1.5 An Unexpected Surprise

Roland woke up tired, sore and confused.

'Where…?'

It took a moment for him to get his bearings but when he did the events of the previous night came back to him, up to a certain point at least. He remembered going out with his friends to a nightclub named the Elysium, he could vaguely recall some encounters with a few Mamono but the one that stood out to him was an older mysterious platinum haired woman named Maddie.

'Maddie…'

The thought triggered a chain of memories that him jerk upwards to a sitting position. He remembered the woman, their conversation, their drive to a Mamono run hotel and finally their night together. A night that started off well enough but devolved into a mess once she revealed herself to be a Vampire and sunk her fangs into him.

Despite the revelations brought on by his memories Roland didn't really panic. It helped that the subject of his anxiety wasn't in bed next to him and after a check he found that the woman was indeed gone. Surprisingly the more memories that came from last night the less he felt inclined to fear her. It's hard to really fear someone when you remember giving them back shots while they shouted lewd obscenities.

'That explains the soreness.'

He wasn't a stranger to post sex bliss but this might the most satisfied he's ever felt along with being tired. It's safe to say that his experience with Maddie was indeed the best sex he's ever had and probably ever will.

'Whoever I do it with next will have some truly massive expectations to overcome.'

Snorting at the thought Roland swung his legs over the side of the bed to gather his things only to pause. There was a covered tray next to the nightstand along with his clothes which were folded and seemed to be pressed and cleaned. Also on the nightstand is all his belongings he had in his pants pocket laid out neatly as well as a letter.

"What the-?"

That shouldn't be possible, Roland is a relatively light sleeper for the most part so if someone came in collected his stuff, dry cleaned it, came back and delivered this cart he should have woken up. With a growing pit of dread Roland swiped his phone off the nightstand to check the time.

The time showed 2:42pm.

The discovery was punctuated by the number of messages and missed calls left for him by his friends. Gritting his teeth Roland spent the next few minutes texting messages to reassure everyone that he is still alive and doing relatively well. He made sure not to mention Maddie and ignored any questions pertaining to her. It was a half measure at best and he will be hounded about it the next time they meet but for now he just needed time to think.

He found that there wasn't much to think about really. He went to Mamono nightclub, hooked up with a Mamono and now here he is the next day waking up to a empty bed. This is the textbook definition of a one night stand and while Roland still had reservations about how things went there wasn't much he could do about it.

No use complaining over spilt milk or whatever.

His eyes are once again drawn to the nightstand where an envelope sat. He didn't think that particular item was left by the hotel staff and from the looks of it contained some relatively beefy material. Picking it up Roland immediately noticed it bore the same aroma as Maddie's perfume. Opening it he pulled out a note that was handwritten in a cursive script he only thought possible through writing applications.

It read: Thank you for a wonderful night and I hope enjoy your reward, you've earned it.

Upon reading it he flipped the card over to find a set of numbers written on the back. Ignoring that for now he opted to search the envelope and found two items. The first item is a wad of crisp folded bills that amounted to $5,000.

"She must have been really impressed with my performance" he said with a wry smile.

As much as that fact was a boost to his ego he would be an idiot not to recognize the implications of this little payout.

'Well if nothing else works out for me at least I might have a successful career as a gigolo.'

After a moment he cringed, that joke was in too bad a taste even for being self depreciating. Seeing there was more he checked the third item in the envelope and froze before slowly pulling out a familiar white thong. Looks like Maddie was a woman of her word which was good(?) to know but at the same time…

"What the hell am I supposed to do with this?"

Shaking his head he stuffed the undergarment back in the envelope along with the note and sealed it. The money he put in his wallet after checking to make sure the staff didn't take any undo tips. Finally he uncovered the tray to reveal a food platter consisting of bread, fruit, meat and veggies. He expected them to be cold but against all odds the contents are the appropriate temperature as if freshly delivered.

The sight made his stomach rumble and saliva built up in his mouth. Now suddenly aware of just how hungry he was Roland almost dug in right there. Then he caught a whiff of himself and made a face. He smelled like a mixture of sweat, cologne, expensive perfume and sex.

"Ugh, shower first" he muttered after a long considering moment then smacking his lips as he became aware of a certain aftertaste on his tongue "ugh"

God he hoped they have complementary mouthwash in the bathroom.

After covering the food he entered the bathroom only to pause and do a double take once he got a look at himself in the mirror. Along certain parts of his nude body Roland could see some scratches and bruises.

"Jesus, we really did go wild last night."

And it seems Maddie embodied the phrase lady in the streets, freak in the sheets.

The physical evidence of their debauchery aside Roland also remembered the woman egging him on with the filthiest dirty talk even through the lust induced haze. She was very creative and dare he say very obscene with those yet she managed to do so in a posh and dignified way people of class do. How she can do that while also moaning and screaming like a slut is honestly quite impressive.

After taking a shower and dressing himself in his cleaned clothes admiring the work done as he did. He ate the food laid out for him, pocketed the extra money in his wallet, reluctantly pocketed the envelope with his 'trophy' and left the room. That was supposed to be it really, a one night stand with a mysterious older beauty he met at a high end nightclub. He'd tell his friends, earn some rep and it would be a cherished memory he won't soon forget.

…except she left him a card with her number on it and Roland had no idea what to do with that. Simple answer is she left it for a reason and was maybe probably expecting a call which was a…daunting prospect.

Don't get him wrong he would very much like to push for an intimate relationship not just because Maddie was easily the most beautiful woman he's ever met and last night was the best sex he ever had. Even before the sex Roland felt the two of them really connected during their conversation. He's never met a woman who can make him so engrossed in a conversation that he forgets both himself and the situation.

On the other hand the whole experience was soured after she went and bit him. Don't even get him started on whatever she did to make it seem like he took super viagra. He literally had sex with her until he passed out, losing count on how many times he ejaculated in and on her in the process. Some guys wouldn't mind that but Roland wasn't into that kind of shit.

He liked his sex very much vanilla. Leave that kinky shit for degenerate weirdos and older couples looking to spice up their marriage.

His mind went back to the number and with a grimace he muttered to himself "I can't just sit on this can I?"

No answer came to his rhetorical question and with a sigh he pinched the bridge of his nose "god damn that woman."

Whether it be to advance or terminate their relationship Roland would have to call her back. To not do so would make him feel too scummy. Even then there's a chance that she could call him even if he didn't give her his number who's to say she didn't swipe it from his phone while he was asleep.

'Something to check later.'

If it wasn't already obvious Roland wasn't exactly looking forward to interacting with Maddie again, at least not so soon. Fortunately he just so happens to have the perfect distraction from that in the form of a job interview coming up for him in a few days. If he's being honest that might be one of the few things that could distract him from thoughts of Maddie. See Roland had priorities and finding a sustainable job with good pay and benefits will always come before a woman he met a nightclub and had a one night stand with.

Roland was actually hoping that this new job will continue to distract him.

Yes he was very aware that this was procrastination.

Yes he was also aware that doing it would make him feel bad.

Yes he was also aware that this was a delaying tactic at best and even then she could end up calling him.

Frankly he was hoping for the latter if only because Roland knew for a fact that it would be a long time before he could build up the nerves to make that call and would rather have it made for him.

And so Roland made his decision to ignore the opportunity and procrastinate against his better judgment.

Several Weeks Later…

Roland stepped into the building wearing a white dress shirt, grey pants and black shoes.

'Alright Roland you're halfway there, all you need to do is ace this interview and you're in' he thought as he entered the elevator 'can't even imagine how many people are vying for an opportunity like this.'

He would be lying if he said he wasn't nervous about this job interview. Things haven't been going so well for Roland and other recent graduates lately. For context in order to foster good relations with humanity the mamono leadership has partnered with various governments to create a schooling system to teach mamono modern earth education. Turns out this year happens to be the graduation of the first generation of mamono studying at the university level.

Long story short mamono are now officially on the market for jobs and companies are hiring them like hot cakes. There are various reasons for this such as diversity quotas and how companies can tap into a new market. Not to mention you can't go wrong hiring a supernaturally beautiful woman for public relations. Plus in his opinion upper and middle corporate management are filled with perverts and mamono are essentially and easy out for them to get away with sexual harassment since the single ones don't mind being paid overtime in taking backshots from the boss.

Was he being too harsh or exaggerating?

Maybe, but it's been over a month now and Roland has been turned down everywhere he applied and he knew for a fact that it's because a mamono applied for the same position. At one point he was made to wait with his competition who turned out to be a Succubus who looked like she came straight off the set of a porno set in an office. The interviewer came out, took one look between us, called the succubus in despite him arriving first and well…that's all she wrote.

He didn't even bother sticking around since he could tell the man's mind was made up from the look in his eyes.

With his savings running low Roland had to resort to sending out his resume in a mass email through a job seeking website which was so fucking demeaning. He spent four years slogging through university graduating with honors and in the end he lost to a collective pair of tits. No wonder some of his friends decided to skip even attempting to get a 'real; job and turn to social media. He would have called it unwise but they built up following throughout university and now that they were fully invested they were making decent bank.

Enough to throw him a few bones with some freelance editing work for their videos. It was the only reason why he wasn't currently on the streets. Luckily his losing streak didn't last and he managed to score an interview with a recent startup company. The only thing he knew about it was that it was recently established by a wealthy Mamono investor. The lack of information on the company was suspicious even if it was understandable but Roland didn't care, beggars can't be choosers and all that.

Roland crossed the spacious lobby towards the elevator rode it up to the tenth floor as instructed in the e-mail. The elevator doors open to reveal a small reception area where beyond it were a few cubicles and to the side are a few offices. Owing to the fact that they are a relatively new and small company they don't actually have their own infrastructure yet so they are currently renting space in a building.

As he observed the quaint office space he couldn't help but notice how empty it was, there was literally no one there. He also noted that the place seemed to be undergoing renovations. Even the logo on the nearby wall marked Valentina Inc. wasn't finished yet.

'When they said new, they really meant it.'

"Excuse me sir?"

Roland turned to find that a woman now stood beside the reception desk. She was a few inches shorter than him with bright auburn hair styled into twin braids that go over each shoulder. She had smattering of freckles across the bridge of her nose and cheeks just under her green eyes which looked at him with curiosity. She was beautiful and for a moment Roland was at a loss for words which stretched the silence on a tad too much.

"Can I help you?"

"Uh yeah-I mean yes" he coughed fighting down the blush as the woman regarded him with a raised brow that was oddly familiar for some reason "my name is Roland Wayne and I'm here for the job interview."

For a brief moment the woman looked at him with confusion blinking before looking to the side with a frown.

Her reaction raised his heckled somewhat causing Roland to ask "is there a problem?"

"There just might be" she grumbled in a way he guessed he wasn't supposed to hear before she gave him a plastic smile "wait here a moment I need to speak to Miss Valentina."

Roland watched her leave. She wore a blue long sleeved dress shirt, black pencil skirt, nylon stockings and heels. His eyes trailed down to her rear which the pencil skirt complimented very well.

'I really hope I get this job.'

The redhead left him in suspense for a few short minutes before she came back looking mildly disgruntled.

"Miss Valentina will see you for the interview now."

Luckily it did not seem to be at him but whatever was said between her and the boss. At least he hoped however the expression she shot him had him mildly worried. It looked like a cross between curiosity, dread and pity which raised a red flag.

'Dammit I should have known this was too good to be true.'

He imagined that interviewer would be a hard ass or come to realize that his new boss is someone disagreeable, the working conditions to harsh or the pay to be subpar. What he didn't expect was to be greeted with the sight of a familiar woman sitting behind the office desk looking at something on a computer monitor. It's been a few weeks, her hair was done up in a French braid, she wore reading glasses and she wore a white dress shirt showing a genuine amount of cleavage but there was no mistaking her.

Same complexion, same alluring blue eyes and the same sophisticated tone when she spoke "thank you Loraine."

The redhead that was now named Loraine said something but Roland missed it staring in incredulity at the woman whose eyes never left the monitor.

*Click*

Looking over his shoulder Roland saw the door locked before turning back towards the woman sitting behind the desk. Roland found his heart rate picking up when he saw that those familiar blue eyes were now staring directly at him.

"Do take a seat Mr. Wayne" Maddie spoke "we will be conducting your interview now."

At the end of her sentence her red lips curled into smirk and her eyes briefly flashed into something that sent an ominous chill down his spine.

'Aw fuck.'

~To Be Continued~