Serenity

My keys clattered into the small bowl by the door as my bag fell to the floor. Walking out of my shoes, I fell onto the couch and pulled a blanket over my aching body. While the new job was exciting at times, it was also exhausting. In my short time at Caffrey & Dahl my hours had been fairly uneventful, but long. I spent most of my time working on paperwork with Evan and Riley, the two men who oversaw all of the administrative assistants. I'd only seen Mr. Ito twice since that first day and met Mr. Willet in passing as he dropped off a stack of files, smiled, and quickly muttered a few garbled words of welcome as he strode away. He never even looked up from his phone.

Speaking of phones, mine kept buzzing as I sleepily grabbed it. "Hello," I grunted.

"Damn girl, don't bite my head off," Matt's deep laugh carried through the line.

"Sorry, I just got home and I'm fucking wiped out," I groaned as I pulled the blanket back slightly.

"Well, if you're that tired, then I guess you wouldn't want to join Susan and me for a night out. Guess I'll have to find some other reckless human to corrupt," he teased. I could hear Susan in the background snickering.

I groaned again, "Am I going to need a dress?"

"Hell no, just throw on a pair of jeans and a comfy top. This place is fairly laid back, just good music and lots of alcohol," he chuckled. "They even serve that disgusting food you like."

"Ohh, do they have nachos?" I gushed, my interest now peaked.

I heard him gag slightly as he answered, "Yeah, they have those, but if you put those green peppers on it, I'll leave your ass."

"Whatever, you love me," I huffed. "Text me the address, I'll be there in about twenty minutes."

"See you then, party girl," he laughed and hung up. A few seconds later the phone beeped with the address to the bar. I jumped off the couch with a sudden burst of renewed energy as I headed to my room to change out of my professional attire.

Twenty minutes later I was making my way into what looked like the equivalent of a human dive bar. I only freaked out once when the bouncer made a hissing noise as he watched my ass a bit too closely. As my eyes adjusted to the low lighting, I realized several humans were mingling with the vampires. Breathing a sigh of relief, I scanned the area for Matt and Susan. Her bright pink hair caught my attention as she waved from a far table. Matt got up and made his way toward me, then took my elbow and led me back to my waiting friend. "I'm so glad you decided to come out," Susan squealed.

It had only taken a few days to realize both vampires held a cool and collected demeanor in the office, but once they clocked out, they were both crazy and fun-loving. I giggled at Susan's pink hair as she passed me a bright green drink. She had lost a bet with Matt and he picked the color for her - she hated pink, but damn it looked good on her.

"It's a bonsai smasher," she grinned. "Drink it slow, or you'll be on your pretty ass in a few minutes." I took a sip, my nose wrinkling at the sour taste.

"Do I even want to know what is in that?" I grimaced. She laughed and shook her head. "Ohhh, nachos!" I squealed as Matt set a place before me. "See, I knew you loved me."

He rolled his eyes, "If Susan plans on giving you that stuff, then you need food. I have no desire to babysit a puking human tonight." He shoved a chip laden with melted cheese into my mouth as he smirked. I gave him a playful harsh stare, but greedily dove into the cheesy goodness.

We laughed, ate, and drank. At some point, Matt talked me into doing karaoke with him. I'm sure we were off-key, but we laughed so much that I didn't care. As the night went on, the three of us ended up on the dancefloor swaying softly. I smiled as Susan nestled into Matt's chest and took a step back, giving him an encouraging look. I had almost made it to my seat when a strong pair of arms came around my waist. A woodsy scent filled my nostrils as the man behind me began to sway to the music. Throwing caution to the wind, I let my body move with him. He kept me pressed tightly to his chest as he nuzzled his face against my neck. When the song ended, he pressed a soft kiss against my skin and whispered, "Good girl," then vanished.

"Holy fuck...were you just dancing with Mr. Ito?" Susan sputtered.

Was I?

****

I dragged myself into work the next morning, cursing Susan and her green drinks. I sat down at my desk, my head cradled in my hands when my phone buzzed. The number was restricted, but the message said, "Take the pills and drink your water." I blinked a few times in confusion until my eyes landed on two aspirin and a full bottle of water. Lifting my head, I glanced around to see who had sent the text, but no one seemed to make eye contact, so with a sigh, I opened the bottle and swallowed the pills gratefully. I finished the water with a couple of drinks, then began to work when my phone buzzed again. I felt my fingers tremble when I read the words..."Good girl." My eyes quickly darted to the darkened glass panels of Mr. Ito's office. Feeling my cheeks flush, I lowered my head just as quickly and began to work.

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