12- Open Your Eyes: Pittsburgh Vampires Vol. 12 Read online

  Open

  Your

  Eyes

  Pittsburgh Vampires

  Vol. 12

  By: B.A. Stretke

  Copyright © 2019 by B.A. Stretke

  Published by Superiorland Publishing

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

  This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to any person (living or dead), place, or event is purely coincidence.

  Contents

  Copyright

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  About the Author

  More Books from B.A. Stretke:

  CHAPTER ONE

  Victor spent the afternoon with his brother Simon, shopping and going over the designs for Simon and his beloved Killian’s new quarters. They and Victor were some of the few who had not, as yet, moved to the new Coven location.

  Master Hadden had purchased a massive forty story office building that was his castle of glass and steel. It was in the center of the Financial District and was the new home for his growing Coven. It had once been an office building, but he’d converted it to suit his needs and the needs of his people.

  Master Hadden believed that having his Coven and business in the same building was putting his people at risk, as evidenced by several near successful attacks at the Imperial Club in the past few years. He needed to fortify his people, and he did just that in his fortress of glass and steel

  Most of the members had already completed their move, excited by the size and majesty of the new place. But a few still needed to finish with remodel specifications to their private quarters or were waiting on furnishings, etc. Victor was dragging his feet for another reason. He was finding it difficult to let go of his apartment at the Imperial Club.

  This place was his first home all on his own, and he’d lived there several years. It felt like this place belonged to him, and although the new place was amazing, it was hard for him to let go. He would, but for now, he saw no rush, so he took his time.

  Simon and Killian also seemed to be dragging their feet as well. They bonded a little less than a year ago, and their apartment here at the Imperial was their first home together. Killian wasn’t the sentimental type, but Simon certainly was, and Killian was devoted to Simon, so they were making sure everything was perfect in their new place before the move. Victor was just as glad because it gave him company as he worked out his own move, physically and emotionally speaking.

  He was taking a few minutes, relaxing on his sofa before he had to get ready for work when there came a knock on his door. It wasn’t Simon because he would knock as he was opening the door and entering. This knock was followed by another much firmer strike. He ran his fingers through his hair and straightened his sweatshirt before answering.

  Standing there looking like he’d rather be dining on a plate of shit than talking to Victor was Kash Garret. “Simon would like for you to look through this book of textiles and give him your opinion on curtain fabrics.” He thrust the book of swatches at him and immediately stepped back and turned away.

  “Thank you,” Victor said as he took possession of the item. It was then that Kash turned and nailed him with a look that could kill.

  “I did it because it was an order, not because I wanted to.” He spat out the harsh words and left. Victor closed the door and went to his small kitchen and set the book on the table. He didn’t have time to look at it now but would give it a perusal when he got off work tonight.

  He then went to his bedroom to get ready. He had an hour before he had to report to the main floor. He was a waiter and would be working on the main floor tonight. He preferred the balcony or the VIP room for the tips, but the main room was also lucrative. The worst was handling the private rooms. It was all work and little payback. It was while manning one of the private rooms that he first met Kash so many months ago.

  It had been fun at first, teasing the guards and taking them home for a night, but Victor never got emotionally involved with any of them. Their time together was for entertainment purposes only, not a commitment. Unfortunately, a couple of them didn’t see it that way, and trouble followed. He was labeled a heartbreaker, a user, and probably many other unpleasant things that he preferred not to dwell upon.

  Victor took responsibility for himself, finally, and swore off all men for a while. Having witnessed Simon and Killian’s love story, his one-night stands began to feel soulless, and he wanted more. It had been over ten months since he last took anyone to his bed.

  Kash, it seemed, had been the only guard who suffered for their time together, and he would never let Victor forget it. They hadn’t actually slept together because Killian, Kash’s boss, found him and ordered him back to his post before anything got started. But Kash was punished for leaving his post and was subsequently passed up for promotion. His promotion to the unit that protected Master Hadden was given to another. He had waited decades for that opportunity, or so he claimed, and now he blamed Victor for his loss.

  Victor had heard his rants and ramblings for the past few months. He liked to refer to Victor as the coven whore, and that might have bothered him if he had even half an ounce of respect for the man.

  Name-calling only hurt when it came from someone you cared about. As Kash’s grumbling continued, Victor found that he cared very little for Kash and the result of his poor choices. For a big and powerful guard, the man was really just a whiny little bitch.

  Victor took responsibility for things that he did. He wasn’t perfect, and he’d caused people pain. But he didn’t force Kash to leave his post, that was his decision alone. He could piss and moan all he wanted, but Victor refused to take the blame for Kash’s actions or his subsequent losses.

  Besides, if Kash was willing to leave his post for a piece of ass, then he obviously wasn’t ready to join the Master’s guards. He told Kash that once a few weeks ago and it didn’t go over so well. He looked ready to tear Victor apart until Killian walked into the area, and suddenly, Kash left. Having Killian Frey, the avowed master of death, as his brother-in-law had come in handy on more than one occasion as he attempted to turn his life around from party boy to serious contender for a real relationship.

  He and Killian had hated each other in the beginning but then found that they had one thing in common that would bind them forever. They both loved Simon and would do anything to keep him happy even, get along. Simon wouldn’t abide his brother and his husband fighting, so they didn’t. After a few months of pretense, they actually managed to plant a few seeds of mutual respect that took hold. .

  …

  Victor was dressed and ready to head out but stopped in his kitchen for a quick glass of synthetic blood. He found that if he was sated, his impulse to get physical was reduced drastically. His body wasn’t always on the same page as his heart and mind, so he started each shift with a big glass of blood.

  He didn’t want any more hookups and he didn’t want to lead anyone on. Victor wasn’t kidding himself into thinking that he would find his beloved like Simon had, but he was hoping for a relationship with heart. Until he found that, he wasn’t going to settle for less. It had been over ten months, and his promise to himself still hel
d true, no fucking on the first date and no first date unless he truly felt something for the man. So far, there had been no one, but his hopes remained high.

  …

  “I’m all alone for the weekend. Stanley is out of town at a book convention in Harrisburg until Sunday.” Iker said as he and Grant sat together, finishing their shift. As detectives for the Pittsburgh police, their schedules rarely aligned, so the fact that they were both off on a Friday night was unusual and fortunate, according to Iker.

  “We’re both off this evening. How about you and I spend a few hours at the Imperial Club. I have an all-access pass thanks to my lovely husband being a dear friend of Walker Hall, the Master’s beloved.” He grinned when he finished his pitch. “We could even check out the VIP room.” He whispered with a glint in his eyes. “Always wanted to see what happened up there.”

  Grant eyed his friend closely and could see that the only reason he wanted to go to the Imperial Club was that he thought Grant needed to get out. Iker never went out without his beloved Stanley, and to suddenly want to see the VIP room seemed more than a little suspect. “Is this because I haven’t been out since my breakup with Julian a month ago? You think I need to socialize, or do you also have a blind date lined up for me once we arrive?”

  “Would I be so manipulative as to set you up?” Iker said with that same grin playing around his mouth.

  “Yes, yes, you would,” Grant stated without hesitation.

  “Well, you’re half right,” Iker admitted easily. “I think you need to get out, but I haven’t set you up with anyone. Would you like me to set you up? Stanley knows a lot of hot young vampires itching to get their teeth into someone like you.” Iker kept his voice down so as not to attract attention and Grant did likewise.

  “No, I don’t need for you to set me up, but I will go with you to the Imperial Club. How often does a guy like me get the opportunity to rub shoulders with the elites?” Grant laughed. “And maybe I’ll find someone interesting.” He added the last to give Iker the impression he wasn’t still raw over his breakup.

  Grant was still finding it difficult to really put himself out there again, but he wouldn’t mind a one-night stand, some purely physical gratification with no strings. Celibacy was not his thing, and he was not averse to some meaningless sex. Nothing helped you recover from crippling humiliation like some good, sweaty, meaningless sex. He was more than ready to check out the Imperial Club with his friend.

  Julian hadn’t been his mate, so it wasn’t a forever thing, but he mistakenly thought they had an understanding and that they were exclusive. Julian worked as a bartender at the Florentine Hotel, and they’d met through a mutual friend. It was this friend who gave Grant the heads up as to Julian's behavior and told him to check out the taproom in the hotel basement. As it turned out, Grant discovered that he was the only one being exclusive in the relationship.

  Grant walked in on Julian being pounded by the hotel manager. He was bent over a few boxes taking it from behind like it was the best thing that ever happened to him. Julian had tried to explain it as the way of the world. “You have to give a little to get a little,” Julian said. He’d even had the audacity to smile as he pulled up his pants and tucked in his flaccid cock.

  The manager seemed as shocked as Grant, so apparently, he too thought they were exclusive. The moment was burned into Grant's brain, and he vowed never to get involved with a player again. Yeah, maybe he’d find someone interesting at the Imperial. He needed to let off some steam and purge that image from his brain.

  Iker slapped him on the back. “Good decision. Meet me at my place at eight. I’ll drive.” Grant nodded. It wasn’t a hardship considering they lived next door to one another in matching bungalows.

  …

  It was near eight o’clock, and the business at the Imperial had been brisk but not heavy. Victor had done well in the tip department so far but looked forward to the big-money clientele that came in later in the evening.

  Victor had been saving and investing his money over the last few years and was doing quite well. He’d discovered that there was expertise to be tapped within the Coven such as Ameer, the accounts supervisor, Andrew the Master’s PA, and most recently, Nathan the new IT director. They’d helped Victor grow his portfolio and learn the system.

  He would be forever grateful because the skill they imparted allowed him a sense of independence and the knowledge that he would forever be able to take care of himself no matter what happened in his life. Money would never be the deciding factor for any choices he had to make. Someday he hoped to retire from waiting tables and put all his time and energy into growing his finances. He loved the world of finance and investment.

  Glancing at the clock, he noticed it was nearing his break, so he started moving in the direction of the bar. Victor left his tray at the bar and headed to the lounge off the kitchen for his fifteen-minute break. Normally he took his break outside, but the weather made that impossible tonight.

  “The weather seems to be keeping people away,” Arron commented as he came in and sat across from Victor. Arron and his brother Neil were new to the Hadden Coven, having joined two months ago after leaving their home coven in Montana. Victor couldn’t recall their last name or why they left, but Arron seemed like a good sort. He was pleasant and accommodating the last time Victor had asked to switch shifts with him and always had a smile on his face.

  Victor didn’t have many close friends; apart from his brother Simon everyone else he considered acquaintances. Although he had to admit that if he looked really closely, he was beginning to see Killian as a friend. He wasn’t making any grand statement yet, but they were beginning to treat one another like family, which had made Simon extremely happy.

  “It’s Friday night, so I’m sure business will pick up after nine; it always does regardless of the weather,” Victor responded in kind. Arron nodded, and they sat together in companionable silence until their break was over. Victor appreciated someone who didn’t have a problem with silence.

  As predicted, the place really began to hop later in the evening with the main floor tables filled and the dance floor fully occupied. Unfortunately, tips were average due to Victor’s sudden disinterest in flirting. It hit him as unusual, but he wrote it off to fatigue. It’s hard to put on a sexy face every night he told himself in jest and went about filling the drink orders for a table of businessmen in the corner.

  Typically, he would have had those men drooling for his return due to his sexual teasing, but, as it were, all he was interested in was getting them their drinks and moving on to the next table. Their admiration and suggestive innuendoes fell on deaf ears. Victor delivered their drinks, sidestepped a groping paw, and continued with his job.

  There was something in the air tonight that seemed to drain him of his usual flirtatious nature, and he found the usually exciting interactions to be rather tiresome. No one’s jokes were that funny or suggestions that appealing. He was beginning to think that maybe he was sick.

  “Wow, Victor.” Arron came up to stand beside him. “That handsome brute over there has been coming on to you all evening, and you won’t even give him the time of day. What gives?”

  Victor was surprised that his behavior was so noticeable. Was his suggestive behavior so ingrained that everyone expected it? It was pause for thought for sure. “I’m not feeling it tonight.” He said for he really had no answer for his sudden aversion to flirting. He was thinking too hard on the whole thing anyway. Who really cares? Besides, he did well enough with non-flirtatious tips, so perhaps this would be a new normal for him.

  Arron smiled. “Good, that means I get to be the resident tease for a while.” He laughed when Victor slapped his arm and told him to get fucked. Arron continued to laugh as he turned back towards the floor.

  “Be careful,” Victor warned. “Remember, they’re only in it for a good time, not a long time.” Arron gave him a cheeky salute and got back to work. Victor took a moment to scan the room, taking
in every man present, and not a one aroused him.

  Some were extremely attractive, but that didn’t motivate him to flirt. Normally Victor could flirt on cue depending upon the promise of a tip, regardless of the looks of a man. But not tonight, he couldn’t even fake it tonight.

  …

  Grant eyed the entrance and then gave Iker an annoyed glance. “The line is too long. We’ll never get inside before midnight.” He complained. “Let’s go somewhere else.”

  “It won’t take long. Quit your whining.” Iker shot back as the line suddenly began to move. “This place is worth the wait, man. It’s the perfect balance of style and substance. The place has it all, and you and I are going to experience it. Now come on.”

  Grant followed behind, knowing he was being a brat but not really sure he was into spending the evening in a posh place like the Imperial. He would have preferred the Ruby Light where people were more down to earth, and his likelihood of finding a friend for the night was more likely. As they moved towards the front of the Club, Grant began to take it all in. The men at the door looked welcoming with just a touch of intimidation, which seemed standard for most vampires. The one who checked him in gave him a half-smile when he detected Grant’s wolf. “Have a good evening.” He said with sincerity.

  “Thank you,” Grant responded, and together with Iker at his side, they moved towards the main room of the Club. The weather had been wet and rainy, so they removed their damp coats before going any further and left them with the attendant. She greeted them with a large warm smile. Grant wasn’t sure how much of this pleasant interaction he would be able to handle in his present mood.

  Grant was intrigued by the fact that he wasn’t the only wolf in attendance. He clearly scented an Alpha wolf in the vicinity along with at least one Omega. He wondered if they were a couple. He scanned the area but couldn’t identify either of them apart from their scent in the room. Grant hadn’t come across another wolf in several months and would like the opportunity to meet them.