Somebody is glowing.
You look really happy Ji-Su.
He’s been smiling all night.
Look at those bite marks. We know why he’s smiling like that.
At first, Ji-Su had ignored the comments, keeping the focus on his game play. But when his viewers didn’t show any signs of letting up on the topic, he finally laughed and acknowledged them. “Everyone! Yes, I am happy because of my blood patron.But are we here to talk about the game I’m streaming or about my personal relationship?”
Some people answeredthe gamewhile others responded withrelationship.
Por que no los dos?
Ji-Su cracked up laughing again at the reference to the old taco shell meme asking for both. “Fine. I’ll share a little bit before we get our focus back to the game. My blood patron and I had a bit of a rough start thanks to a few misunderstandings. But we recently figured everything out. And now we’re enjoying our time together.”
He makes you happy.
“Absolutely,” Ji-Su agreed with a nod. “He’s amazing. Gentle and kind and so hot.”
Damn Ji-Su. You’re very lucky.
Ji-Su had to smile at that. He often thought he was extremely lucky to have met Raul. “I am. Now, let’s get back to the game.”
AT THE MAIN CASINOfor the night, Raul sat in his office reviewing quarterly reports from all the department heads. Opening the first folder on the thick stack, he read the neatly typed files sent by the wait staff manager. Some of the cocktail servers wanted more revealing uniforms to help increase tips. He wasn’t going to say no to his staff potentially earning more money, so he approved the request.
The report from Customer Service explained that they’d had multiple complaints from guests about the new mural in the lobby. He’d have to let the interior design team know to come up with something better. The most important report was from accounting. According to their report, guest visits were up as were profits.
After working his way through the stack, taking notes to approve or deny requests and follow up as needed, Raul closed the final folder and leaned back in his desk chair. Paperwork wasn’t his favorite thing to do. And sometimes it felt too mundane of a task for a boss of a criminal organization to have to deal with.
But the Sanguis Syndicate hadn’t gained their power and wealth on violence and crime alone. The organization had to be managed as well as any corporate business in order to maintain their achieved status. With that in mind, John had selected vampires who were able to both run a business and crack skulls when necessary to serve as bosses for the Sanguis Syndicate. So even though paperwork wasn’t his favorite, he was good at it and he understood its importance. However, that didn’t mean he couldn’t take a break when he wanted.
There was still lots more to do but Raul wanted to hear his pet’s lovely voice. He took out his cell and pressed the speed dial to call Ji-Su. The call connected after two rings.
“Hello?”
Raul automatically smiled at the clear, sweet sound of Ji-Su’s voice. “Hi, sweetheart. Do you have a minute to talk?”
“Sure. Is everything okay?”
“Right as rain. I missed you.”
A small laugh came over the line.
“You’ve only been gone a few hours.”
Raul could hear the blush in Ji-Su’s voice and he imagined it warming the golden skin of his throat and spreading up to his cheeks.
“Doesn’t matter. I miss you as soon as I’m not with you.” Raul was sometimes taken aback at the strength and intensity of his feelings for his shy human lover. And for a second, he worried that his honesty might overwhelm Ji-Su. But then Ji-Su responded.
“I miss you too. From the moment you walked out the front door I started missing you.”
They both went quiet after Ji-Su’s quiet admission. Raul closed his eyes, simply listening to the soft sound of Ji-Su’s breathing. Happy. The little human on the other end of the line made him indescribably happy.
“What are you up to right now?” he finally asked.
“A new raid dropped today. I’m playing with randoms online to get a feel for it before I play with my team.”
Raul listened to Ji-Su talk, enjoying the passion and excitement he had whenever he talked about gaming. The conversation reminded him that they’d briefly discussed his casino putting on a gaming tournament. He raised the topic again when Ji-Su finished explaining how the raid was going.