Quinn wondered how she knew. He had used hypnosis on her. He had wiped her memory clean of him drinking her blood. How could she know about him being a vampire? Maybe she doesn’t. Maybe she’s bluffing trying to get him to admit to something. “I’m his son,” said Quinn. “That was in 1989, and my father is pushing fifty.”
Riley let out a laugh. She looked at him and said, “Quinn, I’m going to be completely honest with you. I know who you really are, and I know that you, Nadia, and Randi are vampires. The other evening wasn’t the first time for me.”
Nervously, Quinn asked, “Do you remember anything else besides sex?”
She laughed and said, “Are you kidding? The blood drinking was the best part.” She pointed her finger and said, “Guess what? Your attempt at hypnosis didn’t work.”
He came to the realization that she knew the truth, but there was only one way she could possibly remember. “The only way hypnosis wouldn’t work on you is if you have vampire blood.”
“Bingo.”
He lit a cigarette and exhaled smoke easing back in his chair. “So that explains it. I’m curious. How did it happen? How did you get vampire blood?”
She sighed fidgeting with her bracelets and said, “I’ll tell you all about it. It happened a few years ago; the last time I was in New Orleans. I had been out partying all night, and I was walking past the alley next to this bar on the way back to my hotel. It was close to morning but still very dark. I was young and stupid enough to be walking alone. I had way too much to drink. A man appeared out of nowhere and pointed a knife at me and ordered me not to scream. He told me if I followed his orders, I wouldn’t get hurt. He forced me into the alley at knifepoint. It all happened so fast, and I was terrified. He demanded my money and my jewelry. I complied. I gave it all to him.
“He was wearing a hood over his head, but somehow it slipped allowing me to see his face, and he must have been afraid that I would identify him. I backed away from him trembling with fear until I felt my back against the brick wall. I wrapped my arms around myself and froze. I could feel my body shaking all over. He looked at me with the coldest eyes I had ever seen, and I just knew he was going to kill me. If he didn’t intend to kill me, he could have let me go. He had what he wanted from me at that point, but he still held the knife to me.
“I didn’t want to die that night, but I was at his mercy. I promised I wouldn’t tell anyone. I explained that I was a tourist, and I had a flight out early that morning. Even if I wanted to, I didn’t have time to get involved with the police. I cried and begged and pleaded with him not to kill me until I felt the pain of the knife being thrust deep into my side. I stood frozen as he pulled it out and pushed it in again and then the final blow to my chest.
“I remember those cold eyes staring at me mercilessly and the blood pouring out of my body; feeling so lightheaded and weak. I don’t think I even noticed the pain at that time. I knew I wasn’t going to last long. I was going to die. The last thing I remember is everything turning into a blur and falling to the ground.
“I wasn’t sure how much time had passed before I became conscious again. I wondered if I was dead. I should have been dead. After what my body had been through, I couldn’t possibly still be alive. The pain had left my body, and a feeling of peace surrounded me.
“When I opened my eyes, my vision was clear, and I was looking up at the most beautiful face I had ever seen. He was breathtakingly handsome with dark, shoulder length hair, dark eyes, and a beautiful smile. I thought maybe I had died, and he was an angel. ‘Am I dead,’ I asked.
“He looked down at me and said, ‘No, I saved you. You are alive and well.’
“I ran my fingers under my blouse over the places where I should have had lacerations, but there was nothing there, and I appeared to be okay. I looked up and smiled. I asked my mystery man why he saved me and how. He said, ‘My name is Tristan. I’m a vampire, and my blood has saved you.’ Then I blinked, and he was gone.
“For a moment, I thought maybe I imagined it all. I did have too much to drink, and it all just seemed so surreal. Then I ran my hands over my blouse, and, even though there was no evidence of injuries, my clothes were torn and saturated with blood. I knew then it was all real.
“To my surprise, I got up from the ground with ease. It was as if nothing had happened to me. I made my way back to my hotel, cleaned up, packed, and made it to the airport in time to catch my flight.
“When I came here the other night, I hoped to find Tristan here. I’ve never had a chance to thank him for saving me. I was hoping to see him on this trip and express my appreciation. I was hoping he would have some affiliation with this place, and maybe I would run into him here, but he was probably just passing by.”
Quinn shook his head and said, “You’re a lucky young woman. You’re fortunate to be alive and sitting here telling me this story. So the reason you came to Vampyr was to find Tristan?”
“Yes, do you know him?”
Quinn smiled. Jeff’s daughter or not, this girl is definitely vampire friendly, and he could help her. It dawned on him that they could help each other. He leaned forward in his chair and said, “You’ve come to the right place. You’ll be happy to hear I know Tristan well. He’s my business partner.”
She smiled and said, “Really.”
He nodded and said, “At that time, I only owned Vampyr, and he was the night manager. He lived in the third-floor apartment and probably stopped in the alley for a snack on his way home.” He rested his elbows on the desk clenching his fingers together with his chin resting on his hands gazing at her. “You like vampires, don’t you?”
“How can you tell?”
He looked into her eyes and said, “Come on, you know you can’t fool a vampire. What’s your story?”
She sighed. “When I got back home, I began to do a little research on the internet about vampires. I couldn’t find anything authentic, but, at that point, I knew vampires were real, and I had vampire blood running through my veins. I immediately noticed changes in me. I started needing sunglasses in strong sunlight; something that never bothered me before. I went from liking meat cooked medium to craving it rare; as rare as I can get them to cook it. I used to be a morning person, but now I love the nightlife.”
Quinn smiled and said, “The amount of vampire blood required to save a life and heal your body can cause those effects. It’s perfectly natural. My daughter, Amber, was saved by the blood. She has those same symptoms, but she got a little more than she expected. It also gave her the ability to see and talk to dead people.”
“Oh, shit,” she said with widened eyes. “I hope that doesn’t happen to me.”
“I doubt it. If it were going to, it should have surfaced by now.”
“Phew,” she said. “That’s the last thing I need.”
He shrugged one shoulder. “According to Amber, it can be a nuisance.”
“I’ll bet. Anyway, I found a link to vampire friendly bars. By the way, Vampyr is on the list. At first, I thought they were just fantasy bars, but I decided to check it out just in case. There’s a vampire bar in LA listed called Moonlight Delight. Have you ever heard of it?”
“I have. I’ve been there a few times. It’s a bit mainstream like Vampyr. A lot of mortals patronize it. There are a couple of vampire bars in San Francisco that are more out of the way with a stronger appeal to vampires, and, with a vampires ability to move at high speed, they can get there in no time. A lot of the LA vampires hang out in San Francisco.”
“Really. Well, Moonlight Delight became my hangout. There’s no alley there. The vampires just hit on you in the bar the same as a regular guy would. You leave with them, have sex, the vampire drinks your blood and wipes the blood drinking from your memory, so all you remember is sex. Same as you attempted to do the other night. Of course, hypnosis doesn’t work on me.”
Quinn had taken a liking to this girl, and he felt the need to warn her to be careful about disclosing that. “Riley, please mak
e sure you never let any vampire know that. That kind of knowledge could put you in danger.”
“I know, Quinn. The only one I’ve ever told is you, and it wasn’t until after I found out who you are. I love vampires. Maybe I’m addicted. Obviously, Tristan doesn’t live in your third-floor apartment anymore. Did you say you know where I can find him now?”
He smiled and said, “You’ll be happy to know I do. He manages my other two bars; Sarcophagus and Midnight Oasis. His apartment is on top of Midnight Oasis. I own that building too. It’s a little bigger, and he liked the layout of that apartment better. ”
“Oh!” Her face fell. She sighed and said, “So much for that. As much as I want to see him again, those two bars have a bad reputation. I know from conversations in Moonlight Delight that both of them are a little scary like the San Francisco bars. Is it safe for a mortal woman to go in them?”
He took a long drag on his cigarette before snuffing it out in the ashtray on his desk and said, “I’m going to be completely honest with you. No, it isn’t safe. They won’t kill you, but too much blood loss is never a good thing. I’ll tell you a little secret. Any mortal who has ever gone into any hardcore vampire bar can rest assured they have been bitten. You know from your experiences with vampires that it only takes a little blood to sustain us. Some mortals do lurk in the alleys, but most of the blood drinking takes place right there in the bar. Little drinks here and there, a little hypnosis, a little vampire blood on the fang wounds and presto, the mortal never suspects a thing. So no, it isn’t safe, but if you want to find Tristan, I can make it safe for you. I can help you.”
His words took her by surprise. She almost couldn’t believe Quinn would be so willing to help her. “Really. You would do that for me?”
He smiled and said, “Yes, I would. I owe you one. After all, you did give me your blood.”
She smiled and said, “Yes, I did, but you gave me the best orgasm I’ve ever experienced, so I’d say we’re even.”
“Yeah, about that.” He placed his index finger over his mouth. “We may want to keep that between us. I’d rather your parents not know.”
She laughed and said, “I agree. So how can you make it safe for me?”
Quinn looked her over thinking about how much he would love to give her another orgasm, but he wasn’t going to let that happen. “It’s quite simple. You’ll have to make them believe you belong to another vampire, and the best vampire for you to belong to is me.”
She was a little confused. She noticed him eyeing her up, but she knew his heart was with his wife, and he wasn’t going to do anything to screw that up. She wondered where he was going with this you belong to me thing? “Right. I know enough about vampires to know I should have fang marks if I belong to you?”
Quinn scratched his head thinking. No, he wasn’t going to screw things up with his wife, but he could help her without doing that as long as he was honest with his wife about what he was doing. “Yes, you should, and I’ll take care of that. Then here’s what you do. Go to Midnight Oasis. Philip is the bartender tonight. Call him by name and tell him you’re there to see Tristan. Tell him Quinn sent you. If any of the vampires bother you, just say you belong to Quinn.”
She laughed and said, “Right? Don’t they know you’re happily married?”
“Yes, but they’ll probably just assume you’re my mistress. If they ask, that’s what you tell them.”
“Don’t vampires have the ability to tell by a mortal’s eyes if they’re telling the truth?” asked Riley. “We both know I’m not your mistress.”
He peered at her and said, “I know, but we did have sex, so it’s not exactly a lie.”
Her eyes danced as she began to feel a bit of optimism. “We had great sex. I suppose if I think about our evening of fun while I’m attempting to convince them, it can work.”
He smiled and nodded. “You can do it.”
Her inner voice told her to give it a shot. What did she have to lose? “Yeah, I guess. Okay, I’ll do it.”
He pulled a wipe from his desk and said, “Then let’s get you marked.”
She got up from her chair, and he stepped close to her. He punctured her flesh with his fangs and quickly withdrew wiping away the drops of blood with the wipe applying pressure to stop the bleeding. Once the bleeding stopped, he removed the wipe.
She raised her fingers to her neck and felt the marks. He did mark her, but she didn’t understand why he had to act as if she were poison? She wondered if she should be grateful or insulted. “Instead of wiping away the blood, why didn’t you just drink it?”
He put his hands on her shoulders and said, “Riley, you’re an incredible, beautiful woman. If I wasn’t married, it wouldn’t have ended with us having sex one time, and Tristan would have to fight me for you. Try to understand; I can’t chance putting myself in a position to get swept away with desire for you. That’s why my wife won’t allow me to take your blood or have sex with you more than once. I don’t think she’ll be too happy about us being alone together right now, but when I explain the situation to her, it will be all right.”
Suddenly she didn’t feel so bad about him pushing her away. What he said did make sense, and it was flattering to know he finds her desirable, but he loves his wife, and the last thing she wanted to do was come between them. “I know. I remember she did mention that. Your wife is cool, Quinn. You’re a lucky vampire.”
“I know, and I want to keep it that way. Besides, if it goes the way you want it to with Tristan, trust me, you’ll need the blood.”
She squinted and asked, “How do you know how I want it to go?”
“I could tell by the way you described him.” He attempted to imitate Riley’s voice and said, “He’s so beautiful. He looks like an angel. He’s so perfect.”
She laughed and said, “I’m not going to say you’re wrong.”
His eyes shifted to her breasts. “Since you’re looking all sexy tonight with that plunging neckline that I know Tristan will love, be sure to keep your hair over the fang marks and keep them covered. The only time you want to be sure to display them is in the vampire bars.”
She smiled. “I will. Thanks. Is there something I can do for you, Quinn?”
Quinn wondered how Jeff would react if he knew the truth about him. Clearly, his daughter is going out of her way to protect her secret from her parents; she doesn’t want them to know vampires exist, and that she’s obsessed with them.
Jeff and Laurie will be leaving in a few days, and who knows when they’ll be back; who knows when or if he’ll ever see them again. “You know, there is something you can do for me. You can see to it your father doesn’t get close enough to get too suspicious about me, and I’ll make sure your secret stays safe.”
She nodded and said, “You can count on me, Quinn.”
He smiled and said, “Here’s my plan. I’m going to leave after the show. I’ll have Nadia make an excuse to your parents for me.”
“That sounds good, Quinn, and, don’t worry, I’ll guard our secret.”
“Thank you.” He brushed his hand through her hair arranging it over her shoulders and her breasts.
She wondered if he was making sure her hair was in place, or if he was just looking for an excuse to touch her breasts. It didn’t matter. Clearly, he loves his wife, but he’s not dead. Well, maybe a little dead. Undead. Her thoughts made her giggle.
“Did I miss something? Is something funny?” asked Quinn wondering why she was chuckling.
“No, nothing. There’s just something about all this that’s a little amusing.”
“Yeah, I suppose. Don’t forget about the hair. I placed the marks far enough back, but be careful, especially with Mom and Dad.”
She nodded and said, “I will, Quinn.”
Nadia and Randi walked in as Riley was turning to leave. Randi spoke to Riley and kept her cool, but she was not happy about Riley being in Quinn’s office alone with him, and she wondered why she was standing so close to he
r husband. She closed the door and turned to Quinn with her hands on her hips. “Why was Riley here?”
He wiped his brow with his fingers before he briefly explained everything. Even though Randi understood, she wasn’t happy about it.
Randi brushed her hand through her hair and ran her hands across her face. She took a deep breath and pointed her finger at him shouting, “This wasn’t supposed to happen. It was meant to be a one-time thing, and we were never going to see the girl again. Now she’s become a part of our lives. How did it get so fucked up and complicated?”
Nadia appeared befuddled. She squinted her eyes at Randi and asked, “What are you talking about? What’s fucked up and complicated?”
Randi brushed through her hair shaking her head. She held up her palm and said, “On top of all that, he had casual sex with Riley.”
“What?” Nadia didn’t see that one coming. Shocked, she locked her eyes on Quinn. “You had what?”
Quinn gave his wife a disconcerting look. He was not happy about her revealing the details of their encounter with Riley to Nadia.
Nadia looked at Randi. “How do you know about this?”
“I was there,” she said looking down.
Nadia wrinkled her brow and said, “You were there? What did you do, have a threesome?”
“It was more about the blood than sex, but nonetheless, they had sex.” She pointed at Quinn yelling, “Tonight he gave her fang marks.”
Quinn was put off at her insinuation. He shouted, “I gave her the marks for a good cause, and I told you all I did was pierce her flesh. I didn’t drink her blood.”
Randi stepped close to him getting in his face. “Do you want to fuck her again?”
“If I wanted her for myself, I wouldn’t be helping her seduce Tristan,” replied Quinn.
Nadia held up her palm and said, “Whoa, too much information. Your kinky sexcapades are between the two of you. All I have to say to both of you is it’s your own fault for not being more selective about who you choose to play with. If you want to be vampire swingers, at least know who you’re swinging with.”
Sex, Blood, Rock 'N' Roll, and Vampyr (The Bloodline Series Book 1) Page 7
