by Emily Bex
The memory of that dream flashed through her head, but she wasn’t ready to approach him. From the dance floor, she kept surreptitiously casting a glance at him. He carried himself with confidence, or was it cockiness? He carried himself like the guy who always got the girl. His hair was almost black and he wore it down tonight; long, loose, almost to his shoulders. It looked like he might have just climbed out of bed and run his hands through his hair, and it made her want to run her hands through it too. Then there were those eyes, ice blue, electric blue, piercing her soul blue. He caught her glance and locked eyes with her as she danced. His lips were full, sensual, and he sported what looked like a perfect three-day stubble on his strong jaw. He inhaled on a cigarette and then slowly exhaled, and the smoke rose slowly around his face. The skin-tight leather accentuated his body in a way those hand-tailored Italian suits never could. He caught her looking at him and held her gaze until she looked away. She wasn’t ready. He still intimidated her, and she turned on the dance floor so she could no longer see him.
She ran through a series of dance partners, first the werewolf, then a Viking, then Freddie Kruger, followed by a guy dressed as Snow White. Someone kept passing her those Jell-O shots, and she downed them quickly. The werewolf laughed and warned, “Be careful with those. That’s tequila you’re throwing back.”
The DJ was great, and the music never stopped, and neither did she. The entire time she was dancing, she was aware, acutely aware, that he was sitting at the bar, and watching her.
Rissa came onto the dance floor and asked the DJ to stop the music. She loudly announced, “Okay everyone, we’re going to play a game. I have a bowl filled with cards and you’ll be asked to draw a card from the bowl. Your card will describe the character you play in my horror movie. And for the rest of the evening, you must remain in character.”
Kate was designated as the third person to draw from the bowl. She walked up, reached in, and pulled out a card. It read ‘The first to go’.
She started laughing and said, “Oh great, I’m the stupid chick that gets knocked off in the first ten minutes of the movie.” She stepped back, staggering slightly as she felt the alcohol muddle her brain.
Several other party-goers drew their cards, and then Shade stepped up and pulled a card from the bowl. He read the card aloud, and as he did, he locked eyes with Kate, and she felt her knees buckle.
In a deep menacing voice, he read, “Spends the rest of the movie looking for number three.”
He started to walk towards her. She couldn’t help but notice him. He was wearing a black V-neck t-shirt, a leather jacket, those freakin’ leather pants that left nothing to the imagination, and boots that laced up above his ankles. So what if he has a super-hot vampire costume? Don’t get distracted…he’s a player, remember?
As he approached her, he reached out and placed one finger under her chin and lifted her face to him.
Oh, this is so not going how I planned.
He said to her in his thick Italian accent, “Ah, so I see I am looking for the beautiful Kate with the lovely neck.”
Nice line, vampire, but a little obvious, don’t you think? She was feeling flustered. This was the first time he’d spoken to her since the phone conversation after she ran from the last cocktail party. The tequila had made her brave or stupid, she wasn’t sure which, but she’d play along. “Yes, and apparently I’m already dead, so I hope you can help me.”
“I would love to do anything you ask, mi amore.”
Oh I bet you would. No wonder you get all the chicks. But let’s see where this goes. She flirted with him, looking up at him through the bangs of her black hair. “Immortality? It sounds tempting. So when do you want to bite me?”
Shade actually licked his lips as his eyes followed the length of her neck.
Kate smiled. Well, if you’re going to role-play, pull out all the stops!
“Immortality is a very serious journey Kate, but I can assure you, if you wish for a bite, you will enjoy every moment of mine.” Then he winked at her and gave her the most deliciously wicked grin.
She was trying to mask the fact she was very turned on by him right now, and she didn’t want this little game to end. So she said to him, “Go for it! I’ve got too much to do to be dead. So if you bite me, does that mean you’re my ‘maker’? Does that mean I belong to you?”
At that point, another guy in black leather stepped up to Shade. He pulled Shade aside and told him he should back off. Really? Who is this guy? Since she could hear his admonishments to Shade, Kate said in a voice loud enough for both of them to hear, “I’m the one who’s dead here. Don’t I get a say?”
Shade turned back in Kate’s direction and locked eyes with her once again. “How can I refuse such a beautiful lady? She is begging?”
Others stepped in, discouraging him. He appeared to know them…Who are these people? Kate shouted out loudly, “Please! I’m waiting. Shade! Ignore them, you know you want me.”
The look he gave her said he’d eat her alive. He’d have her groveling at his feet. He’d take her body places she’d never dared imagine. Her heart was pounding as she met his stare, and she didn’t look away. All of a sudden, she wanted this man. Forget the warnings. Vampire or mortal, not even sure now what the fuck he was, but there was a darkness in him that was pulling her in, and she wanted to dive in headfirst. Was this the tequila talking, or the memories of that dream? She no longer cared.
The others were still pulling at him, trying to drag him away. She wasn’t going to let them win. And she knew what she had to do to appeal to his alpha male. Throw down the gauntlet. “Come on, Shade. Man up! Are you going to let them tell you what to do?” And in the blink of an eye, he was at her side.
In a sibilant hiss, he answered her, “No one tells me what to do, mi amore, not even you.” His words sent a chill up her spine, and she liked it.
She slid her arm into his, her eyes still locked on him, and said, “Are you as bored as I am with these games, lover?” Lover? Where did that come from? He’s not my lover. I’ve never called anyone lover. You’ve had way too much alcohol!
“Si, mi amore, it is time to stop playing games.” And again, that deliciously wicked grin, oh the promise of that grin.
“Then perhaps, sir, you’d like to escort me home?”
He placed his hand over hers and said, “The pleasure will be all mine Kate, well perhaps, not all mine.” His words made her blush and she tucked her head, and she heard him chuckle to himself.
He walked with her to her car, and she handed him her keys, “You’ll drive? I think I’ve had too much to drink. I’ll give you the directions.”
“Of course, and I need no directions.” He helped her into the passenger seat before sliding his large frame into the small red Miata, adjusting the car seat back as far as it would go, starting the car and heading out of Georgetown in the direction of Arlington.
Wait? What? He needs no directions? “What do you mean, you need no directions? Do you know where I live?”
“Si, I have known where you live since the first time I saw you.”
“Well that’s kinda creepy, don’t you think?” She was second-guessing her decision to have him drive her to her condo. “Are you like, stalking me, or something?”
“No, and you don’t need to worry about my intentions. I was protecting you, and I knew you would eventually find your way to me.”
“Wow...really? You’re pretty sure of yourself, aren’t you? I mean, that was a lot to assume.”
“Si, maybe, and yet, here we are.”
Well, how do you answer that one Miss Smarty-Pants? You not only found your way to him, you just invited him home! “Good point, Mr. Medici.”
He looked over at her in the dark interior of the car, the light from the dashboard reflecting off that beautiful face, and smiled. Oh yes, it was definitely the ‘I told you so’ smile. He didn’t need to say it. She shook her head. Great move, Kate. You’re now in the car with a man who took th
e time to figure out where you live and has been ‘protecting’ you.
Alarm bells should be going off in her head, but she found she was still oddly attracted to him.
“And protecting me? From exactly what were you protecting me? I live in the Virginia suburbs outside of Washington. Were you protecting me from soccer moms and runaway school buses?”
“You have attracted some dark elements and I was just keeping an eye on you.”
“Dark elements...like vampires.”
“Si, among other things.”
“Really? Come on, I don’t believe in vampires. Rissa said you were a vampire, but I’m not buying it.”
“Well, here is the thing, it does not matter whether you believe or not.”
“Okay then, not.”
“Si, whatever you say.” And the wicked grin returned.
They reached her condo and he pulled the car into the underground garage and parked it in her designated space. Before she could even ask how he knew this was her parking space, he exited the car and came around to her side and opened the door for her, extending his hand to help her out of the car and then walked to the elevator.
As they stepped in and the doors closed, he pushed button 7. She swallowed hard, how did he know? They exited the elevator and walked down the corridor. He was still holding her keys, which he used to unlock her door, and then pushed it open to allow her to enter. Wow, manners and chivalry, when did that go out of style?
“They never went out of style mi amore, and a lady should always be treated like a lady.”
She turned and looked at him with a quizzical look as he entered the condo and closed the door behind him. Did I say that out loud? I must have, surely he didn’t read my thoughts. No...reject that.
He caught her eye, and her expression, and just smiled. He helped her off with her coat, and she looked down at the ridiculous Goth costume.
“If you don’t mind Shade, I’m going to go change out of this costume and wash all this crap off my face. Please, have a seat. There’s wine in the fridge if you want it. Just help yourself.”
“Take your time, I will be waiting.” He took a seat on the sofa.
She ran to her bedroom and pulled off the dress and the biker boots and changed into jeans and a soft sweater. She headed to the bathroom, pulled off the black wig, and washed all of the dark black and purple Goth make-up off her face. Really? Someone came home with me, looking like this?
She did a light touch-up of her regular make-up, and took her red hair from the tight bun and combed it out. When she walked back into the living room, he’d flipped on the gas fireplace.
“A fire, how...romantic.”
He stood up as she entered the room and walked toward her. He reached out his hand and ran it through her red hair. “Ah, bel rosso, I have been waiting for you.”
“I hope I didn’t take too long.”
“No, mi amore, I was just looking at your home, your books, and the pictures of your travels, your music. The way you have decorated. It tells me a lot about you.”
She directed him back to the couch. “So, sit please, because I know very little about you.”
“Ah, you know a lot about me, bel rosso, and you have already rejected it.”
She stood with her hand on her hip, “You mean the vampire thing?”
“The vampire thing, si.”
She sighed loudly, expressing her exasperation, and turned to walk to the kitchen, returning with the wine and two glasses and sat next to him on the couch. “I only have white, is that okay? I mean I’m sure with you being a vampire and all, you’d much prefer the red.”
He chuckled at her and shook his head, and his long hair swayed gently. She really wanted to reach up and touch his hair; grip his hair as she did in the dream, but she restrained herself.
“Bel, let me pour you some wine.” He took the bottle from her hand and expertly removed the cork and filled her glass. As she took a sip, she noticed he hadn’t filled his own glass.
“None for you?” she asked.
“No mi amore, vampires do not consume human food.”
“Oh right, how could I forget?” she said sarcastically. He just smiled that wickedly delicious smile.
“So other than this vampire thing, here’s what I know. You’re a lady’s man, a player, a heart-breaker. Are you going to break my heart, Shade Medici?”
He reached out and touched her hair, running the back of his fingers softly down her cheek, “I could ask you the same.”
And with that, he leaned in and kissed her, softly at first, their lips barely touching. Then he deepened the kiss. He was covering her mouth with his, and she felt his tongue probing against hers. Her pulse was already racing. With his mouth still locked to hers, he removed the wine glass from her hand and sat it on the table. He wrapped his arms around her, enclosing her in his embrace. She slid her hands up his back, and held him to her. Her head was swimming.
She pushed her tongue into his mouth...and she felt...what? No, it was nothing, her imagination. She probed again with her tongue and she felt him respond, but she quickly broke away from the kiss and looked at him; startled, confused. She could feel his fangs with her tongue. She stared back at him, and she had no words.
“Si, mi amore. Vampire.”
She jumped up from the couch, knocking over his empty wine glass, and started pacing in the room. This is not real!
His voice was calm when he spoke. “Are you afraid of me, bel?” He hadn’t moved from the couch and was quietly watching her, his eyes locked to hers.
“No. Yes. Maybe. I don’t know. I really didn’t think...I mean I just thought…”
He patted the sofa next to him. “Sit down, Kate.”
Her head was saying run, but her heart, or was it another part of her anatomy, was saying sit, so she walked back to the sofa and took the seat next to him.
“So what happens now?”
“Nothing you don’t want to happen.”
“It’s up to me? The outcome is up to me?”
“Of course, bel rosso, where we go from here is all up to you. I can leave now, and you will never see me again, although it will break my heart if that is your choice. Or I can stay. “
She couldn’t deny her attraction to him. She was mesmerized by him, she felt his darkness, but she didn’t feel malice. She wanted him, she really wanted him, but she didn’t want to be another notch on his bedpost.
“You think I’d break your heart? My fear, Shade Medici, is you will break mine.”
“I have been watching you for some time, bel, and something in you calls out to me. I have just been waiting for you to feel the same.”
“Well, that doesn’t really answer my question, does it? Will you break my heart? Will you make me fall in love with you, and then leave me for the next girl in your long parade of girls? Your reputation precedes you, you know?”
“No, bel rosso. I will not break your heart. Can you say the same?”
She stared into his eyes, those ice-blue eyes. It would be so much easier to think if he weren’t so beautiful. His answer sounded sincere. It felt sincere. She wanted to believe him. She took a deep breath, and let out a long sigh. Well, so far, her luck with mortal men hadn’t been that great, maybe she should try an immortal. And hey, it wouldn’t be the first time she’d had the shit kicked out of her by love. Her heart was screaming ‘take the plunge.’ Her head was screaming ‘are you fucking nuts?’ Yes, probably, because she had decided to follow her heart.
She reached out and took his hands, and looked at her small hands in his large, strong masculine ones. She loved his hands, the strength in them. She loved the contrast of his dark olive skin against her pale white skin. Then she looked up into that face and those eyes.
“I won’t break your heart, Shade Medici. And I’m counting on you to keep your promise to not break mine.”
He gave her the softest smile. “A gentleman never breaks a promise to a lady.”
He leaned in and
kissed her again, followed by another soft kiss, followed by another, and another. She slipped her hands from his and slid them up his arms, and she could feel the power in him. As she reached his shoulders, she wrapped her arms around him, and she felt his hands encircle her waist, and then wrap themselves around her back, pulling her in closer.
She slid one hand into his hair, that hair she’d been aching to touch since the first time she saw him. She felt him deepen the kiss. She wanted him to consume her. His tongue was probing and she could feel her heart racing, again. His hand moved up her back, and she could feel him tangle his hand in her hair, grabbing it by the fistful.
He crushed her to his chest, and she could feel his heartbeat matching her own. His mouth covered hers, and their tongues teased each other. Her head was spinning, again, when he broke the kiss and said, “Breathe, mi amore.”
Seriously? Who has kisses that make you forget how to breathe? She looked into those eyes and their blue had turned to a red glow. It was both disconcerting and exciting.
“Take me to bed, lover,” she whispered to him.
“Are you sure, Kate?”
Was she sure? Oh god yes, like they could turn back now. She reached her hand to his face, she was already falling in love with this man, and she couldn’t take her eyes off of him, as his eyes bored into her. “I’m sure. Please take me to bed.”
He stood and scooped her up. She was like a feather in his arms, and she loved it. She loved that he was carrying her. He bent his head to her and softly kissed her once again then carried her into her bedroom where he set her down on the bed.
She looked at him unsure, “I’m not sure how this works.”
He laughed. “It all works the same, mi amore.”
He pulled the sweater over her head, and she raised her arms, so he could remove it. She stood so he could remove her jeans, as he knelt in front of her and slid them down her legs. She reached out again and placed her hands in his hair. He leaned in and landed a kiss just below her naval, and she felt her knees buckle. He reached out and grabbed her hips to steady her. He used his mouth to pull the panties away from her hips, and then with a quick bite through the silky fabric, they dropped away. She gasped in surprise, and she saw a flash of the dream in her head.