Finally, after arriving home, I skipped out on sleeping and studied the manual until I could literally absorb no more.
This off-the-job manual training paid off, with Debra and Susan giving me good reports for finding clothes in a timely manner. I also tackled paperwork and finance, something else that required a lot of studying. I don't know how I managed to do so well, what with getting such little sleep, but I was kicking ass at everything and loving every degree of it.
During this hectic period I didn’t hear a word from Brett, although Michael asked me out just about every day.
One morning I woke up feeling like I was missing out on something. My social life was now pretty much non-existent, and that lingered on my mind. Though I was proud of my recent accomplishments, I was overworked and needed a break.
I checked my phone and noticed all the missed calls from Michael. On the spur of the moment I decided to call him back, just for a fun night out. I hoped he would understand that we were nothing more than friends, and I told him so point blank. He said he was cool with that and remained particularly excited about us meeting up.
I knew Michael was lying about the friends part, so I decided to hide a few stakes under the pretty red dress I was wearing that evening. He was picking me up in his sporty ride, and that made me think for a moment. I’d already had my fair share of bad memories in the back seat of a nice car. However, I was pretty sure Michael would never dare lay a finger on me without my permission.
If he did, I'd lay a stake right in his heart.
NEW DATE
Michael greeted me at my door, overdressed to impress in a nifty maroon suit and a tie with 3-D skulls colliding into each other. The serpentine tattoo wrapped around his neck was alive with scales moving and twisting, the piercings on his ears and nose were lit up, and his spiky blue hairstyle must have cost a million. For the Carns spent, he appeared somewhat ridiculous.
“Hello Janice,” he said. “You look beautiful tonight.”
I thanked him and told him he looked handsome. Well, though he didn’t set my world on fire, at least he was a lot nicer than Rob.
He led me to his pretty car. It was green and flat with multiple skulls on its sleek hood. It was similar to Rob’s, although bigger and minus the flames. The smooth seats felt great to sit on.
“So where are you taking me?” I asked.
“I know this may come as a shock, but my parents are cooking us a delicious Blood Cabis. You’re going to love it. I promise it will be the best you ever had.”
“Parents?” I asked, confused. “They know we're just friends, right?”
He didn’t answer me at first, almost like he was finding it difficult to admit the inevitable truth. Eventually, he said: “Who knows what the future holds?”
His reaction made me feel uncomfortable during the drive. But this was Vampire World, and parents were so important, even to friends. I remembered the first time I'd met Brett’s Mom and Dad, and how awkward yet satisfying it felt.
By the time we'd cruised into the gated community, passed numerous mansions with their tall spirals kissing the sky and arrived at his castle of a house, my anxiety had not lessened.
“You didn’t give me a straight answer,” I said, yanking his tie before we stepped inside. “Do they know we are just friends?”
“Just relax,” he replied while opening the front door. “Don’t be so damn uptight.”
As we walked through the impressive dark hallway and splendid living room oozing with Gothic luxury, I knew it was going to be a long night. Finally we came to the dining room. Sitting in pride of place at the center of the table was an immense Blood Cabis head drenched in an ocean of blood. It was truly huge, about the size of a small boulder. With five yellow eyes and thick brown fur, together with teeth the size of vampire fingers, it should have scared the crap out of me. But it didn’t. Instead, the smell of the tempting blood calmed my mind and helped me to loosen up.
Brett’s parents were sat at opposite ends of the table, both obviously eager to eat and start asking me questions. His younger brother and sister were also there.
Feeling shy again, I sat down and tried to relax. But I couldn’t.
“So what is the lucky girl’s name?” Michael’s father asked him.
Gosh, I just wanted to run away and never return here.
“The lucky girl’s name is Janice,” I cut in quickly before Michael could reply. I wondered if the small edge of irony in my voice had been detected.
“Hello, Janice,” his mother said. She was very pretty and looked just like Michael’s sister, who sat on the other side of me.
“So how long have you two been dating?” the sister asked.
I cringed while waiting for Michael’s embarrassing response.
“Oh, we’re just friends,” he told her. “Nothing more than that.”
I blinked. That was not what I'd expected to hear from him. I began to think that maybe I’d survive the night after all.
“Well, let’s feast,” Michael’s father said, drool dripping from his fangs. He grabbed what looked to be a chainsaw and started the blade running.
“Make sure to open your mouth,” Michael advised me. “The bloodsplash is always the best part.”
Everyone had their tongues out and ready as Michael's father began carving. The chainsaw whirred merrily away, sending Cabis blood splattering all over the place. I managed to catch a few drops. It was true. They were utterly delicious.
The meat, when it was served, was melt-in-the-mouth tender and tasted absolutely incredible. It was by far the best meal I could ever remember eating. I knew I could eat seconds of this. And most likely thirds and fourths.
“This Cabis cost a good two thousand Carns,” Michael said, licking every last trace of the blood from his lips.
Damn, that was expensive. Certainly out of Brett’s league. And Mr. FreeCut’s.
It was so delicious I finished up devouring three rounds of the mouthwatering meat, enough to make my pretty frame fat. But I didn’t care.
It was a surprise that I could make it through an entire meal without Michael saying anything offensive or embarrassing. He was very polite while complimenting me on my appearance, my caretaker, and my job. For once, I liked what he said.
“You all have fun tonight,” Michael’s father said when we headed out the door.
Back inside Michael’s car, I smiled and giggled. “You were very sweet,” I said.
He smiled. “See, I told you I was a good guy. I may come off as an ass at times, but inside I have the heart of a gentle vampire.”
He offered to take me to the priciest tattoo parlor in town and treat me to whatever I desired. Full body. 3-D. Live action. Anything at all.
I politely turned him down, knowing that I was independent enough to get my own tattoos. Next, he offered to buy me clothes. I declined a second time and told him that, since I was a manager at Vampire Supermarket, I could afford my own clothes.
“You don’t leave me much wiggle room,” he said.
What the hell was that supposed to mean, I wondered? But maybe I was being a bitch.
“How about a club?” I suggested. “I’m kind of in the mood.”
He grinned. “I'll take you to Club Slice. It’s the best club in the world. I swear you’ll never go to a place as nice as this.”
“Fine.”
“But since I’m going to treat you, you have to promise to dance with me.”
“Okay,” I said. “But remember, it's just a friendly dance.”
He was silent for a while, so I knew he'd got the message.
Club Slice was located at the top of one of the tallest downtown skyscrapers. We joined a long line of perfectly dressed vampires waiting in the street below for admission. After he'd paid a fortune to get into the building, Michael and I took a glass elevator to the one hundredth floor. Stepping out, I saw several scantily-clad vampires strutting up and down the carpeted pathway to the club. Some were wearing eight-inch heels
. Wow!
“You’re going to love this place!” Michael said. He gripped my hand and I allowed him to do so for a few tenths of degrees. However, once we got to the door of the club, I pulled away.
Inside, the club was gorgeous. So too were the members, who made me feel completely out of place. I worked at a clothes store, but damn, most of the clothes being worn here were not even in our inventory. I also paid attention to the blood everyone was drinking, which came in a variety of different colors. Odd. I preferred my blood red. I wondered if blue tasted better.
The floor looked like it was made out of rubies. Large windows displayed magnificent views of the city. I could see spiky skyscrapers and thousands of smaller buildings, all bleeding red under the light of a spectacular Garlic Moon. And at the center of it all was the capitol building's dominating spike reaching for the heavens.
“It’s so beautiful,” I said.
“And so are you,” Michael responded, “In a friendly way, I mean.”
I laughed. Still he flirted. But this time I didn’t mind.
We grabbed some horribly expensive drinks. Michael paid extra for yellow blood in an elegant glass. Some kind of fruit and a flower lay on top of it. I ordered plain old red, which would do me just fine.
“You sure you don’t want some flavor in your blood?” he said. “Mine tastes tangy. Yum.”
I told him my 200 Carn glass of blood tasted just dandy, which was true. I downed it and asked him for another. Then I decided to try the blue-colored variety. This also tasted good, though kinda funny at the same time. I was used to the flavor of plain of blood, and the blueberry was a bit too tangy for me.
For the next few degrees we talked and drank while sitting on a comfortable couch. He bragged about his friends and his job. I actually enjoyed being with him, even if he was a bit conceited.
“You want another drink before we go dance?” he asked.
“Sure,” I said, feeling good.
I emptied my glass and then hit the dance floor. We danced close for ‘just friends,’ but I didn’t mind, maybe because I’d been stressed out and badly needed a little fun.
While gazing into Michael’s eyes, I realized that maybe he was pretty cute after all. In fact, the more time I spent with him, the better he seemed to look. Maybe one day we could move on to the next level. If we did, I was sure he would take me to the grave in no time, unlike someone else I knew of.
We danced for more degrees, laughing and getting pretty close to one another. I hoped I was not giving him mixed messages, because all I really wanted was to have a fun time with no drama attached. And of course, no real passion.
I took a bathroom break. I needed some space.
It was while I was on my way back to Michael that the bottom of my world dropped out. My jaw sagged open in a mixture of surprise and horror. It was Brett. He was sat at a table romantically holding hands with another vampire. She was beautiful and had everything I lacked: startling tattoos…piercings galore…and a hairstyle that slayed my tubes. Maybe I had a hot face and body, but damn, so did she. I couldn’t take my eyes off Brett. He was still the most gorgeous freakin vampire in the world. I began to sweat, wishing he would turn my way and concentrate on me instead of Miss Bloodsucking Poodle.
I hurried back into the bathroom, on the verge of tears because I was so confused over what to do next. Should I even try to say hi? No, that would be a disaster. I hated this club. I wanted to go home. Michael? Who was he?
Somehow I gathered enough nerve to leave the bathroom, carefully checking my surroundings to make sure Brett didn’t see me. Yea right! Intentionally or not, I ran straight into him. We went face to face.
“Janice,” he said, a dumbfounded look on his flawless face. I was forced to peer into his adorable eyes. I loved his pureness. His fresh, ivory skin. I’d grown sick of staring at all those tattoos on Michael’s body. Maybe tats were the in thing. But I didn’t care. Brett looked incredible.
“Haven’t heard from you in a while,” I said.
That’s all I could think of to say. Damn, I missed him. And damn, I still loved him because I felt euphoric just being in his company again.
“I’ve been meaning to call you,” he began. “But…”
“You don’t have to call me,” I said. “I can see I've already been replaced. Go on and enjoy yourself.”
Brett slowly moped past me. Then he quickly turned around. “She’s not my girlfriend.”
“Then who is she?” I snapped with a jealous rage.
“My parents threw her on me. I swear, I don’t love her. I don’t even like her.”
“That’s hard to believe. Your hands were all over each other.”
His eyes became fixated on me. “The only person I still love is you,” he said. “You have to believe me. Every night I’ve been thinking of you, Janice. I can’t sleep. I can’t eat. I miss you so much.”
Maybe I was a fool for believing his so easily, but he’d never lied to me before. And of course, the words he was saying were exactly what I wanted to hear. Emotions exploded inside me. Bloodflies pounded in my stomach. I threw myself forward, wrapping my arms around his beautiful body. We kissed deep and long. It was the most beautiful thing in the world. I couldn’t bring myself to let him go.
“I've missed you so much,” he said, his breath warm on my neck. “I want to be with you again. I promise you can do whatever you want when it comes to figuring out who you are. I'll support you, if that's what makes you happy.”
He melted my heart. If he was truly going to be on my side in my search for the truth, then I wanted nothing more than to take him back and make him mine again. I could be an excellent store manager, an amazing fireball tournament winner, an expert weapons handler, and have Brett in my life. Being with him would only make me stronger.
“I’ll take you back,” I said, tearing up.
“And I’m going to take you to the grave,” he said.
“When?” I asked, my head still against his chest.
“Right now.”
I gripped his hand tightly and kissed him again, little realizing that someone was standing directly behind me. Then I heard the voice and turned around.
“Janice,” Michael said. “I was worried about you.”
That’s the only thing he could manage to say as he gazed at Brett and me. Certainly he seemed disappointed, and was probably angry too, although right now he was too stunned to show any of that.
There was no point in hanging things out. “I want to thank you for the good time tonight Michael,” I said. “I’m sorry, but I have to go now.”
He didn’t say goodbye as I took Brett’s hand and we left the club together. I felt bad for abandoning him. But he had been warned.
We were only friends.
KISS ON A GRAVE
Once inside the elevator, my hands devoured Brett. I felt one hundred percent better riding down with him in my arms than I had done going up with Michael.
“You didn’t tell your girl goodbye,” I said.
“Oh, that’s okay,” he shrugged. “She was a blood bitch anyway. I’m never letting my parents set me up with anyone ever again.”
I laughed as we got into his car and made our way to a vampire paradise: Bitemore Cemetery.
Passing through the cemetery's wrought-iron gate, my heart fluttered. At first we came to the ruddy graves, many of which were shaped like spikes and impossible to lay down on. As we progressed further, the graves had more flat surfaces. I peered around and spotted several couples on top of each another, kissing heavily and officially declaring themselves boyfriend and girlfriend. I was so ready to do this with Brett. Our ceremony had to take place tonight. If not, I felt it might never happen.
“A strong, flat grave is best, Janice,” he said. “I’ll let you pick one.”
I came across a black grave that was the size of a small house. It was so huge that a spiral staircase was needed to reach the top. Yet amazingly, it was still nice and smooth.
&
nbsp; “This one looks good,” I said.
Brett agreed, and so we climbed the staircase to the top, a good twenty feet off the ground. From here we had a fine view of all the other iconic graves, like the pyramid with a gargoyle on top.
“You picked a good one,” Brett said. “A lot of lovers have done the deed here.”
“I’m ready,” I told him.
He smiled. “Well lie down and make yourself comfortable.”
Brett took off his shirt, and for a short while I couldn’t keep my eyes off of his beautiful chest. Blissfully happy, I then stretched out on the warm steel surface of the grave, gazing up at the cloudless night sky. It didn’t feel uncomfortable at all; in fact, it was more like a soft waterbed than anything else.
I’d waited years for this wonderful moment. As I continued to marvel at the splendor of the night sky, something even more beautiful moved into my line of vision – Brett's face. I felt the pressure of his body easing on top of me. It didn’t hurt at all, even though he was nearly twice my size. I was warm and comfortable, both inside and out.
Then we were kissing, more deeply and passionately than ever before. A thousand pleasurable thoughts drifted idyllically through my mind during the most wonderful kiss of my life. Our fangs and tongues intertwined, producing wave after wave of sensuous pleasure for us both. I wasn't sure which felt better, this magical kiss, or the fact that he was now officially my boyfriend.
My nails gouged into his back as the pleasure continued. Oh yes!
How long it lasted for, I couldn't say. Time lost all meaning. All I know for sure is that, when I rested my head against his cool shoulder at the end of it all, I felt the most rapturous contentment imaginable.
“That was incredible,” I said. “I can’t believe I’m finally your official girlfriend. You make me so happy.”
“You’re amazing,” he said. “I’ve always dreamed of being with a girl as pretty and as nice as you. Now that dream has finally come true.”
Vampire World Page 20