"Carter, how are you, my dear?" a thin elderly woman said as she kissed his cheek.
"I'm very well, Diane. Thank you for coming tonight. You look lovely," he held both her hands in his and played the perfect host.
"Never miss it." she cooed. "This is my daughter Dee, the one I was telling you about," next to her was an equally thin woman with thick strawberry curls and a prominent overbite. She almost fell over herself as Carter kissed her hand. "Dee, a pleasure to meet you. I have heard many wonderful things about you from your mother."
"My mother told me you were handsome, but Wowzah, you are gorgeous." she blurted out and then turned bright red.
"Your mother is too good to me. Dianna, and Dee, I would like you to meet my date for tonight. This is Miss Ebony Summers," he said, taking my hand and pulling me towards his side.
"Ebony, of course. We have spoken on the phone many times. Are you two an item?" Dianna said, raising her eyebrow at him.
"Enjoy your evening, both of you," Carter said, pulling me away quickly and avoiding the question.
"Is there anybody not trying to set you up with their daughters?"
"Unfortunately, no," he smiled as he pulled me towards a table at the front of the ballroom. The room was tastefully decorated with flowers on each white table and gold trimmings on the chairs. There was a stage with what looked like an entire orchestra and a large white dance floor.
Carter pulled out a chair for me and pushed it in as I sat. "I have to go and give a speech. Stay here, and I will be back," he whispered. I nodded and watched as he walked towards the stage, people waving and patting him on the back as he walked onto the front of the room.
"Fancy seeing you here, Summers. You look smashing," Callan said, sitting on the chair next to me.
"Hey, you, I'm so glad you're here. Everyone is looking at me like I'm painted blue or something," I looked around the room and noticed everyone still pointing and whispering about me.
"Oh, you're the talk of the party tonight," he smiled.
"Why?"
"Because my father cannot take his eyes off you." he grinned, waving to Carter, staring at us from the stage.
"He's just being polite," I smiled back at him.
"Where is the blood at this party? I'm fucken starving." Jake moaned, flopping on the chair next to Callan.
"Do you ever stop complaining?" I teased him.
"Do you ever stop breathing?" Jake snapped back, pulling a face and sticking out his tongue.
"Good evening, everyone. Thank you all for making the trip tonight," Carter said into the microphone on the stage, and the room erupted into cheers and applause as everyone gave him a standing ovation.
"Thank you, but I am only a cog in this Midnight machine, and I assure you that I would have nothing without my team behind me. Give them all a big round of applause, please," the room erupted into cheers and wolf whistles. The whistling was purely Jake, and he could whistle loud. I laughed as he got on his chair and amped up the crowd.
"They are all essential to the company and important to me." Carter's eyes locked on mine. "I don't show that appreciation nearly enough," he smiled at me, and I instantly blushed. "First of all, let me say it's been a great year ...."
"Are you blushing right now?" Callan said in my ear.
"It's because I entered the room, and she pictured me naked. Ain't that right, Darling," Vinnie said, blowing me a kiss as he sat in the other seat next to mine. "I missed you, sweetheart."
"Oh god, where did you come from?" I leaned into Callan, trying to get away from him.
"I'm always close to you," he said, raising his eyebrows and puckering his lips at me.
I was almost on Callan's lap, trying to avoid him as Jake cackled in the background and sang the song 'Ladies Night' in my ear. I dug my nails into his leg, and he groaned in pain.
"Once again, thank you all for coming here tonight, and I sincerely hope you have an enchanted evening," Carter said, ending his speech and walking off the stage.
"Boss, she's hurting for no reason," Jake called out to Carter as he approached us.
"I don't believe it's for no reason, Jacob," Carter said, pushing Vinnie out of his chair and sitting beside me.
"I wish I was a human pussy so I could control things around here for a while," Jake muttered as he rubbed his leg.
"What was that, Jacob?" Carter said, leaning over me.
"Nothing, all good here, boss," Jake said, turning away and waving at some blonde girl at the next table.
"Jake would make a horrible human pussy," Callan said quietly, "It would probably eat your dick and make sarcastic comments as you bleed to death."
I burst out laughing with him.
"Excuse me," Jake protested dramatically, putting his hand over his chest. "I would be a beautiful pussy, thank you. Smooth, moist, and smell just like ...."
"Enough talking about pussy at the dinner table, please. Do we need to talk about table manners again" Carter yelled, cutting Jake off.
"Boss said pussy," Jake laughed as Carter growled at him. "I mean no boss. No more talk about pussy at the table. I mean, if someone brings up the word pussy I will simply walk away because I respect you and your no pussy talk at the table, boss."
"He said pussy again," Callan smiled.
"My name would be Pricilla the pussy, and I would be glorious and wet ...."
"ENOUGH" Carter yelled, hitting the table with his fist. "You would be a miserable old whinging cunt, and we know it, so drop it." We all burst out laughing as Carter tried his hardest not to laugh; he failed and covered his face as he laughed.
Dinner was served, and it was a delicious five-course dinner that the boys forced down with glasses of blood. However, their meat was still bleeding, unlike everyone else's.
"Carter, would you care to dance." I heard the voice of Genevieve behind me, and I shuddered at her presence.
"Well, actually...."
"Oh, come on, for old time's sake. It's just a dance," she said, whispering something in his ear.
"I don't think that would be appropriate right now," Carter said under his breath.
"Oh, come on, please" She stuck out her bottom lip and battered her eyes at him. I felt sick watching them both.
"Mother, nice to see you again. Ebony, you want to dance?" Callan said, standing up suddenly.
"I would love to," I said, taking his hand and following him to the crowded dance floor. The band played beautiful slow music, and everyone glided along the floor like professional dancers.
"Umm, I don't know how to dance like this," I said, biting my lip.
"It's easy. You go where I go," Callan said, putting his hand in mine and leading me around the dance floor. I laughed as I stood on his foot for the tenth time, but he didn't seem to mind.
"Can I cut in?" a deep voice behind me said gently.
"She's all yours," Callan said, turning me around to face Carter. "My feet need a rest anyway."
Carter took my hand and placed his other hand on my lower back. He pulled me against him and stared at me while everyone else danced around us.
"Stand on my feet," Carter said in my ear.
"What?"
"Stand on my feet, and I will show you how it feels to dance with someone," he said, smiling. I did as I was told and stood on his big feet. He led me around the dance floor like I was a feather and never took his now silver eyes off me. My body rushed with electricity as we moved around the floor, and I felt everyone's eyes on us.
"See, you're a good dancer," he smiled as the music stopped, and everyone clapped around us.
"That was amazing. I should be a professional dancer," I laughed as I got off his feet.
"In your own home, maybe," he smiled. "Are you having a good time?"
"I'm having the best time. Thank you for bringing me here tonight with you."
"Would you like to get some air?" He said, taking my hand. I nodded and followed him through the crowd and out of the ballroom.
"Where are we going?" I said as he dragged me through the house.
"Somewhere," Carter said, holding open a massive glass door. I gasped at seeing a vast yard covered in thick white snow. "Oh, my goodness, Carter, it's snow. Carter, it's snowing right now!" I rushed past him and out into the falling snow. "It's snowing right now. This is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen," I squealed in delight and danced as snowflakes fell on my skin.
"I thought you might like it," he said, laughing at my childlike reaction to snow.
"Are you kidding? I love it," I reached over for his hand and pulled him out to the falling snow, and he twirled me around as the snow fell around us.
"Here, have my jacket," he said, pulling it off his shoulders and draping it around my shoulders. "You must be freezing."
"I'm too excited to feel the cold. This is ...."
"Perfect," Carter said, holding my hand in his.
"Perfect," I repeated, watching his eyes turn silver. "Thank you for this."
He shrugged. "I wanted your first memory of snow to be just as you pictured it. I hope it is."
"It's the most beautiful memory I have." I smiled.
"Me too," he brought my hand up to his lips and gently kissed my fingers. "I have no doubt there will be many more."
"You promise."
"I promise," he smiled and touched my face with his finger. "You look so beautiful right now, Ebony, and I want nothing more than to ..." he paused. "I want nothing more than to see you happy. When I see you smile or hear your laughter, something inside this old body lights up like it never has before, and all these strange feelings and thoughts of you are suddenly taking over my mind. I don't understand them, but I like them."
"You do?"
He nodded and touched my face with his thumb. I closed my eyes and let my body react warmly to his cold touch. I placed my hand on top of his and opened my eyes to see him smiling at me.
"I do. Is that ok?" He said gently.
I smiled at his words. "Yes, I think about you too."
"I'm glad to hear that. This whole thing is very strange and new to me, but I want to learn more. My mother would tell me stories about how she met my father and how she had to teach him how to feel. I never really understood her words until I met you." He kissed my fingers softly and then rested them on his lips.
"I can teach you," I said, moving closer to him.
"You already have," he said as he pulled me into his body. "You have taught me so many things that I didn't think I would ever be able to feel."
"Carter, what is happening right now?" I said, looking up at him.
"Something wonderful," he replied as his arms held me tightly.