here, have more control. All I want from you is your company and for you to dance for me, that is all.” His voice was just as enticing as his face and body, smooth but masculine. There was a hint of an accent to it, something familiar but she couldn’t put her finger on it as it was so slight. She fidgeted with her fingers in her lap, not knowing what to say to him. “Would it make it any better to have someone else around for the first few nights? Put you more at ease?”
“I thought you wanted private dances,” she asked quietly, a little taken aback by the offer.
“Oh I do, and they still will be private to a degree. I was thinking about asking Tristan to have Tex or Al close by. I want you relaxed Amber, comfortable around me.”
He spoke so kindly to her that it confused her even more. Why was he being so nice? She could not refuse the offer though; having one of the guys around would be a relief. “That would be great.”
“Then I will arrange it. Is there anything you would like to ask me?”
There were a million questions racing round her head, she opened her mouth as if to ask one then another would present its self. Finally she settled for the one that she had asked herself a lot since the offer had been made, “Why me?”
He seemed to think over his answer before he spoke, “Honestly I don’t really know. You fascinate me, the way you dance, move, everything. No one has captured my attention like that in a very long time. I want to find out why you do and the only way to do that is to spend more time with you.”
She didn’t know how she felt about that.
There was a brief knock on the door before Rachel walked back in, Tristan following shortly behind. “You ok?” she asked.
“Fine.”
“Tristan, Amber would be more comfortable if Tex or Al could be present for the first few nights if that is possible?”
Rachel smiled broadly at this, clearly happy with the idea. Tristan nodded in understanding, “I’ll see what I can do, the next few nights should not be a problem but I will need them back in the club full time by the weekend,” looking intently at Amber.
She understood, the weekends were the busiest nights, the number of humans in town increased tremendously on those night and the younger vampires tended to be more trouble as the smell of blood and lust increased outside. When that happened she would be on her own.
Lochlann bade her goodnight and headed out of the office with Tristan, while Rachel escorted her up to the suite she would be staying in.
She had never been up to the top level where elite visiting members sometimes stayed. The lift opened up onto a long wide corridor, broken only by sets of large doors leading to each suite. Lochlann’s was at the far end.
The doors opened up into a large open living space. It all looked very normal, comfortable looking sofas, a small sparkling kitchen with all the mod cons - though Amber suspected they had never seen any use - a dining area, TV, sound system, everything you would expect to find in an expensive hotel. There was nothing unusual except for one thing, the stage and pole in the centre of the room. Her stage she reminded herself.
There were two sets of doors leading off the room. “Lochlann’s room is through there,” Rachel said indicating the door on the other side of the room. “You room is through here.”
Never had she stayed in a room so grand. It was massive though the large queen size bed did take up a huge amount of space where it sat in the very centre of the room there was still more space than she was used to.
Rachel left her to settle in and investigate, promising to send one of the guys up before the next night fall so she would not be alone with Lochlann for a moment. She spent the next hour checking and trying everything like a child in a candy shop. The bed, the TV which had a mountain of DVD’s sat in the cabinet next to it. Opening a door she found a huge bathroom with walk-in double shower and Jacuzzi bath. Through another door she found a walk-in wardrobe with a vanity table filled with all her makeup and pro
ducts from the dressing room downstairs. All her costumes had been brought up as well and were now hanging on the rails with a collection of other clothes she did not recognise but were all in her size. They ranged from everyday casual to evening wear, a wide selection of shoes and even underwear.
She was glad she wouldn’t have to return to her bedsit to collect anything, though she didn’t like the idea that he had brought them, selected them for her.
No, Rachel would have done it she told herself, though she knew Rachel would never have purchased the kind of lingerie in the draws. They were all small lace items in a variety of colours, all quite revealing and seductive. Digging further still in the draws she found a selection of nightwear, some even more revealing than the underwear, but she was happy to find a nice vest and shorts set that were more her style and a little safer. Taking them with her back into the bedroom she began to run a bath before heading back into the living area to have a little nose about before Lochlann returned at sunrise.
The kitchen was what she was most curious about. Would they have thought to get food in for her or would she be expected to eat elsewhere during the day?
Thankfully the cupboards did indeed seem to hold food, and plenty of it. As she dug around she found that what looked like another cupboard was in fact a small fridge and next to that a freezer, both filled with more food. But if that was the fridge then what was the large silver American style fridge freezer in the corner for? Moving over to it she grasped the handle and pulled.
Blood!
Even though the bottles were sealed she could still imagine the smell of it clouding round her. Of course they would keep blood up here for the guests, she reminded herself. They served it down in the bar so why wouldn’t they have it available to the elites in the suites at all times.
Deciding she had seen enough for one night she quickly retired back to the bedroom, locking the door behind her and headed for her bath. Hopefully a nice relaxing soak would help her sleep.
She was awoken abruptly the next day by a knock on the door. Diving out of bed she quickly wrapped herself in a sheet and went to answer it, her heart pounding wildly in panic in case it was Lochlann, but looking to the window she could see it was still light outside.
“Oh hey Tex,” she said opening the door to find the large man standing there with his fist raised as if to knock again.
Smiling warmly, “the sun will be setting in a few hours, thought you might like a wakeup call so you can eat and prepare before Lochlann rises for the night.”
“Thanks Tex,” she said placing a brief kiss of thanks against his cheek before chucking the sheet back on the bed and following him out into the main room.
What would her fist night entail? She had no idea what to expect, even after meeting him she was still unsure about what he would ask of her, but at least Tex would be around.
After a breakfast of scrambled eggs she dressed in sweat pants and a vest top and began her stretches, warming her body up for the night ahead. As she worked through her routine, her mind running wild as to what could happen in the night ahead, Rachel arrived with details.
“You will accompany Lochlann to the club tonight so you will need to dress nicely. May I suggest a long number, one that will cover plenty,” her comments were not helping dispel Ambers growing apprehension. “Later he will dismiss you from his side so you can return here and prepare to dance for him. He will give you exactly one hour to do so, when the hour is up and he returns you should be in place on the stage as he enters the room, so do keep an eye on the time. The choice of costume is completely up to yourself but it may be best to decide now what you will wear so you are prepared and have everything laid out ready when you return here.”
Once she had left Amber returned to her room to prepare for the night, leaving Tex out in the main room to wait for Lochlann to rise.
There were so many dresses to choose from, long ones, short ones, ones that fell to the knee, all in a large array of colours. Looking at the long ones as Rachel had suggested she noticed that all of them were either backless or showed that much cleavage that she wouldn’t be able to wear a bra. She wasn’t comfortable with that. She knew Rachel had her best interests at heart but the reality was that by the end of the night he would see plenty of her body anyway, already had done downstairs on the main stage, and if or when he asked her to lap dance for him he would see a hell of a lot more. So going against what Rachel had said she decided to wear a short black dress with a full back and showed just a hint of cleavage. She quickly selected one of her favourite costumes for later, a silver number that was a little more comfortable than some of her more exotic outfits. She had been tempted to select one of the new costumes but with her nerves playing havoc with her she wanted to be in something familiar, something safe.
Just after the last rays of light faded from the view outside her window there was a knock on the door and Tex stepped inside. “Amber, Lochlann has risen and is awaiting your presence,” giving her a warm and encouraging smile. As she walked towards him her legs shook making her unsteady on her feet. “You ok?” he asked.
“I’ll be fine, just stay close.”
“Everything will be fine Amber. I have known him for a long time, he is a true gentleman and you are safer with him alone than you are in the club on the main stage. But I promise either Al or myself will be there if you need us.”
Tex knew him? She wondered how it was possible as Lochlann had not been to the club for some time and Tex was surely only in his thirties at most. How long had he been involved with the club?
Lochlann was waiting for her when they exited the room, his eyes lighting up as he took her in, a small smile playing on his lips. “Amber you look beautiful,” he said as he held out his arm for her to take. “Shall we?” She was a little hesitant to take his arm, but looking back at Tex he nodded, indicated for her to do so.
“Rachel told you of tonight’s plan?” he asked as they travelled down in the lift to the club.
“Yes.”
“It will be the same every night unless I tell you otherwise. You will accompany me to the club, and have an outfit ready for dancing, though I may not always ask you to dance. When I do you will have an hour window in which to prepare. After you dance you will remain in costume for the remainder of the night, though of course you may cover in a robe.”
For a moment she had begun to panic, her breath catching in her throat at the thought of him wanting her to stay practically naked in front of him. While she danced her surroundings vanished, all people in the room disappeared. But to be in that state of undress with him any other time was horrifying. At least he offered the robe.
Seeing her unease he quickly added, “I only ask for you to remain in costume as it will be close to sunrise at that time and more convenient for you than having to rush off to clean and change just to change again a while later to sleep.”
They sat down in his pirate booth, Tex standing silently behind them in the shadows, to watch the show. As each girl appeared on stage he asked her the names of the girls and other random questions about them. As the hours past Amber began to relax around him enough to ask him a question that had been bothering her slightly, “Why do you want to know about them?” While she was grateful that he wasn’t asking her personal questions about herself she needed to know that there was a reasonable reason behind the questioning.
“Over the last century I have begun to see humans as nothing but flesh and blood, no pun intended,” he smiled. “That was until you. I want to break that cycle, want to see them as people again, as living creatures. Hopefully with your help I may learn to do that.”
Strange, she thought. That he would see her differently than any of the others. She was nothing special, quite bland compared to girls like Beth, who was up on stage now, or even Raven with all her long dark hair and dark beauty serving behind the bar.
“Would you like a drink?” he asked her as the hours moved ever closer to dawn.
“Just
water please,” she decided as the heat in the room was rising and she needed to stay hydrated if she was to dance later.
“Would you mind if I drank, or would you be too uncomfortable with it.”
“No… its fine,” she stuttered.
“Are you sure? You don’t sound it.”
If she was going to be around him most of the time she was going to have to get used to it, he needed to feed after all. “Really I am fine with it.”
Nodding he ordered for them, the drinks arriving moments later, water for her and a glass of blood of him. She couldn’t help but watch in fascination as he sipped the liquid. It could have passed for red wine from a distance if not for the way the think liquid moved and stained the side of the glass.
“I would very much like you to dance for me Amber,” he said a while later as another girl left the stage. The moment he said it all her worries and fears that had slowly been departing during the night sprang back, her heart racing wildly. Sensing this he gently placed his hand over hers sending a shock through her body. She had always expected a vampire’s touch to be cold and hard like ice but it hadn’t, his touch had been soft and gentle. “Calm yourself Amber, Tex will go with you now while you prepare and will stay in the room at all times, please do not worry. Have I given you any reason for concern so far tonight?” Shaking her head slightly, “see, I promise you are perfectly safe with me Amber… Go prepare, calm yourself, I will see you in an hour.”
As she moved through the room and made her way into the lift she grabbed Tex’s hand squeezing it tightly. “Thank you,” she whispered at his returned grasp.
Returning to the room Amber was a bundle of nerves, she always had a few butterflies before her set but never this bad. Why was that? He was just one person, one vampire and that wasn’t even the thing that worried her anymore. Tex would be there so she had no doubt in her mind that she would be safe. No it was something about him. She couldn’t help but like him, he was kind, thoughtful. He didn’t need to ask if she would be ok with him drinking at the table, he could have just done it, but he had asked. Why? She wondered.
