Chapter 1
“You don’t have to do this. I’ll figure something out until you can find another job,” her brother announced from the doorway of her bedroom, his voice gruff.
Tomesha Clay stared at the few items of clothing hanging in her closet. A sad smile ghosted her lips. Tarek, her elder brother, was protective of her. He’d always been that way since they were children.
The big brother shielding the little sister from the harshness of reality.
If only he could have kept her from truly seeing how cruel people really were, but that wasn’t the case.
The world they’d grown up in was different than when their parents or grandparents were the same age.
Tomesha and Tarek had listened to the tales of their grandmother who loved sharing the way of things when she was a young woman.
The twentieth century had been much different.
Times had been rocky according to Delonda Clay.
The world had always had to face certain changes.
From the civil rights movement, hippies, rock and roll, and a war on drugs.
The great accomplishment of man making it to the moon, wars between countries to man making leaps and bounds in the development of technology with the creation of computers and the internet.
It was amazing to think her grandmother had been a witness to it all.
It was fascinating to hear how humans had lived in the past.
Humans did as they pleased.
Wait—it was never a thing to say ‘humans’ before.
It had always been taken for granted there was only one race. What their grandmother did experience was being treated differently because of the color of her skin. Throughout time, one thing hadn’t changed for Black American people.
Racism.
The stories Tomesha had heard about how Black people were treated made her heart hurt.
The war had changed all of that.
At the turn of the millennia, when vampires presented themselves, humans had banded together for once to fight this new race who wanted to take over the world.
The color of one’s skin no longer mattered.
The war had commenced, and with all of the advances in military weapons, the humans were no match for the vampires.
No one had known vampires had truly existed.
They had always been considered a myth or legends.
Tomesha had watched all of the old movies from the twentieth century that were based around vampires.
Some of the lore and customs shown were outrageously off about vampires.
There was no sparkly vampire skin, nor did they turn into bats.
These vampires were strong and overtook the world by storm. The human government rolled over and allowed the seven vampire kings to rule their lands they had apparently overseen, and humans were ignorant to it.
Tomesha and Tarek were born during the war. Their father, Maynard, was a Marine Veteran who’d fought. He’d come home a changed man according to their grandmother. Tomesha and Tarek only knew their father as the quiet, stoic man who liked to sit on the porch and drink his whiskey.
Fighting in the war hadn’t made him a hero.
There was no special treatment for those who’d risked their lives in going off to fight for those who were unable.
Not that many had choices. Men and women were both drafted.
A weapon was placed in their hands, and they were sent off to fight.
Their mother, Maggie, had been saved from being drafted.
She hadn’t passed the health physical test and was deemed unfit to serve.
Maggie had done her best while their father was gone.
Unfortunately, their beautiful mother passed away due to complications of a gall bladder removal surgery. Something that should have been an easy hospitalization and discharge turned into a nightmare with Tomesha losing her mother at the age of thirteen.
Not wanting to fall into a puddle of sadness thinking of her parents, Tomesha pushed aside the clothing she was staring at and took out a dress she’d made herself at her old job.
She loved to sew. It had been something she’d been taught when she was younger, and she’d always had an eye for fashion.
If she could have, she’d have attended one of the fashion schools that still existed.
Not many were left, and it was extremely hard to be accepted.
Tomesha had chosen not to even apply. Even if she got in, how would she pay for tuition?
Her family could barely afford to keep a roof over their head and food on the table.
So Tomesha had taken jobs wherever she could. Her most recent was as a seamstress for five years. It hadn’t paid the best but provided her an income where she could contribute to the family housing needs and still do something she loved.
Two weeks ago, she’d been let go. Mrs. Davenport could no longer afford to keep her on.
“We need the money, and I have to contribute someway.” Tomesha sniffed.
She took the black dress out and ran her hand along the detailed stitching.
She’d imagined herself using this to attend a fancy party when she’d created it.
The dress was her most prized possession, and it always made her feel confident and beautiful.
“It’s only been two weeks, Tomesha. There are other places you can apply,” her brother snapped.
She held her dress up to her chest and turned to face him. He stood with his hands braced on his hips and a scowl on his face.
“I’ve applied for ten jobs and have received ten rejections, Tarek. This may be my only chance. Plus, it’s not even guaranteed that I’ll be hired.” She shrugged. It was true. There were so many women and men applying to work at the establishment.
Madam Rice’s was an exclusive club for vampires.
Tomesha had done her research after hearing the rumors of the type of place it was.
Her cheeks warmed at what she’d learned.
It was a place that was considered safe grounds for vampires and humans.
It was a lounge that catered to vampires.
The humans were paid well to service the vampires.
Humans were known to be willing donors of their blood, allowing the vampires to drink from them.
Her breath caught in her throat at the thought of someone piercing her neck with their fangs.
But what really had her cheeks burning was the tidbit about humans being allowed to offer more than their blood for money.
From what she’d learned, that allowed the humans to be paid even more. No expense had been spared when the building had been constructed. Working for the madam was a way for her to get her family out of poverty.
Tomesha had heard the bite of a vampire during sex was an out-of-this-world experience and was the reason why many humans lined up to apply for the open positions.
Who would have thought they’d put such an establishment in their small town of Butterbush, North Carolina.
But then again, the vampire presence in their town had been strong ever since the war ended. Butterbush was a vampire outpost run by their military.
“Then apply for ten more!” Tarek stalked into her small bedroom and stopped before her. Concern was evident on his face along with the frustration in his voice.
Tomesha’s heart all but lurched into her throat. He was really against her having to sell her body. They hadn’t talked about it, but she was sure he knew exactly what type of establishment the madam’s was.
Tomesha stared up at him. Her lip quaked as emotions raced through her.
Tears blurred her vision. She blinked, a warm trail of tears burning down her skin.
She never wanted to disappoint anyone, much less her brother.
They had grown up close, and she always tried to make him and their grandmother proud.
Would he think of her differently if she were to allow vampires to drink from her?
She had to admit the thought was thrilling.
And the money alone was something they needed.
Tarek’s finger rested on her chin and nudged her head up to meet his gaze. He sighed, his features softening as he wiped her cheeks.
“I can do this. Don’t worry about me.” Tomesha tightened her grip on the dress. It was her body, and she could do with it as she wanted. She inhaled sharply and stood to her full height. “It’s my decision and I’m sticking to it.”
Tarek’s deep-brown eyes were the same as hers. They shared many of the same features they had inherited from their father. Their warm brown skin, dark hair, and slim build. His temper he got from their father, while Tomesha was like their mother, calm and loving.
He closed his eyes and bent down to rest his forehead on hers. More tears flowed as she sensed the pain and frustration radiating from him.
“I wish there was more I can do,” he said. “Maybe I’ll go down to the blood bank and donate—”
“Tarek. This is my decision,” she repeated.
She blinked and stepped back away from him.
Tarek had to understand that she was an adult and this decision was hers to make.
She couldn’t stand by and watch him work himself to death to try to provide for her and their grandmother.
She wiped furiously at her cheeks, now angry that her emotions had got the best of her.
“Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to dress for my interview.”
Tarek stared at her for a brief moment before jerking his head in a nod.
“If you’re sure about this then I guess there is no persuading you otherwise.” He ran a shaky hand over his face. His gaze dropped to the dress in her arms. “Working somewhere around the vampires could be a good way to make connections to where you may not have to work there long. Maybe you can—”
“Tarek.” She nudged him toward the door. It was good he was coming to terms with her applying for the club. “I cannot be late.”