Decatur the Vampire (2 page)

“You’re not hallucinating either.” Once more his fingers toyed with her clit.

“Then how come I can’t see you?” Fantasy sex was one thing, reality another.

“When the time is right I will come to you.”

Come to me?
Once more she shivered as what felt like teeth grazed her neck. “Um—as it’s my dream—” She hesitated and thought.
If this is a dream then asking for sex won’t hurt and if it’s not a dream then—well, I still want sex.
Marduk knew in her heart that whoever this was or wasn’t, be it a real person or a phantom, she had the chance to ask for something she craved. “I need.”

“What, darling?”

Oh, that voice. And what’s with the teeth on my neck?
It was kinky yet hot.
Oh, what the fuck. I’ll just say it.
“I want cock.”

“Where?” His voice was low and husky.

“Everywhere.”

He chuckled. “Hungry?”

“Oh yes.” Marduk did not fight the hands that pushed her against the tiles. Her stomach contracted as the cool, shiny surface made a sharp contrast to the heat that was melding itself to her back.
Now this is sex. This is what I want.
She pushed her butt back in invitation. “Dream man, please fuck me.”

“I plan to but not yet.” His hands moved up to cup her breasts.

Oh yes please.
The fingers that gently pinched her nipples made her push back against her lover.
Wait a second. Not yet?
She was ready now. “Why not yet?”
Why am I whining?
Marduk was not a whiner by nature but then nature had never presented her a moment like this only to take it away.

“It’s not the right time for us.”

Marduk’s hands slammed against the tiled wall. “Are you kidding me? I’m naked, you’re naked as far as I can tell, and I’m willing as are you by the feel of you.”

“And I love that you are.”

“So?”

“Not yet.”

Marduk stamped her foot on the wet tiles. “This is so typical. I can’t even have an orgasm in a dream.” She was annoyed when he laughed and tried to free herself from him. “Oh yeah, really funny. Let go.”

He pulled her close back against him. “Darling, I will make love to you and you will come.”

“But not yet?” That was like holding out a chocolate bar to a hormonal woman and then snatching it back.
Bastard.

“That’s right.” His mouth nuzzled her neck.

“As a dream lover you suck.”

He laughed, his hand sliding down between her legs. “You’re so wet.”

Marduk jumped as one long finger dipped into her vagina. While that felt good she wanted more. “You can leave now.” It’s wasn’t like anything was going to happen. “I want to wake up from this dream.”

“Upset?” He continued his slow, steady motion in and out of her body.

Her hands moved down and removed his. Fantasy was one thing. Reality another. Marduk wanted either everything or nothing. “No, why would I be? Sex is usually crappy so it’s not like shagging a dream lover would any different.”

“One day very soon you will see me. We will meet and you probably won’t like me. I’ll probably annoy you and yet you won’t be able to stop looking at me and wondering, ‘Where do I know him from?’” He rested his hands on her stomach. “And then I’ll lift your hand to my lips, look into your eyes and kiss your palm and you’ll know who I am and why I waited. I want you to come to me because there is no other place you would rather be. I want to be the only man for you.”

Marduk gulped. Right then she knew he meant those words and that he was speaking the truth. “Um—”
What the hell do I say to that?
No smart-ass answer came to her lips and that was unusual for her.

“Yes, darling?”

Darling.
That alone made her needs wobble in anticipation. “So, no sex?”

“No, not yet.”

Marduk blew out a sigh.
I’m going to wake up tomorrow as cranky as hell, and it will be everyone’s fault but mine.
“This has been a crap night.” She tried to pull away but he held her tight against him. The hardness of his cock made her sigh in frustration.

He stroked the hair from the side of her face. “May I taste you?”

May I?
That was sweet and strangely old-fashioned. “One minute you want me and the next you don’t and now you want to taste me?”

“I’ll always want you, darling.” His lips descended on the flesh of her neck.

That felt good.
Hot, soulful kisses that were sweet yet sexy.
And bloody confusing.
Before she had time to think or speak, the kissing changed to a deep, sucking sensation that made Marduk moan. She closed her eyes and her hands gripped the forearms that held her body close to his. The suction was different yet exciting. She felt a surge of energy shoot into her body. When his teeth broke the skin, Marduk cried out in surprise. This was not at all what she expected.

“What—oh my—”

A sudden heat rushed up her spine as his lips sucked and teased her skin. It felt like he was drawing a part of her into him and that in turn she was becoming stronger for it. Marduk pushed back against him, not understanding why. All she knew was this was more than just sex. This was a bond, a connection to who she was and would become.

“Darling.” His mouth lifted from her neck.

“Yes.” Her voice was rushed and breathless. Marduk wanted to ask so many questions and yet she feared the answers.

“You belong to me.”

Yes.
“Um—”
What the hell was that brand of wine?

“I know you don’t understand but you soon will.”

“When?”

“I’ll come for you.”

Chapter Two

“He asked was I looking at his ass.” Marduk Howell took the lid off her salad and grimaced.
Oh yuck. Boring.
At six o’clock that Monday morning when she made it, Marduk had the best intentions of eating it. Then it had everything to do with working off the pizza and garlic bread she had scoffed down the night before. But six hours later the salad looked dull and unappetizing and all her good intentions were shot to hell. Anyway, how realistic was it to start a diet on a Monday? Surely there was no point starting something on a day that was prone to be crap. No one liked Mondays or dealt with them well and being virtuous just sucked. With that thought in mind, Marduk slapped the lid back on the container and got up from the lunchroom table.
I need chocolate and I need it now.
Thankfully the lunchroom of the Danby Dance Shoe Company had three machines that dispensed empty calories at the push of a button. The whole “ass” incident had totally thrown her. Yes, she had been looking at his ass. In fact she had been staring at it and thinking about what had happened the night before in the shower. Marduk still couldn’t get that out of her mind.
It felt so real.

“And what did you say?” Chrissie Moleta’s gaze followed her friend to the snack machine.

Marduk dug into her pants pocket for change. She always carried loose coins in case chocolate emergencies like this came up. It was better to be safe than sorry. “I said no, of course I wasn’t looking at his butt.” Marduk wasn’t surprised to hear the snort of disbelief from the other woman. “Well, I didn’t want to look like I was lusting after a man I didn’t know. That would look tacky and desperate. I may be the latter but I’m certainly not the former.” It was so long since Marduk had decent, real sex she was convinced sex was vastly overrated anyway. At least that’s what she told herself. “Do you have a ten-cent piece?” She was just that amount shy of buying the king-size Snickers bar. Unlike sex, chocolate was always available and she knew where she stood with it. There was no issue about being too fat or thin. Chocolate accepted you for who you were and was guaranteed to please and while it didn’t give you an orgasm, it made you feel damn good.

“I haven’t got any money on me,” Chrissie responded, her sandwich long since forgotten. “But you
were
fixating on his ass. I saw you staring at him.”

“Well, it’s pretty bloody hard not to when the photocopier is almost beside my desk.” Okay, so that was a lie. Her desk was no closer to the copier than anyone else’s and to look at his ass, she had deliberately walked over to the nearby fax machine and pretended what she was doing was vitally important to the company. Actually, the fax she planned to send was blank and an irrelevant time waster and a reason to sneak a peek. The fact was the blond photocopier guy had caught and held her attention every time he entered the office. So far that had been three times today. Not that she was counting or anything. “I must have another ten cents.” Marduk scrabbled through her pocket once more.
Yes! Five more cents. Five to go.
“I had no option but to look at his ass.” What else would any red-blooded woman do when a hot guy bent over and his trousers tightened over the flexing muscles of his butt? Okay, yes, she had been still lust-crazed from her dream lover and maybe she hadn’t been thinking straight but who would be after last night’s incident in the shower? Marduk still wasn’t sure if it was as real as she thought. If not for what appeared to be a love bite—or was it an errant mosquito bite?—on her neck she would have sworn she had dreamed it. Not that she could tell Chrissie about any of that. She would think her mad.

“Oh, what a load of crap.” Chrissie looked at her in amusement. “Besides, you have to physically get up from your desk and turn a corner to get to the photocopier from where you sit, or stand on your chair to see it or—”

“The point is—” Marduk interrupted, well aware that she had made an effort to see the man rather than merely glance up and keep working like any good, dedicated employee would. Not that she was one of those. She was more the I’m-just-here-to-pay-the-bills kind of worker. This was not a career, it was a mortgage payment. “Even if I was staring at his ass, what of it?” She was a grown woman who understood the consequences of her actions. Yes, Marduk had embarrassed the hell out of herself when he caught her staring at his backside. Her face still burned from the look he had given her. If she had to describe that look in one word she would have called it smoldering. Yeah, that was it. The man was smoking hot. And his eyes—they were the darkest eyes she had ever seen. Kind of strange considering he was blond and yet they fitted that strong face perfectly. There was something about him that made her keep staring long after the ass incident was over. He was sexy more than handsome, raw rather than just good looking. He was the sort of man you dreamed of throwing you over his shoulder and stalking off with you with the intention of making love to you until standing was not possible. There was just something about him.

But he didn’t do any of that. He had simply asked in a deep, husky voice, “Were you looking at my ass?” Part of Marduk wanted to say, “Yes, I’m a bad, bad girl. Please punish me,” just to see what his response was. The other, smarter part of her brain ordered her to lie and then walk back to her desk as if nothing had happened.

“It’s just a male ass. We see them all the time.” You could justify anything if you really wanted to.

“Sure, sure,” Chrissie responded, with a grin on her face. “And there’s five cents under the machine.”

Marduk wasn’t too proud to drop to her knees when chocolate was involved. After a little maneuvering, she managed to secure the coin. Once on her feet, she slammed the coin into the slot and pressed the button. The Snickers bar moved forward then stopped. It was stuck. “Bugger…” Marduk put her hands on either side of the machine and shook it. “Besides, men look at women’s asses all the time and it means nothing. It’s just momentary sexual attraction.” She shook harder but the chocolate bar refused to budge. “Give me a hand here.”

Chrissie got up and wandered over. “Photocopier guy is certainly hot.” She shook the machine in time with Marduk.

“Oh god yes.” Marduk stopped shaking and started kicking the metal to free her purchase. There something cathartic in that. After a few more well-aimed blows, the machine spat out the chocolate bar. “Ha! Toy with me?” Marduk grabbed her prize. “I think not.” She ripped the wrapper off and inhaled the scent of chocolate. This was her happy place. “Anyway it was just a moment. It’s not like it meant anything to either me or the photocopier guy. It’s not like I know him and he’s probably forgotten me anyway.” Marduk bit into the chocolate and sighed.
Oh yeah, baby.

“Well, technically you could say you know him. He’s been here a lot today.”

“To fix the photocopier. That what photocopier guys do.”

Chrissie conceded that. “It’s a piece of crap machine.”

Yes it was but the Danby Dance Shoe Company was on the skids. The economic crisis had hit some Australian companies hard. Danby was one of them. The bosses thought they would be able to ride out the slump as the theory was that people tended to keep spending money on entertainment to keep their spirits up. That was a crap theory that was proved wrong in Danby’s case. People simply didn’t want to dance or exercise and if they did they were not buying new shoes to do it in. Because sales were bad, nothing in the Brisbane office was being replaced. Everything was about making do. Staff was cut to the bone and those that were there were doubtful how much longer they would be. The only saving grace with the photocopier was that it was under warranty so it was one of the few things that got fixed.

“So what did he say after your denial on the ass staring?”

Marduk swallowed her mouthful of chocolate. “That was the weird thing. He just said, ‘The truth will out.’”

“What does that mean?”

“I have no idea. There are so many odd people around. Anyway, it’s not like I care.” Her past relationships with men had always been odd, erratic and bordering on difficult. On the whole, the idea of being celibate for life was appealing. It meant not dealing with men who thought her too overweight or too opinionated or who wanted to do odd things to her that she suspected were illegal and not even possible unless she could unscrew her legs. “Men are strange.” And the blond guy was bound to have some weird quirks. The ones that looked the most interesting always did.

“Some are,” Chrissie agreed as she sat back down at the table. “I think he was interested in you. I saw him glance your way several times.”