Once Bitten Twice Shy *for SP & I*

Three hundred years is a long time to live when you're alone.

That's what I keep telling myself each and every evening when I wake and rise. Knowing each time I was truly and utterly...alone.

For how could I tell any human being what I was and not expect instant fear...or retaliation from them?

For at times I disgusted even myself....

My name is Jacque Landau. I was born the second time in the tiny town now called Baton Rouge in the year 1702....

I was a young man. 32 years old and in my prime. A hunter and explorer who loved life. Until one night I met a demon I couldn't slay with my knife or pistol, and died under his teeth.

Yes, his teeth. I felt them tear through my flesh. Rip out my voice box so I couldn't even die screaming. And then to my horror the demon drank my blood.

Drained my bodies’ life source while I lay helpless and listened to my own heartbeat slow...and then almost quit entirely.

What happened next sickened me even though I knew I was near death.

For as I gasped for my last breath of air I tasted the salty taste of blood...and with my last strength opened my eyes to see the same demon's wrist hovering over my lips and his own blood pouring out of a self inflicted wound.

What could I do?

His blood was pouring into my torn throat and I somehow swallowed it, trying as instinct guided me even in that terrible moment...to live.

And in doing so I sealed my own fate for all of eternity.

The pain I felt as I woke was nothing compared to the pain I felt later as I realized I had lost my humanity.

It felt as if my entire internal organ system was being ripped out...for hours it burned away inside me and if I tried to drink the once life sustaining water it became worse...

Later I understood the dire meaning of all of it. I could no longer live on the foods I had as a mortal. I was forced to hunt instead for the very thing taken from me at my death.

Blood.

Now I'm getting ahead of myself. Or perhaps too far behind.

What I'm trying to talk about is the loneliness that comes over a vampire after several hundred years and what it drives them to do.

I should know. For that's what I discovered later I had become.

Immortal. Unable to ever enjoy a sunrise again. Forced to hide from it and the human beings I once walked beside. Driven into solitary existence to surface only when hunger or the solitude overcame me.

And that was how it all began some ten years before.

I had risen and the hunger was great...and perhaps even greater was the loneliness I could never seem to escape from as well.

It had driven me to a new city. To find fresh victims and feed from them.

And that is when I met Tabby. A wondrous and exciting woman who was a virgin as well... Someone I should have left behind untouched...or left behind dead...

But instead I did neither. I became fascinated with her. Tracked her and then arranged a coincidental meeting with her. And finally one night when we were alone?

I seduced her.

Leigha Cross

There's something to be said about how little incidences can shape the future lives of many people. How a single moment in time, a few hours or perhaps seconds, changes a person. That is what happened to me. A single night, one in which I wish I could forget, but I haven't had much luck with that yet.

I never dwell on the past, or memories of said past, but I did use it to shape my future, my present. Being lonely no more, nor frumpy, discarded didn't happen to me... Now I was the one in control of my destiny and what I did and when I did it. Nothing ruled me but me..

I turned the tables, and for that I hold my head up high. Waiting for my chance to correct the wrongs done, vengeance is sweeter when it's served cold.

Twenty-eight years of age, successful business owner, Night Shades, and living the life to the fullest. My little art gallery has done well for me, and the unnamed artist. Renown for it's pieces and tastes, it panders to the darker side of the human psyche. It brings me the rich and powerful, the twisted minds of society. And a big fat pay check every two weeks. I spoiled myself, but then again I deserve it. I work alone and for a very good reason, but I wouldn't explain that reason any more than I would explain my past.

I had to have a lucrative business to pay for all the extensive work I have had done. No longer plump in all the wrong places, a few doctors helped with that and a personal trainer. My nose was fixed; my cheek and jawbones shaved down. Yes, I have tortured myself to be the living-breathing epitome of beauty. Augmentation on my breasts and ass, even added a little tattoo. I won't say where it is, but quite a few men have seen it. I've spent the past ten years becoming something that no one, with a shallow mind, would deny.

No one who knew 'Tabby' would know this blonde (dyed) bombshell who was once a shy little nerd. No one who seen the inside of her home, her bedroom, would ever guess she once had nothing to her name. Now pampered by 'her' men, her own financial gains, she had it all but one simple little thing. Her heart.

My few friends, if you could call them that, say I am heartless and cold. Perhaps they're right? I tend to think of myself as worldly, knowledgeable and cautious. I know what's out there, waiting in the dark. Watching for a chance to use, hurt you, possibly take your life. I know that the boogey man does exist and it's only a matter of time before I find him yet again.

I also know what it's like to be shunned, your love thrown back in your face as a heartless jest. To be crushed like that, and yes only once, but it changes you... And not usually for the better.

It's Friday night here in Baton Rouge, nearing the midnight hour and I have a few more hours before I close up shop. Mostly it's brooding time, watching and waiting for that special someone to come through my door.

Snubbing out the cigarette, I check the time yet again. It's almost time to close the bidding down on Ebay. So far my piece was up in the six digits. Another fifteen minutes and I'd have another fat check to add to the collection.

The club is pounding out music, from a block away I can clearly hear it, almost smell it. The stench of alcohol and sweating bodies all grating in a wide room, rubbing against each other without a care in the world. My favorite 'watering hole', and the perfect place to give into the sinful side of your desires. No one would look twice if two people were actually fucking in there, and that's why I enjoyed the place. But perhaps tonight wouldn't be the night?

Opening the front door wide, I let in the cool night air. I need to keep calm and cool, I really dislike sweating. So many suits have been ruined from drinks and sweat stains... Some cum stains as well wouldn't come out either, but that’s the price you pay sometimes.

A man and woman walk by, a young couple and a street bum. No one with the cash to buy something from me, but then again there is a rather wealthy looking male coming her way. A little smile and I slip back inside my store to wait and see if Night Shades draws him in.

What does an immortal do then when his actions haunt him and he has no to confess them to? What can he do when solitude is the only insurance of his existence and that lonely form of survival threatens to slowly destroy him? Eventually we turn to the past, the time we were born and begin to search for pieces of that history in order to collect them as if by possessing them proving to ourselves we have indeed...lived.

I was doing that very thing this evening. Having mastered the use of modern technology I had put it to good use. No longer did I need to wander the world over to search for a tiny piece of my past. A few key presses and it was done for me...a picture of what I looked to collect was shown...along with the price and a location.

And so I dared to walk among mortals once again. Not to feed, as should have been my purpose for I was hungry, but to collect another tiny proof I once existed...as a mortal. The only offset to counter my foolish expedition was to cover my face as if against the cold, barring prying eyes from recognizing the too still features of my undead face.

"Night Shades"

The small sign matched the name and it's did as well...and the door stood open...saving me the time needed to have myself invited in. And I entered thinking of my great fortune.

A woman waited patiently behind the counter. A lovely woman whose beauty would take away my breath if I had to actually breath...But tonight I was more interested in smaller and perhaps less deadlier pieces.

I turned...Looked about the Shoppe for the item I was interested in collecting and by not finding it discovered an item of even greater interest and value to me...and with a single glimpse of it turned back to the woman still standing behind the counter.

"I've come to purchase the obsidian knife listed for sale on your website...I believe the price you listed was 50,000 U.S. dollars, I am prepared to exchange that amount in return for ownership of it tonight."

Leigha Cross

"I've come to purchase the obsidian knife listed for sale on your website...I believe the price you listed was 50,000 U.S. dollars, I am prepared to exchange that amount in return for ownership of it tonight." And I had been right! The finely dressed gentleman had indeed stepped into my doors... into my world.

With a much practiced smile, I perfected infront of a mirror, I calmly replied, "It has been sold already." I couldn't quite see him since his face was half masked, but I figured if he really wished to have it, he'd haggle over the price.

Profit was always a bonus in my world. I needed the cash flow anyway, if I wanted to pay for the shipment of old books coming from Spain.

Vampires The word always seemed to whisper into the back of my mind. And that is what my books were about. The lore of vampire, and supposedly a journal of an ancient vampire was reportedly in this collection. The auction online had kept me up for two days and nights, waiting to outbid any and all who tried to aquire the books. They were mine, as were everything else I wanted.

Money was power.

"Can I interest you in another piece, Sir?" I approached him slowly, as if I had all the time in the world.

The woman was lying.

It wasn't intuition; it was the smell she gave off and the way her eyes flickered for a fraction of a second.

Still there was no insult taken from the lie. It was a horse traders business and the lie was used to increase her profits.

"You are the owner of the business, Miss...?" I countered as she moved towards me.

"Can I interest you in another piece, Sir?"

"Perhaps if the piece has exchanged hands already you might inform me of who has purchased it and I might do the same from them?"

It was an honest offer. The point wasn't the money but to have the knife in my hands, but the amusement was in the path to owning most worthwhile possessions.

"I could offer you a finders fee if it would...simplify things?"

She was a smooth one. I had to admire that as she blinked once and continued without missing a beat.

"I doubt the Morison’s would allow the piece to slip through their hands once they've taken possession of it...it would be extremely difficult to convince them to part with it."

Extremely in this business meant expensive...and though my offer to increase the offer was sincere I was in no mood to be lied to and taken for a fool.

"The Morison’s from Boulevard Park? I am familiar with their family and could speak to them myself..."

I was indeed familiar with the family...But NOT in the norm of social circles...and if I spoke with them it would be the last words they ever heard.

"I would be happy to give them a call and explain your attachment to the piece...perhaps they might be persuaded to give up the item as a personal favor to me...Perhaps I could convince them to not raise the price they paid for it?"

Her words were LESS than amusing for the tone implied I was LESS than a preferred customer or in other words..."cheap"

"No thank you Miss" I replied quickly then side stepped her as she lifted a smaller item to offer it to me. Her eyes widened and her nostrils flared, she was trying to study my face and determine WHO I was...or what.

"I will return another day and perhaps we might discuss the purchase of the item I was looking for again?"

Leigha Cross

"It's Miss. Cross." My hand was held out, which he easily side stepped. He obviously wasn't the friendliest of sort.

"And of course, I am available to discuss any items of interest you have within my gallery..Mister?" I gave him a clear chance to introduce himself, but still he stayed hidden. Both in name and face. What game was he playing at?

"Well." I couldn't very well not sale him the knife, after all it went against my ideals. Money was power, selling was money, there for I must sell to have power. "They have yet to pay for the item or to pick it up. This knife you want, I have it here." I flashed him a little smile and moved around the show room, letting my fingers caress over items carefully postitioned to show off each attribute and curve.

"I can be... persuaded to sell it.. tonight." I left it up to him, if he wanted it badly enough he would stick around. It wasn't that I didn't have an interested buyer, I just didn't have an affirmation from the intended cliente. So, it wouldn't hurt, if he had the right price.

"Perhaps another night Miss Cross"

Everything she had just said was true.

But to me it had become a point. One I had plans to highlight quite clearly before I was finished. Then business would continue.

But not that night.

I had plans to satisfy my hunger after all it seemed and it would be a two-course dish...

I moved out the door to the sidewalk, forcing myself to "walk" and feeling her eyes on me as I did.

"Til we meet again Miss Cross...and its Jacque...Jacque Landau"

I walked into the comfort of the darkness and then turned at a corner, quickly shifting out of the uncomfortable human gait and to a much easier and faster pace...

Ten minutes later I was across town and enjoying a "50ish" drink of blood, tinged with raw fear...It had been easy to enter the second floor window, the man had spent serious money on an alarm system for the first level, then slept with his upper windows open in a false sense of security...I almost regretted having to slit his wife’s throat as well...but there had to be some blood...

I slept quite well that next day...a deep, relaxed sleep I hadn't found in almost ten years...and when I awoke the next eve I was looking forward to going out.... shopping.

Leigha Cross

"Til we meet again Miss Cross...and its Jacque...Jacque Landau" And with that he was out the door and out of sight.

Everything in the room tilted in a really nasty way, upsetting both my stomach and my mind. I would like to have said I was calm and collected, having known this day.. night would come, but I wasn't.

I was furious! to say the least.

The rotten bastard didn't even know who I was!

I stood rooted to the same spot I had been in when he left, the door still open for anyone passing by. I had to move quickly, locking up without really caring it was early to do so. I needed some quiet time, solitude..

And something to smash!

My hands trembled a little, but I ignored that. It did no good to do this to myself, not now.. Not again. He left me, He was the one who tossed it all away.. Not I!

But still the sting was still there, the hurting that never seemed to go away. If he only knew how much time I invested into this. All of it! Little sleep, working two jobs, attending college and on top of it, many sleepless nights hunting for his whereabouts.

I worked myself into the hospital, is what I did. Two nights after I graduated from college, I passed out at work. I spent two weeks in there. Malnutrition, lack of sleep, distraught and manic-depressive.

All because of him. Jacque.

Until he said his name, I would have never guessed with the way he kept his face hidden.. "Bastard!" and now I understood why he had hidden from me.

I locked up the gallery and quickly retreated into my workshop below. Finding the only comfortable piece of furniture, I laid out on the old sofa. Tears kept threatening to fall, but I was determined not to shed a single tear for him again.

I cried too many years over that man! Wasted years..

I had done all of it, to get to him. And now my goals were but fingertips away. All I had to do was continue on with the plan. Surely he'd stick around...

I had worked hard for this moment, but now that it was here, I wasn't so sure any more. I didn't expect this kind of pain inside my heart, hell I didn't think I had a heart left to feel anything! And yet, I was hurting all over again. I knew what I had to do, for my own pride and respect, I had to go through with what I had planned for the past ten years.

No attachment, no hopes and dreams, and certainly not let him know who I was.

With that thought in mind, I went back upstairs to look at my first sculpture. Drawing the shades closed on the big windows, I stood as a silhouette to the outside world.

I carved the "Repentant Virgin" two months after Jacque left. Just under two foot tall, it showed a kneeling woman, praying. Her face was so many emotions, I am still amazed to this day I got them all. Fear, lust, hurt, love. All of it in a single little Obsidian face. Between her thighs was a thick phallus, entering her body by something unseen... The vampire.

A shiver coursed it's way down my back, I knew this was a dangerous game, but it was a game I intended to win. With reverence, my fingers carefully brushed across the stone cheek. I would feel no pity for this kneeling girl, not any more. I had something else to look forward to now.. Blood dripped down the cheek of the statue, some how the stone had sliced a tiny little cut across the pad of my finger. I would make sure to clean that off tomorrow, for now I had to leave here. His stench still lingered in this room! It wasn’t exactly true, but I didn’t care, I agreed with my mind. He lingered here, I needed to escape into the fresh air.

"Revenge." Gathering up my keys and purse, I headed for home to spend a sleepless night sketching. By mid-day I finally fell asleep, only to be tormented by dreams of him. I didn’t wake up in a better mood, I only seemed to be more sour, resentful.. Hatred ate at me, fueled by pain, tears and hurt, I erected a wall he’d never scale again.

And so I dressed accordingly that evening. A simple black dress and heels, but the material was silk, it flowed with my body movements. One ex-lover said this dress made him think of sex just looking at me in it. Armor for when Jacque returned.

At work I finally sat down to eat my take out dinner and read the headlines.

Couple Slain While Sleeping

“Jacob and Pamela Morison were found dead this morning by their housekeeper, Mrs. Blake..”

Silence seemed to be overtly loud that evening as I sat there, staring and unbelieving what I was reading.

“A suspected burglary attempted went awry ….. My ass!” Fisting up the paper I stuffed it into the trash bin at the side of my desk.

He eliminated the competition is what he did! “Rotten.. underhanded.. sneaky bastard!” Pushing away my wild rice, I knew I’d eat no more of it tonight. The sun was setting and soon it would be dark out… Soon he would return and I had to be ready for when he did.

Checking my mirror once more, I made sure everything was in place and neat then opened the Gallery. A few customers came in through the next two hours, but no one had yet to purchase anything. Dante was due to be at the club tonight, I knew I’d meet him whether Jacque came or not. There was something perverted in the knowledge I was meeting two vampires in one night.. However Dante was a distraction and a great fuck, Jacque was… I wouldn’t label him just yet, but he was due for some pain.

Midnight

A time to celebrate with friends.

A time for lovers to join in a quiet place.

A time simply to revel in the mortal sensations of being alive.

I stood on the roof of building and watched. Felt the blood race in the male as he pressed his flesh into the woman and heard her moan in response… Smelled the arousal of both as they pulled each other close in frenzied passion.

Across the street the combined noises of music and human voice pulsed from the club and onto the street, the sensations of sexual hunger combined with it and coming to me…

My own body pulsed with the sensation of fresh blood flowing through my veins from the gorging the night before, bringing my senses and abilities to an almost giddy height.

And reminding me I would never be able to truly feel alive at the same time.

The thought returned me to caution and the reason I had returned to this street and the throng of mortals that flowed below. I stepped off over and off the edge of the roof…feeling myself fall through the cool air as it shifted and reformed…and then float to the sidewalk and open door below.

Drifting inside the sensations of the street changed…the arousal of the couple peaked as the music dulled, the lust in the air fading and being replaced by the scent of the woman inside, the canvas and the paint on it, the ancient stone carvings…and blood.

“Such a tragedy, isn’t it?” I smiled gently and pointed to the paper and it’s headline, dangling half in / half out of the can beside the desk and watched the woman jump.

“Yes, yes it was…and is.”

She had quickly recovered from finding a man standing suddenly in front of her…or what passed as a man to most…a testament to her iron will or experience…

Beautiful. She was perfection as she sat quietly and watched me, her eyes carefully guarded in what I assumed was her “business face”.

“I’m sorry, it was childish of me to enter without announcing myself and obvious you’re prepared to go out for the evening…I merely stopped by to see if the piece was still for sale?”

The comment stirred her and for a split second something flickered in her eyes before she carefully replied.

“I’m quite certain you’re aware it is, Mister Landau”

Nodding I turned to admire the exquisite center piece in the window display and found the source of the blood scent as well…

“You should tend to your cut Miss Cross…it would be a shame to see it grow infected.”

Again a pause before her reply, and yet as I turned she was cool and collected as she eyed the cut on her finger and the tiny drop of blood that welled from it…

“You’re quite observant Mister Landau, I wasn’t aware I had even hurt myself…”

And then to my amazement she placed the wounded finger in her mouth, to hold it there while her eyes studied me…

“Thank you Miss Cross, but I find my sentimental value of the obsidian knife diminishing considering the terrible circumstances that surround it, yet my honor demands I keep my word and make an offer to purchase it from you.”

Her voice was tinged with sarcasm as she replied…and yet her face was carefully controlled.

“Of course you do Mister Cross…though tragedy often increases the value of an already valuable piece…what is your offer tonight?”

“Your point is a valid one Miss Cross… if I were a collector of violent pieces.” I gently replied and focused not on her face or eyes…but the sound of her heart. “ Thirty thousand U.S. dollars”

Her heart beat violently…the sound of it alone telling me of the outrage she felt as such a low price, considering the offer of the night before…and yet her voice?

“Forty seven-five, Mister Landau…and only because you are the next buyer in line behind the late Mister Morison…”

Her voice was ice cold; matching her eyes perfectly…if I hadn’t already know death intimately I would have felt a trickle of fear move up and down my spine…

“Perhaps thirty six Miss Cross…in memory of your lost patron…and a second offer of one hundred thousand for the piece in the window…”

I countered and then paused as conflicting signals came to my eyes and ears. Her heart was already racing…and then it suddenly stilled, her eyes blazing with fire and then just as suddenly cooling.

“Forty four Mister Landau…and only because I wish to see you as a return customer.”

Her eyes had dropped, the flash of pain that came into them making me wonder just what could hurt such a lovely creature as the one that stood across the counter and she made a show of looking at a delicate watch on her wrist…

“Forgive me Mister Landau, it’s later than I realized…and I have no wish to detain you longer than needed.”

The statement stopped me as I expected to be allowed a counter offer…she was obviously an experienced negotiator…and to commit such a “fau paux”?

Or was it a clever ruse to close a deal?

“Forty two five then Miss Cross, in gold, on the condition we discuss the piece in the window at a time where my curiosities about it can be satisfied…”

“Agreed Mister Landau…where shall I send the piece to?”

Her heart was pounding again…such a conflicting wash of emotions she was sending out, as if the question of delivery meant more than the deal itself…

“I will send a courier with payment and have her return the piece to my residence Miss Cross, provided you honor the conditions I offer?”

And then once again her heart slowed…and the frost returned to her eyes, cooling the wash of emotion visible seconds before…as it did her voice.

“It will be my pleasure…Mister Landau…to keep my word to YOU.”

How curious of a way to close a deal…I thought as I wished her a good evening to step out of the shop and then pause once again…my senses flaring as I felt the presence of another…

“It is a beautiful evening is it not?” I spoke out loud…and moved to the corner of the walk. “It would upset me greatly to hear the woman inside might come to any harm, it would ruin my evening…in fact.”

Warning given I didn’t wait for a reply…didn’t need to…for if there was anything the solitary vampire hated more then themselves…was the presence of another, and to give protection to a mortal was a line they would rarely cross for it meant facing another creature of the night…until the matter of honor was settled.

Still it was curious…for I felt no ideas of predatory lust coming from the unknown vampyre…instead an odd sense of assurance that Miss Cross would be indeed enjoying herself. It seemed I had found her reason for wishing to close shop after all...

It was getting to be an intriguing relationship we were having…and it had only begun.

Leigha

"Forty two- five it is Mr. Landau and a later date to discuss the other. Good evening." I dismissed him with purpose, wishing him gone from my sight before I did do him serious harm.

It stung, I did my best to hide it, but still it dwelled deep in my heart... or what was left of it. He had simply forgotten.

As you wish. Let the games begin.. I locked up quickly, once I knew my uninvited guest was gone for the evening.

"Dante!" I smiled sweetly, as he bowed and lifted my hand to his cool lips.

"Leigha. A pleasure, as always." He smiled, an honest show of emotion..

If only.. My heart sighed, my smile did not dim however much I might wish it were otherwise. Here was a man worth dying for. Here was a lover incomparable, here was a man that made anything female, and half the men stop and stare as he walked by. Beauty. Be it only skin deep, Dante had a heart to match, a string of lovers all around the world.. three times pass, but he did not hold anything more than a distraction to me.

"You are, as always, charming. Shall we?" I moved forward, brushing my body against his as I took his arm, suggestive as always. Although I did not love, was incapable of loving, I was not immune to his 'charms' nor idiotic enough to deny my own desires.

We strolled along, arm in arm, Dante not as talkative as was normal. He seemed lost in thought? Possibly because of Jacque's presence? It did not matter to me what Jacque wished nor wanted, this time was for ourselves..

"Dante? You are not paying attention to me tonight.." I gave a little pout and squeezed closer. "Where are your thoughts?"

"I am sorry Leigha.. I am worried about you though." And his eyes shown that as he turned to block her path. "Why won't you join me? You know I would take care of you."

This argument again. Although we never argued, he was determined, but he was shallow and an empty promise.

"Dante, love.." I smiled sweetly, kissing his frowning lips as my fingers caressed his arm. "We are but ships.. passing in the night.." My little quote had him chuckling and shaking his head. He would give up his quest that night, but the next time we would prance and dance around the same issues as usual.

I would deny him, he would graciously back away and we'd fuck like long lost lovers until neither could move.

And so we did...

I left sometime before dawn, Dante's little suite was beautiful, but I longed for my own home and my own peaceful haven. I did not bother with cuddling, kissing him or even a note. I took a long stem red rose from a near by vase and placed it upon my pillow then quietly made my escape.

Routines.

They were becoming boring.

Rules controlled my life, my every action. No one came into my home but me. I never left evidence of my own blood anywhere within my apartment. All tissues and such were burned in the large wood fireplace I had built into the north wall. Bleach lined two cupboards in the hall closet, safety reasons. I never let Dante near my throat, even with his pleas for the ultimate release, I could not allow him a sample. I never stay over night in any man's home, I never 'date' them more than twice, and I never make promises. I lived by a strict code and meant to maintain that code until I died. The only exception was Dante. He was my link into the realm of the vampire.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Pressed and dressed I waited for the courier to unload her briefcase.

"Gold as expected. I presume the package is ready to go?"

"Yes." I did not like his 'assistant's' tone of voice any more than I liked her demeanor. She was insulting just with the way her eyes had scanned over my person earlier.

Rival? She was welcome to him.. Once I was finished that is.

"Tell Mr. Landau that I expect him to pick me up tomorrow night, no later than 8 P.M. I require dinner, Frankie's would be sufficient. So he best make a reservation and sometime before seven this evening. There we will discuss the sculpture he wishes to acquire. If he does not arrive on time, or at all, then our business is concluded here." Helpful as always, I wrote it all down on the back of my business card and handed it over. Turning from the woman, I went to my desk and picked up the packaged knife.

"Once it leaves this store, it is your responsibility, not mine. Any damage or loss of this item due to courier stupidity is his loss as well, not mine. I suggest you be careful with this item Miss. And tell Mr. Landau.. About the reservations and what not? I real lady deserves the best in everything.." I flashed a wicked little smile and watched the livid courier exit my store.

It is started..

I did not feel relief, anticipation hummed through my veins.

"Tag Jacque.. you're i-t."

"She Insists on being treated like a lady even though she has given no proof she ever was one...and demanded she be taken to dine at a restaurant such as Frankie's , Master...

Jacque Landau watched his servant carefully...filtering out the woman’s hatred for her Masters new interest...and arriving at the message given to her to be delivered along with the knife.

"She wants to make sure she is treated with a certain.... measure...of respect, to let us know she is not giving up anything by meeting with me. One must respect that if we expect to enter a mutually beneficial business relationship..."

Still the arrogant tone that came through was curious...but instead of deterring him made it all the more intriguing.

"Arrange a table for two at "Des La Muertes" instead of Frankie’s, the balcony table with his best staff waiting on us. They serve my KIND better and think nothing of having mortals with us as guests...or a meal. And have the car pick me up at seven so we can be waiting for Miss Cross's address as she wishes. I will wear my new suit I think...after I bathe of course."

Jacque smiled at the hatred and jealousy in his servant’s eyes, caressing her face as she looked up to him from her kneeling position...

"And fear not my sweet flower...it is what she has to sell that interests me, not what she flaunts...you wear my mark...while she carries the stink of another...If she fails to please me in business I will let you please yourself in getting rid of her annoying attitude..."

The thought brought a glowing smile to the waifs impish eyes and she rose to hustle off to prepare her Masters bath...she would press her opinion as far as she dared...and then bask in the glow of her Masters favor...living as his eternal servant as long as he wished. But she knew from harsh example what would happen if she fell OUT of favor, having watched the painful and long drawn out process of another who carelessly displeased her Master...

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~



7:50 P.M. the following evening.

Jacque waited patiently while his driver knocked on Miss Cross's door reflected on the choices he made and the ramifications of them. The restaurant he had chosen catered explicitly to his "kind" and their private guests...and he knew the vampire he had met in the street would be there as well...He recognized the scent of the creature and it's arrogance as well, and looked forward to grinding the insult of having it's chosen but as of yet unmarked servant found with Jacque. The reaction of Miss Cross was going to be just as interesting when she saw the company her lover kept...

"Good Evening Miss Cross...Your dress is simply breathtaking"

Jacque complimented gently as the door opened and the long leg of his guest slid in and she followed...

"The night is clear and beautiful...the moon at its apex, a lovers moon if I remember the phrase correctly, one if shared leaves the couple bound together in some magical way...forever?"

And for some strange reason Jacque was reminded of another face as he looked into Miss Cross's eyes...one he hadn't seen for too many years but had never forgotten, a mortal who he had only hoped the legend would be true for...

His thoughts were cut into as Miss Cross leaned forward, giving his eyes a feast of bountiful and firm flesh...her breasts swaying as if weightless and without the need of any support...the nipples aroused from constant contact with the near sheer fabric of the blood red gown she wore...

"I've heard that childish fairytale as well Mister Landau, but have put it away as just that...Who indeed would ever believe in such a thing?"

The words were spoken levelly and yet her eyes blazed as she spoke them...and Jacque smiled softly before responding...

"Perhaps a being who clings to the hope that true love IS immortal Miss Cross, albeit a thin hope as time passes he holds it gently?"

The words seemed to calm the store in her eyes leaving a puzzled calm and Jacque moved to change the subject.

"I've taken the liberty to have us dine at Des La Muertes Miss Cross, being aware of your preference for Frankie’s I'm sure you'll find the cuisine and service equal or above theirs...they have an excellent and well deserved reputation for the food and the Orchestra they have with them as well."

The remaining few minutes of the ride was spent in small talk...the gently prying questions of Miss Cross easily avoided by Jacque and her doing the same to his...until the limo glided to a halt and her door opened.

"These are for you Miss Cross. Roses that match your dress perfectly it seems...but be careful of the thorns..."

And then they were inside the opulent furnishings of the restaurant...a staff of quiet and well-mannered men seating them at the table placed sedately on the balcony over looking the river below.

"Tell me of yourself if you would Miss Cross?" Jacque asked directly after they had ordered wine and their meals. "What drove a lovely woman such as yourself into the interesting yet ugly business world of dealing fine antiques and exquisite painting?"

Leigha

The waiter was handsome, flirty but too young. He held my seat for me, of course and quickly made work of bringing some wine. Apprently Jacque had some connections to the 'under world'.

I would've laughed if I really wanted to give myself away.
"Thank you for the roses, very sweet of you." I knew what he wanted, but I didn't know why he wanted it?

"Well.. I wanted to do something I would love for a lifetime. And so I went into the art business. Beautiful pieces, people, vacations and business trips to exotic locations. I never grow bored and I meet such interesting people throught my days. All good reasons if you ask me.. Plus there is the fact that there is money to be made in art.. antiques and such." The champagne was delicious, I was betting he already knew that fact too.

"Is that all there is to know about me? No, but you could spend a lifetime trying to figure me out." Laughing softly, I held his gaze with my own, a challenge perhaps?

He hadn't changed, he was still gorgeous as the night I met him all those years ago.. Such a shame he had no heart. "And there is always a chance I will meet Mr. Right in this line of business as well."

The waiter arrived once more taking our orders before retreating back inside. I did notice Dante was here, having seen him upon entering. He was escorting a young little maiden.. Probably his latest 'toy'. My eyes didn't linger over Dante, his appeal was only an ends to a mean. He provided a service, free of charge of course and I made no requests. Perfect relationship.

"Why don't you tell me why you wish to try and aquire my piece? The Repentant Virgin?" I flashed him a smile, knowing he wasn't going to like the news he was going to hear.

She was hard as the obsidian knife I had purchased from her and twice as sharp.

When Dante had walked in her face had remained as expressionless as if she were looking at the menu...no interest at all though the same couldn't be said for Dante...

I could hear his threat as he made a show of toying with his current meal...his eyes burning with rage and hate for imposing on something he considered his own...

But back to the moment and my "guest"...

"Why don't you tell me how significant a piece it is Miss Cross, I can see it's beauty and the time it took to create it...though it isn't a particularly old object...and the manner in which you've displayed it suggests it has great sentimental value?"


Tiny bells were ringing in my head and we had yet to be served our "meals"...and yet the game being played out wasn't distasteful.

"The name of the piece now...it bears scrutiny, perhaps you'd take time to elucidate upon its meaning as well as where it comes from? I often find the value increases to me if the story behind the object is a dramatic one?"

So I sat quietly and admired her beauty...a vampire in the midst of other vampires, spending an evening with an assortment of mortals who held various meanings to us...sitting across from one who obviously kept the company of the immortals but refused to admit she was with one at the present...

"You have lovely eyes Miss Cross...familiar eyes...perhaps we have met before?"

Leigha

"You have lovely eyes Miss Cross...familiar eyes...perhaps we have met before?"

"You don't know me Jacque, I can assure you of that." I held his gaze, truth in every word of my statement. He did not know me, he didn't know anything about me.

"As for the statue. The artist that made it, Tabby.. It's her story. The piece is mine, and treasured dearly. Tabby only makes pieces now and then, but when she does they sell like hot cakes. The Repentant Virgin is a story of her life.. Or a moment in her life. And one that is personal, I wouldn't betray her tiny shred of trust by explaining it too in depth..." I paused, knowing he was hanging on every word I spoke. Disregarding the huskiness in my voice, his eyes staring but unseeing.. Was he remembering?

"She gave her heart, soul and virginity to one man. A man she thought she'd have life-times with... or so she said. And that man left her. Heart broken, she carved that statue to represent that night. She loved it, and yet it nearly killed her when he took a part of her she never got back." Pausing, I sipped my wine with great interest. It was hard to explain it to him, when he should've known all along, but all in due time.

Sighing heavily, I knew this was too gloomy, "But it is life's experiences, no?" Smiling, I sat back so the waiter could place my plate before me.

"Good evening." Surprised a little, I glanced up to see Dante lingering behind the waiter.

"Dante!" With a sweet smile, I let him kiss my cheek in greeting. "What a pleasant surprise." A lie

"I just thought I would say hello to the most beautiful woman in the room. Pardon the interruption." He bowed elegantly to Jacque.

"Always a gentleman." I introduced the two men, feeling the tension in the air.

What game was Dante playing at?

"I am conducting business, love." Another lie since I was more in effect of laying a trap..

"Ah. Forgive me? I will not darken your table any more this night." He bid us good eve and departed rather slowly. Apparently I was going to have to cut Dante's strings sooner than I thought.

"Sorry Jacque for the interruptions. Where was I? Oh yes, the piece....."

She had avoided my question...not telling a direct lie but carefully skirting it as her eyes flared briefly in anger

And smoothly moved to the second question and the telling of a very small part of the history of her piece...

The picture she painted was a sad, grim tale.. And all too familiar as well...bringing me back to a brief period of great happiness...and sorrow.

"But it is life's experiences, no?"

"Life is far too short to live it in the pain of ones past" I agreed.

Her food arrived and with it an uninvited guest...part of the evenings entertainment it seemed as his eyes burned in jealous rage as he kissed her cheek...his "elegant" manners and smooth delivery taking him quickly nowhere as Miss Cross chided him like a trained puppy...

"I am conducting business, love."

How good it felt to let a smirk appear on my face as I laughed at him with my eyes...watching him try to redeem himself with a suave farewell, turning the hatred and blame in his own eyes towards me before sulking away...


"Sorry Jacque for the interruptions. Where was I? Oh yes, the piece....."

I raised my glass to her in a silent toast then drank from it before replying...

"A piece that has much pain and suffering chiseled into it's features Miss Cross and with the small amount you've shared with me of it's history has great draw for me to possess...Besides it's creator..Tabby? and yourself have there been any others to possess it?"

"None Jacque, it passed from her hands to mine and has remained there"

"Hands that are quite capable of taking care of themselves it seems."

I smiled and nodded to the lingering figure of "Dante" as he scowled at me from the doorway before sliding through.

"Though your "friend" seems to think you need to be watched over."

She began to eat and I drank my glass empty...watching her as we spoke of the quality of the food...the service...the night...until finally she took her own drink in her hands signifying the end of the meal.

"What would it take to possess "The Repentant Virgin" Miss Cross?"

Her smile didn't hide the coolness in her eyes as she replied...the words giving me the second thrill of the evening as she spoke them...

"One million dollars and the heart of the man that broke Tabby's"

Leigha

"I will settle for the million first.. and grant you time to bring me his heart." I would not budge on the deal and I was certain he knew that fact.

Cool as can be, I sat back in the seat, watching him as I sipped more champagne. A small smile began to form on my lips as I watched the expressions secret across his face.. emotions he wanted to hide more than reveal.

"Well..."

"It is non-negotiable." He knew just by my stare and yet he tried to what? Talk me down? As if I would part with something so sacred.. for long.. for NOTHING. For him.. A million was pocket change. Did he suspect I knew what he was? If so, I don't think I would be breathing right now.

"Dante grows tiresome of late. Merely a little toy when I am bored." My eyes scanned over him, a sexy little smile growing.
Oh yeah, I wanted him.. "I can find other amusements easily enough." And it was true, I could.. I made sure I could.

"Do we have a bargain? Or perhaps you'd like another meal to discuss it further?" I could easily empty his pocket book, but it wasn't my main goal. I wanted him on his fucking knees! I wanted him to apologize and mean it! And I would have it, eventually.. Or he would end my suffering. Either way I win.

Ten long years looking for this man.. And I have him now within my grasp. No, I couldn't afford to let him go... not yet. Leaning forward, revealing a bit of cleavage, but not using it as a ploy I caught his gaze. "For a million in cash.. I will deliver it myself." Those words held hidden meaning. Would he 'bite'?

Now this was more like it.

It had been too long since I last felt a challenge.

Much too long.

The money met nothing to me...But the idea of a heart?

Beating it's last as I handed it to her in trade for her most prized possession?

It was more than a challenge. Life or death, a contest to be played out in grand fashion...

The peice was the center of it all. The biggest CLUE to the one I had to find...

"Tell me more about the statue Miss Cross...if you can't violate this mysterious womans privacy...tell me more about the statue and it's erotic meanings."

"Then you agree to the terms Jacque?"

Miss Cross pressed...like the professional "closer" she was...she went for the jugular vein...

*Did she know for a vampire to give his word was a bond he wouldn't....couldn't..break?* I wondered?

"Do you enjoy dancing Miss Cross?" I countered and smiled at the confusion on her face.

"I rarely have the time...but could perhaps be talked into it with the right partner. Why...are you asking me?"

Grinning in real mirth...actually enjoying myself I laughed...

"You're an intelligent woman Miss Cross. Above even the high average I'd wager...Look about this restaurant and tell me the single recurrent factor that stands out..."

Leigha

I didn't glance left nor right but kept my eyes glued to his.

"Why?" I asked a simple question, yet he continued to look at me with this smirk. It was high time I erased that smirk.

"Because we are surrounded by vampires?" I had to laugh then, the expression on his face was priceless.

"Really Jacque, did you think all of us humans are narrow minded and can not see beyond our own greatness?" I sipped my wine, letting that thought sink in before I set my drink back down.

"Yes I know who frequents this place and why. I know what Dante is and yourself. I am not shocked in the slightest that the man behind me and to the right.. is right now sliding under the table to toy with his date.. or should I say dinner? He will lift her skirt, his face will nuzzle her damp needy pussy and when she least expects it.. he will sink his teeth into her and feast.."

He did look a little amused by me, I knew he would.

"I also have connections.. I've sold pieces to almost everyone in this room.. of your kind. There is a pact with me, from them. Assured my safety here and the hands off rule applies. So, as long as you don't try and bite me.. We'll have no troubles."

"And did you notice that Roul is also leaving the table cloth up so that others may watch him in his teasings? He does it almost weekly.. It grows tiresome to repeat. No flare what so ever."

I toyed with the stem of my glass, noticing it was champagne, not wine, but uncaring I sipped it again. "That dance Jacque?" My brow quirked a little, a silent challenge. I was safe here in this haven and I knew if I made Jacque swear an oath to me not to bite, he could not break it.. That was next on my agenda.

"Very Good Miss Cross"

I complimented and raised my own glass in salute...

It was a surprise...but one that was amusing, for Miss Cross to go from not mentioning she kept the company of "a" vampire at all to confessing she dealt with "many"?

She seemed quite pleased with her "arrangements" with the others in the room...

"Did you exact a promise from Dante as well I wonder? Is that what has tamed the natural urges of a being that lives to kill? Or is he truly as weak as I think he is?"

It was my time to study her face and what I DIDN'T see surprised me the most.

She wasn't upset in the least over my insults about her "vamp-friend"...in fact her eyes shined over my discovering she was toying with him.

And again it was my face that showed surprise and understanding...and hers that held a gloating smile.

"If Dante were to kill his long list of lovers who would he have to sing his praises..." I surmised out loud and watched Miss Cross nod in approval. "He loves the idea of himself being thought of a "great" lover, perhaps better than the blood of those humans he seduces...and thus has become the toy of the ones he thought to prey upon."

My estimation of the woman that sat across from me went up several rungs on the ladder...she wasn't simply a dealer of rare art...she was fast becoming a worthy opponent...and a very alluring one.

As well as seemed to enjoy mixing sex with danger...

"You've grown tired of Dante, I saw the first hint of it in your eyes tonight...to sleep with him is still appealing but he is no threat to you...IF I were to accept your terms for purchase of your statue I would place several of my own as well..."

Lifting my own glass I drained the blood red contents and sighed, I had no qualms at all about being a hunter...it was one of the few redeeming things in being a vampire that could live forever.

"I might point out ONE thing about another important and common factor of nearly all the vampires in this room Miss Cross...something you may not have noticed...or recognized the significance of?"

Her eyes narrowed as did her lips...a barely perceptible movement that spoke volumes to me as she spoke...

"And that factor Jacque...enlighten me with it?"

I took my time in answering...enjoying myself as we danced without rising to our feet...

"Age Miss Cross...though I am not "ancient" as are some of the oldest and most influential of our kind...I am older than ALL in this room...the only reason a vampire would break a spoken oath is if they were forced to...and the only one that could force them to do so?"

She understood. I could see it in her eyes as she waived aside the waiter that came to refill her glass...

"You spoke of conditions in our deal then Jacque?"

My guest for the evening was giving me grand memories...and what else could a being such as myself take to his dreams each morning?

Ever the dealer she was moving to close the sale...

"We have no deal yet" I corrected and received a nod. "We are bargaining if I am correct?"

"Your terms then, Jacque?" She pressed her voice chilled and controlled.

"I offer the one million upfront...in good faith that the piece will be taken off the market and no longer offered to anyone...you will hold the piece and the money..."

"Of course I would, that is all standard practice and good ethics when dealing..." She returned and then halted before finishing.

"With my kind, Miss Cross?" I offered and smiled...

"As you wish. But why do I have the feeling I haven't heard the entire condition of your terms?"

She was a beauty. She was intelligent. And not afraid at all.

In my book that made her perfect...

And very, very deadly.

"My condition is you come to my home to retrieve the money. As you pointed out to my servant, once in your hands it is your responsibility and problem, correct? You will have dinner with me, drinks perhaps...and I trust our conversation will be as invigorating as it has been tonight. Then once I am satisfied you can leave and expect me to keep my remainder of the deal, agreed?"

Leigha

"I accept your terms on one condition." I watched his eyes, knowing what he had in mind for me. I could not let that happen, his status as vampire be damned and himself, I was no pawn.

"I will come to your home, stay as long as you like.. or until I tire or you do.. When you swear an oath to me that you will not partake of my blood without my verbal consent."

Cool as can be, my fingertip circled the rim of my glass, my eyes a hard stubborn glint. I would not back down. If he wanted the statue, he had to conceed to my wishes. A million was nothing in the scheme of things. Certainly not worth my life and my statue.

"I want to hear you say it, officially." I could hear the oath words in my mind, knowing he could not skirt it or reword the oath.

Ball is in his court now.. How badly does he want it? How badly does he want me? I could not surmise the answers for he gave nothing away he did not wish to. But in his own words he had said plainly as can be what he wished of me upon delivery.

Wishing and getting are two different things.. I smiled then, knowing this man was still king of his domain.. and yet would he tell me no? Could he? If only he knew...

The room had fallen silent.

A testament to the miraculous hearing of the others seated around us you might wonder...

There was no need to look to see if their eyes were on us as well.

They were.

"As you wish and per your words Miss Cross...as long as you are under my roof I will not take of your blood without your verbal consent. Nor will I unfairly induce you into consent... I swear it before you and all with us as witness."

A subtle and very low hiss moved through the room and then suddenly the room returned to normal, the sounds of silver and fine china moving against each other, of glasses being filled, of the normal low chatter that one might hear in any restaurant...

Leaving the false impression the event was already forgotten.

But as we left the restaurant and made for the waiting car I knew it was just the opposite. The oath would be silently and carefully watched, for though solitary beings...vampires were infamous for sticking their noses into each others business...

"I will have my driver pick you up at your store tomorrow evening at a time after sunset that you choose Miss Cross..."

I had to admire her. She had just forced an oath from me that made her nearly one hundred percent safe from any vampire and yet she still tried to gain further advantage.

"I'd hate to inconvenience you Jacque, simply give me the address and I'll find my own way..."

The look on my face amused her for she smiled as I replied.

"No Miss Cross...It would be an insult to my honor as a gentleman"

Insult an immortals honor and you would quickly find yourself worse than dead. Killers by instinct and nature we were, but also bound our self by endless and rigid codes in order to evade mass slaughters of our own numbers...

"Send him at midnight then and I'll have my bags ready...

Not even a chaste kiss I realized later as I rode towards my own home...but that would come later... I was looking forward to it.

Leigha

ooc: redo the whole damned thing... *sighs*

IC:

"...as long as you are under my roof I will not take of your blood without your verbal consent."

Nice play of words there Jacque! As usual, he warped everything he wished it to be. What more could I say or do about it? I could insist on him changing his wording, but I was in no mind to do battle.

He was trying to assert himself as 'lord of the manor', key word was trying.

"I will see you then, Jacque." I parted ways with him at the door and quickly located my car. White knuckled and irritated, I wanted to hurt something. Namely Jacque.

Your time is coming Jacque. When I will see you crawl on your knees, heart broken, spirit broken.. even body broken if I had my way. My hands ached from the frustrated grip on the wheel, more tense than I had been before the dinner, I slowly readied myself for bed.

Checking all the locks twice, I listened to my messages as I sat at the vanity. No wrinkles, no sighs of aging any where. Hard to believe I would be thirty in no time. Not bad however, I had to remember to send Dr. Richardson a Christmas card of thanks.

Flashing memories came to me while I sat there. The lonely overweight, nerdy college geek. Unattractive, ignored and innocent. Until a magnificent knight is complete black had entered her life.

Why had he chose me? What was it about me, then, that he found so appealing? I remembered exactly how I looked, dressed and behaved. Why did he center his attention on me?

... There was only one thought.. He liked to toy with his conquests before he broken them into tiny fragments of humanity. "I bet he got off on it..." Whispered words never rung so true. It stung my pride, but only a little.

I was better now. The reflection in the mirror said so. The men said so, hell even the good Doctor used me as a pamphlet cover model. Dante adored me, simply because he couldn't have me, but still it was adoration.

My hair brushed out, my face clean and treated, I crawled into bed. Determined would be a word to describe how I was feeling. I would get my vengeance, some how. But first to make him want me, want me so badly, he'll be the one seducing. Let him earn his play things.... break his wallet.. drive him crazy.. "Break his heart."

Turning over with a smirk I settled down into my 'black domain' to sleep amid black silk sheets and velvet covered pillows. I really did with there for a moment he could see my bedroom. It was inspired by him and what he gave me.. But that would require inviting a demon into my home, a rule I never broke.

~*~*

Box resting at my feet, the sleek black limousine pulled up before my business precisely at midnight. A young man, perhaps twenty or so appeared from the driver's door and quickly came to assist me.

Nice. and of course I gave him a beaming smile, watching his eyes as I did so.

"Miss Cross, I trust everything is ready to depart?"

"Yes. Please load the box into the back with me. I do not want it damaged." Pasting the smile in place, I waited for him to open the door for me before sliding inside. Scooting to make room, he easily hefted the box into the car and quietly shut the door.


So, Jacque was attempting to "wow" me? Some how I doubted that. If I were to guess more accurately, he delivered what he felt I would expect.

"Not bad.. not bad." He was progressing at his little games. Now to see who ended up in 'check' first.

The ride was silent, the separation window firmly in place and the driver keeping to himself. Obviously a well paid servant, or a hire? It didn't really matter in the slightest to me which it was, I just wanted this night over with.

Eyes on the box, knowing my 'baby' resting inside was no comfort. My first piece... The only piece to hold so much emotion and turmoil.. Was about to be handed over to the true creator of my misery. How did I feel about it? It was almost as if I was losing my own natural born babe.. Never would I know that feeling, but the statue was a close likeness to the situation.

I would see it again, I knew eventually I might even have it back where it belonged... Once Jacque was taken care of... The money entered my mind, but it was useless to me. It would be returned to Jacque when the time was right.. All in good time Tabby..

The house was a typical Hollywood Hills type mansion. Too much money for one pompous ass.. But centuries give them that money and buying power. It didn't impress me, but I knew it would impress any other 'meal' he decided to bring here.

The young man opened the door for me, the outer door opened to reveal a very angry looking young woman..

"Rivalry?" Oh, this was going to be very, very amusing.

"Miss Cross?" I nodded to the little chit as the driver once more lifted my 'baby' into his arms. Carrying it inside, he vanished without another word back the way he'd come. Apparently he would take me home as well later..

"Right this way Ma'am." The young lady seemed a little put off tonight. Was her master forcing her to serve? I felt the threat of laughter bubbling up, the urge was great inside me.. just to tell that little shit exactly what kind of 'man' her master was.

But it wasn't my place.. Not yet anyway.

The girl stopped at a set of double doors, pushing one side open and stepping inside and out of the way. "Miss Cross has arrived, Sir."

Interesting that she felt the need to tell a vampire I had arrived to his home? Jacque probably knew the second I entered his drive way. "Formalities are wasted here young lady.." I smiled coolly as I passed her with those words. I hated games, the young 'toy' was either misinformed or blind to what he was?

Moving into the room, I didn't stop to admire anything but moved right up to the man I wanted to see broken. "Good evening Jacque.. " A little smile and a handshake for good measure.

He looked a little amused, but why wouldn't he be? He had a hell-cat in the corner just waiting for a chance to pounce.. Too bad the girl didn't know I had some self defense training under my belt.. I almost asked him right then and there, why he toyed with the girl? Either make her a vampire or let her go, but it was none of my business either way..

Personally I'd prefer it if she would just vanish and let us conduct business..

“Tell me Miss Cross when did the passion to collect the unique and dark art begin for you?”

My guest raised an eyebrow as I offered an arm and she pointedly ignored it, then walked beside me into the “drawing room”, the young, blond waif following us at a discreet distance.

“I don’t see how that is any of your business Jacque…I believe I came to make a delivery to you as requested…not to answer questions.”

I could feel the anger rolling of her body, the smell of it weeping off her body as her heart pounded madly…and yet her face and eyes remained cool…

“Perhaps you’d share with me why besides Dante’s prowess in bed do you associate with him then?”

“Again Jacque that is I believe none of your business.”

Nodding I offered a chair to her and watched as she slid into the eighteenth century chaise as if she did it everyday, her eyes moving about the room as if carefully recording each piece within the well polished oak walls.


“Perhaps you’d care for a glass of wine Miss Cross I have a bottle of red wine that I’m told is beyond comparison”

I offered and studied the figure underneath the dark clothing.

“It wouldn’t be drugged now would it Jacque? I don’t doubt you are a “man” of your word but then you didn’t promise no harm would come to me…only that you wouldn’t bite me under your roof.

“Oh come now Miss Cross”

I teased gently and nodded to the woman, watching as she pulled the cork from the bottle and poured two glasses of the burgundy colored wine.

“Desiree will sample it first for you…to show you I mean you no harm. As for my prior questions I believe that in a vampires world all previous relationships have meaning, as do the actions of the ones we are involved with. Take Dante for instance…perhaps you’d be curious to know that besides having the reputation of loving the mortal form it is also rumored he sides with a faction that wishes to change the rules between our two worlds?”

Desiree sipped her glass of wine and then set it carefully aside, offering the second to Miss Cross as I watched the interplay between the two…

“A bit bitter for my palate…but it should satisfy you as it seems my Master has acquired a taste for that of late.”

I watched as the lithe and well shaped figure shifted under her clothing and accepted the glass, then lifted it to her lips and sampled it, her lean neck shifting as she swallowed before lowering the glass to the skin of her leg…

“Perhaps your “Master’s” taste has improved then…and he has grown tired of “young tarts”?’

The retort drew an immediate response…Desiree hammering the cork back into the bottle before spinning to face my fiery guest, her face bright red as she clenched her fists and advanced two steps.

“Come Desiree…is that any way to show your obedience to me…by quarreling with the first gust I ask you to serve?”

I interceded, my words drawing the scathing looks of not one but two sets of female eyes…

“Desiree is to tend to your needs when you are under my roof Miss Cross, as fitting to the station of an honored guest…I would not purge your honor by offering less and no vampire would willingly serve you as long as you wear “His” scent…”

“As I stated when I arrived Jacque…I’m here to deliver the statue…strictly business…what are you trying to involve me in?”

I faced my guest and smiled, her attention fully upon me for the first time since she entered the room, and I answered…

“You’re an intelligent and strong willed woman Miss Cross…since you’ve deemed your knowledge your own…perhaps you tell me?”

Leigha

Shifting in the seat, I set the wine on a near by end table and smiled sweetly.

"You do ask a lot of probing questions for a man only interested in a piece of art?" His little toy was annoying me, I was tempted to give her a little piece of it back but refrained. She was a bothersome creature who’s only purpose here was to sexually satisfy her Master.

He obviously still liked them young, trainable.. impressionable. He was without a doubt one of the type I made a point to avoid.

"Dante.. Hmmmm.." smiled a little, Dante did have a rather nice body, but a blood oath kept him at bay. "He does not own me. He has no claim to me, why do I keep his company? He is there when I am bored." It was harsh but the truth. Dante was nothing to me but a pass time, and lately a rarely used pass time.
"Why? Are you threatened by that knowledge?" I paused a moment, trying not to laugh. "I find that very hard to believe. Dante could no more hold onto his soul than he could hold onto me."

Here he sat, preaching to me about the company I kept when he was no better at it than I. He surrounded himself with beautiful things, including the little 'groupie' and for what? It would not balance out his black heart. It would not make him beautiful to me, but he did not know that I knew him.

Handsome, rich and an ancient of his kind, he held power in his palms at all times.. And yet he just toyed with little girls?

"Who makes sure the rules are not broken, Jacque?" It was a passing thought, but one in which I was very curious. I knew quite a number of vampires, but none had mentioned their Master. The one true master that is. "Who do they fear retribution from if they break a law, an oath?" I watched him for a sign, a simple flicker of the truth across his face. I had a hunch it was this same man standing before me who upheld their honor, their laws and dealt out the punishments for any minor infraction.

But I wanted him to admit it.

"I grow bored with this chess game we're playing Jacque." Smiling, I rose from the chair and approached him. "I believe it is time to show you what you've been waiting for?" My mouth lifted to his ear as I passed him, whispering my invitation.. knowing his little toy heard every word I spoke.
"Come. It is a fabulous piece, even your little play mate will like it."
Moving into the entry hall, the box had been removed, and the piece set upon it's own little black marble column.

He obviously planned to get this without a hitch..

Cocky, but amusing. "Let me unwrap it." Careful to make certain no part of the sculpture cut my skin again, I unwrapped the clear plastic coating. Turning it slightly, I stepped back to let them view the 'Virgin' up close.

What's her-name.. Desiree? Well she was the first to step up to the statue, her fingers reaching out and nearly touching the carved face. "I wouldn't if I was you.." I warned softly. "The stone is sharp." Desiree could only glare, but stepped back to let Jacque closer.

"Blood is a thing more precious then gold to my brethren Miss Cross, but then I'm sure you know that, you've made quite a habit of studying my "kind" and the habits we exercise."

The statue rested on the pedestal I had requested and as Miss Cross stepped back I moved to lift the object carefully to better study it. Her eyes were studying me as I lifted the erotic and exquisite piece to eye level and I smiled at her before turning my full attention to the detail of the artwork.

"I'm interested in your perceptions of the meaning of this piece Miss Cross...I know your reply is going to be "Only your opinion should matter" regarding this beautiful statue, but oblige me...I find the observations of those around me are often the most astounding...and astute."

It was an interesting object and like many of the works I had collected held a feeling of almost being alive...the vibrancy and essence coming from it in waves of nearly invisible color and sound.

But that was the gift of being a vampire...and the curse. To me the colors were nearly blinding and the sounds almost deafening, lessening as I lowered the statue to the marble surface and turned towards my guest.

"The artist who created it left her blood on it...I'd hazard several times as she created it and once since...indicating she has come to visit while it was in your shoppe?"

Why I had missed it before was obvious to me, for even in my home the aura Miss Cross unconsciously generated was near overpowering, just as it had been when I had visited her in her own shop...

But she was in my home now and though bound by my oath I had a slight advantage...one I was going to make the most of.

"Desiree was just heading for her bed Miss Cross, her duties require she be well rested to tend to your needs in the daylight hours, but I hope you will join me in my den where we might....talk, among other things?"