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Then the guy had thrown him up against a wall, and… Sam cleared his mind and concentrated on his next customer, still feeling those sharp teeth sinking into his neck. The pain. The terror. The weightlessness as he thought he was going to die.
Until Cable had come in for the save.
Even now, Sam’s mind refused to believe it was a vampire. They didn’t exist. They were fictional. Stories that had been made up. Right?
“Hey.” The guy in front of him cleared his throat. “Are you okay?”
“Oh, yeah!” So much for not thinking about what had happened to him. That was how it had played out for the rest of his shift. As soon as Sam shoved aside what had taken place, it came right back. Setting up that meeting with Cable might help or it might send Sam further over the edge.
When one thirty finally rolled around, Sam clocked out and took a few deep breaths before he headed to the coffee shop. He checked his hair in a glass window on the way there to make sure he was presentable. Then he cupped his hand in front of his mouth and blew his breath out, satisfied it wasn’t hideous. There was nothing he could do about smelling like grease. All his work clothes smelled as if he’d rolled around in onion rings. He should have set the meeting for three. That way he would have had time to go home and shower.
“This isn’t a date, moron,” he said to himself.
Cable wanted to ask him a few questions, that was it. The fact that it would take place in a quaint coffeehouse was nice, but it was still on a social level, not personal. No, not social. They weren’t friends. Would this qualify as a business meeting?
But it definitely wasn’t a date, even if he’d told Paul that Cable was his boyfriend. That was only to stop the jerk from insisting that Cable was a relative, as if Sam couldn’t land a hot guy. A lot of people were offput by his red hair, including Paul, but Sam had all the confidence in the world thanks to his hard-as-nails mom who’d constantly told him how handsome and important he was throughout his life.
Okay, no thinking about his mom before he broke down and cried. She’d died two years ago, and he still felt her loss deep to his soul.
Squaring his shoulders, Sam walked into the place to the sounds of milk being steeped, piped-in music playing smooth jazz, and the aromatic scent of coffee beans. He’d applied to work here before, but no one had ever called him about a position as a barista.
It would be his dream to work in a place like this. Sue him if his goals weren’t on a larger scale. Not everyone wanted to work at large companies or have stellar careers. Sam was content with the small things in life, even if he wished there was more to his life than going to work and home, with an occasional visit to this place once in a while.
Six months ago, Sam’s friend had moved away because of a job offer, and Sam had found it hard to get out of his rut. Lately, his life had been as exciting as watching paint dry, except for last night, which wasn’t exactly his idea of fun.
It had been more like terror on steroids.
Now that he stood in line, looking up at the order board, he recalled the name of the coffee shop. Haley’s Heaven. Why on earth could he never recall the name of his favorite place? It always eluded him, as if the name popped out of existence as soon as he made his exit.
Once he was given his drink, Sam looked around. He must have shown up early because he didn’t see Cable anywhere, and it was hard to miss a guy who belonged on the cover of a model catalog.
He chose a seat by the window so he could look for Cable while thinking about last night. Sam touched his neck where the jerk who’d assaulted him had bitten him. There were no marks to indicate it had even happened, but Sam knew it had.
Were those fake teeth or cosmetically altered, the kind people paid a ridiculous amount to have changed at the dentist? His brain was trying to come up with a logical explanation, but in the back of his mind, he knew the truth.
Even if he wanted to deny it.
Vampires were real.
The tiny bell over the door jingled, and Sam watched as Cable walked in. He had a presence about him that made the women, and some men, turn their heads. Tall, muscular, with a dark brown well-groomed beard and mustache and killer blue eyes. Even his voice had sounded like a cardinal sin when he’d spoken to Sam earlier. He wore faded jeans that clung to narrow hips, and a T-shirt that showed off every glorious muscle.
Sam sat up straighter and lifted his hand, waving to let Cable know he was there. The smile that spread across the guy’s face snared Sam. He’d never seen anyone with such a perfect set of white teeth before.
Even Sam had one or two that were slightly crooked, not noticeable enough to draw attention, but Cable seemed too good to be true.
“Let me get my drink and I’ll join you,” Cable called out, and Sam nodded. Great, now he had time to bite his nails and wonder if he should have even agreed to this meeting. What if Cable confirmed his fear and vampires really did exist? Sam would never feel safe again.
Like you feel safe after last night? You live in the crummiest part of the city. You haven’t felt safe since you moved to this area.
It was bad enough that human degenerates existed, the scum of society that preyed on unsuspecting people, especially at night. He always worried that he would get mugged for his empty wallet, but now he might have to worry that he would get mugged for his blood.
Sam sucked in a quick breath when Cable sat across from him. The guy even smelled good. Sam had always asked himself where the gorgeous men were when he’d seen them on the internet or in the movies. It was kind of surreal to have one sitting across from him.
“Hey,” Cable said with a smile. “Thanks for agreeing to meet with me.”
“No problem.” Sam took a sip of his Frappuccino, nearly groaning at the strawberry mix with a heavy dose of caramel drizzle. “What did you want to question me about?”
Cable looked around before bringing his attention back to Sam. “Maybe somewhere less crowded would be better.”
