Endless Days (The Firsts) (5 page)

“If you’re more comfortable with it, yes.
  Or I’d be happy to pick you up.”

“Um, no.
  I’ll meet you there.  Would eight o’clock be okay?”

“Perfect.  I’m looking forward to this, Cherise.”

“Sure,” she said, distractedly, and hung up.  Well, she’d done it.  Might as well make Margaret happy, too.

“Hey, Ma
rgaret.  Guess who has a date with an attorney from Colorado Springs?”

Margaret stood up from where she was cleaning around a baseboard
, smiling broadly. 

“
Oh, I meant it…you two are going to have gorgeous babies!”

Cherise buried her face in her hands and wondered if there were vampires in Antarctica.

She sent a message to Leo to let his vampire know she would come by his house to feed him, but it would be late.  He needed to get a damn mobile, well, cell, so she could reach him in cases like this.  Although she hoped he wouldn’t be around long enough for it to matter.

So, a date.
  First one in over five years.  Yes, she was anything but comfortable with men.  Her own company satisfied her enough.  Usually.    Her reaction to the vampire proved she was wrong on one point.  Well, it would be settled tonight.  She knew, with no doubt, the lawyer would agree to sex with her without hesitation.   The only thing she had to do was make sure that she kept complete control over her empathic skills.

She pulled off her apron.

“Margaret, I’m going to leave a little early to prepare for my date.”

Margaret raised her
eyebrows.   “Oh.  Are you shaving your legs?”

Cherise threw the towel at her again.  This was getting to be a habit.  Margaret just grinned.

Kav wondered what she had to do that was more important than him.  It might be a little unreasonable, but he wanted the fuck to know what she was doing tonight.  He had to wait until the sun dropped low enough, but when it did, he showed up at her house just as she was arriving home.

She stared at him, her expression hostile.  “What are you doing here?”

“I got your message.  What is more important than taking care of me?”

“What?  You seriously are asking me that question?   I’m doing
you
the favor of feeding you.  You are not my father…I don’t owe you explanations on what I do.  And for your information, there are a lot of things in my life that take precedence over you.   I did you the courtesy of letting you know it would be later in the night.  That’s all you get.  Oh, and by the way, I’m not a charity.  Don’t steal from me again.”

He shook his head.  “What?”

“The cake.  It’s mine.  That’s my shop.”

“Oh.  It was very good.  You make a really good cake.”

“I’m glad you enjoyed it.  Yes, it
is
really good.  Which is why it costs twenty-two dollars.  So don’t take another one.  I can get you some pastries end of the day that don’t sell, okay?”

“I’d like that.  I’m sorry I took your merchandise.  I will pay you back.”

“Don’t worry about it.  I have to go.  I’ll come to you, but it will be a few hours.”

“Where are you going?”

“No where you need to know.”

“But…”

“We’re done here, vampire.  Go get some actual food, I’ll see you later.”  And she shut the door in his face, harder than she intended to, but he was pissing her off.  She already felt weird about setting up a date to have sex so she wouldn’t be tempted to have it with
him
.   She wasn’t going to be questioned about it too.

Okay, a quick shower, a
nd
yes
, Margaret, she was going to shave and
yes
, it was for the reason she implied it was for.  As she reached for her razor, she paused.  He’d had his long hair cut and it didn’t do anything to lessen his animal magnetism. 
If anything…
  God.  Something needed to stop her.  Hopefully, this would do it.  

After the shower, perfume and
sexy clothes.  She wanted James to have no question where the evening was heading.

Kav sat outside her home and heard her shower running. 
So.  It was somewhere she needed to be clean.  This time of night, Friday, was a typical date night.  Was she planning on going on a date with another man?   That…that just didn’t work for him.  She was leaving him to go let another man try to charm her into his bed.  Hell, no!  He had no claim, none at all. Yet he wasn’t going to allow that to happen.  She was his.  Okay, she wasn’t, but for now, he claimed her and while he fed from her, no other man was going to touch her.  He’d kill him first.

Was that an over-
reaction.  He really did know she did not belong to him.  He really did not care…this date would not go well.  He glanced again at the house, kept himself from racing in there and taking her against the wall of the shower, then vampire speeded toward the downtown area of the village.

The Golden Lamb was a lovely restaurant, nicer than expected in such a small town.  The food had been rated five-star by two well reputed restaurant bloggers in Denver, who were well traveled connoisseurs.   Her date was waiting for her outside the restaurant with a glass of white wine, and a second one brought out immediately for her as soon as she arrived.  He was very thoughtful, and she realized he probably was a good decent man.  But she had a goal…

Cherise smiled, thanked him, and downed it.  He watched, mesmerized, as she ran a painted fingernail around the edge of the now empty stemmed glass and licked it slowly, suggestively.  She thought she might as well let him know now what she expected and what was required of him for the evening.  He seemed stunned in place as she sat the glass on a ledge and curled her arm around his.

“I’m really looking forward to getting to…” she paused for effect.  “…
know
you.”

He looked like she hit him with a brick.

“Shall we go in?”  She smiled easily.

He nodded and then cleared his throat.  “Yes, uh, yes, our table is ready, over here, near the fireplace.”

Perfect, romantic.  Cherise hadn’t forgotten how to seduce a man…she just hoped her heart was in it enough tonight to carry it through to the end.  He was so handsome and she should be feeling the attraction already.  Maybe it would take a few more moments with him.  Either way, someone was going down on someone else tonight.

He pulled her chair out, she smiled graciously, and they started the expected small talk.

He asked her about her business and she told him a little about how she got started…he told her about his practice and where he wanted to take it.  Small talk, pleasant, required, to get to her goal.  She already knew that, as nice as he was, he wasn’t making her wet like that damn vampire had almost right away. 

“This bread is outstanding, isn’t it?” James said.

She nodded and sensuously licked a little glob of butter off the top of one slice while he stopped and stared.  Then she felt it. His presence. Her head shot up and she scanned the room.  There.  In the corner, with a perfect view of their table.  The vampire.  Watching them.   He looked at her, smiled, and held up a glass of blood red wine to her.  

What the…

Well, he’d followed her, obviously.  What the hell he thought he was doing, she didn’t know, but it couldn’t change her plans.  She was getting well and fully fucked tonight.

Turning back to her date, she decided to ignore him, and smiled engagingly at James.

“You are a handsome man.  Why aren’t you married?”

“Never found the right girl.”  He picked up his glass and held it to her.  “That might be changing tonight.”  She held hers up to him and they toasted.  She smiled again as she leaned in, the very low neckline of her halter top dress gaped and gave him a view that would not be allowed on a public street.  She wanted to be sure he knew what charms she had to offer.  His eyes locked on her breasts and he didn’t move, his wine glass suspended in midair.

“Uh…” he finally said.  “That’s an, um…uh…lovely dress you’re wearing.  The, uh, color…color suits you perfectly.”

She sat back and smiled, lifted her glass over her head and stretched, which also lifted her breasts up and out. 

“Why, thank you.  I liked it as soon as I saw it.  Had them take if off a well-endowed mannequin.  I wasn’t sure if it would fit me as well.”

He gulped.   “Yeah, well, uh…I’d say it does.”

Yeah, he was hooked, reel him in.   She leaned in again, and lathed some of the soft butter onto her finger.  She tried not to, but her eyes slid over to glance at Kav.  He wasn’t smiling any more.  Good.

“I think this is the best butter I have ever had.  Don’t you think it’s incredibly smooth?”

He nodded.  “I…”

“Here…try it again…without the bread.”  She led her finger into his mouth and let her eyes linger on his lips as he closed them around it and sucked.  She let out a moan, and glanced toward Kav.  He was standing up, looking furious.  What the hell?  Who did he think he was?  If she wanted to fingerfuck this man right here in this restaurant, she was going to.   She had a goal.

James swallowed hard.  “Hey, uh, look…I need to go to the men’s room to…uh…I’ll be right back.”

He got up, keeping his napkin with him, holding it low over his front.  Ah.  She sat back and smiled, gave the vampire a look as he sat back down in his seat.  
We
have lift-off
, she thought.  All she needed now was to get him home.  The waitress came up to Kav and he waved her away without speaking to her.  His loss.  He needed the food and it didn’t get any better than here.  Too bad she wouldn’t be getting to eat either.

A few minutes later, James came back.  He’d obviously tried to take care of his problem, but it was still apparent.  Cherise slid her chair over next to him and let her hand drop below table level.

His eyes shot wide.

“James, I’m not really hungry…for steak…anymore.  Would you mind escorting me back to my cabin?”

He nodded, pulled his wallet out, threw down two hundred dollar bills and pushed his chair back, helped her out of hers.  They walked quickly out of the restaurant.

Cherise leaned in close as they cleared the covered entryway and started toward the parking lot.  She kissed him, slid her tongue in briefly, and pulled back.

“Please follow me.”

Then she got in her little car and headed home to finish her night.  He was right on her tail all the way home.  It seemed appropriate, she thought.  That was exactly where he was going to be as soon as she got him in her bed, too.

It only took twenty minutes to make it back, and as soon as she got out of her car, he was on her.  James grabbed her and pulled her close, his hands roamed down to her butt to pull her against his erection that hadn’t dropped at all.

“My god, I thought I was going to come right there in the restaurant.  I’ve never met anyone so sexy in my life.  Please tell me that we’re going in your house to finish this?”

“Oh, yes, we are.  Come with me.”

“Oh, I plan to come all over you.”

She was leading him through the door when Kav was suddenly there and grabbed James, then threw him across the lawn.  He landed, shocked, in a heap near his own car.

Cherise squealed.  “What the hell are you doing?  Get away from him, vampire.  This isn’t any of your business.”   She hurried to James, but Kav arrived first and hauled him up by the shoulders.

Kav caught his eyes and stared.  “You followed her back to her place tonight, you had sex, but it was terrible.  She’s frigid and has terrible body odor.  Especially down there.  You never want to see her again.”

James walked to his car, looking at her.  Then he stuttered out an awkward,
mumbled  “had a good time, call ya.”  And he was gone.

Cherise just stood there, shocked.  She tried to speak, but didn’t know what to say.  “I…you…you son of a bitch…you big ass smart-ass vampire…I had a goal.”

Kav was beside her, vampire fast, and had her face in his hands.

“Do
not
think I’ll let you do that again.  You were torturing him, and you were taunting
me
.  I may not remember much, but I
got
that.  You may not have noticed, but you had every cock in that place at attention.  I don’t think you know what you do to men.”

“I know what I was trying to do to
that
man!”

“Yeah, so do
I.  Lucky for you, I stopped you in time.  Look.”  He was caressing her cheeks, her ears, her throat, gently.  “I know I don’t have the right.  But you can’t have sex with another man and come to me.  Even if it’s just to feed me.  I don’t know what’s going on…but I
do
know I want you and I think I might kill any man who touches you.  So, could you just not…be so…irresistible until we’re done.  I can’t be here if you have other men around you.  They would all want you.”