Then he sent a text to Julien that he was outside.
It was Julien’s partner, Karim, who strolled out first. Luis saw the scowl coming down the driveway, and braced himself. Karim wasn’t in a good mood on the best of days, but a scowl even before he got into the car couldn’t bode well.
“You smell like shit,” Karim said as he slid into the backseat.
“At least I don’t look it,” Luis shot back. He said it before even looking in the rear-view mirror.
And then felt bad, because damn, Karim actually did look rough tonight. The man’s shoulder length dark hair was uncharacteristically greasy, hanging limp where it usually had the wavy, shiny volume of Indian hair. His shirt was wrinkled too. Karim could’ve pulled off either normally, but today his air of bravado felt muted.
“You look–” Karim leaned forward, but then frowned. His eyes flickered from Luis’s shirt to his cheek, as if deciding which to tackle first. “What happened to your face?”
“Cat scratch,” Luis lied.
“You don’t own a cat,” Karim said.
Luis's eyes shifted away. “Maybe I do now.”
He could feel Karim’s gaze boring into him. “Do you?”
“No-pe,” Luis popped the second half of the word just to be irritating. He didn’t need to look to know that Karim would be glaring at him.
“Then what–?”
The interrogation was interrupted by his better half, Julien, pulling open the other car door. Julien slid in smoothly, an easy smile on his lips. Where Karim looked like he’d just rolled out of bed and gotten dressed in the dark, every inch of Julien was well-tailored. His long white-blond hair was pulled back in a neat ponytail, and his crisp, white collared shirt was buttoned to the top button. He was unadorned with the exception of two rings, one on each fourth finger.
Julien’s beauty caught him off guard every time. Where Karim had the hot rock star thing going for him, Julien was good-looking like a supermodel. Like his face was slightly too perfect, too far outside the Bell Curve, and you needed to stare at him just a little bit longer to figure out if he was truly real.
“Good evening, Luis,” Julien said in his French-accented English, the tones smooth and pleasant. “You look nice today.”
Luis was grateful for the dark car hiding his sudden, horrifying flush. He thought about that video, still open on his computer. The vampire had been the same white-blond. He’d meant to go back and close it. Wipe his browser history.
Sweat gathered at his nape. He should’ve never listened to Cassie. This was too much change.
“Thanks. Um. Bite Back tonight?” Somehow, his voice came out normal. He kept his eyes on the windshield, but could feel the sudden weight of Karim’s gaze. He hadn’t had the opportunity to quiz Luis about his wardrobe change, and Luis could practically hear the snarky comment he wanted to make.
Who’re you dressed up for? Trying to get Julien’s attention?
“Yes, please,” Julien said.
Karim didn’t take the shot at him because Julien was present and they did their best not to spar in front of him. Still, a light flashed from the backseat–Karim taking out his phone.
Luis put the car into reverse. He was allowed to make changes and not have it mean anything, he reasoned with himself.
Because he wasn’t trying to get them to like him more. He wasn’t trying, like Cassie suggested, to sleep with them.
He liked them, but they were, at best, acquaintances. At worst, Luis was just contract help. Any feelings were all on his end, of that he was certain. It was best to keep that in mind.
Half a minute later Luis felt a buzz in his pocket that had to be Karim.
Great.
##
Bite Back was an upscale vampire bar in downtown. It was Julien’s bar of choice because it had the right mix of atmosphere, blood availability, and drivetime. Luis pulled into the rear parking lot and turned off the car. They all got out and Luis followed the two taller men past the bouncer, Vick, who nodded in recognition as they entered.
The bar was older, it had been one of the first in the area, but it had been redone sometime recently with stylish black furnishings and purple accent lighting. The background music was modern, unobtrusive. Karim and Julien had a standing reservation, so they headed back to a sturdy high top with a stack of Bite Back branded coasters waiting for them. One of the bartenders, Poppy, swung by a minute after they’d been seated,dropping off a dragon fruit spritz for Luis before he could even order.
He thanked her and she flashed a smile at him as she returned to the bar.
