A little after nine, I’ve just delivered drinks to a table in the lounge when Augustus saunters my way with a vampire I’ve never seen before in tow. The new guy is a redhead, kind of thin, maybe around six feet tall, and looks like he was turned in his late forties. If he were human, I’d say his air is the kind of swagger a rich guy used to getting his way throws around a corporate boardroom before he fucks his secretary over his desk and then goes home to his trophy wife and kids whose names he can barely remember.
I instantly don’t like him, but I don’t fear him, either. He’s definitely not dressed nearly as well as Lucius’ men.
Augustus leans in. “This is Dagwood,” he says.
Rolling my eyes, I slowly shake my head. “Seriously?”
Augustus grins. “It’s as good a name as any. He wanted to meet you.”
The guy has green eyes, and I look him dead in them. “Hiya,” I say, holding my hand out. “Nice to meet you…” I wait for him to tell me his real name.
It takes him a moment. “Darren,” he says, already thrown off his game as he hesitates before finally taking my hand.
Augustus stands there with his arms crossed over his chest, smiling, waiting for the show to begin.
Darren’s gaze narrows as he studies me. “You’re…human?”
“That’s what they tell me.” I hold my tray against me to hide my boobs. Force of habit, even though he’s looking me right in the eyes and not eyeing my girls. “What can I do for you, Darren?”
He glances at my name tag. “Your name is Blue?”
Tiberius walks over. “Did she do it yet?”
“Not yet,” Augustus says. Behind him, Maximus also walks up to listen in, as do a few of the human regulars. They’ve formed an impromptu circle around us, my back to the wall and Darren standing close, but not uncomfortably so.
I reach up and flick my blue tresses. “My name, tonight, is Blue.”
“So…it’s not yourrealname?”
He can’t look away from my gaze now, and it’s got to be freaking him out at least a little. “What’s in a name, anyway?” I softly ask. “How oldareyou?Really?” As I ask that, I do my thing—which is basically think all this to him, in addition to saying it.
Compellinghim.
“One hundred and thirty-four,” he whispers back without hesitation, and I know I’ve got him. It works better sometimes than others, but this guy’s not very strong. His sire was likely young, too. While I’m immune to vampires’ thrall, I can’t compel all of them like this, although I haven’t yet met a human I haven’t been able to use at least a little mojo on.
Between the music and the vamp bouncers doing crowd control around us, I know the humans paying attention only heard “thirty-four.”
Oooh, this will freak the poor vamp out later, when he has time to think about it.
I narrow my gaze. “How badly do you want to know my name?”
One of the household humans giggles. She should be serving customers, but she’ll also immediately spread the word that I played the name tag game, and that’ll only help my cred around here.
“I’d…do anything to know it.”
“Want to make a wager?”
He nods.
“I bet you’re justdyingto get me downstairs, aren’t you?”
“I’d love for you to come downstairs with me.”
Of course he would, the poor schmuck. “Got a C-note on you?”
He nods again, eagerly, and digs out his wallet. If he thinks he’s getting off that easy, he’s not, but at least he’s got cash.
Booyah. There’s my cell phone bill, paid for the month.
