Valentina Inc. Chapter 2

~The Interview~

At this moment, Roland couldn’t help but feel that his life had become a cosmic joke and that somewhere out in the vastness of a higher dimension, someone or something was laughing at him. It has to be because if it weren’t happening to him, he would be laughing too, but since it was in fact happening to him, he could not find it in himself to feel mirthful.

And what is this situation that has him in such a state?

Well, let’s set the scene.

Over a month ago, he and his friends decided to kick off their post-university graduation celebration by going to a nightclub. Said nightclub happens to also cater to the interdimensional monster girl crowd, and all things considered, things went pretty well. Roland would even go so far as to say that things went absolutely spectacular because he met the most beautiful woman he’s ever seen and the two hit it off. The night ended with the two of them going to a hotel and doing the horizontal tango.

Halfway through, some stuff happened. She turned out to be a vampire, bit him, and they proceeded to fuck more vigorously all night. Initially, this freaked him out, but after some time and thorough research on the effects of mamono vampire bites on humans, he eventually got over it.

Roland didn’t expect anything from that encounter, despite the reputation Mamono have cultivated for their, let’s say, quirkiness when it comes to relationships and how they choose (and keep) partners. He knew that not every Mamono encounter ends with a guy getting hitched. Mamono are capable of having casual sexual encounters. He didn’t think it was a casual encounter considering she gave him money, her number, and the panties she wore that night as rewards for his performance.

For the first time in a long time, Roland felt true indecisiveness because he had no idea what he should do with that number. As great as the sex was, Roland wasn’t exactly looking for a relationship, and even worse, he felt a little, well, a lot of apprehension about entering a relationship with a vampire. Not to be that guy, but he imagined his girlfriend to be on the ‘normal’ spectrum. So in the end, he ended up storing the number (but not on his phone) and kind of leaving it to eventually be forgotten.

It helped that he had an interview for a job for which he ended up not getting along with literally all of his prospects and then some, mostly in part due to the influx of Mamono entering the workforce. Roland ended up forgetting all about Maddie as he threw himself into finding a job.

At some point, Roland pretty much accepted that they would never meet again and that the encounter (and subsequent romp) with the beautiful and enigmatic ‘Maddie’ would forever be preserved in his mind as one of the highlights of his young adult life.

Except that wasn’t to be, because he did end up meeting the woman again; in fact, she’s literally sitting in front of him behind a desk. As if he wasn’t already apprehensive about another possible encounter with her, she had to show up in the absolute worst circumstance.

It turns out that his latest job interview he had today, the interview for the position of assistant to the CEO of a tech startup company called Valentina Inc., was being handled by none other than Maddie herself.

‘Not Maddie,’ he reminded himself.

To the surprise of absolutely no one, ‘Maddie’ wasn’t her real name; it’s actually Madelyn… Madelyn Valentina, the CEO of Valentina Inc., and his potential future boss. He used potential here because Roland really wasn’t sure if he was going to get the job now. Well, he wasn’t sure before he found out he had a one-night stand with his would-be boss and essentially ghosted her afterwards.

Was she angry?

Did he do the right thing?

Should he get the fuck out of there?

‘What the hell am I thinking?’ He internally berated himself.

He’s thinking because he had a one-night stand with his potential new boss and ghosted her, so there might be some hard feelings. She hasn’t said a word or even acknowledged his presence aside from her initial greeting and subsequent command for him to have a seat.

The question Roland found himself asking was, ‘how desperate am I?’

The answer is very desperate at this point. He could make rent for another month, but with his friends goodwill drying up, he might have to move back in with his parents if things kept spiraling the way they are, and that cannot be allowed to happen. At the same time, was he willing to go through the drama and awkwardness brought on by his decisions?

‘If I even get the damn job at this point’ he grumbled internally, ‘maybe I should just call this thing off and leave.’

Before he could talk himself into taking this course of action however, Madelyn finally finished whatever she was doing and began the interview in earnest. If not for their previous encounter, he wouldn’t think there was anything wrong or untoward about this whole setup. During the interviewing process, Madelyn was the perfect visage of calm professionalism, while he was frankly a mess. It’s not as if they teach students how best to approach a situation where your interviewer is someone you had a one-night stand with. Truly, Roland found it hard to even concentrate as Madelyn’s very presence seemed to rouse the memories of their affair.

All that preparation and experience, yet it felt like he was bombing harder than a Brendan Schaub comedy standup. That’s an exaggeration, and it’s not as if he’s a stuttering mess breaking out into a cold sweat or anything. Thankfully as the interview went on things became better as he allocated more brain power towards answering the questions. Eventually, the questions stopped a few minutes ago, plunging the room into silence as Madelyn ruminated.

After a long moment, Madelyn spoke: “I will be honest with you, Mr. Wayne; I think you are more than qualified for the job.”

“Oh-ahem” he cleared his throat “I mean, thank you?”

Madelyn raised a delicate eyebrow and said, “You don’t sound very enthused.”

“I… I apologize, ma’am; I have a lot on my mind,” he answered out, only to freeze at the smirk tugging at her lips.

“I can imagine,” Madelyn began, setting some papers aside to interlace her fingers together on her desk, “would it have anything to do with our shared night together?”

Roland’s eyes widened as his mouth dropped at the audacity.

“…”

In the interim, Madelyn kept her expectant look, meaning that she wasn’t about to let it go. So what choice did he have but to answer, and he chose to do so truthfully?

“A little,” he muttered.

“Am I making you uncomfortable, Roland?”

This time he didn’t hesitate to say “yes.”

“Unfortunately, this is something you will have to get used to, being my assistant and all.”

Basically, she’s telling him to get over himself.

“Right, I understand.”

Madelyn hummed for a moment as she regarded him. “Starting today, you will be the first human employee of Valentina Inc.”

“Oh,” he said, not knowing how to feel about that.

“Originally, I intended for this company to be owned and operated by Mamono for Mamono” she continued.

“Really?” he stated, feeling his suspicion grow just a little as he recalled Loraine’s reaction to his appearance. “Then why reach out and hire me?”

“Honestly?” Madelyn began, “part of it is PR, diversity quotas, and the usual corporate drivel.” She waved a dismissive hand and said, “I’m sure you know how it is.”

As a matter of fact, he did, but he didn’t believe that was all there was to it.

“Mostly, however, I found myself in need of a more skilled hand to handle the more technical aspects of this company,” Madelyn continued, “for as much as I and other mamono are lucky enough to partake in learning programs, we are still a bit set in our ways when it comes to modern earth technology and business practices.”

‘Okay, that makes sense,’ and it also lends credence to why she would specifically need a human assistant in the first place.

Not to toot his own horn, but his resume was impressive because he excelled and the outline demands of the job were very much worth the salary.

“Okay, I understand.”

“I am glad; now are there any other questions?”

“Is that why there isn’t much information online about the company?”

“Obfuscating information is a deliberate choice on my part,” she informed. “I’d rather not dissuade qualified individuals, but I don’t want to attract ne’er-do-wells. I am running a business, not a fetish brothel, as some would have you believe.”

Roland couldn’t help but cringe. Yeah, with Mamono having the kind of reputation they did, he could imagine some people signing on just to have an opportunity for sexual harassment in the workplace. As for dissuading qualified people, there are definitely those out there who wouldn’t be interested in working for a company created by Mamono for Mamono, for various reasons.

“Now onto other matters.” Suddenly, Madelyn got up out of her chair, walked around to the other side of the desk, and sat herself on top of it.

‘What is she doing?’ Roland thought, as the woman was now sitting two feet in front of him in an elevated position.

Madelyn then crossed one leg over the other, causing her pencil skirt, which was already on the shorter side, to ride up, revealing the garters holding up her stocking and her creamy thighs. Madelyn said nothing as she pinned him with a neutral expression. Eventually the silence stretched on to the point where he became uncomfortable, leading him to attempt to break it.

“Um…”

Like a switch, the vampire’s eyes turned a bloody red, and the atmosphere became heavier. “When a woman gives you her number, she expects you to call Roland.”

“…oh…”

‘Shit.’

~Forming Good Relations~

“Oh?” the vampire repeated, “is that all you have to say?”

As she said this, she shifted position to fold her arms while pinning him with a glare. The action emphasized her chest, showing off her cleavage.

‘…were the top buttons always undone?’

Because Madelyn did indeed have the top buttons of her blouse undone, showing off an impressive amount of cleavage enabling him to make out the color of her bra,

‘Red,’ the thought came to him, ‘just like her eyes.’

Shaking his head of those thoughts before his mind could sink further into the gutter, he managed to stutter out, “what, uh, what do you mean?”

“I gave you my number, yet you didn’t call.”

“I was…busy?” He said it slowly and with some confusion before continuing on, “looking for a job actually,” he added.

Her red eyes narrowed, and Roland felt himself wither under her scrutiny.

Finally, she said, “I believe you.”

‘Phew’

“But that’s not the whole truth, is it?”

‘Dammit.’

Roland was starting to become weary of this topic right now, but he knew better than to say something like, “does it really matter?” but that would be a stupid thing to say, however, because clearly it matters to her; otherwise, she wouldn’t have brought it up in the first place.

So what does he do now?

The only thing he can do.

“The truth is, I don’t want to be like your ‘boy toy’ or something like that.”

Madelyn blinked and tilted her head. “Boy toy?”

“You know ‘friends with benefits’?

Madelyn’s brows furrowed this time. “What?”

‘Guess those education programs didn’t teach her those idioms.’

“Basically sex friends or…” he trailed off, not willing to say fuck buddies.

Following that answer, Madelyn held up a finger forestalling anymore words “one moment” before reaching for her phone.

‘What is she…?’

A few seconds later, her scowl intensified for a brief flash before she closed her eyes.

“You thought I gave you my contact information as a means of making it easier to solicit you for sexual favors?”

It took a moment for him to realize what just happened.

‘She just Googled the definition of ‘boy toy, didn’t she?’

He mentally cursed at this hypothesis.

Madelyn opened her eyes as she put away her phone. “I’ll overlook that insult only because you clearly don’t have any experience with Mamono beyond what you’ve seen on the internet.”

He won’t argue with that.

“To dispel any misgivings, I want to make my intentions very clear, Roland,” and once again he found himself being pinned by her gaze. “I like you; I enjoyed our time together both at the nightclub and especially at the hotel.” She smirked a bit, and Roland felt his cheeks heat up a bit until she continued, “I would like to continue this relationship in a more official capacity.”

During her speech, Roland’s jaw dropped, and he was having trouble picking it off the floor. When he eventually did accomplish this somehow herculean feat, he asked a single question.

“Are you asking me out?”

For a long, unerring moment, Madelyn stared at him with a decidedly neutral expression before replying, “Sure, let’s go with that. What say you?”

What say him?

WHAT SAY HIM!?

“I… don’t know what to say.” He really didn’t, which says a lot about how tumultuous his emotions and thoughts are.

Madelyn pursed her lips. “Be honest, Roland, did you enjoy our time together?”

Roland swallowed, and after catching her expectant expression, he decided to play it safe and answer truthfully. “I did; the conversation we had at Elysium was-”

“Come now, we both know I’m not referring to that.” Her expression turned a bit flirtatious, which was in direct contrast to Roland’s discomfort. “But just so that there are no more misunderstandings, I will ask plainly: did you enjoy fucking me?”

‘What the hell is even happening right now?” Roland internally screamed.

Without any recourse to fall back on, he answered with a simple “yes.”

“Would you like to do it again?”

‘Holy shit’

“Is that a joke?”

She shook her head with a smile of amusement and said, “no joke.”

Roland massaged his brows for a bit. They both knew the answer to that, but Roland refused to admit it out loud.

Feeling sympathetic, Madelyn said, “I understand this comes as a surprise.”

“You don’t say?” He glared only to realize he said that out loud to his new boss and adopted a panicked expression as he attempted to backtrack. “I mean-”

“No-no, it is fine,” she interrupted. “After all, you came here for a job interview, and here you are being propositioned by your superior.” She paused. “Now that I’ve said it out loud like this, it is rather inappropriate, isn’t it?”

“Yeah,” he answered with a slow nod.

In response, she shrugged, “Oh well, in for a penny and all that.”

Roland’s mouth dropped. “Are you being serious?” he asked slowly.

His disbelief only grew when, in response to his question, she hiked up her skirt a bit and spread her legs.

“Does this answer your question?”

“Holy shit,” Roland muttered in disbelief as he stared wide-eyed at the valley between her thighs.

‘Red, he thought, which was quickly becoming her signature color, seeing how it matched her eyes, her heels, and her bra, which she also took the liberty of exposing by undoing more buttons from her blouse.

Roland’s tongue licked at his suddenly dry lips, and in an impressive feat of self-control, he dragged his eyes away from her exposed crotch and chest to look her in the eye.

“Why?” he asked in disbelief, “why are you doing this? Why me?”

Madelyn regarded him for a while with a look of contemplation, seemingly surprised by his question. After a long moment, she fixed her position a bit, closing her legs so she was no longer exposing herself to him.

“I have several reasons for doing this, Roland,” she began counting on her fingers. “First, regardless of how I present myself, I am still a mamono, for better or worse,” she added with a mutter. “Second, this job is very stressful, and I too need release on occasion. Third, you are an exceptional lover; and lastly, well,” she paused, and for the first time, he saw her hesitate with a brief look of uncertainty before regaining her confidence and finishing, “I like you.”

“You…like me?”

“Why are you so surprised? I don’t think I’ve ever shown displeasure towards you.”

She’s not wrong but…

“I mean, it’s just… why?” he once again reiterated.

Maddie pursed her lips with a considerate expression for a moment before she cleared her throat.

“Roland, I have been alive for… a very long time, centuries,” she added, causing his eyes to widen. “And after so long, I’ve realized that there is a shortage of good men to be found… or perhaps I was just looking in the wrong places.” She hummed before shaking her head. “In any case, you are not the first man I have had dalliances with. Most of them weren’t even memorable enough to survive a day or two in my memories. After our shared night together, I found myself coming back to it, and no, I am not just referring to the sex. Though if that were the case, it is more than I can say for any other man I’ve been with in recent or even distant memory.”

Roland would be lying if he said her words weren’t a boost to his ego, but at the same time, he couldn’t help but feel the slightest bit put off by the implication that she’d done this many times before. Now he couldn’t get the image of her trolling clubs at night in a sleazy dress for easy pickups. At least he couldn’t until he saw her direct a smile filled with fondness at him, and suddenly he was struck yet again by her beauty and expression.

“I’m not some hopeless romantic, but I cannot deny I felt there to be some, how do you humans put it, chemistry between us. Beyond the sex, I genuinely enjoyed our time together, and I hope I’m not the only one.”

It was easy to say that he felt the same way, but the look in her eye made him pause. Despite how she started, what she was doing right now wasn’t some kind of attempt at seduction, at least not entirely. It felt like she was actually giving him an honest-to-God love confession, which seemed so out of character from what he knew of her. Although with that recognition, he knew he couldn’t just give a half-assed answer. He has to really think about this clearly because he owes her at least that much.

So what did he think of Madelyn beyond her beauty, poise, and sex?

“I’m not going to lie here, Miss Valentina.”

“Just call me Maddie Roland,” she interrupted. “I think we’re past professionalism at this point.”

It felt weird calling her that even when they first met, “you can probably tell I’m really out of my depth here.” She nodded, biting her lip with an almost imperceptible look of concern. “I don’t really have any personal problems with pursuing a relationship with you.” He really didn’t, but at the same time, “but I don’t know if this can work out with you being my boss.” And that’s the crux: he didn’t have any personal misgivings about a relationship with her, but professionally, “I don’t want our relationship to undermine your authority and tarnish your reputation in the company.”

There is, after all, a reason why relationships between employees, specifically between a superior and a subordinate, are frowned upon. He was being incredibly serious here, which is why he was more than a bit put off by the rather airy laughter she let out.

“I understand your misgivings, but believe me, Roland, the others won’t bat an eye at our relationship.” The smile of mirth on her face grew wider and more seductive as she added, “You’ll come to find that here at Valentina Inc. we treat such things a bit differently than other companies when it comes to office relationships.”

‘Because Mamono, right?’

As sarcastic as that thought sounded, there might very well be ‘loopholes’ available for Mamono when it came to office relationships given their culture.

“So interoffice relationships are allowed then?”

“Among other things,” she teased.

‘What does that mean!?’

He opened his mouth to ask that same question but thought better of it and instead brought up another point.

“I don’t want my professional career to be determined by our relationship.”

It goes without saying that even if he could get that free ride to success of the back of his sexual prowess frankly Roland has worked too long and too hard in academia for all his efforts to be undermined just because he slept with the ‘right woman at the right time.’

At that, Madelyn straightened, the teasing expression gone from her face as she pinned him with a stern stare that was not quite a glare but made him anxious.

“That was never in question,” Madelyn said. “I may play fast and loose with traditional office policy, but I will not, nor will I ever, compromise the integrity of my business or my employees for pleasure. Do not expect special privileges just because we’re sleeping together,” her eyes narrowed dangerously, “in fact, expect even more scrutiny because of it.”

This time she was outright glaring at him, and Roland felt a bead of cold sweat run down the side of his face.

“I have standards both in my work and in my partners, and should you fall short of those standards. I will not hesitate to cut you loose. Am I understood?”

Roland swallowed “yes, ma’am.”

Madelyn’s expression softened. “I like to think I am an excellent judge of character and a reasonable woman. I wouldn’t have made this offer if I didn’t think you could handle it, but since I’ve thoroughly frightened you with the stick, I believe it’s time to introduce the carrot.”

As she said this, she reached behind her back and smoothly unhooked her bra before pulling the undergarment off, revealing her d-cup breasts to him.

“Should we really be doing this now?” Roland questioned while looking over his shoulder at the door behind him.

“No one is going to disturb us,” she assured.

Roland turned back to the woman, only to reflexively catch something she casually tossed at him. He held up the piece of fabric to reveal a pair of red lacy pants, the sight of which caused him to suck in a breath through his nose. Looking up, he saw Madelyn with her legs spread and her pussycat visible for him to see.

“Now I shouldn’t be the one to tell you how impolite it is to keep a lady waiting,” she paused with a tilt of her head, “or would you rather not take up my offer? Because if so, then the door is right behind you,” she said, pointing at the door.

Roland stared at her, but only for a moment.

‘You know what? Screw it.’

Roland won’t pretend he’s some paragon of virtue or whatever. He’s a red-blooded male, straight as an arrow and horny as fuck, thanks to the temptress before him. So it was with that thought that Roland surged to his feet, pants gripped in one fist, erection straining painfully against his pants, teeth gritted, and eyes laser-focused as he closed in.

~Sealing the Deal~

“That’s a scary look you have ther-hmph.”

Madelyn’s teasing remark abruptly ended when he pulled her into a searing kiss. It didn’t take long for her to lean into it.

“Hmm~” moaning against his lips, she gleefully parted hers as she felt his tongue prodding.

That wasn’t the only thing prodding her, and Madelyn’s hand cupped his erection through his pants with one hand. The other she hooked behind his head while draping her legs around his waist. After a short but intense makeout session, they finally parted with faces flushed red (hers more so) and panting.

“No need for foreplay,” she said breathlessly as her crystal blue eyes smoldered with lust.

There was a noticeable tug, and Roland looked down in time to see Madelyn pull down his pants and boxers, revealing his erection. Somehow, in the literal few seconds they had been making out, Madelyn was somehow able to finagle his trousers open with a single hand without him ever noticing.

‘How did she…?’

Thoughts of the woman’s supernatural speed and dexterity left him when she started stroking his erection, causing him to hiss out a groan.

“Hah, it’s even more magnificent than I remembered” Maddie cooed.

‘I can say the same for your hands… god damn’ He gritted his teeth.

Masturbation will definitely become totally obsolete after this. His hands will never be able to do it for him. With a growl, he pulled her forward, lined himself up, and plunged himself into her awaiting cavern, drawing mutual groans of pleasure from them both.

“Oh, by the GODS, yes!” Madelyn cried and continued to gasp and moan as he started going to town on her.

It’s been a few days since he had sex with Madelyn, but Roland felt himself slipping back into that night. Madelyn is a special woman whom he wanted to make the best impressions on, so he actually paid attention to her actions when he could. He managed to pick up on a few things that she really liked from their first time, things that he incorporated while he built a steady tempo as he fucked her on the table.

Abruptly, his hands grabbed her shapely rear, forcing them closer and him deeper, and eliciting a pleasantly surprised squeal out of her even as her legs locked themselves completely around his waist. Her moans intensified as he fucked her standing up, each lift and drop sending all kinds of pleasurable sensations through her. Roland wasn’t any better off, though he tried his best to concentrate on not immediately blowing his load, at least not before she did.

Roland would ultimately fail in this, as in a fit of pique; Madelyn grabbed the sides of his head, forcing him to look her in the eyes, and what a sight it was. Once again, Roland is reminded that Madelyn is a lady in the street, freak in the sheets kind of woman, as he beholds the lustful fire in her eyes despite her serene expression. Then he pushed up extra hard as he dropped her down, hitting that sweet spot and pulling a wide-eyed gasp from her.

“You beast!” she exclaimed as the mask of serenity cracked.

Next, he switched up the tempo, slowing down to slow, deep strokes that end with a sharp drop, making sure to hit what he’s pretty sure is Maddie’s G-spot every time. After the tenth or so stroke, he started building up again, fucking her faster and harder while hitting that spot continuously.

“Ah!” he shouted as he was suddenly pushed back by an invisible force that sent him back into the chair with Maddie still on top of him.

“You’ve had your fun, Roland; now it’s my turn,” she crooned while her hips rolled.

“Oh fuck!” Roland couldn’t help but hiss as he felt her walls tighten around him.

She then brought him in for another kiss, this one surprisingly tender yet all the more searing. That, along with a sudden tightening of her walls, managed to bring him to the edge, breaking his concentration, and he ended up ejaculating inside her. Madelyn released a sigh of contentment as Roland groaned into the crook of her neck. The two rode out their orgasm while grinding against each other to squeeze as much pleasure from each other as possible.

By the end of it, the two silently embraced with one last kiss before separating, though their foreheads were kept together.

“That was wonderful, Mr. Wayne,” she crooned while caressing the side of his face.

Roland continued panting for a bit before replying, “c-cool… cool-cool-cool.”

Madelyn chuckled as she eased off of him, causing Roland to shiver as the air conditioning hit his wet thighs. Looking down at his suit, Roland couldn’t help but sigh at its wrinkled state.

‘Note to self: next time, take off suit before sex.’ he registered the thought he paused, ‘next time? There isn’t going to be a next time, right?’

His thoughts were interrupted by a pale hand holding wipes.

Roland blinked, looking from the offered moist towelettes to the woman, who had not even bothered to fix her clothes, leaving her chest and nethers exposed. Swallowing, he accepted the wipes wordlessly, not sure whether or not there would be a next time.

“Thanks.”

“It’s the least I could do since I am the one who seduced you into doing this,” she replied. “I’d offer to clean you up myself, but I think further stimulation is the last thing you need right now.”

“Yeah,” he said slowly as he wiped his crotch clean.

After that was done, he pulled up his pants (and underwear) before tossing the used towelette inside the waste basket.

“Don’t forget this,” he heard Madelyn say, and he turned around to find her dangling a familiar piece of red fabric from her finger.

Roland winced, “uh, no thanks, you keep it.”

Madelyn tilted her head. “Are you sure?” She held it up by its edges. “I’m sure it will make for an interesting addition to your collection,” she said with a smirk.

‘Oh hell nah!’

Yeah, I’m sure,” he nodded. “I’m not that kind of guy.”

The kind of guy who thinks collecting various women’s underwear is proof of conquest, that is. He found that type of behavior to be cringeworthy alpha-douche dude-bro nonsense of the highest tier. He still has her underwear from their first encounter and has kept that thing locked away somewhere deep. He’d have gotten rid of it, but for reasons that could only be attributed to ‘male lizard brain’ shenanigans, he kept it instead.

‘If I knew I was going to meet her again, I probably would have brought the damn thing.

How that would have worked out was conveniently sidestepped in this hypothetical situation.

Madelyn held his gaze for a moment before humming with a shrug, “suit yourself.”

She slipped on the undergarment, and Roland realized with a start that she had already fixed herself up to the point where she looked presentable again. Everything about her was just as immaculate as before they started. No wrinkled clothes, no tussled hair, and not even the barest hint of sweat It was as if she hadn’t just been having sex five minutes ago.

“I believe that concludes your interview, then.”

‘Really?’

“Oh, so what now… ma’am?”

“Now you go home and report back for work on Monday.”

That was almost a whole week away.

“Why so long?”

“As you’ve no doubt witnessed when coming here, the building is still undergoing a bit of construction. There is still work to be done, of course, but that can be done remotely, so for the time being, you’ll be working from home.”

“Oh that’s…”

“Unorthodox?”

‘Lucky,’ he mentally corrected.

Verbally, he nodded, “yeah…”

“As I’ve mentioned before, we do things a bit differently here at Valentina Inc.”

‘If this interview was anything to go by, then…’

He didn’t know if that was a good thing or not.

“I see…”

“As you are my assistant, I will be leading your orientation personally.” Roland swallowed both her tone and the look she gave him.

“O-okay.”

“Keep an eye out, for I will be commencing your orientation later today.”

“Yes ma’am”

She paused to give him a smirk, saying, “how fortuitous that you get to have me teach you the ins and outs of this company from the comfort of your home.”

Something about that sentence doesn’t seem right, but before he could ponder more on it, Madelyn extended her hand.

“Your phone.” Following her order, he took out his phone and held it out to her, to which Madelyn looked at it for a moment, then quirked a brow. “Passcode?”

“Oh right!” Fumbling a bit, he unlocked the phone and held it out again.

Madelyn took the offered item with a brief hum that had Roland wincing at his fumble.

Suddenly, with a click of her tongue, Madelyn spoke, “You didn’t save my number.”

Roland opened his mouth reflexively to explain, but thought better of it before deciding to remain silent.

“I’ve fixed that oversight,” she said before

~Bury the light deep within.

‘What in the-’

~Cast aside, there’s no coming home.

His eyes widened. No freaking way…

~We’re burning chaos in the wind.

“And now I have your number.”

She held up her own phone, but Roland was still stuck on what he just heard.

‘Was that what I thought it was?’

Either unaware of his thoughts or (more likely) ignoring them, she gave him back his phone.

“Goodbye, Roland. I look forward to your contribution to the company.”

Roland hesitated for a bit before he nodded. “I’ll try not to disappoint.”

“You won’t,” Madelyn said.

Her casual yet confident assurance only served to make him feel even more awkward, and coupled with everything else, he decided to make his exit.

“Right, um, I will see you next week then.”

For some reason, her smile grew larger upon hearing his words and she let out an amused chuckle.

“Take care.”

Before he turned his back, he could have sworn he saw the smile she had widen as her eyes literally flashed crimson for a moment. He might have hustled a bit more than he wanted to get through that door, but once he was on the other side, making sure to close the door behind him, he released a breath. It appears that the events of the interview caught up to him, and he sagged.

“What the fuck did I just get myself into?” He muttered under his breath.

Movement from his peripherals had him turning to the pretty redhead, who was staring at him with an expression he could not place.

“Uh…” He didn’t know how to proceed.

Thankfully, God saw fit to show mercy as she initiated the conversation, “Finished with your interview?”

There was an inflection there on the last word that had Roland stiffening, “yeah.”

“When do you start?”

‘Not, did you get the job?’ he thought with a frown.

The question itself would have been weird either way, considering it would imply he would have the answer as opposed to said information being at the interviewer’s discretion.

‘Is this what she meant by doing things differently?’ somehow doubted it but at the same time believed it in this instance as well. ‘Or does she know?’

As for her question…

“I start Monday.”

“I see,” she replied with pursed lips and pinched brows, but said nothing else.

There was a brief lull before Roland cleared his throat, saying, “I’m going to go now.”

The woman only gave him a hum in response: “see you.”

“Right,” once again he found himself hurrying to escape the awkward atmosphere.

He really hoped this wouldn’t be a theme going forward with the rest of his co-workers.

‘I need to lie down.’

He has so much to think about right now.

Meanwhile, Loraine watched him leave with hurried steps that he tried but failed to mask, causing the woman to wince a bit, but only for a moment. Once the elevator doors close, the auburn-haired woman stood up and marched into the office, forgoing all decorum. Inside, Madelyn leaned against the table with her phone in hand and a self-satisfied smirk on her face as she looked at the screen.

“What in Hel’s name was that!” she yelled.

Madelyn looked up from the phone, her smirk growing wider. “Did you enjoy the show?”

For a moment, Loraine’s anger gave way to embarrassment, but only for a moment, as she scowled, “Don’t get the wrong idea!”

“What wrong idea?”

“I only peered to confirm my suspicions about why that man was here. I am not a voyeur!”

“So you say,” the vampire shrugged, “though that’s an interesting choice of words.”

Loraine realized her mistake but refused to get flustered, saying, “Shut up!” and failed miserably.

“If you wanted to join, she paused, “I would have been amenable to a trio.”

Ugh,” the other woman scoffed. “I’m not interested in your sloppy seconds.”

“Then what are you interested in?” Madelyn frowned. “For all their faults, at least the others are actually trying to find husbands.”

Loraine scowled. “Don’t try to make this about me, Maddie.”

“Well, you can see why I’m concerned, can’t you?” The vampire insisted, “there are so many men in this world that even the most obstinate mamono with ludicrous selective standards can find someone.”

“You mean like you?”

“As a matter of fact, yes,” a fond smile made its way onto the vampire’s face, “he is quite an exceptional man. When will you find one, I wonder?”

“What I do in my personal time is none of your business, Madelyn.”

“…fair enough.”

Getting back on topic, the redhead folded her arms as she directed a stern glare at her superior. “I thought we agreed not to mix business with pleasure.”

“Who says I am?”

“You invited a guy here on the pretense of a job interview and fucked him.”

“Believe it or not, I actually did conduct a proper interview.”

“And the sex?”

“That was just me having a bit of fun.”

“…you just proved my point”

“Oh, don’t give me that look,” the vampire said, rolling her eyes. “I have needs.”

“You know, I thought he looked familiar. Wasn’t he that guy you met at Elysium?”

“Well…” Maddie trailed off.

“Oh my Gods,” Loraine massaged her brow, “you hired your boy toy as your assistant!?”

“I am quite appalled with you insinuating I hired Roland because I am infatuated with him.”

“I don’t know since you never bothered telling me about him before inviting him for a booty call!”

“It was a job interview,” Madelyn corrected, only to receive a silent glare, to which she added, “at least it started as such.”

“You see how this is a problem, right? Having a single man working in an office with only mamono?”

“He is not single,” Maddie corrected, “and you won’t have to worry about him being distracted. Roland has an uncanny will. I almost had to use my allure just to get him to lay with me despite bearing myself to him.”

Loraine’s eyes widened “really? That’s…” she shook her head. “I don’t know what’s worse. That you went behind my back to set this up or that you’re the one who ended up coercing him into fucking you in your office.”

Strange, isn’t it? Madelyn adopted a thoughtful expression. “I practically threw myself at him, but he didn’t take the bait until the very last moment. I can’t tell if his resistance is born out of genuine cowardice or uncertainty.”

“You ever think that maybe he’s just being considerate of the fact that he’s in an office for an interview and you’re his boss, so he’s trying to be professional?” Loraine stressed.

“I know, it is as frustrating as it is wonderful,” Madelyn grinned. “If he can resist me now, then you won’t have to be worried about him being distracted in his work.”

“Work, right” Loraine scoffed with a roll of her eyes before her brows furrowed, “is he even qualified?”

From the expression on her face, Loraine could tell Madelyn had been waiting for her to say that and reached over to her desk for a folder before handing it to her “here.”

Loraine took the folder and perused its contents. The more she read, the more her skepticism turned into shock before she once again scowled and shut the folder.

“Okay, so he’s qualified.”

“Of course he is,” Madelyn chided with a roll of her eyes. “Contrary to what you believe, despite my newfound infatuation with the man, I have no intention of jeopardizing this company for him, Loraine,” she stated before turning her nose up at the other woman. “Frankly, I am offended you would think so little of me.”

The redhead winced and said, “alright, I’ll concede fault on that, but my point still stands; he is a distraction, and that’s not even mentioning how the others will react once they catch wind of this.”

“You can leave the others to me,” Madelyn assured.

“Oh, trust me, it was never in doubt that you’d be the one to deal with them,” Loraine chuckled sardonically.

“And as for being distracted,” Madelyn pinned the other woman with a look. “Who do you think I am?”

“You know, I would have never doubted you before,” she paused, giving the vampire a once-over, “but then again, I’ve never actually seen you in love.”

“That is irrelevant,” Madelyn dismissed. “I’m not some young, hopelessly romantic, love-struck little girl.”

“The age defense doesn’t really work since the latest studies show that the older and more conservative-seeming Mamono are almost always the most degenerate.”

Madelyn gave her an annoyed look, cursing the Hakutaku researcher who published that study…because it is absolutely true most of the time.

Folding her arms and glancing away with a huff Madelyn replied, “I know how to control myself, Loraine.”

Uh-huh,” the redhead hummed, not looking convinced at all but shrugging all the same, “so you say, but then you had sex with him right after the interview, in your office, and right outside.”

“A calculated ploy, and it’s not as if you were chained to your desk,” Madelyn waved dismissively; “you could have left at any time.”

“And let you keep him here for the entire day? No way.”

“Your confidence in me is truly aspiring, Loraine,” the vampire deadpanned.

“Why thank you, milady,” the redhead offered a mock curtsy, “so what’s the plan with your new husband?”

“Boyfriend,” Madelyn corrected, and at the mildly shocked expression on the other woman’s face, she added, “for the time being. I need to get Roland up to speed on his role as my assistant post haste.”

“If you’re going to do that, why bother sending him home and telling him to come back Monday?”

Madelyn offered nothing but a cheeky smile, and after pondering for a moment, it finally clicked for the redhead.

“No…” Loraine breathed

“Don’t be a drama queen.”

Loraine’s eye twitched.

“Drama queen!?” Then she cut herself off: “You know what? I’m not going to say anything, and just trust that you know what you’re doing.”

“If only you had come to this conclusion sooner,” Madelyn dryly noted.

“Just remember we’re running a business.”

“And remember who signs off on your salary cheque,” the vampire shot back.

~Nothing Ventured~

Roland didn’t immediately go back to his apartment when he left the building. He was still kind of in a daze at the moment, with his thoughts running a mile a minute, causing him to absentmindedly wander around for a bit. Walking the streets, he couldn’t help but notice the presence of Mamono walking about and working inside businesses. If it were a week or so ago, he would have stared at their uncanny yet alluring forms; however, after his second encounter with Maddie, he did not feel the urge to, at least not in the same way he would have before. As beautiful as these monster women are, they still don’t hold a candle to Madelyn.

All the same, he stared for a different reason, which was the fact that he had been noticing so many of them as of late. Not just now, but ever since he went to Elysium he’s had more encounters with Mamono than he ever did while studying at the university.

‘It feels like that one anime.’

That one anime where if someone meets a supernatural entity, they will continue to have encounters with the supernatural regardless of their desires. Roland feels like that now; literally, the personification of what has been seen cannot be unseen. He noticed it some time ago but used the then-upcoming interview as a means of distracting himself.

There were times when he couldn’t be distracted, most of which revolved around the few Mamono who looked at him with a hunger that made him nervous to be in their sights. Then they would briefly gain a look of realization before moving on usually with varying degrees of frustration. He noticed the same happening even as he walked down the street, Mamono gaining interest upon seeing him only to lose interest moments later with a dash of aggravation.

Any further thoughts on the matter were discarded as a delicious scent caught his attention, causing his stomach to growl in response. He hadn’t realized it before, but he spent quite some time doing that interview as well as interviewing the interviewer. The point is that he arrived late in the morning, and it is currently well past midday.

Following the scent of food, Roland eventually found himself in front of a hole-in-the-wall Chinese restaurant.

‘When’s the last time I had Chinese food?’

Months at least, and this kind of hole-in-the-wall restaurant was one he loved. So despite the place having a sizeable crowd, Roland decided to join the line. Surprisingly, the wait wasn’t too long owing to the efficiency and speed of the staff, and before long, Roland made his order without issue, was given a ticket, and was made to wait until said order was done. As he waited, he couldn’t help but look around the place, admiring the décor and even some of the patrons.

After around ten minutes of waiting, someone called out, “Order #478?”

“That’s me,” Roland said, holding out his ticket.

The woman accepted, and Roland collected his lunch before exiting the establishment. He would eat there, but he always felt more comfortable eating at home, so he went back home. Overall, the food was amazing, and he would definitely be going back again to try the rest of their menu. After the food, Roland spent the rest of the afternoon browsing the internet, searching for information on mamono vampires and specifically the name Valentina.

There was so much about Madelyn that pointed to her being a big deal, like her obvious wealth, the charming (and very European) accent, and not to mention her mannerisms and way of speaking that screamed ancient to him, that he assumed she was at the very least someone of note. Thing is information flow from Earth to Eos (the Mamono home world) was spotty and obviously censored.

That’s why he didn’t really expect his searches to turn up much, but this turned out not to be the case upon searching for the name ‘Valentina.’ It turns out his assumptions about Madelyn being a big deal were right, and what a big deal she turned out to be, as one of the first articles the search engine turned up was listing Mamono billionaires.

Blowing out a puff of air and raising a hand to brush his forehead, Roland looked a lot like that Travis Scott meme in that moment as he braced himself before diving down the rabbit hole.

Hours Later…

*Knock* *Knock* *Knock*

The knocking at his door came as a surprise, both because he was still engrossed in the Vampire/Valentina rabbit hole and because he wasn’t expecting anyone. Glancing at the clock displayed on the corner of his taskbar, Roland winced.

‘That’s enough investigating for today.’

After stretching until he heard the satisfying and audible pop of his bones, he dragged himself to the door, where more knocking could be heard.

“I’m coming!” he yelled irritably.

Opening the door, his annoyed expression immediately disappeared as he beheld, “Maddie?”

The vampire wearing sunglasses, a hat, and a trench coat combo smiled at the man, showing her fangs a bit and saying, “Hello Roland.”

“What, uh, what are you doing here?”

Lowering the glasses to give him a look with her red eyes, she answered, “aren’t you going to invite me in?”

He hesitated but ultimately opened the door and made way for her, to which she strutted inside, pulling a wheeled suitcase behind her. Roland didn’t even notice it before, and a pit started to form in his gut. So after checking to see if anyone was watching, I slipped back inside and locked the door.

“Hmm, not as bad as I thought” turning around, he found Maddie glancing about the apartment with critical eyes, “though it is dreadfully small.”

Roland held back a kneejerk retort, though he did roll his eyes.

‘Rich people.’

She wasn’t wrong about his apartment being small, as it was a cheap studio apartment with an open floor plan combining his bedroom, kitchen, and living room into a single space with a separate door for the bathroom. In the far corner was his bed, and directly across from it was the door leading to the bathroom. Sitting adjacent to his bed in the middle was a three-seater couch with the TV directly across from it hanging on the wall. On the other end of the apartment was the kitchen with a table and chairs for eating.

Maddie stood near the couch, having removed her wide-brim hat and sunglasses. She observed the area until her eyes fell to the dining table, where his laptop was resting. Mind you, this is the same laptop where he has essentially been researching her race and family. Roland almost leapt across the room itself to block her path when she began making her way towards it; however, her next words stopped him in his tracks.

“I see you’ve been doing some research on me,” she said in a neutral tone, causing him to stiffen, to which she rolled her eyes and said, Oh, be calm, you. I don’t mind. After all, it is to be expected you would want to know more about me,” she said, giving a glance back to the laptop and frowning, “though I admit I preferred you remain ignorant of my origins.”

There was a beat of silence as she started perusing his findings, giving Roland the opportunity to collect himself. Though the process was met with a bit of a kink as the woman decided the most optimal way of checking his laptop was to bend over, giving him an unobstructed view of her ass.

‘She’s doing that on purpose.’

Finally, he asked the most pertinent question: “What are you doing here, Maddie?”

His question caused the vampire to pause and look over her shoulder. “You don’t sound thrilled at my presence.”

“I’m just…confused.”

‘And worried,’ he mentally added, glancing at the large suitcase.

Hmm,” Maddie stood and turned to lean back on the table, “I told you after your interview to keep an eye out for me.”

‘That’s not what you said,’ he wanted to say, as the memories weren’t so distant that he forgot her words.

“Keep an eye out, for I will be commencing your orientation later today.”

Those were her words, however: “I thought you meant you would be sending me an email.”

Some companies do that, sending information packets to employees outlining their duties and what is expected of them. It was not the best way to teach new employees, but he could understand given the circumstances.

“That is my fault,” Maddie admitted. “I was being deliberately obtuse.”

“Why?”

“Why?” she repeated, pushing off the table to spread her arms, “to surprise you, of course.”

“That…” he trailed off with a sigh.

‘Well, consider me surprised,’ he thought sardonically.

“I guess you’re staying here then?”

There is no use denying the writing on the wall.

“You would be right.”

“For ‘orientation’?” he air quoted.

“That as well as,” she said, her expression becoming a bit sheepish, “I wanted to spend time with you.”

“…”

As she looked away, Roland could have sworn he could see some color on her pale cheeks.

‘…cute.’

Shaking his head, Roland decided to err on the side of caution.

“Not that I’m against you being here, but is that… wise?”

“Because I am your superior?”

‘Among other things,’ he thought while nodding.

“Roland, you need to let go of human notions of relationships. I am not human.”

“But it’s not about being human, though,” Roland pressed, “it’s about relationship dynamics and how it would affect our work.”

Maddie let out an exasperated sigh: “And this is why I decided to do this in person.”

“What?”

In the next breath, faster than he could blink, Maddie was suddenly standing before him.

“Ah!” he yelped, stepping back from her sudden bout of teleportation.

“Again, I reiterate that I am not human, Roland,” she said with folded arms. “I may have acquiesced to human laws and adopted certain human customs, but I have my limits.” Raising a hand, she pressed a finger to Roland’s chest and said, “I refuse to endure your longwinded, needlessly complex, and frankly asinine relationship rituals.”

Roland, for his part, raised his hands in surrender and maybe the tiniest bit of fear at the Vampire, whose speech brought out so much passion that her human guise had dropped, fully revealing her pronounced fangs, scarlet eyes, and pointed ears.

“Okay, point taken,” he replied. “Where do we go from here?”

The vampire tilted her head. “That’s it?”

“What’s it?”

“I was expecting some kind of pushback,” she admitted, “but your acceptance, while agreeable, is surprising,” her eyes narrowing, “and mildly suspicious.”

He could fight her on this, but frankly he really didn’t want to needlessly complicate things. He didn’t care too much about the semantics of how they go about a relationship so long as it’s reasonably healthy. Plus again, she was his boss (and girlfriend), and he didn’t want to burn that bridge if at all possible. He would very much like to move out of this cramped apartment, thank you very much.

But if he were to give her an answer, then it would have to be…

“I mean, I’ve been in relationships before—uh, with other humans, I mean,” he paused, “but you already knew that, and yeah, it is tedious going through the whole song and dance. I guess you can say I’m curious about experiencing something new in that department.”

Maddie’s brows creased. “So you’re willing to go along with my arrangement out of curiosity?” Her expression turned to amusement. “Careful, Roland; you know what they say about curiosity.”

“Well, nothing ventured, nothing gained, right?”

“Ho-ho, I like that, she smirked, “and you are quite right.”

“So what now?”

“Now?” She smiled before giving him what appeared to be a light shove.

“Aah!” Yet despite this, Roland ended up flying bodily across the room, landing lightly on his bed. It was as if gravity had temporarily turned off for him only to reassert itself when his back hit the bed. “Oof, what the hell…?”

Roland’s exclamation trailed off as Maddie untied the belt securing her trench coat, which, in hindsight, was a strange thing to be wearing at this time of the year. The reason why became apparent when she opened her coat to reveal she had been wearing sexy black lingerie underneath.

In response to seeing that, Roland gave a Keanu Reeves-esque “whoa.”

“Now, seeing as you are woefully ignorant of Mamono culture, I will take it upon myself to educate you on the subject,” Maddie stated as she slowly sauntered, or rather prowled, her way towards his sitting form, “as well as the finer nuances of vampire courtship.”

“What about my orientation?” he stuttered.

Maddie stopped, and despite being several inches shorter, even with heels, Roland felt as if the woman towered over him.

“Oh, but that goes without saying, Mr. Wayne,” she replied, “but that is for later. As for now.”

She leaned forward, placing one hand on his shoulder and the other caressing his face. She gently eased him back so that he was lying on the bed and she was on top of him.

Then, as her eyes glowed a bright crimson, she spoke, “I thirst.”

And in the next moment, a pair of fangs gently sank into Roland’s neck.

~To Be Continued~

Author’s Notes: Nothing much to say about this chapter other than it is significantly easier to write than the next one. About ¾ of the way done with Chapter 3, posted the first two sections on my Patreon at: www.Patreon.com/Streggaeworks

In other news since I know a large chunk of readers for this story also read Daily Life With a Lilim I finished chapter 24 and it’s up on Patreon as well. I’m going to resume that story in October either starting with a Halloween special or with the third volume, either way expect something for that story to be published next month.

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