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“There is some truth to it. I won’t sit here and lie to you. There is a certain satisfaction we feel when we hear that first gasp as we break the skin with our teeth. So we all delight in the pain of mortals to some degree.” He purred as he leaned forward a bit.

“And what is the degree that you delight in it? Are you a de Sade?” I inquired before bringing the wine glass to my lips for a small sip. He leaned his head to the side for a moment, that graceful neck of his stretching long. Those vibrant eyes fixed on me for a moment before he took a short breath to speak.

“No, I could never do most of what de Sade writes. But I do have certain… appetites which lean in that direction on occasion.” He smiled wistfully. Those lovely eyes of his darkened all the way to midnight blue—the reflection of the hanging pendant lights made his eyes resemble the night sky.

“O-oh.” I breathed still enraptured by those eyes of his. I had an idea of what he was saying, I wasn’t stupid and I had the internet. The thought of it, however—of Aleksi tying me up and having his way with me—made my body quake. He likes to be in control… and he told me I want others to control me. My face flushed hot and I took another sip of wine.

That glass of blood still sat on the coffee table untouched. That dark gaze of his was fixated on me. His body was ice to the touch and his skin bloodless, yet that stare held a heat that was all mine. Clearly his control was impeccable. I swallowed and preened again, my chest practically heaving with a sigh. However, it was his turn to swallow as he reached out and smoothed some of my hair behind my ear.

“I have a confession to make.” He murmured with a lazy smile spreading across his lips. I went to take another sip of wine and found my glass empty.
You’re drunk, and he knows it. He can smell it on you.
“The moment I saw you in the theater watching Swan Lake I felt drawn to you. As I watched you carefully manage your mannerisms. How your legs were crossed, how far you parted your lips…” He trailed off and wet his own lips. “I wanted you more than I have desired anything in a very long time. And when you snuck in and watched me rehearse—I could hear your heartbeat rise, your breath quicken, and smell your scent—it only made it so much worse. I want to possess you utterly, Autumn Darling.” He leaned forward, quicker than I could comprehend his lips were less than an inch from mine. “I want to watch you unravel.” He breathed into my mouth with his frosty breath before he kissed me. I was frozen for a moment, and even that bitchy little Miss Manners in my head was silent as his mouth ate at mine. The kiss was almost desperate—like he was trying to devour my very soul. It took a handful of moments for the shock of what he said to me to wear off, but when it did, I reciprocated the kiss.

We made out like teenagers, our tongues exploring each other’s mouths. As each moment passed however his mannerisms changed. He became more and more forceful. By the time he broke the kiss, I swore I’d have little bruises on my lips where his fangs had pressed against them. My body was just humming with need, I could even feel my pulse beating between my thighs. I was light headed and I knew it wasn’t all from the wine as his lips curved into a self-satisfied smile. I flushed scarlet as he reached out, tracing a finger along my jaw.

“Beautiful Autumn,” He cooed retreating back to his initial spot on the couch. My eyelids were starting to grow heavy. He noticed with a sigh. “It’s very late.” His smile slowly turned into a frown and he stood.
What?!
Even Miss Manners was panting and waiting for more. “I have a gift for you.” A brilliant smirk swept over his lips and his eyes sparkled. Then he left the room, leaving me to contemplate the full glass of blood on the coffee table and the taste of his lips which still lingered. Even though I was alone in the room, I still went through my usual nervous grooming.

When he returned, he had a medium sized box wrapped in bright red foil wrapping paper with a big intricate bow tied out of bright red satin ribbon. He set the box on the coffee table and walked into the kitchen only to return with my coat. My brows furrowed and I couldn’t help but to cast my gaze to my feet. I felt like I did something wrong.

Yet as he held out my coat for me I still stood and made my way over to him with unsure, unstable steps. The wine went right to my head. I was vaguely aware of him putting my coat on me, and then my body leaning back against his. Everything after that came in clips, like a movie trailer for Autumn and Aleksi’s Goodnight. He carried me to his car with ease. I remembered being in his arms in the parking garage, but I didn’t know how I got there. The next scene, Aleksi carrying me up the stairs to my apartment. And finally, Aleksi undressing me on my bed as I writhed under the simple touch and begged him to take me.

“As much as I love you begging, not tonight.” He rebuked me with a kiss on the forehead before pulling the blankets over my nude body. I blinked again, and I could see him through the doorway, writing something at the kitchen island. Then the fog rolled in and sleep sucked me under.

I dreamt of long, slender, white fingers; soft, cold, colorless lips; and a murmured sweet dreams from a soft voice that sent shivers down my spine.

My alarm shrieked, the usual annoying beeping was this morning a knife being driven through my ear canals.
I fumbled with my eyes closed for the alarm and only succeeded in knocking it onto the floor. The alarm continued to scream. With a groan, I slowly opened my eyes—only to be greeted by the sensation of someone shoving hot pokers into them. Ah, hangovers. I tumbled out of bed in my blindness with a yelp, landing on the floor nude and half tangled in blankets.
Why are you NAKED?!
I looked down at my body wide eyed for a moment as that alarm continued squealing.

After the shock of being naked wore off I fumbled with the alarm. Being unable to find the snooze— my head weighed a zillion pounds and was being gouged by unseen knives—I unceremoniously yanked the cord out of the wall. With the knives being stabbed in my ears remedied, I sheltered in the shadow of my bed, and let sleep blissfully take me again.

I awoke a few hours later. Admittedly I felt slightly better as I pulled myself off of the floor and staggered to the mirror. The first thing I did was check myself over for bite marks. Upon inspecting my neck, however, I blinked at my reflection. I wasn’t wearing makeup.
Impressive.
He undressed me, washed my face, and put me in bed all without biting me or taking advantage of me.

While I took my shower and dressed, I couldn’t help but to dwell on it. Then like a lightning bolt, I was hit with the memory of the red foil wrapped box with its big red bow. Pulling my hair back into a ponytail, I walked into the kitchen, lo and behold that very box was still sitting there on the counter. Next to the package was a folded piece of paper with my name on it. I jumped up on the stool and kicked my feet as I inspected the neat flowing script.

“Autumn,

Thank you for the lovely time last night. I haven’t enjoyed someone’s company that much in decades. After tucking you into bed, I realized that in my haste to better make your acquaintance I forgot to give you my number. Also, keep the ribbon around the box. I would like you to wear it in your hair when you come to see me Wednesday. Don’t cut it.

Aleksi”

At the bottom of the page, after his signature was his phone number. I could barely contain myself as I read that we were to have another date. After fetching my phone from my coat pocket, I filled out the contact card info for him. My smile took up my entire face as I twirled around my kitchen and made coffee. My eyes flitted to the clock on the microwave. 11:45 am. My smile fell, Leslie and Kendra would be at my door any minute.

As the Keurig gurgled on the cold faux wood Formica, I let out a heavy sigh. My eyes went to the intricate bow and I approached my gift cautiously. Grabbing one of the ends of that oh so soft vermillion satin, I pulled slowly and watched as that intricate bow unraveled before my eyes. A shaky breath left my lips as I remembered what he breathed into my mouth. He wanted to unravel me.
You should send the gift back.
There was surprisingly about two to three yards of ribbon. I set the ribbon on the counter and traced my fingers over the edge of that heavy red foil wrapping paper. When I found the near to invisible tape, I peeled it off. I was able to unwrap the gift completely without ripping the paper. As I folded up the stiff wrapping, I found myself staring at a rather inconspicuous white, glossy cardboard box.

Lifting the lid, I was greeted with perfectly arranged scarlet tissue paper. Shifting that aside revealed the contents of my gift. A pair of bright red ballet slippers, and in a smaller box, a pair of bright red pointe shoes. Checking the size I was slightly shocked to find they were my size.
He is a stalker
.
Setting the shoes and slippers aside, I found another bit of ribbon wrapped around itself. I remembered spending Saturday nights cutting, trimming and sewing the ribbons on my pointe shoes with my mom.

After tucking the ribbon in with the pointe shoes, I checked the box again. Sitting at the bottom was a single, small and inconspicuous black book without a jacket. I opened the cover,
Venus in Furs
, by Leopold von Sacher-Masoch. My toes curled against the cold tile as I remember our conversation from the night before about his appetites which leaned towards the writing of de Sade. I had never read Venus in Furs before— mainly because it was outside of my century of study—but I knew what it was about. A submissive male is obsessed with the idea of the perfect Venus. When he meets her he eventually becomes her slave and servant, but after a year she loses interest and finds a different lover casting the submissive aside. The Velvet Underground wrote a song about it.

Thud. Thud. Thud.
I sighed as I slid across the floor to the door. It was Leslie, for someone who was so small she had the authoritative knock of law enforcement. I unlocked the deadbolt and went back to the island. Kendra and Leslie walked in, Kendra was dressed like she was going to rehearsal and not grocery shopping.

“Do you guys have
rehearsal?” I raised a brow as I threw out that foil paper.

“Nope, Aleksi called me an hour ago. He’s picking me up and taking me to his place to rehearse.” Kendra’s voice was beyond smug. My stomach dropped to my ankles.
What did you expect?

“O-oh.
” I couldn’t keep the sadness from my voice. Leslie looked uncomfortable, after a moment she walked passed us and over to my gifts on the island.

“Are you picking up dance again? There’s a soloist in the Vampire Company with tig
ol’ bitties like yours. She doubles up her leotard to hold them in place and does just fine.” Leslie asked glancing over her shoulder at me as she inspected the shoes. “Holy hell. Dyed Gaynor Minden’s, those had to cost. Did you forget how to cut them?”

“N-no.
”—I chewed on my bottom lip for a moment—“It was a gift.” I answered turning from Kendra.

“These are two hundred dollars easy, they’re dyed and everything. Who gave them to you?” Leslie continued to inspect the shoes
. You should send them back.
I raised my eyes to Kendra and as hers keened, I quickly looked away. The intro to Britney Spear’s
Toxic
blared from Kendra’s phone.

“Oh hey, Aleksi… You’re here?... Awesome… I’ll be right down, babe.” She smirked triumphantly and giggled a little.
A victory giggle. You should have seen this coming.
“See you guys tomorrow. Don’t wait up.” Kendra called to us as she left.

Once the door shut, I felt my face grow hot. Leslie looked up from the shoes as I started pacing around the kitchen.
Don’t cry.
I drew a breath that sounded like a bit of a sob.
Don’t cry.

“Ar
e you okay, Hon?”

“Nope.
” I managed to squeeze out before my chest grew tight.
Calm down.

“What’s wrong? I will never cop to saying this, but… Kendra’s being a bitch with the Aleksi thing. She called him
, Autumn. Not the other way around. I noticed her getting his number from Tristan’s phone yesterday.”

“It doesn’t matter, Les. It just doesn’t. They’re both dancers and
I…” I trailed off and shook my head.

“You got a two hundred dollar pair of pointe shoes on your first date. That’s a win. Was this book part of it?” She gestured to the black book. I nodded and she flipped through the pages. “He gave you expensive ballet shoes, and—from
what I read—the Fifty Shades of Grey of the nineteenth century. She’s going to try too hard and get absolutely nowhere. Come here.” S
he held her arms out and we hugged. “Now
c’mon, grocery shopping can wait. You have to tell me about Aleksi.” I told her everything while we sewed the short ribbon pieces and elastic to the pointe shoes.

When we finished, we tucked those red shoes back in the box and ordered Chinese. Leslie actually read Venus in Furs while I binge watched romantic comedies.
You’re the plucky unlikely match for the hot guy. That doesn’t happen in real life.
I turned off Netflix and let out a soft sigh glancing at the cold, untouched chicken and broccoli in its little white carton in front of me.

“Why is all erotic fiction about
submission so fucking depressing?” Leslie exclaimed randomly as she set the book down.

“I have no clue.
”

“I’ve read
The Story of O
,
Fifty Shades
,
Justine
,
Sleeping Beauty
and now this. They all end with sadness, well except
Fifty Shades
—but I won’t go into that.”

“I didn’t know you were
such a connoisseur of Lady Porn.” I snickered out, Leslie just shrugged.