The End Zone: SPORTS ROMANCE (Contemporary Sport Bad Boy Alpha Male American Football Romance) (New Adult Second Chance Women’s Fiction Romance Short Stories) (43 page)

“Yes.” I paused. The next question was hard to phrase. “I have been a decent woman my entire life. My understanding is that vampires behave much like sociopaths. You don’t fit that description. Tell me about a vampire and good and evil.”

To my surprise, they laughed. Andrei held his hand out to me. “I’m sorry. We don’t mean to make light of your concern. It’s just that we have to deal with it so often. Let me explain.”

He kept holding my hand. I love the contact.

He continued, “There are good and evil vampires just like there are good and evil humans. We tend to be more extreme in our commitment to one side or the other. There are very few gray areas in our world.” He paused to collect his thoughts. “There are other differences. Food, for example. We’ve gone to dinner at restaurants. You’ve seen me eat and be satisfied. Four times a year, we must have human blood or we die. That means we have to kill someone. Long ago, we realized that there are many humans who deserve to die, many who would be found guilty in court and be executed, but they can’t be brought to justice. We step in and do what a court would do. For the last forty years, we have used Africa as our... well, I guess you could call it a jurisdiction. We patrol the land and identify mass murderers. They die at our hands and we drink their blood. Does that bother you?”

It was an easy decision. I shook my head. “It doesn’t. I’ve read news accounts of the atrocities that take place in Africa. Horrible.”

The Count said, “I’m glad to hear that. Our enemies are evil. The Janov clan has adapted to the evil in this world and developed gifts we don’t have. The chief one is hypnosis. They do it with a glance. Humans, especially human women, are so susceptible that one look, and they are lost to us. The Janov clan uses women as playthings. They collect many of them and take them to their cities. They’re incredibly cruel. They will often control the body of the woman but leave her consciousness intact. She can see what she’s doing and what’s being done to her and loathe it but be unable to stop it. One out of every fifty missing women in Romania is a victim of the Janov group. On a lighter note, as you’ve seen, we have some gifts. We can move as fast as they can, and we have control over physical objects. We can’t be hypnotized. It seems to balance out. Neither of our groups has been able to eradicate the other.”

I said, “Is it possible to recover any of the women who have been taken?”

“Yes. But difficult beyond imagining. Technically, killing the vampire who has taken a human will free the human, but any vampire close to the dead vampire can take the women for himself. They tend to stay together.” The Count looked at his son. “How did you leave the two attackers you face a moment ago?”

“Stake to the heart. They didn’t have the least bit of innocence left in them.”

“That part of the legend is true. A wooden stake driven through the heart will kill a vampire so will cutting the head off. Holy water and silver will discourage or contain a vampire but won’t kill. We did find a way past one of the problems in the legend. We cast a reflection.”

For the first time, Georgiana spoke with a bit of humor in her voice. “Hard to do one’s hair without a mirror. I’m glad we solved that little puzzle.”

I smiled at her. She smiled back. Not bad.

We spoke a little more, mostly biographical information about me. They left in a pleasant mood.

Andrei stayed with me. He slept on the couch, damn him, until I put on my most seductive nighty, threw back his covers and laid myself down on top of him. Even then, it took a lot of kissing and rubbing to get him to consider touching me. He said, “I’m worried about the decision you have to make. What if we are intimate and fall in love, and you decide to stay a human woman. I’d have to watch you leave me. I don’t like that.”

“Then you can bite my neck and make me a vampire. Now that your parents have accepted me, I think it would be a valuable life.”

“Would you think about it for a few days?”

“Would you take my clothes off and have your way with me?”

“When was your last period?”

“Two weeks ago. Yes, I’m fertile right now and I don’t take birth control. I don’t care. I want you.” I kissed him then turned to the side and placed his hand on my right breast. I said, “How does that feel?”

“Wonderful.”

As with most men, his eyes and brain cleared of any conscious thought as soon as he touched my breast. I like that. It showed that a man desired me. I love that most of all.

I had a thought, but I had to remove his hand from my body to get his attention. When he actually saw me, I said, “Can vampire men make human women pregnant?”

“Most assuredly. If I made love to you right now, you would become with child. The child of a human and a vampire is always human.”

I laid down on top of him again and held him still with my hands on his cheeks. “Until now, I’d considered my life to be lost for all normal womanly things. I wasn’t going to get married and have children. I wasn’t going to be loved by a man. All of that has changed. I’m greedy. I want all of the things a woman can get; and, frankly, I don’t care what order they come in. If you have me tonight, I get a baby. I hope to have a husband, but a baby would be such a joy that I’d take it even if it came without a father to help me raise it. Do you understand me?”

I’ve never had an answer come with such compelling clarity. He didn’t say anything. He pulled my nightgown up to my waist. I raised my hips to help him do it.

I was mesmerized by the sensations. Maybe because I’d never felt a man’s hands on me. I know my mouth dropped open when he slid his hands inside my panties and held my rear end. I think I might have shaken and quivered as well. If I hadn’t had to stay with him to further our relationship, I would have ran up and down Fifth Avenue yelling “It feels so good” at the top of my lungs.

It got better. He kept eye contact with me. His beautiful eyes... no, sorry. He’s most definitely a man. No part of him is beautiful. ...his handsome, sensitive eyes filled my heart with unexpected emotions. I felt so grateful that he cared for me.

It would have worked better, or at least, more gracefully, if we had stood up to get our clothes off. But then we wouldn’t have rubbed against each other. I had to get rid of my nightgown and panties and he had to get his boxers off. That’s boxers, not briefs. Boxers are more manly. Twelve year old boys wear briefs. Men wear boxers.

We found a perfect way to get my panties down my legs and off. Andrei kept his hands inside the panties and I wiggled my way up his body. I started out with my nose, happily nestled in his chest hair. I’m pleased to report that he wasn’t hairy. He had enough hair on his chest to be a man but nothing more.

I moved, as sinuously as I could, up his body until I could kiss him. Mother Nature gave woman breasts to feed our babies and keep our men. That’s the prevailing wisdom. There’s another reason. She gave them to us as a reward for being women. My boobs have millions of nerve endings, most of them centered in my nipples. The intensity of the feelings generated by those nerve endings made me dizzy. I rubbed them against his chest hair and paused again so he could kiss and take them in his mouth. I whispered to him, “You do such a wonderful job with your lips, would you mind if I stayed right here for a few more minutes so you could do it some more.” Surprise, he agreed.

My body has an unbreakable bond with my emotions. Everything my body experiences is reproduced in my feelings.

I fell in love, completely and all the way, as I held myself over Andrei. I cradled his head in my arms and rocked back and forth. He created warmth inside me that was undeniable, and the warmth stimulated warmth inside my heart and was also undeniable. I felt the things women feel when they love a man. All of them were born in my heart as Andrei touched and nuzzled me.

I won’t make you uncomfortable with the next part. We did the things you expect we’d do when we made love with one notable occurrence. I saw and felt my first and, hopefully, only male erection; and it was attached to the man I love.

I’ve read that companies make products with that same male shape because ladies like it. I do. Instinctively, we know that it’s important to our happiness in our marriages and to the creation of our children. How could we not love it.

One more important moment. We were nearing the end of our lovemaking. We were both covered in sweat, (Yes, I know. Women don’t sweat. They become warm and glowy. I sweat.) and he had entered me with patience and understanding. We worked together in the oldest dance until skyrockets went off inside me and I groaned and grunted (I know ladies don’t grunt. Nonsense. I grunted and I’m proud of it.) until I was finished. That was the happiest moment of my life. I could look up into the face of the man I loved and feel the beautiful glow that comes after a man who knows how to do it, takes care of the woman he loves.

Men aren’t blessed with sensitivity. Most men in that situation would think of their own needs and let us fend for ourselves. Andrei put off his completion to let me find mine then he did the sweetest thing. He stopped. It took a lot of concentration. His face was screwed up in an expression of pain and need. He looked me in the eye and said, “Are you sure about this? I can finish outside of you. You don’t need to face a pregnancy along with life with a vampire. Both at the same time. What would you like?”

I’d like to have twelve sons who are just like him. I caressed his cheek and told him, “My feelings haven’t changed. If all I get out of this is a child, I’m happy. Go ahead.” I wrapped my arms around his neck and brought him down for a good hard kiss. “Thank you for asking, my love. It meant more to me than you’ll ever know.”

He nodded, which was more than I expected and began to penetrate and withdraw with a purpose. I helped by moving my hips in time with his and by clenching my internal muscles.

Then it happened. I thought falling in love was heavenly. Changing from a single woman into a mother made it pale in comparison. I felt him deliver the semen that would give me a baby and my heart almost burst. I loved him. I loved my little child. I loved myself.

I’d started the evening simply waiting for a date that might or might not pan out and finished it with a new life inside me and a lover in whose arms I could be safe and secure.

He settled down on top of me, and I welcomed him with my arms and legs and with kisses on the cheek. He was pretty worn out. I told him to rest on me and that I’d keep him warm and loved.

Twenty minutes later, I told him I needed to get some sleep. Thirty minutes later, I almost lost everything.

*****

I remember waking up to a strange set of eyes looking down at me. Then there was a long empty space and I came to full consciousness standing by the foot of my bed staring at a man with the same inhuman expression of deep hatred as the men who broke into my apartment. I blinked, and I was back in bed.

Andrei said goodbye to me just before dawn the next morning. I called in sick and spent the day reading about vampires. It’s hard separating the facts from the Hollywood fiction. I found what I wanted in a book on folk tales from Romania. I didn’t see anything about good vampires. The tales only talked about the evil ones. That didn’t bother me. Good news doesn’t get in the paper.

In the afternoon, I felt so tired I went back to bed. Andrei came to me just after sunset. He walked into my bedroom and laid down next to me. I snuggled into him and let him kiss me and tell me he loved me. I was a very happy girl.

His hands started to wander around. I wore only my panties and a tee shirt. I can see why mothers warn their daughters to set limits for the boys they date. My heart erased all of my boundaries. I couldn’t hold myself back from him. I not only let him do whatever he wanted. I did whatever I wanted which included being on top. Ladies, don’t pass up an opportunity to take you lover inside you while you’re sitting on him. You get to set the pace, the depth and how you move.

We successfully completed the only thing that makes us different from animals. I don’t mean making love. I mean doing it for reasons other than having babies. We touch each other because of emotions, delight, an appreciation of our wonderful bodies or even because it’s a sunny day outside.

I wiggled myself against his chest afterwards and thought about the little life that was growing inside me. I wanted to hold it in my arms and tell it how welcome it was. I don’t like the word ‘it’ but I don’t know whether it’s a boy or a girl yet.

Abruptly, my brain and soul became overcast, as if clouds suddenly rolled over a bright summer day. I told Andrei, “I was just thinking that we should have our families meet.”

“I don’t know if my parents are at their best meeting with ordinary people. You remember how they acted when they met you. I was very proud of you, but you have to admit it was very uncomfortable.”

I don’t usually insist on anything social. It’s easier to suggest than put one’s foot down. Not this time. “It’s important to me that this happen. Even if they are vampires, they have to pay attention to the social amenities.”

“What do you have in mind?”

“A simple dinner tonight at the La Brassierie. They have a back room we could use. I don’t think anything bad could happen at dinner.”

He was doubtful. I could tell, but he said, “I’ll arrange it. You’re right. Nothing bad could happen in a popular restaurant.”

That night, I and my family waited for Andrei and his parents in an upscale restaurant on the West side of New York. My family consists of my Father, William, and my mother, Alice, and my two sisters, Jill and Janice. My father looks like any good father. He’s a little husky and works in the New York City Police Department. He’s Head of Detectives for the 21
st
precinct. My mother is shorter than I am and heavier. She saw how I lost weight and has decided to do the same thing. My sisters are both younger than I am and, damn them, both naturally slender. Jill was 21 and Janice was 19.