at a desk identical to Kate's and gestured to the seat across from him. He put a hand on the tiny fridge behind him.
"Drink?"
Her first instinct was to decline, but she was thirsty.
"Please."
He pulled out a dark bottle, about the size of a water bottle, and handed it over. She unscrewed the cap and closed her eyes as she put her nose to the top. She never used to accept blood from strangers, but she'd learned every fragrance of the tasty nectar, every nuance. She could smell any blood that had been tainted or tampered with.
She took a deep drink, savoring the taste. Feeling it course inside her. Making her stronger.
Opening her eyes, Frank sat silent, frowning.
"It's still a little weird for me," he said. "Watching someone drink blood."
She crossed her arms on the desk and leaned forward. It wasn't her intention to draw attention to her breasts, but Frank glanced down momentarily anyway.
"Let's talk business."
He leaned back and twirled a pen through his fingers.
"Okay. I'm always willing to talk to a possible investor."
She laughed. "Nice try. I'm going to replace your carpet out in the hall. Since I had a hand in ruining it."
"Uh, had a hand ?"
"Yeah. And I don't want any percentage of your business. I'm not a mob boss."
"Seriously?"
"Yeah. But—"
"Ah. Here it comes."
"If you want to do business in my city, you're going to have to change a few things."
"Like what?"
"Safety. There's a woman that's been coming here a little too much. Her name's Emma."
He didn't flinch.
"I can neither confirm nor deny. Our customers' privacy is something I take very seriously."
She nodded, impressed. "Fair enough. Let's just say you have a customer that needs to take a break from this place for a while."
"She's an adult, isn't she? Responsible for her own decisions? I'm not a babysitter. I'm not going to turn away a customer. If someone goes to a liquor store, the guy behind the counter's job is to sell liquor. Not debate the customer on the perils of drinking."
Victoria frowned. In the minutes she'd known Frank, it was amazing how he could say the right thing one sentence, and make her bristle the next. Besides, he was dead wrong. Part of a bartender's job was to know when to cut off an inebriated patron.
"Well, guess what?" she said. "It's part of your job now. Keep an eye on your human customers, send them away if they need it."
"Hmmm," he said, stroking his chin. "Kate said there was a young girl that worried her. Room two is her favorite. A little bit more daring than the rest, always wants two vamps at the same time."
The fact that Emma passed through the Vermilion multiple times, was noticed, but ignored, infuriated Victoria. But it was a mistake that could be corrected.
"No more, okay?"
"Yeah," Frank said, having a change of heart. "It wouldn't be good for business if word gets out that we're letting people get really fucked up here. Vamps wouldn't care too much, but we'd lose a lot of humans."
She didn't like being lumped in with vampires that didn't care. There were plenty of vampires out there like Thomas Sanders, that viewed humans as a McDonald's. Victoria liked to believe she was on the opposite end.
"That's part of everyone's job now," she said. "I like Kate. She'll be a good fit up front. But let's talk security. You're going to need more than a pretty lady in a dress and a guy watching the stairs to keep people from just walking in here." She smiled and playfully lifted her chin, pretending to be a model. "Like I did."
Frank sighed. Obviously the topic had been on his mind.
"The guy at the stairs doesn't work for me. He works for the club, and I just kind of borrow him."
"Tell him I'm sorry I broke his wrist."
"Shit. I was wondering why he was huffing and puffing on the radio." He shook his head in frustration. "Well, before you came busting
"Drink?"
Her first instinct was to decline, but she was thirsty.
"Please."
He pulled out a dark bottle, about the size of a water bottle, and handed it over. She unscrewed the cap and closed her eyes as she put her nose to the top. She never used to accept blood from strangers, but she'd learned every fragrance of the tasty nectar, every nuance. She could smell any blood that had been tainted or tampered with.
She took a deep drink, savoring the taste. Feeling it course inside her. Making her stronger.
Opening her eyes, Frank sat silent, frowning.
"It's still a little weird for me," he said. "Watching someone drink blood."
She crossed her arms on the desk and leaned forward. It wasn't her intention to draw attention to her breasts, but Frank glanced down momentarily anyway.
"Let's talk business."
He leaned back and twirled a pen through his fingers.
"Okay. I'm always willing to talk to a possible investor."
She laughed. "Nice try. I'm going to replace your carpet out in the hall. Since I had a hand in ruining it."
"Uh, had a hand ?"
"Yeah. And I don't want any percentage of your business. I'm not a mob boss."
"Seriously?"
"Yeah. But—"
"Ah. Here it comes."
"If you want to do business in my city, you're going to have to change a few things."
"Like what?"
"Safety. There's a woman that's been coming here a little too much. Her name's Emma."
He didn't flinch.
"I can neither confirm nor deny. Our customers' privacy is something I take very seriously."
She nodded, impressed. "Fair enough. Let's just say you have a customer that needs to take a break from this place for a while."
"She's an adult, isn't she? Responsible for her own decisions? I'm not a babysitter. I'm not going to turn away a customer. If someone goes to a liquor store, the guy behind the counter's job is to sell liquor. Not debate the customer on the perils of drinking."
Victoria frowned. In the minutes she'd known Frank, it was amazing how he could say the right thing one sentence, and make her bristle the next. Besides, he was dead wrong. Part of a bartender's job was to know when to cut off an inebriated patron.
"Well, guess what?" she said. "It's part of your job now. Keep an eye on your human customers, send them away if they need it."
"Hmmm," he said, stroking his chin. "Kate said there was a young girl that worried her. Room two is her favorite. A little bit more daring than the rest, always wants two vamps at the same time."
The fact that Emma passed through the Vermilion multiple times, was noticed, but ignored, infuriated Victoria. But it was a mistake that could be corrected.
"No more, okay?"
"Yeah," Frank said, having a change of heart. "It wouldn't be good for business if word gets out that we're letting people get really fucked up here. Vamps wouldn't care too much, but we'd lose a lot of humans."
She didn't like being lumped in with vampires that didn't care. There were plenty of vampires out there like Thomas Sanders, that viewed humans as a McDonald's. Victoria liked to believe she was on the opposite end.
"That's part of everyone's job now," she said. "I like Kate. She'll be a good fit up front. But let's talk security. You're going to need more than a pretty lady in a dress and a guy watching the stairs to keep people from just walking in here." She smiled and playfully lifted her chin, pretending to be a model. "Like I did."
Frank sighed. Obviously the topic had been on his mind.
"The guy at the stairs doesn't work for me. He works for the club, and I just kind of borrow him."
"Tell him I'm sorry I broke his wrist."
"Shit. I was wondering why he was huffing and puffing on the radio." He shook his head in frustration. "Well, before you came busting
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