Saints Preserve Us-Revisited

Peyton grasped the delicate string of pearls that had been gifted to her a few years back from an ex. She fumbled with the backing, trying to lock it securely in place around her porcelian skin. It had been months since she had gone out on an actual date. She had given up on the dating scene for a while due to a long string of pathetic and unsuccessful men beating down her door. It gave her a bit of hope that perhaps she would find Mr.Right, or at least Mr.Right-Now, sometime in the near future. She was going stir crazy being single; it was something she wasn't exactly used to, and her paitence was beginning to run thin. Turning back to the task at hand, she grasped the purfume bottle that sat idle on her vanity and spritzed her neck with the decadent solution. Her dress hung from the top of the bathroom door, coated with a plastic sheet with the name of the local dry cleaners scrawled near the top in navy ink. It fit like a glove, caressing her curves with its fiery coloured fabric. A similar shade had been applied to her lips prior. It was then that the doorbell's toll caught her attention. Her eyes studied the handiwork she had done with a critical eye before she stalked toward the door dressed to kill in a pair of black stillettos.

Abbadon knocked on the door to the address his 'savior' had given him earlier that week. He was much more human in form this time and dressed in a well tailored black suit. He certainly didn't look like the battered mess he did a few days ago, once he got some blood in him he healed up fast. He fiddled with the silver cuff links as he waited for some one to answer the door. "Peyton." He flashed a show winning smile as she opened the door. Really is a shame you'll be dead by sunrise-You're cute for a human. Entertaining the thought for a minute as he looked her over. "You look stunning." Abbadon complimented offering her his hand to help her down the few short steps to the sidewalk. "I made dinner reservations at Everest." He stated as he lead her to a black audi, and opened the passenger door. "If you have a good time, we could go to the art institute afterwards, the one at the harbor." Abbadon slipped into the driver's seat and started the car.

Peyton's eyes ran over the well tailored suit that Abbadon had presented himself in. He had impeccible taste when it came to clothing, almost showing her up when it came to attire on this fine night. She grasped the hand offered to her, certain to pull the door closed with her free hand, before being lead out to the newly polished sports car awaiting her in the drive next to her own vintage Mercury Comet. Peyton had remembered to compliment his own appearance, the flattery to herself already given him a few tally marks in the 'pros' list she had mentally stashed away. The dining reservation he had placed for the two was one of the most expensive in town, which whispered delightful words in her ears. Someone with class. Peyton thought to herself as she smoothed her dress over after perching in the leather seats of his automobile. "A fine choice." She murmured when he mentioned the name of their destination. "I would be delighted to accompany you for the art show afterward.." Peyton insisted, reclining ever so slightly. "What is your occupation again? My memory decieves me." She murmured nonchalantly.

"I work in stocks, a little bit of a broker as well." Abbadon said as he took a smooth turn onto the highway that lead into the city of Chicago."Actually, Everest is in the same building as my office. Different floor though. Beautiful place-overlooks all of Chicago". Abbadon merged lanes and took the exit to downtown. "You're an artist right? Do you have any works I might expect to see at the art show?" He questioned looking over at her, offering her a small smile. He was more concerned if anyone would notice her permanent absence rather than her quality of work. Demons tried to keep low, and Abbadon hadn't really been very helpful with that lately-quite the opposite actually. Normally on his home turf, the others just tolerated what he did and cleaned up his messes In Chicago-they weren't so nice to him, but he planned on solving that issue as soon as he got back home.

Peyton was impressed by his line of work. Though rank in society wasn't something required in her dates, she much preferred the upper-class's company. She was able to socialize in an atmosphere that felt like home, as well as wine and dine in the ut-most respected resturants in or around town. She was pleasantly surprised to find that his office was in the same building as where they would be dining. Perhaps she could get him to give her a tour of it. She would enjoy the sight from the room, but it would also provide them privacy if they seemed to get along better than expected. She could see herself having a steamy makeout session before heading to dinner or the art exhibit. His question disrupted her thoughts though, and she turned to him with a small, playful smile. "I'm afraid I cannot grace you with my work tonight, but if you see fit, I will invite you in at night's end and show you my own work." Peyton offered, tucking a strand of her golden blonde hair behind the ear nearest him.

"Of course, I'd love to see your work." Abbadon beamed at her as he made the final turn into the parking garage for Everest. He thought for a moment about what he had in his office. It wasn't uncommon for him to have several grotesque, demonic objects laying about. Most of the people he worked with were in on the underground world that was filled with supernatural creatures and everyone else had strict orders not to enter it, so he usually didn't think much about it. He was fairly certain it was clean though. "After dinner, I could give you a tour of my office if you'd like. There's a beautiful view." Abbadon stepped out of the car as a valet opened the door for Peyton and he tossed them the keys. He placed a a hand on her back as he led her to the elevator. Peyton smelt divine-she was going to make a wonderful snack. It was a hard temptation to resist-he still wasn't back to 100% and he craved blood more than he had in a long time. Patience He assured himself as the elevator doors dinged open.

Peyton offered Abbadon a quiet thank you as he escourted her toward the building. She had often passed it on the way to drop works off for an exhibit, but rarely did she enter the building. On the off chance, it had been to hand deliver someone's requested painting. She had been itching to try out Everest's fine dining, but had yet made herself think far ahead enough in order to snag a reservation at the blissfully packed and well over priced dining space. "I would be pleased to see your office. The views of the city are quite marvellous here, but I have never quite had the chance to linger and soak in all of it's beauty before." Peyton was pleased by the physical contact of his hand at her back. Several people had been either too handsy at the start of the date, or lack there of. He seemed to have enough charm and a well enough thought process to give her both her space and the intimacy desired to keep the situation comfortable. She eyed the building, noting that not only was the resturant classy, but the entire building. She had a great appreciation for some of the works of art hanging on the walls, noting some of which were done by students she had taken classes with at the university years ago.

"So it shall be." Abbadon confidently said, though there was a hint of playfulness in his voice as he stepped into elevator with her. He wondered how humans could be so naive, so oblivious to the monstrous world around them. They wrote monsters off as fairytales even though they were surrounded by them everyday. That they were going to dinner with them. The elevator dinged at floor 39 and lead to the reservation room. "Reservations for two. Last name: Solace." Abbadon spoke clearly, but in a fast tone. He wasn't one for small talk with service people. They were lead to an elevator, which went up only one floor into the restaurant. Where they were seated next to a window wall and handed menus. "So, tell me about yourself. You're a rather intriguing young woman." He prompted as he looked through list of wine. "Any type of wine you prefer?"

Peyton thanked the waiter quietly before grasping the menu between her newly manicured hands. She rather enjoyed having the opportunity to splurge on herself. At the moment she was on a break from work, basking in the glory of being her own boss. She knew that work would pick up in a few months and there she'd be, leaning over a canvas coated in wet paint, but for the time being, she was able to enjoy being taken out by a fantastically dressed gentleman. Her eyes scanned over the menu, in search of the decadent meal she would soon consume. The prices didn't surprise her, and she was again reminded at how wealthy Abbadon truely was. Biting a brightly coloured lip, Peyton shrugged her shoulders ever so slightly. "Surprise me." She commented, referring to the wine. Her mind then began reeling for the information she would be certain to share with him. "Well, as you know I'm a painter. I graduated from the California College of the Arts four years ago. I turned twenty four in February. And I rather like that suit on you." Peyton complimented, dragging her eyes from the menu long enough to give him a flirtatious smile.

The waiter soon returned to take their orders, Abbadon added an odd bottle of wine to the list as the waiter took their menus and made his way to the kitchen. "I rather like that dress on you, Ms. Sawyer. It accentuates your assets quite well." He commented as he grabbed the glass of wine sitting on the table. Abbadon couldn't' help his flirty comment, he might as well play with his food before he ate it. "California, you say?" He mulled it over as he swirled wine in his glass. "It's beautiful there, a little to sunny for my tastes though. I guess I'm more of night owl though." He leaned back in the chair as he looked out the window which gave a beautiful overlook of downtown Chicago. "The view from here is lovely." He winked at her, as he turned his attention back to Peyton, his eyes drifting down to her cleavage-just long enough to make sure she knew what view he meant.

Peyton nodded at the comment about California being far from his taste. "I wasn't fond of California all too much, I must confess. It was a good program for my degree and I landed a full ride, which was why I committed to the school, but I myself would rather bask in the night life and cooler climate of Chicago." She sipped her wine thoughtfully, leaving no trace of the bright red lipstick she had dressed her lips with on the glass. It was a delightful bottle he had summoned for the both of them, but that wasn't what brought a smile to her lips. Instead, it was the large, hungry eyes he adorned, and where their gaze was directed. "I believe I must agree with you there, though I'm certain the view from your office beats this one by a landslide." Peyton murmured, keeping the same seductive tone, yet her words carefully chosen to be discrete in this very public situation they found themselves in. Even someone of similar height would have a fantastic view of her cleavage, but considering the significant difference between the two, she could only imagine how marvellous she looked in the dress.

Abbadon thoughtfully raised his glass for another sip, resting the glass against his lips for a moment. "Would it now?" He perked an eyebrow at her as he set the glass back on the table. Abbadon leaned over the table, his dark eyes sparkling as he looked into Peyton's. "If you keep tempting me-we might have to skip dessert." His voice was a low purr as he leaned back in his chair with a smug look on his face. She was all to tempting-a little she devil. With that the waiter placed the first dish-an elaborately prepared, and presented smoked salmon. He nodded a thanks to the waiter, before he could speak and he scampered back to the kitchen. "So, what mediums do you like to work with?" Abbadon flipped the conversation back to art, before the thought of undressing and kissing every inch of her succulent skin, biting down into the soft flesh and draining every drop of blood out of her made his fangs pop.

Peyton ran one of her well manicured index fingers along the rim of her wine glass as the waiter placed the meals before them. Her eyes never waivered from Abbadon's until he broke eye contact while giving their server a brief nod. She had somehow managed to snag an impressive socialite for the evening and was going to take full advantage of it. "Mm.. I thought perhaps we could enjoy dessert in the comfort of your office." She murmured before grasping the glass of wine and bringing it to her lips. As the subject switched from naughty little thoughts to her line of work, she unfolded the silverware from the cloth napkin and grapsed her fork. "Most of my work is done in paint, but I much prefer oil pastels. I like being able to work for as long as I wish, paint it something you have to sit around and wait for, and I'm a rather impatient girl." Peyton offered nonchalantly. "And you? Tell me more about yourself, we've discussed me all evening." She insisted, spearing a piece of her salmon with the end of her fork before taking it into her mouth daintily and chewing with much thought.

"Mmm. There isn't a whole lot to discuss-not a whole lot I can discuss." Abbadon shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly as he pulled of a piece of salmon, chewing it before taking a sip of wine. "What, specifically, would you like to know, Ms. Sawyer?" He questioned, his eye flickering up to meet hers only momentarily before they returned to the dish set in front of him as he pulled another piece of the fish off. Abbadon had no intentions of lying to her, he would say nothing at all before he'd lie. He wasn't sure how much Peyton knew, but he did know she knew far too much. Whether she knew it or not-she was his prey and he had no intention of letting her live through the night. The server soon returned, placing a salad beside their dishes and scampering off. Kid catches on quick-I'll have to remember that in the tip Abbadon noted as he turned his attention back to the lady infront of him.

Peyton's smile went from sultry to slightly amused by his follow up question. Interesting creature. She noted as he encouraged the specifics of their conversation to be brought to light by Peyton herself. It was rather odd for someone to not offer up some sort of information, but she supposed it could be one of his quirks, an inability to speak freely about himself. "How long have you lived in Chicago?" She began, turning toward her salad that was drizzled with a delectable raspberry vinegarette. Her green, smoldering eyes turned toward the golden watch surrounding his wrist. The light bouncing off of hit had caught her eye as she studied his large hands, envisioning them roaming her body as the two of them found shelter in his office. "Michael Kors?" She questioned, forcing her gaze back up to his well shaven face. Peyton was thankful that there was only a slightly reddened tint to her cheeks, that of her blush, instead of the heat she knew would be felt if she began blushing before this man.

"Cartier." Abbadon corrected , leaning his wrist in slightly towards the table so the fine black script on the inside of the watch could be read. Abbadon pursed his lips, his eyes concentrating an unseen point that laid beyond the harbor. His pupils dilated slightly as the blood flushed in Peyton's cheeks. He could feel a set of fangs popping and drawing his own blood as they pressed into his lips as he pursed them. He could smell the arousal in her blood and complete control of himself wasn't something he had mastered. The pause in conversation lasted about a minute until Abbadon bit back long enough that he felt okay. "I've been in the city for a little over a year. Before that, I lived in Lousiana." He replied, his eye shifting back to hers before he took a bite of the salad that was doused in the house Caesar dressing, pushing it aside and continued his work on finishing the salmon.

Peyton gazed at the fine word scrawled underneath the protective glass that covered the watch's hands from being assualted by foreign objects of the outside world, nodding after confirming her mistake. The pause in their conversation did not strike her as odd by any means, the night happened to be beautiful, dotted with stars and the street lights of several buildings around the city. What was not to like about their view? Tucking a strand of her golden hair behind one ear, she continued on her salad, listening as he explained his where-abouts. "I would have never known you lived in Louisiana, there is no trace of the accent when you speak." Peyton responded, slightly surprised by the knowledge of him living in the south. "You must not have lived there too long, had you? I assume you travel quite often for business purposes." She stated, taking another mouthful of lettuce into her mouth, continuing to graze on the salad a while longer before turning back to the now cooled off salmon dinner.

"I lived there for a while." Abbadon didn't see the need to specify that a while was long enough to remember the civil war going on, even that amount of time though wasn't long enough for him to develop an accent that covered up the one. "I miss it actually." He said offhandedly, taking another bite of the smoked salmon and chewing thoughtfully before he spoke again. "There was always such a fascination there with the dead and paranormal. It was....." He paused, searching for the right word. "entertaining." People in Louisiana where skeptical and half-drowned in superstition-especially when you got into the more secluded areas. He thought it was odd that very few sections of the world were so aware of what walked among them while the rest chose to ignore it and write them off as stories. "I've lived in a few other places before. Much longer than I did in Louisiana, I guess I never picked up a Cajun accent." Abbadon shrugged it off as his glistening eyes found Peyton's once again.

Peyton reached for her glass of the finesse wine, watching it swirl a few times before bringing it to her coral coloured pout. His comment sparked her interest, but this time pertaining to his age. He seemed young, somewhere between the ages of twenty five and thrity two, but when he referred to the various places he called home, she wondered how early in life he had to have been in order to land such a grandoise and luxurious job. "How old are you, Mr.Solace?" Peyton questioned, setting the well-aged beverage aside. She had no intention to hold age over his head. As a matter of fact, she preferred a slight gap between her and her romantic interests. Just as wine, they became more refined and, in her eyes, valuable. With that said, she was no gold digger, but there seemed to be a higher standard set for older men, one she greatly appreciated. She dabbed her mouth lightly with the cloth napkin that had been sitting in her lap before pushing the dish in front of her off to the side.

Abbadon chuckled lightly to himself, folding his hands on the linen table cloth and looking at them for a moment. "Mm. That's a secret." He looked back up to her with a sly smile, his hands brought up a few inches. "But I'm much too old for you." Abbadon teased her, giving her a wink as the waiter returned-almost on a cue, and set down a piece of cheesecake in front of Peyton, drizzled with strawberry and chocolate sauce, with a few chocolate covered strawberries set to the side. Abbadon wasn't much one for sweets-especially not cheesecake but the place specialized in it. Peyton may as well give it a go. The waiter placed a crepe with bits of raspberries peaking out of the ends, lightly sprinkled with sugar. He severed the very end of it with his fork and tested it. Making a 'not to bad' face. It was much more tangy than sweet, even had a hint of bitterness to it despite the sugar.

Peyton offered Abbadon a sly smile, very much amused that he was under the assumption he was much too old for her. Her eyes were forcibly torn away from his chisled good looks as their waiter returned to place decadent desserts before them. She sliced a small sliver of the creamy cheesecake with her fork. Her tastebuds thanked her as she savored the bite of rich treat. She had only managed to eat roughly half of what was prepared before reaching for the chocolate covered strawberries set off to the side. They were her absolute favourite, and she couldn't help but save them for last. Peyton bit into the juicy fruit that was coated in now hardened semisweet chocolate before her eyes flickered over to Abbadon who was now watching her intently. She, again, dabbed her mouth lightly before leaning across the table. "Would you like to get out of her, Mr.Solace? I would very much enjoy a grand tour of your office." Peyton hinted, biting her delicate bottom lip.

"I think that would be a most wonderful idea." A smile parted Abbadon's lips as he spoke. He reached for his wallet, leaving out enough benjamins to cover the meal and a nice tip, before he rose from the seat and tucked it back in. Abbadon offered his hand out to Peyton, helping her up and leading her towards the door.
"Everything was wonderful, thank you." Abbadon thanked the hostess, not pausing or slowing his pace as he guided Peyton back to the elevator with a hand on the small of her back. Hitting '32' on the button panel.
Abbadon lead her to two large oak doors and hit a pin code in before the doors opened. "Come on in." He smirked as he walked to the large crescent desk, and sat in the saddle brown leather office chair. The office was back dropped by a window wall, a leather couch facing the overview of the town. Several large mahogany bookshelves lined the walls, books were occasionally interrupted by odd knick knacks. a black fridge was next to one of the shelves, with wine glasses sitting atop. "Have a seat." He purred, gesturing to the red upholstered chairs across from him.

Peyton gladly accepted Abbadon's hand, grasping it with her own well manicured one, before rising from her seat easily on cue. The sight of onehundred dollar bills spilling out onto the table to cover both the tab and a very generous tip to their waiter brought a small smile to her lips, though it ceased to amaze her. What did spark her interest was the strangely, but undoubtedly expensively furnished office Mr. Abbadon Solace worked in. Her gaze was disrupted several times, different objects placed along his bookshelves, the artwork, and the random objects strewn across the room all distracting her. As her fingertips grazed over the spines of books on one row of the bookshelf, Abbadon's brought her back to the task at hand. His offer to take a seat near him in one of the red chairs that sat directly across from him was something she decided not to take. Instead, she found herself perched lightly on the corner of his desk, offering him a small, yet pleased, smile. "I rather like the view from up here.." Peyton insisted, crossing her legs and leaning back slightly on her palms, scrutinizing him before turning her eyes to the large wall of window.

"Is the view better from here?" Abbadon asked, making his way to the mini-fridge and pouring them both a glass of red wine. Placing it in Peyton's hand before reclaiming his seat. Abbadon brought the cool glass to his lips, sipping it then holding it off to the side. "It is certainly more private." His voice was a playfully seductive tone. He wasn't sure how much Peyton would let him get away with. It was really in her best interest to allow him his way, it would prolong her death that much better. Besides that point, no one had ever had a bad time in bed with him. Sure- he could get a little too rough, but girls usually didn't realize that till the next day. It had been a long time since he had fresh, lustful blood. And at least this time he could defend his killing. Either that or go back to Louisiana where he was more or less untouchable. He had built up his fan base there, and another reason to love Louisiana was the people knew what he was and feared him. They were more than happy to offer sacrifices to appease him.

Peyton accepted the second glass of wine for the night, sipping it thoughtfully. She could hold her alcohol, and well, but wine always made her a bit more friendly, with men. Now, that was not to say that she hadn't already had bad intentions for the two of them since their date had begun, and that happened to be completely sober. Perhaps it had to do with not finding someone that suited her interest. Sure, she had several one night stands, none of which she found satisfactory, but there was a different air about Abbadon. Was it his arrogance? Or the suave demeanor? Either way, she found it beyond alluring. Peyton set aside her glass and hopped lightly back onto the floor, perfectly balanced even in her stillettos. Running her fingers along the back of his leather seat, the eventually found themselves at his shoulders. "That's why the view is impeccible here.." Peyton murmured, referring to his comment about having maximum privacy from his office. "You're awfully tense, Mr.Solace." She purred, massaging his rock hard shoulders.