Kelly tapped her foot. She was getting impatient. “So Michael, what do you do for a living?”
That was a question I couldn't answer either. If I did, it would make her run for the hills. The only thing I could do was lie and hope it worked. I quickly scrolled through my head for a suitable profession. One that would be believable.
“I work in the banking industry.” I never had to come up with things on the fly before. I never really got to the talking phase with the women I'd been with.
Kelly furrowed her brow. “Oh come on. Really?”
A bead of sweat appeared on my forehead. She wasn't buying it. “It's all very boring. I'm afraid you would fall asleep if I went on. What do you do?”
My question finally raised the light of suspicion off me for a second. Kelly let out a laugh. “I don't know if I want to get into that story with you right now.” She looked out at the alleyway and scratched her arm.
I was losing her attention. I needed to do something drastic. Something to make her mine.
I put my hand on her chin and forced her to look into my eyes. I glanced down at her lips and they were parted and ready for me. I leaned in and pressed my mouth against hers. She returned the kiss, melting in my embrace.
Adrenaline surged through me. My brain was on fire with pleasure. This wasn't something that I'd really felt before. I'd been with so many women and most of it was just going through the motions.
I pulled her closer and kissed her harder. My tongue sneaked into her mouth and Kelly let out a muffled moan.
Then she pulled away. Her blue eyes stared into mine, searching for something. She wiped her red lips with the back of her hand.
“I'm sorry I have to go.”
I reached out my hand to stop her but it was too late. She was gone.
The night was a mess of confusion. I'd never experienced any of this with a woman before. Kelly was unique.
All I knew was that I would go hungry tonight.
Chapter Six
Kelly
I woke up the next morning on the floor in my freshly painted bedroom. I still wore the same dress from the night before. I winced and rubbed the bridge of my nose. A tiny hangover was banging inside my head. During college I never really went crazy at parties. I knew I was a lightweight and one drink was usually my maximum. I didn't have that much more at the club but it was enough to feel sick.
The one bathroom in the house was barely serviceable. About the only thing my parents had done to it was a new mirror. Which didn't help because all it did was show me how messed up I was. My hair was all over the place and my makeup smeared. There wasn't a shower but a bathtub. I couldn't remember the last time I ever took a bath. Must've been when I was a kid.
I turned the knob for the warm water and the tub faucet choked out some brown water. I let it run for awhile until it finally came out clear. The bathroom slowly filled with steam and fogged up the mirror.
My dress dropped to the ground and I slipped into the tub. The warm water instantly relaxed me. The small hammer in my ears began to quiet down. I rested my head on the edge of the tub and closed my eyes.
The kiss from Michael popped into my head.
My eyes shot open and I leaned forward in the tub. I ran two fingers along my lips. What the hell happened last night?
There was something about Michael that was so different from the men I'd been with before. A secret he couldn't tell me.
That kiss was magical. I'd had never felt like that before.
And it scared me.
Michael had cast a spell on me and I was all to ready to go home with him. But there were too many red flags and somewhere deep in my brain told me to run away.
I was surprised I was able to walk away like that. But now I was afraid that I might not see him again. I didn't get his phone number and I only had his first name to go off of. I'd have to figure out a way to find him again.
Michael was too mysterious and I wasn't ready to leave that thread open.
But first I had a lot of work to do around the house. The second bedroom was painted and I have no idea why I thought that must've been the priority. I took the advice from the cute guy from the hardware store but he didn't understand how bad of shape this home was.
The place was a complete disaster zone. It needed to be cleaned from top to bottom. I couldn't believe that my parents had lived here for a few months in such terrible conditions.
I took out a pad of paper and began a things-to-do list. At the very top: sweeping the wood floors.
I went to the garage and turned on the light. My mom's white VW bug was still parked on the right side. The left side of the garage was empty. My father's black Ford F-150 would be there if they hadn't been in that accident.
I quickly grabbed the broom next to the door and got out of there. I didn't want to think about things too much. Now I knew why I went to the hardware store without checking out what tools my dad had. The garage was too much of a reminder that they were gone.
The downstairs floor was the dirtiest and that's where I needed to start. My mom had a record player in the hallway with her collection of vinyls and I picked out a George Harrison album. He was always my favorite Beatle.
I opened up the front door and began sweeping the dust out, moving my body to that sweet voice. I couldn't believe the amount of dirt that had been caked onto the wood floors. Clouds of dust followed me where ever I went. I got lost in the music and before I knew it, I had finished the downstairs and the upstairs.
My cellphone ringing broke me out of my daze. The name on the screen: Fiona. I didn't hesitate to answer this time.
“Hi Fiona,” I said, setting the broom against the kitchen counter.
“So how was he?” Her voice was soft and slow.
“What are you talking about?” I knew exactly what she was talking about but I didn't want to give it away that I'd been thinking about him all day.
“That guy from last night,” Fiona said. “The one who couldn't keep his eyes off you.”
“Oh, that guy? He was nice but nothing happened.”
“Are you fucking kidding me? You didn't go home with him?” Fiona was dead serious.
“I don't usually make it a point of going home with random guys I meet at a club.”
“Don't bullshit me, Kelly. We both know this wasn't just some random guy at a club.”
Fiona was right on the money. Michael wasn't just a random guy. But what was I supposed to do about that now? I had let him go without really giving him a chance.
“There will be plenty of other men, Fiona. Don't worry about me.” I really needed to convince myself of that and not Fiona.
“Well I was thinking about going back to Titan tomorrow night. You in?”
The thought of more alcohol made me nauseous. But then Michael popped into my head. What if he was there? I needed to make up for being such an idiot.
“I'm not sure, Fiona.”
“Didn't you have fun last night, Kelly?”
I twirled my hair with my index finger. “Of course I did. I just don't know if I need to go back so soon.”
“Don't make me twist your arm again,” Fiona said.
“Fine. I'll be there. You know Fiona, you're going to be the death of me.”
I could feel her grin through the phone. “That's exactly what I wanted to hear,” she replied.
Chapter Seven
Michael
The hunger...
I couldn't focus on anything else. The blood pulsed in my head. My eyes were so sensitive to light that I had to close all the blinds in my loft.
It had been at least three days since I fed last. Last night at Club Titan should've been a buffet. But that damn Kelly changed everything.
I was tempted to take her right there in the alleyway but I'd be risking my entire life. And there was something else.
Something about her that calmed me. The hunger was gone when I was around her. That's probably why I was able to control myself.
> But that didn't give me any solace for today. I wouldn't be able to move around much longer if I didn't feed.
There was no time to hunt. It was too risky in the daylight anyways. I only had one option in emergencies like this and I hated it so much.
I put on the sunglasses with the darkest tint and walked outside. The burning sun warmed my cold skin but it was way too bright. Even with my sunglasses, I still needed to shade my face with my hand. By tomorrow I wouldn't even be able to walk outside without my eyes melting in their sockets.
I jumped into my black Dodge Charger and drove off. It was hard to concentrate on the road when my stomach was a bottomless pit. Nothing could ever fill it.
A blaring horn behind me snapped me out of a daze. The red light in front of me had turned green without me noticing. My foot pounded the gas pedal and the engine groaned as I was pushed into the seat.
I parked in front of a blood bank with a neon red cross. I had to resort to this a lot when I was younger. It was a time when I didn't quite know how to hunt.
I checked myself in the rear-view mirror. Beads of sweat covered my forehead. If I went in there looking like a junkie the receptionist would turn me away immediately. I wiped my face off and took a few deep breaths.
The waiting room inside was filled with empty chairs. Getting people to donate blood wasn't the easiest thing in the world. An opening in the wall revealed the receptionist desk. A door with a locked keypad was next to it preventing me from just waltzing in the back.
A curious blonde at the desk tapped a pen.
“Can I help you?” she asked.
I approached the desk and put my hands on the edge to keep myself steady. I put on my glare and stared into her eyes.
She immediately blushed. I still had it even though it didn't work with Kelly last night. And I looked like death right now.
“I'd like to donate some blood today.”
The blonde fumbled around for a piece of paper. “Have you donated here before?”
“A couple times but it's been awhile.”
She attached the paper to a clipboard and handed it to me. “Fill this out and we'll get you out quick. “Have you gotten an tattoos recently?”
I shook my head as I sat down with the clipboard. I quickly wrote in a bunch of false information. They wouldn't be able to figure out it was fake until I was long gone.
The electronic lock beeped as the the security door opened. A nurse with chestnut skin and short brown hair greeted me with a smile. I got up and handed her the clipboard. She flushed when we locked eyes.
The nurse looked down at the paper. “I see we have Kyle here, is that right?”
I nodded and she led me through the door and down a hallway. The easy part was getting in. Now the hard part was getting out.
We came to a room with a single chair with a silver tray sitting beside it. I stood in the doorway and acted nervous, not moving a step further. “Do you mind if I go to the bathroom before we begin?”
The nurse gave me a smile with kind eyes. She probably dealt with people that didn't like needles all day long. “Of course, it's just down the hall and on the right.”
I thanked her and left down the hall. But I didn't go right. To the left is where they stored the blood until it was shipped off to hospitals.
A security door with a keypad like the one in the waiting room blocked my way. I pulled out a keycard from my pocket. A picture of the nurse with chestnut hair was on it. It was easy enough of to pick her pocket when she wasn't looking. That was the last thing on her mind.
I slid the card through the pad and it beeped with a green light. The refrigerated room was foggy and cold. My stomach grumbled at the sight before me. Bags of dark red blood hung on the wall with different designations denoting what type it was.
The rare types like AB Negative were a fine wine but were rarely seen at small blood banks. I wouldn't want to steal those anyways. It would be like drinking wine from a box. It was better to get the nice types straight from the source.
O Positive was my bread and butter and there was plenty of it. Backpacks or big bags were not allowed inside in case of someone trying to steal. Which was exactly what I was trying to do. I had to get creative.
I took my coat off and unbuttoned my shirt. I took out a small roll of duct tape from my pocket and began sticking blood to my chest, back and stomach. With my coat on, you could tell that something was off with the bulges in different spots. But nobody would notice if I walked out fast enough.
I took a deep breath and opened the door. The nurse was standing at the opposite end of the hallway in front of the bathroom door. She didn't notice me at first and I quickly went back inside the room and tried to close the door quietly.
But before I could get it closed, she called out, “Kyle you're not allowed in there.”
I opened the door back up and waltzed out. “Sorry I'm so nervous. I thought this was the bathroom for a second.”
The nurse peeked over my shoulder at the security door that was still ajar. She cocked an eye at me. “How did you get in there?”
I looked behind me. “The door was already open. I didn't really look at where I was going until I was already in there.”
It only took her one glance down at my coat to realize what was going on. “Security!” Her scream echoed through the hallways.
I took off in a sprint, feeling the duct tape stretch and tear at my bare skin. The hallway with the door to the outside was within my grasp. A chubby security guard with no hair left came into view, blocking my path. He tugged at a nightstick on his belt but couldn't get it loose in time as I barreled over him.
I fumbled through my pockets and pulled out the nurse's keycard. But I didn't need it.
A buff security guard opened the door. “Stop right there!” The nightstick in his hand wasn't very intimidating but a whack to my midsection might blow up some of the blood bags taped to my chest.
There was only one exit and I wasn't going to let this old guy stop me. I charged at him, screaming my head off. The guard backed out of the doorway which gave me just enough room to slip past him.
His night stick came swinging down at my shoulder. I lifted my arm to block and heard a crack. I didn't feel any pain but I also couldn't feel my left arm anymore. I made it outside and ran to my car. The security guard was close behind.
Good thing I didn't lock the car doors and the keys were already in the ignition. I watched in the rear-view mirror as the guard made it to the sidewalk and doubled over in exhaustion.
That was a close call but worth every ounce of blood. I needed to get home as quickly as possible because there would be cops out looking for a car fitting my description.
But I couldn't wait any longer to taste the sweet nectar hidden under my shirt. I ripped off a pack and sunk my teeth right into the plastic bag. It was like drinking right out of a juice box.
The blood tasted like spoiled milk. I winced as I sucked more down.
I could feel my strength returning, my hunger dissipating. All but two blood bags were emptied by the time I returned to my apartment.
Chapter Eight
Kelly
I deserved a nice break after all the hard work I'd put into the house so far.
Going out with Fiona would be a nice reward. Deep down I knew going out with Fiona was only my secondary motivation.
My true reason was to see Michael again. I couldn't get him out of my head. That night at Titan was crazy in so many different ways and it mostly had to do with that mystery man. I thought I could resist him. And I did. But only for that night. My mind was his prisoner ever since.
I could only hope that he would be there again tonight.
The dress I wore the last time wouldn't work again but that was all I had. I didn't have much money in my bank account and my parent's had all their money tied up in the house. I would have to find a job soon or sell the house just to survive.
There was one long shot but I wasn't sure my dad wa
s still all crazy about banks. Kelly, you need to be careful about where you put your money. The government and banks are conspiring to take all our money.
Because of that my dad always kept loose cash around the house. In the cookie jar, inside tool drawers, and used bills as bookmarks.
I went first to the bookshelf in the hallway leading to the family room. I'd never seen either of my parents crack open a book before yet they had hundreds filling the shelves. I began combing through each one, flipping through the pages and shaking them for any loose cash.
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