The Turning (16 page)

“I understand. There will be a learning curve, and that’s fine. I appreciate you’re willing to try. We’ll figure this out, okay, Brian? You have to treat me like an equal, not a child you have to take care of. And you have to be honest with me, not hide things.”

“Well, in the spirit of honesty, I have something to tell you, and I do not think you are going to be happy. I paid off your medical school loans.” Brian winced, obviously waiting for me to blow.

“
You did what
?” I bellowed.

“I paid off all your student loans. I did not want you worrying about that debt. Please do not be angry with me. I was going to tell you once we rescued you. It was kind of an
I am sorry I got you kidnapped and tortured
present. Kelly, I am worth billions of dollars, half of a million dollars is next to nothing to me.”

“I need a smoke,” I whispered, getting back up. “It’s not like it will kill me now that I am a vampire.” I walked back into the living room with Brian trailing me. “Does anyone here smoke?” Andre nodded. I walked over to the kitchen where he was leaning on the counter, and he handed me a cigarette and a lighter.

I walked towards the elevator, but Brian stopped me. “I am coming with you. I do not want you alone in case you faint again.”

I shook my head and turned back to the group. “Andre, do you need a smoke?” He nodded and walked towards me. Grabbing a long coat, he put it over my shoulders. I slipped into it and he held my arm to help me on to the elevator.

“We don’t want everyone on the street seeing you in your sleepwear,” he whispered in my ear. “I think you probably get enough stares fully clothed, but I enjoy the view of you in your night garments.” I laughed as we stepped off the elevator, wishing I had thought of shoes or at least slippers. “What did Brian do now?”

I took a deep breath as we walked through the lobby. I didn’t answer until we were out back of the building, away from the traffic of the front entrance.

“He paid off all my student loans, over a half a million dollars. This is just going too fast. We sped through several months of relationship to get where we are. It’s a lot to handle—on top of all the rest I have to handle. I keep spinning out and can’t get above water.”

He took the lighter from me when I put the cigarette in my mouth and lit it for me before pulling out his own and doing the same. I thanked him since my hands had been a little shaky.

“Brian has loads of money. That is next to nothing for him,” Andre surmised very flippantly.

“I know that. But that’s not the point. He has no right to get involved in my business like that. I’m twenty-six years old. Even my parents don’t have the right to get into my business
like that
! I know you are going to say he had the best of intentions, but he didn’t do it out of love. He did it out of guilt and duty. It’s just too much, too much for me to deal with, and it’s all in one day.”

“I understand what you are saying, Kelly. Just take one thing at a time,” Andre replied, trying to calm me. “You’re a logical being. Think logically, which might be hard with the pain killers we gave you.”

“I’ve really missed smoking,” I gushed, wanting to change the topic. I barely knew Andre and yet here I was spilling my problems with Brian. “That might be the only positive thing about this whole mess, I can smoke and not die from it.” I took a couple of drags and mulled over what Andre suggested. “Okay, first things first. I’m going to relax and enjoy this, and then focus on getting better. From there, I can work out all the other details. Thank you, Andre.”

I gave him a big hug, glad that someone pointed out taking things one at a time. I slowly finished my smoke and Andre helped me back into the elevator.

When we were alone in the elevator, he turned to me. “Drink, Kelly, it will help you.” The motion of the elevator rising made me realize the drugs had kicked in and I was loopy. If I hadn’t been, I wouldn’t have done as he suggested without wondering if it was a good idea or not. I leaned in cradling his head and bit his neck, enjoying every second I drank from him. I stopped as the elevator doors opened, and Brian stood there watching me pull away.

I walked over to him, about to fall again, but he caught me in time. “What were you two doing?” He sounded pretty upset, and I couldn’t figure out why, not sure I could have figured out much right then. I was flying high on drugs and the power rush from Andre’s blood.

“I was drinking black cherry pop!” I exclaimed with lots of cheer. I wasn’t sure what part he wanted to know about so I told him all of it. “Andre and I had a smokie, and he told me to take one thing at a time so I could deal with everything. Then in the elevator, he gave me black cherry pop so I could get all better.”

Brian lifted me into his arms and turned back to Andre. “Be very careful, Andre, our friendship will only keep me patient for so long.”

“Brian, I was just trying to help. I know you were going to have her drink from you because you are worried. I didn’t want you going too far to help her, so she drank a little from me. There was nothing else going on here, I swear,” Andre said, sounding hurt.

“Baby, don’t be upset,” I sang while patting Brian’s cheek and giggling. “I can see my hand touch your face, but I can’t feel it. Julie! Look, baby, Julie’s here. Julie, Julie, guess what? I think I’m high! We should play strip gin. We have three handsome men, and we should take advantage of that. Brian and I played the other night. Well I guess it wasn’t the other night. But anyways, we played before and I kicked his ass, and he can’t hold his liquor as well as I can.”

“I believe you, my dear, but maybe we should play another night,” Julie said between laughs. “We will give you a rain check for another night, I promise. Right now you need to get some rest.”

“Okay, Julie, you’re the boss. Oh wait, you really are the boss!” I was still rambling as Brian took me into the bedroom. “Hey, what are you doing, everyone else is over there.”

“I’m taking you in the bedroom, my dear,” Brian told me.

“Oh awesome. Sex is just what I need. And you’re fantastic in bed. I mean
really fantastic
, and you look really good naked, not awkward like some men.” Brian closed the door behind us, but I could still hear everyone laughing hysterically from the living room. “Brian, why are they laughing? I want to know why. What is so funny?”

“You are, my love,” he chuckled. “You are very talkative all of a sudden. What are you doing, my sweet?” I was trying to take off his shirt before he laid me down on the bed.

“Getting you ready for sex. These buttons aren’t coming undone. Oh fuck it.” I ripped his shirt so all the buttons went flying. “There we go. Now I can see your perfect abs and chest.”

“No sex for you right now,” he argued as I was kissing every inch of his chest. “You need to get some rest, so you get all better.

“No sex? Why not? Don’t you want me anymore?”

“Of course I do, and we can have all the sex you want as soon as you are better.” He looked at me with those smiling Irish eyes, as he took the jacket off me and threw it to the floor. “Do not pout, my love. How about we get some sleep?”

“No, I don’t want to sleep. I want you naked.” I pulled off the sheer robe and then started on his pants.

“I know you might not want to sleep, but it will help you heal. The pain killers will make you tired.”

“Nope, Vicodin doesn’t make me sleep, it makes me wound up and horny,” I declared, finally getting his belt and fly undone. I started kissing his stomach and working my way up his chest then his neck until I reached his ear. “Isn’t that the whole point of having a boyfriend? So you can get laid anytime you want?”

“No, the whole point is to have someone who loves you and takes care of you.”

“Okay, well,
take care
of me. I can draw you a map of the places I like best if you want?” He sat down next to me and patted the bed, subtly suggesting again that I lay down. I kissed his lips and crawled on top of him and wiggled a lot while I was there. “See, I’m all better, we can have lots of sex now.”

“Kelly, sweetie, I am trying my hardest to control myself here since you need rest. Please behave,” he groaned, grabbing my hands and trying to roll me off him. All it made me do was wiggle more while I straddled him, and I could feel him getting hard. “You need to stop wiggling, please.”

“Do you really want me to stop?” I teased as I squirmed some more and leaned over to nibble on his ear. I moaned to entice him, and let my fangs run down his throat.

“No, but you need to rest. Oh god, Kelly, you are making this quite difficult.” He released my hands. So I did the only thing I knew he wouldn’t be able to resist. I pulled my nightgown over my head so I was completely naked. One look at me and I felt him get completely hard and ready to go. “You are just the devil sometimes.”

“I don’t know what you mean,” I purred, batting my eyelashes at him. “I think it’s mean of you to leave the girls all alone to get cold.” That seemed to be the last straw because he sat up and buried his head in my chest, using his tongue to circle my nipples. I leaned my head back and let out a moan of enjoyment. Another couple minutes of this and I might finish before we really got started.

“You are so beautiful.” He rolled us both over so he was on top. I’m sure I missed it in my wonderfully drugged up state, but his pants were gone and somehow we were under the covers. He kissed every inch of my neck and worked his way back up to my lips. There was such need in his kisses it got me even more wound up. He talked so much about taking care of me but I realized right then how much he needed me. “I do not want to hurt you, my love.”

“You won’t, Brian. Please take me,” I begged, gazing into his eyes. And he did. I wrapped my legs around him to urge him on, and he quickened his pace while still being very gentle. When I heard him moan, I knew he was close, so I bit him. He let out another groan of pleasure as he climaxed. After a few moments we just lay in each other’s arms. He held on to me as I released my legs and rolled us back over so I lay on top of him.

“You really are an evil temptress,” he hissed in my ear.

“As soon as you tell me no, it creates a challenge for me, and we know I like a challenge.”

He laughed. “Honey, you do not have to try too hard. I always want you.” I slid off to lie next to him, but left a leg and an arm over him. I started to drift off and heard him say, “I love you, Kelly.” I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t know if I even felt the same, so I said nothing and pretended to be asleep already. A few moments later, I really did drift off as we lay wrapped around each other.

Maybe we really could make this work?

I woke up hours later, alone, but feeling much better than I had earlier. I sat up slowly and the nausea was gone. I still felt weak and sore, but no shooting pains or wanting to faint. I noticed a note on Brian’s pillow.

Kelly, I had to go downstairs to take care of a few things. I will return to you as soon as possible. There is blood in the refrigerator and if you need anything, please call me.

Love Always,

Brian

There was that word again,
love
. I rolled out of bed and got cleaned up. Finding some clothes to change into, I threw them on before walking into the kitchen. The whole condo was quiet so I assumed everyone was sleeping. Glancing at the clock, I saw it was six. I assumed pm but maybe I had slept long enough where it was six am on Thursday?

The blood was right there where he said it would be. I grabbed it, closed the door, and gasped. “Andre, you scared the shit out of me. I forgot how quiet you guys can be. I’m going to put a bell on y’all or something.”

“Looking for black cherry pop?” He smirked as he gestured to his throat. “I know where you can get some, how do you say, on tap?”

I stared at him a little confused. “Umm, no thanks, but I would like to bum another smoke if I could?”

“Sure, Kelly, no problem. How much do you remember of yesterday?” Andre prodded slyly.

“Not much, why? What did I do?” I asked, drinking the second pint of blood while waiting to hear what embarrassing thing I’d done.

“Nothing really. You were just funny. You were trying to talk Julie into playing strip gin with us all.” He gave me a look that led me to believe there was more than that as he pulled out the pack of smokes and lighter.

“Oh shit. Anything else I have to apologize for?” I took the smoke and lighter from him and said thanks.

“No, you’re fine. You know there’s a balcony, you don’t have to go all the way downstairs to smoke that,” he informed me with a nod in the other direction.

“I didn’t know that.” I shrugged as I headed that way. “This is my first time here.

“Oh, I figured Brian had brought you here before to show off his great place.”

“No, we really only had two dates before all of this happened, and—never mind, you and Brian are good friends.”

“Kelly, you can tell me anything. My lips are sealed,” he reassured me as he opened the balcony door for me.

“Thanks, I really appreciate it. I’m just not sure yet what I want to even say. I just have to do some thinking.”

“Just take one thing at a time. The rest will work itself out.”

“You’ve said that to me before. I remember that from yesterday.” He just nodded. “Thanks, that’s really good advice. I’m very logical, sometimes too much, but it helps me deal. Do you know if anyone went to my apartment after I got nabbed? I took out my keys before I saw the guys, and I’m sure I dropped them during the scuffle.”

“Yes, Brian stopped over there with flowers and an apology that night after Julie reamed him one. That’s how he found out something was wrong. Your keys were on the ground as well as your cell, which I’m sorry to say was destroyed. There was blood on the walls and he smelled that some of it was yours. We sent a crew over to clean all that up.”

“Crap, add getting a new cell phone to the list,” I joked, trying to be lighthearted about it. That would put my budget in a setback, and then it hit me. “He paid off my student loans. That’s why I was so pissed yesterday.”