Charlie
Tossing and turning in bed, I beg for my eyes to remain closed. A lazy half roll is all I can muster to stretch away the restlessness. Within seconds of my new found position, though, the sheet slides off, exposing my barely clothed body. The feel of a large hand trailing up my thigh causes my body to shiver with anticipation. I don’t need to open my eyes to know who the hand belongs to. His hand keeps a steady pace as he glides his fingertips over my stomach to linger on my chest. Goosebumps break out over my skin from his tickling touch.
His lips touch my ear, and his seductive voice has an angelic tone as he whispers my name. “Charlie.”
The need to be close to him gets to be too much for me to keep bottled up and my back arches in efforts of raising myself to my knees. However, when my head gets a few inches off the pillow he pushes me back down only to climb on the bed himself. His strong hands bend my legs at the knee. Loitering behind my closed legs, his hands rub at my knees and down my calves.
The dire yearning that wants out breaks through just the slightest when small points of pressure from his fingers walk down the length of my leg, causing a giggle to exit my sealed mouth. It’s not until he grasps my underwear in his hand that my giggle episode fades into something serious. Without wasting a second, he yanks the thin lace fabric and tosses the now useless article of clothing aside. Even though a rush of air escapes out of my mouth when the loud tearing of the fabric fills the room, I feel nothing remotely close to pain.
Looking him dead in the eyes, I see something change. All playfulness vanishes and the look in his eyes turns into one of a predator. The tips of his fingers dig into my knees, ripping my closed legs apart. Taking as much time as he wants, making me wait for him, he roughly rubs my inner thighs. I’m positive that bruises would be left after our escapades, but since I don’t bruise easily, there’s no damage done. It doesn’t take long for him to lower himself down to hover over me.
As he props himself above me, I can feel his completely naked body. He teases me by pressing himself against me, slowly moving his hips back and forth for a few seconds before moving away. A pounding in my eardrums from wanting his mouth to be upon mine fills the silence. The feel of fire courses through my veins.
Devoid of warning, he plunges himself into me. A smile of satisfaction finds his face from the sudden impact of his body slamming into me. Finally, his lips find mine and instantly I explore the inside of his mouth. His newly extended, sharp fangs scrap against my tongue. A moan of pleasure rumbles deep in my chest. With each rock of his body, my fingernails dig deeper and deeper into his back, while my legs push him harder into me.
In efforts of holding back a moan to deprive him of any cockiness he could get from the pleasure he can induce, I bite my lower lip hard enough that a line of teeth marks remain etched in the tissue. When I finally release my lip from among my teeth the faint taste of blood fills my mouth. Just the smell of blood in the air makes his thrusts more violent. The force makes my breath rush out in the form of grunts and my body shudders.
That’s all it took for me to reach the peak. Involuntary twitches attack my body as my legs demand for him to go deeper. Lost in the moment, I don’t have time to see his need. As his body stiffens between my legs, he hurriedly pins one of my shoulders down while his free hand tilts my head to the side, exposing my neck. A quick scrap of his fangs against the sensitive skin lightens my mood before he plunges his teeth into my veins. Dark red liquid that doesn’t make it into his sucking mouth trails over my shoulder, making a puddle on the bed sheet beneath me.
I leave faint red scratch marks behind on his back as he jerks his hips at a steady pace until his throbbing pulse of fulfillment stops. It doesn’t take long for him to look at me with his fangs still extended, bloody mouth and all.
“You’re mine forever now.” The words don’t seem to come out of his mouth as they echo throughout the room. The slow repetition of ‘mine forever’ tightens my chest.
A deep breath gets sucked into my unknowing lungs as I bolt upright in bed, clenching the collar of my sleep shirt. With my body drenched in sweat and still unable to catch my breath as it comes out in heavy gasps, I barely manage a few words in a hoarse, unsteady voice. “Holy shit…it was just a dream…holy shit.”
Instantly, my fingers examine my neck in search of a bite mark. It was just a dream, Charlie, it was just a dream, I continue to tell myself. That devilish smile on his face as he left flashes across my eyes, his words repeating in my head, ‘sweet dreams, Charlie.’ That jerk. He knew I was going to fantasize about him and that makes me more livid than fearful. Frantically, I squint against the darkness in the room, searching for another pair of eyes, his eyes. Nonetheless, even though I feel like he’s watching me, I’m alone.
A quick glance at the clock tells me it’s a little after five in the morning and the sun’s starting to rise. More than a little freaked out to go back to sleep, I crawl out of bed. My limbs still shake from the realistic dream. Even though I feel his touch lingering on my yearning body, I’ll never admit that I’m attracted to a psychopath. I’ll never admit being attracted to a vampire. Just thinking about it makes me huff out a small puff of laughter.
The sun lightens the halls just enough to allow me to see any obstacles that stand in my way. Lacking sleep and being woken suddenly impairs my reflexes and drowns me in grogginess. The empty semi lit living room seems like heaven and once I plop myself down on the plush couch some of my unease washes away.
The back of my hand rubs forcefully at the tender skin under my eyes as I lie on the sofa, watching nonsense on TV. A rug burn like sting encompasses my eye sockets and whenever my eyes well up with tears from having them remain open for so long it burns even more. My heavy eyelids fight to close and without wanting to abide, my body pushes my fearful mind aside. Blackness.
That free falling feeling tingles my arms and legs, and then the impact of the carpeted floor jolts me awake. A groan of pain escapes out of my dry mouth. My hand vigorously rubs at the spot that made contact with the floor. Instead of getting off the floor immediately, I contemplate what to do. Sleeping in my bed doesn’t seem pleasant and sleeping on the couch is deadly.
There is only one place to ease this anxiety that eats at me. Work. And I get there in record time.
The familiar smell of the air freshener that fills my office building takes over my senses, making my fast beating heart simmer down. Passing Morgan’s desk stops me in my tracks. I don’t remember Morgan leaving her desk so messy Friday night. A shrug of my shoulders brushes it off due to my lack of attentiveness and being late in meeting Juliet. The need for coffee increases my slow pace to the break room. The chairs carelessly tossed in the small room and garbage lining the counter tops makes the confusion from Morgan’s desk turn to suspicion. Someone was here this weekend.
Work is the best kind of distraction and I’m more than thankful that I have plenty of it to keep me occupied, but dread and panic eat at me. It had to be Morgan. No one else has a key. But why would she do this and who did she do it with?
Cup after cup of coffee only gives me a short-lived boost. As the sky gets darker, the greater the restlessness becomes. I stretch across my desk in an effort to wake my stiff muscles back up, but as my hands reach out, my head touches the table and before I know it I’m resting on a pile of papers.
MaxwellAn overextended stretch wakes my body up. My joints twinge with pain and my muscles ache from malnourishment. Looking around the hotel room that’s been my home away from home, my patience wears thin. It’s as if staying in a stranger’s home and having to watch your every step. The thick dark curtains that line each window are the only thing to resemble my home, the only thing to give hope to this wretched place. The only thing that’s pleasing is the fact that the streetlamps are beneath the fourth floor room, keeping any light at night nonexistent.I find myself pacing the entire length of the room, entering a room and immediately exiting it. Boredom eats at me. I need to see Charlie even though I’ll have plenty of her soon enough. Within minutes, I stand outside her home. All the lights are off and her friend Juliet continually pounds on the front door. Her panic settles into every inch of my body. If she has no idea where Charlie is when she should be at home something may be
CharlieThe impact from me crashing into the wall makes the drywall sound as if it’s cracking from the force. With hands flailing in the air scrambling all the papers, one piece somehow remains stuck to my cheek, which slowly falls off and lands in my lap after a few seconds of barely hanging on.My dazed and confused voice answers the phone without knowing who it is since my eyes are watery from the bright light of the screen. “Hello.”“Charlie, where the hell are you? I was banging on your door for like fifteen minutes. I’m on my way to the police station to file a missing persons report.” It isn’t the concern or anger in Juliet’s voice that makes me cringe, it’s the sheer loudness of her voice shocking my eardrums, causing them to ring.“Juliet, calm down, I fell asleep at the office. What time is it?” I rub at my eyes, trying to wipe away the blurry vision in order to see the clock myself, but it’s just easier to ask.“It’s past nine. What are you doing at the office anyways? I th
MaxwellJust the thought of The High Council in town puts me on the brink of insanity. The group of men that make up the council are considered elders. All of them are harsh, cold-hearted killers that are the oldest vampires alive, and I have a history that’s not so pleasant with them. I reread the letter that was left for me several times, allowing memories from the past to fog my thoughts. The words that are written on the cream paper echo in my head.Dearest Maxwell, We’re so delighted to hear you’ve found your bride. We’re more than excited to meet her. To ensure that you follow through and collect what’s yours for the taking, one member requests your presence at Junction 22 tomorrow evening. We expect to be impressed. Best wishes and happy drinking, The High Council.There’s no doubt in my mind that Benjamin, the main enforcer of the council, wrote this heartless letter. Is he the member I’ll be meeting at this Junction 22…I hope not. All I can think about is the repercussions
CharlieCuriosity only grows as I stare at Maxwell and the unfamiliar guest who joins him at the table. The older man keeps on talking even though it’s apparent that Maxwell isn’t paying attention. As Maxwell ignores his friend, he also refuses to look at me as he sits stiffly in his chair. He only glances over in my direction once and it’s a half assed glance at that. Maybe he got the hint, maybe he moved on?Memories of his stone-like body with lack of emotions, not to mention lack of blood torment my thoughts. Deep heavy pants hinder my breathing as beads of sweat accumulate along my hairline. It feels as if the world is crashing down and I need to escape. Rushing to the bathroom to breathe through my panic attack alone, flashes of his messy dark hair and deep brown eyes play behind my eyes.The cold water that splashes on my face barely keeps me from falling completely apart. It’s just a coincidence that he’s here the same time I am…right? Patting my face dry, I examine my reflect
MaxwellIt’s easy for me to keep my eyes off her when she’s across the room. However, it doesn’t stop my senses from getting on edge when I feel her response as she finally realizes I’m here, in the same building as her. It takes everything in me to stay at the table and not chase after her when she bolts. My feet shuffle in anticipation of her reappearance.Against my will I become even more rigid as she reenters the room, and my muscles twitch when she heads this way. Prayers sound in my head that she doesn’t confront me, at least not right now. Keeping my eyes locked on Eugene as she walks past takes every ounce of self-control I have in order to not to grab her swinging arm.Eugene seems oblivious to my inattentiveness as he talks about his bride. It’s always the same, compliment after compliment in order to make others jealous of his well tamed bride. My eyes might be on Eugene, but my ears are on Charlie. The tips of my fingers dig into my knees from a tight firm grip that squee
CharlieI tell myself encouraging and positive thoughts to help me get through my day. Nothing but relaxation and relief flow through me as I recline in my office chair with a coffee mug in hand. The silence of the empty office building adds to my comfort, although it doesn’t last forever.“Good morning, Charlie,” Morgan sings as she pokes her head into my office.“Must you say that every morning?” I say, annoyed.“It is morning and your name is Charlie,” Morgan retorts.“It’s how you say it, not why you say it, but anyways, good morning to you too, Morgan.”“Well, we have a big party on Saturday, so there’s a lot to do. I’m going to get to work at the front desk.” She ducks out of the open doorway.“Not so fast,” I yell, patiently waiting until she stands in the doorway again. “I need to talk to you about something. Sit down.” My index finger points to the chair that sits across from me.The discontent on her face as she solemnly drags her feet to the chair and restlessly plops herse
MaxwellWith my attention being put toward Eugene and The High Council, I don’t have time to see Charlie within the week. It feels as though every cell in my body is on fire knowing that she’s so close but yet so far from reach. I take the risk in trying to escape watching eyes to see her tonight at the dance club, recalling Juliet expects her to show up.Doing everything inhumanly possible, I try to convince Eugene to make himself comfortable in the hotel he’s staying at while I spend some quality time with my bride. He accepts my offer after much bribing and I instantly head out.Sitting in my usual corner, I search the dance floor. It’s later than I wanted to arrive, but when there’s no sign of Charlie or her friends, I take a breath of relief. There’s just something about witnessing her enter the large overcrowded room that pleases me.With what feels like eternity later, I see her friends, including Juliet, arrive and indulge themselves with drinks. They dance to the music withou
CharlieThe blanket snuggly around my head is the only escape from the loud ringing of my cell phone. I toss and turn, trying to find a comfortable spot again after being woken up. However, a shuffle of papers coming from the kitchen sets my nerves on edge. Someone’s in my house…snooping. As gently as possible, I slip out from underneath the blanket and tiptoe out into the hall.My teeth clench together as I watch Maxwell dig through my papers that I left lying out on my kitchen table. You want to play dirty, fine, I say to myself. Making my way back to my room, I throw on some clothes. With my nerves on edge and my senses spiked, I hear the soft click of my front door. Waiting a few extra minutes before following him, I remember to keep my distance several feet behind as I duplicate his fast paced walk down the unlit sidewalk.The night air has a slight chill and I’m thankful when he finally enters a hotel. It’s one of the fancier ones in town, which makes me slightly grunt in respon