by Megan Hawke
The Goth sales girl waiting on us called it a nice little BDSM starter outfit. Dane got the cutest scowl on his face at that. Then a pair of really dark aviator sunglasses finished off his look perfectly, I thought.
We walked into The Crimson Knot just before midnight. Dane was an instant hit. Everyone wanted to know if he was a top or sub, while watering at the mouth. I don't think I garnered that much carnal interest at any time. Dane was shocked, embarrassed, and flattered, but mostly insanely uncomfortable. Once they established he was straight, and my guest, the gay boys moved off and the straight girls moved in.
Everyone knew vampires were willing to share.
Have to admit, though, I was miffed. Maybe just a touch jealous. Dane was eating it up. None of the girls were ugly, and ranged in age from eighteen to thirty-eight. He could have his pick, and I think any one of them would do anything he wanted.
I left Dane with his adoring harem in the main parlor, and slipped into the suspension room next door. Voilà! There was Gustav. Just as I suspected. And he was dressed almost exactly like Dane, except for his little short-brimmed leather cap and slave collar. Yeah, he was wearing black cowboy boots, too.
The most interesting aspect of Gustav was his three day growth. Was he growing a beard to change his appearance? Did he have a reason to change his appearance? Like slaughtering young women?
"Good evening, Gustav," I said. "Nice starter beard."
He gave me a cool look. "Hello, Sable. Is that your only outfit?"
He didn't care about my outfit. He was staring at my boobs. Typical. Even undead men obsessed over boobs.
"No, but it’s a good one," I said. "Gets all the pretty boys' attention."
I looked the woman over he was helping to tied up. She was early forties, gray streaked dark hair, with fetching brown eyes and just a little on the cubby side. Another man I never met seemed to be the top at the scene, with Gustav just helping.
"Good for you," he said, turning back to the woman.
"I need to talk to you about Penny," I said.
I expected to see him cringe or hesitate. Something. Gustav was unfazed.
"I'm busy."
"She's a friend of yours, right?"
"Yeah. She likes to be tied up by me," he said. "A lot of women do. What of it."
Several people were covertly listening in. Some not so secretively. I didn't want to cause a panic.
"Let's get a room, Gustav," I said.
"I don't bottom to anyone, Sable," he said.
"I'm willing," I said. That rattled him. A few eyebrows rose as they listened. I guess no one expected me to submit like that. Stepping up close, I whispered into his ear, loud enough to carry, "I'm a vampire, Gustav. Do you know what that means? Have you ever been with a vampire before? We're insatiable. And I'm willing to do anything. Anything at all."
Let me tell you, everyone around me was instantly turned on. If he turned me down I could expect at least a dozen other propositions. The sweet, heady aroma of desire and need filled the air, filled my senses. My vampire pheromones began to flow. I couldn't stop them.
Gustav gawked at me, heart pounding. I guess he might've fantasized about me. Not sure if I should be flattered or not. Of course, my pheromones had the same effect on vamps as on mortals, so by being horny I made him horny.
He licked his lips and swallowed, saying, "We could do that. Are you sure?"
"Very," I said. I felt Dane approaching. "I brought a friend, so you can show him the ropes. He wants to learn how to tie up and take care of a vampire properly."
"Oh," he said, sounding disappointed. He looked at my boobs, then at my lips. "He won't interfere, will he?"
"No. My minions know their place," I said, hoping Dane didn't hear that exchange. He would object to being called a minion, because he definitely wasn't, and found them offensive. He didn't react. "Shall we?"
Gustav headed back towards the private rooms. My vampiric senses showed two empty. Tuesday was not a busy night at The Crimson Knot. I fell in behind him, motioning for Dane to come along. Gustav took us to the same room I found Philip with Sabrina that first night. The room was empty.
I closed the door behind Dane. Club policy was no locks. It was for the protection of the members. But no one would enter without permission if the door was closed. Open door was an invitation to come in, maybe join in the fun. When I turned around Dane was scowling at Gustav in disgust, while Gustav was busy picking the sex toys he wanted to play with.
"Anal plug?" I said. It had a long "horse tail" hanging off it. "I don't think so."
"Did you promise him sex?" Dane said.
"Of course," I said. "You're the only man who's ever refused to have sex with me. Everyone else obediently jumps to attention if the faintest possibility arises."
"You're proud of that, too."
"Oh yeah," I said, smiling wickedly at him. Dane, despite himself, was turned on. Outwardly he hid it well, but I had a link with him, and was standing next to him. I knew. "My goal is to win back at least your eagerness to slip between my legs, if not your love and devotion."
He looked at me, then at Gustav, still rummaging through kinky paraphernalia: handcuffs, nipple clamps, some things I've seen before.
"I might be loyal to you, if you could do the same for me," he said, shocking me. He had thought about it? "Think about it."
"What's going on?" Gustav said. He watched us warily. "Are you going to try and stake me?"
He didn't look half as worried as he should. I smiled roguishly. That rattled him a bit.
"It's a thought," Dane said.
"A pleasant one, too," I said. "But no. We have questions concerning Penny."
"Penny again? What about Penny?" he said.
Dane and I stood between Gustav and the door. Dane was no problem for him. He could toss Dane around like a rag doll, but not me. Black Heart scared him.
"She was killed by the Crimson Knot Killer," Dane said.
"Jesus, you think of him as the Crimson Knot Killer, too?" I said.
That wasn't his name in the media. I don't know if the police gave names like that. Wasn't it just the media's way to sensationalize the murders and sell more newspapers?
"The what?" Gustav said. Then his eyes widened. "Penny was murdered? Like the others?"
He truly looked devastated. So much so, my suspicions were shaken.
"Penny is the fourth victim," I said. "Suspended from a hook, like a slab of beef, and drained of blood."
"Where were you Sunday night, between midnight and sunrise?" Dane said.
"You think I killed her?" Gustav said. He looked suitably horrified. "Penny was my friend. I tied her up more than anyone else."
"That's your definition of friendship?" Dane said.
"I'm a vampire, pretty boy," Gustav sneered. "What do you expect?"
"Where were you Sunday night, after you left the club?" I said.
"You know," he said. Still sneering. Lord, he looked at me with such hate in his eyes. "I took your sister home."
"No, I went to her apartment and you weren't there," I said.
"My home. I spend the rest of the night tying her up in different positions, and fucking her," he said. "I fucked her every which way, then flipped her over and fucked three more times. I fucked your stupid little sister all damned night, and then all damned day."
"Did you bite her?" I whispered, horrified by his admission.
"I have no fangs! How am I going to bite her?"
"No fangs would be a good reason the Crimson Knot Killer is draining his victims of blood with needles instead of by biting," Dane said.
"What?" Gustav said. "He doesn't bite them?"
Dane and I shared a frowning look. Gustav was not reacting like we expected. He might be a really good actor, but he seemed to be honest about his reactions. I couldn't read vampires like I did mortals, so had no way to tell for certain if he was lying. His heart rate was already going at ninety miles an hour.
"I was confronte
d by the police detective investigating the killings," I said. Gustav looked suitable worried. "They know there are vampires members, and have some interesting questions about you. They are zeroing in on the killer, and they are pretty sure he is a member of this club."
"Fuck me to tears," Gustav said. That shook him so much he had to sit down. He was trembling. Did not look like an act. "This is horrible."
"Where were you on the nights of October ninth, October thirty-first, and November thirteenth?" Dane said.
I stepped up closer to him. If he was going to make a run for it, I wanted him to go through me first. Or try to get past me.
"Yes, I'd like to know, too," I said. "I hope you have an alibi for all three of those nights as well. Since you could've easily mesmerized Sabrina, gone over to Penny's apartment, killed her, and returned. Sabrina would only remember what you wanted her to remember."
As I recalled, Sabrina didn't seem to remember much of anything of that long night and day.
Gustav's heart rate ramped up even more. He looked close to swooning, but I didn't think that possible for a vampire.
"How am I supposed to remember what I was doing, and with whom, on those nights?" he said.
"I remember where I was, and what I was doing, on all of those nights," I said. Okay, I had to get down a calendar and mentally go through all the things happening to me during that time. It wasn't easy recalling which nights I did what. But I wasn't going to admit that to him. "I suggest you get your ducks in a row, and come up with a solid alibi for each of those nights."
Gustav looked sick. The "scene" with me wasn't going as planned.
"If the killer is a vamp at The Crimson Knot, and it is not you, then who?" Dane said.
"Philip Murphy," he said without hesitation.
"Not Roger?" I blurted out. Yeah, his answer surprised me that much.
"Him?" Gustav said. "That pathetic excuse for a vampire? Lord, he throws up at the thought of blood. I can't believe he hasn't starved yet."
"But he's – ," Dane started to protest.
"But nothing. He's an embarrassment to vampires everywhere. His Sire kicked him to the curb, and good riddance."
Gustav left my mind reeling. I thought for sure we had our killer. He still could be the killer, but if he was he was a damned good actor. His belief Philip was the killer caused me to doubt, as well.
"Philip's not here," I said. "Do you know where he lives?"
"No."
"Where is he?"
Gustav hesitated. That told me he knew. I walked up close, sapphire eyes narrowed. His shoulders sagged.
"He's across the street," Gustav said. "At Sweet Hearts. He goes over there whenever the stress of dealing with all of these hot young women overwhelms him. After tying up and fucking a few whores in Sweet Hearts' dungeon he can deal with these bondage bimbos over here."
"Bondage bimbos, huh? Some of those women out there have advance degrees, and work as doctors and lawyers and corporate executives," I said. Most of them weren't, but a few were. A surprising number were college students. "Considering you share a common kink, I am surprised you have such a low opinion of them."
"I'm a complicated man," he said.
"Complicated is not the word that comes to mind," I said. I turned to Dane. "I guess we need to pay a visit to Sweet Hearts."
We left Gustav stewing in his own misery, with the warning that if he ran the murders would all be pinned on him and we'd hunt him down, and stake him. I strongly suggested he hang around until the truth was learned, then hightail it out of town.
With Sweet Hearts cattycorner with The Crimson Knot there was no reason to take the Jeep or motorcycle. It might've been a mistake. While standing on the corner, waiting for the light, a car slowed and stopped next to us.
"How much for a date?" the middle aged man said.
Dane understood what he meant before I did. He bent over, and gave the guy a hard look just as I was realized he thought I was a streetwalker. If vampires could blush, I'd be on fire.
"She's not a hooker, twit. She's a nice, sweet fetish girl with a hankering to be tied up and spanked," Dane said. His words rattled me as much as the would-be john. "She's also a vampire, with a naughty habit of biting her lovers. Slurp. Guzzle. Slurp."
I bent over and smiled. He went cold at the sight of my fangs. I felt him fighting the need to piss himself.
"Bye-bye," I said.
Mr. John squealed his tires getting out of there. Bet he went straight home to his little woman, and counted himself lucky to be alive. He should. There are a lot of vampires out there who'd love to sink their fangs into him, with or without his permission.
"What was that 'slurp, guzzle, slurp' comment?" I said, grinning. "I don't slurp, though I do belch afterwards."
"Oooh, the slurping is less offensive."
"You belch, then celebrate it."
"But I'm a man."
"You're a pig."
"I thought I was a dog?"
"That too," I said.
We crossed Harry Hines, then Royal Lane. The parking lot of Sweet Hearts was packed. Inside and out, the men were excited. Though I'd never actually been inside a strip club, I've been outside several since becoming a vampire. Boney seemed to like to set up shop in front of them. But Sweet Hearts' clientele seemed more excited and aroused than most. And that was just the mortals.
"Damn," Dane said, voice stressed. "Tone down the vamp pheromones before I cream my shorts."
"It’s not me," I said.
I counted five vampires in the parking lot. Four men and one woman, and all impeccably attired. Dressed for an evening out, in fact, not what I would expect them to wear to a strip joint. I had no way of knowing how many vampires were inside. At least Bone Daddy wasn't working out of the parking lot that night.
"Not what I expected," I said, searching the insides with my paranormal senses. "I think there is a lot more brothel than titty bar. The buildings on both sides are full of people having sex, and upstairs in the back, too."
"The whole strip mall is one big cathouse?" Dane said.
"Pretty much," I said. "You do realize, don't you, that this is a vampire business? A strip club and brothel catering to vampires?"
"What? Why would a vampire need to hire a prostitute?" he said. "There are ten thralls for every vampire, all falling over each other to get your attention. Heck, you can hypnotize anyone you want. No vampire has to pay for it."
"But there are some willing to pay for it," I said. "And apparently there are quite a few mortals who want to play dangerously, and patronized the place, too."
"Idiots," he said.
"I agree," I said. We walked inside. Dane had to pay a cover. They let me in free. I took Dane's hand as he stepped into the main room. "Don't leave my side. If it looks like my libido is getting the best of me, drag me out fast."
"Are you alright?"
"No," I said, and swallowed hard. "This placed is super-charged for sex." I took a deep breath, savoring the scent of mortal and vampire desire. Butterflies danced in my belly, and I felt my nether regions tingling and growing wet. I had an incredible desire to rub my thighs together. I looked up at Dane, and knew my eyes were big. "If one of these men propositions me, I will agree. I'm not strong enough to say no. You have to be my no."
"We should leave."
"No. Are you crazy? Sabrina might be next," I said. "There are only two more in the picture."
Moving my tongue under my right fang, I bit down. Pushed that sharp fang deep into the sensitive flesh of my tongue. The pain was exquisite. Better yet, it killed my rising libido dead. And, the blood tasted nice.
"I need a drink of blood," I said. "I'll be better then."
Dane led me over to the long bar by the hand. He ordered a drink of blood for me, and a beer for him since there was a one drink minimum. He took a sip of beer, and then set it down. I sucked the entire glass down in one gulp, and asked for another. I upended the second glass too, but after that I was a little over
full and sated.
"I'm better now," I said.
Being over full was more of a damper on my libido than drinking blood. In fact, drinking blood was very sexy to me now.
"Good," Dane said. "Blood is seven dollars a glass."
"What? I can get a sixteen ounce cup for two bucks anywhere it's sold," I said.
"They don't have naked girls dancing all around," Dane said, indicating the main stage.
The lighting was rather dim. Indeed, most of the light was concentrated on the five stages and their dancers. I didn't see any other lighting except for the stages and the bar. Bistro tables filled the room pretty thickly. Not much moving around room out there. There wasn’t a table without at least one man sitting at it.
A quick guessing estimate put the number of scantily clad young women at over a hundred. There were probably far more. They were moving around so much it was hard to get a count. Every dancer I saw was mortal. Only about a quarter of the patrons were undead. That is a lot, mind you, since there were about a hundred men just watching the dancers.
Every stage had a topless dancer. All dancers wore a thong and high heels. No one was bottomless, which I for one was grateful. The girls not dancing were mostly mingling. The vamps got the most girls, with most having at least two sitting with him. The other girls were wheedling drinks and selling lap dances.
"This crowd is huge," Dane said. "How are we going to find Philip in all of this?"
"He's not out here," I said. I waved the bartender over. "Where is the dungeon?"
"Upstairs," he said, pointing to a curtained off exit. Six girls dressed like dominatrixes came out and headed into the dancer's dressing room.
"Your dungeon is upstairs?" I said. "Is that an oxymoron?"
He laughed, but walked away.
"Upstairs, Leatherboy," I said, and slapped Dane on the butt.
"Man, you've gotten awful uppity since you died," Dane said.
Uppity? And more important, was Dane actually making a joke about me being undead? Wow, we've made progress on the Dane front. But before I could respond Dane grinned and walked away, heading for the entrance to the dungeon.
I paused a minute to watch his rump in those tight leather pants. Momma like. Momma like a lot.