Lover's Kiss (5 page)

Chapter 8

Beth opened her eyes and saw Penny sitting in her corner chair. She was already dressed in a sleek black dress that had panels along the sides and midsection that were made of translucent mesh. Fishnet stockings ran down her legs to the black stiletto heels she wore. The only heels, as far as Beth had seen.

Beth opened her mouth and then inhaled when she couldn't talk. "Do you own any shoes without heels that you could use to stab a person?"

Penny tilted her head. "Probably. I have a lot of shoes."

"I know, and I haven't even seen all of them yet!"

Penny uncrossed her legs and rose from her chair. She moved to the bed and sat down on the edge of it. "How are you feeling?"

Beth frowned. "I'm fine. Shouldn't I be?"

Her mentor nodded. "Just making sure."

Beth snapped her fingers. "The druggy!"

Penny reached out and ran her fingers down Beth's arm. She had a sheet covering her but she felt the pressure and it sent a tingle up her arm. "So intuitive, you amaze me over and over again."

"Be careful," Beth teased, "flattery will get you everywhere."

Penny's eyes danced with amusement. "You're already in my bed."

Beth pouted. "All we ever do is cuddle and sleep."

Penny smiled. "We'll have to fix that sometime."

Beth pulled the covers down and exposed herself. "I've always wondered if morning sex is as good as I've heard."

Penny laughed. "Now who's the tease? I have to get down to the club in case the contractors return. Don't worry, pet, we have all the time in the world."

Beth smiled and reached down to cup her breast. She felt the puckered skin of her nipple between her fingers and pinched it. The tingle it left behind  made her smile, but her body didn't react like it used to. Her smile faded.

"You just have to want them hard if that's what you want. They'll stay until you want something else."

Beth bit her lip. "How do you know what I'm thinking? That's, um—"

"I was taken at almost the same age you were," Penny said. "I may have lived a long time, but when I died I was still in my prime and still very experimental."

"Oh my god," Beth breathed. She clamped her lips shut and shook her head. "Sorry, I keep forgetting."

Penny shrugged. "Say it if you wish. This world has had more religions than I can count, one is likely as good as the next. Unlike the popular myth, we are not the Christian devil's servants. My creator made a pact with dark spirits, but we don't condemn the living to hell."

"Way too deep, I just woke up," Beth complained. "Can we go back to the sex talk?"

Penny smiled. "Well, as I said, I was your age and remain your age. I know some that were turned when they were older and they have a harder time relating because their mortal body had lost much of their urges."

"This is your way of telling me you're a horny slut like me, right?"

"I wouldn't say that," Penny argued.

"Oh, right, sorry," Beth apologized. She winked and asked, "Who owns Paradise Lost again?"

Penny chuckled. "We do, pet."

"Exactly," Beth said. She slid over to Penny and picked herself up to kiss her. "Mmm, no morning breath. I like this undead thing."

Penny laughed and stood up. "I'm heading down. Will you join me?"

Beth nodded. "Let me get dressed and feed first. And I'll be smart this time, I promise."

Penny nodded. "If you can't dispose of the body, hide it and let me know."

"Yes, mom," Beth teased.

Penny rolled her eyes and walked to the door. She paused and looked back at her until Beth held her hands out to ask what. "You make me happy," Penny said and glanced away. "That's all."

Beth grinned. She'd heard it from Candy and Trevor, and now directly from Penny. "It's the least I can do for what you've done for me."

Penny smiled and turned away. "Take your time, pet."

Beth listened to her heels strike the floor until she made it to the elevator. She crawled out of bed and stretched her stiff muscles before stepping into the walk in closet and trying to decide what to wear. It was sexy dress night at the club, but she only had half a dozen dresses that would work.

She flipped through them without seeing any of them. Her attention was on the elevator. She heard the door slid shut and waited until she was certain that Penny had ridden it down. She turned and padded out of the bedroom to stick her head into the hall and make sure her mentor was gone.

Beth bit her lip and hurried back to the closet. She'd lied to Penny. Not completely, but some. She did feel fine now, but late last night, while she was lying in bed and waiting for the coming dawn to put her to sleep she'd come down from her high. The last of the drug in the blood she'd drank was used up.

She'd hidden the low from Penny by sliding closer to the woman and letting her hold her. The only warmth she felt anymore was from the living, but the comfort of being held went a long ways towards making it up. Not long enough though, she ached to feel as carefree as she had last night. There were no limits for her last night, she could do anything. She wanted that again.

Beth slid the navy blue dress over her shoulders and let it slide down her magically sculpted body. She tugged it over her swollen breasts to get help it fit properly and then tugged it lower still, creating the illusion that her boobs would spill out of it if she bent forward. She cupped her breasts and gave them a jiggle to make sure they weren't quite as reckless as they looked and then pushed the hem at the bottom of the dress over the swell of her hips.

Satisfied with her dress she went to the limited shoe collection she owned and picked out a blue pair of heels. She laced the straps around her ankles and stood up before turning to the mirrored rear wall of the closet. "Sexy bitch," she muttered and then smiled.

Beth turned to the vanity and sat down to fix her hair and makeup. Penny woke up as soon as the sun set, or close enough it didn't matter. Beth slept for another hour, until the sun wasn't just below the horizon but well and truly set. That gave the elder vampire time to get dressed and ready to face the night long before Beth. It also meant she fell asleep earlier than Penny did, which limited how much time she had.

Another benefit of her vampiric nature was how unnaturally steady her hands were. She didn't breathe and her heart didn't beat. She could play dead better than any opossum in the world! It made putting on her face and turning herself into a gothic goddess of the night child's play.

Beth blew the girl in the mirror a kiss and then winked. Tonight's victim didn't stand a chance! She spun away and walked out, pausing only to grab her jacket and slinging it over her shoulders. She stopped in the hall and turned to look at the balcony doors. She'd climbed up the building from where she'd landed last night. Maybe she could reverse her course and experience the same thrill without the heroin?

She threw the doors open and ignored the cold wind that snapped her jacket behind her. The breeze tickled her legs pushed her hair behind her. The right corner of her lip raised in a contemptuous smile. She would never be Mother Nature's bitch again.

Beth walked to the railing and leaned forward to look down the side of the building. Her eyes grew wide and she stumbled back a half step. That was a long ways down! How the heck had she climbed up the side of the building? She remembered jumping and reaching for things to grab on to a few times. She shook her head in disbelief.

"Fuck this!" Beth spun and went back inside. The elevator seemed like a great idea all of a sudden. She rode it down and strolled through the lobby, pausing to smile and wave at the security guard near the door.

He waved back and asked, "Do you need a taxi, Miss Adams?"

"I'm good, just staying local," Beth replied.

"Have a good time," he said before ducking his head back down to whatever was on his desk.

Beth nodded and pushed the door open. She glanced back quickly and saw him checking her out. She turned her head back before he could notice and slipped out onto the sidewalk. It was nearly seven o clock, early enough that she could get away with just about anything.

Beth paused and glanced up and down the street. Should she check out some of the meat markets to try and find a mark? She was dressed to kill— literally! She could lure out some unlucky punk easily. Some tasty young piece of meat that she could show the greatest thrill of his life. Greatest, and last.

Beth spun to her left and started walking. She walked past a few smaller bars and then considered checking out the Fillmore. She'd never been there, but according to the marquee tonight's show didn't start for another hour. She walked on and moved past the Hockeytown Café after slowing and staring through the windows. Not enough people drinking and milling about.

She walked on, studying the people that were huddled in their coats as they moved down the streets. Even the couples and groups were rushed by the cold. February in Michigan was a dreadful time, she remembered that much and had to fight a grateful smile. Penny had given her a gift beyond anything she could have ever imagined.

Three young men in suits jogged across the road and ducked into a bar around the corner. Beth watched them and smiled. The man in the back had dark hair and just enough scruff to look like he was trying a little too hard to look like he wasn't trying. He was the kind of guy she would have admired from afar and never approached. She'd been way too shy.

Not anymore.

Beth followed them into the bar without bothering to look at the neon name above the doorway. She paused at the entryway near the hostess's station, looking for the three.

"Good evening, welcome to—"

"I'm meeting someone," Beth interrupted the hostess. She flashed the surprised girl a smile and swept by her towards the bar.

All three men were leaning against the bar and talking while preparing to pull out some bar stools and sit down. Beth moved up to the man with the scruff and reached up to rest her hand on the back of his neck.

He jerked and turned around. She kept her grip on him, stopping him from escaping. "What the— uh, hello?"

Beth smiled. "Hi, I'm Liz."

"Uh, Liz? This is— damn, you've got a really cold hand!"

"It's cold outside," Beth said. "I could go sit down and wait for you to notice me and buy me a drink if you'd like?"

"I'm sorry?"

"Jesus, Mark!" one of his friends said.

"Dude, she's a hooker, get rid of her," the other one said.

"Hang on," the first one said. "What do you do and how much?"

Beth's eyes widened. "Hooker?"

"You're not?" Mark asked.

"No, I'm not," Beth said.  She turned to the first friend that asked her what she'd do and smiled sweetly at him. "If I were, you couldn't afford me. Which is just as well, you wouldn't be able to handle me."

He laughed. "I don't know, there's three of us and one of you."

Beth tilted her head and smiled, considering it. She'd never tried draining more than one but Penny said her body would adapt. Then again, that first time her belly had swollen until she looked pregnant. Was that the adapting it did? "Maybe another time. Right now I'm only interested in Mark."

"You— what the heck is this? I didn't do anything to—"

The bartender delivered three beers behind the men, pausing the discussion until they paid for the round. As soon as they were gone, Beth licked her lips and stared at friend number one. "I'm thirsty, do you mind?"

He frowned. "Excuse me?"

Beth leaned by him and grabbed his beer. She lifted it to her lips to cover her fangs extending. She bit her tongue and retracted her fangs before pretending to take a drink. Her tongue blocked the beer from entering her mouth and instead allowed her blood mix with the beverage.

She put it down and grimaced. "What is that, horse pee?" she asked and turned to Mark's other companion. She reached for his light beer. "Do you mind?"

Before he could answer she repeated the gesture. She set it down and shrugged. "Better. Mark, aren't you thirsty?"

"You don't want to try mine?" he asked.

"Do I look like Goldilocks?"

His laugh was nervous but he took a drink of his pale ale while the other two watched, stunned by her bold behavior.

As soon he lowered it Beth smiled. "Good, I didn't want you to taste the beer on my breath."

"Wha—"

Beth kissed him, surprising him and slipping her tongue through his open lips before he knew what was going on. She let another few drops of blood spill from her tongue before she healed the wound and deepened the kiss. On either side the two friends shifted awkwardly before reaching for their beers and taking a drink.

By the time Beth pushed her very interested partner back the bottles of Mark's friends were both empty. She smiled and looked at Mark. "Well, do you want to get out of here?"

"What?" he asked, his eyes glazed over. He shook his head and tried to focus. "Why? Where?"

"To fuck," Beth said and smiled. "Some place close. You're cute and I want to gobble you up."