Sex, Blood, Rock 'N' Roll, and Vampyr (The Bloodline Series Book 1)

by K. M. McFarland

  Riley’s eyes kept drifting to the door anxiously awaiting Tristan’s arrival. She finally noticed him coming in looking handsome in a suit and tie but what the fuck? Why was he coming in with a woman? Not just any woman but an exotic, sexy, beautiful woman with long, black, loose curls rocking a black mini dress that clung in all the right places. She could feel her blood rushing to her head, and her heart sinking. He hadn’t said a word about having a girlfriend or that he would be coming with anyone. In fact, they had a date. Feeling used and rejected; unable to make any sense of the situation, she grabbed Nadia and asked, “Who is that woman with Tristan?”

  Nadia looked and said, “That’s Giselle. Don’t worry; it’s fine. I have to check on something. I’ll be right back.”

  Riley scoffed. That woman is fucking stunning, and Nadia says not to worry, it’s fine. Tristan approached her and kissed her lightly on the lips. Feeling confused and not quite sure what was going on, she asked, “Who’s your friend?”

  Tristan tilted his head with a furrowed brow and said, “My friend?”

  “The woman that came with you?”

  “Oh-h-h, the woman that came in with me.”

  She nodded and said, “That would be the one.”

  “Yes, I can explain,” he said playfully.

  “Okay, who is she?”

  He established eye contact with her and smiled. “My mother.”

  Blown away by his response, she understood now why Nadia said it’s all right and not to worry. She breathed a sigh of relief. “Your mother? Damn! She doesn’t look old enough to have a kid your age.”

  “That’s because she was twenty-eight when she became a part of the vampire world, but she was only fourteen when I was born. They had kids young back in the eighteenth century. Wait, you didn’t think ...”

  Still recovering from the shock, Riley said, “I didn’t know what to think. I wasn’t expecting your mother to look so young. She looks like a supermodel.”

  Tristan laughed and said, “I’m sorry. That thought never occurred to me. I’ll introduce you to her later. I’m sure she would love to meet you.”

  “I’d like to meet her. Now I know where you get your looks. Your mother is breathtakingly beautiful.”

  Quinn and Randi noticed Jeff and Laurie staring at him. He realized he was going to have to say something sooner or later, so why not get it over with now? He took Randi by the hand and stepped over to them with a smile. “Jeff and Laurie. I’m Quinn, and I believe you already know my wife, Randi. It’s a pleasure to meet you finally. I’m so sorry I missed you Thursday night, but I had urgent business at one of my other bars.”

  Riley stepped up with a smile and said, “Hello Quinn and Randi.”

  “Riley, hello,” said Quinn. “You look beautiful tonight. We can’t wait to see your latest masterpiece.”

  Jeff and Laurie looked at each other. Riley had mentioned talking to them at Vampyr, but they appeared to be more than just acquaintances. “I didn’t know you knew each other,” said Laurie.

  “We met briefly at Vampyr when she first arrived in town,” explained Quinn.

  Riley smiled and said, “That’s right.”

  Jeff’s eyes focused on Quinn. “It’s uncanny how much you look like your father. You even sound like him. Are you sure you’re not a clone?”

  Quinn laughed and said, “You’re not the first person to tell me that. I get it all the time.”

  Nadia and Lacey joined in to help diffuse the situation. Lacey hugged Jeff, Laurie, and Riley.

  Chad stepped up and hugged Riley. He looked her over and smiled.

  “It’s so good to see you again, Chad. It’s been too long.”

  “Yes, but I’ve been stalking you,” said Chad. “I’m a huge fan of your work. I’ve always known you had it in you to be a great artist someday, and I was right. You’ve done well, and I’m happy you accepted my invitation to be our special guest. I’m honored to have you here tonight.”

  She smiled and said, “Thank you, Chad. I’m happy and honored to be here.”

  When the time came for the unveiling, Chad and Nadia stood next to the easel that held Riley’s painting. Their guests all gathered around. Chad took the microphone. When he had everyone’s attention, he began to speak.

  “My wife, Nadia, and I want to thank you all for coming out tonight and joining us for our grand opening celebration. We hope you’re all having a good time. Your support means more than you know. Without further ado, I would like to introduce our special guest. We met at art school in London a few years ago. I’ve always admired her work and knew she had talent. She’s proven me right because she has gone on to become quite well-known in the world of abstract erotica. In a few minutes, she’s going to unveil her latest masterpiece, The Vampire’s Kiss. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Miss Riley West.”

  Riley stepped up and took the microphone from Chad with a smile as the guests applauded.

  “Good Evening. Thank you all for coming. I’m excited about my new painting, and I can’t wait to show it to you. Abstract erotica is all about exploring the inner depths of your imagination to create a fantasy. This one is a vampire fantasy that I titled, The Vampire’s Kiss. So we’re just going to drop the cloth now.” Nadia stood on the other side and together, they pulled the drape over the painting letting it fall to the ground as the viewers applauded.

  Fantasy my ass, thought Randi and Quinn. They immediately knew the painting was of them.

  Jeff wondered about the painting; the one she started after arriving in New Orleans and was working so diligently to finish. Why would she do a painting called the vampire’s kiss? Why do the people in the picture resemble Quinn and his wife, and why does the redhead look like his daughter? It’s sexual, but he’s familiar with his daughter’s erotic paintings. However, this one seemed different. Her work of art featured the male going down on the redhead, while the blond woman watched. So what’s the vampire connection, he wondered. Then he finally noticed the blood. He finally came to the realization that the male is a vampire and not only is he performing oral on the girl; he’s drinking her blood. He pointed his discovery out to Laurie and asked what she thought.

  Laurie shrugged her shoulders and said, “Imagination creating fantasy. Quinn and his wife are both pleasing to the eye, and they probably inspired her. It’s simple. She used their beautiful faces and bodies to create a vampire fantasy.”

  “If you say so,” said Jeff shaking his head.

  Randi and Quinn approached Riley with a smile and said, “Thank you for flattering us in your work.”

  Riley’s eyes widened. “Do you like it? I was hoping you would.” She crossed her fingers and said, “Please tell me you like it.”

  “We do,” said Quinn. “We love it. Randi and I agree it’s flattering to all of us, and I want to buy it.”

  Randi looked at her husband and smiled.

  Pleasantly surprised, Riley’s face lit up. “That’s fabulous. I don’t know what to say. I wasn’t expecting it to sell tonight. Thank you, Quinn. If you’d like to look at some of my other work, my display is over there,” she said, pointing.

  Quinn and Randi made their way through the guests to check out her collection. Randi pointed out to Quinn that many of her paintings involve vampires.

  After they had finished looking, Quinn went to purchase Riley’s masterpiece on display before someone beat him to it.

  Randi was walking toward the front of the gallery when her eyes landed on Heather Moss, the meanest girl in high school. The sight of her made her cold blood chill. Heather Moss hated Nadia and spread malicious, vicious gossip about her. Fuck. I have to tell Nadia that bitch is here. She found her friend with Chad and Giselle and joined them. She nudged Nadia pointing. “Isn’t that the evil Heather Moss that tried to make high school a living hell for you?”

  Nadia looked and said, “I’ll be damned. That’s her all right, but what the fuck is she doing here?” She nudged Chad pointing to Heather. “How did that
girl get an invitation?”

  Chad looked and said, “She didn’t. Matilda Monreaux, the woman she’s with, is a major client. Why? Do you know her?”

  Nadia folded her arms and said, “Unfortunately, I do.”

  Chad walked over to speak to another important client leaving the three vampires alone.

  “I overheard her making fun of you and trashing you earlier,” said Giselle. “She was telling her friend what a whore you were in high school. I am appalled that she would say such vile things about you in, of all places, your husband’s gallery.”

  “Some things never change,” said Randi.

  “I think we should teach her a lesson,” said Giselle. “We should give her a taste of her own medicine.”

  Nadia and Randi agreed, and they concocted a plan.

  Giselle waited until Matilda went to get another glass of wine leaving Heather alone. Little Miss Gossip was going through some prints. Giselle noticed Nadia’s archenemy had indulged in several glasses of wine over the evening. Perfect she thought.

  Giselle enjoyed playing the wicked stepmother with the poison apple as she approached Heather with a devious smile. “If you like those prints you are looking at, I have some in the back that are not out yet. Would you like to see them?”

  Heather beamed feeling important about being offered the opportunity to view the newest arrivals. With her fingers on her chest, she said, “Yes. I’d love to.”

  Giselle beckoned with a sinister grin. “Follow me then.”

  When they reached the storeroom, Heather’s eyes got so big they nearly popped out of her head. She froze in her tracks when she discovered Nadia and Randi waiting for her.

  “Hello, Heather,” said Nadia. “Imagine you shopping in my husband’s gallery. Who would have ever thought we’d see that day?”

  “Hi,” said Randi. “We love that you’re supporting our family business. Did you know Nadia’s my sister-in-law now?”

  Heather figured out she had been bamboozled and didn’t know which way to run. Before she could bat an eye, Nadia, Giselle, and Randi attacked her simultaneously. Giselle sunk her fangs into her neck; Nadia dug her fangs into her wrist, and Randi bit her other wrist. She couldn’t fight the strength of the vampires. They covered her mouth to silence her screams and drank until she passed out and fell to the floor. Once she was out, the three vampires applied a drop of their blood to heal the bite marks and wiped away all excess blood with facial cleanser wipes to get rid of the evidence.

  As Heather came to, she felt weak, and her vision was hazy. Images of being attacked flashed in her head. As her vision improved, the image of three vampires standing around her biting her became clear, and she let out a blood-curdling scream.

  Jeff was standing nearby and heard her scream. He took cover in the shadows within listening range.

  Pointing to the three vampires, Heather yelled, “You’re vampires, and you attacked me and drank my blood. Vampires! Vampires!”

  Giselle shrugged one shoulder with a tight-lipped smile and said, “You passed out, dear, apparently from too much wine and the shock of seeing old friends. You must have had a nightmare while you were out.”

  “Giselle is right,” said Randi.

  “Yes,” said Nadia. “Considering we were such good friends, I’m sure the shock was overwhelming.”

  Matilda had been looking for Heather. Noticing the commotion in the storeroom, she rushed to her friend to find a terrified Heather looking pale as a ghost with the three vampires standing around her. “What’s going on?” she asked.

  Heather pointed and screamed, “The three of them are vampires. They attacked me with their fangs and drank my blood. Can’t you see? They’re all vampires.”

  Giselle shrugged and said, “She came back here to look at some prints and passed out. A little too much wine probably caused her to faint and have a strange dream.”

  “That’s possible,” said Matilda. “She did have a few glasses.”

  Matilda tried to calm her, but she kept going on about vampires. Randi attempted to hand her a bottle of water, but she refused it.

  Matilda inspected her up close and found no evidence of any bite marks or blood. “Honey, I’m looking at you, and there are no bites on you, and there is no blood anywhere.”

  Heather wrapped her arms around herself. Her whole body was shaking. She continued her accusations. “They attacked me. Nadia and Randi hate me. I’m telling you, all three of them are vampires, and they attacked me. Why won’t anybody believe me?”

  “Heather, you have to stop this nonsense,” said Matilda assertively placing her hands on her shoulders. “People are going to think you’re crazy if you keep that up.”

  Suddenly Heather’s mind began to play tricks on her. She inspected her wrists and then lifted her fingers to her neck. Just as Matilda had observed, there wasn’t a mark on her, and there was no blood. As she calmed down, Heather began to believe maybe she did pass out, and too much wine caused her to have distorted memories of the event. She began to think maybe she did dream it. She looked at Matilda and said, “Maybe you’re right.”

  “That’s more like it,” said Matilda. “Let’s go. I think we’ve had enough tonight.”

  Matilda helped her up and slipped her arm around her waist to steady her. She helped her walk out of the storeroom as Heather looked back at the smiling vampires. Matilda helped her out of the gallery as Jeff followed. He wasn’t sure what was going on, but he heard enough to reinforce his belief in the possibility of vampires.

  Quinn heard the commotion and rushed to the storeroom. His eyes narrowed and his mouth twisted at the sight of his wife, daughter, and former girlfriend laughing hysterically. He pointed at the three of them and shouted, “What happened with that woman? What did you three do?”

  Oh, shit, thought Nadia. He’s going to be so pissed. “Daddy, don’t be upset. You have no idea how mean that girl was to me.”

  Randi stepped up to Quinn looking him in the eye with her hands on her hips leaning forward. “That’s right! She made Nadia miserable in high school. She was jealous of Nadia because she was prettier than she was, so she spread malicious gossip and lies about her. She got what she deserved.”

  “Yes, Quinn, and you should have heard her trashing Nadia tonight,” added Giselle.

  Quinn shook his head and said, “Well, in light of that, I’m glad I wasn’t there. Nobody talks about my daughter like that. Don’t worry about anything. You cleaned up well, and nobody is going to believe anything happened.”

  The three culprits looked at each other and grinned.

  Quinn walked up to his wife and kissed her before whispering in her ear. “Good girl. Be ready for a reward when you get home for the part you played in it. You’re gonna love it.”

  Randi looked at him and smiled. She whispered in his ear, “I can’t wait.”

  After taking a closer look at all of Riley’s paintings, Jeff found several to be about vampires. Beginning to think the idea of the existence of vampires may not be so far-fetched, he wondered about his daughter’s involvement with them.

  He walked back to the storeroom and found it empty. He inconspicuously entered and scanned the room. Nothing appeared out of the ordinary or suspicious. His eyes roamed to the corner, and he noticed a wastebasket. He walked over to it and looked inside. He gasped at the sight of the bloody wipes.

  After the event, Quinn left for Vampyr while Randi went home. Riley left with Tristan. Nadia and Chad took Lacey home.

  Jeff was feeling a little tense after his latest discovery and needed to unwind. He and Laurie stopped in the hotel bar. They sat at a table and ordered drinks. The server brought Laurie’s wine and Jeff’s vodka and tonic. He sipped his drink before telling his wife about the vampires attacking the girl and finding the bloody wipes in the trash can.

  “Are you sure it was blood you saw on the wipes?” asked Laurie. “Maybe it was red paint. I mean, it is an art gallery. Even if it was blood, which I’m sure it wasn’t, h
ow do you explain the girl not having any noticeable wounds on her skin? How would the bleeding completely stop that fast? It just doesn’t add up.”

  Jeff ran his hands over his face and said, “I don’t know. Maybe you’re right. I just don’t know what to think.”

  AFTER CLOSING SHIFTS AT Vampyr, Quinn got home around three o’clock. He stepped into the bedroom and was pleased to find Randi propped up in bed naked wearing only a smile. He took a deep breath and sighed.

  “Hello darling,” she said, playing with her hair. “I’m waiting for my reward.”

  He quickly ripped open his shirt and dropped his pants. Naked, he climbed into bed and kissed her passionately fondling her body. He flipped her over on her stomach and lightly swatted her naked butt several times before he eased his way into her. Her face buried in the pillow, she hoped would drown out the moans of her release so no one else in the house would hear her cries of intense pleasure as he rocked her world.

  TRISTAN AND RILEY KISSED passionately. He gently brushed her hair behind her shoulder and said, “We could wait for Quinn’s marks to heal on their own, or you could have him get rid of them. You don’t need them anymore. You have me now, and I would like the honor of making you my woman.”

  She smiled and said, “I’d like that. But why can’t you just do it anyway? Quinn only pierced me with his fangs so I wouldn’t meet up with any trouble at the vampire bar. He didn’t take any blood. His wife wouldn’t let him.”

  Tristan laughed and said, “I don’t want to make you look like a vampire whore.”

  She laughed and said, “Thank you. That’s very kind of you. I’ll have him heal them tomorrow so you can have the honor of leaving permanent marks on me.”

  Riley noticed the time on her watch and gasped. “Fuck, it’s five o’clock in the morning. I should be getting back to my hotel. My parents are expecting me, and I don’t want them to worry.”