Here is the next chapter, a massive thanks to everyone who reviewed. Thank you to those welcoming us to the fandom too - but we must stress the two of us have been here a while (as authors of stories a lot of you might know and we'd love for you to take a guess at who we are), but thank you for your kind words. Enjoy the next chapter.
Ste walked into Hollyoaks village with what felt like the weight of the world on his shoulders. He was practically dragging his feet by the time he reached the door of the DOA nightclub and a part of him really wanted to turn around and run away. He took a deep breath, raising his hand to knock on the large metal door. But before Ste even had a chance to touch them, they swung open. A beautiful woman with long brown hair was standing blocking the entrance; with a dress so short it hardly covered the top of her legs.
"You're late." said her painted crimson lips; she pulled him into the club by his tie.
Ste opened and closed his mouth like a fish out of water. The woman still was pulling him along like a dog on a lead up towards a set of metal steps. She didn't let go of his tie until they reached the top where she circled him so that his back was facing towards a pair of velvet red closed curtains, and she was looking at him with intense, dark.
"I've been waiting for this all day." purred the woman.
Ste took a step back and she immediately took one forward.
"I think there has been some kind of mistake." stuttered Ste; he could hear his own heart beat hammering in his ears.
"No mistake love," she said seductively, taking another step forward and forcing Ste to take one back.
Ste felt the back of the velvet curtains touch his back. "I'm here for-"
"Me, yes I know love," she reached out a perfectly manicured hand and placed it on his chest. "Don't worry; you're going to have the time of your life. But I don't promise to be gentle." she gave him a hard shove.
Ste flew through the curtains ready for impact against a hard floor, but instead found himself on what only could be described as a leather square. Before he had time to push himself into a sitting position; the woman was on top of him, straddling his hips. With speed that Ste had never witnessed before, she pulled off his jacket and tie, threw open his shirt and then yanked his trousers down before he's even managed to say a word.
Her lips found his neck and she licked the length of it. "This will only hurt for a second," she whispered hands slipping down to his boxers. She stopped suddenly as her hand brushed where his bulge was supposed to be...only there wasn't one. She pulled back, her beautiful face scrunched in confusion. "Well that's never happened before."
"Mitzeee!" shouted an angry woman's voice.
The woman, presumably called Mitzeee, sprang off Ste with surprising grace and sat next to him straightening her short dress. A blonde woman with dramatic curly hair and a leopard skin dress suit yanked the curtains back and took it in turns to glare at the both of them.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" she asked angrily.
Mitzeee glanced down at her nails with a bored expression on her face, like she hadn't nearly been caught with her hand down a stranger's pants. "Having lunch, what does it look like? Brendan promised me a bonus and here it is."
"That's not true!" said Ste angrily, finally finding his voice. "I came here for a job interview and she pulled me up here. She's proper mental! Needs locking up!" he stood wearing only his boxers, wishing he hadn't worn the Mr Men ones Leah chose for him for Christmas. His trousers were still stuck round his ankles.
Mitzeee cocked an eyebrow at him. "So you weren't sent by Brendan?"
"I don't even know who that is!" he pulled up his trousers quickly and pulled his shirt closed. "I should have known this was some kind of big joke." Ste grabbed his tie and jacket and marched past the blonde woman before she could stop him. He could still hear them arguing.
"I hope you're proud of yourself!" he heard Cheryl scold.
Mitzeee's reply first time sounded a little guilty. "I only wanted a snack."
Ste was half way down the stairs when a voice stopped him.
"Hey, wait a minute!"
Ste looked up and the curly haired woman was awkwardly clambering down the stairs after him.
"I'm sorry about what happened just then - it was a big misunderstanding." she explained calmly. She finally caught up with him at the bottom of the stairs. "I'm Cheryl Brady, I joint own this club with my brother Brendan. I understand if you want to leave, but I'd still like to interview you for the position if you're interested?" Her eyes were wide and hopeful. She held out her hand and he reluctantly took it.
"You still want me?" asked Ste, feeling a little taken aback. He'd expected them not to want him from the minute they saw him.
"Well I've got to interview two others, but I quite like your style." answered Cheryl. "Not many men say no to Mitzeee Minniver, I'm half tempted to hire you on the spot just to see the look on her face." her face was full of glee at the memory of it.
"Alright." said Ste, thinking of Amy and the kids. "I'll stay for the interview."
"Brilliant!" said Cheryl, she dragged him towards some leather sofas situated by the long bar. "Give me five more minutes and we'll get started."
Ste sat down cautiously on the edge of one of the sofas as Cheryl disappeared into a nearby office. He began to nervously chew the nail on his thumb, almost expecting another nutter like Mitzeee to jump out on him. If he wasn't so desperate he would have been out of those doors ages ago. What type of place gave prostitutes as a bonus? Misunderstanding or not, that was still proper weird.
The club was proper creepy too. It was painted all black with only parts of the bar and some of the walls being a deep crimson colour. The ceiling was extremely high up and had a number of wooden rafters through which fairy lights were strung. There was also a metal walkway high against one wall, large enough for one person to walk along and watch the dance floor below without being seen. Ste shuddered when he noticed the steps leading up to more than one curtained off sections like the one Mitzeee had pushed him into.
Two good looking men strolled into the bar following Mitzeee. With a pang Ste realised they must be here for the bar position too. They looked like they'd just stepped off a catwalk. Ste knew he must look so out of place beside them, with his scrawny body and messy hair. The two men sat on the sofas near to Ste, not even bothering to glance at him. Ste felt that familiar feeling of being invisible and wondered why on earth he hadn't left as soon as he'd escaped Mitzeee's clutches, when he had a good excuse.
Cheryl strolled out the office door, carrying a clipboard and wearing huge red glasses that were way too big for her face. Ste was almost sure he saw Mitzeee's face light up with glee when she saw them.
"So Boys," said Cheryl sitting nearby and seeming to be loving that all three men's attention was on her. She dropped the pen and bent down to pick it up, giving all three men a clear view of her cleavage. "I take it you're all here for the bar job?"
Mitzeee slid into the seat next to Cheryl. "Well either that or they're here to see me."
Cheryl's face screwed up with an ugly expression. "I don't need you to sit in on these interviews."
Mitzeee pushed her hair behind her shoulders. "Love, I wouldn't miss this for the world. But maybe you should loose the skinny blonde mistake over there; we don't want another Vinnie on our hands."
"He stays," said Cheryl, looking as if she wanted to hit Mitzeee really hard with her clip board. "Let's begin. The first question is for you." she pointedly towards the good-looking man, who looked like a Greek God. "Are you married?"
Mitzeee let out a snort. "Do you think that's an appropriate question? I find it funny that the two men you picked for this interview are ones that you want to sleep with." she glanced at Ste as if he was a puzzle she was still trying to decipher. "I want to know how you will be able to handle yourselves behind the bar, when some of you look as if our clients could easily eat you for breakfast."
Cheryl ignored her and continued to look at the man she'd asked the first question to. She screwed up her face, as if she hoped it would make him look at her differently.
"Are you alright?" asked Ste, feeling a bit panicked.
"Course I am!" said Cheryl, never taking her eyes off the other man.
"You look like you've got constipation," said Ste, "That's how our Lucas looks when he's got it."
Mitzeee let out a tinkering laugh. "You may only be one bite big, but you've got guts kid. I've always needed a name for that face she pulls and now I've got it."
Ste flushed. Was she talking about the size of his dick?
"You are really starting to get on my nerves tonight," growled Cheryl, her eyes dangerously flashing at Mitzeee.
"Well it isn't my fault you can't do what the rest of us can with members of the opposite sex, your desperation must override it." hissed Mitzeee.
Cheryl glared at her like she was hoping her head would explode. "Some of us have got class Mitzeee. We don't think it's okay to chuck ourselves at every poor bloke that comes through the door. You were a tart one hundred years ago and you're still a tart now. Nothing ever changes, does it?" she screeched.
Before Ste could blink the two of them were on their feet clawing at each other. They were almost a blur of blonde and brown hair, black and leopard print. Ste had to rub his eyes several times to keep up with the action. The other two men were sat quietly on the sofas, their eyes glazed as if they could see none of it. Ste put his blurred vision down to the lack of sleep from the night before; he even wondered if he was hallucinating this now. Mitzeee flung Cheryl to the floor and Ste was almost sure he heard the floor crack from the force of it. It seemed as if by magic Mitzeee appeared on top of Cheryl viciously yanking at her hair. It was at this moment the front doors to the club swung open; hitting the walls so loudly that Ste was sure the sound could be mistaken for thunder.
"Enough!" boomed the newcomer.
The was a figure of a man stood in the entrance to the club; the outside world dark behind him and his face in the shadow of the doorway, but he looked impressive. He was tall, muscular, dressed in dark clothes and his posture showed no signs of weakness. Ste knew just by looking at him that this was the man in charge. He was the kind of man who could look at any room and know he owned it, look at any woman and know he could seduce her. He could run the world if he put his mind to it. He was the polar opposite of Ste.
Mitzeee and Cheryl sprang to their feet and away from each other at his arrival, standing still and stiff like children caught in the act of doing something naughty. They bowed their heads, looking at the floor and fidgeted with their fingers.
"What is going on here?" asked the new arrival in a booming voice that sent chills through Ste.
He saw Mitzeee and Cheryl glance at each other warily.
"She started it," Cheryl muttered.
"Did not!" gasped Mitzeee.
"Jesus Mary and Joseph," muttered the new arrival.
"You tried to undermine me in front of the staff!" snarled Cheryl.
"It didn't take much trying!" Mitzeee snapped back. 'You were pretty much there even without my help.'
The man let out a growl like an animal and stepped into the light. As Cheryl and Mitzeee continued to bicker, Ste let out a gasp.
"You!" he said.
The man from the crypt looked at him with surprised eyes.
"The innocent," he said, inexplicably staring him straight in the eyes. They were amazing eyes. Ste couldn't seem to look away from them.
"See!" cried Mitzeee, "Brendan knows him! He was for me!"
"Brendan, did you send a man for Mitzeee but not for me?!" gasped Cheryl.
"No," said Brendan, staring at Ste, who guessed he was embarrassed about the whole sleeping in a crypt thing. All three of these people seemed as mental as each other.
"No!" Ste repeated, annoyed. "I'm here about a job."
"See!" said Cheryl, "Brendan wouldn't get something for you but nothing for me."
"You want a job?" said Brendan. "Here?"
"I just need a job," said Ste, honestly.
"And you still wanna work here?" asked Brendan, "even now you know what it's like?"
Ste shrugged. Even if he hadn't been unemployed for months and reached a stage of extreme desperation, he probably would have agreed - he could cope with weird people. He could hardly call himself normal, after all. And the days would never be dull at a place like this. And Brendan was proper fit. "Yeah," he said.
"Good," said Brendan. "You're hired."
Ste blinked. "What? Just like that?"
Brendan smirked, "Just like that."
"Why?" said Ste. He couldn't help it. No one seemed to ever want to employ him.
Brendan nearly smiled. It made his face seem even more appealing and Ste had to remind himself this was about a job, not about handsome men. "You've spent time with my sister and my stalker and not run away screaming. I think that shows great strength and resilience."
"Your stalker?!" cried Mitzeee.
Ste smiled, "Great!" he said, honestly, "Thanks!"
"I ain't no stalker, Brendan Brady!" she cried.
"Don't mention it," said Brendan, holding out a hand to Ste, and raising an eyebrow, "er…"
"Ste," said Ste.
Brendan's lip curled, "Ste?" he said with a sneer.
"Yeah!" said Ste, spectacularly insulted, "It's short for Steven!"
"Steven," Brendan repeated, "yeah, Steven's better."
"Er… everyone calls me Ste," he said.
"Well, I ain't everyone," said Brendan.
"Er, hello?" interrupted Mitzeee, "you know we've got two other candidates, here!"
"So?" said Brendan, still not looking away from Ste.
"Well, it might be polite to interview them love," suggested Cheryl.
"Yeah, well I'm bored of polite," said Brendan, still keeping his gaze locked onto Ste. "You can start tomorrow, Steven."
"Great," said Ste. "What time?"
Brendan smirked, "Sunset, obviously."
Ste wasn't sure that it was obvious, but then again he supposed he hadn't been to many clubs in the sunlight. "I'll be there. I can't wait to tell Amy."
Brendan's smirk quavered, "Amy?"
"The mother of me kids!" Ste told him, "She'll be dead happy."
"Will she?" said Brendan, "dead you say?"
"Dead happy, yeah. Thanks Brendan!"
"Don't mention it," said Brendan, some of the warmth from his eyes gone.
"Right, I'll see you tomorrow," said Ste, trying not to let Brendan's strange new coldness get to him. "Bye."
He hesitated a moment longer, unsure why and just looking at Brendan. It took him long enough to realise how foolish he must look and when he turned away he was momentarily confused about how to get out. He suspected that he looked like a right idiot, but he found it eventually.
Brendan, Mitzeee and Cheryl were all still watching him, Brendan with an intensity that sent new shivers down his spine. He smiled at them all, grateful that he might have this chance and he couldn't help letting his eyes get caught on Brendan's again. Even from a distance they were addictive eyes.
He forced himself to walk away.
Cheryl, Mitzeee and Brendan all watched Ste leave with curiosity. Brendan's eyes were intense, Mitzeee's entertained, and Cheryl's concerned. She needed to point something out, just in case her brother hadn't notice.
"You know," she said carefully, "I don't think he's realised we're vampires."