Chapter 5

Back at my hotel, I paced back and forth. I felt like a caged animal. I was frustrated because I wanted to be with Christien. I had to find something to do. Focusing on Quillon only deepened my frustration. Both of them were driving me insane. I was drawn to mystery and excitement, but when it came right down to it, I knew almost nothing about either one of these men. At least I knew Christien was real. Sometimes I was afraid that Quillon was only a shadow in my mind.

I had to get out of that hotel room. Staying in there all day was going to drive me crazy. The shadows of the dead swirled around me constantly. They knew I could see them. I tried to ignore them; they had no useful information for me, not even any requests. They were just buzzing around like annoying insects.

I wanted to get into the Halloween spirit. It was still daylight, so I didn’t strap on too many weapons: just one dagger and a throwing star, plus a can of pepper spray. I still had to worry about human violence.

I went on a few more of the spooky tours. Later, I visited a voodoo store but didn’t find anything interesting. I was restless. I went into downtown New Orleans for the annual Halloween in New Orleans celebration, which had started that day. I watched a parade, then went into a few of the haunted houses. Thankfully, they were not haunted at all. I enjoyed myself, and it took my mind off Quillon and Christien for a little while.

That is until I returned to the French Quarter that night. I thought I saw Christien turn down one of the side streets with a pretty blonde. I pushed my way through the crowd, but by the time I reached the corner, they were nowhere in sight. I scoured the area searching for them. Anger and jealousy coursed through me like I had never felt before. What is wrong with me? I thought.

As I walked toward my hotel, I tried to convince myself it was not Christien. Even if it had been, maybe she was an old friend. He did say he used to live in New Orleans; he probably knew a lot of people here. I felt like I was in a haze again. Christien was messing with my mind, and Quillon had been so distant.

When I got to my hotel room, I went straight to bed. I was mentally drained—completely exhausted—and I didn’t want to think about anything anymore.

***

I woke up in a better mood. That night, I would be going to The Vampire Ball and the next night, the night before Halloween, we would be going to The Dark Masquerade Ball. They both sounded intriguing. I wondered if, among the makeup, costumes, and masks, there would any real vampires be masquerading as fakes. I wondered if Quillon would be there.

That afternoon I was doing some research online when Christien called me.

“Bonjour, my love.” His smooth voice sent delicious chills throughout my body.

“Hello, Christien,” I practically purred into the phone.

“I am sorry I am running late. The business meeting is taking longer than I had planned. Can you meet me at my hotel before the Vampire Ball? I’ll hurry to get ready, and we’ll just go from the hotel.”

“Okay. I’ll be all ready to go, costume and all. I’ll meet you there.”

“Good. Just be careful on your way here. There will be many strange creatures roaming the streets of New Orleans tonight." He laughed, then hung up.

That struck me as a strange comment to make. It seemed that I would never understand him. We hardly talked; we only made love. There seemed to be so much about him that I wasn’t grasping. He seemed so familiar. I felt like I knew him. I felt so safe in his arms. Yet, when we were apart, I went crazy. Just the night before, I had been so full of jealousy when I thought I’d seen him with another woman. It probably had not even been him. Was passion clouding my senses? Was this what it was like to be infatuated? Obsessed? Surely it wasn’t love; I didn’t even know the man.

***

I took a shower and shaved completely bare. I dried off, then covered my body with iridescent white paint and silver body glitter. I twisted my long auburn hair into a fancy Victorian-style hairdo, with cascades of curls falling around my pale face. I lined my blue eyes with thick black eyeliner, then dusted on silver and gray eye shadow. I set everything with white rice powder, then put on black mascara and deep, blood-red lipstick. I slipped into my ball gown and put on my cross and earrings. I stared at my reflection in the mirror; I made one sexy vampire. Christien wouldn’t be able to keep his hands off me.

****

The night air was warm and filled with some kind of exciting energy and the faintest hints of fog. A light breeze ruffled my skirts and sent the smell of New Orleans wafting around me. The spicy aromas of jambalaya, gumbo, and crawdads mixed with sweet liquor swirled among the slight clouds of fog. It made my stomach grumble in appreciation.

I took some side streets through the French Quarter to get to Christien’s hotel. Most of the streets of the French Quarter were blocked off from traffic because of all the parties. People were everywhere, in all sorts of beautiful and elaborate costumes. I did not want to get caught up in the crowds, so I passed through a few alleys. While walking in one alley, a voice came out of the darkness of a doorway. I froze with fear and anticipation. I hadn’t even thought to bring a weapon. What was wrong with me? I always carried some kind of weapon.

The voice, a seductive mixture of French and English, seemed familiar. The man speaking was hidden by the shadow of a balcony.

“Bonjour, ma ma chérie. What are you doing walking these streets by yourself? They are very dangerous.”

His voice sent a shiver up my spine. His warning left a chill in my heart. This was the second time I had been warned about being alone on the streets tonight. Why? I had been looking forward to having a good time, but now I was beginning to worry.

“Monsieur, I am not afraid of the dark. I can take care of myself,” I replied as bravely as possible, hoping my voice did not tremble. Why was I afraid? Something was going on with me—with this trip to New Orleans, with everything. Something was off.

“Mademoiselle, do you have any idea what the creatures of the night could do to you?”

His hand came out of the darkness so quickly; I never saw it coming.

He grasped the jeweled cross nestled in my cleavage. Heat began to move throughout my body when his hand brushed against my breast as he intimately caressed the cross. He tore the cross from my neck, then vanished into the crowded streets of the Quarter. A faint murmur, “You will see me in your dreams,” drifted to me from the shadows.

That was Quillon, I thought. It had to be. Who else would mention my dreams? But why did he take the cross? I kept thinking about him as I arrived at the hotel and went up to Christien’s room. He was not there yet. I didn’t figure he would be. I still had about an hour before he’d said he would be there, so I decided to check out some of the other happenings going on in the Quarter.

I tried to ignore the chill that kept creeping up my spine. Alcohol sometimes aided my bravery, so I grabbed a drink from a liquor stand— a hurricane. It was wonderful—it tasted like Kool-Aid, but it could knock you on your ass if you weren’t careful. I walked around, sipping my drink and admiring the costumes.

There were a lot of people dressed in latex and other fetish costumes. I had heard about the Fetish and Fantasy Ball going on that night. It sounded wild, but that was not my scene. As I walked around, marveling at the unique costumes, I wondered about the whispered warnings of the creature in the alley.

I suddenly felt arms around me. I was being dragged into a dark alley. I tried to scream, but his lips closed over mine. I pushed the shadowy figure away and moved into a fighting stance as he came into the lamplight. It was Christien. I quickly recovered, stood up straight, and proceeded to bitch him out properly.

“What the hell did you think you were doing? You practically gave me a heart attack. Don’t ever sneak up on me like that again,” I screamed at him.

“Calm down. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. I was just having some fun.” He looked sheepish, almost.

“Well, I don’t think being dragged into a dark alley is fun,” I replied indignantly, though my anger was fading remarkably fast.

“It can be,” he said as he snaked his arms around me again, this time wrapping me in a passionate embrace. He pulled me into a dark opening off the alley. It was a small garden that was completely secluded. I could still hear the noise of the partygoers on the streets, but it felt like we were miles away.

Christien pulled down his pants and sat on a bench next to a dimly lit solar light. My shock quickly dissipated at the sight of his massive erection, which instantly sent fire to my nether regions. As I stood in front of him, he said, “Lift your dress. Show me what you have on under there.”

I could not believe I was allowing this. I felt so naughty as I put one leg up on the bench and hiked my dress up to my waist. I was wearing garter-style stockings with no panties, so he had a clear view of my shaved mound. I licked my finger seductively and parted my lips, inserting one finger deep inside. He moaned softly and started stroking his long shaft while he watched me slide fingers inside myself. I had never been so bold and brazen to do something like this in front of a man before. I found that it turned me on immensely.

I dropped to my knees and, with my free hand, grabbed his penis and inserted it into my mouth. I sucked hungrily on him, taking every inch inside me. I could feel the head slide deep into my throat. I slid my mouth up and down, twisting and twirling my tongue with every upward stroke.

I was aching for more than just my finger. I stood up and climbed on top of him. My gown billowed out around us, hiding what we were doing from anyone who might see. He unlaced the top of my gown and let my breasts sway freely in his face. He cupped them with his hands and eagerly sucked.

I eased his hard cock into my hungry center, slamming my body down on top of him. I was wild with desire and rode him hard, grinding my hips against him. Up and down I pumped, pulling him almost out of me and then slamming him back deep inside. He buried his face between my breasts and moaned. I fucked him wildly until my pleasure drenched his cock. He lifted me off him and stood up.

“Bend over so I can see that beautiful ass of yours.”

I bent over the bench, gripping the back for support. I arched my firm, round ass in the air. He threw my dress over my back and inserted his big prick inside me. It was so hot and hard, I felt like I was being rammed with a heated stone. He fucked me hard and fast, then filled me with his liquid fire.

“I can’t get enough of you,” he said. “Every time I get close to you, I want to be inside you.”

“I know. I feel the same way. Every time I get near you, I want you inside me.”

He kissed my neck gently and said, “We’d better get cleaned up and get to the ball. We don’t want to miss out on all the fun.”

I re-laced my dress, then tried to fix my makeup in the small mirror I had in my handbag. It wasn’t easy in the dim light, but I guess I looked presentable. We left the small garden and headed to the Vampire Ball. I felt like such a slut. I had just had sex out in the open—in someone’s garden. What was happening to me?