Midnight Cravings

by Joelle Sterling

  “What’s up, man? You’re gonna try to steal one of these vehicles, aren’t you?” Jonas asked anxiously.

  “No. I want to go inside and see how well we fit in.”

  “I can’t go in there.”

  “Why not?”

  “I’m underage, and I don’t have any documentation.” Jonas pointed a finger at Zac. “You need ID, too. Something that proves that you’re at least twenty-one,” Jonas explained.

  “Relax, Jonas. You worry too much.” Zac boldly pushed the door open and Jonas timidly followed him.

  A small band was on the makeshift stage, blasting instruments and singing loudly. The place was packed with people. In the air were the unusual mixtures of tobacco, alcohol, and the overpowering scent of human sweat. It was maddening to be around so many humans at the same time. Jonas involuntarily began grinding his teeth.

  “We got live entertainment tonight; you boys gotta pay the cover charge,” the big muscled bouncer announced as Zac attempted to brush past him.

  Zac halted and frowned in annoyance at the bouncer. “Pay what?”

  “How much is the cover charge?” Jonas interjected quickly, relieved that the bouncer wasn’t hassling them about ID.

  “Ten bucks a piece,” the bouncer replied gruffly.

  “Pay the man,” Jonas whispered.

  Zac peeled a twenty off of the thick wad of cash, and the bouncer’s stern expression changed to a look of surprise. “You boys make yourselves at home,” he said, grinning.

  “We plan to,” Zac replied with a firm head nod.

  As they pushed their way through the crowd of people, Jonas grabbed Zac by the elbow. “You have to be careful. Showing off all that money could get us in a world of trouble.”

  “I can handle a little bit of trouble,” Zac boasted.

  There were no empty seats, but that didn’t seem to bother Zac. He shepherded Jonas to a dim corner where they leaned against a wall, shrinking into the darkness.

  “This isn’t a hotel . . . it’s a bar. Why did we stop here?” Jonas asked.

  “Plenty of time before sunrise, so let’s enjoy ourselves.”

  “Doing what? I don’t think I can bear the taste of liquor.”

  “We don’t need alcohol to have a good time. We’re gonna mingle—make new friends,” Zac said with a malicious chuckle. “The man at the entrance is gonna send a girl back here to keep us company.”

  “How do you know?”

  “I took a peek inside his mind. Couldn’t read him word for word, but I got the general idea.”

  Jonas looked around warily. In the crowd, he noticed a young lady heading in their direction. Zac spotted her, too. “Ah, she here comes. Now let’s see if I can convince her that I’m one of her kind.”

  The girl looked to be in her early twenties. Her eyes were made up with heavy, dark eyeliner and her Cupid’s bow lips shimmered with a fresh coating of lip gloss. She was wearing a black, low-cut top that revealed deep cleavage. Her light brown hair was fixed in a ponytail that was pulled to the side.

  Jonas couldn’t take his eyes off of her. But it wasn’t her breasts or her luscious lips that he found enthralling. He was attracted to her satiny skin. Without the benefit of an alcoholic beverage, he was quickly becoming intoxicated by the delicious aroma that emanated from her pores. Unconsciously, he began grinding his teeth again.

  “How are you boys feeling tonight?” The girl flashed a sparkling smile at Zac, correctly pegging him as the man with the money.

  “I can’t speak for this here fella . . .” Zac nodded to Jonas, “but I’m feeling mighty nice now that I’ve met your acquaintance, Rosie,” Zac said, his voice silky smooth and oozing with Southern charm.

  “I didn’t get a chance to introduce myself . . . how’d you know my name?” Apparently impressed by Zac’s vampire trick, the girl giggled and blushed.

  “I got a gift for guessing names,” Zac said with a seductive smile. “But only pretty girls,” he added. “My mind goes as blank as a clean sheet of paper when an ugly girl crosses my path.”

  Rosie laughed harder. “You’re a hoot. What’s your name, cutie?”

  “Zacharias Hamilton. Friends call me Zac.”

  “Hi, Zac,” Rosie said, eyeing him seductively while provocatively running a finger down her cleavage.

  Zac nodded toward Jonas. “And this here is my buddy, Jonas. He’s visiting from the West Indies.”

  “Welcome to the States, Jonas,” Rosie muttered, avoiding eye contact with Jonas.

  Jonas realized that the way his teeth were grinding together was making the girl uncomfortable.

  “You schoolboys seem a little young to be in here drinking,” Rosie said.

  “I’m a lot older than I look,” Zac piped in. “But I’m laying off the booze tonight. Just looking to have us some fun.”

  “Oh, yeah? What’s your pleasure? You wanna get high? I have grass . . . Ecstasy? I can get you whatever you’re looking for.” She cut her eyes in the direction of the bouncer at the front door.

  “Don’t know what that stuff is and I don’t need it. I wanna get high on you,” Zac told her.

  Zac patted his pocket. “I can pay you for your trouble. How much you asking, pretty lady?”

  “For both of you?” Her eyes became narrowed and calculating.

  “Count me out,” Jonas said, shaking his head.

  Zac laughed. “He doesn’t like participating, but he likes to watch. Is that okay with you?”

  “I guess,” Rosie replied. “But I gotta charge him full price for watching. All total, you boys are gonna have to cough up two hundred bucks.” She paused for a beat. “Oh, yeah. My manager expects me to get the money up front.”

  “Not a problem.” Zac discreetly extracted the money and produced a friendly smile.

  Rosie twirled her ponytail. “I have a van parked in the rear of the lot. That’s where I do my business. The windows are tinted . . . you know, for privacy.”

  Before exiting the tavern, Rosie slipped the money to the bouncer. Jonas felt sorry for her. She seemed like a sweet girl. The bouncer was clearly taking advantage of her, and there was no telling what Zac was going to do to her once he got her out of the bar.

  Rosie led Zac and Jonas to the van, and hit the keypad, unlocking the doors.

  “How’d you work that magic?” Zac inquired, impressed that pressing a button could open doors.

  “How’d I do what?” Rosie asked, frowning at the nonsensical question.

  Rosie climbed into the back and gestured for Zac and Jonas to join her. “What do you want—a BJ or the regular? If you want both, you’ll have to pay extra.”

  For an instant, Zac looked perplexed by Rosie’s terminology. Then as he roamed inside her mind, his face brightened with enlightenment. “I only want to kiss and cuddle.”

  “You’re kidding!” Rosie’s eyes lit with astonishment.

  “I’m just an old-fashioned country boy, and I’ve got a sweetheart that I’m saving myself for.”

  “Okay. It’s your money, and you can spend it any way you want.” She leaned close to Zac. “You’re real handsome,” she said and then offered her lips.

  Zac encircled her in an embrace and gently placed his lips against hers.

  “Mmm. You’re a good kisser . . . and such a gentleman,” Rosie murmured.

  “And you smell delicious, darlin’,” Zac whispered, his mouth finding its way to her neck.

  “My neck is real sensitive . . . it’s my hot spot,” Rosie uttered, tossing her head back and inviting Zac to cover her neck with smoldering kisses.

  Rosie’s human scent intermingled with the smell of lust was an agonizing combination. Jonas feared that he’d grind his teeth down to nubs if he didn’t get far away from the girl. He yearned to get out of the van; clear his head by inhaling the cool night air. But a young Haitian refugee roaming a parking lot would draw suspicions. A suspected car thief might be punished with a gunshot to the chest and dumped into a hole in the ground. Bei
ng murdered again was not an option.

  Suffering in silence, Jonas shivered and grinded his teeth miserably as he fought off mounting desire.

  Rosie’s excited moans suddenly quieted down. Jonas glanced at the passionate couple and what he saw caused his mouth to gape. Zac’s fangs glittered in the darkness. Jonas had never seen his fangs. They looked both deadly and magnificent at the same time.

  Zac lifted Rosie’s chin with a finger and stared into her eyes, holding her in a mesmerizing gaze. Rosie’s eyes were wide open—glassy and unblinking, as if hypnotized. Zac began to stroke her neck, and in a trance state, Rosie began purring like a kitten.

  Zac alternated kissing and stroking her neck and then after a long moment, he whispered as sensuously as a lover, “Do you want me to bite you?”

  “Yes,” she agreed. “Bite me good and deep,” she added and then gave a lustful sigh.

  Zac cut a triumphant eye at Jonas before sinking his teeth into the girl’s neck. With her legs spread wide, Rosie writhed in passion as Zac extracted her blood. He sipped for only a few moments and then licked at the two tiny puncture wounds that oozed residual droplets of blood.

  “Would you like to taste her?” Zac asked Jonas.

  Jonas nodded briskly. He was so enthralled, he couldn’t find his voice.

  “Can I trust you to merely sip? I don’t want her to end up ripped to shreds.”

  Jonas shrugged and edged away. He couldn’t say for sure how he’d behave after getting a taste of blood.

  “Suck my neck, Zac,” Rosie urged impatiently. “You got me so hot and bothered, I don’t care if your buddy does a little more than watch. He can take a turn with me while you suck on my neck.”

  Licking droplets of blood from his lips, Zac gave Jonas a wink. “She’s nice and ripe for you, fella. But you have to promise you won’t hurt her.”

  As if she were under anesthesia, Rosie began talking out of her head, speaking in a voice that sounded faraway and dreamy. “I want him to hurt me,” she said, hitching up her skirt. “Let’s get this ménage started—no extra charge.”

  Zac’s hand wandered beneath Rosie’s skirt. “Get over here, fella, and get yourself a couple of sips of blood.”

  Jonas hesitantly swiped his tongue against the twin punctures on Rosie’s neck. At the rich taste of her blood, Jonas groaned and nearly swooned. Determined to control himself, he sucked gently, coaxing out a steady stream. A warm current of blood flowed into him, flooding his veins. Euphoria! He was close to howling with ecstasy.

  “You’re doing an A-okay job at pacing yourself,” Zac encouraged as if speaking to a vampire pupil.

  “Ooo, you boys are really kinky,” Rosie said lazily. Her closed eyelids fluttered blissfully as Jonas sucked and Zac worked his fingers between her parted thighs.

  “That’s enough, Jonas,” Zac said sternly when Rosie’s hips ceased rotating.

  Jonas didn’t want to stop. He couldn’t. She tasted so good, his puckered lips sucked more deeply.

  Zac grabbed him by the shoulder. “You’re gonna drain her,” Zac warned and then gave Jonas a hard shove, knocking him against the back window.

  Growling and panting, it took a few moments for Jonas to collect himself. The taste of blood clung to his palate, and as he slowly calmed down, he licked his lips and ran his tongue along the insides of his mouth.

  Zac gave Jonas a smoldering look as he administered to Rosie who was sprawled like a rag doll. A few light smacks to her cheeks brought her around.

  “What happened?” she asked, her eyes blinking in confusion.

  “I got a little frisky while I was working on your hot spot. Gave you a couple love bites,” Zac said with a wink.

  Rosie touched the affected area of her neck and smiled. “That’s all right. It just stings a little.”

  “Well, we got to be on our way. It was nice making your acquaintance,” Zac said, throwing in a charming smile.

  “I like your old-timey way of talking,” Rosie said as she readjusted her skirt. “Sounds real sexy.”

  “Thank you, ma’am,” Zac said with a head nod, overdoing the old-fashioned, Southern charm routine.

  “Where are you boys headed?” Rosie took a compact out of her purse and began fussing with her hair.

  “We’re looking for a hotel. Any nice ones around these parts?”

  “The Atwell Hotel is a couple miles from here. Swanky and expensive.”

  “Money’s not a problem.” Zac patted his bulging pocket.

  Rosie’s eyes became narrowed and cunning. “How’d you come by all that cash you’re carrying? You a rich boy or something?”

  “Naw, we’re just farm hands. We save our earnings and every now and again, we like to get out and have a good time.”

  “What are you driving?” she asked.

  Zac gave a helpless shrug “We’re on foot.”

  “I can give you a lift to the hotel.”

  “Much obliged. I’ll pay you for your trouble.”

  “Give me your phone number; that’s all the payment I need,” she said breathily.

  “My phone number?” With a puzzled expression, Zac looked from Rosie to Jonas.

  “He doesn’t have a cell phone,” Jonas piped in, interpreting for Zac.

  “Well, I’ll give you mine.” She jotted her number on a slip of paper. “Call me the next time you wanna have some fun. We can cut out the middle man, and I’ll do you for half-price next time.”

  While Rosie drove the van, Jonas explained to Zac in a whispered voice that they needed identification to rent a hotel room. They reached the hotel and Zac gave Rosie a goodnight kiss that had her swooning.

  Once Zac finished the kiss, Rosie got out of the van with her driver’s license in hand. She went to the front desk and booked a suite in her name.

  Zac and Jonas appraised the lavish rooms with admiring eyes. There was a sitting room, a dining area, two bedrooms and a large bath. Zac was awestruck by the modern features.

  After living in a hut in the crumbling ruins of Haiti, and then surviving in the woods for a while, Jonas was impressed by the spacious luxuriousness also.

  Zac claimed the larger bedroom with a king-size bed, and relegated Jonas to the smaller room. Jonas didn’t mind. He grabbed the remote and clicked on the wall-mounted TV. High definition images sparked to life. Zac let out a surprised hoot. “How the hell did those people get in there?”

  “Technology, my man. That’s called a television. Those people on the screen aren’t real; those are digital images. You know . . . like film,” Jonas explained as if speaking to a dull-witted child.

  “A talking and moving photograph?” Zac asked, fascinated.

  “Yeah, I guess you could say that. I’ve been playing the role of pupil, but there are many things that you can learn from me. When it comes to explaining this modern world, I’m the teacher,” Jonas boasted, deliberately trying to get under Zac’s skin.

  “If you say so,” Zac muttered snidely, and then crossed the room and closed the drapes. “The sun will be coming up shortly. Where are you going to rest?”

  Jonas patted the mattress. “Right here in this comfortable bed.”

  Zac frowned. “So close to the window?”

  Jonas’s full lips spread into a cocky smile. “Remember, I’m not like you. I don’t have to hide from sunlight.”

  Zac rolled his eyes and tugged on the drapes, pulling them even tighter. “Luckily I don’t have to depend on you entirely. Rosie’s eager for me to share my wealth with her. We’re going to a place called a shopping mall tomorrow at dusk. You’re welcome to tag along if you’d like.”

  “All right, but I don’t want to stick around here in Frombleton too long. If I don’t get to Florida, a lot of innocent people may get hurt.”

  Zac gave Jonas a reassuring pat on the back. “Don’t worry, we’ll get to Florida in due time. I’ll dazzle Rosie with more of my Southern charm, and she’ll happily drive us to Florida. After you visit that voodoo lady, you’ll b
e good as new. You can start making an honest living; get that education you’ve been pining for. I bet you’re smart enough to go to college.”

  Jonas smiled at the compliment. Furthering his education was the main reason his mother had sacrificed so much to get him to America.

  With the drapes closed securely, the suite was as dark as a tomb. Jonas put the “Do Not Disturb” sign outside the door and then removed his clothes and curled beneath the covers, enjoying the feeling of crisp sheets against his skin.

  Zac, on the other hand, ignored the king-size bed in his room. He selected the tight space inside the closet as his sleeping area.

  CHAPTER 14

  The days leading up to her date with Jarrett had gone by in slow motion. Holland had spent half a day sprucing up the yard—pruning, trimming hedges, and mowing the grass. She’d studied several how-to videos, but taking on a painting job was out of her comfort zone, and so the front door remained an eyesore.

  On Friday night, Jarrett was right on time for their bowling date, and Holland was waiting for him at the door. As soon as he pulled up, she darted out of the house.

  “I hope I don’t embarrass myself with too many gutter balls,” Holland said as she climbed into the Durango. “Are you sure you wanna do this bowling thing? It might be safer to take in a movie.”

  Jarrett could have said that he preferred going to the moon and it wouldn’t have mattered. Holland was excited being in his company.

  “Let’s stick to our plans. We’ll catch a movie next time.”

  Next time? Yay! He wants to see me again!

  “I have to stop home for a second. My phone died, and I need to grab my charger.”

  “All right,” Holland said affably.

  Jarrett lived on the other side of town—about six miles away—in an upscale housing development. Though within a short distance, their neighborhoods were separated by Burke’s highway. On one side of the thoroughfare were the haves and the have-nots such as Holland lived on the other side.

  Jarrett eased out of his parking space and steered toward the highway.

  Feeling relaxed, Holland reclined her seat a little and enjoyed the ride.