CHAPTER XXV

Evening falls and Rachael is up and energized though she is clueless about what to do with so much energy so she decides to do what she does best in the club, work.

She enters her office and smiles, nothing is out of place.

Everything is where it is supposed to be; she turns on the system and begins to check the Club's invoice and transaction records.

She picks up a telephone and punches in some numbers, "Bryan, send the recent entries in the bar's invoice" she says before she drops the phone.

She tries to focus on the work at hand but it is quite difficult as her mind deviates from work to recent events.

She wants to kill Count Dracula but that isn't going to be easy, it's not something you just wake up one day and have the ability to do.

You have to be both mentally and physically prepared for it, mentally she is motivated, he killed her mother after all but physically she may not be up to the task.

Gabriel and Samuel are immortals with centuries of experience and yet in all that time, they haven't been able to kill Count Dracula.

What will a puny mortal girl be able to do?

No, that's not the kind of mindset I need if I am going to end him, I have to be strong, stronger than my father and my mother was.

Gabriel took Nightmare for safekeeping but I have to be ready when the time comes to use it.

The door to her office opens and one of the club dancers pokes her head into the office, "The boss wants to see you on the roof," she says before leaving.

Samuel? Why does he want to see me? Maybe he wants to check up on me, no need to deliberate so much on it when I can just go and find out.

Thinking about it, she has never been to the roof of the building but then only a few people have.

She walks out of her office and makes her way to the elevator.

The music and the sounds of people having fun in the club, she did not know how much she missed it until now.

She enters the elevator.

Now that her mother is gone, the closest thing to family she has is John.

Her father was an orphan who was raised in foster homes and her mother did not let Rachael know her family for reasons only she knew.

Rachael wonders if the twins can be trusted.

They have both been nice to her, Gabriel with his strong aura of dominance and Samuel with a charm that hides the darkness underneath.

Her life changed when she met them and the only reason she took the job was to find out if any of them was her savior five years ago and of course, she was unemployed.

She knows for sure that one of them must have saved her but whom?

Samuel had already saved her once and Gabriel who she initially thought was an asshole is caring contradictory to the emotionless face he usually portrays.

She sighs as the elevator opens and she can't believe what she sees.

She walks out to a welcoming scene as beautiful red petals create a pathway for her leading up to a table for two.

The candlelight on the middle of the table illuminates the plates and the covered dishes while a soft song plays in the background, its melody letting her loose and putting a smile on her face.

She walks slowly towards the table as her eyes dart from left to right trying to find Samuel in the mix of this beautiful scene, "Champagne?", she yelps and jerks in fear, falling against Gabriel's chest and he holds her firm.

She looks up at the 6-foot man who looks down into her glassy brown eyes as her head rests against his chest.

Her mind goes blank as he holds her gaze with one arm around her waist, "Are you alright, Rachael? You look flustered" Gabriel says and Rachael puts some space between them hiding her blushing face.

Gabriel? It's Gabriel and not Samuel.

He is sweeter than she thought.

She raises her head to see Gabriel already at the table pulling out a sit for her.

She eyes his chest as his tight grey shirt does little to hide them, she sits down and he pours her a glass of champagne, holding the end of the bottle like a real pro.

He puts a plate in front of her and opens the dish revealing a grilled pork belly while another dish has macadamia nut-crusted chicken.

Rachael takes in the aroma of the food in front of her.

There is kimchi soup on another plate, he serves her and she wonders what is going on.

Gabriel sits across her, "What are we celebrating?" Rachael asks, "Humans say life is short, so we have to celebrate when we can" Gabriel says as he sips from his glass of champagne.

Rachael just nods, "Come on, dig in" Rachael uses the knife to cut a bit of the meat and place it on her plate.

She dips it inside the soup before she eats it.

The taste gives her a feeling of ecstasy as her tongue rolls against the meat licking the soup before she chews.

Every bite gives off a feeling of pleasure and spice as her taste buds absorb the delicious meal.

"This is good, where did you get it?" "I made it myself," Gabriel says.

Rachael's expression shows her surprise, "I didn't think you could cook" "Why?" "You don't look the part," she says and Gabriel laughs.

Rachael has never seen Gabriel laugh, a genuine laugh.

He looks handsome when he has such an expression and Rachael's eyes dart from his face to his chest as he leans back.

"How do I usually look?" Gabriel asks, "You look like a hard guy with your leather jacket, if I met you on the street I would think you were a biker" she says and Gabriel laughs again.

She is livelier than he expected, "Seems like you have been looking at me for a while now, should I be worried?", "Only if you keep cooking like this, I may just kidnap you" Rachael says.

"I wouldn't be against that.

Being stuck with a beautiful girl has never been a bad thing," he says smoothly.

She blushes; "Oh please, you are just trying to seduce me?" "Tell me, is it working?" Rachael takes her glass of wine and hides her flustered face behind it while its content goes down her throat.

"No," she mumbles behind her glass.

Gabriel chuckles as he eyes her smooth skin; he hears the sounds of her swallowing as he watches her neck until she drops her glass.

He sees a bit of the liquid roll on one side of her lip and without thinking he moves the wipe it off with his thumb.

He stares at her pink lips as he wipes the liquid off her face and she stares back at him, his hand feels rough and soft against her skin causing a paradoxical sensation.

"Thank you," Rachael says as Gabriel pulls away, his heart beating fast and a new feeling intrudes his body.

He never thought she would make him feel so vulnerable even without trying, "Where is the music coming from?" she asks, "I've got a speaker in the corner," "You are a romantic, aren't you?" she asks and Gabriel feels cornered.

Why am I feeling like this?

Gabriel just smiles.

Gabriel and Rachael talk for a while after they finish their meal.

Rachael feels much better as her thoughts no longer dwell on the pains of her loss and Gabriel's heart is thrown into disarray as different questions and feelings entangle themselves in his mind.

A song comes up, "I Can't Get No Satisfaction" by Rolling Stone, "This is Satisfaction, my father loved this song. Come on, let's dance" she says, "Are you sure?" "Are you shy?", Gabriel chuckles, "You are kidding me," he stands up and they move away from the table, "Try to keep up," he says.

Gabriel and Rachael have a little dance-off with each showcasing nice moves before falling into each other's arms and they dance together.

The music changes into a slow one and turns the rooftop into a scene from "Kate and Leopold".

They dance in silence for the period of the song, their eyes sharing a tender frequency as they hold a long gaze.

If the eyes are the windows to the soul then Rachael is staring into Gabriel's soul and it is beautiful.

Gabriel admires Rachael's strength, even with all the pain she still has this much energy.

He brought her up here to make her feel better but instead he is the one who feels better after spending time with her, if he didn't know better he would think that he is in love.

Is he?

"Wow, isn't this romantic?" her voice pierces his ears like a needle, he knows this voice and he hates it.

"Gretchen".