Page 1 of The Biting Bargain

ChapterOne

Polly

My miniskirt creepsup my butt and I pull down the hem for the umpteenth time while trying not to freak out.

"You signed the NDA, of course," my guide Jasmin says. "Nothing you see or hear in here is allowed to leave this building."

She says this nonchalantly, chipper even, as if in her world signing a waiver is a completely mundane thing that happens to her every day. But, since she’s working here, it probably is.

I can only nod with a panicked grin.

"Nervous?" Jasmin regards me from under perfect lashes. And damn, she is perfect — slender, graceful and angelic — like everyone else working at Club Sanguine, apparently. Since I stumbled through the entrance, I only spotted supermodel stand-ins like her. HR here probably picks them for that particular feature.

I, on the other hand, feel like a baloney sausage in a cocktail dress, inwardly cursing Marigold for talking me into this outfit in the first place — a black mini-dress with the shortest skirt in the universe. I’m pretty sure my butt cheeks must be visible from the moon base.

"Your curves are your assets, honey. And you need to show them off today," my best friend and neighbor said earlier this evening. She was grumbling a little about my sleeves that go all the way over my wrists, but since the rest of the dress gives enough of a view of all my shortcomings, she eventually waved it through.

"A little," I mutter, promptly blushing. Being nervous may be the understatement of the century. Jasmin's expression turns sympathetic.

"Oh, don't worry, honey." She flashes me a bright smile. "The procedure is perfectly safe. No need to be scared."

Isn’t that what everyone wants to hear on their first day of work in a vampire club?

She struts on, leading me through the glitzy lobby. The entire thing looks more like the entryway to an insanely expensive spa hotel. Everything is bright and white and beige and made of glass and inviting. Definitely not what you'd imagine a fetish club for vampires to look like.

No, notfetishclub, I correct myself as Jasmin pulls out a pitch-black smart card out of nowhere and slides it across a transponder next to the silver elevator door. This is a drone service.Thedrone service, to be precise. A sort of noble blood donation for the upper crust of the vampire community. Only the best applicants with the finest blood samples are chosen to work here as drones. I should feel like I won the lottery. Not like I'm being strapped onto a catapult aimed at a burning mountain.

You know, one in which a dragon dwells.

The silver doors slide open and then shut again behind us. The elevator — completely lined with velvet, by the way — starts up without a sound. A tingle in my stomach informs me that it's going up high.

"Let's go over your details again," Jasmin says, lifting an iPad and swiping on the display. "You watched the orientation video, of course."

I nod, pulling down my skirt once more. They sent me the video beforehand, along with everything else I needed to know. And I did watch it yesterday, with my stomach dropping a little more with each passing second. But when I now try to remember what it was about, there’s only static crackling between my ears.

Jasmin’s lips curl into another smile and she continues the little lecture she’s probably holding for every rookie that walks in here with a raging case of stage fright.

"The client will receive you in a pre-selected room," says Jasmin. "To ensure total anonymity, no names may be mentioned. However, you are free to choose a pet name."

I try to nod and shake my head at the same time, but my guide continues undeterred.

"Biting is done according to personal preference. There are no rules here, except that no physical harm may be done to you, which I'm sure will put your mind at ease."

I try not to think about needles and pointy teeth while looking completely unconcerned on the outside.

"Club Sanguine is a place of pleasure. Both for our vampiric clientele, but also for the drones." Jasmin smiles at me encouragingly. "Being bitten can be a very sensual experience. Really pleasant for the vast majority of drones. So don't be surprised if you pass out from delight in the middle of it, that happens to many beginners."

I force another smile that I hope looks confident and not like I'm falling apart inside. I can't stand the sight of blood. I hate syringes and needles, and I've always steered clear of bats and anything even remotely to do with vampires. Yet here I am, in the fancy vampire club, in order to get bitten.

Damn Patrick. This entire mess is his fault.

"You checked "Bite Only," Jasmin says now, swiping on the iPad and studying the contents. She cocks her head, giving me a questioning glance.

I nod my head yes.

"Is that a problem?" I ask. Jasmin smiles wryly, shaking her head.

"Of course it isn't. At Club Sanguine, it's especially important to us that everyone feels comfortable. We're a high-class club, after all. I was just being curious."

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