down to the Directorate."
He merely shrugged. Which probably meant he'd tone it down but not give up. "What else do you wish to know?"
I crossed my legs and took another sip of champagne. The cool liquid didn't do a whole lot to ease the fires burning within.
"Why do you employ some vamps and not others? Don't you get enough vampires in here to cater to the needs of your human customers?"
"This club is not one of the more popular ones, but we still get plenty of humans in on the weekends." A small smile teased his lips, briefly drawing my gaze. "The vampires I don't employ are the ones I know I can trust not to go too far. There are fewer problems that way. The others help act as additional security should the need arise."
"So Haven has never acted as of your bouncers?"
"No."
"Then did he ever serve someone and perhaps go a little too far?"
The small smile became full blown, and my toes curled in response. Damn, that was one hot smile. "Despite the way my establishment looks, we run an orderly club. There are very few problems here."
I took another sip of champagne and decided Quinn really needed to get a case of this stuff. "That didn't answer my question."
"No, he has never caused any problems. He's actually been on vacation for the last couple of weeks. Tonight was supposed to be his first night back." He paused to take a drink. "I never knew they had pretty guardians. I find it quite refreshing."
"Considering most guardians are vampires who don't actually wash a lot, that's not really the compliment you think it is."
His expression became contrite, but I didn't believe it for a second. "It's very remiss of me to make such a remark, then. I shall endeavor to make it up to you."
"Don't bother. Do you know if Haven had any problems in his personal life?"
Starke raised his eyebrows. "Why would you think I'd know - or even care - about the intimate details of my friends' private lives?"
"Because you seem the type of vampire who likes to know these sorts of things."
"You could be right," He flashed me a smile that was as playful as it was sensual. "I could tell you two truths right now, in fact."
"Well, I'm not here to hear lies, Starke."
He put the glass down on the table then leaned forward, so that his long golden body was only inches from mine. Tension ran through me, yet I honestly couldn't say it was totally due to the readiness to fight. Part of it - a tiny, dark, and altogether stupid part - was sexual.
"I know, for instance," he continued, his voice as smooth as silk, "that if I took you in my arms and kissed you right now, you'd fight. Eventually. Yet there would be several moments beforehand when you would melt into that kiss and enjoy the passion of it."
I didn't bother refuting it. I couldn't when my heart was beating like crazy at the mere thought of that kiss.
"And the second truth?"
It came out somewhat breathless, and he reached forward, taking my free hand in his, turning it over and gently caressing my wrist. His skin was smooth against mine, his fingertips warm. And the caress...
The tremor that ran through me was all heated desire.
"The second truth," he said softly, raising my wrist to his lips and placing the gentlest of kisses on it, "is that this is not the first beheading to happen in this area."
Chapter Two
I jerked my hand away, but his kiss seemed to have seared itself into my skin. My wrist burned.
"What do you mean, this is not the first beheading?" I surreptitiously glanced down at my wrist, but there was no mark on it, despite how it felt.
He leaned back in his chair and picked up his glass. "Just that."
I frowned. "We've had no reports of other incidents."
"No, because the sun was rising by the time he was discovered. His body was consumed by fire."
"Meaning he was a very young vampire."
"One would presume so. We older souls can take at least a few hours of sunshine."
If he could take a few hours, then he was at least five hundred years old. "When did this happen?"
"Two days ago."
"Do you happen to know the victim's name?"
If we had another murder, Jack would want me to check it out, even if we didn't have the body.
Starke shook his head and shifted his foot again. He must have surreptitiously