by Marilyn Lee
Brandi woke alone in bed the next morning. Even though the air was fragrant with the smell of freshly brewed coffee, she immediately knew she was alone in the apartment.
A dozen red roses and an expensive box of chocolates adorned the night table on her side of the bed.
She sat up only to slump back against the bed when she realized there was no card with the roses. Nothing had changed. He’d wanted blood and a quick, no holds barred fuck and she’d willingly given him both. Having gotten what he wanted, he’d left.
She sat up again and glanced down at the sheet. The pink stains were unmistakable. He’d secreted blood in her again.
Damn him. So was he going to start doing drive-by fucks again? But maybe he’d call her or come back later that day or night. He did neither. Brandi spent the next six nights tossing and turning for hours before finally drifting to sleep in the early morning hours. Once asleep she had nightmares of watching Adrian torture Doug before brutally killing him. Then he raped her and abandoned her—even though he knew she carried his child.
She woke on her birthday, tired, but eager to get out of the city for the weekend. After nearly a week of silence from Adrian, she knew she wouldn’t see him again. With her luck, she’d end up pregnant by a vamp who had moved on and no longer wanted anything to do with her.
She received four deliveries before she left for work that morning. One was a stunning bouquet from Conner. The accompanying card read: Happy Birthday. Conner. The second was a dozen red carnations. That card read: Happy Birthday. Jayvyn Redwolfe. The last delivery was a five hundred dollar gift certificate to a chic lingerie store from Rayna. Her card read: Buy something sexy to wear for him. Rayna. The fourth was a dozen white roses from Doug. His card read: Looking forward to tonight. Yours, Doug. There was no present or message from Adrian.
She rubbed her temples. Even the brother she had never met acknowledged her birthday while Adrian ignored it—as if it didn’t matter.
As the day progressed Brandi became more agitated and stressed. She couldn’t stop thinking about Adrian and felt weepy one moment and angry the next. She left work at three. At home, she undressed and ran a bath with her favorite salts and oils.
As she lay in the tub, thoughts of Adrian plagued her. Too weary to reject them, she closed her eyes and sobbed softly. Although there were no outward signs, she felt certain she was carrying Adrian’s child. She touched her breasts. They were a little tender, but then they were often tender days before her period.
“Oh, Adrian. How could you ignore my birthday?”
Brandi woke in her bed with no memory of climbing out of the tub and returning to her bedroom. She glanced at her bedside clock. 4:08. She bolted into a sitting position and jumped out of bed. About to reach for her thong and bra, she realized her pussy didn’t feel fresh.
She returned to the bathroom. After a quick shower, she dressed slowly. She wore a cream colored silk dress. The v-shaped bodice which gave a glimpse of her cleavage was trimmed with burgundy lace. It was sleeveless with a matching jacket with three quarter sleeves. The full skirt ended mid-calve.
She wore three-inch burgundy heels and carried a matching clutch. Studying her reflection, she added a pair of white diamond and ruby earrings. What would Adrian think of her outfit? Had he even given her a thought since he’d slinked off in the middle of the night after yet another meaningless fuck?
She sighed and turned away from her reflection. She picked up her overnight bag and carried it into the living room.
The bag slipped from her fingers. A vase filled with red roses sat on each end table. An oblong jeweler’s box lay on the coffee table. She looked around the room before rushing to check her entrance door. The deadbolt was locked.
She crossed the room to open the jeweler’s box with trembling hands. Inside lay a beautiful diamond solitaire mounted in a gold setting with an 18 carat gold chain. She touched the diamond. It must be at least two carats.
She knew it was from Adrian. He hadn’t ignored her birthday. She blinked back tears as she realized he had carried her from the tub to her bed. Why had he left without waking her?
She felt a sudden tingling sensation and quickly looked around the room. She couldn’t see him but she felt him. He was near. “Adrian? It’s beautiful.”
“So are you.”
She swung around.
Adrian, dressed in all black stood in her living room, staring at her. He looked handsome, but dangerous. “You’re dressed to go out, Brandi.”
Her heart raced with joy and fear. She swallowed slowly. “Today’s my birthday.”
He nodded. “I know.”
“I’m celebrating tonight.”
“With who?”
“A friend.”
He glanced at her suitcase. “Male? One who is foolish enough to expect you to spend the night in his bed?”
There was no mistaking the venom in his voice. Brandi moistened her lips. “Why are you here?”
He took the box from her, slipped behind her, and fastened the necklace around her neck.
The diamond settled between her breasts.
He bent to kiss her neck before he moved around to stand in front of her. He stroked a finger between her breasts. “It’s almost as lovely as you are.”
She shrugged.
He caressed her cheek. “I was hoping you’d be happy to see me.”
She stepped away from him. “I might have been if you’d stop treating me like your personal whore.”
“I’ve never treated you like a whore!”
“The last time we saw each other, you fucked and ran, as usual. I’m tired of never seeing you unless you want to fuck me and feed on me! You never show any concern for my feelings and what I might need from you. Everything is always about what you want. You wouldn’t give a damn if I dropped dead—as long as you got a last fuck first!”
He stared at her. “You can’t believe that.”
She didn’t, but she was angry and hurt. He’d probably come for another drive-by fuck and to ruin her weekend with Doug before he slithered away into the night while she slept.
“What I believe is that you’re a selfish bastard. You’ve never taken me out or even called me to see if I were still alive. All you want is to fuck me—whether I want you to or not. Once you get what you want, you leave.”
He raked a hand through his hair. “I know I should have left a message or awakened you before I left you, but—”
“But what?”
He shook his head.
“What do you want, Adrian?”
“What I’ve wanted from the moment we met—you.”
Her throat tightened. “Why?”
He slipped his arm around her waist, drawing her against him. He brushed his lips against her forehead. “I’m sorry.”
Finally the apology she'd waited two weeks to hear. To her dismay, she realized it wasn't enough. A single I'm sorry, no matter how heartfelt, couldn't erase all the pain she'd experienced since meeting him.
He touched her cheek. “There's been a few good times too. Hasn't there?”
About to disagree with him, she paused. He had been tender on occasion. He'd also shown some restraint when he’d wanted sex and she hadn’t. There was no denying the pleasure they'd shared. Or how having him cook for her touched her. How many men would have taken the time to make fresh squeezed orange juice? How many men could actually pick her up? How many men had displayed the level and depth of passion for her that he had? How many men had been capable of fulfilling her wildest fantasy as he had?
Maybe the scales weren’t as unbalanced as she’d first thought, but she needed more than a good lover. She wanted to be romanced by a man who didn’t make her feel as if she were just a place to come when he wanted an easy lay.
“I don’t think you’re an easy lay, Brandi.”
Commonsense shot down her hunger to believe him.
He rubbed a thumb against her bottom lip. “I know my behavior has left a lot to be desired, b
ut—”
She pushed his hand away from her mouth. “That’s being overly generous, Adrian. You’ve been the blind date from hell almost since we met.”
His jaw clenched.
She waited for him to bare his incisors and unleash an angry retort.
Instead he shook his head and held his hands apart in a helpless gesture. “I’m sorry.”
“Saying you’re sorry isn’t enough, Adrian.”
He met her gaze.
Was there remorse in his eyes? Or did she just want it so much she imagined it?
“If you want to be romanced, I’ll romance you.”
“If? Why the hell wouldn’t I want to be romanced, Adrian?”
“Then I’ll romance you. I’ll take you out. Buy you anything you want. Send you flowers.”
She pushed against his shoulders. “I don’t want any more flowers from you unless they come with a card that has a very sappy message, Adrian. What’s the point of sending me red roses if they don’t mean anything to you?”
He tightened his arms around her, pressing his lips against her ear. “Forgive me. Forgive me.”
The knot of misery she’d felt since she’d awakened alone last Saturday unraveled. She gripped his leather jacket, her lips trembling. “Where have you been?” She pulled back to look up at him. “Who have you been with?”
Chapter Fifteeen
“I haven’t been with anyone who matters, Brandi.”
“So you have slept with other women?”
He sighed.
She pulled away from him. “Is that a yes?”
He raked a hand through his hair and turned away.
She jerked on his arm. “Adrian!”
When he turned to look at her, he’d bared his incisors and his eyes glowed. “I said they didn’t matter.”
“And you expect me to accept that answer?”
“Yes, Brandi, I do.”
His arrogance was breathtaking. She did something she’d wanted to do since he first walked out on her. Fear had stopped her before but it wouldn’t now. She was no longer afraid of him. She raised her hand and slapped him so hard her palm stung.
He stepped back and stared at her, his jaw clenching and his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down.
While she was aware that she’d only managed to slap him because he’d allowed it, she struggled to suppress a smile. She felt almost certain he’d never allowed any other woman to slap him.
“Fine, Adrian. The women you slept with didn’t mean anything but then neither do I since you’ve spent the last week sleeping with other women while totally ignoring me—even when you must have known I needed to see you.”
“It wasn’t safe for me to be around you.” He closed his eyes briefly. When he raised his lids, his eyes no longer glowed. “I was afraid I’d hurt you again.”
“So I’m supposed to pretend I don’t care you’ve been fucking other women?”
“They meant nothing and it won’t ever happen again!”
“Really? Well maybe I’ll tell you that after I’ve spent the weekend in Doug’s bed!”
“Call him and cancel your date.”
She stared at him. He forced himself on her, left her stranded, attempted to impregnate her without her willing participation, and then just expected to waltz back into her life and dictate who she slept with? “No.” She turned away.
He caught her hand and turned her back to face him. “Call him and cancel your date.”
“No.”
She watched him struggle to control his temper before he exploded. “Call him and cancel your date or I’ll kill him!”
She met his gaze. A shiver danced down her spine. He was serious. He really would kill Doug. “You do that and I’ll never feel anything for you! Never!”
“His life is in your hands, Brandi. Don’t make the mistake of thinking I won’t kill him. I will. And if he touches you, I’ll make it as painful as possible.”
She wanted to storm away from him but feared for Doug’s life. “You’d kill a good, decent man who’s never done a damned thing to you?”
He curled his lip. “Good and decent, is he?”
“Yes!”
“In a moment you’ll be telling me how worth loving he is,” he taunted.
Brandi blinked hard to hold back tears. While she knew she no longer needed to fear for her safety with Adrian, he still had the power to hurt her. And he clearly didn’t mind doing it. His willingness to mock the feelings she’d been foolish enough to reveal to him, indicated how little she meant to him.
She pressed her tongue against her top lip before she responded. “He, unlike you, actually is worth loving, Adrian.”
He sucked in a breath and stared at her as if she’d attempted to drive a stake through his heart. “Are you saying I’m not?”
There was no denying the dismay she heard in his voice or the injured look she saw in his eyes. She hardened herself. She had to unless or until he was willing to admit he wanted more than drive-by sex with her. “I’m saying he is.”
He responded in a low voice that was almost a growl. “If he shows up here and you attempt to go with him, I will kill him, Brandi. If you value his good, decent, worth loving life, cancel your god damned date!”
He wouldn’t hurt her, but he would kill Doug. She turned away from him and picked up the phone to call Doug. “Hi, Doug. This is—”
“Brandi! Hi! Happy Birthday, baby.”
“Thank you. The roses were gorgeous.”
He responded after a moment of silence. “I’m glad you liked them, but something tells me you didn’t call just to tell me something you could say in person when I pick you up.”
She moistened her lips. “I…ah…”
“Brandi, please don’t tell me you’re calling to cancel our weekend.”
Hearing the disappointment in his voice hurt. “I’m sorry, Doug, but I have to.”
“Why?”
She shook her head.
“Is it something I said or did or didn’t say or didn’t do? Should I have—”
“No, Doug. It’s not you. It’s me.”
“You? Or him?”
She watched Adrian tense beside her. She turned her back to him.
“It’s really him. Isn’t it, Brandi? You want to spend the weekend with him instead?”
Adrian moved to stand in front of her, placing a hand on her arm.
She glared at him as she answered Doug, knowing he could hear Doug’s part of the conversation as well as hers. And not caring. “No, I don’t want to spend the weekend with him.”
“But you don’t want to spend it with me either?”
“I do, but I can’t.”
“Why if it’s not him?”
“I know you deserve an explanation, but I don’t have one to give you, Doug.”
“I made special plans for us tonight, Brandi. We have reservations at the Water Works with a table for two on the terrace overlooking the water. And then I thought—”
“I know you spent a lot of money preparing for the weekend and—”
“It’s not the money, Brandi. It’s you. I…I miss you and I just want another chance to win you back. If I just knew what I did wrong or what you need or want me to be…”
Oh, God! She compressed her lips, aching for the pain she heard in his voice. “Please don’t think it’s anything you did or didn’t do, Doug. It’s not. It’s me. I have issues.”
“Can’t we work through them together?”
“I’m so sorry, Doug.”
“Oh, God! Can I call you?”
She closed her eyes. “It would be better if you didn’t. I’m sorry.”
“Then you’re not only canceling our weekend, but you’re ending our relationship again before you’ve even given it a chance?”
No matter how things turned out with Adrian, she knew she could never try to rekindle a relationship with Doug. The risk of hurting him was too great. And she suddenly realized he deserved better than she could ever give h
im. “I’m sorry, Doug.”
He sighed. “Then I wish you the best.”
“Oh, Doug…I wish the same for you. Please forget me and be happy.” After she ended her conversation with Doug, she jerked away from Adrian. “There! I hope you’re happy. You made me hurt a kind decent man that’s worth three of you!”
