THE VAMPIRE CEO MATE

CHAPTER EIGHT

It was all going well. Too well... it had to have been a fluke.... it was all a dream, his mind screamed.... No way in heaven did he deserve Claire's hand. it felt like God himself had to come down to reassure him that it was all real. Ryan felt he was unworthy of Claire and her love......

Or maybe he was just being dramatic.

Whichever it was, the anxiety that he felt at the pit of his stomach left him uneasy.

Ryan wanted nothing more than to fall into Claire for everything she is. He wanted to know her inside and out, and he wanted her to know him the same way. But something bothered him, It felt like a massive thorn in his side. He was ashamed of his past.

A woman like Claire, delicate, fair and good..... He felt that a very good woman like Claire would be corrupted by him. He carried too much baggage and his past was something he wasn't proud of. He had made too many enemies in his life time. Ryan had a history of being ruthless and corrupt.

Emma, his first love and another vampire was betrothed when he lost his innocence to her. They had known each other since childhood and were both eighteen when they had s*x.

Sabrina, a woman he met not too long after he moved to London. She was an ancient Egyptian Oracle worshipped as gods by the Pharos and his subjects. She had been in a relationship with a werewolf named Conan, who in the beginning was Ryan's sworn enemy. She ignored and resisted him for decades. She was nothing more than his best friend at that time but then she somehow ended up falling into him.

And then there was her.... Olivia. She was an American fire cracker. During his relationship with Olivia was when he and Sabrina slept together, it happened more than once but for some reason Olivia, forgave him every single time. After, two years together they were engaged to be married. However, as fate would have it, their marriage never happened. It was never his destiny to marry another woman other that the woman he was foretold to be with.

Ryan gripped the short, old fashioned glass tumbler. He had poured some whiskey into the glass and took a sip out of the glass. He wondered what Claire would think about his drinking habits. Fortunately, he was a vampire and he couldn't get drunk.

Claire......

His thoughts always led him back to her. He was happy to have met her, happy to have won her affection. He imagined their future together and the time they would spend together. Then the doubt came back, why would she want him? He was a murderer, a thief, a cheater, a womanizer and so much more. A sinner in every sense. There could be two outcomes from this: she would learn of his past and refuse to accept him or she would accept him hopefully.

He glanced in the direction of the door of the study when it clicked open, allowing Tyler entrance, "Hey" he called.

Ryan nodded in acknowledgement.

"Aren't you going on your date?".

This caused Ryan to glanced down at his watch to check the time.

7:30pm

"f**k!" he jumped out of his seat, setting down his glass of whiskey on the table and sprinting out of the study into his bedroom. He only had thirty minutes to get ready and drive to Claire's apartment to pick her up. And yet he still didn't know what to wear. But fortunately for him, he was a vampire and was ready within a minute. He stood in front of the mirror and gave a wave of his hand. Suddenly, he was changed out of the suit into something casual.

Tyler followed and stood behind him. His glass of whiskey in his hand and he tilted his head to the side. The last time he saw his brother happy and excited about a date was back in the 80's when he was with Olivia. He also noticed that Ryan was a bit more quieter than usual. Although, Ryan had told him about Claire's reply to his apology and request. He was surprised when he heard that she actually agreed to give Ryan another chance to prove himself.

And, now here stood his brother who was nervous and excited, wearing an all black outfit for his date. Tyler shook his head at his brother choice of outfit, "Ryan, you look like you're going to a funeral". He still wondered why his brother was so obsessed with dark clothes.

"What?", He looked at the outfit and understood what his brother meant. "What if I rolled up the sleeves?".

"Ryan, don't", he stepped closer and thought for a moment. After about a minutes silence, he waved his hands and Ryan's clothes were changed into a slate gray button down covered by a maroon sweater, paired with a brown trousers and a brown boots. "There", he said smiling at his handy work.

Ryan observing his new changeover in the mirror hated to admit but Tyler had a great taste when it came to fashion. He posed in front of the mirror, putting his hands into his pockets and flipping his hair back like a hot model. "Damn, Tyler I guess you're not completely useless".

"Ah, you don't say, roll up your sleeves", as Tyler stepped back to get a proper look at his brother. Satisfied with what he was seeing, he wanted to ask his brother what was his plans for the date.

While Ryan rolled up his sleeves. Tyler asked , "So, what are your plans for tonight?".

Ryan was arranging his hair, testing which style best went with his outfit and he felt it was best to let his hair drop freely over his shoulders.

"Well, I was thinking of taking her dancing".

Tyler raised in eyebrows in surprise. "You mean at a ballroom?".

Ryan nodded in confirmation.

"Are you certain that's a good idea? You mean to expose everything to her all at once?".

"Why not", Ryan replied with a shrug.

"What if she becomes overwhelmed? what if she is frightened? Or worse what if she is attacked?".

Ryan made his way back to the study and walked over to the desk to retrieve his cellphone, his keys and wallet.

"She will be fine. I won't let anything happen to her. Besides, those people know better than to f**k around with something that's mine". He walked over to the door. "I'm off, don't wait up".

Tyler nodded while taking a sip out of his drink. Let me know if you need me, he sent to Ryan mentally.

_______________________________________

I'm on my way

Claire read the text message on her phone before flying off her bed. She had fallen asleep after she had gotten back from work. It was now 7:52 pm and she was just getting out of the shower. Smartly, she had picked out her outfit in advance. Though she was unsure of what their date would consist of, she picked out a little black dress that was just appropriate for any occasion. The only thing left was for her to decide on which shoes she would put on.

She packed her hair into a ponytail then decided to do a speedy but decent makeup. She decided to go with a red lipstick then carefully putting on her dress. When she looked at the mirror she was satisfied with the way the dress showed her curves. She really wanted to impress Ryan with her outfit though she didn't want to get ahead of herself in the whole situation with Ryan but she was open to giving him a chance.

Her phone vibrated, reminding her that she was waiting for Ryan to come pick her up.

I think I'm here.

Claire picked up her purse in a haste and jogged to her closet to get her shoes. She decided to go with a simple black heels and ran out the door. After she had locked it, she turned around to spy Ryan leaning on the passenger side of a black Mercedes Benz.

They both stood frozen in their places, staring at each other. He looked kind of different out of a business suit. His outfit was a bit casual and relaxed. She was taking in every bit of him from his outfit, to his features and his hair. She moved down towards Ryan, who was still standing like a statue. Only his eyes moved, tracking her movements.

"Hey, Ryan", She muttered.

Ryan looked at Claire ready to devour her right away.

"Good evening", he replied in a classic gentleman voice. "How are you doing this evening?".

"Good, I suppose".

After that, there was a brief silence. Claire noticed Ryan's eyes looking at her from up to down. Inwardly, she was happy that her efforts didn't go to waste.

"You look stunning, Claire", Ryan said as he pushed himself off his car and stood directly in front of her.

"Thank you, you also look amazing".

A smile appeared on his face, his ego obviously swelling. Ryan knew that he was a very handsome man but it was pleasing to hear Claire admire that fact.

Ryan was staring at Claire, admiring the fact that she was truly beautiful and he couldn't wait to have her on his bed hearing her moans and screams all begging him to continue pleasing her more. But he had to remember had to restrain himself.

"Ryan, you're staring".

He blinked out of his thoughts, "Oh, I'm so sorry". he apologized.

She smiled as him.

"Shall we be off then?". He turned around and opened the car door for Claire to get in. She thanked him and got into the car. Inside, the car Claire noticed how fancy the interior of the car looked and she was impressed by his taste.

While she settled down into her seat, Ryan got into the driver seat of the car and he drove away. They were both silent for a while, Claire loved how Ryan hair looked she was tempted to touch it.

Claire pinched herself to get a hold of her thoughts. This was only the first date and she was already thinking of grabbing his hair. She needed to control herself.

But he was so sexy!!!.

Trying to distract herself from her thoughts, she asked him, "So, where are we going?".

"Ballroom dancing". He replied.

"Ohh, nice. I've always been interested in dancing. Is it like a studio or something?". She asked

"No, it's a legitimate ballroom". he shook his head while he replied back.

"It's a special place. pretty exclusive".

"Oh, what makes this place so special?".

Ryan paused in thought, "I'm not quite sure on how to explain it.....".

"hmm, it's more or less of a place where people who are supernatural gather and socialize. We like to dance, have some drinks and catch up with old friends".

"So, they are other vampires there?" She inquired nervously.

"Indeed".

Claire gulped. She had just met two vampires few weeks ago and now she was on her way to see more. She wasn't sure if she was up for that.

"Not just vampires. There will be others too like Werewolves, witches and the sort".

Oh great....

As if sensing her nervousness, he reached for her hand and planted a gentle kiss on her fingers. "You'll be fine. I promise". She blushed by his action but suddenly felt relaxed. "I want you to enjoy the night as much as possible".

Claire nodded, "You sure your friends will want a human around?".

Ryan shrugged, "They won't mind".

"Okay". She turned to look out of the window. She noted how cool the evening was. She chuckled to herself when she remembered how she thought Ryan was an "Undead creature of the night".

"What's so funny?".

She giggled, "I thought you were a half dead creature because of how cold your hands were".

"Oh". He also giggled at the thought.

Not long after, Ryan pulled up into the parking lot of an abandoned looking building. Despite it's state, there were other cars around the building.

"Umm, Ryan are you sure this is the place? Maybe your GPS steered you wrong?".

Ryan shook his head, "No, this is definitely the place". He turned off the car and got out of it. He walked over to Claire side and opened the door for her and gave her his hand to help her out of the car. Claire stepped out of the car staring at the building in a gaze.

They both made their way closer to the building, finally enabling Claire to catch the sight of a metal door. She also noticed the building had no windows.She had the urge to run. But, Ryan held her hand and pulled her closer to him. Once she was in his embrace. Ryan spoke up, "Claire, trust me. it's going to be fine". She looked up at him and his eyes felt reassuring.

When they arrived at the door, Ryan knocked in a particular rhythm. Immediately after, a panel in the door slid open to reveal glowing green eyes.

"Name". a hulk voice demanded.

"Dragonoff, party of two". Ryan said as he took Claire hand into his hand.

The door quickly swung open and a tall muscular man stepped out of the darkness. He was enormous! Claire had never seen anyone like him before.

"Come on in, Mr Dragonoff. You and your date enjoy your evening". Ryan nodded in thanks at the man before he guided Claire inside.