Desire (Erotic Vampire Confessions #1) (2 page)

Me:
You’re going to have to turn
that off. I need your full attention.

I raised a knowing eyebrow at her and let a
devilish grin cross my face.

Me:
Please.

She shook a finger at me and I bit my lip
briefly when I witness the length of her long nail. It reminded me
of a hawk's talon. My fangs are not nearly as long or impressive,
but I pressed my luck a little further.

Rose:
Nice try. I’ll mute it.
That’s the best I can do. If I miss one task from my superiors,
there will be Hell to pay. You get me?

Me:
Fair enough. I thought it was
worth a try.

I smiled at her without letting my eyes
engage hers and realized that this interview was going to be a
tough one with distractions. Getting the first story would have to
be enough for now. Rose was a very complicated vampire, one who
thought she was out to save the world, a mission I would never want
to assume.

She sensed my concern immediately and patted
me on the hand, knowing I’ll like it.

Rose:
Pussycat, I wrote everything
down. You can sit there and sip your fizzy drink and just listen.
How’s that?

Me:
Perfect.

I relaxed, putting the heels of my black
leather books on the rung of the chair next to her, and pushed the
Record button on my device.

Rose:
I hope it’s okay. I decided
to change the players’ names. So I wouldn’t be discovered. Is that
fine?

I nodded ‘yes,’ and then raised the cold soda
to my lips. Rose was the James Bond of all vampires. I knew better
than to disagree with her on even the slightest issue.

Rose:
After our talk the other day
about what makes us, vampires tick, I think I have to agree with
you. It’s blood and sex. Either is on my mind every minute of the
day unless someone is trying to kill me or harm a friend of mine.
So that’s what this first story is about. Does that work for
you?

Again I nodded approvingly.

Vampire Confessions by Rose

Confession #1

Okay, the first confession I’d like to share
with you is ‘I have a weakness for human actors who play vampires’
which doesn’t sound like a big deal until I realized, the other
day, the ramifications that go along with admitting that.

I have to a weakness for humans, but not in
the way you may think. Actually I have a weakness for male actors
who play vampires on television or in the movies. I’d love to go on
a quest where I meet everyone of them I’ve read about in magazines
or seen in movies and “get to know them better.” You can read
between the lines, right? Perhaps I'm something of a wannabe
fanger/fang banger groupie which is a term my best friend, Lisa
(who yes, is human) would use if she knew I was a vampire.
Currently that secret has not come out yet, so let’s not share that
with anyone please.

Immediately I interrupt Rose even though I
said I wouldn’t.

Me:
Your best friend is a human?

Rose’s green eyes flash at me indicating I
have just fucked up asking her that.

Rose:
Don’t go there.

Me:
Okay, sorry.

Anyways as I was saying…

Sometime this past summer, I was hanging out
with my best friend when I happened to meet Adam Tyler who plays
the vampire, Ray Mason in the popular TV show, Blood Realm. Think
tall, dark, handsome, and, at the same time, incredibly witty,
sexy, and charming. That’s Adam. Here’s how my first meeting
started off. I wrote it up as a story. Let me read it to you.

***

"Stalking time! You busy?"

I knew who the owner of that was as I glanced
up from my table in the Golden Skull bar. I watched as Lisa
surveyed my opened backpack, laptop, and half full bottle of
tequila.

"Are you drunk?"

"I'm not drunk, man. I'm settling my nerves.
Hair of the dog.” I giggled at the new expression I had learned
from Lisa. “I’ve only has a shot or two.”

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Alchy, come on! We gotta
go!"
Taking a moment to toss her strawberry
blonde hair over her shoulder, she placed her hands on her slim
hips for emphasis and glared at me.

"Where?" I retorted.

"Stalking!”
Her grayish
green eyes glowed with enjoyment. “
Adam is filming a movie
just down the street. And they have a shoot going on tonight. We
gotta check it out!"

She glanced at me and I glanced at her, our
eyes instantly locked. We both knew it was a ‘must do’
adventure.

Rose:
You know what a fangirl I am
of the guy, right?

Me:
Yes.

She resumed telling her story.

As I closed the lid to my laptop and shuffled
together my paper notes I was writing up for a new blog entry, I
stuffed them into my notebook.

"What about my stuff?" I asked as an
afterthought.

"Leave it! We'll come back. Get Mark to lock
it up in his office for ya." Lisa stomped her feet and accidentally
hit one of the table legs in her excitement.

I whisked my backpack off the table as I
looked around for Mark.

Thanks to her kick boxing classes, Lisa’s
size six shoe could pack a blow to any passerby who got in her way,
including my laptop.

"Good idea," I replied looking around for
Mark as I tossed the majority of everything into my backpack for
safe keeping.

"How old are you girls again?" I heard Mark's
voice over my shoulder. Mark Evans, the bar owner had been in the
supply room at the back of the bar where my table was, listening.
When he appeared before us, I noticed his usual ensemble. Mark
favored wearing faded concert T-shirts and cut off jeans. On this
night he was in his favorite Jimi Hendrix “Are You Experienced”
T-shirt, frayed blue jean shorts, and worn-out gray hiking sandals.
His long white hair fell over his shoulders.

I got Lisa’s attention to snag the power
supply cord from the electric plug in the wall. "Ten I think," I
replied to Mark.

Lisa chimed in, "No sir, at least 12. We must
meet this man. You wouldn't understand, sir. Trust me." She
retrieved the cord and shoved it in my direction.

"Obviously not. Go on, ladies. I'll watch
your stuff. Rose, it'll be in my office as usual."

"Thank you, Mark," I yelled and we fled the
bar.

After we made it a few blocks away from where
the the bar was situated at the corner of Clayton and Haight in San
Francisco’s Haight-Ashbury district, I asked, "Okay, what's the
plan?"

"We're gonna swing by the park over there in
Chinatown, very casually like we're lost and see if we can sweet
talk a security guard into letting us in. I wanna get some pics of
him so I can upload them to my website. Jessica will be so jealous
if I get pics loaded before she does."

Lisa and Jessica had an ongoing battle for
who posted recent pics of Adam first to their sites. I listened as
she rattled on about her plans for the website and how current
photos of Adam would increase its traffic and popularity, ‘blowing
Jessica’s out of the water,’ as she said. A sudden feeling of dread
lodged in my throat when I realized I had left my vials of blood in
my backpack. There goes my dinner I thought. Good grief. As we
neared the park, I noticed the lights and trucks parked in the
street blocking any entrance.

“We better go around behind to the alley,”
Lisa decided.

Suddenly an item in a showcase window of a
nearby bookstore stopped me dead in my tracks.

Lisa rushed back to my side when she realized
she had lost me in the crowd.

I had one hand plastered to the glass of the
small bookstore, eyeballing the golden book with red lettering. How
did I not know of this book? Was it real? Was it a biography? An
autobiography? Did we have company on Earth after all? The cover
read, "Interview with the Vampire." Who in their right mind would
interview a vampire?

Lisa bumped my shoulder. "Seriously? Now? You
wanna go shopping now?" She grabbed my hand, attempting to drag me
away.

My first reaction was to hiss or growl at
her. I closed my eyes quickly and bit deeply into the corner of my
mouth. Blood pooled at the back of my throat. Carefully I swallowed
the liquid and opened my eyes.
Don't be glowing
, I thought
to myself. I jerked my head in Lisa's direction, seeing her but not
seeing her.

Her eyes instantly widened. "You okay?"

"I'll catch up with you in a second. Let me
snag this. I won’t be long."

“Christ on a cracker,” she said as she threw
up her hands, almost hitting a passerby. “Fine. Text me when you’re
done! You have your phone, don’t you?"

I listened to Lisa’s movements as she rushed
away. It blended with the other movements of other people passing
by. The night life, I sighed. I closed my eyes, inhaling the smells
of the city around me in a slow, rhythmic pull on nature. I loved
how
alive
Earth was. Leaning my head against the cool glass
of the bookstore window, I heard the voice inside my head say,
“
Must have blood.
”

“
Why did I rush out of the bar like that
without my vials?”

Composing myself, I made the executive
decision to buy the book in the window and “get the fuck out of
dodge” as Lisa would say, so I could catch up with her in a matter
of minutes. Being in a confined area surrounded by people did
nothing to help my sudden thirst for blood. I checked the back
pocket of my jeans and realized that I did have my iPhone. Thank
goodness!

"Can I purchase this?"

"Sure, it's a classic. The good ole days when
vampires were scary rockstars. You'll love it."

"Uh huh." I mumbled while thrusting the book
towards the guy behind the counter. I wasn’t sure what the bald guy
meant, nor did I care. “Uh oh.”

"’Uh oh?’ Or ‘Uh huh,’" the clerk repeated
irritated with my indecisiveness. "Which is it?"

"My wallet," I snapped, mentally cursing Lisa
and her spontaneous stalking mission when I realized I didn’t have
my small red wallet in my other back pocket. Was it really
important to meet this actor? He'd think we were nuts. I continued
searching my pockets knowing all the while my wallet with my debit
cards were in my backpack in Mark’s office at the bar. It hadn't
been the first time this had happened during my vacation in San
Francisco.

"I'm sorry miss. I can't help you if you
don't have..."

Son-of-a-bitch.

I dropped my arms and, like a robot, turned
my gaze to face him. I knew in a matter of minutes I could
hypnotize him into handing the book over to me.

No, not in a public place.

Despite the fact that my whole entire mouth
was tingling like mad, I agreed with the clerk. My fangs jutted
forth, ready to devour this guy. I lowered my head and clenched my
fists, letting my nails sink into the palms of my hands, until I
could finally speak. "No, you're right. My bad. Maybe I left it …
I’m sorry. Thank you." I backed away from the confused clerk who
stood at the store counter at the front of the bookstore looking at
me as if I were about to pull a gun on him.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a small
staircase leading towards the alley. I’d have to double back and
find my way to where Lisa was in the park. It was a matter of
necessity at this point. Someone would get killed if I didn’t, and
not by way of a gun, I surmised.

Then I heard a man's voice behind me.

“I don’t think they will let you leave with
your book, no matter how cute you are. Nice fangs by the way.”

The minute I felt the stranger touch my
elbow, I froze, readying myself for an attack. Instead I heard a
thud next to my boot and realized I had dropped my iPhone that I
had held in my hands. Instantly I scooped it off the floor and
examined it for any damage. "Thank you," I mumbled while I tried to
act like I was busy fussing over my phone, avoiding the stranger’s
gaze.

"I can get that. Here," the man yanked the
vampire book from my hands and shoved it and his San Francisco
travel guide book onto the counter. "If you don't mind, that is?"
He glanced back, flashing me a smile.

A smile I innocently recognized from
‘eyefucking that wiry Earth actor,’ my ex-boyfriend’s phrase not
mine, even though I did approve of the label he gave for my
observing Adam’s many celebrity photos on my dual monitors. (Note:
I said ex-boyfriend.)

Yes, the one and only Adam Tyler was standing
in front of me offering to buy my book. Not on a movie set, not
busy shooting scenes, or learning lines, but wandering around in a
bookstore for a travel guide.
Praise be to the gods
, I
thought, glancing upwards. My line of sight registered no further
than his chocolate-brown eyes as I mechanically stuffed my iPhone
in my back pocket.

He smiled at me. "Let’s regroup outside and
get these in a moment. Do you have time?"

I nodded, quickly covering my mouth.

“Can you hold these for us?” he asked the
clerk. “We’ll be back.”

"This is embarrassing. Stay here, okay?
Excuse me!" Dashing down the stairs that led to an exit door, I
didn't wait for Adam or turn around to see if he was following
me.

The lock on the steel door did little to
resist me as I mangled it in my hands and gently pushed the door
open instantly feeling the cool night air on my face.

"Freedom," I thought.

"Hey! What's your hurry?"

"
Tasty and obedient pursues
," the
voice inside my head piped up.

I whirled around to see Adam standing with
his back against the closed door to the bookstore. He looked like
an angel bathed in the glow of the few street lamps.

Thankfully I had made it across the alley and
was standing mostly in the darkness between the buildings, so I
prayed he couldn't see my fangs like it mattered at this point. I
was safe as long as he kept his distance. And so was he. It
wouldn't do for me to drain a popular actor on an even more popular
television show. It would get back to the powers that be.