Disclaimer: I do not own Moonlight.
Unlikely Fate
Prologue: The Deal
For several decades Mick St. John had been listening to stories. That was a private investigator's job, in essence. He listened to stories then found out how they ended. After a certain number of years he thought he had heard most everything. Leave it to his best friend to surprise him.
The file on his desk was standard manila but the contents were a little more out of the ordinary. There were pages of information that ranged from date of birth to favorite color. Then there were the pictures. A few family portraits, a few with just one person and several shots where the person being photographed was completely oblivious to the presence of the camera.
"Emmaline Bradford," Mick read out before looking up at Josef Konstantin. "And you're supposed to date her?"
"I believe it went more along the lines of 'woo, wed and bed,'" he corrected without removing his attention from the glass of blood in his hand. That had been the first thing he'd asked for when he came through the door. No matter that it was practically non-fat vegan blood; he'd needed something to steady his nerves. After four hundred years, Josef was even more unused to surprises than Mick. He had no taste for them.
"I think she's a little too human for you, Josef," his friend remarked, studying Miss Bradford's photos. She wasn't the older vampire's type. For one, she wasn't a stunning, perfectly curved model. Admittedly she was tall enough at 5'9" but her modestly endowed chest and the slight curve to her hips made her look more like a fairy girl than a desirable woman. She had black hair most people would consider unmanageably long and moss green eyes. Mick couldn't say she was unattractive. There was a dignified quality that canceled out her awkward proportions. Maybe it was in her high cheek bones, smooth skin and small mouth. Whatever it was, it wasn't for Josef.
"You won't hear me disagree with you," he told him, taking another long gulp of blood. "She's nearly thirty, in case you haven't read that part yet."
"I read it. What I'm trying to understand is why her father is so eager for you to marry her."
"They're estranged," Josef explained, the dramatic roll of his eyes indicating that he honestly didn't give a damn. "Since I've been looking to merge our two companies, he's checked into my background. He liked everything he heard with the exception of my personal life. Apparently he doesn't want – how did he put it? – a playboy fiddling with his life's work." Mick didn't hide his smirk. If Mr. Bradford knew the truth about Josef, having a personal harem would seem like a minor sin.
"So he offers up his daughter?"
"I haven't finished," he pointed out. "He knows as well as I do that this merger will be very profitable. Sadly, he's already rich and can afford to screw with me. What he wants out of this deal is his daughter. He thinks that if she has to socialize with him at business dinners and parties that she'll eventually come around and forgive him for whatever crime he committed against her."
"Probably doesn't hurt that you're known as one of the sharpest businessmen in the country and having his daughter married to you would provide certain benefits," Mick noted dryly. Josef gave him a knowing smile.
"I think that might have factored into the plan."
"And Emmaline? How does she come into it besides the obvious way?"
"She doesn't. She's most definitely a pawn in this particular game," Josef said, setting down his empty glass. It was the thoughtful look in his eyes that made Mick realize this wasn't just a crazy story.
"Are you actually thinking about doing this?" Josef shrugged.
"It would be a challenge. I haven't had one of those in a while and I try to schedule at least one in every twenty years or so." Mick looked back down at the file and Emmaline's intelligent eyes stared back at him.
"So you're going to what? Seduce a complete stranger?"
"Not a stranger. I already have her profile," Josef reminded him.
"And it's been how many years since you've dated?" Mick asked. "I mean real dating, not seducing a woman with power." The vampire looked at him in a way that made Mick wonder if he'd been speaking some other language for the last thirty seconds. To Josef, humans were easy to understand. They were most often motivated by money and emotion, women especially. The weaker ones were especially prone to gravitating toward power with the hope that it would protect them. Since Mr. Bradford hadn't struck him as a very strong character, he doubted his daughter would be much different.
"Nice to get your opinion on the subject but I'd better go. She closes up shop in about twenty minutes and I'd like a look at her three dimensional self." Josef stood up and strolled toward the door, leaving the file behind because he doubted he'd need it. "By the way, Mick, I think you're overestimating Miss Bradford." A few minutes after his friend had left, he closed her file and let the smile that had been nagging at him finally creep out. He had a feeling that it was Josef was in for yet another surprise.
