“Valet?” the blond girl asked disbelievingly.
Everett shook his head. “Receptionist.”
“Killer. I was a waiter there for one week before I wanted to open my wrists on the tile floor just to see all the nasty bloodsuckers have a field day.”
“Oh,” Reyna said awkwardly. Why had Everett lied about her? He knew that she didn’t work as a receptionist. But clearly this girl didn’t like vampires, so maybe it was better to play along.
“I’m Mara,” the girl said, offering Reyna her hand. “And this is Lauren, Tucker, and Coop.”
She pointed around the table to a tall black girl with short brown hair, a mixed guy with thick curly black hair, and another guy with longish brown hair who looked like a skinny rocker with tattoos.
“So, Reyna,” Lauren said, leaning over the table. “Where the hell did you get that outfit? Did you rob a bank?”
Reyna stared down at it and realized how ridiculous it must look to them. She was wrapped in silk, wearing designer labels, and shoes that cost a fortune.
“Oh…these. Well, don’t tell anyone. They’re knockoffs,” she muttered. Suddenly she realized that she wasn’t really any freer with these people than with Beckham. At least with Becks she didn’t have to lie about who she was.
“Best knockoffs I’ve ever seen,” Mara said. She clearly didn’t buy it.
“Want a drink?” Everett asked.
“Dying for one,” Reyna said. She hopped out of the booth and followed him to the bar. “What the hell was that?”
“Sorry,” he said sheepishly. “Visage isn’t well liked around here.”
“How do you even know I work for Visage?”
Everett gave her a meaningful look. “A beautiful girl with an unlimited credit card hanging around Beckham Anderson? Kind of an easy guess.”
“Oh.” Reyna felt her cheeks heat. “You think I’m beautiful?”
Everett laughed. “Yes, but don’t let Beckham know. He’s a scary motherfucker.”
“True.” She could hardly disagree, but one thing stuck out to her. “Wait…is Beckham normally with other pretty girls?” She leaned against the bar as Everett ordered drinks.
“I wouldn’t say normally, but the women I’ve seen him with have been attractive.” Everett gave her a weird look. “Why?”
“Just curious,” she said softly.
The thought of Beckham having other women filter through his life was unsettling. She didn’t know what that meant. She had only been here a short while. Were these other women people he drank off of? Was he used to having a rotating option of people to eat? She couldn’t figure out why she was different and why it unsettled her so much to think about him eating from anyone else. She tried to ignore that pang in her belly. She had no idea who these women were. She didn’t know if they were other subjects or vampires or what. And really it was none of her business. None of her business at all.
Everett handed her a dark red drink, and she raised an eyebrow. “What’s this?”
“Enjoy the irony. It’s called a bloodsucker.”
Reyna brought it to her mouth. The thick red liquid touched her lips and a burst of cherry flavor assaulted her taste buds. It was sugary sweet and delicious. Everett reached forward and wiped a stray bit of the drink from her lip. She stiffened and looked away from his face. She wasn’t sure what Everett thought it meant to bring her here, but she was just looking for friends.
Her mind strayed to what Beckham’s reaction would have been to see blood on her lips. It was wrong on so many levels.
Reyna followed Everett back to his friends, and slid into the booth. Lauren and Coop were practically making out while Tucker was chugging a beer. She had never met such free-spirited people. Everyone back home worked constantly. The hours were rough and people were too exhausted to have much time for fun like this. Even her time with Steven had been in between his shifts at the factories.
Mara leaned over Reyna and tapped Everett on the arm. “You got her a bloodsucker?” She gave him a drunk pouty face.
“It’s cool, Mara. Don’t worry about it.”
She pulled her hand back and rolled her eyes. “Whatever.”
Lauren came up for air. “Ohhh a bloodsucker. So delicious. You can’t even taste the blood in them.”
Reyna paled. “What?”
Mara laughed hysterically. “Nice one, Lauren.”
Everett just shook his head. “She was kidding. No blood. Just alcohol.”
“Oh.” God, she felt dumb.
“Speaking of fucking bloodsuckers,” Lauren said, nodding her head out to the dance floor.
Everyone turned to look. Reyna had no clue what she was looking for. She didn’t see any vampires. Granted the only ones she knew were rather wealthy and probably wouldn’t frequent a club like this.
“She’s hot,” Tucker said.
“Ew, Tucker. Have standards,” Mara spat.
“What’s the fun in that?”
“Who?” Reyna asked.
“Her,” Mara said, turning Reyna’s head until she found the girl in the center of the room. She was blond, with her hair pulled over one shoulder. Her clothes were skintight and revealing, her lips blood red, and she was so thin, her collarbones protruded.
“What about her?”
“Can’t you tell?” Mara asked with disgust. “She’s a blood whore.”
Reyna swallowed and reassessed the girl. “How can you tell?”
“How can you not? She’s totally flaunting it. Red lipstick? Milky white skin? Her neck exposed? Can she be any more obvious?”
Reyna wished her hair were down. Even though Becks hadn’t fed on her, she still felt like her neck was on display tonight. Like everyone knew.
“Why do they flaunt it like that?” Reyna asked. Everett reached down and squeezed her hand as if he could feel her spike of anxiety.
“Gives you a high,” Coop said.
“What?” Reyna asked, her head snapping to him.
“No, it doesn’t!” Lauren snapped, smacking him on the back of the head.
Mara rolled her eyes. “Technically it kicks your adrenaline into overdrive. Like a flight-or-fight response. So endorphins flood your system to try to counteract it. Kind of like sex,” she said with a wink.
“Let’s dance,” Everett whispered into her ear. He squeezed her hand and then pulled her onto the dance floor. “You should ignore Mara. You look pale as a ghost.”
“I’m fine,” Reyna lied. She wrapped her arms around Everett’s neck and leaned into his chest to quiet her racing heartbeat. “Do I look like her?”
“No. Just calm down. Mara likes to get under people’s skin.”
“But she doesn’t even know.”
He sighed. “I’m sure she suspects.”
“What? Why?”
“Come on, Reyna. There’s no one who works at my building who looks like you.”
She pulled back to look at him in surprise. “How?”
“You know.”
The music shifted to a slow hypnotic beat and their movements adjusted with the rhythm. His hands gripped her hips, pulling her closer against him.
“Like a blood whore?” she asked defensively.
“No. Gorgeous.”
She laughed and shook her head. “That’s such a weird thing to hear. Where I grew up, I’m pretty sure I was considered adequate at best. No job. Just another mouth to feed. My nicest dress was…oh wait, I didn’t wear dresses because it wasn’t practical.”
Everett shook his head. “Receptionist.”
“Killer. I was a waiter there for one week before I wanted to open my wrists on the tile floor just to see all the nasty bloodsuckers have a field day.”
“Oh,” Reyna said awkwardly. Why had Everett lied about her? He knew that she didn’t work as a receptionist. But clearly this girl didn’t like vampires, so maybe it was better to play along.
“I’m Mara,” the girl said, offering Reyna her hand. “And this is Lauren, Tucker, and Coop.”
She pointed around the table to a tall black girl with short brown hair, a mixed guy with thick curly black hair, and another guy with longish brown hair who looked like a skinny rocker with tattoos.
“So, Reyna,” Lauren said, leaning over the table. “Where the hell did you get that outfit? Did you rob a bank?”
Reyna stared down at it and realized how ridiculous it must look to them. She was wrapped in silk, wearing designer labels, and shoes that cost a fortune.
“Oh…these. Well, don’t tell anyone. They’re knockoffs,” she muttered. Suddenly she realized that she wasn’t really any freer with these people than with Beckham. At least with Becks she didn’t have to lie about who she was.
“Best knockoffs I’ve ever seen,” Mara said. She clearly didn’t buy it.
“Want a drink?” Everett asked.
“Dying for one,” Reyna said. She hopped out of the booth and followed him to the bar. “What the hell was that?”
“Sorry,” he said sheepishly. “Visage isn’t well liked around here.”
“How do you even know I work for Visage?”
Everett gave her a meaningful look. “A beautiful girl with an unlimited credit card hanging around Beckham Anderson? Kind of an easy guess.”
“Oh.” Reyna felt her cheeks heat. “You think I’m beautiful?”
Everett laughed. “Yes, but don’t let Beckham know. He’s a scary motherfucker.”
“True.” She could hardly disagree, but one thing stuck out to her. “Wait…is Beckham normally with other pretty girls?” She leaned against the bar as Everett ordered drinks.
“I wouldn’t say normally, but the women I’ve seen him with have been attractive.” Everett gave her a weird look. “Why?”
“Just curious,” she said softly.
The thought of Beckham having other women filter through his life was unsettling. She didn’t know what that meant. She had only been here a short while. Were these other women people he drank off of? Was he used to having a rotating option of people to eat? She couldn’t figure out why she was different and why it unsettled her so much to think about him eating from anyone else. She tried to ignore that pang in her belly. She had no idea who these women were. She didn’t know if they were other subjects or vampires or what. And really it was none of her business. None of her business at all.
Everett handed her a dark red drink, and she raised an eyebrow. “What’s this?”
“Enjoy the irony. It’s called a bloodsucker.”
Reyna brought it to her mouth. The thick red liquid touched her lips and a burst of cherry flavor assaulted her taste buds. It was sugary sweet and delicious. Everett reached forward and wiped a stray bit of the drink from her lip. She stiffened and looked away from his face. She wasn’t sure what Everett thought it meant to bring her here, but she was just looking for friends.
Her mind strayed to what Beckham’s reaction would have been to see blood on her lips. It was wrong on so many levels.
Reyna followed Everett back to his friends, and slid into the booth. Lauren and Coop were practically making out while Tucker was chugging a beer. She had never met such free-spirited people. Everyone back home worked constantly. The hours were rough and people were too exhausted to have much time for fun like this. Even her time with Steven had been in between his shifts at the factories.
Mara leaned over Reyna and tapped Everett on the arm. “You got her a bloodsucker?” She gave him a drunk pouty face.
“It’s cool, Mara. Don’t worry about it.”
She pulled her hand back and rolled her eyes. “Whatever.”
Lauren came up for air. “Ohhh a bloodsucker. So delicious. You can’t even taste the blood in them.”
Reyna paled. “What?”
Mara laughed hysterically. “Nice one, Lauren.”
Everett just shook his head. “She was kidding. No blood. Just alcohol.”
“Oh.” God, she felt dumb.
“Speaking of fucking bloodsuckers,” Lauren said, nodding her head out to the dance floor.
Everyone turned to look. Reyna had no clue what she was looking for. She didn’t see any vampires. Granted the only ones she knew were rather wealthy and probably wouldn’t frequent a club like this.
“She’s hot,” Tucker said.
“Ew, Tucker. Have standards,” Mara spat.
“What’s the fun in that?”
“Who?” Reyna asked.
“Her,” Mara said, turning Reyna’s head until she found the girl in the center of the room. She was blond, with her hair pulled over one shoulder. Her clothes were skintight and revealing, her lips blood red, and she was so thin, her collarbones protruded.
“What about her?”
“Can’t you tell?” Mara asked with disgust. “She’s a blood whore.”
Reyna swallowed and reassessed the girl. “How can you tell?”
“How can you not? She’s totally flaunting it. Red lipstick? Milky white skin? Her neck exposed? Can she be any more obvious?”
Reyna wished her hair were down. Even though Becks hadn’t fed on her, she still felt like her neck was on display tonight. Like everyone knew.
“Why do they flaunt it like that?” Reyna asked. Everett reached down and squeezed her hand as if he could feel her spike of anxiety.
“Gives you a high,” Coop said.
“What?” Reyna asked, her head snapping to him.
“No, it doesn’t!” Lauren snapped, smacking him on the back of the head.
Mara rolled her eyes. “Technically it kicks your adrenaline into overdrive. Like a flight-or-fight response. So endorphins flood your system to try to counteract it. Kind of like sex,” she said with a wink.
“Let’s dance,” Everett whispered into her ear. He squeezed her hand and then pulled her onto the dance floor. “You should ignore Mara. You look pale as a ghost.”
“I’m fine,” Reyna lied. She wrapped her arms around Everett’s neck and leaned into his chest to quiet her racing heartbeat. “Do I look like her?”
“No. Just calm down. Mara likes to get under people’s skin.”
“But she doesn’t even know.”
He sighed. “I’m sure she suspects.”
“What? Why?”
“Come on, Reyna. There’s no one who works at my building who looks like you.”
She pulled back to look at him in surprise. “How?”
“You know.”
The music shifted to a slow hypnotic beat and their movements adjusted with the rhythm. His hands gripped her hips, pulling her closer against him.
“Like a blood whore?” she asked defensively.
“No. Gorgeous.”
She laughed and shook her head. “That’s such a weird thing to hear. Where I grew up, I’m pretty sure I was considered adequate at best. No job. Just another mouth to feed. My nicest dress was…oh wait, I didn’t wear dresses because it wasn’t practical.”
