Eat Me

ChapterFourteen

JustinPOV

Time had slowed to an almost stop waiting to see if Beverly would show her face. It was nearing midnight when I had tired of watching the entrance from the chesterfield I was sat on in a more discreet corner of the club. An hour had passed since I'd finished the first bottle of whiskey, half an hour since I'd almost finished the second. It swam around my insides, giving the illusion of warmth, but it took a lot more than two bottles of the amber-coloured liquor to bring me to my knees.

At least half a dozen men had entered the club since I'd sunk in my chair, but my night wasn't going how I'd planned.

Across the room, the redhead from earlier was leaning over the bar. She hadn't taken her eyes off me for more than a few minutes since I'd got here, and she knew I'd noticed. Even now, as she reached for her small glass of clear liquid, her eyes left mine only briefly. No one had chosen her to feed from, something I was glad about. Not that I needed to eat, no. I had another use for her.

I raised my glass in her direction, giving her a nod. Her glass gracefully lifted to her lips as she emptied the contents down her throat.

The slow clicking of her heels on the marble floor grew louder; her hips swayed seductively towards me. Few men had looked her way as she passed them, a sight to behold. Once I'd called her over, they'd be f*cked if they tried to take her from me, and they all knew it. I had a reputation of sorts. I'd been around longer than most and for a vampire of my status, it was rare to find another of my kind who didn't know who I was.

"Want some company?" She asked, biting her lip.

I placed my glass down on the small table next to me with a satisfying clink. That dress of hers hugged her body in all the right places and I found my eyes lingering a little too long on the swell of her breasts. She seemed to enjoy the attention; her fingers skimmed over the top of her dress, stopping to toy with her necklace that sunk into her cleavage.

"Seems like you've been wanting to ask me that all night." I reached forward and wrapped my hand around her dainty wrist, pulling her to my lap. She smelt like lemon and honey, not as alluring as she was hoping for and more like a sickly human drinking one of those medicinal drinks. I could push past it though, it wasn't like I was gonna stick around after I had finished.

She tucked her hair behind her ear, the pulse on her neck on full display, not tempting me in the slightest. Her eyes focused on my mouth.

This wasn't about money for her, she got off on being bitten.

"I wasn't going to come to you first. I like to wait to be summoned to the lions' den, not stroll in like I'm anything more than what I am."

"And what is that?" I tilted her chin up to face me.

"Prey." Her tongue snaked over her lips before she dropped her head in submission.

Meek.

Even if she was right to sit and wait to be called upon, it was boring. I didn't want a full submissive. I wanted a fight, a personality.

Cassy.

No.

"On your knees, now." I growled low.

With no hesitation, she climbed off my lap and pressed herself between my legs on the marble flooring.

The club was known for its appreciation of nudity, depravity and s*x. Be it a back room, one of the many sofas out front, or the bathroom, you were guaranteed to come across someone getting sucked, f*cked, or both simultaneously.

From my dimly lit corner I could still see if Beverly made an entrance, but then how focused I would be on the door with this girl's mouth around me, I wasn't too sure.

Like an explosion of fire, her red hair spread wildly over my hand as I wrapped it around my fist. She wasted no time unzipping my jeans and releasing me from my boxers, achingly throbbing at the thought of her. That intriguing small beauty that kept snaking her way into my thoughts.

This right here was supposed to be a distraction.

My mind had been so detached from what was actually happening in real time that it wasn't until the sputtering from the girl beneath me had I noticed her choking.

Would Cassy be able to handle me?

In the dark recesses of my mind's eye, I saw her. Her breasts bounced as she rode me, the blissful sounds of our skin slapping together permeated the air. My teeth marks marred her body and mine alone.

I threw my head back, coming undone in this nameless girl's mouth with a grunt. If she had expected me to thank her and give her anything in return, she was sorely mistaken. Tears and mascara had bled into each other, staining her cheeks a blotchy grey. I released her hair, moving to stand whilst she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

A half hour later, I found myself outside the address I'd written down for Beverly. The industrial-sized building was mostly dark, most of the occupants asleep at that time of night. If she was home, my incessant ringing of her buzzer would wake her up, and then she would have no choice but to invite me in. I wouldn't be taking no for an answer and if she knew what was good for her, the word wouldn't even be considered before she opened her mouth.

The scratchy sound of the outdated buzzer rang loud in the street. My finger pressed firmly on the button for flat 7B for as long as it would take for her or one of her neighbors to answer. In my head I saw myself waiting as long as it took, sitting on the bench in the adjacent gardens until morning. But I knew my time was limited. Hell, if I wasn't in and out in an hour, I'd be pushing my luck to make it back before dawn.

"Jesus Christ! Yes, hello?" The slightly croaky voice finally answered. It was her, alright. Even from our brief exchange at the club, I recognised her voice, be it a little croaky from being dragged from her slumber. Slipping my finger from the buzzer, I moved closer to the small microphone above the speaker.

"Beverly Kingsman, you're not as tricky to track down as I thought you'd be."

Silence.

"Invite me up. We have some things to discuss."

"Who... Who is this?" Her voice came out just shy of a whisper. My guess was that over-confident girl from the club wasn't too fond of unexpected visitors dropping by in the middle of the night. Couldn't blame her really, it wasn't like Izzy gave out this sort of information freely. So for someone like me to turn up like this, in her eyes, it could be a death sentence.

"We have a mutual friend, so to speak." No reply. "I frequent Izzy's, that's how I got your information. The other night, I was speaking with a friend of yours at the club." My words were falling on deaf ears.

"Wait a minute, Justin? What- It's late. Whatever this is about, can't it wait until morning?"

"Time is of the escence, doll. Don't make me ask again." I was done with her p*ssyfooting around. People had died by hands for far less than this, and if she was digging her own grave now.

I heard the unenthusiastic sigh break through the speaker right as the latch to the main door clicked open.

Good girl.

The remnants of cigarette smoke clung to the walls as I climbed the three flights of stairs it took to get to Beverly's door. I knocked, hearing the rustling of slippered feet moving towards the door from inside.

Would it be so bad if I killed her after for taking her time letting me in?

Slowly the door creaked open a fraction. Using the door as a shield, Beverly peeked through the small space, hair in a messy bun atop her head, wrapped in a fluffy white dressing gown.

"I guessed it was you when you mentioned the other night in the club," recognition registered in her eyes, fear ever present.

Good, that's how I liked it.

I didn't come all this way to have a f*cking conversation in the hallway. Even if she didn't open the door to me now, there was no use in hiding from me. I had more information than I needed to track her down again.

The splintered wood of the doorframe chipped under my weight as I rested my arm against it. All it took was a flash of my fangs for her to know she had everything to lose by not doing as I asked.

"Please," she sighed, "come in."

Stepping back, pulling the door open with her, she motioned for me to enter. Sinking into the plush carpet under my shoes, I moved about the place as if it were my own. There was a stark contrast in Beverly's home compared to Cassy's. Photos of what I could only guess were her with her family and friends dotted the walls of the hallway alone, and when she flicked the light on to the living room, more photos and tacky artwork gave the room a lived-in, 'hoarder' feel. Not something I would have expected of a girl who flaunted it like she was hot sh*t.

Eyeing the people in the pictures, I spotted a smiling Cassy and Beverly, arms around each other on a beach somewhere. I needed to know more about this girl, more about why I couldn't get her out of my thoughts. Yes, she was beautiful, but it wasn't like I hadn't been with thousands of women over the years and yet none of them piqued my interest like Cassy did.

Well, maybe Sophia, but that was over three hundred years ago, and I liked to think I was a different man than I was back then.

Behind me, Beverly cleared her throat, obviously hoping to move this along and get me out of her home as quickly as possible.

"So, what is it you needed to talk to me about? You didn't seem that interested in me the other night."

I scoffed, "It's not you I'm here for. Your friend, Cassy, what is she? And I'll know if you're lying, so think wisely before you answer." I turned to face her, catching the confusion washing over her face, openly daring me to ask her again. I already knew they had known each other for a long time, the evidence was strewn over the walls right in front of me. If anyone could give me insight in who she really was, it would be Beverly.

She opened her mouth, pausing for a second, before she said, "what do you mean, what is she? You saw her, she's human."

The air grew thick with tension, was she really bullshitting me right to my f*cking face?

"Honestly, Justin, I don't know what you think you know, but there's nothing special about her."

Absently, my fists clenched at my sides. She noticed, taking a hesitant step back.

"Want to try again? I'll let what you've just said slide and give you one more chance to be honest with me." I didn't want to leave without getting the information I so desperately needed. I took a step forward watching her retreat once again.

Her hands flew out in front of her waving like a mad woman.

"I promise you, I don't know what you're talking about."