My 3 Contract Lovers

[7]

[Bianca]

I wasn’t sure why I was feeling nervous, but as I sat across from Mr. Baker, my hands trembled. I pulled at the hem of the dress I had borrowed from Milly. It was one of her more…modest dresses. It came above my knees and the fabric was tight like spandex and hugged my body in a way that made me feel naked. However, the dress was white with a floral rose print, and it matched perfectly with the red stiletto heels. Although the dress wasn’t deemed worthy of attending a meeting, the best ‘cover-up’ was the soft white cardigan. The knitted woolen sweater hid the thin spaghetti straps and, although I had not buttoned it up, it completed the outfit. When Mr. Baker had opened his office door earlier, he had looked me up and down and smiled in approval. I didn’t like him, but I didn’t have to.

“All right, have you made a decision?” he asked as he finally looked over at me.

“I requested-”

“Yes, I know that,” he said, interrupting me rather rudely. “I have made the appointments with each immortal,” I nodded as I tried to relax. “I am going to assume you’d like to meet with each of them before signing anything?”

“Yes,” I confirmed, and he nodded.

“Well then, let’s see if Lord Hudson has arrived,” I watched as he pressed a button on some sort of fancy-looking device. “Melinda? Has Lord Hudson arrived?”

“Not yet, Mr. Baker,” a voice said through the speaker and I felt my whole body tense up. Why hadn’t he arrived yet? I didn’t want to just sit here and wait, that would just make me even more nervous.

“Please escort him in as soon as he arrives,”

“Will do,” Mr. Baker nodded at that even though the woman couldn’t see him. Or could she? I glanced around the office but I didn’t see anything out of place. Although the whole office wasn’t all that big and aside from a cabinet and his desk, there wasn’t any other furniture. A potted plant stood lonely in one corner and a mirror graced the wall, but that was it. I didn’t think about it further as Mr. Baker leaned back in his seat and eyed me.

“I want you to know that before you make any decisions, that I would like to discuss certain terms,”

“What terms? Can’t we discuss it now?” I asked curiously and he seemed annoyed but slowly nodded.

“Well, since Lord Hudson hasn’t arrived yet, I suppose we could cover those terms now,” he set his hand down on his desk and tapped his finger against the wood. “If at any time you feel threatened, uncomfortable, or unhappy with your immortal, you have to contact me immediately. You may, depending on the relationship with your immortal, choose to discuss it with him. However, the organization strives to give our humans the best possible care during the contract period,”

“Can the contract be broken?”

“Yes, if the relationship between immortal and consort doesn’t work out, then either party may cancel the contract. However, we do try to fix any issues as breaking a contract in the middle of the year isn’t easy to deal with,” I nodded at that. “If you simply need someone to talk to, a counselor will be available to you. Again, we encourage you to talk to your immortal. Honesty is the best policy. For both parties,”

“Ok,”

“Your immortal is liable for any inconveniences,”

“Huh?” I stared at him in confusion. “What does that mean?”

“It means if your immortals request your immediate presence, and you have to…let’s say…leave your workplace. If you had to lose your job because of it, your immortal is held liable for that. If you fall ill or are injured, your immortal is held liable and must see to your health at all times. Your immortal may even suggest you move into the city or even temporarily into their homes,” my eyes went wide at that. The thought of not being close to my mother made my heart skip a beat. “However, you may deny this request. You aren’t expected to give up your life, it is just that…during this year, your immortal takes first priority,”

“Ok,” I said with a quick nod.

“Now-”

“Mr. Baker, Lord Hudson is on his way up,” that same voice announced from the speaker and Mr. Baker jumped out of his seat. He smoothed down his grey suit jacket before he hurried over to the office door. I, on the other hand, started to sweat as I breathed heavily. The vampire was here. He was on his way up to see me. Not Mr. Baker, but me. My hands started to shake, and I shook them out in hopes of making them stop. However, when the air suddenly grew cold and I shivered, I knew that he was here.

“Lord Hudson, thank you so much for coming on such short notice,”

“It is not a problem, Mr. Baker,” Dante said, and I froze at the sound of his voice. His voice was husky and deep, low and it sent shivers throughout my body.

“Please, do come in,” Mr. Baker said, and I could feel the panic rise up as I had no idea what I was supposed to do. Should I stand up? Should I look at him? Should I offer him my hand to shake? I should’ve asked Milly about it, but now it was far too late. “Lord Hudson, may I officially introduce you to Miss Bianca Kellam,” I decided to stand up and I did so slowly. I turned and avoided looking at him. I was scared. I was nervous. I was…oddly excited. “Bianca, this is Lord Dante Hudson, Lord, and Leader of Tantibus,” I was grateful that Milly had at least educated me somewhat and I finally looked up. His hair was long and straight, and it was so black it looked like ink as it cascaded over his shoulders. It framed his face in a way that had me breathing in deeply. His skin was deathly pale, and his lips were full and tilted up in a slight smile. His nose was sharp but somehow balanced out his masculine features. However, it was his eyes that made me shiver with fear. A dark red that almost appeared black and it was unnerving. The pupil was black, but his iris and sclera were that dark shade of red. It was terrifying and clearly unnatural.

“Is it my eyes?” he suddenly asked, his voice washing over me in a way that made my knees tremble. I simply nodded and he looked down for a moment. When he looked back up, I gasped in surprise. His pupils were still black and although the iris was still red, his sclera was now white. It was still eerie, but not as much. I tried to relax, and that touch of a smile finally broke through, and he leaned forward as he held out his hand. “Bianca Fellam, it is a great pleasure to meet you,” I placed my hand in his and I was surprised by the warmth that radiated from the touch of his skin. I had expected him to be cold.

“N-nice to ah…meet you…too,” I remarked awkwardly. He leaned in and pressed his lips against my knuckles, and I swore my legs were going to give out at the contact. His lips were soft and although the kiss had been quick and fleeting, it felt as though my hand was on fire. In a good way. Was it a good way? I frowned as he stood up and let go of my hand.

“Well then, shall we?” Mr. Baker said suddenly, and I was reminded that the creepy man was still there. I sat back down, and Dante sat next to me. He was awfully close but far enough that we didn’t touch. Mr. Baker took out a copy of the contract and looked over at me. “The floor is yours, Miss Fellam,”

“Um…” I could feel the panic rising as I bent forward and retrieved my copy of the contract from the handbag Vivian had lent me. Luckily, I had marked which contract belonged to who, so I pulled out Dante’s and set it on my lap. “Ok…um…”

“Don’t be nervous,” Dante commented softly, and I blushed as I avoided eye contact. “Let’s talk about what I need, what I want, and you can tell me how that would fit into your schedule,”

“Oh, ok…so I wouldn’t have to live with you or anything like that?” I felt like a fool for asking, but I wanted to be sure. I needed to know what was to be expected of me.

“Well,” he drawled out slowly as he leaned back in his seat. I looked up and met his intense gaze. “That depends on how you would prefer to feed me,”

“Oh…oh!” luckily, I had thought about this for quite some time and, while the idea of him feeding directly off me made me uncomfortable, I hated hospitals, so it was a no-brainer. “I would, well, I mean, I am not like crazy about the idea but…like um…I hate hospitals and so yeah…um, I would probably go with like…feeding you directly…shit, I mean oh, is that, is that ok?” I dropped my gaze to my lap and silently cursed myself for my stupid rambling. Dante must be rethinking his decision to choose me.

“You won’t have to go to a hospital,” he said, and I glanced back at him. “My most trusted servant can see to it, if feeding directly from you makes you uncomfortable,” I wasn’t sure what to say, so I remained silent. I hadn’t thought there would be any other option and now that he had offered that, I wasn’t sure what to do. I had been preparing myself for it, especially since Milly had told me that having a vampire feed from you was a feeling I had to experience.

“Would you…I mean, don’t you…shit,” I pressed my lips together and I shook my head as I looked away.

“Bianca…” I saw him move out of the corner of my eye and he shifted so that he was sitting on the edge of the chair, turned toward me and he reached out and took my hand in his. “Mr. Baker, would you be so kind as to give us a few minutes of privacy?”

“Unfortunately, I cannot…oh, what the hell, I’ll be right outside. If you need me, Bianca, just shout,” I didn’t say anything to that as I had a feeling Dante wouldn’t hurt me.

“Please…look at me,” he begged, and the pleading in his voice had me looking into his eyes. I felt as though I was held captive as he reached out with his free hand and ran his knuckles along my cheek. “I would very much like to feed directly from you, Bianca,” his declaration made my heart beat faster and as I watched his face I saw his eyes drop down. I wasn’t sure what he was looking at but his hand slowly moved from my cheek to my jaw and then he very gently tilted my head to the side. “I would very much like it,” I realized then that he was eyeing my neck and a sudden rush went through me.

“Ok,” I whispered.

“Very good,” he said as he carefully released me and sat back in his seat. “You are not required to stay with me, however, I do hope you do not live too far,”

“I live in Ethis,” I blurted out and I noticed a look of horror cross his features before that stoic look fell back into place.

“That won’t do, Bianca. I will have an apartment set up for you immediately…if you chose to sign the contract,” I had no idea what to say to that as my mother was my main concern. “I will personally pay your expenses, so feel free to bring any family or friends with you,” I nodded at that, knowing that I could still be close to my mother and that made my decision final.