My heart pounded and my head spun as I raced to the bathroom. I gripped the sides of the sink before splashing some cold water over my face.
Mr Astello was by far the most intimidating man I'd ever met. He went from being friendly with a sexy-as-sin smile, then to an evil predator. He'd stilled and I could have sworn I heard him growl slightly.
His intense eyes burned a fire inside of me, and I found myself sweating and insanely nervous. It felt like I was locked in a room with a monster.
'He probably hates me. I knew it was too good to be true, I knew I wasn't the right man for this job. Maybe, it might be some sort of weird initiation they do on newcomers. Maybe, I should quit and look for something simpler, something more suited to someone so inexperienced and worthless,' I thought solemnly.
Tears mixed with the water as I stared at my reflection in the mirror.
However, I wasn't given much time to wallow before Luca pushed open the door and poked his head through.
"Oh good, I've found you,"
He moved inside and handed me a paper towel. I wanted the floor to open up and swallow me whole. No doubt my face showed how embarrassed I felt.
"Are you ok?" he asked.
I gave him a sheepish smile as I nodded. He didn't look like he was buying my poker face nor did he look like he was going to fire me but I wasn't holding out hope.
"Look, I know Dante can be a little scary but he's actually a pussycat. Come back with me, give him another chance and you'll see for yourself."
'Dante? His name suits him," I thought.
I guess I must have looked like he was lying because he started laughing.
"I'm being serious, besides being his assistant I'm also his best friend," he told me.
I wanted to believe him. My body was definitely responding to him but something else was warning me off.
I'd known I was gay as soon as I hit puberty. When the other boys in the orphanage would talk about girls' breasts and pussy I would leave the room, totally uninterested.
At first, I wondered if something was wrong with me, after all, at that age I should have been obsessed with sex and stuff. It wasn't until I saw an advert for Calvin Klein underwear or something like that, with lots of gorgeous and fit men wearing nothing but skimpy underwear, I realised I had been thinking about the wrong gender.
I imagined a thick, long cock pulsing in my hands or strong hands wrapped around mine, and my cock instantly hardened. So it didn't scare me that my body was reacting to the sexy-as-hell man I'd just run from.
"Come on, you'll be fine. He really isn't scary," Luca laughed, bringing me out of my thoughts.
'Yeah right!' I scoffed quietly.
"I mean it, you just caught him at a bad time. Usually, he is a great guy. Give him another chance," he urged, ushering me out of the bathroom and back towards the office.
Luca opened the door and I walked slowly behind him. I wanted Luca to stay in front of me kind of like a bodyguard. However, I've never gotten what I wanted. He pointed to the sofa and told me to sit down before leaving.
When Dante, I mean Mr Astello, came up I couldn't help the flinch. It really had felt like he wanted to attack me earlier.
"Sorin, I'm sorry, I hadn't meant to scare you," he told me as I tried to force myself to relax.
"No ... you didn't… I mean.." I stammered hating how scared I sounded.
"Yes I did," he interrupted with a small smile that made his face look softer. "I can not explain my actions but I promise that it won't happen again."
'What the fuck does he mean? He can't explain why he looked like he wanted to kill me?' I thought momentarily, getting angry.
Then that anger turned inward and my insecurities started to hit.
"Was I not who you were expecting?" I asked in a quiet voice.
I watched him clench his jaw before sighing. He looked like he was debating with himself.
"To be honest, no. You definitely were not what I was expecting but that isn't a bad thing," he started
I could feel my eyebrows crossing and my brain frying, trying to figure out what he meant.
"I hope you don't hold this against me and accept my sincerest apologies."
"I don't understand, Mr Astello," I told him after getting a headache trying to figure it out.
Mr Astello stood up and came around to sit next to me. His strong masculine scent hit my nostrils and my heart sped up. He smelled of some exotic cologne and something else, something that was all man.
My head started to spin and I could feel my cock straining against my pants. My hands itched to pull out the tie holding his hair up and weave through the strands. Catching my thoughts, I closed my eyes and shook my head in an effort to clear my mind. The last thing I needed right now was to have a huge boner in front of my boss.
"Please call me Dante, we don't need to be so formal," he smiled as he placed a hand on my leg. "After all, we will be spending a lot of time together."
The coldness of his touch was both startling and soothing against my heated body. Despite my aversion to touch, for a moment, it felt oddly soothing.
Then I felt something else, something I couldn't quite place, something I knew only skin-to-skin contact would make clearer. However, before I could give it a try he moved his hand away.
"What I meant earlier was that I've been following your work for some time now. I've even judged a competition that you won a few years ago. Though I never got to see you, I had imagined someone older and more extravagant. Don't get me wrong, I'm not disappointed, you're a very talented and handsome man."
My cheeks reddened at his compliment. It was hard to believe that this Adonis of a man thought I was handsome, let alone talented. To think he was a fan of mine as well was unbelievable.
"Before seeing your work in that competition," he continued. "I'd lost a lot of my passion for jewellery design. Something in me became disillusioned with it all."
"However, after seeing your work I was flooded with inspiration. Since then, I made it a point to see everything you put out. I even bought one of your pieces at your graduation show. Though I couldn't attend the event myself, I had someone go and purchase one of your designs."
My eyes widened as he pointed to a display case on the wall behind where he'd been sitting a moment ago. I'd been so focused on him before, I hadn't noticed it. I stood to get a closer look. It was a silver pendant with a blood-red stone.
It had been my favourite and I hoped I would have been able to keep it, unfortunately, someone had bought it. The stone was in the shape of a crescent moon with intricate silver vines wrapped around it. Never did I imagine that Dante Astello had been the one to buy it and let alone put it in a display case.
My cheeks flushed as I looked back at him. He'd moved up behind me as I gazed at it. This all felt too surreal. His smile was dazzling and I found myself lost in it. As if mesmerised, I slowly leaned forward. Inch by inch my face moved closer to his and he didn't move.
The only indication he was aware of what I was doing was the slight widening of his eyes. Something pulled at the back of my mind, telling me he wasn't pulling away or looking disgusted or angry. Instead, his eyes held lust in them directed at me.
Thankfully, before I could make a bigger fool out of myself than I probably already had, his phone rang, breaking the trance we both seemed to be under.
He moved to take the call and I mentally slapped myself. Over and over, I kept reminding myself he was my boss and I'd almost made a huge mistake.
When Dante finished the call, he returned to his earlier seat and I felt both relieved and disappointed. Clearing my throat, I copied him and decided to break the silence enveloping us.
"So Mr Astel…. I mean Dante, why did you want to see me?"
Dante smiled, seemingly unaffected by the almost kiss, he handed me a folder that had been on the table between us. Surprisingly, I'd never noticed it. Curiously, I opened the file and smiled.
"As you can see, it's the design brief for our next project. The theme is 'eternal night' and I want it to be something unique and stunning. We will be working closely together on this as the project is to be kept secret until its launch. The PR department only knows about the theme but that's it."
I was floored by the basic outline.
'The design should capture the timeless beauty of the eternal night. The moon's pale, soft glow should serve as inspiration for the piece, which should evoke feelings of warmth, love, and romance. The design should appeal to a wide range of audiences, from old lovers to new, and from those who have lost love to those who are still searching for it.'
'Our goal is to create a piece of jewellery that celebrates the enduring power of love and captures the magic of the eternal night.'
Instantly, I fell in love with the theme. The idea that the moon could give love to those in its glow was beyond brilliant.
Usually, in design, when thinking about love it's the typical hearts and cupids and such. This was a completely new concept that I was sure hadn't been done on such a grand scale before.
Dante wanted a design for a necklace, ring, earrings and bracelets. I knew each one would have its own challenges but I was beyond excited and I was eager to get started. I looked up from the folder to see him studying me.
"When can we start?" I asked excitedly.
Dante chuckled as he pointed at his watch and I knew what he meant. He was saying 'Right now!'
"I'll draft up some ideas. What's my time frame?" I asked as I stood.
"Tomorrow too soon?" he asked with a laugh.
"Not at all, I'll get started right away."
Without thinking, I reached out for his hand and bounced a little until I stilled.
The coldness I'd felt earlier was still there but now there was something else too. Instantly, I realised why he had felt dangerous before, why he was cold and why I'd felt scared.
Dante Astello was a vampire!