Vampire World by Rich Douglas Page B

before continuing my
search for a decent guy in this kennel of vamp horndogs.
    Just
when things seemed to be going from bad to worse, I at last spotted Brett. He
was dancing with a dashingly tall, tattoo-covered vamp with amazing hair; in
other words, someone who didn’t look anything like me.
    I
looked away, even though I didn’t want to. Although there were tons of
attractive guys around me, I walked off the dance floor and sat at a bar where
blood was being served. I was thirsty. Not only for blood, but for Brett.
    While
waiting to get served, I began feeling weak and knew that I really needed some
of the red stuff. Then someone brushed up behind me. I turned around, and
suddenly the weakness was gone.   I
was energized simply by gazing into the gorgeous eyes of Brett.
    “Janice!”
he said. “How are you?”
    “Fine,”
I replied, but in truth as nervous as hell.
    “Glad
you could make it. Are you having a good time? You’re shaking.”
    Damn. I was blowing it .
    “Oh
yeah….just kind of cold, that’s all.”
    Damn
he was so beautiful. With his flawless ivory skin, muscular body and long black
hair, it was no wonder I appeared messed up.
    “Well
hey, I was just wondering if you want to enjoy a drink with me.”
    “Sure,”
I said.
    We
were both given a tall glass of blood with dark fruit sticking out of it. Brett
squeezed his fruit into the blood.
    “It’s
laquisha,” he said. “Try some. It makes the blood taste tangy and really good.”
    I
did as he suggested and took a sip through the large straw. “Hmm, delicious,” I
said.
    We
walked through the crowd and found two chairs where we could sit facing each
other. My heart pounded as I looked at him. Sure, this might not have been the
most romantic or private place in Vampire World, but I didn’t care. Right now,
I liked where I was.
    “You
played awesomely at fireball the other night,” he told me. “Especially seeing
as how it was your first time.”
    “Thanks,”
I replied, though it was hard to talk much with all the commotion going on
around us. But as I continued to admire Brett, words become worthless anyway. I
wondered if he knew about my accident. Had Kate told him?
    “Hey,
you wanna go dance?” he asked.
    “Yeah,
I'd like to,” I said.
    We
made our way to the floor and danced very closely. His porcelain skin felt
smooth; in a strange way pleasurably both cold and hot at the same time.
Everything around me became a meaningless blur as I held him tightly. Feeling
safe in his protective arms, I was in another world.
    After
several dances like this, things became more casual when we were joined on the
floor by Marsha, April and Kate, along with some other guys I didn’t know.
    We
sat down as a group. When Brett went to get more blood, Kate gave me a look.
    “So
I see you and Brett are getting a little close there.”
    I
blushed.
    “Well,
I got good news for you, girl,” she said. “He’s single!”
    After
that, Marsha introduced me to her boyfriend, Curtis. He was dark and handsome
with thick chains around his wrists, shoulders and neck. Each chain locket had
an individual fang attached to it.
    April
said hello to me but little else. She spent most of the time chatting to her
boyfriend, Marsha and Curtis. Again, I sensed that she had a problem with me.
    Later,
I danced again with Brett, this time even closer than before if that was
possible. As the party started to wind down, I realized I just couldn’t get
enough of him.
    “Hey,
I really don’t want to go home just yet,” he said. “I was wondering if you’d
like to hang out somewhere tonight.” An awkward look appeared on his face. “I
understand if you don't want to. I know you don’t know me very well, but...”
    “Sure,”
I fired back before he changed his mind.
    “Well,
I don’t get paid until next week, so I can’t take you any place fancy,” he
said. “I only have about ten Carns to my name right now. Isn’t that pathetic?”
    I
burst out laughing. “So do