Reborn (Blood Courtesans Book 1) Vampire Romance

Part 2

On the limo ride to meet Kristos, I sent a quick text to my mom letting her know I would be in the city at least overnight, if not for a few more days. My dad had ditched us both long before I was born and the abandonment made my mom and I close. I knew she'd worry if I didn't check in. I'd told her I had a job interview, which was mostly true, although I'd led her to believe it was for a corporate internship that would look good on my graduate school application.

She was just recovering from her last chemo treatment and didn't need any extra stress. Not that I would, in a million years, tell her about what I was doing. No point in saving her from cancer only to kill her with my loose morals. As far as I was concerned, what happened in New York was going to stay there.

It only took a minute to check in with mom and I was left with way too much time to think. First, about my Dad. Would things be different if he was around? I'd learned early on to push him to the back of my mind because I didn't believe in dwelling on things that couldn't be changed. With mom so sick, though, I felt his abandonment of us as a new loss.

Then I thought about sex. About vampires. About how the hell I was going to pull this blood courtesan thing off. I was so out of my league I was on another planet.

I'd never met a vampire. Sure, maybe seen one or two from afar, but that was it. Our society had transferred the 'don't ask don't tell' policy from gays to supernaturals. We didn't know what was out there and we were good with it. If we had to know, fine. Like the time there had been a vampire serial killer. Or when another one set up a big philanthropic foundation for his descendants. Beyond those news bites, I went through my life as if everyone around me was human and so did everybody else.

These were the things I did know: Vampires liked blushing and there was some kind of alcohol connection. Oh and I was about to allow them to suck my blood during sex. That was already too much information.

Fear of the unknown overwhelmed me, and by the time the limo dropped me off at a swanky restaurant named Taos, I was about ready to bolt. I never had the chance though, because a cadre of muscle-bound guards swarmed me, their expressions grim. It was early fall and still warm, but a chill went through me. This was the point of no return. There was no going back. I hugged myself, wishing I'd thought to ask for a wrap.

"Miss Danson?" asked a blond man with a buzz cut and a broken-one-time-too-many nose. Sunglasses hid his eyes and his black suit was identical to the rest of his group.

At my nod, the men closed rank around me and hustled me toward my fate. One of them even shoved me along when I paused to pull the hem of my dress off my heel.

"Is that really necessary?" I asked, stumbling. The gown was just a little too long or my heels were just a little too short. Either way, the result was the same; the mere act of walking was complicated. Worse, a game of crotch peek-a-boo threatened to break out at any second and I had to pay close attention to how I moved in order to keep the goods under wraps.

"Standard security precautions, Miss Danson."

"Well, can we go a little slower? I'm wearing heels you know," I snapped.

They slowed for about two seconds, whisking me through the entrance and to the dining room. The restaurant was dimly lit with candles on every table and a Zen-like minimalist decor in a mix of beige and black tones. A tuxedo clad maître d' stood behind a marble-topped bar at the entrance. He glanced up as we crossed the threshold. In fact, judging from the abrupt silence that met my arrival, everyone noticed our appearance. How could they miss it? I was a woman in a very fancy dress surrounded by what looked like a Navy Seal special ops team.