PS01 - Tall, Dark & Lonely (26 page)

permit? I’d like to pay for my own room and food.”

They heard the door close. “I won’t hear any of that nonsense, Christopher. You belong in school fixing your grades not

pushing fries in some fast food joint.”

“Grandma, I don’t feel right about this,” Chris said as he looked guiltily at his food.

She slapped him upside the head. “Ow! What the hell was that for?”

“I said to drop it. You are part of this family so stop it and put some more food on your plate. I won’t have you losing weight

and looking like a skeleton when I’ve been working so hard these last two weeks to put meat on your bones.”

When he didn’t move fast enough to eat she raised her hand to hit him upside his head again. “Okay!” He took more corn and

potatoes. “Slave driver,” he muttered.

Grandma sat down at the head of the table. “Everyone, eat please.”

“Grandma, I was thinking that with us here that’s five rooms you’re not collecting on and five mouths to feed. I think I’m going

to get another job to help out.”

“Madison, you already work a full time job and you clean here ten hours a week, that’s help enough.” She shot a look of

warning at her daughter. “And don’t even think of suggesting my granddaughter go work at that obscene place again, Emma.”

Candy pouted. She hated being called Emma and she hated not getting her way even more. She threw a fit when Madison

declined the job offer. She’d really been looking forward to her cut.

Grandma pointed a finger in Candy’s direction. “I looked the other way when you started working there, but when you tried to

bring my granddaughter there,” she shook her head in disgust. “You’re lucky I didn’t throw you out on your backside then and

there.”

“But, mama, I was just trying to help.” Candy’s pout deepened.

Grandma narrowed her eyes on her only child.

“I wish Ephraim was here,” Joshua mumbled.

“Has he called?” Jill asked, jumping on the change of topic.

“No, can we talk about something else, please.” She pushed her meatloaf around her plate.

“Did you try his cell phone?” Chris asked, drawing her attention.

Chris looked so uncomfortable. His clothes were already too small and worn. They looked even smaller after two weeks of

eating properly for the first time and a growth spurt. He needed new clothes and she didn’t have the money. He didn’t complain

though. He probably knew. She would have to get another job to keep clothes on his back. Jill and Joshua clothes were in the

same condition as Chris’s. They all needed new clothes. Great now she felt even more depressed.

Grandma’s eyes roamed over all three children’s state of clothing as well. Her frown deepened. This was bad, but Grandma

was in denial and she did what she always did when something unpleasant occurred. She tried to hide her feelings from

everyone and move on, dragging everyone with her.

“Everyone please leave her alone and finish dinner. Chris and Jill, you both have dish duty tonight.”

“I thought you loved me, Grandma?” Chris pushed his lip out in an expert pout.

Grandma reached over and pinched his cheek. “Oh, it’s so nice having a con artist join the family.” He winked at her and

reloaded his plate like a good boy. That and he was probably afraid that she was going to whack him again. Madison

considered it for a moment and agreed that she probably would.

“He’s been gone for over two weeks you know,” Jill decided to comment.

Madison pushed away from the table. “If you’ll excuse me I have some papers to grade.”

“You have a big mouth!” Chris snapped.

“It’s fine, really. Goodnight, guys.” She took her time walking upstairs. She was in no hurry to hide in her room and cry herself

to sleep again tonight.

He broke her heart. There was no other way to describe it. The area around her heart ached day and night for him. It felt like a

part of her was destroyed.

She paused in front of her door and looked back at his when she heard something. She could see the lights were off in his room,

but weird noises were coming from inside. She couldn’t fight the hope that soared to the surface. She turned around and raised

her fist to knock on the door and froze.

“You like that, baby, don’t you?” a woman asked.

A man grunted. “Mmm, I’m going ride you all night, big boy.” Realization dawned on her. The weird sound was the bed

springs squeaking.

She put her hand over her mouth. “Oh god.” Tears spilled down her face.

“Mmm, these handcuffs were a good idea,” the woman said. “I can keep you on your back and up all night.” A loud masculine

moan erupted.

“Do you like fucking my ass?” the woman asked.

“Yeah,” he groaned.

Madison stumbled back to her door, crying. She slammed the door shut and threw on the light. “What an asshole,” she muttered.

“I completely agree. Now if you don’t mind some of us are trying to sleep.” Ephraim flopped over onto his stomach.

Madison’s head whipped back into the direction of his room and back at him. “If you’re here then who’s-“

“In there fucking the transvestite prostitute?” he finished for her.

“Yes…wait, did you say transvestite?”

“Yes, I did.”

“Ephraim, who’s in there?”

“Just the guy who’s been blackmailing you for the last four months. After tonight you’ll never have to worry about him again

and you’ll have all your money back. Now, could you shut that light off? That prick’s kept me up the last two nights.”

She looked stunned. “You have Joshua’s father in there? Wait, he’s not gay.”

Ephraim buried his face in the pillow and laughed. “No, he’s not. He also doesn’t know that she’s a
he
. He also doesn’t know

that I have a camera in there right now with night vision that’s capturing this momentous occasion. He will know very soon

what’s going on. Before he leaves here he will sign custody of Joshua over to you and your grandmother.”

“Why..how….I don’t understand.”

He flipped over onto his back. “It’s simple I had the bank account traced to one Trevor McGuire who resides in New Mexico.

I did a little check on him, married, two children at home but he has custody of three children. I did a little more research and

found out that Candy lost custody of Joshua when he was six months old.”

“She didn’t even show up for the court date,” Madison whispered.

“That’s what I found out. They kept him for four months until his wife put her foot down. She couldn’t handle two little boys of

her own plus Joshua. So, Trevor pawned Joshua off onto a few relatives, but none of them were willing to keep him. Finally he

gave Joshua to your mother while retaining full custody.”

“I didn’t know that part.”

“I figured. When Candy was eager to move here for the free ride and welfare she forgot one very important thing.”

“She didn’t have custody and she never asked permission to take Joshua out of the state. She probably figured Trevor would

never notice. He hadn’t seen Joshua in five years.”

“But he did find out. Your mother, even though your grandmother was under the assumption that she had custody of the kids,

attempted to get welfare on the kids’ behalf. New Hampshire contacted Trevor and Trevor hunted you down and threatened to

take Joshua back and put you both in prison for kidnapping.”

“He had no case against me and he knew that. He wanted money though.”

“And you were to pay twelve hundred dollars a month until Joshua hit eighteen.”

“Yes.”

“And you really thought that was going to work?”

“I was trying to buy time until I figured out what to do. I can’t lose him. He’s more than a brother to me. I’ve raised him. I

couldn’t give him up.”

“So, that’s why you put yourself in such a large hole. You didn’t want to lose Joshua?”

“Yes.” She wiped a tear off her cheek.

“Baby, why didn’t you come to me? I would have helped you.”

She shook her head. “I couldn’t do that to you.”

“Were you afraid that I would rip his throat out or lose my job?”

“Both.”

He sighed heavily and held out his hand. “Come here.”

She walked over to the bed and took his hand. He pulled her onto his lap, making her straddle him. She released his hand and

pulled her heels off, letting them drop to the ground.

Ephraim cupped his hands on her hips and pulled her forward. “Can I have a kiss? I’ve missed you.”

Her hands dropped to the bed on either side of his face as she leaned over him. “I don’t know. I thought you said you were

done with me.”

His hands gently caressed her hips. “I’ll never be done with you. I’m sorry for being such an asshole, but you hit a bit of a

nerve for me.”

“About babies?”

“Yes.”

“So, you can’t have babies? You know that for sure, don’t you? You tried with that woman?”

He raised his head to brush his lips against hers. “I don’t know anything for certain, baby. I have no clue. As far as that woman

is concerned the answer is no. I never slept with her. She wanted to years and years ago. Her Master, who at this very moment

is not too happy with me, tried to make a deal with me and offered up twenty females to me to see if I could impregnate any of

them. I could keep the babies in return the master wanted to be like me.”

“Did you?”

His fingers threaded through her black hair. “No, I didn’t do that. I didn’t want a child with a vampire.”

“So, how do you know you haven’t fathered a child before?”

“That’s easy. I never finished inside of a woman before.”

She searched his face to see if he was joking. “Never?”

“No, never. It was one of the best ways to prevent by-blows.”

“By-blows?”

“Bastards.”

“That’s not very nice.”

“Sorry, that’s what they were called back then. My father told us what to do.”

“Your father encouraged you?” A thought occurred to her. “I’ve heard stories that men back then brought their son’s to

whorehouses, did yours?”

He used her hips to push her up so that her neck was right above his mouth. He began pressing kisses to her neck. “No, he

didn’t bring me. The last time I saw my father was just before I was taken away. Before that I looked like a little boy. No self-

respecting whore would have touched me. He brought my brothers when they were fourteen though so he probably would

have.”

“Oh.”

“So, what did your father tell you to do?”

“Pull out. Never come inside a woman unless she’s meant to carry the heir. That’s what we were taught.”

“So, you never once….” her voice trailed off suggestively.

“Not once.” His hands slid down her back until they cupped her bottom. He gently squeezed and caressed her while his mouth

licked and kissed her neck.

Madison used her feet to push the covers off Ephraim. She was not losing this opportunity. She’d waited too long for this. For

him. Using one hand she undid the knot on her skirt and pulled it off, throwing it to the ground. She sat back down on his lap.

She could feel his erection through the material of his boxers.

Ephraim watched hungrily as she slowly unbuttoned her blouse. She threw the blouse to the side, revealing a black bra and

matching panties.

“A goddess. You look like a goddess.” He was mesmerized by her beautiful black hair and golden skin. He ran his hands down

her neck, breasts, stomach and back.

“Do you want to see more?” she asked in a sultry voice.

He swallowed loudly and nodded firmly. “Please.”

She reached back with one hand and unsnapped her bra, letting it slide down her arms. Ephraim gently pulled it from her arms

and threw it on the floor.

Without waiting he ran his fingers down to her hips and slid a finger on either side of her panties and snapped the string of the

waistband apart. Madison sat up so that he could pull the ripped panties away, leaving her naked.

His eyes drank in her body. She was so beautiful from her golden brown eyes to her butterscotch nipples. She was everything

in the world that was perfect and she was
his
. He growled possessively as his fangs descended. “Come here.”

A shudder of lust shot through her as his eyes began to glow and his teeth dropped. Madison found herself going to him more

that willingly. She leaned down and kissed his lips gently. The kiss was slow and sweet. They took their time enjoying the

sensation the teasing sent down their bodies.

Ephraim licked her lips in a request. She obliged by opening her mouth. He deepened the kiss. Their tongues moved together,

sending agony to their loins. Soon they were both panting and moaning. Madison wasn’t aware that she was grinding herself

against him. She only knew that she loved the feeling and it wasn’t enough.

His arms wrapped around her waist, hugging her close to him. He rolled her over onto her back, never breaking the kiss.

Madison grabbed his underwear and pushed them down. When her hands couldn’t push any farther she used her feet frantically

kicking them down. She felt his hard shaft against the inside of her thigh and moaned.

He lowered himself and slid his cock against her slit. She was so wet. So fucking wet and he was going to lose it. She was

drenching the underside of his cock. The sounds of their panting were loud enough to block out the sounds coming from his

room. They didn’t care. They were the only things existing in their world at the moment.