My breath caught. "I—what?"
"Don't play coy. You're an intelligent man." He reached out and touched my shoulder, his cold fingers against my warm skin sending electricity down my arm. "I didn't ask you here solely to discuss real estate portfolios."
"Then why did you ask me here?" The question came out quieter than I intended.
Raoul's hand slid from my shoulder to the back of my neck, his grip gentle but possessive. "Because from the moment I saw you in that office, I wanted you. And I always get what I want."
He smiled again, revealing those elongated canines I thought I’d spotted earlier in the day. Suddenly several things clicked into place. The fangs, the umbrella, the late hours…
“You… You’re a vampire, aren’t you?” I asked quietly.
“Ah, you figured me out,” he nodded. “Well, now you understand why my estates are in Europe and why they are so difficult to manage. Holding wealth under the same name for centuries is typically frowned upon by most governments. And even though us supernatural folk have assimilated with the mortal world, laws have yet to catch up.”
I nodded slowly, processing this information. It explained a lot, though it did nothing to explain why my heart was racing or why I wasn't backing away from his touch.
"So this is real," I said. "The inheritance, the properties?—"
"All real," he assured me. "I truly do need financial guidance. But I also have other... appetites." His thumb traced a smallcircle on the back of my neck. "Would it frighten you to know I can hear your pulse right now? That I can smell the blood rushing through your veins?"
It should have terrified me. Instead, I felt heat pooling low in my stomach.
"I'm not scared," I heard myself say, and it was mostly true. There was fear there, yes, but it was tangled up with something else. Excitement. Desire. The same reckless ambition that had driven me to transform my entire life.
"No, you're not," Raoul murmured, leaning closer until his lips were near my ear. "You're curious. You want to know what it would feel like."
"What would it feel like?" My voice came out rougher than intended.
"Everything." His free hand came to rest on my hip, his fingers cool through the towel. "My teeth on your skin. My body against yours. The surrender of control to someone who knows exactly what they want and how to take it."
I should have pulled away. This wasinsane. A client propositioning me in a bathhouse, and a vampire touching me like he had every right to. But my body had other ideas, leaning into his touch instead of retreating.
"This isn't very professional," I managed weakly.
Raoul laughed, a low, rich sound that vibrated through me. "No, it isn't. But tell me honestly, William. When was the last time you did something just because you wanted to? Not because it would advance your career or impress your colleagues, but simply because it felt good?"
I couldn't remember. Everything over the past year had been calculated, strategic. Even the gym had been about improving my image, not pleasure.
"That's what I thought," he said softly. "You've been so busy becoming successful that you've forgotten how to simply... feel."
His hand slid from my hip to the small of my back, pulling me closer until our bodies were almost touching. The temperature difference between us was startling. His skin cool, mine flushed with heat.
"I could help you remember," he offered. "If you'd let me."
"And the business arrangement?" I asked, clinging to some semblance of rationality.
"Will proceed exactly as discussed. I keep my professional and personal affairs quite separate, I assure you. Whether you accept my... other offer or not, you'll still manage my portfolio." His eyes met mine, dark and hypnotic. "But I very much hope you'll accept."
I looked around the bathhouse, at the other men engaged in various states of intimacy, at the steam rising from the water. This was so far outside anything I'd ever done. The old me would have run.
But I wasn't the old me anymore.
"Okay," I whispered. "Show me."
“Very good, William,” he said softly, placing a single kiss on my neck that sent shivers down my spine. “Let’s soak for a while.”
He leaned back and without any hesitation, dropped his towel to the floor. His cock swung free, a mound of dark hair above it that was well groomed, but natural. My eyes locked on the thick uncut shaft and the pink head peeking from under his foreskin. Even soft, it was a beautiful dick.
“Come with me,” he said, holding out his hand as he stepped into the steaming water.
