by R. M. Sotera
“Images of people doing things.”
“What kind of things?” His curiosity piqued.
She glanced away, obviously searching for the right words.
“Things looking very painful and bloody.”
“Look at me, Mia.” With the tip of his finger, he reached under her chin. “Stop looking away from me. What did you see?” He waited. “Baby, answer me.”
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“People hanging from hooks. Women bleeding, tied on beds with people watching. And—and drinking blood.” Her words chopped through the space between them.
He stared at her for a minute before his tongue passed across his top lip. When he was certain the laughing was squelched, he spoke.
“Darlin’, what you were looking at is bloodplay. Bloodplay is not the same as vampirism. You have no need to worry your pretty little head. I promise not to string you up to a meat hook and bleed you all over the floor.”
Relief shook her features. “Thank God.”
“Unless you want me to.”
He chuckled when her eyes almost popped from her head.
Jordan could only hope she would be up for the experience someday. He would cross that bridge down the road. He planned to show her things beyond her imagination.
Her face remained priceless, not to mention white as a ghost.
“What do you mean?”
“There are many vampires who enjoy bloodplay.” With raw, sexual heat in his voice he asked, “Since I have your mind there, would you do it if I wanted you to?”
Her entire body stilled. “Do what?”
“What if I asked you to enter bloodplay with me. Would you consider it?”
Her expression turned contemplative. “With people watching?” His heart jumped inside his chest so suddenly he could have sworn he heard the thumping. Would she do it for him? “No, just you and me. Not another soul in the room.”
Watching her struggle with her internal debate, he took the opportunity to interrupt. “Have I been honest with you?”
“Yes,” she murmured.
“Do you think I would let you get hurt, or rather, do you think I would let anything go too far, without pulling you from it?” He waited.
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She waited, obviously her mind pondering bleeding for him.
“Well?” He wasn’t being fair with his prodding, but damn, she considered his question, even remained in heavy concentration over it.
It took her minutes before she answered. “Yes.” He gauged her reaction carefully. “Yes?” With one word, she turned his cock from hard to iron solid. If she knew the thoughts he entertained about the two of them in his dream world, would she run from him? Or would she allow him to release in her the unbridled passion residing deep within her guarded psyche?
Pulling his hand into hers, she stared at the fit. The heat radiating off her skin wrapped around his heart, and squeezed it. “I trust you enough to enter into something I don’t understand if it makes you happy and is something you want.”
“That wasn’t so hard, was it?” He asked the question but knew if she hadn’t admitted she would participate in bloodplay with him, he would have remained in the restaurant all night until she did.
* * * *
Back at Mia’s apartment, they strolled, hands interlocked, toward her building. The aroma of oranges hovered from the magnolia trees spilling into the night breeze. She breathed in the cool night air.
Reaching the door, he embraced her, lifting her feet from the ground. “You are my woman, and there is no more falling. I love you, everything about you.”
Why couldn’t she say it back? Her voice wouldn’t budge past the knot in her throat. Years of being hurt by love made it hard for her to say the words. The last man she thought she loved had tempted and lured her, then dumped her. What if Jordan planned to release the same carnage on her life? She wouldn’t live through the intensity of pain like that again and come out sane. Not to mention it had been only a few days. This type of attraction only happened in romance novels, not real life.
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“Don’t fret darlin’, you don’t have to say it right this moment. Just know that you’ve changed me.”
Placing her feet on the ground, he added, “I want to come inside and love you the rest of the night, but I’m going to wait until you want me just as much as I want you.”
He moved to walk away but turned back. “One more thing. I want to be the perfect gentleman for you. A one-night stand isn’t what I want. Not from you. It’s shocking for me to admit, Mia, but love and respect outweigh my lust.”
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Chapter Nine
Unnerved by the second night of the same vivid dream of hanging in a warehouse, dripping blood, Mia rose the next morning before the alarm sounded, vowing to stay there until the images passed, or at least until her heart stopped racing.
She glanced at the clock. It was Wednesday morning and she really wanted to stay in bed with the covers pulled over her head.
Before the images of her students’ faces could flash through her mind, she picked up the phone and called in sick. A mental health day was long overdue.
In the middle of practicing relaxation techniques, Jordan called.
He was under the impression a walk around Lake Eola on such a beautiful day would be her cup of tea. At this point, she would have walked in a rainstorm, blizzard, hurricane, or tornado with the sexy, long-haired, earring-clad, tattooed man.
Arriving within the hour at Lake Eola, she recognized her handsome man sitting beneath a huge cypress tree near the lake. The water was calm, and from a distance it looked like a sheet of cellophane. Not even a ripple danced on the surface. The stillness of the water meant today was going to be a scorcher.
Spotting her, he stood up, waving his hands back and forth above his head, her cue to move toward him. I’m coming, sexy man.
A little overzealous, she ran to meet him and didn’t consider the sweat factor, not until the beads dripped down her back. Oh God, I’m sure I resemble a drowned rat at this point. Instead of sexy, I’m a sweat ball!
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As if Jordan somehow heard her thoughts, he cupped her arms and stepped back, surveying her face. “It is so awesome having you next to me this morning. You look beautiful.” Perhaps her body didn’t look so bad after all. She reached around his waist, giving him a well-deserved squeeze. “It’s really great seeing you this morning, too.”
His gaze moved past her, and she followed his stare, wondering what enthralled him. He studied the swan boats circling the lake.
“You seem to be enamored by the boats.”
“Yes. I guess I am. The people inside them look relaxed, like they’re having a ton of fun. I bet riding around the lake in one of those is relaxing…perhaps a little magical.” One swan boat broke away from the others. A group of teenagers guided the helm, and they steered it straight toward the bank where Mia and Jordan stood.
As they came closer, Mia recognized all of them. But the one who stuck out the most sat in the back of the swan with one piece of his tousled, brown locks stuck to his forehead from sweat. The girls in the front were screaming and waving at her as if she was their long-lost sister.
Mia’s first thought was why are they here and not in school?
Followed by a second one, which whispered, they could be thinking the same thing.
The swan came to rest on the bank of the lake, and Jordan glanced down at Mia. “I take it these kids recognize you?”
“Yes, they’re my students.”
“I figured. Check out the boy in the back. He looks less than happy about being there.”
Jordan did a double take just as Mia glanced at the boy. The swan came to a perfect halt, and she recognized students, Tristan, Jessica, Tamara, and Lisa.
Jordan’s hand tightened around Mia’s fingers.
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“Hello, Ms. Christini.” Tristan raked Jordan with a stare that practically knocked Mia off her feet. Then a devili
sh grin lit up his boyish face. “So, is this your man?”
Holy shit. Should she introduce Jordan as her boyfriend, acquaintance, or friend? She tried to release Jordan’s hand, but his grip tightened, as if in anger. But why would he be angry with Tristan? He didn’t even know the boy.
“Yes, I’m her boyfriend, Jordan. And you are?” The happy crew stepped out of the boat.
Jordan waited while Tristan eased closer to Mia.
With an arrogant force, Tristan stuck his hand out in Jordan’s direction. “Tristan’s the name, dude. Ms. Christini’s my drama teacher. I’m surprised you haven’t heard about me. I mean, Ms.
Christini and I do see each other every day. And I do know her best friend Cindi…very well.”
Mia wished a giant hole would open up and suck her into the ground. Now would be perfect. Suck me up, please!
But instead, Jordan pinned Tristan with a vexed look. “Well, Tristan, my Mia sees many students every day. She doesn’t single out any students in particular. To her, you’re all special.” The girls giggled at Jordan’s words. They stood in the same spot, obviously, from where Mia stood, mesmerized by his appearance, resembling puppy dogs in a pet store window, bows and all.
Surely his tight blue jeans and white cotton shirt opened at the chest added to their already giddy state. Poor girls.
Tristan cocked his head. “Well, I guess I’ll have to do something in her class so she remembers me over everyone else.” He scanned Mia up then down. “So, Ms. Christini. I’ll have to cause some trouble so you can give me detention in your room. Or better yet, give me detention with Cindi watching over me. Oh wait, how about both of you watching over me?” He ran his tongue over his top lip, and Jordan’s grip on Mia tightened to the point of pain.
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The girls stood speechless, their gazes darting from Mia and Jordan, to Tristan. The surreal scene felt like a clip from MTV’s The Real World.
“Well, kids, we have to get going.” Jordan started moving toward the path.
The girls chuckled. “Yeah, us, too. Come on, Tristan, you promised you would buy us breakfast after the boat ride.” Snickering, they stepped into the swan. “Bye, Ms. Christini. Bye, Mr. Hunk.” Mia rolled her eyes. Jordan smirked. Tristan remained in his spot.
“Bye, girls.” Jordan waved and edged Mia closer to the path.
“You go ahead, sweet thing. I’ll be there in a second,” he whispered and headed toward Tristan.
Before Mia could open her mouth to beg Jordan not to embarrass Tristan, he was standing in front of him. Tristan glanced over at her, puckered his lips. Oh no!
She couldn’t watch, so she willed her feet to move. Please God, don’t let him kill my student! Cindi will be irate if anything happens to him. Her caramel candy. Mia shook her head. I know their relationship is wrong on so many levels, but he’s eighteen. Even the reminder that Tristan was of consensual age didn’t change the fact if Cindi and Tristan got caught doing whatever it was they were doing, Cindi would be spending time in the big house. Even though the boy was eighteen, and of legal age, he was still attending high school, and that just didn’t look good for Cindi.
Thoughts of Cindi’s face plastered on the television, the headlines reading, Local Woman Has Sex With Boy Still In High School, flashed through Mia’s mind. She shook her head and kept walking. Yeah, but as long as Cindi’s mug shot looked good, she’d be thrilled with the scandal. Mia chuckled. I’m not ready for relationships where my best friend is incarcerated. I’m still trying to deal with a boyfriend who isn’t Catholic, and a vampire.
Thirty minutes later, Jordan walked up the path toward Mia, plucking a flower on the way. At his approach, she tapped the palm of
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her hand against the empty space beside her. He sat on the bench next to her, laying the flower against her bare thigh.
“Is everything okay?” she asked, running her fingers along the plush green stem of the burgundy and white petals.
“Everything is fine, darlin’.”
“You were gentle with him, right? Tristan appears cocky, but I think he’s just a scared boy inside an adult body.” He put his arms around her and pulled her against him.
“Everything is fine. You’re right he’s a cocky adolescent.” His grip softened. “Sometimes your compassion paralyzes me. Too bad more teachers don’t care about their students the way you do.” Wow, the compliment moved heat through her body, touching her from the tip of her head to the soles of her feet. She glanced out across the water, and pointed to one of the boats gliding past them.
“Well, you and I are going to have to paddle around this lake in one of those swans sometime soon!”
She cracked a smile, then breathed in the fresh floral aroma from her flower.
“It’s a date. I think it would be romantic to go boating at night.
What do you think?”
“That’s an awesome idea. In the day, it’s too hot. Nighttime sounds better, more romantic,” she agreed.
Mia wondered if his true feelings about the dark had something to do with his vampirism. Some clichés just seemed too hard to resist.
“Good. Well, shall we?” He pointed to the trail leading around the lake.
“Yes, let’s get walking!”
* * * *
Just when things couldn’t get any worse, a recognizable tall figure emerged in the stretch ahead. Without a doubt, she knew this day was going to be memorable, but probably for all the wrong reasons.
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Two minutes later, the newest figure stood in front of them.
“Well, if it isn’t the infamous Mia,” Jamison said.
After a few excruciating seconds, she managed to croak a few words, “Hey, Jamison. You never mentioned Lake Eola at work.” Nor did he mention playing hooky here during their employee lunchroom conversations.
A forced smile moved across Jamison’s face. “The conversation never came up the few times we had lunch.” He shoved his hands in the pockets of his jeans. “So, how do you know my buddy Jordan?” This time it was Jordan’s turn to be grilled.
“Mia and I met at a local nightspot, and a friendship blossomed,” he replied.
Confusion took the place of uneasiness. “Yes, that’s right. We met a while back,” Mia agreed.
Jamison looked to the ground, then back at her. “You look great, Mia. As always. It’s nice to see you again.” A strange moment passed between him and Jordan, and Jamison added, “I’ve got to get going, you two. Enjoy the rest of your walk.”
Without waiting for a reply, Jamison turned and walked away.
Jordan didn’t even have to open his mouth, because she was aware of what he wanted, and damn, she wanted clarification on local club and friendship.
“We work together,” she blurted out.
“I figured you worked with him, from the conversation.” Jordan appeared guarded. She reached out and grasped his hand, searching his face for some spark of emotion. Anything.
“Come on,” she said, “I’ll tell you about how Jamison and I met on our way to the coffee shop.”
“What’s there to tell? You met at work.” A breeze shifted. “Actually, we met years before I moved to Florida. We met while I was still in college in Pennsylvania.” His brows lifted, and he dropped back a step. “Really?”
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It appeared from his expression that he knew more. And then what appeared to be a sudden realization sparked his expression.
“Yes. It’s a long story,” she mumbled.
“One I intend to have with you. Let’s walk and talk.” A quaint little coffee joint sat at the end of the trail. A trip to Lake Eola wasn’t complete without a coffee from Little Java’s.
“Let’s go have a cup of java, and you can tell me all about Jamison.”
They continued down the trail. “My relationship, or rather non-relationship, with Jamison was strange. His feelings confused me. He would say he wasn’t interested in me, yet his body language was contradictory.
”
Jordan remained silent.
“When we met I was a teenager in college. So perhaps I was immature when it came to men. But I thought he liked me as more than a friend. Even after I moved here, he asked me out to dinner again.” She couldn’t believe she was spilling her guts to Jordan, but for some reason she needed to tell him everything.
But, even with her desire to sing the truth, his expression remained unreadable. “Go on.”
“We went out a few months after I arrived, and everything was going awesome. I thought I understood his feelings. I mean I was sure we had something special. But I was wrong again. The next few months after our disastrous final date, I did everything I could to forget him. ”
All she wanted to do the rest of the afternoon was spend time with Jordan, talking about something other than her failed relationship with Jamison. She was relieved when they reached the door to the Little Java Coffee Shop.
Jordan opened the door and stepped to the side. “Come on, darlin’. Let’s get a cup of coffee.”
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Chapter Ten
Comfortably seated at one of the high bistro tables, Mia and Jordan ordered two Café Cremeila and continued to talk, waiting for the waitress to arrive.
“Here ya’ll go. Two Café Cremelia, with extra whipped cream on one.”
The perky redhead placed Mia’s coffee on the table first, with the hand donning a ring on every finger, and reached for Jordan’s coffee.
He slipped a twenty out of his wallet, placing it on her tray.
