New Meeting

Vivienne turned to face the vampire sitting on the couch in her office. She had always been taught to keep a good poker face. Even from a young age, no matter what happened she always observed and never let anyone get to her. Stubborn and calculating to her own extent. Survival was imperative and despite all the tragedies she had faced as a child, she had survived. She had learned what she needed to do in order to make it in this world.

The man on the couch smirked and the slight upturn of his lips stirred something within her. He was handsome, to be sure. That alone was dangerous. At the slight uptick of his jaw she felt her entire body respond. She remembered the electricity from when his lips were against the back of her hand earlier. 'It must be a trick', she thought.

"Your uncle and I had an understanding." The man spoke and his silky, buttery voice filled the room. There was something about his voice that made her weak. Something in his eyes that made her weak. She had felt butterflies before, felt attracted before, but this was something different entirely. It was a new feeling and she wasn't sure how to handle it. Was it fear? Was it admiration?

"And what understanding is that?" Vivienne asked coldly. Survival, again. She still didn't know truly who this was or what his intentions were. Her uncle had never spoken of vampires and much less of this vampire. Who was he anyway? She had never seen him before the ceremony the other night. For someone who claimed to know so much of her uncle, she'd never seen or heard of him before.

The man stared into her eyes into what seemed like forever. Something about it disturbed her. Unsettled her in the oddest of ways. She wanted to look away from his gaze but was unable. It was as though he was searching for something silently.

Finally he broke the silence, "Marcus was a very intelligent man. I trusted him and his research because I knew that he had the best inentions.." The man spoke slowly, his voice like velvet in the air. He rose from the couch and approached Vivienne. "He and I agreed that he could conduct as many studies and experiments on the rabid as he wanted. However he was to keep me updated through the entire process... and if he required any other kind of specimen, he was to let me know." Vivienne took in his words as she stared into his bright, red eyes. They were the color of dark cherries. They were mesmerizing and she had to remind herself of where she was for a moment.

"That sounds reasonable. I thank you for your cooperation and contribution to what we hope to achieve." Vivienne responded professionally. She kept her walls up and high. The man took another step forward, closing the gap between them. "I have many more contributions to give."