His Beloved

Two

"Lucy, Lucy, why would you come here?" My grandfather spoke to me in such a hoarse voice.

"Pappy?" I called out, squinting off into the haze from where his voice came. "I have to be dreaming." I mentally noted.

"Out of all the places in the world, why would you come to this town?" His voice filled with worry as he seemed to glide towards me.

"I'm not sure, it wasn't very populated and seemed like a nice small town to just be alone in." I defended, now not so sure of my decision.

"You must be careful here, Lucy. There are many dangers you must watch out for," he warned.

"Like what?"

"I cannot say, unfortunately. Just trust your gut, do not let your guard down here." He requested, before vanishing from my sight.

I jolted out of my sleep, quickly scanning the living room. "What was that all about?" I sighed aloud, standing up and stretching for the morning. Whatever. It was indeed just a dream and I was just having some anxiety about a new place. I knew my grandfather was gone, so there was no way he could contact me. I brushed my matted hair from my face and got myself ready for the day.

I cranked on the squeaking faucet and let the bathroom steam up while I undressed. Taking a brush to my ridiculous mane, I grumbled at how knotty it gets just from a night's sleep. "I need a haircut." I jumped into the shower and poured a generous amount of body wash on my loofah before scrubbing every part of my body. Moving onto my hair, I gently massaged coconut and vanilla shampoo throughout my scalp. After making several hilarious hairstyles out of my soapy hair, I rinsed and shut off the water. Wrapping a towel around me, I went to one of the boxes marked 'clothes' and pulled out a pair of black skinny jeans and a navy blue v-neck t-shirt. Paired with my favorite chuck Taylor shoes, I braided my semi-wet hair in a fishtail braid to the side. Before heading out, I grabbed my black waist-length peacoat and thick crochet scarf.

"Good morning!" A cheerful voice spoke as I locked the door behind me.

"Oh, Hello. Good morning to you too." I returned the same smile to the man stepping out of his car parked next to mine.

"I was going to introduce myself to you yesterday but I decided to wait until you got settled in. Welcome to the neighborhood. I'm Brody, your next-door neighbor." He greeted me by extending his hand to me.

Reciprocating the courtesy, I took hold of his hand and shook it before pulling back away. "It's nice to meet you. Everyone I've met so far has been very welcoming. I'm sorry to rush off, but I was on my way to find a job."

"Of course! We all help one another around here. Please let me know if you need anything." He smiled before departing for his home.

I smiled at the number of friendly faces I'd come across before heading to the corner store to fetch a newspaper. Once acquired, I flipped through the help wanted ads, circling a few. Before driving off, I noticed a bar called Crimson's Company. I didn't notice any help wanted ad's for it, but couldn't hurt to check it out.

Jasper's p.o.v

I strolled down the shops in the town's center poking my head in and out of the businesses to make sure everything was on the up and up. My last stop was Crimson's Company. This was a vampire-owned bar. It was almost understood that if a mortal member of the community came here it was either to be turned or to warn of impending danger. I pushed through the double doors, making my way in, adjusting my eyes to the darkness. "Good morning Jasper, I wasn't expecting you today." The bar's owner, August, greeted me.

"Hello August, I figured I'd pop in before I headed into the office," I spoke with a stern gaze.

A hush fell over the bar as the door swung open, that familiar smell hit my nose as I spun around to catch a glimpse of her. She shivered, as she unraveled her scarf from her perfect neck. I swallowed hard, imagining my hand around her porcelain skin, just to have a taste of her. She shook the snow off of her coat as she pulled it off, showing her beautiful figure from underneath. I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little bit aroused, noticing how low cut her shirt was, my gaze quickly lusted over her full breasts. I turned back to August, whose eyes had turned black, watching her. I cleared my throat, pulling his attention to me, seeing my serious demeanor, he shook the lust from his eyes and his usual gold orbs returned.

"Oh hey Jasper," Her sweet voice was music to my ears.

"Lucille." I smiled, shoving my hands in my pockets to keep myself calm.

"Please, call me Lucy. Lucille is such a formal name." She laughed, walking over to me, taking a seat on a barstool next to where I was standing.

"What brings you in?" Knowing she wasn't aware of where she had just walked into. Thankful that I was here when she did.

"I was looking for a job, and I've just been scouting everywhere to check out my options." Her mesmerizing smile nearly had me drooling again.

"You're interested in working in a bar?" I raised a questionable brow.

"I am interested in finding work, I'm not picky." She mused.

"I do apologize, ma'am, but we don't have any openings available at this time," August spoke, straining to get his sentence out to her.

"Not a problem, thank you so much." She smiled, standing up. She moved her hair from one side to the next, adjusting her scarf back around her neck, and I could smell that enchanting scent. She emitted vanilla and I want to say honey fragrance. I could feel my inner demon itching to touch her. "Lucy." I breathed out before she got to the door. "I think I may be able to help you, I need a secretary at my office."

"Really?" Her eyes sparkled with anticipation. Captivating myself, I had to clear my throat and glance away to compose myself before continuing.

"Yes, I co-own a blood bank called Saving Grace," I admitted confidently. "I have needed an office secretary to keep up with patient paperwork, making appointments, and other..Uhm...officy stuff." I lied just trying to get her a job where I can keep a close eye on her.

"Although I'm not too keen on blood," She began before I quickly held up a hand to interject. "Oh you'll be nowhere near it, the offices are on an upper level away from the labs, storage, and the blood draws."

"That sounds great, when can I apply?" Her innocent smile seemed to chip away the ice from around my heart little by little.

"Why don't you accompany me to my office, and we can go over the details?" I suggested, extending my arm for her to take hold just to have the slightest touch from her. Without hesitation, she obliged.

Lucy's p.o.v

To my surprise, Jasper had offered me a job at his blood bank. This man, who looks no older than me, owns an entire business. We first arrived at a typical medical building that was painted bright white. The windows were very large and covered most of the building. We pushed through the double glass doors and the instant smell of alcohol burned through my nose, so much so that I had to cover my nose immediately. Jasper's shoes clicked as we strolled across the hardwood flooring. The waiting room area was pretty elegant, the chairs were black with white cushions. A beautifully black lacquered coffee table sat in the center with a huge selection of magazines neatly ordered down in rows. The upper half of the walls was painted white, while the bottom half was made of brick that had been painted a dark gray. There was a fireplace in the waiting room that seemed to tie it all together. I gave a soft smile to a woman behind the front desk who was on the phone. She seemed to be in her mid-60s with snow-white hair, bright red lips, and mesmerizing auburn eyes. "That's Sybil," Jasper whispered, guiding me to the elevator.

We had only gone down to the basement level so he could show me where the blood was stored. I like that it didn't smell like alcohol down here as strongly, but it gave me a morgue-like vibe. It was very cold and quiet down here. I could almost hear my heart beating while down here. It was a small room that had a few testing machines, beyond that was a giant walk-in refrigeration area where all the donated blood was categorized by type."This is some supply." I managed to squeak out feeling dizzy and nauseous looking at the pouches of blood that adorned this room.

"Come on, let me show you where you'll be working." He noticed my uneasiness and placed his hand on the small of my back, guiding me back to the elevator. We arrived at the top level, which was just the second floor. The elevator doors opened, showing a small hallway that led to another set of glass doors. Jasper opened the door for me and motioned towards an antique-styled computer desk made of solid wood. It had a dark cherry color and a tall black leather computer chair tucked into it. There was a desktop computer sitting in the corner of the desk, and a small tablet in the center. Filing cabinets lined the wall in front of the desk and a small coffee bar just outside of another door.

"This will be your desk." He smiled, pulling out the chair and giving it a couple of pats for me to try out. I humored him and plopped down, running my fingers along the edge of the desk before resting my head back on the chair. "So, what are you thinking?" He asked, leaning against the desk and crossing his arms with what appeared to be hopeful eyes. I would be lying if I said I wasn't a tiny bit enamored by his piercing blue eyes, and does he smell like..waffles? And syrup? Get a grip, Lucy. OK, and why does he look so good in his white oxford complimented with suspenders?

"So long as I don't have to go to the supply room, I'd be very interested in being your secretary." I smiled, doing a small spin in the chair, getting an instant chuckle from him.

"You're hired, let me show you my office." He pushed himself off of the desk and walked over to the door to the right of my desk.

His office was rather large, his desk sat in the back center near a set of windows, and two chairs sat in front of his desk. There was a sofa and love seat off to the left next to a fireplace. To the right of the room sat a rectangular table with 6 chairs around it.

"Fancy." I smiled, walking over to the window, looking out across the town. "So what do the hours here look like?"

"I will need you here Monday through Thursday 7 am until 3 pm. We're closed Friday through Sunday. However, the first of every month is a donation incentive day. No matter what day the 1st is on, I'll need you to be here, so long as you're available." He smiled, pointing to an advertisement on his desk. "Would you be able to start this Monday? Or do you need some more time to unpack and get settled in?"

"I'd love to start Monday."