La Luxure: Discover Your Blood Lust

by Cd Hussey

  He wondered how she was doing. She'd been so nervous about the storm, and his pathetic reassurances had been so weak. If he could just talk to her, make sure she was well...

  There was a landline in the bar.

  He stood up with a jerk. The power might be out, but the phone was usually the last thing to go. Grabbing one of the many candles lighting his apartment, Armand jogged down the interior stairwell, and emerged in a small, somewhat cramped storeroom. Boxes of beer, wine and liquor were neatly stacked against the wall, and the locked refrigerator that housed small quantities of bagged blood was a massive, dark shadow in the corner. Collected from private, safe donors, the blood was reserved for those members of the Community who didn't care to drink from the source.

  He set the candle on the bar. The soft, golden glow of the flame flickered across the liquor bottles, and danced with its reflection in the mirror. It added so much to the ambience of the place that if it wasn't such a fire hazard, he'd love to light the bar with nothing but candlelight.

  Retrieving a phone book from beneath the cash register, Armand slid it close to the candle and thumbed through the pages. He located the number and picked up the phone, thankful for the dial tone on the other end. He was even more thankful when a gruff voice answered.

  "Conti Royal."

  "Hi, yes, my name is Armand Laroque. I have a strange request. I'm looking for a guest, but I only know her first name."

  "Do you know what room she's in?"

  "I'm afraid not. We met earlier this week and, well, I just want to make sure she's doing alright."

  "I'd love to help sir, but our phone service is down, and I've run the battery out on my laptop."

  "I understand. Would it be possible to leave a note for her? We were supposed to meet tonight, but I want to make sure she waits there and I'll come get her when the weather breaks."

  "Sure. What's her first name?"

  "Julia. She's been there all week if that will help you track her down."

  "Julia," the gruff voice on the receiving end of the phone repeated. "Wait, what does your girl look like?"

  "Late twenties, long dark hair, slender..."

  "I'm pretty sure she was just down here."

  "Oh?"

  "Yeah, she was trying to leave and I told her not to. I went to get the master key to let her back into her room, and when I got back she was gone and the front door was unlocked. I think she left."

  Armand's stomach twisted into a huge knot. Julia couldn't be out in the storm, it was too dangerous. "Thank you ma'am," he managed. "You've been most helpful."

  Hanging up the phone, Armand blew out the candle and dashed through the storeroom and up the dark stairs on memory. His night vision might be excellent, but even it couldn't penetrate the pitch-blackness that enveloped the building.

  He paused only long enough to grab his trench coat before yanking open the door and bracing himself against the rush of wind that slammed against him.

  * * *

  Julia was beginning to grow hopeless. She was utterly lost. Not only did she not know where Luxure was, she had no idea where she was. Even finding her hotel was an impossible task at this point. She was wandering in circles, weaving aimlessly through the French Quarter streets, lost in its maze-like similarity. She didn't even have a plan of escape. What street signs that still stood on their metal pillars called out names she didn't recognize.

  Finally, exhausted, freezing, and soaked in places not designed to see water, she sat on a covered stoop where the adjacent building offered a tiny amount of protection from the wind. The rain still managed to blow in from impossible directions, but her drenched body barely noticed.

  Pulling her knees up to her chest, Julia pressed her face into the wet fabric, and squeezed as close to the building wall as possible. She could probably wait out the storm here with minimal damage, maybe a little hypothermia or pneumonia, but nothing a trip to the ER wouldn't cure.

  It would all be worth it if she could just manage to find Armand. As ridiculous as that statement sounded as it rang in her ears, she knew it was true. She'd happily take a few days in the hospital to expand on what she'd barely experienced the night before.

  God, if she could just get to him. He'd left an ache in her that only his touch could ease. She was ready to turn her body over to him, eager to sate every one of his desires, no matter how dark they ran. She wondered if this is what the fortune teller saw in his cards when he predicted her decent into evil.

  Of all the men in the world to fall for, Julia had to choose a vampire. It didn't actually surprise her. She'd been trudging through life as it was. Very little interested her and nothing excited her. It was why she spent so much time reading. Real life was boring. Until now.

  She watched as the rain slashed through the night sky in a horizontal plane. The gutters had turned into raging rivers, the whitecaps spilling over the curbs. Debris flew by at regular intervals: everything from signs to trash cans to chunks of wood shrapnel. At any moment, she expected to see the Wicked Witch of the West fly by on her broomstick.

  And if Julia had an ounce of luck in her bones, Armand would be riding behind her.

  "Julia!"

  The cold must be affecting her brain because now the wind sounded like it was calling her name.

  "Julia!"

  Squinting through the haze of the rain, she could just barely make out the outline of an approaching figure: one with broad shoulders and a long trench coat whipping about his legs. Julia jumped to her feet. Could it be...?

  "Armand?"

  "Stay there!" he shouted, his deep voice barely cutting through the din of the storm. "I'll come to you."

  He started jogging towards her. Her patience only lasted until he'd crossed the street before she leapt from the stoop and slammed into his arms. He pulled her close against his body and she could feel the warmth of his skin through her soaked clothes.

  "What are you doing out here?" he wondered, his mouth at her ear as he pressed his face against hers.

  "I had to see you. I couldn't wait. I mean, my plane leaves Saturday morning and I just - I had to try." The water was running down her face in a series of rivers and tributaries, and her hair was plastered against her head like a helmet, but she didn't care. Having him within her grasp was an unbelievable stroke of good fortune. Fate seemed to be continuously bringing them together: first at the cemetery, then at the parade, and now here.

  "I don't have my map," she continued, "and I got lost."

  He pulled her closer. "I'm so glad I found you."

  "How did you?"

  "I guess I'm drawn to you," he said with a smile. "Or extremely lucky."

  Or a vampire.

  "Thank God you're safe." He wiped at the sheet of water covering her face, and then abruptly pressed his lips against hers in heavy, passionate kiss.

  The rain was forgotten. The wind became a gentle spring breeze, and the chill that sank deep into her bones disappeared beneath the heat he generated within her.

  A crash erupted behind them and Armand jerked away, quickly pulling her to the side as an errant shutter, ripped from its hinges, flew past.

  He took her hand. "C'mon. Let's get somewhere safer," he said, leading her across the river that now covered the street.

  The wind had intensified, and without Armand pulling her along, Julia would have struggled to walk, let alone stand. His broad back provided a welcome wind block, but the rain still managed to slam into her, and gusts frequently caught her off balance. She clutched at him, desperately afraid if she loosened her grip on his hand she'd lose him forever.

  They weren't far from Luxure, just over 3 blocks. A right and then a left and Armand was guiding her into the narrow arched entrance, though the main door, and into the pitch-black bar. Julia was completely blind, but Armand moved with ease through the darkness, guiding her around corners and unseen obstacles that occasionally brushed against her legs, and then finally up a staircase where they emerged into his candle-lit
living room.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Before the door had clicked shut, Armand had her in his arms, his lips finding hers with a soft, sensual kiss. "I don't know what I would have done if I hadn't found you," he murmured, pushing the rain soaked hair away from her face. Cupping her face in his hands, he pressed his lips against her cheeks, forehead, nose, and chin. "You should have never left the hotel," he said, weaving the words between kisses.

  "You aren't happy to see me?"

  "It should have been me braving the storm to get to you, not the other way around. Not my most chivalrous moment."

  "You rescued me, didn't you? That counts." She smiled at his sour expression, her teeth chattering.

  "Hmmph." He hugged her closer. "Jesus, you're freezing."

  "Am I?" Her clothing hung on her body like heavy, limp noodles, dripping pools of water on the floor, and her skin was a giant quivering mass, but she hadn't noticed. All she could feel was the warmth of his skin and the pounding of his heart against her cheek.

  "Yes, completely frigid," he said, rubbing her arms briskly. "You need to get out of these clothes and into something warm. In fact, I'd like to get you warmed up as quickly as possible."

  She lifted her head and grinned. "My thoughts exactly," she said with a cock of her eyebrows.

  "Unfortunately," he leaned in to brush his lips softly against hers, "my body heat would be insufficient. I was thinking more along the lines of a warm shower. The power might be out, but I should have hot water."

  Taking her hand, he began to lead her through the open expanse of his living room.

  "You will join me though?" She didn't care if the statement was too forward or not. Armand made her feel comfortable with her desire, not ashamed of it.

  "I'm not sure I could stay away. Although," he said as he pushed open the bathroom door, "this isn't quite the date I had in mind. I was planning on fixing you dinner first."

  She laughed. "You can fix me breakfast."

  "I'll cook you anything you want, anytime you want it."

  Even with the tiny amount of light coming from a single candle sitting on the vanity, Julia could tell the bathroom was roomy and crisply modern. The floor and walls were covered in gleaming slate tiles. There wasn't a bathtub, only a large, glass enclosed shower with a large overhead shower and several jets protruding from the wall. Armand flipped on the faucet and the water erupted with a gasp of air.

  He glanced at Julia, his expression dubious. "There's water. For now."

  "Is it that unpredictable?"

  "Sometimes." He stepped towards the door. "If you need to use the restroom, it's there." He pointed to a small door, where Julia could just make out the corner of a black toilet tucked away in a separate room.

  She shouldn't be surprised, even if she was. It would be more suspicious to build a bathroom without one. Besides, he wasn't undead. Whether vampirism was a virus or a subspecies of humans, he was still a living creature.

  "I'll be right back with fresh towels."

  Steam began to fill the room and Julia quickly undressed, hastily folding her frigid clothes and plopping them into a corner. Taking Armand's advice, she used the bathroom before stepping into the shower. The water was nearly too hot, but felt amazing as every warm droplet eased the chill from her skin.

  Bracing herself against the only solid wall, Julia closed her eyes and hung her head. As the water rolled over her body, she willed her muscles to relax. Every atom in her might want to be here, every nerve ending might crave his touch, but she was still a little anxious about all the details being with a vampire entailed. She hadn't given it much thought earlier, but now that she was alone, and his touch wasn't lighting her on fire, she gained the capacity to speculate. Would he be a rough or gentle lover? What would it feel like when he drank from her?

  Warm hands cupped her waist, slid up her sides, over her shoulders and down her arms, erasing every thought in her head that wasn't focused on the soft touch. Even though she hadn't heard him come in, Julia was too mesmerized by the feel of his fingers as he traced the line of her spine to be startled by Armand's sudden appearance.

  Pulling her hair to the side, he pressed his lips against her neck, inhaling softly and then nuzzling into her skin. "Even the water can't erase your amazing scent." His hands trailed down her sides and over her hips as his mouth explored the curve of her neck.

  Her breath caught. "Are you going to bite me?"

  Gently, Armand raked his teeth across her throat, closing his mouth on her flesh with just enough force to send a shiver of pain down her spine and a rush of wetness to her already soaked core, but not hard enough to break the skin.

  "No," he breathed, running his tongue up her neck and across her ear lobe. "There's a better way."

  Her breath rushed in with a gasp and escaped in the tiniest of moans. "How?"

  "Patience, my love," he said with a chuckle. "All good things come with time."

  She tried to turn to face him, but he stopped her, covering the hand she had braced against the shower wall with his.

  "No, stay where you are," he murmured, pressing his body and firm erection into her back. "Just for a minute." With his free hand, he turned her face towards him and devoured her with his kiss.

  Her knees actually buckled, and she had to adjust her stance to stay stable.

  Releasing her face, his fingers ran down her arm and over her breasts, lightly tracing each nipple before trailing down her stomach, over the curve of her ass, down each thigh and finally, dipping between her legs. His fingers were gentle and skilled as they circled and caressed her clit with perfect pressure. His quiet moans matched her own, his arousal obvious as he moved his body against hers.

  In record time, he brought her to the verge of climax. Arching her back into him and pressing into his touch, the pleasure abruptly overtook and consumed her, rocking her body with intense energy that rippled through her in convulsing waves. For the first time in her life, she didn't hold back, nor did she care if she was too loud, or what weird expression might be on her face.

  It was the first truly satisfying orgasm she'd ever experienced, leaving her panting and clutching at the wall for support.

  Armand gripped her shoulder, his own breathing heavy in her ear. "God, Julia. I love the sound of your orgasm."

  He leaned his head against hers, his body still pinning her to the wall. When his lungs finally calmed, he said, "Let's get out of here. I think you're warmed up enough," in a light, teasing tone.

  "Oh, no." She spun out from his grasp and planted her body between him and the exit. "Not so fast."

  With a raised eyebrow, he eyed her quizzically. She grinned. He had way too much power over her and she was ready to take some of it back. Clare's mantra about exercising one's sex goddess muscles scrolled through her head. Armand certainly looked like a god, and if anyone could bring out Julia's inner goddess, it was him. He wasn't the only one who could tease...

  She tipped forward, letting her breasts barely brush his chest, and kissed his neck. Undulating her body until her hips were pressed against his, she ran her hands up his strong, well-defined arms, and nipped at his jaw. Tattooed on his chest was a sneering demon with horns that curled up and over his collarbones. She traced the lines with her tongue while her fingers explored the hard ridges of his six-pack. Slowly she lowered her hand until it just grazed his penis, and then gently cupped his balls, raking her teeth across his chest as she did.

  He let out a moan. "Jesus."

  She took that as a sign of approval, and slowly sank to her knees. He was a good size, with plenty of "girth" and not overly long. Sliding her palm down the length of his cock, she ran her tongue up the ridge, and then traced the curve of his swollen head.

  Swaying on his feet, the muscles in Armand's abs contracted, and there was a "thump" as his hand hit the wall. Pleased that her "sex goddess" actually worked, Julia repeated the motion a few times, keeping her movements slow and precise before finally enclosing her mout
h around him, and stroking his cock with her mouth and hand at the same time.

  Armand responded with the most delicious growls and groans, encouraging every lick, every stroke, until Julia was not just performing a common sexual act on him, she was making love to him with her mouth.

  Never had she enjoyed having a man in her mouth more.

  And she sure as hell hadn't ever been this turned on.

  When his head was so swollen she could tell he was about to burst, Julia slowed down and then stopped completely. Running her tongue one final time up his cock and over the tip, she continued up his stomach, ending at his neck where she gently, but firmly bit him.

  "There," she said, pulling away. "I think you're sufficiently warmed up."

  "You are a cruel, cruel woman," he panted, a grin barely curling the corners of his mouth.

  She feigned innocence. "I was just repaying the favor."

  He leaned forward. "Yes, but I can still feel your orgasm against my fingers."

  She turned her face until she spied him from the corner of her eyes. With complete deadpan, she replied, "I wouldn't want to use you up so early in the evening."

  "I doubt you could."

  "Why chance it?" She had to fight the muscles in her face to keep from smiling. It was the first time she'd ever met a man who could match her banter for banter.

  "Why not?" he countered.

  "There are only so many hours in this night."

  "I hope like hell there will be more nights than just this one."

  His eyes grazed across her mouth, and she could tell he wanted to kiss her. Enjoying the sexual tension, she held fast, even if every one of her mutinous muscles wanted to throw her body into his arms.

  With a quick flick of his arm, he turned the shower faucet, and the water immediately went from steaming to frigid. Squealing in surprise and reeling in shock, Julia scrambled for the faucet, slamming it closed as quickly as she could.