“Yeah, paperwork was submitted,” Julien said. “How’s the shipments coming?”
They talked business a few minutes and Luis let his eyes wander the space. It was divided in half with stock on one side, then boxes, staging, and a computer on the other.
“There’s a couple things I need to shoot for the website; would you help me?” Julien asked Luis, drawing his attention back.
“Okay.” A gentle hand found the small of his back and guided him away from Karim and toward the staging area.
The staging area was opposite Karim, designed to resemble a living room with a camera and lighting positioned around it.
“Here, this lamp goes to Karim, please,” Julien said, stepping into the scene to unplug the one on the stand beside the couch. It had a stained-glass base and looked old. Luis received it carefully and took it to Karim.
When he returned, Julien had another lamp in its place and was moving behind the mounted camera.
“If this becomes too boring, feel free to wander off,” Julien said as he started snapping photos, the lights flashing with each picture.
But even an hour in, Luis was still helping. Julien had slowly but surely replaced the artwork, the side table, the rug and several decorative elements on the shelving of the stage room. Some of the finished items went to Karim for packing and some Julien had Luis return to their stock. Julien had an eye for it, because none of the switches ever clashed, he seemed to know just what to change and how to get each item photo in its own cohesive habitat.
“Alright, that should be all for now,” Julien said as he turned off the camera and switch for the lighting. “Thank you for your help. I’m going to go edit these, but Karim’s going to need help to take the boxes up soon for pickup, if you’d like to assist with that.”
“Okay yeah,” Luis said and wandered back to Karim.
The other vampire immediately put him to work taping the last of the boxes as Karim put shipping labels on.
“Alright, we’re going upstairs, so don’t grab anything you can’t comfortably lift,” Karim said, easily stacking two boxes and lifting like it was nothing. Luis grabbed just one large box.
Karim led the way and Luis followed, happy to keep his mind distracted.
##
“You haven’t played me back,” Karim said as Luis walked into the bedroom just before dawn. Julien was in the bathroom doing his nightly routine, and Karim was flopped down on the bed, his cell phone in hand.
“My phonejustbuzzed,” Luis said. He’d felt it while brushing his teeth.
Luis got on the bed in what was becoming his spot. Immediately Karim set the phone aside and slid his arm around Luis. A low buzzing started in Luis’s stomach just from the one touch. “Afraid you’re going to lose this round?”
“You’re down a hundred points,” Luis said.
“Iwasdown a hundred points,” Karim said cryptically as he rolled closer. It made the last few words a rumbling growl in Luis’s ear.
“I doubt you have another ‘vamoosed’ in your pocket,” Luis said.
“Mmm, something better,” Karim said lewdly, hips pushing against Luis’s side.
Luis turned his head and Karim’s gaze was dark. His sleep shirt had a hole right at the shoulder and was sagging around the collar. Luis’s eyes roved over each bit of offered skin.
“Oh?” Luis asked. His eyes caught on Karim’s mouth.
Then the man was shifting up and over him. His weight dropped down on Luis, an undeniably hardness pressing againsthim. Karim braced himself on elbows, and suddenly Luis was pinned in place.
His pulse jumped.
A finger played with one of Luis’s curls. “How far do you think we can get before Julien stops us?” Karim asked.
Luis swallowed hard. He had no idea, but he was down to find out.
Karim’s thumb touched his jaw, then slid up to his bottom lip. Anticipation coiled tight, and Luis felt his lips part. The thumb traced his mouth, almost pushing in before it pulled away.
“Kar–” was as far as Luis got before Karim kissed him.
