Chapter 22
The day after the ballet, Ji-Su had a few hours of free time. He didn’t have any streams scheduled that evening and he had about another three hours before he had to log on to practice with his team. He decided to use the time to edit his latest stream to upload to YouTube later.
He was at his computer, cutting out sections of dead air when someone knocked on the door. He paused editing to call out. “Come in!”
Gloria came in. As always, she wore her uniform of neat blue button down and dark jeans. Today her hair was in a low braid over her left shoulder.
“You have a delivery waiting for you in the foyer, Mr. Ji-Su.”
Ji-Su set down his controller. “Hopefully this delivery is better than the last one.”
Gloria smiled. “I believe it is.”
He got up and went down to the front hall where a human stood waiting for him. The young man was dressed in a red and gold, old-fashioned style messenger uniform, with a billed hat perched jauntily on top of his curly brown hair.
“Hello, I’m Paxton, here at the request of Mr. Everett. This is for you and Mr. Raul.”
He held out a thick, cream paper scroll, tied with a red velvet ribbon.
“Thank you.” Ji-Su accepted the invite, impressed that Everett had gone to the trouble of having someone deliver it in person rather than putting it in the mail or sending an e-vite.
“You’re welcome.” The delivery man gave a little bow, smiled, and left.
Curious to see what it said, Ji-Su took the scroll to his hidden alcove in the hall to open it. He sat down on the bench, bringing one foot up to tuck under his butt. Untying the soft, red bow, he unrolled the expensive feeling paper. Bold calligraphy in blood red ink scrolled across the page.
You are cordially invited to the Sanguis Syndicate’s Midnight Garden Party. Leave all of your inhibitions at home as a night of decadent pleasure awaits you. Indulge yourself from twelve a.m. until pre-dawn. Dress code: Sensual Scarlet. The invite closed with the date and location for the event.
It sounded as if it would be a fun night. Ji-Su appreciated Solan inviting him. He’d show the invite to Raul when he came home, although since he worked with Everett, he might already be aware of the party details.
Ji-Su looked again at the dress code before he re-rolled the invite. The party was tomorrow and he didn’t currently own anything that could be considered sensual scarlet. He would have to go online and order an outfit tonight so he’d have it in time.
As he rose from the bench to go back to his gaming room, he thought about what Solan had said at the ballet.
That he wouldn’t know why Raul withheld his pleasure venom and whether or not he was attracted to him if he didn’t ask.
A party with a relaxed atmosphere and lowered inhibitions could be a good time for him to finally work up the courage to ask those questions.
“I HOPE THIS IS OKAY,” Ji-Su whispered to himself as he stood in front of the vanity mirror in his bathroom. The garden party was tonight and it was almost time to go. But he wasn’t sure of his outfit.
He’d tried to stay in his comfort zone while matching the theme of sensual scarlet.
He’d chosen a fuzzy, oversized red sweater with a wide neckline that exposed his throat and collarbones.
The sweater was cropped so short it left most of his torso bare.
His dark red pants were made of a thin, clingy material, and so tight they might as well be leggings.
For an accessory, he’d buckled a black leather garter with a dangling red crystal heart charm around his left thigh.
Black Chelsea boots completed his outfit.
“It’s fine,” he said to his reflection. The outfit was fine. And more importantly, he didn’t have anything else to wear. So, if he wanted to go to the party—which he did—this look was it. Ji-Su woke up his phone to check the time. Five past twelve. Raul was probably waiting for him.
He grabbed his brush from the vanity top and brushed his recently bleached and colored blond hair, then smoothed a drop of oil through it to make it shine.
Earlier that evening, he’d used Manic Panic to temporarily dye a streak of it deep red.
Last, he slicked cherry flavored Chapstick over his lips, giving them a hint of red sheen.
Finally ready, he left his room and headed to the foyer where Raul was indeed waiting for him. When Ji-Su reached the top of the staircase, Raul turned to watch him descend. His gaze never wavered, staying on Ji-Su with an intensity that made the space behind his navel shiver with awareness.
Ji-Su pressed a hand to the spot as if that would quell the feeling.
It did not, especially since ever the gentleman, Raul took Ji-Su’s hand as he stepped onto the floor of the foyer.
The vampire’s eyes swept over him from head to toe.
Ji-Su thought he saw a hint of glow in his irises but it was gone so fast he’d either imagined it or it was simply light reflecting from the chandelier hanging above them.
“You look ... cute,” Raul said with a husky timbre to his voice.
Raul stood so close that Ji-Su had to tip his head back to meet his gaze as he accepted the compliment. “Thank you. And you look very handsome.”
Handsome was the bare minimum to describe the way Raul looked tonight.
He wore a red suede vest with black Western stitching.
He was shirtless beneath the vest, his broad chest and hard, muscular arms gleaming golden brown.
His biceps looked so good that Ji-Su’s fingers twitched with the urge to touch them.
Raul’s jeans were the deepest ebony black and tight enough that his powerful thighs seemed to strain against the material.
He also wore one of his trademark belt buckles. This one was copper, engraved with black swirls and studded with deep red stones. A large diamond earring sparkled in his ear lobe and his black cowboy boots were buffed smooth.
Raul wasn’t only handsome—he was the sexist man Ji-Su had ever seen. But he kept that thought to himself.
“Are you ready?” Raul asked.
Ji-Su nodded.
“Then let’s go.”
They headed out to the Mercedes limousine waiting for them in the drive. Sam held open the door for him and Ji-Su slid into his seat. The door closed, leaving him alone until Raul got in on the other side. Once Sam was behind the wheel, they smoothly pulled off and left the ranch.
As they drove, Ji-Su tried to be calm and chill.
But he was enclosed in a small space with a man he was wildly attracted to, on their way to a sexy party.
Plus, Raul smelled amazing, his cologne a warm, woodsy scent that made Ji-Su want to snuggle into his side and breathe it in.
They were close enough that he would only have to lean over slightly to rest his head on Raul’s shoulder.
His heart began to race as he imagined doing exactly that.
“Are you okay?”
Belatedly, he remembered that Raul could hear his heartbeat. “I’m fine.”
No way was he going to admit what he’d been thinking about, especially not with Sam there to hear him. He pulled in a deep breath and forced thoughts of cuddling with Raul out of his head. He decided to distract himself with conversation.
“How long have Solan and Everett been together?”
“A little over a year. Solan was Everett’s contracted blood pet.”
“Really?” That was a surprise. Something about the way Solan carried himself made it hard to believe he’d ever needed to work as a blood pet for money. But Raul confirmed that it was true.
“Yes, really.”
“Does that happen a lot?” he asked. “A vampire falling for their blood pet?”
“It happens often enough. But a vampire can go through many blood pets before they find the one they want to be with forever. And some vampires never find or don’t want a bonded mate.”
“Like humans with dating and marriage.”
“Exactly.”
Raul explained a little more about blood bonded mates with Ji-Su attentively listening until the limo slowed and came to a stop.
“We’re here already?” Ji-Su asked as he looked out the window.
They’d been driving less than ten minutes and had pulled up to a large Tuscan style mansion.
The home was constructed from pale yellow stone with a reddish-brown roof.
Flowers blooming in window garden boxes brought more color to the elegant home.
“Yes. This is a Sanguis Syndicate owned property outside the city proper. Everett hosts many of his parties here.”
The driver came around and opened the door for them.
Raul got out first, then reached back to help Ji-Su step out onto a smooth asphalt driveway.
The flecks of mica mixed into the pavement glittered in the light falling from the post-mounted carriage lights lining the circular drive.
Raul tucked Ji-Su’s hand into the crook of his elbow as they walked to the garden where the party was taking place.
Ji-Su couldn’t see into the garden as a high wall of meticulously trimmed green shrubbery encircled it, protecting the space from prying eyes.
There was one gap in the hedge for people to enter the garden, but it was guarded by a black wrought iron gate.
A curtain of red roses covered the gate, ensuring that the screen of privacy was complete.
As they drew closer, he could hear music and the out of sight guests laughing and celebrating.
An attendant in a red jacket and black pants standing in front of the gate greeted them with a polite smile.
“Hello. May I have your invitation, please?”
Rual handed the attendant the scroll and waited as he unrolled it to look it over.
The attendant’s smile brightened when he finished reading the invite. “Mr. Raul and Mr. Ji-Su. Welcome. Please enjoy your evening.” He bowed slightly and opened the garden gate for them.
Raul and Ji-Su passed through the rose covered entrance onto a stone lined path. When Ji-Su saw what he’d walked into, his mouth dropped open in shock. Trying not to be gauche, he immediately snapped it shut again.