"Are you all right, little one?" Marcel placed his face perilously close to mine.
"I will be in a minute; could you please give me a little space?" I closed my eyes, trying very hard to get the dancers natural perfume from my mind. Strozzini, from the other side of the table gave a little chuckle. I flipped him the bird which turned his chuckle into laughter.
"She is quite beautiful. It's okay," Marcel said and I held my hand up to him asking for silence. Reminding me of her beauty probably wasn't a good idea right now.
"He's here," Strozzini said, nodding at a darker skinned vampire who walked in. I looked up as the bouncer who'd told us to sit mouthed something to Santiago and pointed to us. He nodded and strode through the club to our table.
"I'm Ramon Santiago, you are looking for me," the vampire said in a deep voice when he got close enough for us to make out his words. Even with vampiric hearing, the music levels made casual conversation next to impossible.
I stood and held out my hand to Ramon and he readily took it. "Do you have someplace we can talk?"
He nodded and motioned us to follow him. He deftly led the way through the sea of tables toward the rear of the club. We went up another raised dais that held a multitude of leather couches and large upholstered chairs. I glanced around and noticed several more vampire strippers giving private dances. One difference stood out from every other vampire club I had ever been to. Usually humans congregated there to feed the vampire patrons, but at Bare Fangs, the patrons fed the employees. I watched as naked and near naked vampires ground themselves against the laps of the male (and one female) patrons while feeding. Moans from the customers filled the room and it drove my previous state of arousal up another notch.
We passed through another door Ramon had to unlock. I assumed we were at his private office. He pulled the door open and ushered us in and we stepped into old California. Frescos of Mexican villas and pueblos adorned every wall. Red clay tiles lined the floor. Even the ceiling looked like clay roof tiles. I ran my finger along the wall expecting textured dry wall, but Ramon had spared little expense and used real stucco to complete the effect.
"What can I do for you folks?" His voice seemed much more pleasant without the blaring hard rock music prevalent throughout the club.
"I'm Agent Ashlyn with the FBI," I said and produced my credentials for him to look at. He declined, so he must have believed me.
"I saw you on television; I know who you are, agent. What can I do for you?"
"I'm sure you know Governor Greer. Do you know who's trying to kill him?" I tried my best to make him think I suspected him.
"Yeah, I saw that on the news too. I have no idea," he said calmly. "I have no beef with him. He encroached on my territory, but he offered me compensation."
"What sort of compensation."
"I don't know yet, we have a meeting to discuss that next week. Agent, I don't mean to be rude, but I have a lot to do. Is there any way we can speed this up?"
"Make him tell you the truth,
il mio piccolo tesoro
," Strozzini chimed in from behind me. Ramon seemed to notice him for the first time and frowned.
"Who are you? I only know of one vampire who works for the FBI. She has dispensation to be in my territory, you two do not."
"I am sorry," Strozzini said in a sarcastic voice. "I forgot to introduce myself, Antonio Strozzini at your service."
As soon as he said it, Ramon stood from behind his desk and bowed low to Strozzini. "It is I who am sorry, enforcer. I had no idea The Council had sent an envoy. My territory is yours."
I stared open mouthed at both of them. Marcel reached over and pushed my chin up, effectively closing my mouth. When I looked at him he gave me a little wink. I had so much to learn about the vampire world.
"It is quite all right. I am not here for you. I am here for…other reasons. Are you sure you have no idea who tried to kill the governor?"
"You have my word, enforcer," he said and bowed again.
"He had nothing to do with it," Strozzini turned and said to me. I remembered the first time he questioned me. I had been compelled to speak only the truth. I so wanted to learn how to do that.
"Thank you, Mr. Santiago, I appreciate your honesty," I said both sarcastically and emphatically, a fact not wasted on Marcel who gave a short chirp of laughter.
"Please, won't you all stay and be my guests?"
It was a little hard to say no, but I didn't trust myself in the strip club either. I hadn't eaten for two nights and the chances of me trying to satisfy my hunger with one of the naked dancers seemed pretty high. "I'm sorry, Mr. Santiago, I'm afraid I'm going to have to pass. I have more work to do, and I'm afraid I must feed. I thank you for your cooperation and your hospitality," I said and reached out to shake his hand.
"You cannot thank me for my hospitality, agent, until you accept it. Please, I insist on you all staying as my guests this evening," Ramon said and closed his eyes.
"It would be our honor, Master Santiago," Strozzini and Marcel said in unison. It came out like a well-rehearsed response that I didn't get. I turned to look at Marcel and he glanced from me back to Santiago like he wanted me to do something. He mouthed the exact words he and Strozzini said and gave a small flick of his finger to point at me.
"It would be my honor, Master Santiago," I said trying not to make it a question.
Marcel gave an almost imperceptible nod from his spot to my right. I knew I responded appropriately. Santiago opened his eyes and smiled at me. "It is the honor of the host to provide for his guests," he said and Marcel and Strozzini bowed low. I did the same.
The door to Santiago's office opened and a tall vampire walked in. He stood well over six feet tall and a spidery air clung to him like a shadow. Long spindly legs propelled him across the room to the master's side. "Yes, my master?" The man bowed low and remained prostrate.
"Raul, we have honored guests. Tonight we shall have a feast in their honor, please make it so," Santiago told the gangly man. He stood and I could see the excitement in his eyes. I had a bad feeling about it.
Chapter 9
The spacious underground room looked as if it had been hewn from the rock by hand. Score mark, upon score mark marred the granite walls not leaving a smooth surface anywhere. I marveled at the difference between the room in which we sat and the expertly crafted hidden entrance we were led through to enter the vast catacomb-like area beneath Santiago's club. Gone were the sounds of the club, replaced by the subtler sounds of acoustic Spanish guitar in the background.
A wooden table, easily forty feet long sat squarely in the center of the cavern. Wrought iron candle chandeliers hung from the stone ceiling over different segments of the table, as well as candles in wall sconces illuminated the room and cast flickering shadows everywhere. The effect seemed positively medieval. I liked it. I doubted I'd be decorating an apartment in D.C. like it anytime soon, but I liked it.
"Please, make yourself at home, the master will be joining you shortly," Raul told us and gave a curt bow leaving us to explore the room. I wandered to the far wall and sat down on a mahogany colored leather couch and watched Marcel and Strozzini as they made their way to where I sat.
"I apologize for the wordplay in Santiago's office, Ashlyn. There is so much you need to learn about being a vampire," Marcel said and sat next to me, leaving Strozzini to either sit somewhere else or continue standing. "When the master of the city offers you hospitality, you are under obligation to accept. It is one of our oldest laws," he continued and Strozzini nodded as he stood a few feet away from us.
"He could have taken offense, but I think he is a little confused as to your office," Strozzini said. "Remember the words we spoke, for it is almost a ritualistic response, the same for Santiago's acknowledgement of our gratitude."
"Well at least I don't have to remember Santiago's response. I have no inclination to ever be master of any city," I said with distaste, earning me a short burst of laughter from Strozzini, but not Marcel.
"Take care when you speak out loud so the fates may overhear,
il mio piccolo tesoro
. Sometimes the fates take great pleasure in heaping on you that what you wish for least," Strozzini said with a sad smile. It sounded as if he spoke from experience.
"What does
il mio piccolo tesoro
mean?"
"My little treasure," he replied offhandedly, like he had more serious thoughts running through his head.
Santiago chose that moment to enter the dining hall. I hadn't even imagined vampires gathered for meals. I did however have a feeling of what would be on the menu, I just didn't know how I would get away with not partaking in the feast.
"I hope you are all comfortable, the others should be joining us shortly," Santiago said, and as if on cue, one by one, came the rest of his entourage. They took their seats around the table and left spaces at the head for Santiago and us. The men talked animatedly about the state of affairs of the Sacramento vampires, and I listened disinterestedly as the vampires filled the spaces around the table. Most of them seemed comprised of the workers from the club upstairs. My suspicions were confirmed when the tall blonde dancer who'd captured my attention onstage sat in one of the seats closest to where we would be sitting. I'd just have to make sure I sat on the opposite side of the table from her.
"It is time," Santiago said and raised his arms. He walked us over to the table and pulled the seat out by the blonde exotic dancer, looking at me expectantly.
Well, crap
. "Thank you, Mr. Santiago," I said.
"Ramon, please, Agent Ashlyn. We are all friends here," he replied, bowing his head.
I smiled and took my seat with Marcel sitting on my left. Santiago sat at the head of the table with Strozzini taking the seat opposite Marcel. I gave a shy smile to the beautiful vampire sitting next to me and blushed. When she entered the room, I thought she'd dressed herself in a silk dress of the darkest green I had ever seen. Her modesty impressed me. Sitting next to her, I saw my mistake. While the gossamer gown looked modest from a distance, from a foot away with the light of the overhead candles radiating on it, I realized it didn't hide anything. It looked like it'd been spun from spider webs and then dyed green. I could see every slope and curve of her breast and every ridge and bump of her nipple. I didn't dare glance down to her slightly parted thighs. I began to doubt if this evening would ever end.
"May I introduce myself, mistress?" The sultry dancer's timid English accent came from somewhere very close to my ear. I hoped she didn't hear my audible gulp of air.
"Hi, I'm Ashlyn," I said formally and held out my hand for her to shake. She didn't. She very gently took my hand and turned it knuckles up and brought them to her lips. Her fingertips gently caressed the palm of my hand as she sensuously parted her lips and pulled my knuckle between them with just the slightest amount of suction. I gasped as her tongue darted out and gently lick the skin of my hand. I barely stifled the moan threatening to escape my throat before she pulled my hand from her mouth.
"I'm Victoria," she said and didn't release my hand. Her skin felt cool in mine and I sighed, trying to relax. I'd always dreamt of holding hands romantically for the first time, I just never would have thought it would be with another woman. I stopped to think if it bothered me and I realized it truly didn't. She might not be a guy, but I knew how looking at her made me feel. I gave her hand a tentative squeeze and she returned it. My smile waned just a tad when I thought how hard it would be not to make her my next meal. I definitely needed to start carrying a little extra lycanthrope blood in the back of my vehicles.
I glanced to my left and saw Santiago conversing with Strozzini about happenings with The Council. I looked at Marcel and expected him to be engrossed in the conversation as well, but he stared at my hand, in Victoria's, with a curious smile on his face. I gave him a little eyebrow raise and his smile got a little bigger. He probably would have laughed, but Santiago stood and clapped his hands once. The sound echoed in the cavern like a gunshot.
"
Mi familia
," he began. "Tonight we have honored guests. Let us make them feel welcome into our home and shower them with our hospitality."
The vampires at the table with us gave a round of applause that seemed genuine. I guess they didn't get much company. Even Victoria released my hand to join in the applause. I quickly lifted my hand above the table before anyone besides Marcel noticed. I probably should have left it there. When she finished clapping she brought her hand back down and gingerly placed it on my thigh and gave me a private smile that brought a flush of blood up to my ears.
The round of applause must have been a cue for somebody to bring in dinner. A line of twenty wide-eyed and excited humans entered the room. This wasn't good. I assumed they were the patrons of the club upstairs brought down to feed the vampires, but a mix of males and females. I'd been one of the few females in the club not dancing, so they must have been brought in from somewhere else. Maybe one of Santiago's other businesses. Either way, the humans knew they'd been brought here to be dinner, and they liked it.
They spread out and fanned around us, stepping in between the seated vampires to sit on the table. Some disrobed as they sat, not exposing themselves completely, but rather exposing as much flesh as possible. A tallish man with short brown hair stepped in between Marcel and me and pulled off his shirt. I looked over as a short girl who looked like she'd just enrolled in college slipped between Victoria and the other woman vampire next to her. Well, at least I didn't have to share with Victoria. That should make faking it easier. I planned to just bite the human since I couldn't really drink his blood. I just didn't want Santiago asking why I wasn't eating.
"Hi, I'm Steve," the man between Marcel and I said shyly. "Where would you like to bite?" He stared at me as he asked the question.