by Cynthia Fox
“Of course we’re switching,” he said with a smirk.
“Do you have a problem with that? I’ll get the stapler.”
“No, no,” he said, backing out of the room slowly. “Team Shaaanneee,” he whispered before closing the door.
Candace had the stapler in her hand, ready for launching. “Just in time,” she yelled after him. She placed it on its side and spun it like a bottle. “If you point towards me, it means go for both.” She slid the chair back and forth, trying to place herself in the perfect spot. Cheater. The stapler came to a stop, pointing directly at the bank of security cameras.
She didn’t even need to look at the monitors to know that Shane was there. His blood was in her. The moment he walked in her cells announced his arrival, aching for another taste. Candace was excited to tell him about the beverage switch. It was the least she could do after he’d banked his blood, with her name written on the bags no less.
The hallway leading from the office and dressing rooms to the stage was more packed than usual. “Everything okay?” She peered over the shoulders of the nearest security guard and saw Tiffany resting against the wall.
“She’s ill,” Landry said, crouching down to tend to her. “They all are.”
“What happened? Shrimp buffet dinner? It’s always the damn shrimp!”
He shook his head. “They’re fainting. I checked the carbon dioxide monitors, and everything is normal. And we have a full house from the dental convention. Should I reimburse the cover charge or give them all vouchers to Sapphire?”
“Hand customers over to the competition? Are you insane?”
“I’m just trying to help. Better they come back than leave disappointed. A few bad reviews can cripple the business.”
“You’re right,” she said, pacing back and forth. “Let’s discount the drinks and … I’ll give them a performance.”
Landry stood up and smiled. “You mean Candace Blanchard is stepping back on stage?”
“Let’s not make them wait more than they have to. Ostrich feathers?”
“Hearing you ask for those just whisked me back 70 years,” he said, snapping to attention. “They’re somewhere in the dressing room … under all the other glittery whoozits and whatnots.”
Candace used her vampire speed to zip through the rows of costumes until her arms cradled a pile of sparkle and feathers. She settled on a rhinestone thong complete with matching heels and pasties tipped with fringe tassels. “I can’t believe I’m fucking doing this,” she grumbled, pulling the thong up over each leg. “For dentists? Don’t get a bad review … blah blah blah.”
She meant to just rush by the mirror for a quick look, but she froze at the sight of her reflection. “Damn, I look good. Candace swiveled, waving the large fans made of ostrich feathers over her head. They tickled her skin as she preened and posed. The pink dyed feathers made her pale skin look even more translucent in comparison. “You wanted to see me dance, Shane,” she said to the mirror. “Wish granted.”
“Whoa!” Landry stepped aside when he saw her. “You look amazing!”
“Feather dancing is just like riding a bicycle, right? I assume it will just come back to me.”
“From where I’m standing, it looks like it never left you. Break a leg.”
“Thanks.” She exhaled loudly and made her way to the side entrance, nodding her head to accept the whistles of approval from the employees in the hall. Her hips swayed a little harder with the added encouragement as she continued to the stage and listened for the introduction. The boozy dentists were growing rowdier with each passing moment. “Patience, gentlemen.”
After a minute, Candace realized the crowd had gone silent. As she tried to use one of her feet to pull back the edge of the curtain for a peek, the speaker system pierced the silence with loud static and the sound of a finger tapping the mic hard.
“Is this thing on? Test one. Test two.”
Her jaw clenched at the sound of his voice. She stepped into the spotlight while Alejandro completed the introduction.
“And now for your ... or should I say my … pleasure, please give a warm Club Decadence welcome to Candyyyyy.” He growled her name in his lowest voice, resting his lips on the microphone.
“Landry! Cut his microphone!”
“Oh, he won’t be coming. Not that he can do anything to me anyway.”
She looked around the bar at all the patrons and employees. They were motionless, frozen mid laugh or drink. Landry was leaning against a wall where he’d positioned himself to watch her performance. And Shane was at his usual table, his neck craned as if he’d been looking for her. “What have you done to them?”
“I haven’t done anything to them, Candyyyy,” he growled again into the microphone. “I’ve just suspended time in this room. Don’t you wish you were me?”
“Undo it,” she said, wiggling her fingers.
He cringed with disgust. “When have you ever known me to wiggle my fingers like that. You think I’m a fucking fairy?”
“I don’t care if it takes you waving your dick around like a magic wand. Just undo it.”
“Umm…no.” He hopped down from the audio booth and walked slowly toward her, stopping to sip from various drinks along the way. “Dance for me,” he said, stealing a toothpick with an olive from someone’s martini. “Like you used to.”
“Go fuck yourself.”
“For the record, that’s grossly overrated.” Alejandro stopped next to Shane’s table and leaned in to examine his face.
“Leave him alone!”
“Relax. I won’t hurt your feedbag.” He put both hands on Shane’s head and tousled his hair before removing his tie and wrapping it around his own neck. “I feel more respectable already.”
“I thought I told you to stay out of here.”
He twirled the long end of the tie around in circles as he walked to the front row and pulled an empty chair close to the stage. “I believe the exact directive was to stay out of your fucking office. I didn’t have to, but I did. You’re welcome.”
“I’m not thanking you for freezing people in my club.”
“Again, time is frozen, these horny dentists are fine. They won’t remember a thing. I, on the other hand, remember everything … like what’s hiding behind those tassels.”
The fringe stood out horizontally and began to spin around the pasties with increasing speed. Alejandro laughed as Candace tried unsuccessfully to cover them with one arm. Realizing the futility, she removed them, exposing her erect nipples. His eyes dilated at the sight.
“They’re hard because the air is frozen in here.” She turned away from him and used one of the large fans to cover her backside. “It has nothing to do with you.”
He slapped his knee as he laughed. “Let’s stop these games. Dance for me.”
“I agree we should stop these games and you can still go fuck yourself, overrated or not. And use a big stick while you’re at it.”
“Fine. I’ll leave them all suspended like this indefinitely.”
“You wouldn’t!”
“Try me. And I’ll crack that mermaid tank of yours just for fun.”
“As if setting fires wasn’t enough.”
“You’re upset over a little photo? So petty, Candyyy.”
“You know I hate being called Candy. And I’m referring to Shane’s car, not the photo.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about and I’m losing my patience. I’m going to count to ten and then the mermaid flood shall commence. Ten…nine…”
“Okay! Okay…shit…fuck. Give me a little music at least.”
With a nod of his head, the sound of 1940s bump and grind beats blared from the speakers. Alejandro bit his lip, snapping his fingers and swaying to the beat.
Candace hated seeing him enjoy himself. She looked over her shoulder, wriggling her wrists so the feathers quivered against her skin. With a graceful swivel, she faced him. He chuckled at the scowl she kept on her face while perfor
ming the moves.
“I’m still enjoying this,” he shouted, squirming in his seat. The growing bulge in his pants made it difficult to remain still.
She pressed one of the fans hard against her chest, exposing a glimpse of her nipples. Her arm swept across her breasts for cover as she lowered the fan behind her, dragging it as she took exaggerated steps towards the front of the stage and down the steps leading to the seating area.
Alejandro thought she would come to him once her feet reached the final step, but she kept going until she reached Shane’s table. If you only knew what you’re about to miss. She gingerly placed one hand on his chin and moved his head slightly to straighten him out. His expression remained the same while she fluttered the feathers around him, hoping they would magically tickle him awake. She crossed her arms above her head and shook her shoulders, causing her bare breasts to perform a dance of their own.
Candace started to bend forward at the waist to plant a kiss on his cheek when she felt a hand gripping the back of her thong. Alejandro yanked her away, holding her until he sat on an empty chair and placed her on his lap. The blood filling his hard cock warmed his trousers and the back of her thighs. She tried to squirm off his lap not wanting him to feel the moistness growing between her legs, but he yanked her back down against him. He entwined his fingers in her bobbed waves and pulled back, bringing her ear next to his mouth.
“Are you trying to make me jealous?” Goosebumps spread across her neck as the heat from his mouth reached her skin. “I could fuck you into the next realm.”
“Just do it then! There’s nothing stopping you. Why all these games?”
Alejandro released her hair and flipped her around, straddling her legs across his waist. He licked his lips as he stared at her breasts. “You’re right. There’s nothing stopping me from enjoying every inch of you.” With one finger, he hooked a side of her thong and tore if from her body. Rhinestones flew in every direction. The same hand traveled from her hip to her belly button with the fingers tiptoeing their way downward. “It’s just very important to me that you want it,” he said, stopping on the soft skin of her pubis. “Tell me you want it…want me.”
Candace wanted him with an ache only provided by centuries of existence. She wanted to give herself to him now and forget about her anger, but the burning hurt of his absence was bubbling under the surface despite her best efforts to feel nothing. Spending this time with Shane has given me the only bit of relief in years.
“Really? Him?” Alejandro pointed at Shane. “He gives you relief from me?”
Candace slapped his face hard. “Is this really a time to read my mind? You are so curious to know what I want. I want you to respect my fucking privacy. That includes my thoughts.”
“You want him?” Alejandro grabbed her face and held it close to his. “Answer me.”
“Fuck this,” she hissed, shaking her head free and grabbing his face in the same manner. Her nails drew blood as they gripped his flesh with force. “My game now.” She removed her hand and leaned forward, licking the blood from his cheeks. “I do want you. Both of you. I won’t settle for less.”
Alejandro was impressed by her aggressiveness, but he was never one to give up complete control. He stood up, carrying her over to Shane and roughly flipped her onto his table with her stomach pressed against the wood. “Now he’s with us,” he said, holding her head so she was face-to-face with Shane. Candace tried to kick backwards with one of her legs, but he blocked it and returned the favor with a hard swat to her ass. “Be careful, sweet Candy girl, or you’ll be explaining to lover boy why he’s waking up with my cum all over his face.”
She braced against the table as soon as she heard Alejandro’s pants hit the floor. Her muscles tightened with anticipation, remembering the thick, heavy cock that used to fuck beyond the point of exhaustion. Candace didn’t want to fight him. She was glad it wasn’t going to be gentle. Her body wanted this. Needed this as much as it needed to feed.
Alejandro pressed his stiff cock against her wet opening for only a moment before thrusting it inside, slamming his hips against her ass. Candace let out a cry of pleasure, scratching at the underside of the table as she tried to control the trajectory of her body. She waited for the next thrust, but he didn’t retract his hips, choosing instead to savor her warmth around his shaft.
He gripped her around the hips and pried her from the table while still buried inside her. The table went flying with a kick from his foot before he placed her in front of Shane, resting her hands on his knees. Shane remained in the same position as before, frozen and unaware of what was taking place mere inches in front of him.
Alejandro began violently thrusting, pressing her face against Shane’s chest with every forward movement. Her fangs dropped, seeking out blood as they normally did during primal moments of pleasure.
“Bite him,” Alejandro ordered. He stepped forward to reach Shane with one hand, pulling his head back to expose his neck.
“No.” She groaned against the force of immense pleasure he was sending through her body. “Not like this.” It was hard to fight the urge. Nothing was better than eating and fucking at the same time, but she could never do this to Shane against his will or while his mind was suspended in time.
Candace pulled Alejandro’s hand away from Shane and crossed it in front of her, so his forearm was directly in front of her mouth. She clamped down with her fangs and dragged hard from his veins. Alejandro exhaled with pleasure, thrusting harder from behind to increase both the flow of his blood and his seed. Candace dropped his arm from her mouth and gripped Shane’s lapels. Her back locked in an arch as she climaxed against the fullness she’d missed for decades. Each pulse sent a spasm through her core, making her legs quiver uncontrollably. Alejandro couldn’t hold back. His yell vibrated throughout the club, encouraging his cock to release every ounce of him inside her.
“That was worth the wait.” He gently pulled away from her body, quickly examining the bite on his arm to make sure it was fully healed.
“You yell like someone who’s just won his Fantasy Football League.”
“Being inside you feels like winning.” He grabbed her by the waist and pulled her close. “Could a human do that to you?”
“I’m still determined to find out.” She pulled away and turned back towards Shane to straighten his clothing and put the table back in its place.
Alejandro sneered in Shane’s direction. “Suit yourself. I’m happy to challenge him to a Fantasy Fucking League any night of the week. He picked up one of the feathered fans from the floor and proceeded to wipe off his dick before putting his pants back on.
“Disgusting.”
“You’re going to need these.” He tossed her the dirty fan and picked up the second, covering her face with the feathers on the second throw.
She spit stray feathers out of her mouth, trying to avoid touching the wet ones. “Need them for what?” Candace lowered the fan from her face only to find him gone. “Alejandro?” She started walking up the steps to the stage to look for him when the club suddenly sprang back to life. “Motherfucker. I am going to rip his enormous balls off.” She smiled at the crowd, clutching the feathers to her body and trying not to slip on the cum now dripping down her leg. Cum and feathers are a bad fucking combination.
Candace had to give him credit for having some of the most kickass magical powers she’d ever witnessed. No one seemed the wiser. They acted as if they’d watched her perform without any loss of time. The ladies were also milling about having made a full recovery. It made her powers seem paltry in comparison.
“You were amazing,” Landry said as she exited. She thought about telling him but decided against it. He would have a vampire meltdown if he knew he’d been temporarily frozen. “You should do that more often.”
“Thanks, but I think I’ll stay behind the stage from now on. Everything else okay tonight? Anything I need to know about?”
He shrugged and pointed at his mouth. “I�
��m told my fangs are in perfect health, but I have several numbers in case I ever get a cavity. Feeding on one tourist a day keeps the dentist away.”
“Wise words to live by. Now if you’ll excuse me, I want to go change so I can spend some time with Shane. She raced to her office, resting against the closed door. I’m a terrible vampire. That was like a quasi-cuckold scene with someone who doesn’t even know he’s participating. I should tell him. No, I shouldn’t. But I should definitely burn these feathers.
Five
Candace was thankful for the office shower. She scrubbed twice in case any faint traces of sulfur remained on her skin. It was an unfortunate byproduct that sometimes lingered for a short time after vigorous sex with Alejandro. And it had always been vigorous.
Shane was waiting for her near the bar when she came out. “That was unbelievable.”
You don’t know the half of it. “Looks like you got your wish.”
“One of them anyway.”
She smiled, examining his jacket and pants for any drops of blood she may have missed. “One? You have a list? I hope it includes Club Decadence switching to your distribution company in the next few weeks. I’ll have to work my way through the rest of this mysterious list.”
“No, you didn’t have to do that?”
His response confused her. “You’re not happy about that?”
“I’m grateful. Thank you for even considering that. I just don’t want you to think I came here expecting that from you.”
“I’m happy to make the switch. You are a good man, Shane.” Guilt tugged at her gut thinking about what had transpired right before him.
“I did come here for a purpose tonight, though. My brain is just a little foggy for some reason.”
“Feeling okay?” Candace pressed her hand against his forehead. “Maybe it was my act. Uh, what was your favorite part?” She held her breath, waiting for his answer.
Shane crinkled his forehead as he searched for the memory. “It was the part…that part when you…” He looked at her and tilted his head. “The feathers. Pink feathers, that was my favorite. That’s so odd. It’s like it’s gone.”