Chapter Fifty-Eight
Because Maggie’s shirt was torn and bloody, Anatoly gave her his coat to wear so she didn’t raise alarm bells before they even got in the door. When she was as cleaned up as she could get, they headed inside. Not together, but staggered.
Maggie was nervous, especially since she wouldn’t have Anatoly’s direct support until after the deed was done. Unless, of course, things went sideways.
The bar was nice enough, with country music playing overhead and sports on the myriad TVs. It wasn’t too busy, but there were a few people here. Mostly barflies by the looks of it. In the corner away from the door, a few guys were playing pool, but just beyond them, was a young woman no more than twenty-something, sitting all alone.
Instinct kicked in and Maggie knew that’s exactly who she needed to target. Hands stuck in the pockets of Anatoly’s coat, Maggie walked in the woman’s direction, feeling more and more apprehension as she moved. At her approach, the woman glanced up and frowned.
“Sorry to intrude,” Maggie started, a story tumbling out of her mouth as though lying were second nature now. “My car broke down about a mile back and it is colder than a whore’s heart out there. I’m waiting for a friend to pick me up and I really don’t want to get hit on… Do you mind if I join you?”
The woman seemed to consider the request, then let out a sigh and motioned to the other side of the booth. “I thought you were coming to hit on me,” she admitted. “But sure. I don’t mind a little company.”
Maggie immediately slid into the booth and let out a dramatic sigh. “Thanks, it was that or sit by the geezer at the bar.” She shook her head and then smiled when the girl laughed. “I’m Maggie, what’s your name?”
“Vanessa,” she answered, holding out her petite hand for Maggie to shake. “Pleasure to meet you, sorry it’s not under better circumstances. Do you know what’s wrong with your car?”
“I think it’s the carburetor,” Maggie lied. “It was giving me fits over the summer, and I thought it got fixed, but here we are. So, I’m out the $500 and stuck on the side of the road. On the first snowy night of the season, too.”
They continued to exchange small talk, Maggie ordered a beer that tasted more like piss than before she had become a vampire, and eventually Vanessa got up to use the bathroom. Maggie decided that was going to be her best bet at getting access and offered to go with her, for safety. The irony tasted about as shitty as the beer had.
On their way, she spied Anatoly at a nearby table. His eyes caught hers and she had to fight her instinct to smile at him. Instead, she walked by as though she’d never seen him a day in her life.
“Wow, did you see that guy at the table near ours?” Vanessa was saying when they got into the bathroom. “He was kind of cute and totally checking you out.”
Maggie made a gagging noise in the back of her throat, though she didn’t feel that way about Anatoly in the slightest. “Men bore me,” she lied again. “They’re all the same, aren’t they?”
Vanessa tilted her head, stepping to the mirror to check her makeup. “A lot of them suck, yeah. But what do I know? My last boyfriend ended up being married. It was a real shock when his wife came home from her business trip early.” She sighed and reached into her purse for mascara.
As she touched up her eye makeup, Maggie realized she had a problem. She didn’t need to pee. She didn’t even know if she could anymore. So she did the only thing she could think of and pretended to primp her hair. It was weird seeing what she looked like now. Her cheeks were paler, her eyes standing out more as a result, and even though she’d scrubbed the blood off her forehead, she still looked… dead.
Maggie almost lost her nerve, but then Vanessa gave her an opening she couldn’t refuse.
“Sometimes I think I should become a lesbian,” she announced, turning from the mirror to look squarely at Maggie.
“I don’t think it works like that,” Maggie replied with a grin, knowing all too well the sentiment. “You either are or you aren’t.”
Vanessa pursed her lips. “How do you know, though?”
With a shrug, Maggie shifted a little closer. “I guess you just go for it…” And then she surprised even herself by kissing Vanessa right on the mouth. It was the first time Maggie had ever done anything like this, but the hunger ached in her gut and she knew if she didn’t take this chance she’d be stuck trying to find someone else.
To her further surprise, Vanessa didn’t pull away and returned the kiss, allowing Maggie to escalate by breaking away and starting to kiss her neck instead. Before Vanessa’s senses could catch up and decide to pull away, Maggie bit into her neck, minding what Anatoly had told her in the car.
Take a quick sip and move on was the general advice, but there was a lot more to it that Maggie hoped she would get right. With a whimper, Vanessa melted into Maggie, gripping her shoulders as the trick Anatoly had shared worked its magic.
As hot blood poured into Maggie’s waiting mouth, she gulped it down, being mindful not to take too much. Poor Vanessa was so consumed in the experience of being kissed by a woman that she didn’t even notice what was going on.
When Maggie was done, she dragged her tongue over the puncture wounds and grinned to herself when they sealed just like he said they would.
Vanessa, however, was woozy and Maggie didn’t want her to fall and get hurt, so she walked her into a stall and sat her on the toilet.
“Sorry, didn’t mean to go so far,” she said as guilt tore at her insides. “I’m gonna go get you some water.” It was another lie. Maggie was sure she’d be okay in a few minutes, she hadn’t taken that much blood, and as a result was going to bolt out the door and never look back. Vanessa was nice, the kiss was even nice, but Maggie’s heart belonged to Anatoly alone.
“It’s okay, I’m fine,” Vanessa replied, holding her head. “You’re a super good kisser…”
Maggie almost smiled, pausing at the door to the stall before hurrying out under the guise of fetching Vanessa a drink. Once she was back in the main bar, Maggie signaled to Anatoly and hit the exit before anyone could stop her.
Chapter Fifty-Nine
