She wasn't sure she really did understand at the time, exhausted and weak, but she nodded.
“Rest, my sweet. I will be gone before the sun rises, but save the night for Me.” he said, holding her against him and kissing her forehead as she slipped into oblivion.
Nina bit her lip. What had happened to her? How could that be real? It couldn't be; it had to be a dream. She was here in this room, of course; Tomas was obviously real, as was the sex, but a vampire? And yet she could remember everything vividly, now, including the sensation of being bitten…
…her eyes flew open wide. Her neck! She hurried to the bathroom and gazed in the mirror, then laughed at herself. No bite marks, no blood. She had been tired and maybe a little drunk on two Bellinis and no dinner, and her silly imagination had taken her night of passion with Tomas and cross-bred it with some ridiculous vampire show she had been watching with her girlfriends. Come to think of it, Tomas looked a bit like the older brother, the “bad boy”. She chuckled at herself, but as she returned to the bedroom to get dressed, she noticed a small, but very distinctive, stain on the luxurious bed sheet. Blood. Her heart began to pound more rapidly as her breath caught in her throat and Tomas's last words echoed through her head.
Save the night for me…
Chapter 2
Nina had been warring with herself all day-well, all week-about whether she should meet with Tomas again tonight. He said he would be waiting for her in the same place, the bar at the Hotel du Lac, and they had spent a night of intense lovemaking there that she had not been able to conceive was possible. He had brought her to ecstasy over and over, seeming to know her every private need. But then, he had revealed a darker side, that he was undead, a vampire. A creature that was supposed to exist only in stories. He had bitten her and had drunk her blood as they copulated, and it had been a transcendent experience; she'd had the most powerful orgasms she had ever known. He had taken her blood several times over the course of the night, just a bit at a time, as they coupled over and over. Afterward she had fallen asleep in his arms, exhausted but satisfied, but had awoken to find him gone and her memory unsure.
Had he really been a vampire? Had he fled the morning sun, or just the complications of a one-night stand? He hadn't left a note, just the memory of his telling her that he had to leave before sunrise and that he wanted to see her again in a week. Maybe she had imagined that. And there had been no bite marks on her, even though she remembered being bitten in several places. She'd seen blood on the sheets, though. Not much, but how did it get there otherwise? It wasn't “that time of the month” for her.
Is it possible that she had fallen victim to some very odd prank? Had he slipped her a drug that would cause some sort of hallucinatory experience, or even made a hypnotic suggestion? Maybe the substance on the bed wasn't even blood, just something to bolster the story. She analyzed the possibilities, either he was really a vampire and they would have another round of amazing sex, but he might kill her; or he was not a vampire, he was some sort of strange con man with a gimmick to get laid. Either way, he had taken care of her needs so skillfully…if he wanted to kill her, he easily could have done that already, couldn't he?
She couldn't resist her burning curiosity, the memory of his dark, animal beauty, their pleasure in each other. It was all too strong. She left work early, no late-night meeting this time and took the train home simply so she could turn herself from a workaday ad executive into a ravishing creature of the night. No plain black shift and trench coat this time; she outfitted herself in a dark red wrap dress that displayed her pale, graceful neck and shoulders, along with a sexy peek of cleavage. A pair of diamond drop earrings to sparkle against her dark hair, but no necklace to get in the way. The same black silk stockings with an insanely sexy set of black lace lingerie underneath the clinging dress, and finally, a pair of black leather sling backs with a stiletto heel. The evening was a bit cool but not rainy, so she slipped a black cashmere wrap around her shoulders and headed out.
She decided to drive her car in to the city this time, rather than wait on the train. Her little black Acura made a quick and comfortable ride into the city, and she pulled up to the Hotel du Lac's valet stand a little early; at ten minutes until ten. So much for being fashionably late, she thought, but it made more sense to arrive early, actually; if Tomas had just been leading her on and would not be there tonight, she would be spared the discomfort of standing in the entrance of the bar, looking around awkwardly. This way she could go right in and find a table, as if just for herself. If he didn't show, no one need be the wiser.
Bolstered by this decision, she entered the bar confidently without a glance around, and selected a cozy table in the corner. As she strolled toward it, every man in the bar swiveled his head to follow. She looked fantastic tonight. From the corner of her eye she noticed a bit of the attention that she was getting, and she was flattered and delighted. She'd decided there was no point in trying to make it work with Mark; the distance between them was too great, physically and emotionally. If Tomas turned out to be just a fling, at least it was a comfort to know she was still desirable to other men.
The server, a redheaded college-age boy, came to ask for her order after she had settled at the table, she was about to speak when she heard a lush, deeply-pitched voice with a lyrical accent say from behind the server, “The lady will have a Bellini, and you can get a Chivas on the rocks for me.” The boy turned around in surprise, as there had been no footsteps to announce the approach of a companion, but as he came face to face with Tomas, he nodded his head, stammering, “Ye-yes, sir; right away.”
As the waiter hustled away, Tomas stood for a moment, drinking in the vision of Nina sitting there, voluptuous yet vulnerable, her pale skin set off exquisitely by the dark red silk dress and her shiny waves of ebony hair. “You can sit down,” she said, shyly. He pulled the chair and seated himself gracefully, never taking his eyes from her. “You are exquisite,” he sighed. She cast her eyes down modestly.
“Thank you for coming to see me again, Nina,” Tomas continued, “I'm sure last week must have been a very strange experience for you.” She gazed back up, a bit warily. “I seem to be remembering things that could not have actually happened,” she said, trying to keep her voice even, searching his face for a reaction. His gaze remained unflinching. “They did happen, Nina. I showed my true nature to you, and you gave yourself willingly. And came back to me willingly. I hope, anyway,” he added, suddenly seeming like a bashful boy.