Jester was lying beneath his feet. That's what you get for demanding a rematch. He had beaten him fair and square. Blood was seeping out of Jester's nose and the gym was quiet. The only thing he could hear was the sound of the overhead fan. He spat the contents of his blood-filled mouth on the floor near Jester's head and he gave him a sly grin.
'I will kill you next time' he stated. His opponent rolled onto his front groaning.
'Shut it, Blood Bank.' The vampire stood up, wiped his face with his arm and walked away towards the fridge that held blood.
The doors at the far end of the hall opened and in walked the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. He was entranced. She was all woman. Her long blonde hair reached the middle of her back. She lifted a long slender arm and ran her red painted fingernails through the silkiness. Her jeans clung tight in all the right places and when she walked her hips swayed to an imaginative beat. She lifted her eyes to him and smiled a smile so bright he felt blinded.
'I am sorry I missed the fight Shane. I had a prior engagement. You won your fight I assume?' He nodded in reply.
'Good!' she smiled again, 'then I am sure you will be willing to celebrate with me later?'
'Later?' He was confused. She laughed slightly.
'Yes. I want to tell you about my new business venture. I am opening a bar. A diner in the day but a bar at night, with an exclusive area for my favourite people.' She looked him up and down and gave him a flirtatious smile. 'I wondered if you would like a guided tour. From myself, of course.'
What could he say? Something inside of him told him it was wrong but his mind was screaming at him to accept her offer. No. She was a vampire. He couldn't trust her. But something inside didn't care.
'Please say yes Shane. I need all the friends I can get right now.' She reached out and touched his arm. He felt electricity course through his veins and all he could think about was her. Glory. He nodded in response.
'Thank you, Shane. I will be back here in a few hours. I shall come and find you. I have a meeting with my security camera installation man. In the mean time I suggest you work on your left hook. Vassily told me it was looking weak earlier. I will see you later.' She leant forward and pressed a soft kiss on his cheek. The feeling of electricity returned and he felt like he was drowning in it. He had never experienced anything like this. She pulled back and winked at him before walking away. He watched her for a few more seconds before turning to see Rad staring at him. The older man walked towards him.
'What the hell are you doing, man? That's a vamp right there. Not to mention you already have a girlfriend.' He was glaring at him but he didn't care.
'That's none of your business, man. Stay the fuck out of it, alright?'
He walked towards the first aid supplies. He needed to strap his wrist. He must have pulled a muscle or something. He grabbed a fresh sports bottle and took a long sip taking in nearly half the contents, but he felt instantly refreshed and his wrist wasn't troubling him so much anymore.
What Rad had said was playing with his mind. What about Claire? Why didn't he feel concerned about her anymore? Why did he not care that she was hurting because of him? But he couldn't answer any of his own questions, so he pushed the thought to the back of his mind, walked over to a punching bag and began hitting it until all thoughts of his girlfriend left his mind.
Glory returned around 7:00 pm. By this time he had had three more protein drinks and was pushing himself to the limit while lifting weights. Rad hadn't approached him again but he had received a few confused glances from the man. Sandro had come over calling him a 'lucky son of a bitch' for getting lucky with someone like that but he had just shrugged the comment off and carried on punching the bag in front of him.
When Glory walked through the door he felt every nerve in his body become alert. She was slowly becoming more and more dominant in his life, occupying his every thought. If he wasn't thinking about the fight he was thinking about her. It wasn't love. It was admiration.
She was talking and laughing with some of the newly recruited men. He felt a wave of jealously run through him. Why was she talking to them and not him? She looked over at him and winked. That relaxed him a little. He stood up from his position under the weights and wiped his forehead with the hem of his shirt. He was dripping with sweat and could feel himself overheating. He peeled the shirt over his head, revealing his taught, muscular stomach.
Glory finished her conversation with the men and walked over to him. The men stared after her, admiring everything.
'Shane,' she purred, 'I am so glad you are still here. I just need to talk to Vassily and then we can go. Why don't you go and shower? I will not be long.'
She ran a painted fingernail down the contours of his chest before strutting towards the office door and he walked towards the shower block, on edge the whole way.
The bar Glory had bought was directly opposite Common Grounds. From the front windows he could see Oliver pulling espresso shots behind the counter. If anyone saw him hereā¦
'So the back room through there is going to be a VIP area with a separate bar. There is going to be a stage and a cage so fights can take place. Invitation only of course. There will also be poker and blackjack tables. I was thinking of putting a few slot machines in the main bar area. Like Vegas in Morganville. There will obviously be some entertainment' she emphasised the word and winked at him, 'for you men.'
The bar stretched along the right hand side of the room. It already had vodka and scotch bottles lined ready to be mounted.
'Do you want a drink?'
'Scotch' he replied, developing a sudden thirst. She walked behind the bar and grabbed two tumblers and an unopened bottle. She filled both glasses halfway and passed one to him.
'To new beginnings.' She said, a smile playing on her lips. He grunted in reply before drinking the contents and placing it down on the bar. When he looked up Glory was smiling at him. He raised his eyebrows in question.
'I need to tell you something Shane. I am not the only person behind this bar. There is another vampire who is very much interested in meeting with you. You are a good fighter Shane and you bring in a good profit. Would you be willing to meet with him?'
He looked up at her unsure of what she meant. But her eyes dazzled him. They seemed to call out to him.
'Who is it?'
'Just an old friend. Nothing to worry about. We will compensate you, of course.' He didn't reply, just picked up his drink and finished it. 'You don't have to give me your answer now. I will give you some time to think about it. He said he will wait.'
She refilled his glass and they both at in silence for a few minutes. Glory walked around to the same side of the bar as him.
'Shane' she growled seductively, 'why are you being so quiet? Don't you want to talk to me?'
He didn't have a chance to reply before her lips were on his. He was swept into the most passionate kiss of his life. It wasn't supposed to be like this was it? All these emotions at once? He had never felt this with Claire. She was just a girl. Glory was a woman. He carried on kissing her, every sense aware of her. Her smell was dark and carried a hint of fruitiness. She tasted like the darkest chocolate. His hands found her waist and she felt softer than he would have ever expected. The sound of the soft moans escaping her lips aroused him more than ever before. He felt all his anger turn into lust. He knew he was cheating on Claire but he didn't care. What he was experiencing now was so much better. Glory pulled away from him, her breath faster than usual.
'Say you will fight for my friend and me. Professionally. You will be compensated of course.' He didn't think he could muster the energy to say anything. Instead he just nodded. She smiled a beautiful smile, sighed and dipped her head back towards his.
