“Why don’t you just call them and tell them you’re in the middle of something and don’t want to leave,” suggested Tristan. “It’s not like they don’t know what we’re doing.”
“And wake them if they’re sleeping? That wouldn’t be nice.”
Tristan sighed and said, “Well, it’s about time for me to retire for the day, so I’ll call you a cab.”
Tristan called her cab while she dressed and checked her hair and makeup in the bathroom mirror. She stepped back into the bedroom, sat next to him on the bed, and they kissed. He withdrew his lips and said, “Your chariot is on the way and should be waiting downstairs when you get there.”
She smiled and said, “Thanks, Tristan. I’ll see you tonight.”
She walked down the stairs and out to the street, but there was no cab in sight. She waited in front of Midnight Oasis for a few minutes, but the cab didn’t come. Midnight Oasis closed at five, so she had to figure one of the mortal customers must have taken it while she was on the way down.
It was still pitch dark. Her only option was to call for another cab and wait for it to come or walk. Even though it didn’t seem like the smart thing to do, she decided to walk. She could be back at her hotel by the time another cab arrived. Besides, daylight was near, and the hotel wasn’t that far.
She shuffled down Bienville Street noticing all of the restaurants and bars had closed for the night, and the street was dark and deserted. She began to feel a little uneasy walking alone. She looked around, and an eerie feeling crept over her. She felt a presence as if someone was following her. It’s just my imagination, she told herself. Just keep walking.
The feeling of being followed persisted. She could feel her heart beginning to race, and her palms began to sweat. She started to think maybe she should have gone out of her way and taken one of the busier streets or just called for another damn cab. Whatever, it was too late now. There was nowhere to go.
She looked around and behind her but didn’t see anyone. I’m imagining things, she said to herself. There’s nobody on this street but me. But she still couldn’t shake the feeling of not being alone.
She began to take longer strides at a faster pace. She felt as if whoever was following her was getting closer. I’m not imagining things, someone or something is following me.
Her heart pounded as she tried to walk faster. After escaping death once on the dark streets of New Orleans, would she be so lucky the second time? Suddenly, a shadowy figure sped over her knocking her to the ground. Trembling in fear, she looked up, but she didn’t see anything.
She picked herself up and ran back to the hotel as fast as she could on high heels. She opened the front door and scurried inside. She rushed to the elevator and pushed the button. The ride up seemed to take forever. When the doors finally opened, a shadowy figure in black stood on the opposite side. She screamed as she quickly pushed the button for the doors to close. She got off in the lobby and hurried to the front desk.
The desk clerk noticed her trembling. “Are you all right, honey,” he asked.
“I think so,” she answered out of breath with her hand covering her pounding heart. “It was scary on the street. I felt like someone was following me. I’d just feel safer with someone with me. Can someone from security please walk me to my room.”
“Yes, of course, honey. I’ll call now.”
The security guard approached her and walked her to the elevator. When they reached her floor, the doors opened. She peeked out and saw there was nobody there. The guard walked her to her room. She thanked and tipped him.
“Are you sure you’re going to be all right, ma’am?”
“Yes, I’ll be fine. I’m probably just overreacting. Thank you again.”
“No problem, ma’am. Better safe than sorry. Have a good night.”
She opened the door to the suite quickly entering. She locked all the locks and leaned against the door. She could still feel her heart pounding. She pulled a bottle of water from the refrigerator and drank it.
As her insides began to settle, she began to think. Whatever was following her couldn’t have been human. But what did it want with her? Why was she being followed? Was one of the vampires from Midnight Oasis just fucking with her? If he wanted to do her harm, he certainly had the opportunity. Whatever it was, it was over now. She made up her mind there would be no more dark streets late at night.
Feeling relaxed enough to try and get some sleep, she made her way to her bedroom. Her parent’s door was ajar. She peeked into their bedroom and found them snuggled up next to each other. She smiled at them still being romantic after all these years.
Feeling halfway calmed down, she stepped into her room and closed the door. Too tired to think about anything other than sleep, her clothes ended up on the floor before climbing into bed. Her thoughts were with Tristan as she drifted off to sleep.
LAURIE AND JEFF WOKE up mid-morning to the sun shining through their window. Laurie showered and dressed in shorts and a pullover top. She looked for her gold hoop earrings and remembered she had let Riley borrow them.
She opened Riley’s door and peeked in to find her sound asleep with the covers pulled up above her breasts. Laurie noticed her clothes on the floor and picked them up placing them in the chair across from her bed.
The morning sun beaming in through her window was getting brighter.
Thinking Riley was probably out late and wants to sleep, she thought it would be a nice gesture to close the curtains. Walking toward the window, she noticed something on Riley’s neck. She stepped closer to see what it was and gasped placing her hands over her face horrified at the sight of the fang marks. She let out a scream waking Riley up.
Jeff came running in to find out why his wife was screaming. Laurie pointed in terror with her hand covering her mouth, “Those bite marks on your neck. What are they?”
Jeff gasped.
Riley looked at her parents shocked to find them standing by her bed in a state of hysteria. “What are you two doing in here? I’m not exactly dressed under these covers.”
Laurie nervously ran her hand through her hair and said, “I was looking for my hoop earrings. I was going to close the curtains so you could sleep. The way the light was shining on you, I couldn’t help but notice those bite marks. Riley, what are they.”
Riley thought quick and responded with a laugh. She brought her hand up to her neck and looked at her parents. “Is that what had you all upset? It’s a fake tattoo. I got it at a vampire shop in the quarter last night. It’s not permanent and should wear off by tonight.”
“I’ve never seen a tattoo look so real,” said Laurie, breathing a sigh of relief.
“Yeah,” said Riley with a smile swinging her hair over the marks. “I’m kind of naked under here, so if you two will excuse me, I’d like to get dressed.”
“I’m sorry. Of course.” Laurie took Jeff by his hand and said, “Come on. Let’s give her some privacy.” They stepped into the hallway closing the door behind them.
“Whew!” said Riley. “That was close.” She got up from the bed and showered and dressed in a turtleneck sleeveless crop top and short shorts.
Jeff wasn’t sure what to make of the tattoo story. Was that the truth, or was it another piece to the puzzle. He wondered why she would bother to cover it with a turtleneck if it was only a fake tattoo she got in fun.
Based on Quinn’s unexplained disappearance and his lookalike son, his daughter’s painting, the vampire tour, Nadia’s cold hand, the incident at the gallery opening, the bloody wipes, and Riley’s strange tattoo, he had himself almost convinced that vampires could be a reality.
9
A COMEDY OF VAMPIRES
Lacey had been eyeing a painting at the grand opening that she could never afford, so Quinn decided to be a good ex-husband and purchase it for her. His intention was to sneak in and pay for it as soon as she left work, but, as he was signing the credit card slip, Lacey came through the front door.
S
hit, he thought. There goes the surprise. He turned around and said, “Lacey, what are you doing here? I thought you were off for the day.”
“I am. I just haven’t left yet. I don’t have my car. I rode with Chad this morning, so I have to call a cab. What are you doing here?”
“Making a purchase.” Why not go ahead and tell her since she’s here, and it’s no longer going to be a surprise. He smiled and said, “I hope you like it.”
Wondering what he was saying to her, she asked, “What? What do you mean you hope I like it?”
The giggly new cashier held up the painting and said, “It was so generous of your son to purchase this for you.”
Lacey’s expression turned from surprised to infuriated indicating she was beyond insulted. “Son?” she yelled. “He’s not my son; he’s my ex-husband.”
“Oops!” said the girl, bringing her hands up to cover her face bowing her head. “Oh! Miss Lacey. I’m so sorry. I didn’t picture you to be a cougar, but I love it.”
Lacey looked daggers at her.
The girl’s face turned red when she realized she made a terrible mistake and had just twisted the knife. “Ah, excuse me, but I have something to do in the back.” She disappeared out of sight.
Lacey bit the bullet while Quinn looked at her and grinned. He could see the fire burning so why not pour a little gasoline on it. “Can I give you a lift, Mom?” he teased.
Lacey was so infuriated; she wanted to slap him. She gave him a dirty look.
“Come on,” said Quinn. “Don’t you like the painting? I meant to save it and give it to you as a housewarming gift when you find a place, but you walked in and caught me buying it.”
She half smiled and asked, “How did you know I wanted that painting?”
He placed his hands in his pockets and said, “I saw you eyeing it at the gallery opening. I wanted you to have it.”
She attempted to smile and said, “Thank you, Quinn. That was sweet of you. I’m sorry. I’m not angry with you. How old does that silly little girl think I am? A hundred?”
Nadia came out of the storeroom looking perplexed. “What happened? Lolita’s looking for a hole to crawl into back there.”
Lacey was still a little upset and told her the whole story while Quinn grinned and listened.
Nadia laughed and said, “Don’t worry about it. There’s nothing wrong with being a cougar. It’s never bothered you before.”
Lacey pointed to Quinn and said, “Just look at him; he still looks twenty-five, and, let’s face it, I’m aging?”
Nadia snickered. “You look great, Mom. You’re still as beautiful as ever.”
“She’s right,” said Quinn.
Lacey looked him in the eye with her hand on her hip. “If you like older women so much, why did you marry a twenty-four-year-old?”
“She’s twenty-seven,” said Quinn.
“She was twenty-four when you married her, and you didn’t answer my question.”
“I don’t know. I guess because I fell in love with her? I didn’t go out looking for someone that young. It just happened.”
“Figures. Anyway, thank you for the painting.”
“So do you want to have it sent to the house for now?” asked Nadia.
“That will be fine,” said Lacey. “I don’t even have a wall to hang it on yet.”
“You’ll find something soon, Mom.”
Quinn stepped up to her from behind and asked, “Are you flying with me, Lacey?”
Flying with vampires was not her favorite mode of transportation, but it did beat taking a cab or the street car. She turned to face him and threw her hands up. “Why not?”
She was too preoccupied with the girl thinking she was Quinn’s mother even to care about flying. Talk about putting a damper on things. It’s not fair; he gets to stay eternally young, and I don’t. Is this what people think? Do I look like Quinn’s mother?
She let out a screech when Quinn grabbed her around her waist and took off.
“Do you have to hang on so tight, Quinn? I can barely breathe.”
“If you don’t want me to drop you, I do. We’re almost there so relax.”
She looked down and said, “Oh shit. What if you drop me?”
“Don’t worry; I’ll pick you up. I won’t let you hit the ground. The sight wouldn’t be pretty.”
“How reassuring, Quinn. It’s good to know you think so highly of me that you wouldn’t let me splatter all over the ground. By the way, how high are we?”
“You don’t want to know.”
Lacey breathed a sigh of relief when they touched ground in the side yard. She immediately backed away from him and started walking toward the kitchen door.
She plopped on the sofa in the living room still pouting. Quinn noticed and joined her handing her a glass of wine. “You shouldn’t let that girl upset you like that. You’re still a beautiful woman. I mean that.”
She took the wine from him running her other hand through her hair. “Thank you, Quinn. I’m sorry I took it out on you.”
He looked at her out of the side of his eye and said, “If you don’t want to get any older, we can fix that.”
She laughed. “Not a chance, Quinn. You know it’s not for me.”
“You know, you don’t have to drink from mortals. There are alternative methods to feed. Just ask Randi.”
“Yeah, but it still involves feeding on blood.” She made a face shaking and said, “Ugh. Yuck.”
“I know. You’ve made that crystal clear. It’s not for everyone. But if you ever change your mind, Nadia or I could take care of that.”
“I know, and thank you for the offer, but no thanks. However, I may look into some noninvasive procedures soon.”
“Whatever makes you feel better, but you don’t need to do that.”
Lacey sipped her wine and set the wine glass on the coffee table. She leaned back on the sofa resting her head on her hand. She looked at him and said, “Quinn, do you ever wonder what it may have been like for us if you hadn’t become a vampire?”
Wondering what motivated her to ask that question, he said, “More than you can imagine, Lacey. But now that we know we were unfaithful to one another brought on by the stress and strain of being apart so much, I’m not sure our future as a couple would have been so bright.”
Lacey pulled her phone from her purse and began to toy with it. “You’re probably right Quinn.” She held it up and said, “Look what I found out about you on the internet. Do you want me to read it to you?”
He sneered and said, “Do I have a choice because somehow I have a feeling you’re going to.”
She flashed a devilish grin. “You’re so right. Here goes.”
“Groupie Report: Quinn Forrester has a Massive cock, but don’t expect him to use it. He’s married, but, if he’s drunk enough, he might let you give him a blowjob.”
“Interesting. I wonder who said that?” said Quinn scratching his head.
“It’s not about who said it; it’s about how many said it. Just how many blowjobs did you receive?”
“I don’t know. It did say I had to be drunk enough, so if I was that drunk, I’m sure I wouldn’t remember.”
She looked at him and grinned. “What a sly little vampire. Oh, wait! Here’s another one. Did you know the famous groupie, Sherri Lyn, wrote about you in her book? Do you want me to read it to you?”
He threw his hands up with a fake grin and said, “I can hardly wait.”
She looked at him and cleared her throat. “Ahem.”
“I was partying with West Side in their hotel suite after a concert in New York. We were all naked in the hot tub drinking and smoking weed. Jeff was interested, but I wanted Quinn even though he didn’t seem interested in me. He was a long way from home and horny as hell, so I decided to give it a shot. I’m sure it was probably the best blowjob he ever had.”
She looked into his eyes. “Now, what do you have to say about that, Mr. Rock Star?”
He shook his
head raising his palm. “Well, there you go. If it’s on the internet, it must be true.”
“It was in a fucking book.”
“Oh well, can it get any more credible than that?”
“Well, according to several sources, you were the recipient of several blowjobs.”
“Yes,” he said facetiously. “One source more reliable than the other. This is all old news in a little more detail, but what does it matter? You cheated on me; I cheated on you, but the good news is, we don’t have to worry about it. We’re already divorced and have been for years, so where the hell are you going with this?”
She scoffed and said, “Yeah, at least the divorce part’s out of the way, so I guess it doesn’t matter anymore.” She thought for a second and asked, “Quinn, why didn’t we buy a mansion on the west coast?”
“I don’t know. Maybe because I already had a mansion in New Orleans where we all at least appeared to be happy. I didn’t know you had any interest in moving to California.”
“I didn’t. But maybe it would have worked better if we’d had a house on the west coast too. Nadia and I could have been closer to you when you were out there recording and doing publicity and television. We wouldn’t have been apart so much. Maybe things would have worked out better for us.”
He shrugged and said, “Maybe. I don’t know. You live and learn. Our lives were a lot different from other people. I didn’t exactly work nine to five. Different rules apply.”
“When did Jeff and Laurie meet? They were already a couple when you and I met.”
“Sometime in 1983. They were young when they met. They were together for seven years before they married.”
“So Jeff cheated on Laurie too?”
“Not exactly.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means they had an arrangement between them. They had an open relationship when he was on the road.”
“Oh,” said Lacey raising her eyebrows. “I didn’t know, and I thought I knew Laurie pretty well.”
Sex, Blood, Rock 'N' Roll, and Vampyr (The Bloodline Series Book 1) Page 12
