“Mr. Raul, it’s good to see you.”
“And you as well, Madame Agnes. I’d like you to meet Ji-Su. Ji-Su, this is Madame Agnes, the director of the Michigan Ballet Company.
“It’s nice to meet you, Madame Agnes,” he said with a polite nod.
“A pleasure to meet you too. You have such lovely cheekbones. My wife would love to paint you.”
Ji-Su blinked at the unexpected compliment. It didn’t sound like a request so he simply said thank you. Madame Agnes turned back to Raul.
“We received your donation. Thank you for supporting the company.”
“You’re welcome. I was happy to do so.”
“With an amount that generous, I’m inclined to let you select our next program.”
Raul laughed and turned down the offer. “I trust in your expertise to bring Dear Lake the best performances.”
“Well, the offer stands if you ever have any suggestions. Now, I must go and greet others.”
She leaned in to give them each air kisses before regally moving off through the crowd.
“Ready to go up to our box?” Raul asked.
Ji-Su nervously smoothed a hand down the front of his suit before answering. He was about to meet a group of gangster vampires. But he trusted that Raul wouldn’t have brought him here if there was anything to be afraid of.
At Ji-Su’s nod, they ascended a wide, shallow staircase. On the second level, they reached a curving hallway with gold carpet and gold and black wallpaper. Raul led him down the hall towhere a tall Black man stood waiting. Ji-Su barely managed to close his mouth after it dropped open in surprise.
This vampire was handsome in a refined, elegant way that made you feel flustered and grubby just looking at him. He had rich, dark skin that practically glowed with a golden sheen, and his black hair was cut low and brushed so that the curl pattern was transformed into smooth waves. He wore a dark gray suit that had a violet sheen when he moved under the lights, a black dress shirt beneath it, and expensive black dress shoes. When he smiled, he revealed straight teeth and bright, white fangs.
“Hello, Ji-Su. I’m John.”
“It’s nice to meet you, sir.” Ji-Su said politely.
“Please, call me John.”
They chatted for a few minutes, John putting Ji-Su at ease by asking about his gaming with genuine interest. To his surprise, Ji-Su found himself freely chatting until the others began to arrive.
First to join them was a Caucasian vampire, tall and broad-shouldered with dark hair, Eastern European good looks, and humor sparkling in his brown eyes. Raul introduced him as Warren.
“You’re a precious little bite,” he said to Ji-Su with a flirtatious, fanged smile.
“Uh...” Ji-Su wasn’t sure what to say to that comment. Before he could think of a response, Raul curled an arm around his shoulders.
“Save your flirting for the club, Warren.”
Warren didn’t seem fazed by Raul’s warning. He simply winked at Ji-Su and moved off to speak with someone else.
Next was Peter, a vampire with smooth brown skin and surprisingly, not much taller than Ji-Su. He seemed pleasant and kind of nerdy, which made Ji-Su like him immediately, and made it hard to believe he was part of a criminal organization.His confusion must have been on his face after Peter walked away because Raul leaned down to whisper in his ear.
“Peter is in charge of our finances. He’s hands off when it comes to direct involvement with other activities.”
Ji-Su nodded in understanding. That made sense. He also met LaToria and Tristan, who greeted him with relaxed, friendly charm. They both looked like they could be runway models.
The last to join their group was a tall, dark-haired vampire in a three-piece suit with a red-haired human on his arm. The redhead’s eyes lit up with excitement when he saw Ji-Su.
“Another human!”
With a big smile on his face, he came over to shake Ji-Su’s hand. As he drew close, Ji-Su saw that he had a bite mark on his throat that shimmered with a pearlescent glow. Ji-Su had never seen anything like it before, especially since most vampire bites healed without leaving a mark. He was curious about the bite mark, but he was too polite to ask about it.