Duet in Blood by J. P. Bowie Page B

BLOOD
    J.P. Bowie
    61

Chapter Five
    The following night, Joseph picked me up at my apartment for our dinner date with his friends in the Hollywood Hills. I gaped at the beautiful mansion ahead of us as the cab sped up the long driveway that branched off La Verna Avenue. Every window was alive with light, and the grounds that surrounded the house were artfully lit, illuminating myriad trees and bushes scattered across the rolling lawns.
    “Wow, this is some place.” I glanced at Joseph who squeezed my hand and smiled.
    “This is one of your really wealthy clients, right?”
    “Don’t be intimidated by what you see,” he said. “Marcus is a very modest man,
    despite his wealth. You’ll find that he and Roger are very easy to get along with.”
    Despite his words of assurance, I still felt a tad nervous as the cab pulled away, leaving us alone on the mansion’s steps.
    “Are we the only guests?” I asked, noting the absence of cars on the driveway.
    “There will be probably be a few more, but it looks as if we are the first to arrive. Come on.” He took my arm and led me up the steps to the massive front door, which swung open as we approached.
    “Good evening, sirs.” A young girl with a sweet smile beckoned us inside. She was wearing black pants and a white shirt that bore the words, Arnold’s Catering , embroidered on the breast pocket. I stood awestruck for the moment by the magnificence of the marbled foyer lit from above by a huge art-deco chandelier made of amber glass. God, but this place was incredible.
    “Joseph!”
    I stared at the tall, smiling man who strode across the foyer towards us. He wore a white tux shirt, open at the neck, and black jeans slung low on his narrow hips.
    Oh. My. God.
    No man had the right to be this beautiful! He was surely from some other dimension, some other world where only the genes of perfect people were allowed to mingle. I watched as he took Joseph into a warm embrace. Their lips touched in a tender kiss, and their DUET IN BLOOD
    J.P. Bowie
    62
     
    foreheads pressed together while they smiled into each other’s eyes. I’d started to feel as if they’d forgotten I was there, when he turned his dazzling green eyes on me.
    “You must be Micah,” he said, smiling and showing perfect white teeth. He held out his hand. “I am Marcus.”
    I grabbed his hand. “I…I’m very pleased to meet you,” I stuttered, my voice sounding weird in my ears. His hand was strong, cool and strangely comforting. I hoped mine wasn’t clammy. I couldn’t take my eyes off his face. Those emerald green eyes held me in an almost hypnotic spell.
    “You are very welcome, Micah.” His voice was low, husky, melodious…sexy. I
    dropped my gaze, embarrassed to have been staring at him like some mesmerised
    teenybopper.
    “Where is Roger?” Joseph asked.
    Marcus chuckled. “In the kitchen, annoying the catering crew I expect.” He took my arm. “Come, we’ll have some wine before the others get here.”
    He led me into an enormous room, beautifully decorated with a stunning array of art-deco furniture and wall hangings. If I’d felt out of my depth in Joseph’s hotel suite, I was truly floundering now. I had never seen so many beautiful things all in one room before—
    except at the Getty, but this all seemed to fit perfectly together, giving the room a truly comfortable atmosphere, rather than the impersonal air of a museum.
    “This is just beautiful,” I murmured, as Marcus stepped behind what looked like a really well stocked bar.
    “Thank you.” His smile was genuine, yet he must have heard that same remark a
    hundred times from a variety of guests. “Roger and I love this room. Would you care for a glass of red wine? I have an excellent Pinot Noir…your favourite, Joseph.”
    “Lovely,” Joseph said. “But Micah prefers beer.”
    “I have that, too.” Marcus ducked below the bar and retrieved a bottle of Michelob. “Or would you prefer a Bud?”
    “The Michelob,