Rating: NC: 17
Warning: This story contains scenes of graphic consensual sex between a man and
a woman. If you are under 18, this offends you, or is illegal where you live
please read something else.
Disclaimer: The characters of Scotty, VJ, Maxie, Pippi and Paul are taken from
the Kiwi Comedy Playhouse episode of "Flatmates" and belong to South
Pacific Pictures. No copyright infringement is intended.
Lucy slouched lower in her seat as her boss continued his rant. She’d known as soon as she’d read the daily newspaper that she was in for a tirade, and Mr. D hadn’t let her down. He’d been going at her for almost thirty minutes now, and the more he talked, the lower in her chair she slumped. There was nothing worse in the world than being called on the carpet by an angry boss.
"It’s just sloppy," Mr. D continued. "And unlike you. What is it, Lucy? Are you unhappy here?"
Lucy shrugged noncommittally. She didn’t know what was wrong with her lately. All she knew was that she had a major case of the "I don’t cares."
Mr. D sighed. "Is it because the company moved to New Zealand? I know you miss your home, but that’s no excuse for this kind of shoddy work." He tapped the offending news article lying on the desk top, then steepled his long bony fingers together and studied her across them.
Lucy squirmed in her chair, allowing her waist-length black hair to fall forward and form a curtain before her face, anything to hide from that penetrating gaze. When Mr. D looked at you that certain way, you knew he wasn’t kidding around.
"What am I going to do with you?" he mused. "Now is certainly not a good time for you to be pulling pranks like this. Especially after what happened to Marcus."
Lucy hunched even lower. Much more of this, and she’d be on the floor on her ass, begging and pleading for mercy. "I’m sorry, sir," she said humbly. "It won’t happen again."
Mr. D simply gazed at her piercingly for another moment, and then he dropped his hands to the tabletop forcefully, startling Lucy so that she almost did fall out of her chair. "I think you need a project to get your mind back on business," he announced. "So I have decided that you will find the replacement for Marcus."
Lucy immediately began to protest her sentence, but then his words filtered through her brain. This certainly wasn’t what she’d expected to hear. She straightened up a little, staring at her boss as if he’d lost his mind. "You want me to find a replacement for Marcus?" she asked incredulously. "But you usually do that."
Mr. D nodded. "Usually, but I think it’s time for you to branch out. You need something to focus upon."
A small smile crossed Lucy’s lips. Wow. This certainly had potential. Mr. D always did the prospecting for future employees. It might be a kick to try her hand at it. It would certainly beat the hell out of her usual nightly trolling. It might even be fun!
"It’s an important task," her boss said, divining her thoughts as usual. "Not a game. You know my expectations in employees, and you know the consequences should you bring me an unsuitable candidate."
Lucy nodded slowly, understanding his meaning clearly, but she was still excited about the whole idea. This was just what she needed. Something new to perk up this otherwise boring place. She really hated it here. It had taken her months to pick up the slang in the states; Auckland was even worse. Half the time she had no clue what people around her were saying.
"Run along now, Lucy," Mr. D commanded, picking up the newspaper and tossing it into his trashcan. "I’ve got to tidy up Marcus’ affairs tonight."
"Sure thing, Mr. D," Lucy said, rising fluidly from her chair. She tried a smile on her boss, her green eyes sparkling with suppressed excitement. "I won’t screw this one up," she promised.
"Very good," Mr. D said formally, pointedly ignoring what he considered her vulgar way of speaking. If nothing else, her boss was a realist; he understood the necessity of her learning the current slang. "Don’t rush it. These things take time."
"I won’t," she assured him. "I’ll find you the perfect replacement for Marcus."
Mr. D inclined his head regally, and Lucy took that as her leave to depart. She slipped through the door leading away from the boss’ office, breathing a sigh of relief. That had gone much better than she’d expected. She’d received her chewing out, but she’d also been given a plum assignment. Boy, the other girls were going to be SO pissed.
Later that week, after several miserable nights with absolutely no likely prospects, Lucy left her building and made her way slowly down the streets of Auckland. She was constantly on the look out for not only her usual business, but for someone who might take Marcus’ place. Her hunger was growing; she’d have to stop and eat soon, but for some reason, tonight she tried to ignore it. Her senses were humming as if something were about to happen. Mr. D had told her never to ignore sensations like that, so she followed along, waiting to see where her path led her.
Suddenly, she caught sight of a large figure up ahead. A young man had just come out of a clothing shop, and as she watched, he turned and locked the front door. Lucy’s gaze wandered over him with interest. He was very tall; he would tower over her. He was large as well, although she couldn’t tell much about his body since he was wearing loose blue jeans and a flannel shirt covered by a blue jean jacket. His face was covered with a scruffy looking beard and mustache, and his black hair hung to his shoulders in curly disarray. He turned and glanced her way, and she caught a glimpse of deep brown eyes and full lips before he turned back. Her interest was definitely peeked, so she decided to follow.
The man walked down the street for a while, and then he entered a well-lighted establishment. Lucy followed, and when she reached the entrance, she read the sign on the door with distaste. A coffee house. She shuddered at the idea of going inside that bright place, but she was too intrigued by the man to wait outside. She forced herself to open the door and enter. She had a knack for blending into her surroundings, so she made her way surreptitiously to a table not far from her quarry. He had joined three other young people, two women and a small dark man. Luckily, no one noticed Lucy as she slid onto a bench. She settled down and listened closely.
"Scotty!" the small man cried as Lucy’s quarry joined them. "What’s up? You’re late."
The man called Scotty took a seat beside his friend and across from the two women. "Not much, VJ. I had to lock up tonight."
"You ought to get a better job, Scotty," the dark-haired woman said. "Your boss takes advantage of you."
Lucy smiled to herself. So the man was unhappy with his job? That would help. She definitely had something more interesting in mind for him than working in a clothing store.
Scotty shrugged. "It pays the bills. What can I do?"
The red-haired woman reached across the table and patted Scotty on his arm. "Don’t worry about it, Scotty. Who knows? Maybe one day he’ll actually let you make the commercials and then you’ll be rich and famous."
Scotty shook his head mournfully. "I doubt it. I’m worthless."
A pang shot through Lucy’s body. She knew that feeling well. She’d often felt that way before Mr. D had taken her on board. She’d felt trapped in a life over which she had no control. Now she had freedom she’d only dreamed of before. The more she listened to this man, the more she wanted to share some of that freedom with him. Of course, he’d have to ditch the friends, but that was often a small price to pay. She tuned back into the conversation as the dark-haired woman spoke again.
"You’re not worthless, Scotty. We need you."
"You do?" Scotty asked hopefully.
The woman nodded. "We sure do. We need to go buy some stuff for the Halloween party Saturday night. And YOU have the car and the cash."
"Sure," Scotty agreed amiably. "So it’s still on, then?"
"Of course it’s still on," the dark-haired woman said. "It’s going to be awesome."
"I’m going as Gandhi," VJ announced. "I even have a bald wig."
"Pippi and I are going to be Magenta and Columbia from Rocky Horror," the red-haired woman supplied.
Pippi laughed. "You should see our costumes. They are extreme." She eyed Scotty closely. "You want to come as Dr. Frankenfurter?"
VJ nodded sagely, although it was clear to Lucy that he was doing his best not to laugh. "I think Scotty would look great in a corset and black fishnet tights."
"Huh?" the man said in obvious confusion. "I don’t think they make corsets in my size. Besides, Dr. Frankenstein didn’t wear a corset. He wore a white lab coat."
Scotty’s three friends began to laugh uproarishly, and Lucy shook her head. Well, he was certainly cute, but it was obvious he wasn’t too quick on the uptake. Even Mr. D had seen The Rocky Horror Picture Show although he certainly hadn’t found it as amusing as Lucy had.
Unfortunately, a waitress chose that moment to come over and ask Lucy what she wanted. Lucy cursed inwardly. If she’d been paying more attention to her surroundings than to Scotty, she would have noticed the woman with the odd patches of knobby hair all over her scalp. The majority of people never seemed to notice her, or if they did, they looked away quickly, but this woman was obviously used to the strange and unusual. She’d honed in on Lucy, startling her into actually answering her query.
"Just water, please," she said in a strangled voice. She certainly couldn’t eat in here.
The waitress glared down at her balefully. "You can’t just have water," she announced. "You have to order something or get out."
Lucy cringed. She could see that all eyes in the place were turning their way. With the waitress’ attention on her, everyone would notice her now. This was NOT good. She nervously fingered the cord lacing her bodice in the front and gazed up into the woman’s eyes pleadingly. "I just want water," she said softly but forcefully.
The woman stared at her for a long moment, but at last, she nodded shortly. "Water," she repeated, and Lucy breathed a mental sigh of relief as she stomped off again.
Unfortunately, now that the waitress had called attention to her, several of the patrons of the coffee shop were staring at her with interest. She supposed she did look a sight in her skin tight black leather pants, her blood-red renaissance shirt, her waist-length jet hair, and her wide green eyes. Worse yet, the man she’d followed was looking her way, and she could tell by the familiar glint in his eyes that he had noticed her and that he was interested. As much as that interest heartened her, she knew that this situation would not do. If Mr. D had told her once, he’d told her a thousand times, do not let yourself stand out in a crowd.
Lucy was becoming so agitated that she accidentally knocked the menu to the floor. She watched with mild irritation as it sailed across the small space between tables. She slid off the bench to nab it, and she ran right into a solid brick wall. She looked up (and up) into the face of the man she’d been following tonight. Obviously, he WAS built well under those baggy clothes he wore.
"Excuse me," Lucy said at the exact same instant he said, "Let me get that for you." They both bent over to reach for the menu, bumping heads in the process. For a moment, Lucy saw stars, and she collapsed on the seat and held her head as pain exploded inside her brain.
"I’m sorry," the man said quickly, kneeling in front of her. He took her hand in his. "You’re so cold!" he exclaimed. "You want my coat?" He started to take off his blue jean jacket, but Lucy waved him off.
"I’m fine. Please don’t bother." She stood again, more carefully this time, trying to keep her distance. "I really needed to go anyway."
"But you haven’t had your . . ." He trailed off as the waitress came over and slammed a glass on the table, slopping liquid everywhere.
"Water!" the woman announced loudly, not even seeming to notice the mess she’d made before she stomped away again.
"Your water," Scotty finished.
"I’m not really thirsty anymore," Lucy said desperately. "And I really have to go."
She started toward the door, but amazingly enough, he followed her. She noted with interest the expression on his face; it was as if his own persistence surprised him.
"What?" she said, rather rudely. She felt like she was rapidly losing control of this situation. Mr. D would have a conniption if he ever found out about this catastrophe.
"Um . . . well, you see . . ." Scotty didn’t seem to know what to say, and then he glanced back at his friends. They were all watching avidly, and Lucy noted that the dark-haired woman nodded as if to give Scotty encouragement. "That is, my friends and I are having a Halloween party this weekend. Would you like to come?"
Startled, Lucy realized that it WAS almost time for Halloween. Her favorite holiday of the entire year. The one night of the year that she didn’t feel like some kind of freak. "A Halloween party?" she echoed.
Scotty nodded quickly. "It’s in my flat. That is . . . mine and my friends’ flat." He pointed behind him. "My friends back there. We’d really like it . . . I mean, I’d really like it, if you’d come to the party."
Lucy studied him for a moment, biting anxiously on her bottom lip. For some reason, her panic had departed to be replaced by amusement. He was obviously very sincere, but it was also obvious that he didn’t have much experience in picking up women. Of course, for her purposes, that might be a good thing. One thing she did like about him was that he kept his eyes on her face as they talked. Most men never seemed to get above her bust, especially when she wore something low cut like this blouse. Scotty had noticed her cleavage, but he didn’t seem to dwell on it like so many men did.
"I suppose I’d have to dress up," she mused.
His entire face lit up as he realized that she wasn’t going to turn him down, causing another pang to shoot through Lucy. He really was terribly cute. He’d have no trouble passing that requirement of Mr. D’s anyway.
"Well," he said, "you don’t have to if you don’t want to, but everyone else will be." He glanced back at his friends. "I haven’t told them yet, but I think I’m going as Count Dracula. What do you think?"
Lucy gazed at him for a long moment, and then a slow seductive smile crossed her lips. How utterly perfect could this be? "I’d love to come to your party," she announced.
"You would?" he exclaimed. "That’s great. I’ll see you Saturday night, then." He turned and began to walk back toward his friends.
"Hey!" Lucy called.
Scotty turned back, a question on his face.
"Where’s the party?" she asked, her voice full of suppressed mirth.
The expression that crossed his face almost made her laugh out loud. So he knew that he wasn’t very quick on the uptake. Another point that could definitely be used in her favor.
Scotty came back over and grabbed a menu off a table, then pulled a pen from his shirt pocket and scratched an address on the paper. He handed it to her, and then he said with a shy grin, "I’m Scotty."
Lucy took the menu from him, allowing her fingers to brush his just a little longer than necessary. "I’m Lucy," she introduced herself. She glanced down at his address, then back up again. "See you Saturday night, then, Scotty." She flashed him a smile, and then she turned and escaped from the coffeehouse. She hurried back to the office quickly, stopping only once for a quick bite. Mr. D would have a fit about the party if he found out, but Lucy was bound and determined to go. Scotty might just fit in Marcus’ spot perfectly, and besides, it had been years since she’d been to a Halloween party.
Lucy continued her rounds each night, but she wasn’t really looking anymore. She knew she’d found the perfect replacement for Marcus. Scotty probably wouldn’t even realize what was happening until it was too late to back out. And if she were very lucky, he wouldn’t even want to back out. She just hoped that sometime during the party she could get him alone.
Halloween night finally arrived, and Lucy dressed with care. There really was no other choice of a costume for her. With her figure and her long dark hair, she could be no one else but Elvira. When she slipped into the long black dress that clung to her body like a second skin, she couldn’t help but admit that she looked good. Both sides were slit to mid thigh, allowing her shapely legs in their fishnet stockings to show. It was low enough in front to show a great deal of her cleavage. It would be interesting to see if Scotty managed to look at her face more than her bust tonight.
Ready at last, Lucy slipped out the back entrance of her building. She didn’t want to run into Mr. D tonight. He would NEVER understand this outfit. Nor would he understand about the party. Her boss really needed to get into the twentieth century. The old ways were not always the best ways.
Lucy reached the flat without incident, and she knocked tentatively on the door. It was opened almost immediately, and she was surprised into laughter. VJ stood there dressed in nothing more than a white bed sheet and a horribly fitting skullcap. He didn’t seem offended by her laughter, however. He just smiled, his gaze planted firmly on her bust, and yelled back over his shoulder, "Scotty! Your date’s here."
She looked over VJ’s shoulder and saw Scotty bound across the room, dodging people and jumping over the couch in his haste. Lucy bit back more laughter. From the expression on his face, he had obviously thought about her as much as she’d thought about him the last few days. Something told her he’d also convinced himself that she wasn’t coming tonight.
"Lucy! Hi!" he called, shoving VJ out of the way when he reached the door. "Come on in."
Lucy did as bid, noticing once again that although his gaze did pass over her cleavage with more than passing interest, it didn’t remain there as VJ’s had.
"You look great," Scotty said. "You’re that girl who does the monster movies, aren’t you? Ellen something."
"Elvira," Lucy supplied with a soft laugh. She gave Scotty the once over. Thankfully, he hadn’t slicked back his beautiful dark hair, but he had on the standard fake vampire teeth and red lined black cape. Underneath that, however, he wore sinfully tight black jeans and a lovely white silk shirt that he’d left partially undone in front. She could see the dark hair that grew on his chest, and a funny feeling began to form in the pit of her stomach, something she hadn’t felt in years. She had a sudden urge to touch him there, to see if the hair was as rough as it looked, but she quelled that urge. She didn’t want to rush things yet. Not until she was sure.
Scotty led Lucy over to the refreshment table, and she took a can of beer, even though she only pretended to sip it. She looked around the room idly, noting how silly most of the people looked. She saw Scotty’s two friends in the corner decked out in their Magenta and Columbia costumes, and two more people beside them dressed as Brad and Janet.
"That’s my other flatmate, Paul," Scotty explained, "and his girlfriend, Ruth. They had broken up for a while, but they just got back together again."
Lucy nodded, and then Scotty squired her around the room, introducing her to everyone. Most of the men’s eyes never made it to her face, and most of the women seemed to find her outfit offensive, but she didn’t care. The only person in the room whose opinion she was really interested in was the man at her side.
Unfortunately, he wasn’t one for scintillating conversation. He seemed rather shy, and several of the rather snide comments she made about the costumes around them seemed to go right over his head. Oh well, she wasn’t exactly after him for his brain. Mr. D valued pliability over intelligence any day. And there was another part of Scotty that she was more interested in anyway. Now, if she could only get him alone.
Her chance came at last when she mentioned that she was having trouble hearing him since the music had gotten so loud. He offered to show her his room in the flat, and Lucy was more than willing to go along.
The room he led her to fitted him perfectly. It was clean but just a little messy. The bed had been made, but only just. It was a king-size and almost filled the room, but Lucy decided finally that he had to have the oversize bed because he was so big. That thought started the oddest feeling of warmth growing in the pit of her stomach. Next to the bed was a small table holding a phone, a lamp, and an alarm clock. The closet door was part way open, revealing a scuffed pair of Doc Martens and more clothing similar to what she’d seen him in the night they’d met. There was a battered but comfortable looking armchair in the corner, and beside it sat a boombox and headphones. Across from the bed sat a small dresser with a mirror perched on top.
Scotty seemed nervous now that he had her alone, almost as if he didn’t know what to do with her. Lucy realized that she was going to have to be the instigator in this situation, but for some reason, she was hesitant to go her normal route. Usually she didn’t even know the men she was with; this was a little different. Besides, if things worked out the way she hoped, she’d see him again. Often.
"I’m glad you invited me," Lucy began, keeping her voice low and seductive.
"I’m glad you came," he said, and then he blushed for some obscure reason.
Lucy gazed at him curiously, but then she divined the double meaning behind his words, although she was sure he hadn’t meant it that way. Her lips curved into a slow smile, and she moved over closer to him. She finally gave into temptation and ran her hands up the front of his shirt and across the furring of dark hair. He gazed down at her, something like panic flitting across his face, but when she lightly grazed her fingers across his nipples, desire pushed the panic out of the way. He bent his head down and lightly brushed his mouth across hers, and then Lucy wrapped her hands around his neck and pulled him down hard against her, kissing him firmly. Thankfully, he’d lost the awful fake teeth earlier in the night.
He seemed surprised for a moment, but then lust kicked in and he wrapped his arms around her to pull her close to him. She unsnapped his cape so that it drifted to the floor, and then she began to rub her body against his, gratified to feel that he was already erect. This was going to be easier than she’d hoped.
He began to back her toward the bed, and when she went down, she pulled him with her. He kissed her wildly and then began to run his large hands all over her body. Despite herself, Lucy began to writhe underneath his touch. Part of her was astounded by her reaction. She hadn’t felt like this is so long. She had begun to believe that she was incapable of ever feeling this way again. Unfortunately, the more she responded to him, the more she began to wonder if what she was doing was right.
Scotty broke away and murmured her name, and then he began to kiss along her neck. His hand slipped inside the bodice of her dress and captured her breast, and she gasped as he began to caress her. She buried her face in the crook of her neck, and then she realized that her mouth lay against the throbbing vein in his throat. She fought against her natural instinct, but the feel of his hands on her was making it hard to think. Before she quite realized it, she had sunk her teeth into the warm flesh of his neck.
"OW!" he cried, jerking his head away. He sat back on his heels and clapped his hand on his neck. "You forgot to pull out your vampire teeth."
Lucy sat up and gazed at him thoughtfully, licking the delicious salty taste of him from her lips. Now that the time had come, she felt the most curious emptiness inside, almost like loss. "I can’t pull them out," she said softly.
"Huh?" he said, obviously not understanding her.
"Look at your hand, Scotty," she urged him.
Scotty pulled his hand away from his neck and looked down at the blood that stained his open palm. His dark eyes grew rounds as saucers as he stared at first his hand, and then at her. "You bit me," he said.
Lucy nodded. "It’s what I do, Scotty. It’s how I live."
He continued to stare at her, and just when she thought she would have to explain the situation fully to him, the knowledge of what she was filtered through his brain. He leapt off the bed and ran over to his chest of drawers. He rummaged around in a box on top, then pulled out a cross and turned around. He thrust the cross out toward her, and Lucy completely lost it. She began to laugh. She curled up on the bed, wrapped her hands around her belly, and laughed until tears were streaming down her face.
Scotty slowly lowered the cross, and a relieved smile broke across his face. "You’re not really a vampire," he said.
Lucy wiped at her tears. "Oh, yes, I am," she said, "but the whole cross thing is a myth. Vampires have been around a hell of a lot longer than Christianity. Why would its symbol affect us?"
Scotty glanced back behind himself at the mirror, where she was clearly reflected. "And that’s a myth too," she added. "Most of what you hear about vampires is myth."
"You’re dead," Scotty said in mortification. "I just kissed a dead girl."
Lucy snickered again. "Yeah, I’m dead. But my heart still beats. The blood still pumps through my veins." She stretched, noting the wetness that still lingered between her thighs. "And parts of me that I thought had stopped working obviously still do." She sighed heavily and slid off the bed. Scotty backed away until he was against the far wall, as far from her as was humanly possible in the small room.
"I’m not going to hurt you, Scotty," she assured him. "I thought . . . that is I wanted . . . " She stopped and threw up her hands in frustration. "What the hell, you’re just too nice to do this to."
Scotty’s hand drifted back up to his neck. "Am I going to be a vampire now?" he asked in a voice full of dread.
Lucy shook her head quickly. "It takes a little more than that. There’s some ceremony involved. A little nip like that won’t hurt you. And I’m not contagious." She brushed back her long dark hair in aggravation. "Believe me, if we were contagious, the whole world would be populated by vampires by now. We rarely kill people. We usually just drink until we’re full and then go on our merry way. We can hypnotize people so they don’t even realize what happened."
Puzzlement crossed Scotty’s face. "Then why didn’t you hypnotize me?" he asked.
Lucy shrugged noncommittally. "Maybe because I wanted you to know. Maybe because I didn’t want to go through with it. Beats the hell out of me. All I know is that I still want you. I want you in bed and I want to taste you, but I’m not going to do that to you. It’s not fair. You’re just too . . . nice."
Scotty continued to stare at her, but she noticed that his revulsion and confusion had been replaced by fascination. "You mean, you can still . . . " He stopped and began to turn red again.
"I’m not that dead," Lucy assured him with a laugh. "Although there for a while I thought I was. I haven’t felt like this in . . . well, in at least fifty years. Maybe longer."
Scotty’s mouth fell open. "Fifty years," he echoed. "Exactly how old are you?"
Lucy’s forehead furrowed as she thought back. "Let’s see, I was born in 1868, so that makes me . . . what? One hundred and thirty-one?"
Scotty continued to stare at her in shock. "I . . . I . . . but you . . . you look so young!" he finished at last.
"I was made into a vampire when I was twenty-two. I’ll always look like this." She smiled then, a dimple creasing at the corner of her mouth. "Not bad, eh?"
Scotty’s gaze raked over her form from the tip of her toes to the top of her head and he began to shake his head slowly from side to side. "Not bad at all," he admitted.
Lucy chuckled, and then she straightened her dress so that she was more presentable. "I guess I’d better go now," she said with real regret. "I’m really sorry about this. You won’t tell anyone about me, will you? I really don’t want to have to hypnotize you." She thought it politic not to add that if he did tell anyone her secret, Mr. D would kill him in a heartbeat. The less her boss knew about this situation, the better.
Scotty shook his head quickly, but then her earlier words filtered through. "You’re leaving?"
Lucy cocked her head and gazed at him curiously; he was still plastered against the wall. "I was under the impression that you didn’t want me here anymore," she pointed out.
"But . . ." He ran a hand through his dark curls in agitation. "I have to tell you, this is the weirdest thing that has ever happened to me before. I just don’t know what to do." He eyed her warily. "You won’t bite me again?"
Lucy shook her head.
"Then could you stay for a bit? I’d like to talk to you."
Lucy grinned. "Want to find out more about vampires?"
Scotty ducked his head sheepishly. "Well, it is kind of fascinating."
Lucy pulled her dress up and sat cross-legged on the bed. "Fire away," she said.
"Huh?"
She suppressed a sigh. "I know you want to ask me questions. So go for it."
"Oh," he replied. "Yeah." He took a seat in the chair and gazed at her thoughtfully. "So you can’t die?"
Lucy winced. "I wish. I can die if I go out in the sunlight or if someone cuts out my heart or cuts off my head. No one can get around very well without a heart or head."
Scotty’s face scrunched up in disgust. "I guess not," he agreed. "But does that happen often? I mean, people don’t believe in vampires, so who would do something like that to you?"
Lucy’s expression grew grim. "It DOES happen. There are still people who believe in us. That’s one reason why we came here. Some people were on to us in the States, so my . . . boss decided to move us over here."
"Your boss?"
Lucy couldn’t help but grin. "Good old Mr. D. The man who made me a vampire. The Count himself."
Scotty gaped at her. "You mean, Count Dracula? But that was just a story!"
Lucy shook her head slowly. "No, it wasn’t. Old Bram Stoker and my boss had a . . . relationship for a while. Bram pulled a lot of that story from real life. But no one believed him." She smirked slightly. "And Mr. D looks NOTHING like Bela Lagosi. He wouldn’t be caught . . . dead . . . in a cape like that. Very fastidious is our good Mr. D."
"It sounds like you really like the guy," Scotty observed.
Lucy nodded. "Of course I do. He gave me immortality. And don’t believe everything you read. It’s really a kick living forever. We have all the money we want, and it’s fun seeing how everything changes." She leaned back against the wall, thinking back on the last hundred years with fond remembrance. "I love learning all the new lingo for each generation. That’s one reason why Mr. D needs me so much. I can fit in during any time. He’s still lost back in the sixteenth century or something."
Scotty was shaking his head slowly from side to side. "This is just too extreme. Do you sleep in a coffin?"
Lucy burst out laughing. "I should hope not. I get claustrophobic in small spaces. I sleep in a bed just like you do. I just have to make sure no sunlight can get through."
"Can you fly?" he asked almost hopefully.
Lucy lay down on the bed and propped herself up on her elbow, grinning widely, allowing her fangs to show in a way she rarely did. "I wish."
He seemed fascinated by the sight of her sharp canines. He sat forward in his chair, leaning toward her. "Do they get in the way?" he asked.
"What? My teeth? The way of what?"
Scotty’s face turned an interesting shade of red again, and Lucy couldn’t help but laugh. "I can keep them out of the way when I kiss a man, but I don’t think I’ve been called upon to give anyone head since I became a vampire."
Scotty’s blush deepened. "I would imagine you would have to be very careful," he observed in a strangled voice.
Lucy flicked her tongue out and licked her lips, enjoying the fascination on his face as he tracked the movement. "I would imagine so," she admitted, "but it would be such fun to try."
Her gaze flicked down, and her eyebrow arched when she realized that his erection had reasserted itself, even harder than before if she wasn’t mistaken. "You know," she said softly, sitting up and sliding over to sit on the side of the bed closest to him. "I have impeccable control. Just because I’m a vampire doesn’t mean we can’t have sex."
"But . . ." he began, but his voice cracked. He cleared his throat. "You mean, you still want to?"
"Do you?" Lucy asked.
His gaze traveled over her body again, then bounced back to her teeth. Almost despite himself, he nodded slowly. "If you promise not to . . . you know . . ."
"Scotty," she admonished. "I would never hurt you. You’re too sweet." She smiled, her dimple winking in and out again. "Unless you wanted me too. Believe me, it’s quite . . . exhilarating."
"Being bitten?" he asked.
Lucy nodded. "I would imagine during sex it would be even more intense." She stood and closed the small gap between them, almost close enough to touch him, but not quite. "And I promise not to go too far," she assured him. "As I said earlier, we very rarely kill people. It gives us a bad name, and we really don’t want to have to leave New Zealand so soon. We just got here."
She raised her hand and lightly touched his soft dark curls. "We can stop anytime you say," she announced. "Or I can leave now. Whatever you prefer."
He gazed up at her thoughtfully, and then his eyes dropped down to her breasts. She could see the lust gradually outdistancing the residual fear, and at last, he gave in. He pulled her to him and buried his face between her breasts. She stroked his dark curls as his lips found her nipple and began to suck on it through the flimsy material of her dress. Lucy arched into him, amazed at her response. She really must not be completely dead yet.
Scotty bent her back toward the bed again. He laid her down and covered her body with his own as his mouth found hers. He kissed her rather tentatively at first, obviously wary of her fangs, but when her tongue snaked out and parted his lips, he forget himself and began to kiss her with abandon. She began to tug at his clothes, anxious to see him in the flesh, and soon she had his shirt completely undone, revealing a beautiful muscular chest furred with just the right amount of coarse dark hair. She pulled away from his mouth and bent her head to taste him, flicking her tongue out and lapping at his nipples. She heard his quick intake of breath, and then he was tugging at her clothes, trying to get her out of the tight dress she wore. She helped him, peeling the thing off over her head, leaving her wearing only a garter belt, fishnet hose, and no underwear. From the look on his face, she was afraid he’d lost control of himself, but when she ran her hand down below his waist, she saw that her fears were groundless. He was still hard as a rock.
He groaned when she began to stroke him, and then he bent his mouth to her naked breast. His tongue began to trace around her nipple, and when he began to suck, she couldn’t hold back a moan of her own. Fire was tracing through her veins, warming her in a way she hadn’t been in years. "Please," she begged, shocked at the need she heard in her voice. She was a vampire! She wasn’t supposed to feel like this!
Scotty pulled away and quickly shucked his pants and underwear, revealing himself to her in all his glory. For a moment, Lucy seriously considered taking him up on his earlier challenge, but when he pushed her back and positioned himself above her, she forgot about it in her aching to have him inside her. She pulled him down to her, and he entered her in one swift stroke, filling her inside in a way she’d almost forgotten. She wrapped her legs around his waist as he began to thrust into her, pulling him in even deeper. Before she quite realized it, her mouth had found his neck again. She could feel the deep pulse in his throat, could almost taste the rich blood that ran through his veins. The urge to feed threatened to overtake her. She wanted this man so much that it was hard to control herself. She jerked her mouth away to keep from doing something she’d regret, but then Scotty pulled back and looked down at her. His dark eyes seemed almost drugged with lust, and as he continued to slide in and out of her, he whispered, "Do it."
Lucy’s eyes widened. He wanted her to bite him? She licked her lips in anticipation, wondering if she dared. She was more than a little afraid that she’d be unable to stop once she got going, regardless of what she’d told him earlier about vampires rarely killing their victims. But when he dropped down on her again and began to kiss along her neck, she threw caution to the wind. She positioned her mouth above his jugular, then snaked her tongue out to lick the pulsing vein. "Please!" he implored, so she did.
She arched her back in ecstasy as the hot taste of his blood filled her mouth. Nothing had ever tasted so good to her before. He groaned deeply as she began to drink from him, and his thrusts became more erratic. She tightened her grip around his waist, urging him on as she swallowed the rich elixir of life. He began to grind into her, stimulating her in such a way that an orgasm began to build inside her. She felt him shudder above her, and then she felt the warmth of his seed pumping into her as his blood was pumping into her mouth. He ground into her one last time, and that was all it took. A climax erupted inside her, startling in its intensity. She almost blacked out for a moment, and she had to force herself to release Scotty’s neck before she hurt him beyond repair. She’d never felt anything like that before, alive or dead.
They lay quiescent for quite some time, and at last, Lucy became concerned. "Scotty?" she called softly. "Are you okay?"
He raised his head and gazed down at her in wonder. "That was incredible," he announced.
Lucy smiled up at him, relieved beyond words. "I was afraid I’d hurt you."
He shook his head quickly. "Not really. Just a little bit at first, but it went away." He eyed her curiously. "It’s been a while for you, hasn’t it."
Lucy nodded. "Yeah. Mr. D doesn’t encourage his employees to have sex with mortals. He says it’s bad for us. That it makes us regret having to feed off them."
"Vampires don’t have sex with each other?" he asked.
Lucy gazed up at him, startled. "You know, I guess this is going to sound a little nuts, but I don’t know. Mr. D prefers to have mostly female vampires around with only one other man to kind of watch over us. I never even thought about doing it with Marcus before, although I know some of the other girls have." Or Mr. D she thought with an interior chuckle. The very idea. Yuck.
"What would happen if someone bit you?" Scotty asked. "They couldn’t drain your blood or anything, right?"
"I have no clue," she admitted. "Why? You want to bite me?"
Scotty grinned down at her. "If I could make you feel like you just made me feel? Yeah."
Lucy couldn’t help but return that grin. "It felt pretty good on this end, too," she admitted. She reached up a hand and softly brushed his dark curls. "I really like you, Scotty. I wish . . . "
"You wish what?" he asked promptly.
"It’s just that . . . well, you know the guy that Mr. D has to watch over us girls? Well, he got caught out after sunrise, so we sort of have an opening. Mr. D sent me out to find a replacement."
Scotty’s eyes widened. "Me?" he asked incredulously.
Lucy nodded slowly. "I think you’d make a great vampire. It can be fun, you know. You never have to worry about money. You can stay up all night. You live forever. You never grow old. It definitely has its perks."
Scotty glanced down at the juncture where their bodies were still joined. "Could we still . . . you know?"
Lucy giggled. "Yeah, we could. We’re not totally dead, you know? Like I said, the blood is still pumping in the veins."
Scotty gazed down at her thoughtfully. "Does it hurt to become a vampire?" he asked finally.
Lucy’s heart rose at his words. He was actually considering it! She shook her head slowly. "Not really. Maybe a little bit at first. Then it’s wonderful." She smiled, and her fangs sparkled in the light. "And after that it’s MORE than wonderful." She held her breath, hoping against hope that he would say to her the words she wanted to hear more than anything.
"Lucy," he began . . .
News article on the front page of the New Zealand Herald dated 7th November 1999:
"No New Leads in Mysterious Attack"
Auckland police are still searching for the mystery woman who supposedly attacked a local man on his way home from his place of business on 24th October 1999. According to Mr. John J. Jones, the woman accosted him as if she were a prostitute and then proceeded to bite him and drink his blood. Mr. Jones was taken to a local hospital for treatment and released the next morning. Unfortunately, he was unable to describe the woman in much detail beyond the fact that she had waist-length black hair and hypnotic green eyes. Police have no new leads on the attack, and they are denying any connection to the oddly burned body found two days before in the same area.
Unrelated article on page fifteen of the 7th November, 1999, New Zealand Herald:
"Local Salesman Missing"
Scotty Brewer, a local salesman at a clothing shop in downtown Auckland, has been declared officially missing. He was last seen at a Halloween party given on 30th October 1999, in the flat he shared with four friends. According to several of the party attendees, Mr. Brewer was seen leaving the flat with a mysterious woman with waist-length black hair and striking green eyes. Nothing has been heard from him since. A reward has been offered for any information about Mr. Brewer’s disappearance.