ROMANCE: Paranormal Romance: The Valley (Book One) (Fun, Sexy, Mature Young Adult Vampire Shape Shifter Romance) (15 page)

Alternate Society

Scarlett Leblanc

Alternate Society

Chapter 1

I looked at my phone. 7:00 PM, the time read. He was supposed to come 30 minutes ago!

This wasn’t one of those situations where I reserved a fancy restaurant, only for no one to come to my table. My rule was that we meet up at my place, or theirs before we go out. Still, I felt screwed over. I could have a night in the town, but instead I was wasting my time dealing with this probable fuckboy.

The last hopeful part of my mind started to make reasons as to why my date hadn’t made it.
Maybe he ran into traffic.
Nonsense. I didn’t live in a city, nor did he, so the biggest delay he may face may be ten minutes or so. He claimed he was a man who was always on time, too. Of course, he also said he was a man who made six figures.

Maybe he’s not answering his phone because he’s on his way, or because it died.
Nonsense. Who lets their phone die for that long? And he could have texted me telling me he was on his way.

Maybe he’s… aw, forget it.

I sat back, my face too numb to cry. After being stabbed for so long, the wound’s so big that a knife simply falls into an abyss. I guess set-ups are par for the course when it comes to a dating site. He was probably trying to humor me before going after someone society considers prettier than me. Hey, I may be a big girl, but I can do a lot more than she ever could.

“Well, screw this,” I said as I stood up. There wasn’t any use in crying; maybe online dating wasn’t for me. There was too much competition, and you could have many crossed signals while talking to someone, as opposed to a normal conversation. This was the wakeup call to get out and meet men the way my mom used to: by getting plastered at some bar.

Of course, this was a small town, so there wasn’t too much to do. You want to know how backwards my town is? Only last year did they allow bars to legally be in this town. There was one, Rocko’s, that recently opened, and I was curious how it was. I was never a girl who liked to get out too much, but hey, if I keep trying to fish in a pond that has nothing, I won’t get anything. The online dating pond had jack for me.

I went to my bathroom and put on my best. I had a dark dress, which brought out all my curves. I slipped it on and put some makeup over my face. I actually brushed my dark hair for once. Looking good Tristy, looking good. For once, I had some confidence. Now, I needed to go out there and catch me a man.

I left my apartment, a cool breeze blowing through my hair. It was a fall night, and I was glad it wasn’t so cold I needed a jacket. I headed down to my car and put in the directions to the bar via my phone’s GPS.

I wondered what kind of men I’d find. Usually, the type who go to these places are rednecks and sad boys, but you could find a chunk of gold every now and then. I saw the bar to my right, and it was a hole in the wall place. Despite this, there were a few cars in the lot, and it took me a bit to squeeze into an open parking spot.

Walking into the bar, the sound of shitty country music and people clamoring filled my ears. I remembered why I was more of an online person than an offline one. Even though the Internet had its share of drama, it had its peaceful spaces.

Where do I even begin with this place? So far, there wasn’t any man my type. Maybe after a few drinks, I can become attracted to them and get a quick, regrettable fuck. There was an empty spot near the bar, and I inched my way on the stool.

Right away, the bartender appeared. Of course, the only good-looking man in this place would be the bartender. He looked to be 30, but had some experience in those dark eyes of his. His black hair was tied back in a ponytail, and his arms were toned and chiseled. The man’s skin had a tan. Why did he have to have everything I liked in a man? It sounds cliché, but I really loved those tall, dark, and handsome men.

“What’ll it be, pretty lady?” he asked me, his voice like velvety chocolate. I blushed, and I hoped the dark environment concealed that. Even though he probably said that to every woman, old, young, big, or small, it still made me smile.

“I’ll have some cherry wine,” I said, laying my ID on the countertop.

“Right away,” the bartender said in his velvety voice. He poured me a glass, and handed it to me. I took a sip, enjoying its sweet flavor. It’s been so long since I’ve had a drink, so this did feel refreshing.

I waited for someone to enter the bar, but there was no one. Instead, I kept looking at the bartender. Why did he have to be the only hot guy here?

The bar thinned out slightly. This was a town where everyone was in bed by nine, so it wasn’t going to be too wild the later it got. With him being less busy, the bartender walked up to me. What did he want?

“Sorry. I’ve been occupied,” he said. “Anyway, enjoying your wine?”

“Tastes like heaven and despair,” I replied.

“Ahh. Men troubles?”

I explained to him the situation. As I did, I looked at my phone. My date texted me.
I overslept,
it said.
Sorry!

He didn’t even offer to reschedule, so I knew he was full of crap. I blocked his number and told him about it.

“You need someone to treat you like the pretty lady you are,” the man said.

“Tell me about it,” I replied. “Too bad there’s no good men here. I’m not missing enough teeth to date them.”

The man showed his teeth. They were pearly white, like the stock photos you see in a dentist’s office. “Have all my teeth here. What’s wrong with me?” he asked.

I scoffed. “You’re not fooling me. I know it’s your job to humor me and make me feel like a princess.”

The bartender shook his head. “I mean it. You’re a pretty girl. I don’t see your type around here too often.”

Once again, I started blushing. I was decent at reading people, but I couldn’t tell if this man was doing lip service to me, or if he actually found me pretty. Maybe he was interested, and I just needed to have more confidence. Okay, I’ll bite. I’ve been screwed over once today, so a second time isn’t going to hurt anything.

“Is that so? Well, the good girls always stay indoors. They know society isn’t that great, so they hole themselves inside whenever possible.”

The man nodded. “I get that. Outside this job, I’m not much of a people person, either. By the way, what’s your name?”

“Tristy,” I said.

“That’s a pretty name,” the bartender replied. “I’m Raul. I’m a bartender, and also the owner of this place.”

“So, you took advantage of the new law,” I said.

“Indeed. I’m a night person, but also want to be indoors, so I thought the bar business would be a good fit. However, no big city wanted me.”

“I think you’ll be right at home here. Everyone preaches against booze, but this town’s full of alcoholics. Explain that,” I said, taking a swig of my wine.

“Can’t say I can,” he said.

There was a rush of people, so Raul left me to take care of them. There were a few pretty women who came in as well, so I expected Raul to sadly leave me alone for the rest of the night.

But to my surprise, Raul came back once everyone had been accounted for.

“My, there’s a lot of business. Joke’s on them. I’m closing early tonight.”

I frowned. “How early?” I asked.

“In an hour or so. I usually close later, but tonight, I’m ready to go home. This business actually has a little setup in the basement, and I’ve been sleeping there for a while.”

“Aww. I wanted to know you more. Figures. Today’s been an unlucky streak.”

He smiled. “Well, if you want to come downstairs and crash with me after we close, I’ll gladly let you.”

Really? I kept feeling like this man was pulling my leg, but maybe there were a few good men left in this world. “Okay,” I said. “Let’s see what you’ve got.”

Last call happened. Everyone grabbed their booze, got drunker, and I myself sobered up. Everyone soon left, and it was only me and him.

“Want me to clean up?” I asked him.

He shook his head. “No thank you. I’ll clean in the morning.”

There were a few sweatdrops on his face. I thought that maybe that was because he was all worn out from working so much, but something seemed wrong, as if he didn’t want to be here. But maybe I was overthinking it.

He took me to a door behind the bar, and he unlocked it. A staircase faced us, and we went down it, into a room without any light. Using the light from his phone, he flicked the switch, and the room lit up.

Being a basement room, I expected something shabby, but then I was pleasantly surprised. The room had enough space to have a little bit of everything, and even included a bathroom, workout bench, and a fancy bed considering the location. There were no windows, but I felt right at home.

“I like it,” I said.

“I literally work from home,” he said, loosening up his tie. “It’s a tough job, but I enjoy it.”

There was a TV close by, and I ended up turning it on. Nothing really much to watch. I looked up at him.

“So what’s the real reason you invited me here?” I asked him.

He shrugged. “Because, I think you’re an attractive lady, and I wanted to know you better.”

“You act like I’m Ms. Mysterious. I’m more like Ms. Mundane. Grew up here, was never the popular girl in high school, flirted with college before taking a break, and am now 25 with a shitty job and no plan to get out of this place. That’s the summarized version, anyway. You’re more of the mysterious man. Let’s see what you have to offer.”

He took off his tie. “I’m a wanderer, really. I’ve moved from town to town, trying to start my own businesses, but failing. Turns out the money is in the small towns. I like to stay up late, but I don’t like going outside, so I built a bar. That’s the gist of it.”

“Sounds exciting,” I said.
Why do I feel like he’s hiding something? Whatever. He’s hot, so I can forgive him.

We chatted for a bit longer, and he kept complimenting me. He would rub my dress, causing me to quiver. He’d tell me how pretty I was, and I ended up believing it. I was sober, but I felt like I was fallen in drunken love with this man.

After a bit, I checked the time. It was getting late. I stood up, and said to him, “Well, I gotta get going. Let’s hang some other time.”

I walked away, feeling awkward, and then he turned me around. Before I realized what was going on, he kissed me right on the mouth. And that’s how the bartender ended up seducing me.

Chapter 2

As his lips kissed mine, my eyes widening to the point where they seemed like they were cartoonishly huge. I pulled away for a second, catching my breath.

“You didn’t like it?” he asked me.

“It’s not that. I didn’t expect you to be such a powerful kisser,” I said. “It’s been a while.”

I forgot the last time I’ve been with a man was. It’s hard to catch a date here, and I believe the last time I had one was… almost a year ago. Damn, I’ve been single for too long. The last man pretty much ditched me for the slut of the week, and I swore off men for a good while after that, only returning to the dating game recently. I’m glad I did.

We faced each other, and our lips began working their magic. At first, his kisses were chaste, but then, as we became accustomed to each other’s kisses, he went wild.

I soon found myself pressed against a wall, kissing this man feverishly. Our tongues swapped each other’s spit, and as that happened, Raul gave my lips a light nibble. I gasped, sounding more like a moan, and he gave me a grin.

“You like a wild man?” he asked.

“Seems like it,” I replied. Most men kissed me with the enthusiasm of a catfish, so I never got the wild treatment before. It was actually amazing.

“Then I’ll get even wilder.”

With that, he pressed me against the wall even harder, and his fingernails started clawing my back. They were clipped short, so they didn’t hurt me too much, but the light pain crawling down my spine was a turn-on. I gasped, cried his name, and then tried scratching back. But this man kept me pinned, dominating me like I was his prey.

After some more fiery making out, he pulled off his shirt, revealing his abs. His six pack looked like something out of a men’s underwear model, something that should require Photoshop. How did he get such a body by tending a bar?

But there was no time to figure that out, because my hands soon fondled his abs. I’ve never felt a man’s abs before, so I gave them a slow rub. Being a bigger woman, I was never too picky about my man’s body, so this was a new experience. As it turns out, the feeling was just like a washboard.

“You feel amazing,” I said. I looked at his dress pants, and without even realizing it, I was drooling. If his abs were like this, just imagine what he was packing down there. God, I felt like a 14-year-old teenage boy with all this perversion. It didn’t feel too bad.

“Ah-ah-ah,” he said. “Before I do anything, let’s see what you have.”

My cheeks reddened, embarrassment stabbing my back. But this man loved me just the way I was, so why couldn’t I bare it all? I unzipped my dress, unclasped my bra, and slowly began taking everything off. My bare breasts were soon exposed to Raul, and I began blushing. I always thought my breasts were too big. I mean, you could land a plane on my areolas alone. But then, I saw Raul smiling as he caressed my breast, with me letting out a gasp. His fingers managed to stimulate my breasts like I never thought possible. Sometimes, I believe this man wasn’t even human.

“Fuck! Raul, give me more!” I cooed. He gave me that sly smile of his, and then his hands caressed my stomach before reaching down my panties. My sex was already wet, but as he touched me, it almost seemed to gush out juices.

“Wow, you’re sensitive down there,” he told me.

I let out a nervous chuckle. “I’m usually not. I feel so embarrassed, especially since you’re an amazing man.”

He simply pulled down his pants as a response, and then he said, “Good. It’ll be easy to slide myself in, considering how much I have.”

I looked down, and then, my eyes widened.

From his black boxers, his member was trying its hardest to come out. He pulled his pants down, and his penis shot out like a sword. Long, girthy, and as tan as his body, his cock was a sight to behold. And his balls were just the right size, too. Big enough to be packing, but not so big it was disturbing.

“How have you not had a woman yet?” I exclaimed.

He chuckled. “Oh, I’ve had plenty. But few can handle this beast.”

Could I handle it? I’ve been with a few guys, but I’m not some loose girl or anything. “Just be gentle,” I said.

He pressed me against the wall, and then I felt his head touch my vulva. With a tiny thrust, he began sliding inside me.

Even though he was a few inches in, the sensation was already overpowering. Raul stirred my insides like a batter, and my body shook and I screamed. I grew even wetter, desiring him more with every passing second, and this allowed him to slide inside me even more.

“Agh!”

Soon, Raul was screwing me like crazy. I felt like prey succumbing to its predator, being completely dominated by this man. It didn’t take long for my pussy to accept almost all of his cock, and Raul went fast. As I looked up, I saw a strained look on Raul’s face. Even he was having some trouble. I guess I managed to one-up this powerful man. In a way, that was quite a turn-on.

“It’s so tight!” he cried. “It’s been a while, so I don’t know how much long-“

As he said this, I embraced his warmth as he filled my womb. He pumped four powerful loads inside me, each seeming thicker and more plentiful than the last. When he pulled away, his cock oozed with sperm, along with my pussy, which had sperm seeping from it. He started panting.

“That was amazing,” he said.

I stood up, my body shaking. It was hard to move, that’s how good he was. I felt like such a slut, but I loved every second of it. Sometimes, you just need a good dicking in order to feel better.

I put on my clothes and picked up my phone. “Oh crap,” I said. “It’s late!” I guess time flies when you’re screwing like animals.

“You can stay over here tonight,” he said.

I shook my head. “Thanks, but I gotta get to work early in the morning, and if I stay here, I know I’m not going anywhere.”

Ugh. Why did I have to work at the worst gas station? I would totally skip out, but my boss was insane and would fire me if I missed even one day of work, as I was the gas station’s only hope. Wasn’t my fault the owners were cheap asses and wanted to keep the gas station understaffed to save a few bucks.

“Fair enough,” Raul said. “I must get up early to clean the bar anyway.”

I sighed. “So where is this going? Was this just a crazy one-night stand, or…”

Raul grabbed me by the hand. “You can be mine if you want to. Just come back any time, and we’ll build the relationship from there.”

The sigh turned to a smile, and then I said, “Mind if you walk me out to my car? I wouldn’t mind saying goodbye that way.” I was blushing so hard, and I hoped I didn’t seem too childish.

Sweat beads formed around Raul’s face. “I can’t,” he said.

“Why not?” I replied. That seemed like a simple enough request. For a few seconds, Raul said nothing before saying, “I can’t say.”

I knew this guy was hiding something! He had more or less an underground bunker in his bar that he never left, and he planned to close early and retreat to there. This could only mean one thing…

“You’re a criminal!” I said. That was the only thing I could think of, and I felt bad as I accused him of it. I had no proof.

Raul held his hands up in protest. “No no no! It’s not like that, I swear.”

I scoffed. “Then what is it? The only reason why you would hole yourself in here is because you’re being hunted. Am I right?”

He sighed. “It’s still not like that. I can’t go outside.”

“Why?”

“Do you really want to know?”

“Sure,” I said, scratching my head.

He walked up the stairs. “Okay. Well, I would have to admit it sooner or later, anyway. I’ll just say goodbye to our relationship, since the woman has ran away every time I admitted my secret.”

He led me back to the bar. The moonlight poured into the room, and he jumped into the shadows.

“I can’t be exposed here!” he shouted. “I’ll tear the bar up.”

What’s his deal? Without thinking, I gave him a playful shove into the moonlight.

“Why did you do th…” he tried to begin, but then he stopped. He started panting like he was having the world’s biggest orgasm. His clothes started ripping. He was a clean-shaven man, but I started noticing hair all over. What was going on…?

I watched the man slowly change from tall, dark, and handsome to a hairy, beast. With his last ounce of humanity, he ran through the door and back into the bunker.

I stood there, my eyes not believing what I just saw. I ran outside, seeing there was a full moon tonight.

A man who turns into a wolf-like creature when there’s a full moon. He was a werewolf! But like ghosts, goblins, witches, and demons, those were all just fairy-tales we bring out during Halloween. That had to be a trick, or maybe my eyes were deceiving me.

Oh, who was I kidding? What I saw was real, and no amount of justifying what I saw would prove otherwise. Raul was a werewolf.

“I’ve had my relationship end in some dumb ways, but that was whacky,” I said. I walked out of the bar, feeling drunk again and unable to figure out what I should do. Everything became a blur, but I somehow found myself back in my car, and soon back in my apartment. I fell asleep like a stone for hours.