A Vampire's Kiss

by Alexis Taylor

  Ryan opened his eyes groggily as the bright sunlight from the window hit his face. His head felt stuffy, and thinking was… difficult. He spent a few seconds just staring at the ceiling, trying to remember the events of last night. He could recall leaving the hotel room with his friends, then bribing the bouncer at the club, and then… everything just seemed to blur. The inside of the club, the dancing, the girls there, everything kind of came together in a single amorphous memory blob. The memories of inside the club wouldn’t come to him clearly no matter how hard he willed it. Oh, he could remember – vaguely – the red flashing lights and the sound of high tempo music all around him, but picking out clear details was unusually difficult. He thought he met someone there, someone he recognized…

  Giselle! He had met the girl from the airport at the club! And then… had he brought her here? For the first time this morning, Ryan lifted his head up to look around his room. He realized, to his shock, that he was lying completely naked on the bed with no blanket. He scrambled to throw the sheets over his body, as he also saw the door to the rest of the hotel was open. As he moved, however, he felt a strange pain at the side of his neck. Almost like a muscle cramp. He brought his hand up to massage the spot. That made it a little bit better.

  He could see his own clothes scattered all over the floor, but there was no sign of the girl he had brought back last night. He looked around, and, not finding even a single piece of her garments, realized that she had already left. Without a word goodbye, he thought sourly.

  He lay back down, and flashes of what they did in this bed came back to him. He remembered the absolute feeling of exuberance, unlike anything he’d experienced before, that came as he fucked her. Her moans and cries, so delicate yet powerful at the same time, were a sound he thought he would never forget. And the feel of her body against his, with all its tantalizing curves and firmness, had been a pure treat.

  There was something about Giselle that attracted Ryan unlike any girl he’d met before, and it wasn’t just the fact that she was so forthcoming and direct. And it wasn’t just the fact that the sex was absolutely mind blowing.

  He moved to flip over to his stomach, and again that pain in his neck stopped him mid-move. The soreness was unusual, like a strong crick in the neck. Ryan guessed he probably slept in the wrong position. He massaged the spot lightly, as it had become unusually tender to his touch.

  It really was too bad that Giselle had left without saying anything. Usually he wouldn’t have minded, but last night has been so unbelievably great that he wanted to see her again. Not that he was getting sentimental or anything.

  Oh well, what are you going to do? Ryan thought as he twisted around to flip his legs off the side of his bed. He saw his boxers all the way on the other side of the room, but instead of getting them decided to make do by simply wrapping a sheet around his waist. He wondered what time it was as he got up and waded to the bathroom. Had his friends come back last night? Probably. Ryan wondered if they had as good a night as he did.

  He got to the bathroom connected to his room, closed the door, and let the sheet drop. He walked hazily over to the shower and turned it on. His mind was still a bit fuzzy, like he hadn’t fully woken up. A cool shower was the best way to get rid of the haze, he thought.

  Ryan saw that there was mouthwash by the sink, along with a complimentary toothbrush and a little pack of toothpaste. He realized for the first time that he had an unusual taste in his mouth – a metallic, iron-like taint – and decided to brush his teeth before getting in the shower. He came over to the sink, popping the toothbrush out of its plastic wrapping, and opened the toothpaste to spread a generous amount on the bristles.

  He put it in his mouth and started brushing just as he looked up into the mirror. The image that greeted him nearly caused him to drop the brush in shock.

  What he saw in the mirror was not what he expected. The little crick that he felt in his neck, that little bit of pain at the side that he thought came from sleeping in a strange position, all originated from a spot on his neck that looked swollen and heavily bruised. He moved closer to the mirror and brushed his fingers against his neck. There looked to be two small red imprints right in the middle of the bruise. They almost looked like a… bite mark? What the hell? Ryan touched the two red spots with his fingers, and flinched away at the pain. They were tender. What the hell was going on? Did someone bite me?

  Thoughts raced through Ryan’s mind. He tried replaying scenes of last night from his memory, from meeting Giselle at the club to finally falling asleep, exhausted, after they fucked each other so well. Nowhere in his thoughts did he remember her ever coming close enough to his neck to bite him. And yet, the evidence stared him right in the face in the mirror before him.

  He didn’t know what to do. His neck was already bruised in a dark blue, meaning that it had been there for some time. Could it have happened earlier, somewhere in the club while he was so high and drunk? At least he knew that it shouldn’t get any worse. Already, the slight soreness he felt in the spot when he woke up had been somewhat dulled – so long as he didn’t touch the two red marks. What could he do? It wasn’t like he was in any great distress. It was just… unusual.

  The sound of running water from the shower called to him. He decided he might as well wash to clear his mind before making any real conclusions about this strange finding. And, like he already noted, the neck itself wasn’t feeling that bad – it was just the visual effect that was so arresting. Maybe a doctor’s visit would be in order later today.

  He turned around and stepped into the shower, allowing his muscles to relax under the cool flow. He increased the temperature, dipping his head into the stream, and stood like that for a few minutes as the water washed completely over him, cleansing away the film of sweat and dirt that had built up in the last twenty-four hours. Then he picked up the bar of soap and began scrubbing.

  Thirty minutes later, Ryan stepped out of the shower feeling sufficiently refreshed. And another surprise greeted him in the mirror. The bruising on the side of his neck had subsided significantly, leaving only the two small red marks. He traced his fingers around them carefully, seeing if they still caused any pain. An involuntary flinch as he touched the edge of one confirmed that they did. Well, at the very least, he now doubted his friends would notice anything unusual unless he pointed it out.

  He came out of the bathroom and rummaged through his bag to find a fresh set of clothes. Settling on a light pair of jeans and a colorful polo, he put them on and walked out into the living room.

  “Jamie? Brett?” he yelled out. The doors to both their rooms were still closed. They were probably still asleep, Ryan thought. He walked over to the balcony doors, and opened one to step out to the ledge. The sun shining high in the sky told him it was probably quite a bit past noon. He could see hordes of people enjoying themselves along the beach. He took a single deep, purifying breath, letting himself enjoy the salted scent of the air so close to the sea. After last night’s adventure, everything seemed fresh; new, in some mysterious way. Uncharacteristically, he itched to go down there and swim in the warm water. He never really liked swimming before.

  Shrugging, he turned around and came back into the living room. He sat down on the couch, trying to decide whether he should wake his friends or not, when a folded piece of paper on the coffee table caught his eye. His name was written boldly on the outside in a thick, blocky script that he knew belonged to Brett.

  He reached to pick the piece of paper up, and settled back into the couch as he opened the note. The words inside were simple:

  Looks like you had a good time last night. Saw your girl on her way out, she was HOT! She said you had to sleep, so we didn’t wake you. We’ll be back in a few hours – went to get lunch.

  On the mention of lunch, Ryan’s stomach rumbled loudly, reminding him that he hadn’t eaten anything since Saturday morning in Boston. He wondered how long ago his friends left, and how much longer he had until they came back.
He could run out to get some food on his own, but he didn’t want to miss them when they got back.

  For the first time since getting up, Ryan looked at the clock hanging on the far wall to see the time. To his utter surprise, it showed 5:13 PM. Had he really slept through the entire day? Then again, he didn’t doubt it – the sex last night was both spectacular and physically exhausting, and his body probably needed to catch up on the rest after that, coupled with the long flight here.

  Ryan heard keys jingle in the lock, and looked to the front door in time to see it swing open to admit Jamie and Brett. They were laughing, but stopped dead when they saw him.

  “You’re up,” Jamie said.

  “Yea,” Ryan replied

  “Jesus, we were about to call a doctor in here,” Jamie said.

  “What? Why?”

  “Because you’ve been sleeping for so long.”

  “Huh?” Ryan looked at the clock. “It’s only a quarter past five, man. I mean, I know that’s long, but hardly enough to get you worried.”

  “No man,” Brett said seriously, “you don’t get it. It’s Tuesday today.”

  Ryan’s head spun. He felt dizzy, and had to support himself against his knees to avoid falling over. He felt like he was about to pass out. A glazed look came over his face, and both his friends rushed over.

  “You alright, man?” Jamie asked.

  “I… I think so,” Ryan answered. He took a few deep breaths to regain his composure. He was fine. He had just been shocked at the news, that was all. It was Tuesday?! That means he’d been out for nearly two days! “Was I really asleep for so long?”

  “Yea,” Brett answered. “We saw your girl leave the first morning, and she acted a bit shady, saying that you’ll be needing your rest. We didn’t think much of it until later that night, when we saw you were still out. But we went out again, and this morning when we woke up, you were in the same position on the bed as before.” Ryan’s cheeks colored as his friend said that. Silly to worry about something like that, but he knew he had been lying butt naked while he slept, which means his friends obviously saw him if they came in to check up on him. Brett continued, “We talked to my cousin, who said that sometimes when people are nursing a really serious hangover they can experience something like that, and as long as you were breathing you were fine. We weren’t sure how much you drank that first night we went out, or what other drugs you took when you weren’t with us, but you were breathing, so we let you sleep. But this morning, we started getting more worried. Because you still haven’t moved. So we stopped by a clinic on the way back just now to see if a doctor was in.”

  “There was nobody there,” Jamie interjected, “and they told us that the doctor would be back tomorrow morning. What a relief it was to find you up when we walked through those doors, though.”

  “What did you take that night?” Brett asked suspiciously.

  “I… don’t remember.” The memory of the night in the club was fading fast, and getting a grip on it was like trying to hold fine grains of sand then kept falling through the cracks of your fingers. “I don’t think I took that much of anything, to be honest with you.”

  “Well, you clearly had something happen to you to be out for so long,” Jamie said. “Dude, you haven’t eaten in ages, either. You must be starving right now, right?”

  “I am,” Ryan admitted.

  “We picked up some food for you earlier and put it in the mini-fridge,” Jamie said while getting up. “Here, I’ll get it for you.”

  As Jamie turned back to get the food, Brett looked at Ryan with concern clear on his face. “How are you feeling, bro?” he asked.

  “I’m good, now that I’ve gotten over that initial shock,” Ryan answered. “In fact, I feel like I would any other day.” Ryan decided not to mention the strange marks on his neck just yet.

  “Well, that’s a relief,” Brett said, and sat down across from Ryan. Jamie had come back with a brown paper bag and handed it to Ryan. Ryan emptied the contents on the coffee table, and saw three wrapped burgers.

  “We thought you’d be hungry,” Jamie said.

  “Ravenous,” Ryan answered, and quickly unwrapped one of them and stuffed it in his mouth.

  “So you’re sure you’re feeling good, man?” Jamie asked. “Like, you don’t need to see a doctor or anything?”

  “Nah,” Ryan answered. With the food hitting his belly, he could instantly feel the extra strength that it afforded his body. “I think as long as I eat and hydrate I’ll be fine.”

  “Good,” Jamie said, and sat down beside Brett. Ryan took another huge bite from the first burger, and was surprised to find it already three-quarters gone.

  “The appetite of a starving man,” Jamie laughed. Ryan had already finished the first burger and was getting started on the second.

  “So then what did you guys do,” he said between mouthfuls, “last night? Any wild adventures that I missed?”

  “Actually,” Brett answered, a keen glitter in his eye, “we met up with a sexy group of Swedish university students and partied all night with them. Both of us brought a girl back.”

  “I’ve already had two,” Jamie corrected Brett triumphantly. “One the first night, same as you,” he said, nodding at Ryan, “and another one last night. A Swedish blonde girl.”

  “Actually, the two girls we brought here last night were sisters,” Brett said mischievously. “At least, that’s what they claimed.”

  “Sounds like a good time,” Ryan said. “It’s too bad I missed it.”

  “I can’t believe you slept through it all,” Brett laughed. “The sounds that were being made would wake a graveyard.” On that, all three of the them erupted into instant laughter.

  “So what’s the plan for tonight?” Ryan asked once the laughter died down.

  “Well, we were planning on heading out again… obviously,” Jamie said. “You up for it?”

  “Hell yea. I’ve gotta amp my game up to catch up to you guys after missing out last night,” Ryan laughed.

  “As long as you’re feeling ready,” Brett said.

  “Oh, absolutely.” Ryan had already finished the three burgers, and was licking his fingers for more. The sudden, unexpected boost he felt after the food had him ready to go out right now.

  “Well, luckily, we’re in Ibiza, bro,” Brett laughed. “The party starts early here.”

  “Actually, if we want to really start early, we should get going in the next half hour,” Jamie added. “It’s the best time to get to the clubs now if we just wanna chill and hang out until the real crowds get there.”

  “And drink,” Brett added with a laugh.

  “And drink,” Jamie confirmed chuckling. “We can never forget that here, can we?”

  “So then,” Ryan said, “you guys are ready, and I just showered, so I’m ready – what are we waiting for? Let’s go!”

  Forty minutes later, Ryan found himself kicking back on a red lounge seat in the VIP section of a club. His two friends were right beside him, and three bottle of Grey Goose vodka stood on the table in the middle of the enclave. One was already half finished, and the shot glasses that they had used stood rimming the circular table.

  “This is the life, eh boys?” Ryan said loudly. “Good drinks, good friends, and a great vibe for the upcoming night.”

  “Cheers to that,” Jamie answered, raising his shot glass. Ryan and Brett picked up theirs in a salute, and quickly downed another ounce of liquor.

  “I just wish there were some girls here already,” Brett complained. The club they were at was pretty vacant at this point, but Ryan could see some groups of people already starting to dot the VIP area around him.

  “Patience, my friend,” Ryan drawled slowly. “The women will come to us when they’re good and ready.” As he said that, he spread his arms in a wide semicircle in front of him that mimicked worshippers. “They’re just taking their time getting all dolled up in their hotel rooms to impress us tonight.”

  “I w
ant a brunette,” Jamie mused. “I’ve had nothing but blondes since the start of this year. A little variety can never hurt.”

  “You’ll get your chance,” Ryan assured him. “In fact, you’ll have your choice of many slutty brunette girls ready to have you slid your big cock between their legs tonight.”

  “Amen to that!” Brett said, and rose his empty shot glass in another salute. Ryan and Jamie rose theirs as well, and clinked all three of them above their little table.

  Ryan sat back, and looked around. He was a bit deeper in the alcohol this early than he would have liked, but its effect on him was significantly less pronounced than he would have thought. Either his tolerance had been completely revamped since his inexplicable hibernation period, or he was just enjoying himself too much to really notice the booze.

  Suddenly, the ambient music playing around them quickened and increased in volume. The track quickly transitioned to a house song, and all the lights in the club dimmed down.

  “Looks like you’ll get your wish sooner than later,” Ryan said to Brett as he looked over his shoulder to the dance floor. He hadn’t noticed it earlier, but a sizeable crowd had built up there since they sat down. He could see the divisions amongst the various groups clearly from his vantage: a circle of girls dancing together here, another smaller one dancing together there. A few guys were already grinding up next to different girls who had clearly been pulled away from their friends. But with the music pounding louder and louder from the amplified sound system, and the lights dimmed to almost complete darkness, everybody on the floor looked like they were having a great time.

  “It’s time to go?” Brett laughed. “But we haven’t even finished the bottle yet!” And he picked up the one open bottle of Grey Goose to slosh its contents around.

  “Well, you boys can chose to stay here,” Ryan said, pushing himself up, “but I just saw the perfect target for myself. And,” he added with a wink, “I think she noticed me, too.”