Chapter 2

"Sir, your lunch meeting is here," William said as he rapped softly at the office door.

"Yes, come on in," I said, looking up from the stack of paperwork I'd just finished working through to find William escorting a beautiful young woman into the office for our "meeting," as he'd said. I stood and walked from behind my desk, leaning against the front of it as I waited for the woman to come closer.

"Hello, Mr. Vincent, it's nice to meet you! I can't believe I could get a meeting with you! I've been trying for years," she said as she crossed the office, holding out her hand to shake mine.

I forced a polite smile as I took her hand, then yanked her, putting one hand over her mouth as I pulled her against me. I wasted no time in tilting her neck and sinking my fangs into her throat. I drank quickly, not allowing her the chance to scream, draining her life before she could realize what had happened. I finished my meal in only a matter of seconds, then tossed her lifeless body to the ground before sitting back behind my desk.

"Miss Roberts will come up soon to drop off paperwork for your approval," William said as he carelessly tossed the woman over his shoulder. He set a new stack of forms on the desk, waiting for my response so that he could take care of the body.

"Why should I care, William? Are you not available to sign the documents as you always do?" I absentmindedly asked as I looked over the forms William sat in front of me.

"I assumed you would like to take care of it, Sir," he responded curiously, furrowing his brows as he watched me.

"And why would you assume such an atrocious thing?"

"Because of your sudden... interest regarding the girl, I assumed you'd like to meet her."

"What interest have I in any Roberts?" I asked him as I set down my pen, turning my full attention to him. 'You've been by my side for two hundred years, William. Are you failing me now?' I thought as I watched him, waiting for his response.

"Ah! The HR forms are not updated; she only signed them this morning," William exclaimed, snapping his finger as he realized where the misunderstanding lay between us. "Roberts is the patronymic of Mercy, Sir."

"Is that so?" I mumbled, nodding my understanding. "Very well then, William," I said, dismissing him with a wave. I did not intend for William to see that the girl quite intrigued me, nor did I intend him to notice how I looked forward to meeting her. He gathered that without my input, as I would expect from my oldest friend and confidant. 'I wonder if she's worth the thought I've put into her?' I thought as I glanced back at the security camera, where she was still hard at work. I found myself thinking about her most unusual eyes, bright gold as a recreant while being most assuredly human. I pushed the thoughts of Mercy out of my head and turned my attention back to my work, closing the lid to the laptop, so I could no longer have the temptation to watch her.

"Sir," William said as he came back from disposing of the woman's body, quickly leaving the office to return to his work.

Roughly thirty minutes passed before I was interrupted again. I sighed as I heard the footsteps drawing closer to my office door, waiting for whoever would knock shortly. I knew it wasn't William - he would have no great need to interrupt me, and if something came up, he would use the intercom.

"Mr. Vincent?" A soft voice came from outside of the door, knocking so softly; indeed, no human would have been able to hear it. Curiously, I stood and crossed the room, opening the door to find myself looking down into the elegant face of Mercy.

As soon as I opened the door, a furious blush spread through her cheeks as she looked down nervously, her heart beating erratically. "I'm sorry for disturbing you, Mr. Vincent, but Mr. William was not at his desk, and I wasn't sure if I should have left these or not," she mumbled quickly, showing me the files in her hands.

"Very well, come in," I said, stepping to the side to allow her into my office. 'Such an innocent little thing you are, Mercy.' I thought as I watched her gasp out softly, then enter the office. I could smell the fear radiating from the young girl as she slowly took a few steps forward. Even more than her fear, I could smell her intoxicating virginity. I couldn't believe a girl this beautiful had not been claimed, but that only amplified my already intense interest in her. I could tell she had to force herself to move, as her legs were shaking. I had to hold back my chuckle as I walked to the desk, sitting on the edge of it before reaching for the files she held.

"W- Would you like me to leave them with you, Mr. Vincent?" she asked softly, hesitantly bringing her bright gold orbs to meet mine.

"You're here now. Best not to waste the trip," I said, motioning with my extended index finger, reminding Mercy that she still hadn't handed me the file.

"Oh, sorry," she apologized, setting the file in my hand.

I took the file from her slowly, brushing my hand against hers as I did so; the pleasure I received from her reaction was nothing short of demonic enthrallment as I watched her body tense at the contact. "Will you be telling me what this is, Mercy, or am I to read this entire file?" I asked her softly, keeping my eyes trained on her as she apologized again, then gasped out softly.

"You... You know my name?" she uttered in surprise, her golden eyes lighting up in a mixture of emotions as she waited for my response.

"I do," I acknowledged, not giving her the answer, she was hoping to receive. I knew she wouldn't ask me how I knew, but her curiosity was clear.

She nodded softly, biting her lower lip as she held her hand out for the file, then took out a few of the papers, setting them on the desk before her. She began explaining the file contents to me, but I found myself unable to care as I was entirely engrossed with drinking her in.

She had the most unapologetic soft, pink, plush lips. Every time she opened her mouth to speak, I wanted nothing more than to bring those lips to mine. Her long hair was a dark hazelnut up close, rather than the black I thought it was earlier underneath the sun. Her porcelain skin was just as perfect as I thought, silky and smooth. She wore a white blouse with a modest length wine-red skirt, unlike the other women in this building who wore so little clothing they may as well be naked. She spoke in the softest, most honey-like voice I'd ever had the pleasure of hearing in my two centuries on this earth. It was like a lullaby; every word she uttered was soft and even, her voice never cracking or changing in pitch. I hung on her every word, despite not listening to an actual word she said. I wanted her to continue speaking until I was tired of the sound, which I knew would not be in her natural lifetime.

"So, we'll just need your approval to continue with the project, Mr. Vincent," she finished, carefully arranging the papers back in the file before handing it to me.

"Why did you choose an internship here, Mercy?" I asked her, taking the file she handed me, with no intention of paying any mind to it.

"I'm sorry? Oh, I love Mrs. Cho's work, and learning from her is my dream. So, when I was offered the opportunity, I took it," Mercy explained quickly, her eyes lighting up as she talked about Mrs. Cho, telling me that she indeed meant every word of what she'd said.

Though I couldn't agree with her assessment, I respected her admiration for the woman and approved of it. Despite my distaste for her, she is still an admirable role model for a younger woman to have and aspire to be like.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but it is an unpaid internship, is it not?"

"You are correct, Sir. I have another job that I go to after this one," she said with a soft affirmative nod, then gasped out, widening her eyes in shock. "Oh, Sir. Please don't take that the wrong way! I love this job and, I don't mind it at all."

I took this as an excuse to put my hand on her shoulder, shaking my head softly. "Don't worry yourself so much, Mercy. It was just a question," I responded, and much to my chagrin, I removed my hand. Though I wanted nothing more than to touch more of her skin, I knew it was too quick to go to such lengths. This girl is still a virgin, and I refused to believe it's because of nothing other than her own choice. So, I needed to be smart and patient if I wished to make her mine. I leaned down to sign the agreement, then handed her the file back with a soft smile.

"Thank you, Sir," she said, returning my smile before walking out of my office, closing the door softly.

'I will bide my time, but you will be mine, Mercy.' I thought as I watched the door, listening as her footsteps faded until she reached the elevator to return to her floor.