by Claire Marta
“In a way, yes, you could say that.” Lexi knew she couldn’t tell him any more than that. It was far too dangerous. “I’m just his bartender. He doesn’t pay any attention to me.
Twitch nodded as if her answer had satisfied him. The tension in his shoulders she only now noticed, eased.
An awkward silence stretched. Lexi fiddled with the spoon beside her mug. This was not going well. For a twenty-year-old succubus who had never had a date in her life she felt like a fish out of water. She had been with men before. Fucked them to feed. But generally, they did not involve talking. Just a lot of grunting and moaning. She’d never really engaged any of them in conversation. Not like this. No this was different.
Twisting the metal, it took a moment to realise she had bent the spoon in half. Tucking it under her napkin, she hid the evidence.
Shit. She was sucking at this big time. Desperation swept through Lexi. Failure was not an option. She really liked Twitch. Wanted to get to know him better. No, needed to. This was the first ever date she had been on and she had to make it work.
Twitch was trying not to jiggle his knee under the table. For once, he did not know what to say. Even his wise cracks had dried up. He was blowing this big time. Lexi looked uncomfortable. Why had he ever agreed to this? Talking to a girl you liked was turning out to be another form of torture. How the fuck did other guys do this? This was a total fuck up. He wasn’t normal. Twitch groaned inwardly, fighting the urge to bash his head on the table.
What had he expected? That she would be swept off her feet by his smooth moves? He didn’t have any moves and sitting in silence was becoming embarrassing. Desperately he tried to search for a topic.
“Are you sure you don’t want to get anything to eat? I’m sure they serve something other than a greasy heart attack on a plate.” He pointed a finger towards the kitchen.
“No, honestly I am fine. I never eat this early.” Lexi gave him a shy smile.
The bell above the door chimed as two men shuffled into the cafe. Twitch watched them. He always liked to take note of those around him. It was especially handy with other supernaturals living in the city. He wasn’t able to tell what they were, but usually he could pick up the subtle differences that gave them away. Like how they carried themselves. The way they moved or dressed. If they were magic born, he could sometimes feel their power sparking against his own.
Both males were dressed in jeans and wore black leather jackets.
The older one was squat with grey, dirty hair and dark, beady eyes. They shifted from person to person with a look of no good. Lip curling up in a snigger, the man’s teeth beneath were yellow.
“Morning ladies. Our usual please,” he called, giving the women behind the counter a wink. None of them responded. They visibly shuddered at the gesture, gazes wary, as they set out cups.
Moving across the room to the opposite corner, the male threw himself down in a chair. His friend followed quietly. With cropped, brown locks he was younger and good looking.
The sound of slurping drew Twitch’s attention back to the woman in front of him and the heady aroma of her coffee. Cradling her mug in her hands, Lexi was drinking, her gaze nosily on the strangers.
Twitch smiled. She was so fucking cute. Pink hair curling around her face, her little pert nose was wrinkled in concentration. The lipstick she was wearing was beginning to wear off. She’d left its imprint on the rim of her cup. Gaze dropping lower, he admired her chest. They were the best pair of breasts he had ever seen. And he had seen a lot. Online at least…
“I really like your tits, sugar pants.” His eyes widened when her gaze snapped to him and he realised what he’d said out loud.
Lexi frowned. “What did you just say?”
“Your smile. I really like your smile,” Twitch garbled, as he tried not to face palm. His cheeks were warm. He knew they were red.
Eyes dancing with laughter, she flashed him a cheeky grin.
Fucknuggets, she had caught what he’d said. Now she would think he was some kind of pervert. Ok, so admittedly he was, but you weren’t supposed to admit that on the first date, right?
A few more people entered the place looking for breakfast. Twitch spared them each a glance. None of them as far as he could see were supernaturals and magic was something he hadn’t yet sensed.
Lifting his mug, he took a sip of the sugary tea. The moment it hit his tongue he received a sugar rush. Humming in his throat, Twitch closed his eyes for a moment.
The two men who sat across the room kept glancing Lexi’s way and it was making her nervous. Twitch hadn’t seemed to notice. She was used to the attention of males in the club when she tended the bar, but having it outside that environment was uncomfortable. Leaving home was something she did not do often.
Her father had drilled into her from an early age that straying too far from the club where he couldn’t protect her was a bad idea. Realistically Lexi knew that he meant leaving the city. But it had made her paranoid. Plus, the fact she only had a few friends, who also worked at Liquor and Lust meant she did not go out much.
Self-consciously she checked her reflection in the window. Pink hair tumbled around her features. She was starting to like the colour she had chosen. Her little black horns were nowhere to be seen. Why were they staring at her?
The pink slash of her lipstick needed to be reapplied. She hated when it smudged off. Make-up was something that had been an obsession since she’d been a teenager. Lexi adored the bright colours. Being a wall flower was something she would never be. Loud, bright and proud. That was her motto.
“I’m going to use the bathroom,” she informed Twitch as she collected her bag from under the table.
Nodding, he did not say a word. Eyes half closed, he seemed to be enjoying his over sugared cup of tea too much. Lexi was not sure how he could even drink it. He’d put so many sachets in that it had to be sickly sweet.
Leaving her seat, she walked towards the counter noticing the sign pointing in the direction off the toilets. A narrow corridor lead to several doors. Finding the one she needed she bumped it open with her hand.
Several closed stalls greeted Lexi. It was empty of occupants. Someone had made the effort to try and make it look cheerful with photos of flowers hanging on the walls. Beneath it, the yellow wallpaper was faded.
Slapping her bag down on the counter, she fished her lipstick out and applied a fresh coating. She really needed to start buying the stuff that didn’t wear off. Make up was a weakness. Something that she blew most of her pay check on as well as art supplies. It was lucky she did not have to pay for her apartment. Her father always took care of her bills.
Pouting, she admired her handy work. “Beautiful.” She cooed to herself.
She was hoping those creepy guys had moved on by the time she was done. It was hard to concentrate when they were ogling her. Lexi admired her reflection. Twitch had been checking out her tits. For once she had enjoyed having a male staring at them. Now she just needed to find something to talk about. She didn’t want to go home just yet.
In her experience, males seemed to enjoy sex. Maybe she should just fuck him? Pursing her lips, she stared hard at herself in the mirror. The problem was she wanted something different this time. Lexi wanted to have what her human friends had. Someone she could go out with. A boyfriend. Someone she could connect with and not just another body she would use for feeding and meaningless pleasure. She wanted that with Twitch.
The creak of the door interrupted her thoughts.
“Hey there, girly.”
Swivelling around, Lexi faced the owner of the voice. It was the shifty looking guy who had been watching her across the cafe. Behind him, stood his younger friend. Sauntering further into the room, they closed the door with an ominous click, blocking her only exit.
“This is the women’s bathroom and unless you’ve had a sex change I don’t think you’re supposed to be in here.” Lexi declared, an eyebrow raised.
They were both huma
n. She knew they were no match for her. It was supernaturals she had to be wary of.
“Come on now. We just wanted to come and be friendly, that’s all.” The younger guy responded, leering at her. “Real friendly,” he added.
Lexi tensed. She had seen the look in his eyes in other men. Knew what it meant. If they were going to mess with her, then they were in for a surprise they were not going to like.
Running his tongue across his bottom lip, the older guy reached out a dirty hand to touch her chest. He was confident. Obviously, he had done this kind of thing before and gotten away with it.
Slapping his hand away, Lexi took a step back. “Try to touch my boob again and I will rip off your arm and shove it up your arse.”
“She’s a mouthy one,” He commented to his friend with excitement. He was becoming aroused. Being a succubus Lexi was aware when others became turned on.
She could sense it. This pair got off on the thought of her being helpless; having her at their mercy. They were going to be in for one hell of a shock.
“Yeah, she is, Tom. That always makes it better when we give ’em what they deserve.” The younger guy grabbed his crotch; his breathing elevated. Eyes dilated, his sick arousal was growing by the second.
Lexi put her hands on her hips. Standing tall, she speared them with a look of haughty distaste. “Unless you have an anaconda down there I am not going to be impressed.”
Advancing menacingly, the good-looking guy puffed out his chest, “I’m going to shut that mouth of yours with my dick down your throat, you little bitch, and I won’t stop until you’ve swallowed every bit of cum.”
He was not backing down. Lexi stood her ground. They seemed surprised that she wasn’t cowering in a corner or begging for them to leave her alone. Her father had taught her how to stand up for herself. No male was going to take advantage of her. Not ever.
“How about you give your friend that privilege and you leave me the fuck alone.”
The old guy hissed a breath through his yellow teeth. “Grab her, Jason.”
Lexi tilted her head, her expression becoming blank as she centred herself for a fight. “I won’t warn you again.”
They ignored her. Instead, the young guy, Jason, grabbed her arm. Lexi let him touch her for about thirty seconds. Taking a hold of his wrist, she twisted it round.
Shock lit his face, before his expression crumbled into a look of pain from the pressure she exerted with demonic ease. Lexi knew she could break his arm if she wanted to. But she didn’t like hurting others. This was just a warning. Releasing her grip, she watched as he crashed to his knees, hugging his arm.
Tucking a loose strand of pink behind her ear, Lexi’s gaze settled on the older male, Tom. He was watching his friend with an expression of disappointment.
“Fuck, Jason, can’t you handle one little girl?”
Jason looked up from where he was hunched over. “She’s got some fucking moves like a ninja or something,” he complained.
Tom shuffled forward. When he reached for her, Lexi blocked him bringing her forearm up quickly to connect with his hand.
Tom yelped in pain as he yanked on a bracelet around his wrist. It was thick and ropey, and looked like it was made from human hair. A charm with a strange rune was dangling from the bottom, glowing.
Lexi’s heart pulsed in time with the light. She was unable to control it. Compelling and overwhelming, it invaded her chest. Breathing in shakily, she could do nothing to stop her claws from extending. Black tipped, the little points were deadly.
“Fuck, Jason. She’s one of them.” Tom’s voice lowered to a whisper.
Lexi growled. Taking him by the scruff of his leather jacket, she tossed him across the bathroom. His words left her unsettled. What did he mean by; one of them? A supernatural? How did a couple of humans know about that? Mortals weren’t supposed to know about the existence of others like her, apart from the vampires.
They had seen her claws. Glancing in the mirror, she saw her horns were also visible. Fuck. She knew if her father had been here they would both already have stopped breathing. Killing was something she couldn’t stomach. Maybe instead she could scare them into silence. It was worth a try.
Stomping towards Tom, she yanked him up again. His feet were dangling off the ground as she held him by the neck. Her black tipped claws were digging into his tender flesh. “Keep away from me you pervert. Don’t let me ever see you around here again and keep your fucking hands to yourself. Touch another female and I will know about it and I will come for both of you. Got it?”
“Sur...sure, no problem,” Tom stuttered. He was shaking so bad his head was like a nodding dog toy.
Dumping him on the floor, Lexi snickered. Maybe they would think twice next time before trying to assault another woman. Perverts!
With a quick look, she checked her appearance. Her glamour was back up. Horns hidden once more. Curling her fingers, she focused on retracting her claws.
The two males remained frozen on the floor in fright. They seemed reluctant to move. That pleased Lexi. Collecting her bag, she sauntered out of the room, head held high. She was not planning on remaining their long even though she knew no one would believe them if they shared what they had witnessed. But it was better to be safe than sorry. Trouble was something she did not need. Trouble would displease her father.
The waitresses flashed her a worried look. In return, she shook her head with annoyance. Weren’t females supposed to stick together? They had obviously seen the pair go into the women’s bathroom and had not bothered to check on her.
Twitch was still at their table. Head titled to the side, he was staring out of the window. He seemed to be lost in thought. For a moment, she leisurely studied his profile. The mage’s hair was for once out of his face and she had a clear few of his features.
Lexi liked his angular jawline. He was attractive, but she could see with time his features would become more striking. Her attention dropped to his lips. What would it be like to kiss him? Would he be better than chocolate fudge ice cream? Every male she had fed from always had their own unique taste. Their essence, life force, which she sipped at when they had sex.
Gods, she couldn’t stop looking at the mage. Lexi’s lips trembled into a silly smile. She decided there and then if she got a chance she was going to kiss him. Tasting Twitch was a desire. One she would not deny.
Sliding back onto her seat, she placed her bag by her feet. Twitch’s attention danced to her face. His gaze focused on her lips and the splash of newly applied lipstick. Eyes dilating, he wet his own with the tip of his tongue. Clearly, he liked what he saw.
“Here.” Clumsily, he pushed a crumpled scrap of paper towards her with one finger across the table. It was frayed at the edges where he’s been picking the corners apart. A bleakness was in his tone as if he was half afraid she wouldn’t take it.
Lexi accepted it before staring down at the neatly written numbers. Her breath came out in a little whoosh as she realised what it was.
“It’s my phone number...in case you want to do this again...sit in silence and drink bad coffee.” With one hand, he gestured around the cafe. More patrons had trickled in looking for their early morning caffeine fix.
“How about tomorrow tonight?” Lexi shot back impulsively. She did not want to let the opportunity pass to see him again. This was progress. And she was not going to give up the chance for something more.
Twitch blinked slowly as if he didn’t quite believe what she’d said. “Tomorrow?”
“If you’re not busy?”
“No, I'm not busy, but don’t you have to work?” he asked, before lifting his cup and taking a sip of his tea.
“It’s my night off.” Distractedly, she folded the piece of paper and held onto it tight. “Normally I sleep during the day to stick with work hours. Why don’t you come pick me up at the club around 8 pm?”
For a moment, he considered her words. It was the longest thirty seconds of her life.
&n
bsp; “I can do that. Sure,” he mumbled with a nod.
Lexi bottled the urge to scream with joy. She had another date! With this hunk of a techno mage. The sensation of butterflies in her stomach she had experienced earlier went into full force.
“I should probably get back,” she told him, leaping up from her chair. The perfect outfit was something she needed to find. And make up. Shoes. What else? Quickly, she tugged on her coat. She had so much to do and so little time. Everything needed to be perfect.
Twitch rose from his seat as he scooped up his back pack and heaved it onto his shoulder. “I can walk you back if you like. Not that you can’t do that by yourself.”
Lexi flashed him a megawatt smile. “I’d love that.”
Twitch stared at her. Mouth curving up, he gave her a crooked grin in return. Her excitement was contagious. With a twinkle in his eye, Twitch shook his head in amusement. Pulling out a crumpled ten-pound note from the pocket of his coat he let it flutter onto the table.
As he made his way towards the exit, Lexi bounced after him. She was on cloud nine and she had a feeling it was only going to get better.
Twitch stood, watching as Lexi made her way into the club. He waited until she vanished within the large metal doors. They’d kinda had fun this morning. The fact she had agreed to see him tomorrow evening was startling. He’d been so sure he’d fucked this up. Yet, she had been content to spend time with him.
Shaking his head in disbelief, he turned in the direction of the nearest tube station. Women. He would never understand them. Not that he actually had a lot of experience to go on when dealing with them. Maybe Lexi would change her mind. She had his number. There was still time for her to cancel. But what if she didn’t? Fucknuggets, he’d have to think of somewhere to take her. Maybe he should brush his hair? Get it cut?
Almost immediately he pushed that idea aside. In as disarray as his reddish locks might be they were his shield against staring eyes. Something he had used as a defence since his teenage years. Giving that up was not going to happen.