“No, Ramon. He is not a vampire. He’s a guy.” The elevator doors opened onto a carpeted hallway. The red-and-gold fleur-di-lis pattern faded under a southern exposed window.
Ramon stepped out. “It is cool if he was though, right? I’d buy this dump just for that.”
Julian’s chuckle hid his worry as they made their way to their rooms. “I’m sure Cesar will go for that.” With a nod to Ramon, he entered his room. It wasn’t much.
A bed and single end table were surrounded by god-awful striped wallpaper. On the opposite wall, a cheap sideboard held up a flat-screen from the last decade. The single upholstered chair was covered in dog hair.
He’d barely settled before Ramon was at his door.
“There’s not a mini fridge. Or room service,” he complained.
“You really expected room service?” Julian stepped back to let him in.
Ramon peered around him to see the room but stayed in the hallway. “No. Yes. It doesn’t matter. Let’s go down to the bar. They have to have a bar, right?”
The bar’s low-ceilinged room was dark enough to hide a lot of worn carpet and split leather seats. He and Ramon took two stools facing a smoky mirror and waited as the bartender finished mixing a drink for the only other customer. The dim lighting worked well for a pretty woman sitting at the far end.
“Welcome to the Fulbright,” the bartender said, his voice deep and pleasantly graveled. “What can I get you?”
Ramon ordered two whiskeys with ice and then told the bartender to put the woman’s drink on his tab.
“You sure about that? She orders top shelf. Forty bucks a pop.”
Ramon rolled his eyes and smirked at the bartender. “I do like a woman with good taste.”
The man’s dark skin crinkled around his eyes. “It’s your money.” He fetched their drinks, setting them up on cocktail napkins. “Name’s Lenny, if you need anything else.” He shuffled down the bar.
“See, Juli. He’s cool. The bar is good. Makes up for the rest of the place.”
“Yes,” Julian grumbled. He hated being called Juli, but it was better than Chunk. “At least the bartender isn’t a vampire.”
“No, but I’m going to see if that woman is.” With a grin, Ramon took his drink and slid off his stool.
Julian sighed. He nursed his drink until the ice melted.
After two more drinks for Ramon and his new friend, they left the bar. He turned to Julian as they passed, giving him a wink.
“I’ll see you in the morning.”
Julian nodded, paid the bill, and waited a few discreet minutes before taking the stairs up to his room. The elevator gave him the creeps, and he needed to get his steps in anyway.
Settling into his room, he sighed heavily at the laughter coming through the thin walls. Ramon’s main risk would be contracting an STD instead of exsanguination by vampire.
Julian showered quickly, pulled on the same pair of boxers, and scrolled through his phone. When the rhythmic thumping started, he lamented not carrying his headphones. At least Frank had dropped off a travel toothbrush, toothpaste, and razor at the front desk.
Hours later, he woke to someone pounding on his door in the predawn hours.
Ramon stood in the hallway, bare feet and chest, his eyes glassy and wide. “Goddamnit, Juli, I’ve been knocking for an hour.”
Julian smirked, stepping back to let him in. “What’s happened?” His words ended in a yawn. Ramon was obviously okay, so why did he have to wake him up at whatever godforsaken time it was.
“That was the most incredible fuck I’ve ever had.”
Oh, that’s why. He wanted to share.
The lithe man paced the small room, his hands gesticulating as he turned at the sideboard. “She was a witch. Had to be. She did the most amazing things with her tongue, and—”
Julian held up his hand. “Stop, please. I haven’t had coffee yet.”
