by Various
She licked her lips as they grew dry. ‘I’ve come to see if Gabriel’s returned.’
He gave out a coarse laugh. ‘I’ve told you, he’s tied up. Forget about him. He’s not the man I am. He can’t make you feel how I make you feel.’
‘If Gabriel’s not here then maybe I should go.’ She knew she sounded weak, pathetic, needy.
He grabbed her hand as she turned to leave. His kisses were urgent, hungry, on the point of painful but not quite. They left her breathless and weak. He pulled her to the ground. With some deep inner strength she managed to stop him pulling off her clothes.
‘No. Not all the way, not yet.’ She knew it was crazy, he was only an apparition, a figment of her imagination, but something, some inner warning, held her back. At the same time, she craved more of his touch, yearned for his mouth sucking on her nipples, his fingers sliding into her until she couldn’t take any more.
‘I will not force you, you have my word, but you will be mine, sooner or later.’ He squeezed her breasts until she stopped him. ‘And I would prefer sooner. I’ve given you my word, I will not fuck you until you ask me to.’
The way he said ‘fuck’, with no account for her feelings, the way he tugged and tore at her garment, made her nipples erect, needy for attention. She arched up as he sucked on one of the hard buds, causing waves of pleasure between her legs. He lifted her gown and lightly touched her pussy, now moist with her juices. His lips trailed burning kisses over her pale skin and his dark head moved below her belly button. She held her breath. With a swift, experienced motion, his stiff tongue made contact with her hardening clit. Her hands clenched the grass beneath her as he settled between her thighs. As he gripped her thigh with one hand, the index finger of the other toyed with her ass, threatening to breach her virgin hole but pulling away just in time. Her orgasm was so quick, so intense, it caught her off guard, and in the afterglow of her climax she wanted to beg for his hard cock to enter her. Louisa wanted to feel filled, dominated, ravished. She glanced up and saw the frightening glint in his eyes and bit down on her words.
He stroked her face and smiled.
‘Now it’s my turn.’ He pulled her hand down and placed it on his hard exposed prick. It was the colour of rich honey. She wrapped her fingers around the shaft and he bit his lip in appreciation of her smooth strokes.
‘Suck me.’ His voice was soft and persuasive. He leaned across and kissed her neck. ‘Suck me, my beautiful mortal. Let me feel your earthly lips on my angelic cock.’ His eyes were soft, pleading, vulnerable, and Louisa’s resolve softened. She bent over and then hesitated. She’d never been much good at fellatio, according to her last boyfriend anyway. She licked her way up to the head, relaxing at the sweetness of the taste. It took a while before she got used to having him in her mouth but as his murmurs of approval increased she felt encouraged to try a little harder.
He gripped her hair and thrust in a little harder. Sensing he was about to climax, Louisa pulled away and his seed fell to the ground. She thought she saw a flash of anger cross his face but it was quickly gone.
‘Why did you pull away?’ His hold on her hair was tight and controlling.
She told the truth. ‘I don’t know. Sorry, I’m not very good at this.’
‘On the contrary,’ he said, stroking her cheek, ‘you’re just perfect.’
Four days later, Mona called by. Louisa answered the door in her dressing gown.
‘Hell’s fire, Louisa, you look shocking. When you didn’t answer your phone I called work. They said you’d been absent all week. What’s the matter with you?’
‘I don’t know. I just don’t have any energy.’
‘You need to go to the doctor’s.’
‘No, I just need some sleep.’ But Louisa knew it was a lie, that all she’d done for the past week was sleep, dream and make love with Raphael – not complete lovemaking but it wasn’t far away. With each meeting he was getting nearer and nearer to entering her, and each encounter left Louisa wanting more but afraid to take that final step. Tonight, he had stated, he was going to know her fully; and then he had said there would be no going back. Something in his voice, the steeliness in his eyes, made her afraid but she couldn’t resist. Raphael was like a drug and each night she needed her fix.
Saying goodbye to her friend, and reassuring her that she would make an appointment at the doctor’s, she closed the door. Catching her reflection in the mirror, Louisa realised she looked years older, tired and drained. She had to do something about the situation.
That night she lay in bed, closed her eyes and imagined she was standing by the lake. She shouted Gabriel’s name. Raphael stood nearby in the shadow of a great oak. She ignored him and called for Gabriel again, her voice taking on a note of despair. Behind her she knew storm clouds were racing towards her, yet in front of her, across the lake, was a clear cerulean sky.
‘You’re mine, Louisa. He can’t satisfy you like I can. You know that. Come over to me. Now.’
She glanced in Raphael’s direction. ‘Gabriel. Please,’ she called out, her voice almost pleading for him to come and rescue her, not only from Raphael but from her own desires that were out of control.
Out of the blue vastness, an amber cloud emerged and made its way towards her. The closer it drew, the clearer Gabriel became, until he was standing in front of her.
‘Where have you been?’ Louisa asked, her voice trembling with relief.
‘Raphael is not a true guardian angel but a devil spirit. He tricked me, imprisoned me so I couldn’t get to you. Did he hurt you?’
‘No.’ She shuddered as she thought of their lovemaking and his touch.
‘You look unwell.’ Suddenly, he grabbed her and pushed her behind him. ‘No more, leave her alone.’ She looked over Gabriel’s shoulder and gasped as she saw Raphael coming towards them, his eyes dark, menacing, ready to cause what mayhem he could.
‘Move out of the way. She wants only me,’ Raphael yelled before crooking his finger towards her.
‘Liar, it’s me she wants,’ Gabriel shouted in reply.
‘Come girl, come to me.’ Raphael grabbed hold of his cock, tightly enclosed in black leather. ‘Here’s what you want, Louisa. Walk to me and you can have all of it. I bet you’re wet even thinking about it.’
‘Don’t come anywhere near her.’ Gabriel pushed her away and, without warning, they both took to the air, their wings outstretched, gliding until they clashed high above her. She couldn’t see or guess who was winning the fight. Every now and then feathers would fall to the floor, black ones, white ones, some bloodied. There was a loud screech and one of the angels flew away. The other drifted to the ground and fell in a crumpled heap at her feet.
She couldn’t see his face but the sight of blond hair and white, ragged wings, made her tremble with relief. She tore a strip off her skirt and wiped Gabriel’s wound.
‘He won’t bother you again,’ he said weakly. She stroked his forehead and sighed with relief. Her gentle Gabriel was the victor.
All night, through her sleep, she cradled him in her arms and in the morning, when she awoke, she felt stronger and happier than she had in a week. For the following three nights in her dreams, they met and talked, walked, picnicked and hugged. Louisa was thankful for his friendship and gentleness but she didn’t want to admit to herself that she missed Raphael’s passion, the way he could ignite her desires, scorch her soul with his kisses and touch.
Gabriel picked up her hand and placed a loving kiss on her palm. ‘I know he must have done his best to seduce you. I know because that is his way but I am glad to see you were not taken in by him.’
Louisa tried to keep the blush from her cheeks. ‘How do you know I didn’t?’ She tried to sound teasing and light-hearted.
‘Because if you had given in to him and taken his seed then you would have been his creature for ever. You would have been his slave and he would not have let you call for me. It was your voice that broke the spell. You would have been hi
s until he had drained all the energy from you and then he would have moved on to find another victim and you would have been broken.’
She snuggled into his arms but he gently pushed her away. ‘When you first came to me, I was swept away with the thoughts of a relationship with you and I didn’t do my duty by you. I should have been guiding you, not trying to seduce you. Forgive me, Louisa.’
‘There’s nothing to forgive. Are you saying that we can’t be together?’
‘I think my role is to guide you, not make love to you.’
‘But you’ll still be here for me, won’t you?’
He nodded his head. ‘Of course, always.’
***
The next day, as she returned home after a long day at work, her phone rang. ‘Let’s go to Gemma’s party,’ Mona said, her tone of voice indicating that she wasn’t going to take no for an answer.
‘I don’t know, I don’t think …’
‘Well, don’t think, just do. Be ready for eight o’clock.’
The man standing next to her at the buffet table, a financial consultant, looked familiar. His name was Lucas and he asked her to dance. As his arms slid around her back, she realised where she knew him from. He reminded her of Gabriel. He was gentle, blond, tender, but his eyes were darker, his voice deeper.
‘You know, this might sound strange,’ he said, ‘but I feel I’ve known you for ever.’ She smiled and let him hold her tighter. ‘Could I see you some time?’ he asked, his warm breath teasing her cheek.
She nodded and whispered ‘Yes’ in his ear. He might not have the fire of Raphael but he had the tenderness and gentle good looks of Gabriel and that’s what she needed after nearly getting burned.
On their first date, he played the absolute gentleman. On the second date, he kissed her on the cheek. Louisa, despite enjoying his company, was beginning to think she was making a mistake. Yes, at first she’d wanted tenderness but now she wanted something more, passion.
On their third date, her mind was distracted with thoughts of calling an end to their budding relationship. She stood at her door, waiting for a chaste peck on the cheek.
‘Would you mind if I kissed you? A proper kiss. On the lips.’
She shook her head. ‘No, I wouldn’t mind at all.’
As their lips touched, her legs buckled. He looked like Gabriel but he kissed like Raphael. ‘You wouldn’t like to come in, for a coffee, would you?’
‘I don’t drink coffee but …’
Before she knew what was happening, Louisa was in his arms and he was carrying her up the stairs. ‘Which way is the bedroom?’ Lucas asked.
‘To the right.’
He kicked open the bedroom door and placed her on the bed. ‘I’ve wanted to do this since the first moment I saw you.’ He lay down beside her and kissed her neck as he tugged off her blouse. His lips on her nipples sent bolts of fire through her body. His thumb toyed with her clit as a finger slid into her ready pussy. She needed him in her desperately. Wanted to feel his hard cock pound into her body. Instead she held back, afraid that she would sound needy or shameful. His mouth covered hers and she felt the tip of his shaft enter her.
‘Are you all right with this?’ His husky voice teased her ear.
She nodded and felt his prick drive further into her. The sensation of fullness nearly sent her over the edge. Taking a deep breath, she wrapped her legs around him and felt the full force of his pounding cock. Her nails dug into his back as she screamed into his neck.
Lucas thrust into her one last time and groaned with satisfaction. When he rolled off her, both of them were dripping with sweat and spent. He took her in his arms and kissed her on the forehead. She held on tight. Maybe in Lucas she could have the best of both worlds.
Taste the Blood of Dracula
Chrissie Bentley
Wednesday
If this was the big time, I wasn’t impressed.
I’d been on set for almost a week, and no more than three people had spoken to me. And one of those was a guy who wandered in from the street and was still trying to bum a cigarette when security hustled him out.
It wasn’t as if I had that big a part. Three lines of dialogue, a gasp of surprise, then collapse to the floor in a pool of blood. The whole scene would be over in one minute forty-five, and I’d now spent five days waiting to do it.
It’s at times like this I’m glad we get paid by the hour.
My agent had warned me, of course, and she’d warned me of something else, as well. That the star of the movie, Ron Baxter, might be box-office dynamite, but he is also so incredibly stupid and slow on the uptake that his last three movies had all had to shed scenes because they ran out of time to shoot them. So when I saw the director, the writer and a couple of other guys, suits from upstairs by the look of their clothes, gathered round the shooting script and glancing in my direction, I figured I might as well start packing up now.
‘Jennifer? Could you step over here for a moment?’
I sighed and stood up, crossed the studio floor and waited with what I hoped was a look of excitement and enthusiasm etched upon my face. But I don’t think it really worked.
They’d called me over, and now they ignored me. They knew I was there, because the director raised a hand behind him, studio-speak for ‘I’ll just be a moment.’ Which is studio-speak for ‘It could be a day.’ They’d already filmed the scene that led into mine, and a couple that I knew came after. I dropped my attempt to seem bouncy and fresh and turned slightly to watch as a couple of the actors relaxed with a joint against a back wall.
‘That’s it. That’s the look.’
I turned back and the four men were now all facing me. ‘Slightly bored. Slightly contemptuous. But, deep down, ready to take on the world.’
Were they talking about me?
‘Jennifer.’ The writer now. ‘Jenny. How fast can you learn some new lines?’
‘Fast,’ I replied, expecting him to hand me the two or three pages that he held in one hand. Looks like I’d just been promoted. Instead, he reached round and picked up what looked the whole fucking script. ‘I’ve highlighted your parts in yellow. Do them in order, so you only need to get the first ten or eleven pages down today. And we’ll see you on set tomorrow at six. Thanks.’
Then he turned away and I was obviously dismissed.
But that is how I was transformed, in the finished movie’s credits, from ‘Girl In Red Dress’ to ‘The Bride’. And all I had to do was wear the expression that I always use when I’m being dicked around.
Whose idea was it to remake Taste the Blood of Dracula? I don’t know. Probably the same person who thought it should be rewritten as well, set in a world of post-apocalyptic goth, where everyone over thirty has been wiped out by a plague, and the survivors are now being picked off by a band of steampunk vampires who have traded their wings for black velvet zeppelins.
Oh, and did I mention that Dracula lives at the top of the Shard, that so aptly nicknamed glass conceit that makes the London skyline look like it’s giving you the finger?
Ron Baxter plays Van Helsing, Les Hooper plays Dracula, and he’s the reason why I wanted this movie, even if it was just three lines and a gasp of surprise. Less than five years after he played a scruffy secret agent in a Jump Street-styled knock-off of that-show-whose-name-I’ve-forgotten (never watched it, never cared), he had risen to become the number-one hottie in British cinema. Hotter than hottie. Think Johnny Depp, then multiply by three. Then double it again, because the only person hotter than Les right now was … yep, Mr Thickie, who can never learn his lines. Industry chatter reckons that this will be the movie that sees the two change places, and anyone who rides in on the back of this flick is going to be bathing in its limelight for as long as movies are made.
A generous assessment, which, if I’m honest, might not have trickled down to ‘Girl In Red Dress’ – but would certainly cling onto ‘The Bride’.
I called my agent to give her the news. The bitch, she alr
eady knew. Had negotiated my contract two days ago, but didn’t say a word because she was waiting for the rewrite. But we happy-danced on either end of the line, and when she told me the size of the cheque she had banked in my name yesterday evening … well, we happy-danced some more.
The Bride is exactly what it says on the label. Her name is Cassie, a sassy just-past-teenager who is one of the few people glad to welcome the world as it arose the day after the plague hit. Those oldies didn’t hang around, you know. One breath of the plague dust and they turned green and rotted, and the world belonged to the fastest and the fittest.
Cassie is fast and fit. She spends a week looting and burning and screwing, revelling in a world that has no workable law or authority left, and then the vampires show their hand, swooping down on the shattered cities, selecting their prey and rewiring society till it’s a cross between Mad Max and a Tea Party wet dream. Cassie is picked up while looting a tobacconist’s and is about to be kebabed by a vamp who likes her meals served warm when Dracula snatches her out of the flames and installs her as his concubine. One of several, in the first part of the film, but the others keep meeting gruesome accidental ends, in which Cassie always seems to play a surreptitious leading role. And that’s where the look (you remember the look) comes into play.
Dracula knows something weird is going on. But Cassie’s cards are played so close to her chest that he can’t quite bring himself to accuse her outright. And besides, it’s not like she’s moving against him. Well, not in that respect, although, let me tell you, the sex scene on page seventeen is pure magic.
So he leaves her to play out whatever game she’s playing, and we end with their marriage, and happily ever after. For Cassie, anyway. In the final scene she crucifies Drac and proclaims herself Queen of the World.
Wow. First I get to fuck Les Hooper. And then I get to kill him. I love my work.
Thursday
I met him! I was just settling into make-up, my eyes exhausted from reading all night and still needing to finalise a handful of lines, when hands on my shoulders and warm breath in my ear made me turn with a start and bump noses with … Les Hooper.