Vampires Bite

Vampires Visit Malls

     My head was pounding when I awoke in the morning. On the nightstand next to my bed was a bottle of Tylenol and a bottle of water, no doubt warm by now. I wasn’t much for drinking water, especially warm water, but I needed relief now. I silently thanked Alissa for putting it there and wondered if vampires got headaches too.

After taking two, I laid back down in the bed to allow time for my headache to heal. That was one thing I remembered. It was best to take them and lay still for a while. My head hurt so badly I didn’t even want to think. So I did the only thing I could... sleep.

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A few hours later, I woke up, headache gone, thankfully. It would be quite a while before Alissa woke up since many vampires sleep during the day. The older ones like Antonio could go out in the sun with no ill effect as long as it wasn’t for a very long time as their powers diminished, but ones like Alissa were very limited, and new vampires would die in the sun within minutes.

I gathered up my clothes from the night before and took them along with the rest of my clothes basket to the washroom. I hated to have dirty laundry lying around. I probably washed clothes too much, but it was one of my pet peeves.

I sent a text to Madge and asked if she wanted to meet for lunch and do some shopping. She texted back within minutes that she would love to.

Madge and I had been friends for years. We met in college during my undergraduate study. Afterward, I went on to Law School, but we remained friends. We lived together for a brief time, but Madge’s lifestyle choices didn’t work with mine. Madge was the prime example of friends with benefits. She took no relationship too seriously, but I knew she was afraid of being hurt deep down. In college, her high school boyfriend and she continued dating until Madge surprised him one weekend. That was the end of that. He was with another woman, and it devastated her.  After months she finally got over it, but she has always kept men at a distance from her heart.

I was what she called classic sappy. Classic sappy was always looking for love and always bound to get hurt, according to Madge. I just think I’m a typical American woman, hell a typical woman really.

Grabbing a quick shower, I threw on some slacks, but Alissa’s comments kept coming back to me, so I hesitantly dug in the back of my closet and pulled out a pair of skinny jeans instead. I enjoyed dressing the way I used to.

I turned off my answering machine, put the laundry in the dryer, and headed out the door.

Madge was never one for promptness, but I adjusted to that over the years, though when I went inside Tommy’s Diner, I saw Madge at a back booth with a coffee in hand. Either one of two things was true, or possibly both she either heard whom I was working for or needed to vent about her s*x life.

I cautiously headed to the table and took a seat. Madge’s hair was impeccable. She had that naturally curly hair that looked like she stepped out of a salon, but all she did was add a little mouse.

“Sorry I hadn’t called you all weekend. It’s been super busy, but I have something to tell you,” I began knowing it was best I offer the deets before she called me out on them.

“So I’ve heard,” She laughed as she sat her coffee down. The server came over, and I ordered a Coca-Cola. It was too hot out for coffee, I decided. “So tell me everything,” she said after the server left.

I filled her in on everything I could without revealing vampires existed. She sat mostly silent, which meant at any given moment she would erupt with the fifty questions. 

“So is he as handsome in person as on tv or magazines?” She leaned forward, eager to hear more.

“He’s not bad,” I shrugged.

“Not bad? Are you kidding me? Sometimes I swear Cass. You need glasses or your playing coy,”

“His attitude sucks,” I told her.

“Who cares.  I bet he’s good in bed,” she said.

I changed the subject and talked about Alissa instead.

“So I have a new roommate,” I volunteered.

“A roommate?” Her eyes perked up at that.

“Yes, Anto.. uh, Mr. Morros sent me an assistant to help me, but she isn’t from here, so I let her stay on for a few weeks,”  I said, not exactly telling the truth but not lying either.

“Mr. Morros, huh?” She teased. “You were about to call him Antonio,” she laughed.

“So anyway, though she’s been kind of working on me about my wardrobe. You’d like her,” I said.

“I see that. Listen, Cass, this has always been you. The person who dresses up in those awful slacks is the pretender or what you foresee yourself as. I think I should meet this, Alissa,” she smiled.

I was thankful to be off the subject of Antonio as we chatted away more about Alissa and her style.

To celebrate my coming back in style, as Madge put it, we bought a few new outfits for me. Madge helped me pick them out, but I had the last say on the shoes. I found a cute pair of strappy black sandals that I loved and bought those. We were just getting ready to head out when I saw Leif heading towards me. Dammit, he must be one of the older vamps, which made sense since he was the Vice and Antonio’s, right-hand man.

“Cassie, what are you doing?” Leif asked.

Madge just stood by and took the entire scene in, no doubt bursting with questions.

“Shopping, Leif, I’d like you to meet my best friend, Madge.  Madge Antonio’s..” I struggled with what to call him. I didn’t know if he had a title in the company that would be public knowledge.

“Antonio’s Vice President,” Leif finished, and I sighed in relief.

Madge reached out and took his hand. But I didn’t miss the hint of seductress coming out as she eyed him up and down. It seemed neither did Leif as he looked away quickly.

“I’m ready to teach you that software whenever you’re ready,” Leif said. I eyed him curiously at first, but remembered he would teach me to keep my thoughts from being invaded.

“Great, I work tomorrow, but why don’t you send me a message and we can set something up,” I said.

Leif reached around to my back pocket, startling me, and grabbed my cell phone, “Your hands are full,” he typed his number into my phone. I made another mental note, this time, to put a lock on my phone. He then dialed his own phone from mine, so he had my number too.

I really never knew what to think of Leif. He didn’t talk much, and when he did, it was always so short. Like usual, as fast as he appeared, he’s gone. I was tired and ready to head home. Alissa would wake up in a few hours, and I wanted to get some things done first.

“Oh, no, you don’t, Cassie,” Madge said.

“No, I don’t what?” I stopped and turned to face her.

“All in one week you get a job for one of the biggest companies working for the sexiest man, possibly second sexiest after this new guy, though they’re a close tie. Either way, and now you have some handsome VP putting his number in your phone to go over some software,” she emphasized the software with her fingers by using air quotes.

“Gee Madge, it’s not like he asked me on a date,” I turned back around and headed towards the exit. I was an expert speed walker, and she struggled to keep up, making me laugh a little inside.

I pushed the unlock button on my car and put my bags in the backseat, all the while ignoring Madge. She wouldn’t stop until she got the answers she sought.

“Listen, Madge, Antonio has a girlfriend, well he’s dating someone, a someone I have met, and  Leif only speaks business and rarely. Learning this software is a must. Nothing is going on.” I said.

“Then you won’t mind when I take my pick, hmm, which one,” she teased before walking away.

Her tricks wouldn’t work this time, but that was the thing; sometimes, she meant what she said. Either she would go after one or both of them, or she was hoping I would tell her some juicy gossip like about Antonio and the dance. I wasn’t sure there was much to tell, though, so I left it out. Besides, I wasn’t Madge. I couldn’t play games with fire as she could. If I really thought about it, the two were very much alike.

I spent the next few hours folding and putting away laundry and doing some more reading. I had only read one book so far that Antonio had sent over, which was on Vampire politics. My next looked like to be a history lesson, and I couldn’t wait to dig in.

Alissa was still asleep, or whatever it was she was doing in there, and I decided it was time for a break. I dialed up Leif’s number to set something up. What could I say? I was a girl who liked to have her calendar in order.

“Hello,”  He answered on the first ring.

“Hi, it’s Cassie. I was wondering when you would like to meet up?”  I asked him.

“Oh, hey, Cass, how about we meet at about six over the next few evenings? I could come to your place, or your welcome to come to mine,”

“Let’s meet at your house, text me the address,” I said before hanging up.

I wasn’t sure how long it would take, so I booked a window from six until nine for the next five days. Yea, my life was that miserable. I literally had no evening life unless it involved work or hanging out with Alissa or Madge.

Merlin began meowing from the door, so I opened it and let him out for a bit before retiring back to my history lesson.

“You’re taking this seriously,” Alissa said, plopping down on the couch next to me.

I looked at my clock to see that about an hour passed since I let Merlin out, and he’d be whining soon if I didn’t let him back in.

“I am, it’s my job. Besides, I find it very interesting,” I opened the door, and Merlin came in running straight for his water dish.

“Suit yourself. I had a voicemail from Antonio. He wishes to meet with us tonight about the network,” she said.

“What time?” I asked.

“Oh, any minute now,” she laughed as I glanced down at my sweat pants I had thrown on after returning from the mall earlier. I wasn’t expecting any company, that’s for sure.

Alissa walked to the door, “I’ll be back, I need sustenance,” she said, opening the door.

I realized I didn’t know where or how vampires got their blood. I added it to my mental notes again. Antonio slipped in as Alissa slipped out. I grabbed the throw off the back of the couch and covered up, hiding my hideous sweatpants.

“I didn’t realize you are undressed. I’m sorry she walked out, and I walked in as she was leaving,” he apologized.

“I’m dressed just not properly,” I blushed.

“I could turn around why you go get dressed,” he offered.

I nodded, waiting for him to turn before I took off running towards my room.

“Really, Cassie sweat pants, your running in sweatpants?” he laughed, and I wanted to smack that smirk I was sure he had, off his handsome face.

I quickly threw on a pair of slacks and a buttoned-up shirt and gave myself one last look in the mirror, making sure my hair was presentable before walking back out to the living room.

Antonio looked at my family pictures on the wall and didn’t turn around immediately when I came out. The particular picture was of me working in my parent’s office. I was probably about sixteen when we took the photo.

“Things could have been different,” He finally said as he turned around towards me. The look on his face was rather blank, giving nothing of his thoughts or meaning away.

“What do you mean?” I asked him.

“Well, your parents wanted you to take over their company, something you must have contemplated for some time before telling them you had your own life planned out,” he shrugged.

“Yea, it wasn’t easy. When that picture happened, I had already decided I wanted to be a lawyer, but it wasn’t until I left for college that I told them.”

“More like after you finished your bachelor’s degree and enrolled in law school. Your mother received your acceptance letter,” he called me out, and I again hated that my family so easily volunteered so much information to him.

“You wouldn’t understand,” I rolled my eyes at him, hoping he would just change the subject and move on.

“Why wouldn’t I? Come on, Cass, I mean just because I have lived for a long time doesn’t mean I don’t understand wanting to live your life how you want,” he said.

The day my mother opened the letter, I was furious. She had no right to open my personal mail. We argued, and I went and stayed at Madge’s for a month after. Eventually, they learned they couldn’t change my mind and groomed my sister to take over. Mom never gave up on me, at least being their company’s attorney. She offered me a modest stake in the company and a salary, but I turned it down. There was so much to see in the world, and I couldn’t do that under their nose in their company. I wanted to make my own legacy I could be proud of.

“I guess you don’t have an answer to that,” he shrugged since I left his last question unanswered. “Very well, I can see you don’t want to discuss it, let’s move on. I have secured a few interviews with the top two stations that will get us the best coverage,” he said.

“Did you tell them you are a...” I began

“Vampire? No. Being the owner of Auxillio and one of the most eligible men has them guessing and wanting more. I took Leif along, and their thoughts were mostly about rather I’m announcing I have settled down, perhaps gotten married or engaged. Am I selling my company, you know things like that,” His face was lit up in a playful smile as he told me what these no doubt women thought.

“Well, if it were my guess, I’d guess the second,” I laughed.

“Yea, they thought so too. Though one guy did secretly hope I was finally settling down. Seems I briefly dated a woman he loved,” He shrugged.

“Oh, I’m sure you did,” I thought of the dance we shared and how stupid I had been even to enjoy it. I knew he was dating someone else; rather, he wanted to call her his girlfriend or not. That should have kept me away.

“Cass, look about the other night..” He struggled to find the right words, it seemed. I knew he was gently letting me down.

“Antonio, it was a dance. I was drinking, and it meant nothing. Geez, get over yourself,” I rolled my eyes at him. “Now, what do you need me to do?” 

“I need you and Alissa to go over the interviews and give me your decision. There will be legal contracts I need you to look over and make sure all is in order. Leif can answer questions pertaining to thoughts on it,” He set a few discs on the table and stood up. 

“No problem. I’m going to be at Leif’s tomorrow anyway,” I picked up the discs and flipped through them. There was only net1 or net2 written on them.

“Did you say you’re going to Leif’s?” His face was again blank, masking his true mood and thoughts.

“I didn’t stutter,” I shrugged.

“You barely know the guy, and you would go to his house?” He growled.

“Should I fear him? I mean he’s your right-hand man, and he was good enough for me to ask advice about these too,” I waved the discs in his face, and he jumped back slightly.

He stood a few minutes longer in silence before opening the door and walking out. I let out the breath I had been holding and plopped down on the couch. I could never understand him.