Blood is Magic: A Vampire Romance by Alix Adale

Author:Alix Adale [Adale, Alix]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Romance, vampires, Fiction, Alix Adale, vampire romance, Paranormal romance, PNR, Terra Melancholia, Hearts of Dagon, vampire fiction
Publisher: Roselandia Press
Published: 2017-07-08T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 11: C'est la vie!

Cabaret Rouge-et-Noir carried us to another time, another place. Situated on a little alley not far from the Champs-Élysées, it proved to be within easy walking distance of both our restaurant and our hotel. Rain dogged our steps down the wet streets, but Colin surprised me—again—with an umbrella and we strolled arm in arm down the lively streets. First—back to the hotel so I could wriggle into my one and only cocktail dress and overcoat. Second—off to the cabaret!

My head moved back forth on a pivot, drinking it all in. Music poured from open windows and lively bars along the rain-slick streets. Late diners gathered under awnings or streetlights, smoking cigarettes. Black cabs and mopeds darted here and there.

A small queue had formed below the neon rotunda of Cabaret Rouge, but Colin knew a doorman and jumped us to the head of the VIP line. My head swum at the novelty of it all. If mom could see me now: homebody no more!

Inside, plush red upholstery ran as far as the eye could see. Modern DJ equipment and a full-sound system suggested other uses on other nights, but tonight a band of jazz players—more than a quartet if not quite a full orchestra—regaled the crowd with authentic swing tunes. Drinks flowed and while the cigarette smoke didn’t exactly billow, you could catch a whiff of it from the partitioned smoking room near the back.

We found Desiree frolicking with a clutch of young, happy French people. They introduced me around, but the names flew by too fast for me to catch a single one. Next to them, I felt frumpy, under-dressed, out-classed, and lost in a sea of references and language I didn’t understand. Time to smile and nod.

But the drinks flowed, the music played—and Colin asked me to dance. Glenn Miller’s ‘In the Mood’ struck up and we joined the crowded dance floor. The tight space meant we didn’t go crazy with the moves, many of which I hadn’t tried in years. And the dark, crimson lighting meant less worrying about my dated little black cocktail dress. My only ‘number’ so to speak, that dress and I had seen more than a few adventures but nothing like this.

Colin whirled me around the floor, his strong warm hand in mine. We turned, headed this way and that. I spun on my heel and then toward his arm as he caught me on his hip. My steps came back, slow at first, but with the wine and the music, it all returned.

I could not have found a better partner in Colin. He knew the moves, and not just in that herky-jerky way of my first boyfriend, Eric. Colin had learned them firsthand from the masters, practiced them for decades, and then could bust them out without even thinking about it, as natural as walking.

Between dances, I sipped wine at a slow pace. From time to time, Colin went over to another table to speak to a few other well-dressed men and women.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.