Daniel dialed his ex wife's number for the fourth time after receiving disappointing results from his assistant. Glaring at the phone he eventually pocketed he looked at the city then turned to his host who sat patiently on the couch. Pam palm pressed into the back of the couch while he returned to the seat she offered him.
"I hope she's alright," she shared with faux concern.
He shook his head declining a drink from a temporary fixture Pam hired to give the impression of old money she knew attracted him here in the first place. Mr. Lesaron was human. There were some redeemable traits about his personality that reminded her of some of the most merciless and calculating vampires she'd ever come across including herself. She invited him when she discovered Maryann's identity and instead of hurting the source directly she thought of something more fun, taking everything she ever cared about. It was a cruel solution, but fit Pam's quaint world view that everything can be solved with a healthy dose of pain.
"Now, I've had talks with a Franklin Mott," he ignored her sympathy with his brows unfolding as he moved into more familiar territory. The business part of this ambitious venture didn't particularly interest Pam so she let him speak. She registered the information as much as she needed, but for the most part whatever alliances he wanted to create with vampires for the future had nothing to do with her.
She brought up Maryann once more and this time in reference to the reason she brought him here. With a snap of her finger a leather bound notebook was placed on the table in front of him beside a glass of scotch on the rocks. Pam noticed he hadn't touched it.
He looked through the notebook flipping through the pages skimming the drawings out of his depth, but he reviewed even still. If he was going to go to Maryann with the proposition of taking on another line in her boutique designed by a vampire he wanted to at least make sure they weren't hideous. Daniel had enough respect for her business so he wouldn't waste her time fortunately the sketches were, in his limited opinion, well done. Of course his ex would be the deciding factor since her business would be affected by it.
"The soonest I can get these to her is tomorrow." His attempts to get in contact with her before the meeting were obviously in vain. But he was due for a meeting with her on a professional and personal level. There were plans in motion for a fundraiser and his regular planning company sent his assistant an email having heard nothing from Maryann whom they usually coordinate with. This news was troubling and even worse she was becoming very hard to get a hold of over the past two weeks.
"You haven't touched your drink," she nodded to the watered down glass, "I made sure it was your drink."
"I don't drink," he added, "when I'm conducting business."
There was something in his voice that interested her implying there was more to the statement than he wanted to let on. She let it go with a simply nod of understanding standing to wordlessly share their meeting was over.
"Thank you for having this meeting with me. If you're wife wasn't so difficult to get a hold of I wouldn't have approached you."
He didn't correct her when she forgot to put the ex in front of wife.
"Not at all, Maryann's most likely drawn into yet another personal project of hers. She's going to put together a fundraiser next month," as a forethought he began, "you should attend I'll have her send you an invitation."
The blond on smiled in answer leading him out thanking him again for his time.
Outside the wind whipped the business man's jacket before he disappeared in his white town car with tinted windows. Franklin on the roof of the next building crouched at the edge as his miniature prey drove away merging into traffic. His real interest was the meeting he recently witnessed with Tara's maker. What could did she want with Lesaron? He didn't know, but he didn't trust it in the least.
When Pam emerged from the building with the valet pulling up with her rental Cadillac he thought he might take the direct approach and ask. Dropping from the ledge to the fire escape he began an aimless stroll to the beginning of the alley way before he sped across the street beating Pam to the keys snatching them from a frightened young man with a pony tail.
"Uh…" he stammered looking from the disinterested blond and the pale dark haired stranger who suddenly appeared.
Franklin opened her passenger side door waiting for her to enter. In the second it took for her to realize who confiscated her keys she knew she could utilize him. He was the closest thing Tara had to a friend and most likely he was there on her behalf, how pedestrian. It didn't fit his reputation at all, though she wasn't one to rely solely on the word of others more the capable of making a decision about him on her own. She sank into the passenger side seat of her car carefully watching him as he went around to the driver.
"This is a beauty," he whistled stroking the wheel when he started her welcoming the initial vibrations from the engine.
"It's a car," she answered dully, "I have a spa appointment."
He spared her a glance then sped off without warning chuckling at first until it became full blown laughter.
"You're all about what everyone says you are."
"I never would have thought you were one for vampire gossip."
"It's good to get the skinny on the underworld when one can and I'm especially interested when I'm not the topic of conversation. I don't know if you heard," he began then shook his head, "undoubtedly you have heard that I'm a sort of a black sheep in my family."
"You aren't going to go into no one understands you…and this isn't the life you saw for yourself…are you?"
"I save that sort of thing for Tara while we're braiding each other's hair and bonding over Doris Day oldies." The only thing was serious about was Doris Day, but that was neither here nor there. "Tara's got that caring thing down to a science. Me I'm clumsy with it about like you I'd say from the looks of it."
He was here on Tara's behalf she considered aptly aware that he sped through his fifth red light. A symphony of honking horns surrounded them. Pam finally shifted, "don't presume to know anything about Tara and I."
"With front row seat I don't presume from that view. You're a manipulative bitch that won't see Tara happy because you're happier when she's arse over tit for your golden vagina right?"
Franklin was beginning to annoy Pam. Ahead of them cars on them a line of cars were stopped while the traffic with the right of way began inching forward from the freshly green light. He swerved to the left avoiding the last car in the line waiting for the light to turn green. Riding on the sidewalk he turned right close enough to see the whites of the driver on the oncoming driver he barely missed from the reckless move.
Pam didn't flinch which dually impressed him and egged him on. This was the side of Pam that understandably got under Tara's skin. He sped past for more blocks before he chose a parking spot speeding inside it jerking him and his passenger from the abrupt move.
That earned him a glare he noticed triumphantly.
"I got no business telling you to stay away from Tara, so I won't, if she wants nothing to do with you she'll figure on a way to get rid of you. I'm more interested in your business with Daniel Lesaron."
Pam didn't show her cards right away and mentioned the fundraiser he was inviting her to. He didn't need to know her full plan. She knew his attachment to Tara would ruin it.
"He's a dangerous man."
"I'm a big girl."
The curly haired man expected as much from his warning. She didn't seem like the type that believed fire could hurt until she experienced it on her own. And if he didn't know so much about the business man from his research and Tara's undercover work he would have responded the same if someone had warned him of a human. Though there was more to Mr. Lesaron than what he let the world in on and that included the slew of vampires he did business with who considered him as low on the food chain as the rest of his species.
He'd gotten what he needed from her including an extra tidbit he offered out of his respect for Tara.
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While Pam was getting her warning the subject of that warning was driving up to Maryann's condo. He didn't wait for his driver to open the door for him and started up the stairs. The lights were on. She was home she was sure, but he was more concerned about what kept her so occupied. He rang the doorbell once and after an inordinate he finally heard the locks release and Maryann's happy face greeted him in the doorway.
"You totally lost," he heard someone yelling from the den.
He wasn't amused causing her smile to fall. Letting himself in Lesaron's footsteps were loud on the hard wood floor and echoed in the narrow hallway to the opening of the den where he saw Tara sitting on a plastic mat with multi colored circles and a small square with a plastic arrow at her feet. If he wasn't mistaken this game was called, Twister.
"Daniel," she greeted from the floor, "good to see you."
The feeling wasn't mutual and Tara read his expression easily. Maryann finally joined them with hesitant steps giving off an energy the dark skinned vampire read as fear. For what she wondered as she looked over the unexpected visitor.
"I've been trying to call you."
"I lost track of my phone," Maryann scanned the room with no clue as to where she left it.
"For two weeks I've been calling you," he wasn't happy to have to put in so much effort.
Maryann responded vaguely, "I've been swamped."
He need only guess to know what she meant sending a speculative look at a very attentive Tara. He hadn't seen Franklin since the night he met Franklin. After a few uncomfortable moments past and he got the impression Tara expected him to leave and Maryann wasn't going to ask the vampire to go he left abruptly.
The brunette visibly relaxed against the door once she locked it. Tara came around the corner in time to see it and eyes ready to hide her true feelings about the situation met Tara's.