Cold Heat (Kaybee x Sugo)

The floor hummed with conversation, just barely audible over the low thump of the beat. It was -and was not- like a heart, for Joanna Klei knew the sound of a beating heart well, and the music did not hold that same two-tone rhythm with all it's fluctuations and bodily interactions of love, and fear, and anger. To one whose heart had not beat for centuries now though, it was at the same time something of a solace to feel a pounding that reverberated in her chest like this did, and thus, perhaps it was not a human heart, but it was a close enough replacement to a vampire, and she had often wondered if this sensation was why so many of her kin spent their time in nightclubs.

Joanna hadn't always been 'Joanna' though she'd always held some variation on the name, and this corporate empire was hardly the first kingdom she'd seen over either, though it was in many ways both the smallest and the largest. She'd been born 'Josiane' in 1522 -a backwater daughter of a backwater noblewoman in France- and had fallen for the affections of a charming traveller who had later revealed himself a vampire and turned her. At first immortality and power had been fun toys, but she had begun to chafe at his control, and when he was captured and killed by hunters in the late 1600s, she hadn't wept a tear at the freedom she had gained by his death. From there on, she had operated on her own, never aspiring to marry a king or beget a rebellion as so many of her kin she came to know dreamed of doing. She was content to rule prosperously in little baronies and the occasional duchy, places where disappearances and strangeness were not so easily detected.

By all accounts she'd done well for herself, having survived all but a handful of those turned in the same time frame as her, making Joanna one of the oldest vampire living in the western world, and to make things better, one of the next oldest was one she had turned herself, which in many ways added his power to her own.

At present, Joanna was a businesswoman, head of a small but prosperous corporate empire, known well, but not well known, which was precisely how she preferred it. She held sway over six childe of her own, each of them all the more devoted for the personal attention she could grant them in a way that would not be possible with a larger host, and she had thought those six would be sufficient for the forseeable future until a young man had crossed her path, one of her workers. At first, he'd captured a moment of her notice with looks, a rare feat to a woman who had seen some of recorded histories greatest beauties, but he'd proven intelligent and dedicated, and she had begun to consider bringing him into the fold as time had gone on. Tonight was to prove in part an excuse to talk with him, and take his measure personally in a setting more relaxed than the corporate office of day-to-day interactions.

"Damien..." Joanna had paced the edges of the party for some time, exchanging pleasantries and talking with those who might otherwise get no chance to speak with her were she to remain amongst the highest echelons of her company in the center of the floor and now she approached him slowly, a slightly wider than merely polite smile on her face. "Are you enjoying the party so far?" She shifted her weight slightly as she came next to him, standing just a little closer than could be considered platonic but not so close for it to be considered improper...

Damien Black a fairly young intern at Klei and Fairclough, a fairly large investment company for such a small city that they resided in wasn't too much of a huge fan of the work parties that seemed all too common for his liking, however it would be rude and not right for him to not turn up to them, he had to show his face, especial if he ever wanted to get out of his internship and onto.. bigger and better things. At parties like this he mostly spent his time around those of his team, his small group on the third floor, there was only about 8 of them up there so it was fairly easy to sit down at a table and have a conversation about other plans they might have, what they're to do after this party and what they had in mind for the week to come. However after Damien had gotten up to get a refill on his drink, nothing too special, simply water he wasn't a fan of consuming alcohol at a work party, one wasn't quite them self when under the influence of it and it would be unfortunate if drunk Damien was to do something stupid that would certainly put a damper on his progress in the company. It was then that he heard his name..

His name was called by an unfamiliar voice, but one that just rung out of authority, importance, the voice you couldn't help but feel yourself turned to look at even if it wasn't you it was addressing, however this was Damien that was being addressed. He turned to the direction of the voice and a minor flush appeared on his cheeks as he stood up a little bit straighter, subconsciously running his hands over his suit to straighten out and creases there may be while holding his head up high as she approached, as she approached Damien made sure to keep watch with a gentle courteous smile on his face as his eyes flicked over her absorbing what he was looking at. The simple hair cupped up in a ponytail allowing for straggles to fall on her face without care, the one bare leg sticking out from the long black dress, her skin there as pale as the skin on her face, she wore such a simple dress but something about her just made it look so.. not simple. The woman, the one who'd called his name was none other than Joanna Klei, as in, Klei from Klei and Fairclough, his heart sank in nervousness in his chest as she approached him, despite himself towering over her by at least half a foot he felt like he was small in her presence, her influence, her status, her importance, these where just a few things that she had in buckets that Damien didn't have, she then posed a question, standing so close, so close that she could reach out a hand and take his into hers without even a significant stretch of her arm and Damien struggled to find his voice.

After a few brief moments for the nervousness to die down he started to speak, calmly and in a gentle tone he didn't show any of the terrified nervousness he had of talking to his bosses, bosses bosses boss at one of these little work parties, but it was there, it was 100% present throughout all that he said. "Yeah.." he said softly at first looking around as if he was taking everything that was in around him "They're interesting, I don't really know too many people here though so.. I.. I just keep to myself and my team mainly." he said in a soft and confident manner, trying to make himself seem fairly casual but in a formal manner, he wanted to be respectful and professional but he didn't want to seem a stiff, and he felt like he'd done it in a fairly satisfying way, he sipped a little bit from the glass of water that he carried before letting his hand bring it back down to a casual hold at around his upper chest. "Are you, enjoying the party Ms. Klei?" he asked softly trying to keep the natural flow of conversation going without making it too obvious that he was nervous, he was a bit terrible at it, not only was she so important but she also had a certain level of beauty that he was, in a way interested in. He was just so impressed by her, she appeared no older than late 20's and yet she had her name in this companies name, and not only in it, before the co-owner Richard Fairclough, an older much more expected to be a successful business man if you where to bump into him on the street, no offense meant by his thoughts to Ms. Klei but if he were to bump into her in the street she would give him more of a Personal Assistant vibe than that of a significantly important Co-Owner of a large company, that was for sure.

She kept her eyes on him, drifting only to look at the rest of him rather than over the rest of the crowd, and she wore a pleasant smile as they talked, a touch personal rather than impersonal. "It's invigorating..." She replied softly. "I can't see what's underneath the corporate drone masks unless people relax a little, it lets me keep a better tab on the pulse of the company..." Something in the way she said it seemed to emphasize 'pulse' bringing an image of a beating heart to her mind, warm blood, singing all around her. She held back from licking her lips delicately, though she couldn't keep her smile from going briefly feral, perfect teeth bared ever so slightly in a faint grin.

"You know Damien, Richard and I have been talking... You've drawn some interest to yourself -nothing bad I assure you- and I've been thinking it might be good to know you a little better." She laughed like shattering crystal, beautiful and awe-inspiring in the same sound, smiling up at him as it faded, unfettered want in her eyes for a moment before she did finally look away over the crowd, and when she brought her eyes back to him, there was nothing more than friendly interest in her gaze once more...

"Do well for yourself and you may be seeing more of me sooner than you think..." That flirtatious tone for a moment lent another implication to those words, and she leaned slightly, letting the exposed leg stand clear of the rest of her dress and giving a brief view of the pale valley between her breasts, though once again it was gone as though nothing had happened a moment later. Joanna repressed a smile again, glad to slip back into the hunt for a brief moment. "You can expect me to be in touch at the least..."

Then she was away again, walking off through the crowd. She couldn't spend all evening talking to a single intern after all, but she did keep one eye on him as she moved away, risking chuckling at his confusion as she spoke to other partners in the company. She didn't want him leaving before she got another round of talking in, but she thought it more than suiting to let him chew over the implications of what she'd said for a little while before she got back to him...

There is something odd about the way she spoke to him, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it, her tone seemed, suggestive.. coupled with the words she was saying they could be taken in a few ways, some which would be... less than appropriate. But he listened on, it wasn't his place to talk over her, to interrupt her while she spoke, after all she was the boss. "The people from my team seem relaxed and enjoying it." he said softly with a gentle smile "I guess these events are much different for you, more of a.. business affair?" he posed the question slightly just trying not to seem awkward and like he wasn't good at small talk, he couldn't care less about what the business men spoke of at these parties, he just came for the social event and to show a face. Her next statement sent a wave of almost terrified awe over him, he wasn't sure how to respond to what she said, they where taking an interest in him? Why? What had he done that was special, he just fulfilled his contract, came to work every day and got his work done, he thought he did his job well but not well enough to catch the attention of not only one, but both of the founders of the company he worked at...

He gulped down his terrified anxiousness at what she said, the lump in his throat causing his neck to almost pop out a little bit, he tried to hide the nervousness, but he wasn't hiding it very well that was for sure. He was looking down at the woman, down into her eyes but it was quite hard to not notice the body underneath her head, especially when she lent forward after her blatantly flirtatious remark.. 'That can't be it.' he thought to himself at the obvious flirting from her, her lean had shown him a lot of skin from her cleavage and her leg was nearly all showing out of the flap on her dress, a slight lift would likely show the rim of whatever underwear she happened to be wearing to his event.. He forced the crude thoughts about his boss out of his mind as fast as possible, and then she said she'd be in touch, he wanted to speak, to say something, but he was awestruck in more ways than one, she'd taken an interest in him? He was piecing together two separate scenarios here, that he couldn't keep out of her mind, it was the way she held herself when she spoke to him, so close to him, leaning in, showing him some of her ivory skin. He was sure that she'd know what she could and couldn't do in a dress to not show so much cleavage and so much leg but she did it anyway, and all he could think of was the second, less obvious reason she'd be taking an interest in him.. For personal reasons. It could simply be that she liked how he worked in the company and wanted to give him a promotion... No... That wasn't it, she had something else in mind and that, that was terrifying to him.

Before he'd come around to even speak she'd walked away, he was staring at her back his eyes looking at the long black dress tied by a knot behind her neck the dress missing a large portion of fabric showing off a large portion of her upper back the clear plastic bra strap obvious to blend in with her skin, her dress was magnificent, her body more so. When he'd finally regained control of his own mind and let the stunned awe seep out of him he turned and walked back to his table sitting down, the chatter at the table immediately turned to the fact that he'd just been speaking with her, he shrunk slightly in his chair feeling intimidated and then just said. "Yeah.. She.. er.. She said that she liked how well I work and was maybe considering giving me a permanent position, just, speculation really.." he said in a little white lie, it wasn't too far from what she had suggested, if, what she had suggested was actually the innocent version of the possible interpretation, he then looked over, towards her, she was with a group of partners but then he saw it, she was looking at him, it was subtle and discrete so that the people she was talking to wouldn't think that she was ignoring them but she was certainly at least keeping one eye on him, he flushed a deep red over his cheeks as he turned away after meeting her eyes to drink from his water slightly running his finger around his collar in a nervous action as he returned to the conversation with his table, trying to keep his mind off his little conversation with Ms Klei.

She caught his eye, and while a wink would be too much, a slight smile and a faint quirk of her eyebrows before he turned away. Perhaps he might think he imagined it, but frankly, anything that would fuel his imagination at this point was likely only to further her ends. "Saw you chatting with Black..." Joanna turned her attention back to her present company, one of the middle managers, a cheerful older fellow by the name of Michael who quite enjoyed life by her estimation. Naive in Joanna's eyes, and always a bit frustrating to talk to, but pleasant nonetheless. The sort of good man who wouldn't have lasted more than a week in another era, but one given leave to thrive in this present day...

"Oh? Yes, I've been hearing good things about him..." She smiled politely, and the man smiled back at her. "He's a good hard worker, resourceful too..." Joanna had already known that, a man who was anything less than useful wouldn't stand a chance at ever catching her eye for more than a moment or two, but it was interesting to hear what another thought of him. Of course, she held the words of this particular man in little to no regard by comparison even to those who had no place amongst her childes, but ever confirmation only made her more sure of her decision to eventually turn him.

Besides, it had been such a long time since she'd truly had a chance to play with a man who had no idea what awaited him. To be back in full form was truly a form of intoxication all it's own.

Joanna said her goodbyes, and made her way steadily around the party again, steadily spiraling inwards, taking glances back at Damien's table whenever she could spare a moment or two. She wasn't thinking of turning him tonight, but that hardly precluded some fun between them, and it would only make the eventual turning all the sweeter Of course, that meant ensuring he didn't leave without her noticing first, and as she circled further before circling closer, the gaps between one look and the next grew longer and longer. She meant to make her way back over in relatively short order, but business being business, every conversation took up time...

Damien was on edge, there was something more about that woman than her high status and influential position at the company, but he just couldn't quite put his finger on it, his co-workers where making little comments here and there about the altercation they'd all watched between Damien and Joanna out in the open of the middle of the party, Damien reached over to his glass of water on the table, drinking it's contents and standing up. "I'm going to... Leave." he said softly, his voice cracking and hesitant as he spoke, his smile not as charming as normal, he had a lot on his mind. What exactly did she mean? 'They where taking an interest' this party wasn't the best place for Damien to think about this, there was too much noise and too many snark comments from his co-workers. He departed from the table moving across the room looking over towards Joanna who seemed to be enthralled in conversation with a man, quite a bit taller than her and looking in his 30's with long brown hair slicked back and patchy facial hair. This man had done Damien a favour, helping him avoid any more confrontations with the woman who'd invaded his mind this night. He quietly without bringing any attention to himself left the building picking up his coat on his exit and departing out the front of the building off to his rather cramped apartment for the night before his weekend begun.

The man who'd given Damien this favour was not aware of his actions, but boy would Joanna be sure to tell him what he'd done when she realized her 'target' Damien, had slid out of the party without her knowing. While her eyes had been looking over to Damien every now and then between her business talks with the people of the party there was one person in the entire world who would maybe make her not flick her eyes away towards her target. As she spoke with one of the older, shorter, more balding middle aged men employed in a high position at the company a cold hand found it's self on her waist, holding her body as the other hand found it's place on the other side of her, the cold shivers running throughout as the touch of what could only be a vampire was present on the sides of her body, he seemed to demand control, demand that she remained facing forward while he played his little game even though he hadn't even spoke yet it was just a feeling that he presented with the way he held her. The man in front of Joanna nodded his head respectfully whether it was to her or to the man behind her was unclear, and then he moved away.

The hands became more loose, giving her more freedom, allowing her to turn and finally see the figure so confident that he would come up behind a woman of such status and place his hands on her like she belonged to... It wasn't that she belonged to him, but rather her heart most certainly did belong to him. Standing in front of her with a charming smile on his face was Richard Fairclough dressed exactly as one would expect him to be dressed, a shirt unbuttoned by two buttons at the top and the shirt had clearly been ironed, nor was it tucked into his black trousers which had a belt peaking out of it slightly, one of the sleeves rolled up to his elbow the other hanging loosely at his cuff as he looked down at her. Joanna certainly had a handsome and populated cohort of men in her domain, but there was one that she'd turned who no longer lived with her, no longer served under her ever whim and that was Richard, her first, her lover in her mortal life. Their love was so strong that Richard was invited into the leagues of the Vampire kind by her shortly after her turning. "I thought I'd find you here." that soothing, charming, domineering voice seemed to say as he looked down over her, he didn't put any effort into his charm it was just there, that 12th century nobleman still resonating inside of his voice regardless of the current century. A large cold hand on the 6 foot 3 inches, maybe even higher, man reached down and brushed the sole curl of her hair out of her face and behind her ear, they'd spent centuries together, just the two of them vampires by nature but one nature was more true, the love that they'd shared throughout those centuries, while it didn't burn as hot as it had in the past, it was still there. 3 Centuries of togetherness aren't possible with at least a few rows. "800 years and not a shed of beauty lost, this is no curse." he said with a soft smile looking down into her eyes, he'd come to this party at his own company for one reason and one reason only, to catch Joanna before she went home to her cohort and got brought into their arms, maybe he'd take her back to his place tonight, away from the men, it was a lot easier to control his own cohort of ladies than it was to control the testosterone filled men that populated Joanna's residence.