Lover of the Night.

[Ravenloft]

OOC: Please PM me if you wish to join this thread, thank you.

Darius:

Standing in the dimly lit lounge of a prominant night club, Darius pretended to sip on a glass of crimson wine, his crisply blue eyes staring out from a luminously pale face. He seemed to glide rather than walk when he moved about, his long, jet hair trailing back over his shoulders, a few strands whisping about in the gently churning air. It was as though he was unaffected by the rampant clustering people, by the hammering, droning 'music' that enveloped him, as though he were disconnected from it all, though he were from another world. And it was so, he, Darious Von Tilla was a vampire. Not the hissing, foul myth shown in the foolishly missled cinema, but a real, and potent supernatural being of blood. And he was here tonight because of a woman.

She was alone at the bar, he had circled her several times in silence, admiring her windsome beauty, being drawn inexplicably closer with each passing moment. "If only you would look up at me, little dove..." He thought longingly. "If only to memorize the color of your eyes, each single fleck of color therein..." He was close enough now to hear the beat of her heart, even over the din that surrounded them, with his heightened sences. As though she had felt his will, she looked up at him just then...

 

[Maid of Marvels]

Gail Westrick

Gail looked up from her drink, right into the steely blue of a man's eyes. That he had been watching her was obvious. The sharpness of his gaze seemed to bore into the very center of her being.

Her first instinct was to look away, but she couldn't. She was mesmerized. Something deep inside of Gail Westrick told her that she wanted to know this man. Anything and everything about him. But how?

She smiled at him then, nervously hoping that he would respond in kind. Oh, yes. She could live in those eyes. Drown in them. Die in them. Only to live another day.

Little did she know.

 

[Ravenloft]

Darius

Though he did not need to, Darius drew a breath, stolen, and taken in by this woman's incomparable beauty. There was a stately beauty to her face, a self aware knowledge to her eyes, and the way her hair framed her face... He drew closer to her, returning her smile as he did.

"Hello Madam." Darius began, traces of a transilvanian accent in his voice. "Forgive me if my staring has put you off, it is simply that I felt compeled to admire such an exquisite work of art." He said as he finally came up next to her, his hands resting on the bar top. He made a small motion for the bar tender. "It is customary to the lady a drink, yes?" He asked her as he turned his eyes upon her once again, the way he stared at her, it was as though he could see into her.

 

[Maid of Marvels]

Gail Westrick

"Gail. Gail Westrick" she said, extending her hand. "I'm drinking Scotch. Laphroaig. And thank you."

There was a trace of accent in his voice and he almost purred his words as he spoke. They swirled around her like a gentle caress. Luring her. Lulling her. Entrancing her. Gail wanted him to keep talking. No. She needed him to keep talking.

"Will you join me, Mr... " A name. She needed to hear his name. Better yet, she needed to hear her name on his lips.

 

[Ravenloft]

Darius:

"Ah, Gail Westrick." Darius purred as he drew closer to her, indicating to the bartender that he bring the drink she had asked for. "I am Darius Von Tilla, and I would be delighted to join you." He breathed as he took her hand in his own, gloved in black silk as they were and placed a light kiss upon the back of her hand. His eyes were upon her as he kissed, never seeming to be diverted away, without words he gave her the sence that she was the only thing that mattered in the room.

 

[Maid of Marvels]

Gail

Darius held her eyes as he took Gail's hand, brushing his lips against it. The sight of her skin, starkly white against the jet black of his glove, was curiously erotic and sent shivers through her body.

Gloves. Curious. Seen on any other man, she might have been tempted to make a comment about Michael Jackson, but on Darius Von Tilla they didn't seem outré. In fact, somehow they suited him. Everything about him seemed note-perfect.

"I'm here to attend a lecture. Not here at Le Baiser Foncé. Here in New Haven," she offered by way of explanation for her presence. "I'm a... Well, my interests are art history and classical archaeology. I'm alone, Darius."

Gail wondered if he was surprised at her use of his first name, but she had picked up the habit early in her career. She preferred to interact with her colleagues on a more personal basis, immediately setting aside the 'I know more than you do' attitudes many had developed over time. Of course, many of them did know more, but she wanted to learn from them, not be talked down to by them.

She extended that attitude into her personal life as well. Gail was not a game player. She didn't have the time nor the inclination for such childish things. She was honest in her approach to people and life in general and her confidence showed. But it wasn't herself she wanted to know about. It was him.

"And you?" Gail could have meant that in any number of ways: his presence at Le Baiser Foncé, his being in New Haven or her actual connotation which was whether he was alone or in the company of another this evening. Somehow she was certain it would be the latter but longed to hear each possible reply.

 

[Ravenloft]

Darius:

"Ah, art history... Tell me, what do you think of Botticelli's Venus? Not to detract from her greatness, but I must say she pales in comparison to you." Darius said with an easy smile as Gail's drink arived. He slid it over to her, the tips of his gloved fingers stealing the chance to brush over her bare skin once more.

"Ah, Gail..." Darius sighed. "I'm alone, or at least I was until now." He said, his easy smile returining again.

 

[Maid of Marvels]

"Indeed?" She arched an eyebrow at Darius' comparison of her to Venus and chuckled. Gail's laugh was deep and smoky like her voice, one of the things most people liked about her.

"Did you know that Botticelli took his name from his older brother Giovanni who was a pawnbroker? They called him Il Botticello, the Little Barrel. His real name was Alessandro Di Mariano Filipepi. It sounds delicious, doesn't it?" She laughed again.

His compliments were euphuistic, yet didn't sound contrived. In fact, she rather liked his manner of speaking. Perhaps it was merely the fact that English obviously not his first language. Perhaps it was the timbre of his voice. Whichever or whatever it was, Gail Westrick was smitten.

The touch of his fingers as they brushed against her hand sent pulses of sensation, like so many little electrical shocks throughout her body. It had been ages since she'd felt such intense sexual attraction to a man and made her wonder what such a touch, skin-to-skin, would be like.

"Tell me about yourself, Darius. I've told you how I came to be here. Where are you from? What brought you here?"

 

[Ravenloft]

Darius:

"Ah, I had an intence infatuation with his more paganistic works, it slowly faded from my heart once I saw how his works became darker as time wore on, sadly. But yes, a delicious name it is." He thought so more because of how it had flown from her lips than the true asthetics of it to his ears. "Ah, to tell you about myself would take much more time than we have left, here, in the Dark Kiss, I would dearly love to tell you though. But, in short, what brought me here, to New Haven is simple. Loneliness." He leaned forward, his chin resting upon his upturned hands as he spoke. "I have resided here for more than a decade now, in a house upon a hill not far from here. Yes, I would love to share more of my past with you but, however pleasant these surroundings are, they do not lend themselfs well to such intimacy..."

 

[Maid of Marvels]

Gail

Darius invitation was replete with unspoken impressions, thoughts, needs and Gail knew that she wouldn't, couldn't refuse him. She merely smiled an answer as he stood and offered his arm.

The valet brought her car around and held the door while Darius let himself in on the passenger side. The drive wasn't long, though neither of them spoke except for his giving directions.

"Here."

Gail looked up at the wrought iron gates that slowly opened to admit them onto what was obviously a small estate. The driveway was lined with trees, and in the darkness she couldn't see much of the grounds, but she could see the house up ahead. Lights shone through the windows on the ground floor and lampposts illuminated the front walk as she pulled up and turned off the ignition.

 

[Ravenloft]

Darius:

Exiting the passenger side, Darius seemed to glide around the front of the car as he walked. He opened Gails door and offered his hand to her with a smile. "Come Gail, I have something you must see..." He said as he drew her out of the car and led her to the front door, lamp light casting over them as the walked. He took a moment to open the door then guided her in. The floor was made of black and white marble, almost as though the room was a giant chess board, but this was not what he wanted to show her, he led her on casually down a hall and into a room set off from the main. The first thing she saw was a wall length printing of Venus. He stood behind her and leaned in, whispering in her ear. "I told you I was infatuated with Botticelli did I not?" He said, humor and pride in his voice.

 

[Maid of Marvels]

Gail drew in her breath sharply, her hand at her throat. She crossed the room slowly, as if in a half-dream toward the portrait, which covered a goodly portion of the wall where it hung. It had to be close to the original size, which was slightly larger than five feet by eight.

She glanced over her shoulder at Darius before turning back, her fingers tracing over the images without touching. It was magnificent! If she didn't know better...

He had moved silently to her side and she smiled up at him. "The original is in the Galleria degli Uffizi in Florence, you know. This is a superb reproduction, Darius. Simply breathtaking."

 

[Ravenloft]

Darius:

Smiling as Gail drew her breath in surprise, noticing how her hand hand gracefully met with her neck as she crossed to the painting. Giving her a nod as she looked back to him, Daruis stepped forward.

He looked up at Venus with her, supressing the urge to tell her that he, himself had done this reproduction, mostly from memory, he could not, not yet at any rate. So he opted for the next best thing. "I pain infrequently, myself, you know..." Darius said, motioning toward an easel. "Perhaps, if you would be willing, you would allow me to paint you? Allow me to make you MY venus?" Darius arched an eyebrow as he turned to face Gail fully.

 

[^Jedi_Master69^]

hi

 

[Maid of Marvels]

Gail

If Gail had been intrigued before, she was even more so now. And flattered. As much as she loved art, artists and the history (and even the trivia) behind their works, no one had ever offered to paint her.

She sighed with regret. "You flatter me, Darius and I would be honored. However, I am not going to be in New Haven long enough. The final lecture of the seminar is tomorrow and I will be returning home on Sunday."

Gail crossed the room as she spoke, quietly surveying their surroundings. There was a fire burning in the fireplace and she ran her fingers almost sensuously along the edge of the mantle, smiling back at him. He was still watching her, almost as if he were memorizing every detail of her essence. Fathoming her thoughts. Her feelings. Did he know that it was him she wanted to touch? Somehow, she thought he did.

As she approached a Louis XV table where Lalique and Baccarat decanters filled with various golden-hued liquids nestled on a Tiffany tray, Darius spoke again for the first time in several minutes.

"Would you like a cognac?"

"I think I would, yes." Gail's heart was pounding as she sank into one of the chairs before the fireplace. Slipping off her shoes, she pointed her feet toward the flames and wiggled her toes. "Mmmm... toasty. What a wonderful room, Darius. You have some exquisite pieces." He merely nodded, handing her a snifter and sitting in the opposite chair.

Antiques and fine art, Gail mused to herself, wondering if the room fit Darius or if Darius fit the room. As she swirled the brandy, the glow from the fire reflected off the crystal and the amber liquid inside.

"We do have tonight and tomorrow afternoon and evening." The last was spoken almost as a challenge. Their time together was just beginning and Gail didn't want it to end. In fact, she hoped he felt the same. "IF you'll have me."

 

[Ravenloft]

Darius:

Smiling soflty toward her, Darius considered her words. "Thank you, it serves me well, though I do not use even a portion of it most of the time, it can become dreadfully lonesome here." He confided as he leaned forward slightly. "Ah, Gail, make no mistake, you are welcome here, in my home for these two days, and for eternity, if you wished it." He said as he rose to his feet. "However, it would not take me but a mere few hours to paint your portrait..." He stopped himself slowly sinking back into his seat. "But you must forgive me, my seeming impatience, it is just that you're beauty has stirred such artistic impulses within me... We must do this propper though, I would make you as at ease as possible. For if I were to paint you, I would want for no contrivances to show through in it. When I said I wished to make you my Venus, you must understand that I ment it with all my heart." He said, the words pouring from his lips in full measure.

 

[Maid of Marvels]

Gail

"A few hours?" She blurted it out without thinking. Of course she'd seen it done. There was that man years ago on television, Bob Ross on The Joy of Painting. Gail chuckled. "Happy little trees."

Darius arched an eyebrow and she continued on to explain, "Bob Ross. He wore an Afro when they were a decade out of style. Well maybe two decades. Prozac painting. Happy clouds. Happy happy trees. He could do an entire painting in virtually minutes. I used to think he was going to float away on one of his happy little clouds, but he fascinated me."

Gail took a sip of her cognac. "I wasn't belittling you, Darius. In truth, you intrigue me. You said that you paint infrequently now. Are you an artist? Or is it just a hobby?" Why did it seem like she was doing all the talking when it was him she wanted to learn more about?

 

[Ravenloft]

Darius:

"Indeed, perhaps little more than an hour, but I would not rush such a pleasureable activity as painting your form." Darius eyebrow raised slightly, not knowing of this Ross she spoke of but feeling a smirk play at the corner of his lips as she spoke of him. "I did not believe you were Gail, and believe my words, if I intregue you, my dear, my intregue with you is its equal. If you mean, do I get paid for my works, by being an artist, then no, I paint only for myself, and the pleasure it gives me. I wouldn't call it something as simple as a hobby though. Perhaps a passion, yes, a deeply run passion."

 

[Maid of Marvels]

Gail

"Passion." Gail drew her legs up, tucking her feet underneath herself. "A rare commodity in this day and age, I feel. Oh, the possibility is there. Like a match waiting to be struck. But someone has to take up that match in order to ignite a passion and not many are willing to take the risk."

She stopped to smile at her host. His eyes never seemed to waver from her. Under normal circumstances that would make her uncomfortable, but she liked the way he made her feel -- as if she were the most important thing in his life right now.

Gail took a deep breath and nestled into the chair. As she moved, the silk of her blouse caressed the swell of her breasts like a gentle breeze. She shivered involuntarily and felt her nipples pucker as she once again found herself longing for this strange man's touch.

"I guess what I was going to say is that passion gives one power. A shame for those who don't take up that match and light it. Think what they miss. I'm sorry. I'm rambling." She chuckled to hide her discomfiture and made yet another attempt to learn more about this mysterious man.

"So you are not an artist by trade. What do you do for a living?"

 

[Ravenloft]

Darius:

Oh, how strong the longing desire to touch this creature of beauty before him was in his heart now. As she spoke of passion, of it being like a match, waiting to be struck, he felt it strike him full force, just as she had said, only he was the match, flared to brilliant life, she the impetous for his sudden flame. He knrew that if he did not paint her soon, he would be consumed by his passions, falling upon her with the blood kiss, and that was something he must not do. She was too beautiful to be destroyed by his touch... For an instant, his eyes spoke of the sudden turmoil he was feeling.

He felt her longing deeply, drawing him in physically, ever so slowly he was leaning toward her, like a hungering flower leaning toward the sun. "I would be your match, your mere presence enflames me." Darius breathed, his hand reaching out to rest upon her knee.

 

[Maid of Marvels]

Gail

Gail held her breath as Darius moved toward her, only releasing it after he had placed his hand upon her knee. The cool silk of his glove against the warm sleekness of her skin sent a pink flush of arousal up her body to her face.

A sharp crack from the fireplace startled her and she turned toward it, just in time to see a salvo of sparks fly up the chimney. He had said he would be her match. That she would be his passion.

She wanted... Oh, how she wanted. Emboldened by his words, she placed her hand over his, willing him to move it upward. Hoping. Yearning. Longing for more.

"Touch me," her voice a breathless whisper. "Take your glove off and touch me... Please?"

 

[Ravenloft]

Darius:

Even through the fabric of his silk gloves Darius could feel her blood singing its siren song to him, it was as though her need was a physical thing he held in his hands, not just the ethereal emotion she was feeling. Remove his gloves? The feel of her naked skin under his bare hands would be maddening to his oh so acute sence of touch, and yet, he did not care, he made a silent oath to fulfill this agonizingly beautiful creatures every desire to the best of his ability. "As you wish..." Darius breathed in answer to her whisper, peeling his gloves free slowly, only to return his now naked hands to her leg, her perfect, slender leg. "Speak to me, my venus, tell me your naked desires, and I will make them yours."

 

[Maid of Marvels]

His voice was sensuous and full of promise when he spoke. Devastatingly erotic, Gail thought as she watched him remove his gloves. Slowly. Finger by finger. One glove and then the other.

His hands were large, his fingers long and slender. Her breath was shallow and she trembled as Darius touched her for the first time. Skin-to-skin. Smoother than silk against the soft, curving flesh of her leg.

Gail placed her hand over his, guiding it upward as she leaned forward. Lifting her free hand to his face, her fingertips slid fluidly over his cheek, weaving themselves through his hair as she gently drew his face closer to her own.

"This is what I want." She whispered. "You."

 

[Ravenloft]

Darius:

"You would have me?" Darius asked in a whisper as she drew him to her lips. No more words could he say as he swam, awash in her passion, his own burning all the hotter for it. His hand moved up along her hip as he slipped from his chair and knelt upon his knees before her. Enwrapped in the kiss, he struggled to keep the razor points of his teeth at bay, finally having to break from her lips, Darius kissed slowly, passionately along her neck, the pulse of her heart nearly spurring him to bit, a moan played agains her throat as he quickened past it, to her shoulder, then her chest, opening her blouse, exposing her perfect breasts, He kissed, taking a perked nipple between his lips, lathing it with his tongue as his hands explored her bare stomach.

 

[Maid of Marvels]

"You would have me?"

How could he not know that she did? Gail wanted him more than she had wanted anything or anyone in a very very long time. "Yes, Darius. Oh... yes," she whispered as his lips transported her.

Gail moaned softly as his lips grazed along her neck, his hands unfastening her blouse to reveal her breasts. Her hands moved over his shoulders, down his back as he knelt before her, teasing her nipples to taut throbbing points with his tongue.

Her heart was pounding in her chest and her breath came in ragged gasps as she brought her hands back toward Darius' chest, fumbling with his buttons. She felt him tense for a moment before returning to suckle as she slipped her hands inside the smooth silk of his shirt to caress his skin.