Page 4 of Dating is for Suckers

Instead, I concentrate on the drink. Knowing Jessica, it’s barely any alcohol and mostly the drugs. I need Lissa to drink all of it so I can get her downstairs. With this new drug, she will hallucinate, allowing me to have fun with her without the constant need to keep her enthralled. All she has to do is drink.

Once again, I gulp down my shot, needing that bite of blood to take the edge off. Deep down, I know it won’t even come close to comparing to hers. Already her scent sings to me like none else. A smile curves up my lips as I watch the last of the red-tinted drink drain from the glass and go down her throat.

CHAPTER 3

Lissa

The drink is nice and fruity, tasting far more like fruit punch than an actual alcoholic drink. The slight burn indicates that there is, in fact, alcohol in this, but it’s not so consuming that I can’t enjoy it. Maybe I should make it a point to come back and make this my signature drink. Every young twenty-something should have a signature drink, right?

Staring up at Rory, my blood heats as it flows through me. Even though I thought Joe was going to be at least a longer-term fixture in my life, I can appreciate the rugged good looks of Rory. His muscles ripple as he shifts about in the chair, his movements sleek and effortless like a predatory cat. A panther. With his jet-black hair and heated stare, I can easily picture him as a jungle cat, stalking and devouring me.

Where the hell did that thought come from? Shaking my head, I try to focus on the man, but my vision blurs just a touch. Fuck. There was more alcohol in this than I thought. I knew I was a lightweight, but damn. Just once, I wish I could drink something and be like a normal girl. I don’t get all flirty and cool. Instead, I get wobbly, like a fish out of water. I hate it.

Looking back up at Rory, his face splits into two as I stare at him. Not the best start to a date, and it had been going so well. Soon, the room stops spinning, and a warm glow infuses my body. It’s nice, relaxing, and tranquil. Perhaps this is the buzz they talk about. If that’s the case, then I’ll for sure keep trying drinks like this.

Rory slides his cool hand over mine and leans down, his breath tickling my ear. It’s so cold. Why is it cold? I would say it was the heat from the drink, but then, Joe was cold too. It’s funny that I never really thought about that until now. Perhaps I just run hot. My thoughts bounce around in my skull as I try desperately to hold onto them.

“Want to go somewhere a little quieter?”

Do I? All of a sudden, the bar seems so loud. The clank of the silverware grates against my nerves. I’m hot, feverish. I want to hide away and let Rory blow his cool breath across my body. But that’s insane. This whole thought process is insane.

A giggle escapes my lips as I nod, wondering if I was actually going to go home with this stranger. Before, it seemed like a hell no, but the longer the drink sits in my gut, it’s starting to morph to yes, please. Even if we don’t have sex, it would be nice to not be alone. Joe and I didn’t have sex. I wanted to wait until we were really and truly committed, and look where that got me. Alone on Valentine’s Day and at the mercy of a hot guy who could be a serial killer for all I know.

Shaking my head, I dispel that thought. Serial killers don’t take their dates to fancy-ass restaurants, and they sure as hell don’t flatter their dates before they kill them. Or do they? I try to think back to all the true crime shows I’ve watched, but nothing important comes to mind. I slide my hand in his, determined to live for once.

Even if it ends in my mutilation, at least I went out having some fun. Wow, I’ve really let myself go. No more late-night crime for me for a long time. Still, though, perhaps there’s something to that. I’ll need to keep my wits about me as best as possible.

We head to the back, his fingers tightening around mine as we go down a slope. Again, more nervous giggles pour out of me as the sounds of the bar drift away into nothing. Silence. Just Rory and I. Finger to his lips, as if he’s about to impart some grand secret, he places his hand against a panel and waits for a moment. The slight hiss is the only indication that anything is actually happening.

When he pushes against the wall, it shoves forward, revealing another hallway. Stunned, I follow, my body picking up on the vibrations of a pounding rhythm. It’s alluring, primal. My body wants to sway with it. Smiling, Rory pulls me in front of him and wraps his arms around my waist, his body moving with mine to the beat. His cock is solid against the curve of my ass, and I smile, somewhat relieved that he finds me just as attractive as I find him.

I was never one to just engage in meaningless sex, but maybe tonight can be the first time. An ache starts in my pussy as we stand there, rocking against each other in a seductive rhythm. Already, wetness gathers at the juncture of my thighs, and I can barely keep the moan behind my lips.

Somehow, I want Rory even more than I ever wanted Joe, but perhaps that’s just the alcohol talking. Groaning, Rory pulls away and gets back in front, pulling me along. I guess the bar has some underground club, which makes sense. It’s yet one more thing to add to the secretive allure.

As we near a door, the thumping is even more palpable. I can’t wait to get in there and dance, releasing this pent-up energy that’s just thrumming through me. When he opens the door, my heart stops. It’s not a club. At least not a dancing one.

Instead of a light-up floor or a DJ, something, anything to resemble the type of club I was expecting, there are padded benches and crosses. Chains hang from the ceiling, most of them with occupants dangling from them in various states of undress. Moans and groans intersperse music, and despite the rise in fear, my body cries out for the same release they’re experiencing. It’s like something from a wet dream.

Everything I’ve read about. Everything I’ve wanted to try is here in front of me. It’s everything I’ve imagined and more. As I look closer, I stare, dumbstruck as I watch the people in charge. Some of them are playing with the submissives in front of them, but others are biting them. Honest to God biting. Blood runs down their bodies, despite the erotic moans spilling from their lips.

I want to run. I want to turn and leave before I’m too far swept up in the eroticism to make my escape. My eyes dance about the scene, not really noticing anything in particular until my gaze lands upon the last guy I ever thought I’d see. Joe. Off to the side, under one of the flashing lights, he stares at me, his lips wrapped around the neck of some woman who’s bucking underneath him, desperate for satisfaction.

What. The. Actual. Fuck.

CHAPTER 4

Joe

The world stops as I watch Lissa, her familiar scent teasing me, calling to me, demanding I storm over there and get her out of this cesspool. She doesn’t belong here. She doesn’t need to be in the same space as these monsters set to devour her. And she sure as fuck doesn’t belong with Rory.

She’s fucking mine.

Pulling back from my dinner, I slide my thumb across my bottom lip, removing as much blood as I can before sucking my thumb into my mouth. Lissa’s eyes dilate a touch as I mimic the acts I want to do to her, my eyes boring into hers. I never thought I’d see her again, yet here she is, drugged out of her mind, deep in my lair.

I didn’t want to give her up; I just didn’t think I had a choice. As sweet and lovely as she is, I still couldn’t show her all the sides to my personality. She was too meek, too soft. There’s no way she’d be okay with the dominant monster I truly am. In the first month or so, I thought she was just shy, and we were still getting to know each other. By month five, I knew I had to leave. I couldn’t allow my shadow to taint her.

But why the fuck is she down here? If only she wasn’t with Rory. If only I’d swiped on her first, but without her picture, how would I have known? Nodding over to one of the younger vamps that clean up after a scene, I allow him to take care of my takeout and stalk my way over. The way Rory’s hands tighten about Lissa’s arms as he pulls her back against his chest makes my gums ache, and my fangs descend even more.