by Lauren Hunt
But I could describe every inch of her beautiful face. Those blue eyes that flooded over me. The way her lips parted ever so slightly when she smiled.
She made me forget about my hunger.
I was down to my last bag of blood and I'd either have to go back to my old ways or rob another blood bank.
Robbing blood banks was an impossibility so close after I robbed the first one. All the other banks would be on high alert with a description of me. I always needed to wait for the heat to wear off before trying that again.
The other way wasn't pretty. It was difficult and dangerous. Draining someone almost to the point of death was risky. But the rush you felt afterwards was undeniable.
It wasn't sustainable though. Soon the clubs would close early because a predator was on the loose. I'd have to move to a new city and start all over again. It was a routine that I was all too familiar with. And I didn't want to do it anymore.
Kelly was the key.
The mass of bodies began to thin out as it grew later. I stood by the bar and watched the door. I could still feel Kelly somewhere in here but I couldn't pinpoint where.
I took a sip of whiskey and scanned the remaining people in the club. She wasn't there.
Then why could I feel her presence?
The female bartender with a short plaid skirt yelled out, “Last call!”
Something was wrong.
A woman nudged next to me and called over the bartender. “Have you seen my friend? She's wearing a gold dress, curly long brown hair and blue eyes.
The bartender shook her head and went back to cleaning glasses.
“Are you looking for Kelly?”
The woman spun around and I recognized her from the last time. It was one of Kelly's friends.
“You're that guy,” she replied.
I stood up and threw down a wad of cash to pay off my bar tab. “What happened to Kelly?”
“We were dancing and I kind of lost track of her. I don't think it's anything to worry about. She probably just went home.”
I knew that wasn't true. When I closed my eyes I could see the clearest image of her. She was close. “No, Kelly didn't go home. She's still here.”
“How do you know?” the woman asked me.
I ignored her and went straight to the women's bathroom. Something must've happened to Kelly. The worst-case scenarios ran through my head. I didn't want to picture all the possible bad things that could happen to her. My chest felt like it was going to explode.
I kicked open the bathroom door and there she was. Kelly stood in front of the sink, leaning close to the mirror and applying mascara to her eyes. My heartbeat slowly returned to normal.
She dropped her makeup when she noticed me. “Michael? What are you doing in here?”
Kelly's friend rushed past me. “Where were you, Kelly? I was worried about you.”
“No need to worry, Fiona. I just got stuck in a conversation with a girl in the bathroom. She was having a rough night and I needed to calm her down.”
“Are you ready to go home now?” Fiona asked.
Kelly looked over her shoulder at me. “I think I might stay a little while longer.”
Fiona looked back at me and then her gaze returned to Kelly. “You better be safe. And call me the moment you get home!”
Kelly put her hands on Fiona's shoulders. “Don't worry, I'll be safe with him.”
Fiona nodded and brushed against me. “You hurt her and I'll end you.”
I put my hands up in surrender.
We were all alone in the girl's bathroom now. The sound of water dripping from the faucet cut through the air.
What was I supposed to do now?
Chapter Ten
Kelly
It was getting late and I had resigned the fact that Michael wasn't going to show up. Or if he was at the club there were just too many people and he wouldn't be able to find me.
I couldn't let it ruin the rest of my night. I wanted to dance until dawn.
But first a bathroom break.
The line for the women's bathroom was longer than a ride at Disneyland. I kept peeking over at the men's door and wondering if it would be taboo if I went in there instead. But nobody else was trying it and I was never good at doing things first. I was definitely more of a follower.
Two people away from the bathroom door but my bladder wasn't going to make it much longer. I closed my eyes and tried to dance to the music to take my mind off it. A girl behind me nudged me in the back. My eyes opened and I realized it was my turn.
I rushed through the door and found the first open stall. All of the sudden I got pee shy. There were too many people in the bathroom and all I could do was focus on the conversations they were having. I tried closing my eyes and humming to help but nothing worked.
Muffled cries came from the stall next to me. They were more like full-on sobbing. “Are you all right?” I asked.
“What?” the voice returned.
“I was just asking if you were all right.”
I could hear her wipe at her nose with toilet paper. “I'm crying in the bathroom of a club. I think this has got to be a new low point for me.”
My bladder was put on hold. “Do you want to talk about it?”
The woman hesitated. “With a stranger? Anyways I don't think you'll want to hear about my problems.”
She was completely right. I had no idea why I was being so friendly. “It will keep my mind off my own problems. My name's Kelly.”
Silence and then sniffles. “Nikki,” she replied.
“So what's going on?”
“Boyfriend troubles. We both came here tonight and he left without me.”
I shifted on the toilet to keep my legs from falling asleep. “With another girl?”
Nikki threw some crumpled up toilet paper on the ground and it rolled to my stall. “No nothing as terrible as that. We just fight constantly. And over stupid shit.”
“What were you fighting about tonight?”
“I don't even remember,” Nikki replied. “But it was bad enough for him to leave the club.”
“Do you love him?” I asked
“What?” She didn't know how to respond to my question.
“Do you love him,” I repeated.
“Well I'm not sure. We've been together for three months and neither one of us has said it yet.” There was a pause for a moment. “Yeah I guess I do love him.”
“Then it's simple. Go after him and tell him how you feel. Everything else will fall into place.”
Nikki stopped sobbing. The toilet next to me flushed. “You're right. I'm going to go tell him how I feel. Thank you, Kelly.”
“No problem. Good luck out there.”
Nikki left and I was able to finally go to the bathroom.
I went to to sink and noticed my mascara was all over the place. I took out my makeup from my purse and started the repair work. The bathroom door burst open.
Michael stood there.
I didn't know how to react. Then Fiona came running at me. It took me awhile to calm her down but in the end she left me alone with Michael.
Michael closed the door behind him. “I was looking for you tonight,” he said.
“You found me.” There was nowhere to run now. Michael made a step towards me. My body moved backwards without me knowing until I hit the wall.
Michael moved within a foot of me. I could smell his manly cologne oozing off his skin. He stared into my eyes and didn't say a word. He didn't need to. His hand pushed away the hair covering my face.
“Words can't describe how beautiful you are.”
My face flushed and I almost melted into a puddle right in front of him. Michael slipped an arm behind my back and pulled me to him.
Our faces were inches away from each other. I closed my eyes and parted my lips. His mouth met mine and my body swelled with pleasure.
Michael held me closer, his lips lightly touching mine. I didn't want the kiss to end. But he pulled awa
y.
I took in a sharp breath. Michael ran his index finger along my bottom lip. If he wanted to take me in the bathroom, I'd let him.
He pulled his finger away. “Do you want to go back to my place?”
I stood there on my tippy toes and I wasn't a willing participant anymore. I would obey his every word. All I could do was nod yes over and again.
Chapter Eleven
Michael
She was mine. Kelly was under my spell now.
We walked outside and the valet brought around my Dodge Charger. I opened the door for Kelly and helped her into the passenger side. I slipped a twenty dollar bill into the hands of the valet and took the keys.
The beast roared to life and I pulled out of the parking lot. I hit the gas on the open road and Kelly was pushed against her seat.
Kelly leaned over and looked at the dashboard. “Aren't you going a little too fast?”
Her question was easy to ignore. I only returned a smile. I drifted easily through the traffic, weaving in and out of the lanes. The speedometer reached 85 mph. Red lights ahead made me slam on the breaks.
I put my arm up in front of Kelly's chest to protect her. The seatbelt caught her before she could hit my arm. My car made it within inches of touching the Ford truck in front of me. My reflexes were usually better than that.
Kelly was such a distraction.
“You okay?” I asked, putting my arm back in its place.
Kelly nodded. “You trying to kill us?”
“I'm sorry. I'm just not used to such a stunning woman sitting next to me.” While it may have been true, it was a poor excuse for almost getting in a car crash.
She rolled her eyes. “Let's just get to your place in one piece.”
The atmosphere in the car changed. Things were going south quick and I needed to salvage it before it got worse.
I drove at a safe speed through the city streets. The night lights zoomed by. “I need to make a quick stop first.”
Kelly threw daggers at me. “If you have things to do maybe we should drop me off and I can catch a ride home.”
I knew she wouldn't like it but she would change her mind when she saw where I was taking her.
We stopped in an old business district with every shop already closed. I turned off the ignition and opened the car door. “We're here. Let's go.”
Kelly didn't budge. “What do you mean?”
“Just trust me,” I replied.
Kelly slowly unbuckled her belt and exited my car. I could tell she was being overly cautious but there really wasn't any need. If hadn't gorged myself on blood the last couple days then she might've had a real reason for worry. But with Kelly around, I couldn't even feel the hunger.
I led her around the buildings and to the back where there was an alleyway with dumpsters and back doors to each business. One of the doors was propped open with light spilling out into the alley.
“What smells so good?” Kelly asked.
I could only smile back as I brought her into the back of the donut shop. Trays of freshly made donuts were stacked to the ceiling.
I took a long chocolate bar off a tray and handed it to Kelly. “Ever had a fresh donut?”
She bit into it and her eyes lit up. “Oh my god. I've had plenty of donuts before...”
“But not like this,” I interrupted.
She nodded before taking another bite. “Not like this.”
An old man came into the back room from the front. He raised a fist in the air. “Hey! What are you doing in here? Get out of here before I call the cops.”
I grabbed Kelly's arm. “Run!”
She dropped the donut and we took off in a sprint back to the my car. Kelly collapsed onto the hood in a fit of laughter.
“I can't believe you made me steal from an old man's donut shop.”
I unlocked the front door and opened it. “It was worth it wasn't it?”
Kelly joined me in the car. “Is he really going to call the cops on us?”
I started the ignition. “We aren't going to stay here long enough to find out.”
Kelly's hand found mine as I drove with one hand. Sparks jolted through me. I traced her delicate hand with my fingers.
“Do you bring every girl you meet at the club to the donut shop?”
I squeezed her hand. “You're the first.”
“So I should be honored then?”
Better than being drained of blood in a dark alley. “You should be.” Kelly squeezed my hand back.
I hadn't thought of my endless hunger once since I found her in the bathroom of the club. My head finally felt clear. I didn't know what this effect she had on me was but it was special. It was something I couldn't turn away from. My entire life could change.
“Anymore errands you need to run?” she asked with a smirk.
I let out a hearty laugh and bit my bottom lip, giving her a knowing look. “Just one left.”
Kelly's legs spread slightly and she blushed. “Are we almost there?”
Chapter Twelve
Kelly
This man had a hold on me and I kind of liked it. I sat next to him in the car, his hand in mine, and I couldn't believe I was going to his house. I knew what came next and I was ready.
We arrived at a skyscraper of apartments. A valet opened my door and helped me out. I stood out in the cold air and wondered what the time was. The club was about to close when we left and we made that detour to the donut shop. It had to be at least two in the morning.
Michael threw his keys to the young valet and slipped him some cash.
“Have a good night, sir.” The valet hopped into his car and drove off.
“You live here?” I asked.
Michael nodded as a doorman opened the two large glass doors for us. The lobby was all made of marble with a giant fountain in in the middle. Michael led me to the elevator and pushed the up button.
We stood there hand-in-hand listening to the sounds of water. The elevator dinged and the doors opened. I expected an elevator operator to greet us based on what I had seen of the place so far but it was empty.
Michael hit the button for the thirty-fourth floor and slipped a keycard into a slot next the button display. It was the highest the elevator could go.
I put my hand on his chest. “Wait a second. Do you own this building? Are you some sort of billionaire?” I looked at his face more closely to see if I recognized him from any tech magazine covers.
“Sorry to disappoint but I'm only renting the loft.”
The elevator chimed and the doors opened. Lights flickered on automatically when Michael stepped off. I almost gasped at the view through the floor-to-ceiling windows. The entire city could be seen from up here.
The apartment was mostly empty save a couple pieces of modern furniture and lighting. I walked through the empty space and peeked around. “Did you just move in?”
Michael followed me around with his hands clasped behind his back. He was studying me closely. “I honestly haven't had the time to buy any furniture.” He left me in the living room and walked into the open kitchen.
The apartment must have cost Michael a fortune every a month. I tried to remember what his occupation was and remembered that he never answered me.
Michael opened up a cupboard and pulled out two glasses. “Would you like a drink?”
I joined him in the kitchen and marveled at the white marble counter-tops and custom-made cabinets. “What do you do for a living again?”
Michael smiled and pulled out a bottle of wine. “Would you believe me if I told you I'm between jobs right now?”
I sat down on a stool at the kitchen island. “Not for a second.”
Michael poured the red wine and handed me a glass. I swirled it around and took a sip. I was no wine expert but it was very delicious. That was mostly likely the most expensive sip of wine I'd ever taste.
“I'm semi-retired,” Michael began, “I made some very wise investments when I was younger and I haven't had to wo
rk for a long time.”
“Sounds like a dream,” I replied, tipping the wine glass until I had consumed all the liquid.
