Desires Unleashed (30 page)

“No, that was it. Thank you. Goodbye.” Both of the women ended the connection. Natasha sat on the sofa for a few minutes thinking about Xavier, she smiled, feeling giddy. Then her stomach rumbled, letting her know it was time to make something to eat. She walked into the kitchen with the little yellow and white daisy covered wallpaper she hated. She wanted to tear it down, but Annette liked it, saying it reminded her of the kitchen she grew up in back home in Charleston, South Carolina. Natasha didn't argue, but she still thought it was ugly. She looked into the refrigerator, shuffled a few items around till she found the sliced roast beef she'd just bought along with some lettuce, cheese, tomatoes and onions. She placed all of the food on the countertop and began making a double stacked sandwich, adding two layers of everything. She wondered if her eyes may be too big for her stomach but there was no law against saving some for later. She poured a tall glass of juice, then sat down comfortably on the sofa in the small living room. The living room was only big enough for the brown sofa with two matching chairs, a wooden coffee table and the thirty-two inch screen TV she and Annette had purchased together for Christmas a year ago. Turning on the cable with the remote, she surfed through the channels, complaining that there was never anything worthwhile on cable.

“Hundreds of channels of garbage,” she whispered out loud as she passed channel after channel of reruns, music videos and sports. She finally settled on an old movie she had once seen as a child and loved. She settled back, watching a marathon of classic movies featuring unforgettable actors and actresses. She had drifted off to sleep when the telephone rang, jarring her awake. She sat up quickly, upsetting her equilibrium and almost fell off of the sofa. She paused for a second, then grabbed the telephone receiver.

“Hello?” she said groggily.

“I'm sorry, did I wake you?” asked a masculine, sexy voice. Natasha didn't recognize this strange man calling her house. “I'm sorry, but who's calling?”

“It's me, Xavier, you left your telephone number, you wanted me to get in contact with you. Is this a bad time?” His voice was smooth as silk. As it purred through the receiver, goosebumps surfaced on Natasha's skin. She remembered how he affected her and wanted to talk with him, get to know him.

“No, no, I did want you to call me. I wanted to talk.”

“Do you want me to come over?” he asked.

“Yeah.” She gave him her address. “It's a three story apartment building with a red awning in the front. There's an intercom, I'll have to buzz you in. The name on the intercom is...” she sighed. “...Two hotties.” She could hear Xavier chuckle softly. She couldn't blame him, it was ridiculous, but it had been Annette's idea.

“Alright, I can be there in about thirty minutes. Are you hungry?” he asked smoothly.

“Urn, a little, but you just make sure you're not. I don't want to look appetizing to anyone,” she said sternly. Xavier chuckled. He admired her blatant honesty, finding her unique form of expression charming.

“I've already fed. I just want to take care of you. I'm on my way. See you then.” He hung up. Natasha felt her heart jump in her throat. She had just invited a vampire into her house. She felt the excitement rush throughout her body, she could hardly keep still. She walked through the apartment making sure no unmentionables were visible. Once she had feminine-proofed the apartment, she waited. She looked at the clock, the time was 7:42 P.M. It had only been twenty minutes since she talked with Xavier. She hoped he would be there within the thirty minutes he'd stated. Before she had time to think any further on Xavier's promptness, her intercom buzzed. She jumped off the couch, then paused as the pain in her muscles forced her to calm down. She slowly walked to the intercom and hit the button.

“Hello?” she asked, leaning into the intercom speaker.

“It's me, Xavier.” Even over the loud disruptive reception of the intercom, his voice was clear and sexy. She pressed the button to unlock the door to the building's entrance. Before she could take her hand off of the release button, there was a knock at her door. She walked to the door.

“Who is it?” It couldn't be Xavier, she had just buzzed him in, this must be a neighbor.

“Xavier.” It was him! She couldn't believe how fast he got up to the third floor! She peeked through the peephole and sure enough, there he stood, looking down the hallway. She unlocked the door opening it. He turned to face her and smiled. He was breathtaking. He was wearing a smoke gray blazer over a black silk shirt and smoke gray flat-front pants. The cut of the pants really showed off his flat stomach, and made an impressive impact in the groin area. She smiled, stepping to the side, allowing him to enter. He walked past her carrying a pizza box. Natasha's stomach growled as the aroma of the pizza wafted up to her nostrils.

“Where should I put this?” he asked, indicating the box of pizza.

“Oh, you can put it right there.” She pointed to the coffee table in front of the sofa. He set it down, then took a seat on the sofa crossing one long leg over the other, right hand resting in his lap, the left, resting on the armrest.

He looked at her. “Are you going to come and sit down, or no? I promise I won't bite,” he joked.

She smirked at him then walked over to the sofa and sat down...cautiously. She looked at him, she definitely felt an attraction to him, acknowledging her desire for his body, but she was also afraid of him. She decided to play it cool, he still didn't seem to pose a threat. She opened the pizza box and looked at the delicious smelling pizza topped with onions, black olives, mushrooms, green and red peppers, sausage, pepperoni and double layers of cheese. She looked at him, and smiled.

“What are you trying to do, get me fat?” she joked. She reached into the box, pulling away a slice and taking a bite out of it, working the long strings of melted cheese into her mouth with her lips. Xavier smiled as he watched her eat.

“I picked their deluxe. Everyone there said it was the best thing on the menu,” he said.

“Well, it's delicious. Thank you.” She looked at him. “I'd like to just talk, if you don't mind. There are some things I'd like to ask you. I've never really seen a vampire in real life...at least not one I was aware of. And well, I wanted to know more about you,” she said with all honesty. He looked at her, he seemed thoughtful.

“Okay. Whatever you want to ask me, feel free. I'll answer all of your questions to the best of my ability.”

“Are any of the myths true?”

“Like crosses and holy water? No. Neither can harm us, or irritate us in any way. The only thing that can kill us or do us harm is the sun, fire, or decapitation. We can be injured as well, to the point where it may take days to heal, however it's very hard to injure vampires. But to my knowledge, what I mentioned are the only things that can kill us. That's why I have to take my hat off to the mortal world for equipping themselves with all of the weapons necessary to protect themselves. Really! Ultraviolet bullets are simply amazing.” He seemed truly astounded.

“What about, when you go to sleep, do you sleep in coffins, or in dirt?”

Xavier laughed outright, his hand slapping his thigh. “Neither,” he stated, still chuckling. “I choose to sleep in a bed, but there are some of our kind that choose to sleep in coffins, or even underground.”

“Can you make, well, do you...you know, when you have sex?” The blood had rushed to her face, and her cheeks were reddening.

He looked at her, his head slightly cocked sideways. He smiled. “Well, let me explain it this way. When we have sex, there is a release with the orgasm. But we are sterile, we can never reproduce. Our bodies are reanimated, so to speak, nightly, outwardly functioning much like a normal human body, after we've fed. Which is why it's hard to differentiate one of us from one of you. Our skin is warm to the touch, but if you've noticed, we sweat, we can cry, and we can ejaculate.”

Natasha's eyes were as huge as saucers as she listened to Xavier. Her mind raced with every detail he revealed. She was asking Xavier all of the questions that ran through her mind. Questions that were brought on by every vampire movie she'd ever seen and every vampire book she'd ever read and just her own curiosity.

Xavier continued, “Unfortunately, we cannot digest human food. Wait, I'll take that back. The oldest of our kind are practically invincible. They can carry on lives just like you. But for me, I'm too young to be able to have such luxuries. I have to feed nightly, I cannot digest human food, or go out into the sunlight. I'm well asleep before daybreak. I haven't seen a sunrise, or sunset in over seventy years,” he smiled gently as he watched her reaction. She appeared saddened by his information. “I know that once we get a certain age, we become resilient to the sun. Older vampires can walk around in the sunlight, just like any human, and even enjoy food. Mind you, they do not receive any nutrients from human food, just the thrill of eating, and the taste of the different cuisine. However, they must rid themselves of the food in the very same method that humans do. You can imagine how an ancient vampire views this option. Many of them choose not to eat human food. I have a long time before I can see those days come.”

“Do you regret any of it, not being able to have kids, or anything else?”

He thought about her question for a moment. “Sometimes. But there's always a price to pay, and we pay for our immortality.”

It was now Natasha's turn to think about his response.

“Why do you want to go out with me? You're a vampire, wouldn't you prefer your own kind?” she asked.

“Why? Why not? I find you intriguing, beautiful, humorous and kindhearted, besides the alternative of not being with you is unthinkable. The only thing standing in the way of our having a relationship, is you. Can
you
date a vampire?” he asked, turning the tables.

“Well, I don't know. I can try. I mean I like you. I can give it a shot, it's still really weird to me. I'll need time to get to know you better, but I think I can still give it a shot,” she said as she finished her third slice of pizza.

“Good.” He smiled, then a thought occurred to him, should he tell her about Darian now or later? He decided to wait for later, after they got better acquainted. He sat back, asking her questions about herself, what were her hobbies and her least favorite things.

“See, I enjoy going to the movies as well. We both like the same actors and actresses. Well, except for that one guy, I don't particularly care for him,” Xavier said as he lounged on the sofa. Natasha had settled in the chair next to the sofa. She chuckled at his jokes, he was surprisingly funny. And she realized that she felt very relaxed in his company.

“So,” she asked, getting more serious. “You're a vampire and now that we are here together, you seem like a regular guy, but just how dangerous are you? Have you ever killed anyone?”

He lifted his head to look over at her. He pulled himself up into a sitting position. “Well, I was waiting for that question.” He chuckled softly. “I live a different life than you do.
Vampires
live a different life than
humans,
yet it's a similar type of life. We have wars, and betrayal. We handle it in our own way, which can be violent. As far as how dangerous I am, I can be very dangerous and yes I have killed people. Does that upset you?” he asked, his expression had grown serious.

Natasha looked into his gray eyes. She knew that he was telling the truth, which earned him some major points in her book. She doubted a human man would be so totally honest.
Were vampires more honest, or did it just seem that way? Or is it simply the way Xavier is?

“No...well...in a way, it
does.
As of right now, I don't know what I think about that. I have my thoughts, but then I realize you're not like me and that has to be taken into consideration.” She sighed. “I need to think about all of this, it's a scary truth, knowing that you've killed people.”

“I can imagine, but I don't kill for fun, only out of necessity. I want you to know that I do understand your apprehension, I'm also pleased that you asked such a bold question. I'm impressed.” Xavier smiled.

“I really like you, it's kind of hard for me to imagine you killing someone, even out of necessity. I glad you answered the question, but it gave me something to think about,” she said.

“Okay. Why don't I let you get some rest, you look exhausted.”

“I am, thanks,” Natasha said, rising from the chair.

Xavier retrieved his coat from the arm of the sofa and put it on. They walked toward the exit, he opened the door and stepped out into the hallway, then turned to say “goodbye”.

“Why don't I give you my number so you may contact me.” He took out a pen from the inside pocket of his blazer and a piece of paper, he wrote down his number and handed it to Natasha. “Call me anytime, um, after sunset.” He chuckled.