“Is that your only income?”
“None of your business.”
“Do you collect dues from those in the house? Are there others outside of the house?”
“Yes, all Hosts of the town are part of our union. Don’t go getting any ideas, I’ve already warned them about you.”
“How does that work? Are they really desperate enough to pay loose Hosts?”
“They have to respect our autonomy, as the Host chooses who feeds. The Host gets paid for each feeding. There must be nodamage to our bodies, they have to provide food for Hosts, and lastly, they must have a doctor on site,” I explained.
“Seems like a lot of regulation.”
“It is no longer a free-for-all. We are adding civility and decency.”
“And do you get paid to be the madam?” He smirked.
“No, I do not take any commission.”
“Does this mean you’ve taken other feeding partners?”
“Occasionally,” I answered, adding, “You ask too many questions.”
“I am simply protecting my investment.”
My stride was interrupted when he dragged me off the pavement into the alley between shops. His chest pressed against mine as my back met the hard brick wall. The heat emanating from him would make me believe he was hiding hot coals under his coat.
“I am not property,” I scolded.
“That is not what I said.”
“You might as well have.”
“You are just as bitter as I remember, like grapefruit.” He cupped my face in his gloved hand, our noses a mere inch from each other.
“You are stubborn, like a coffin nail.” I shifted in his grasp, turning my face from him to look toward the walkway. People passed the alley, unaware of us in the shadows.
“So macabre this early in the day?” He tugged my face toward him again.
The light from the alleyway entrance barely crept through, making it especially cold with the snowdrift padding the ground. It was difficult to look at him. So many memories of these eyes were tainted.
His pupils constricted when I did not speak. Many words could have been traded between us that were surely thought, but none dared manifest into even the slightest utterance.
We were still for several moments, all of which felt stolen. The only evidence that we were alive was the frozen vapors, indicating that we were breathing.
He lowered his lips to mine. They were as warm as I remembered, possibly hotter now that we were in the cold. His hand slipped to my lower back to hold me. His thumb smoothed along my cheek. Between the wall and him, I think I had a better chance of falling through the brick. He did not seem keen on letting me go.
His lips braced against mine, deeper, like he was finally feasting after a famine.
“Stop,” I breathed.
“I cannot bring myself to.” He trailed kisses from the corner of my mouth to my ear, nipping at the skin where my neck met my jawline.
“I haven’t forgiven you yet.” My hand reached up to grasp a fistful of his hair to pull him away, but it was an effort in vain.
“Yet,” he repeated, slowly running his hot, wet tongue across my neck.
“You cannot just make what you did better by being temporarily pleasant.”
