Sonny Frangipone lit his cherry cream cigar and shoved the cigarette lighter back into its nesting place, drawing deeply on the smoke. Mingled flavors of his mother's famous cookies swirled into his nasal cavity, whisking him from the inside of a smoke-ridden and dent-damaged SS Super Sport to the table in Madonna's kitchen.
Maddie Frangipone was well-known in the neighborhood for her Cherry Crème cookies and sold huge batches of them to stores and neighbors alike when he was a kid. Every night, she came home from work and started filling orders, making the dough, baking the cookies and packaging the finished product. And every night, he could eat as many cookies as he could hold while basking in the warmth of her attention.
That was why Sonny smoked cherry cream cigars. That was not why Sonny was waiting to kill a woman.
The central library towered above the empty street, a few cars hugging the chilly concrete curb as the rest of humanity flooded by. He had seen several people enter and depart and had even left the comfort of the car to take a leisurely walk through the building, noting that the target in question was on the main floor, her coil of red-gold curls mussed and her gorgeous face focused intently on a yellow lined legal pad. His dick hardened instantly. He had known that Sammi Glass was beautiful but up close and in civilian clothes, she was a knockout. He thought about fucking her before plugging her. It would be so sweet!
The library's door opened and Sammi came out, pulling a thick zippered sweater close as she carefully navigated the steps. She looked around, as if expecting someone, then sat down on the flat stone rail, pulling her cell phone out and making a call.
Time to grab her.
The phone rang three times before a young voice answered. "Hello?"
"Hi, Mare. How are you?"
"Fine, Sam."
"Glad to hear it. You need anything?"
"No. Leon brought me some food this morning. Otherwise, I'm good."
"Fantastic. Anyone you don't know come by?"
"No."
"Good."
"When are you gonna come by?"
"Tomorrow afternoon. That okay?"
"Yeah. I just miss … "
"What?"
"A little girl talk."
"Aw, Mare. That's cool. I'll see you tomorrow then. Okay?"
"Okay."
Sammi didn't hear the man approach. All she felt was her cell phone being ripped out of her hand and a pair of angry eyes glaring at her. "Hey!"
"The incomparable Sammi Glass." Sonny hissed, pinning her arms close to her body and pulling her against him. "You're much prettier in person."
"Let me go!"
"Where's the girl?"
"What girl?"
"Don't play stupid with me, cunt!" Sonny wrenched her arm backward, drawing a sharp cry of pain from Sammi. "Let me refresh your memory. The girl, Mary. The Mayor's concubine."
"I don't know … "
"Give me the information, you fucking whore, or you'll take her place."
"Let me go!"
The words had scarcely left Sammi's lips when she was thrown to the ground and the man was whisked into the stratosphere. Shaken, she fell to the pavement, bloodying her knees and sobbing in pain as she grabbed her fallen cell phone.
"Sammi!" Thorne plucked Sammi from the ground, anguished at the pain he felt radiating from her and quickly carried her to her car. "Are you okay?"
Tears jeweled her thick eyelashes. "Yes, but my knees hurt."
Thorne pushed her skirt up and flinched from the sight of her crimson blood, dripping down her legs. "You're bleeding."
Sammi heard the constriction in his voice and felt her insides quiver with fear.
It's the blood he desires
. It was a simple enough answer but it wasn't the one that satisfied her question. She dipped a finger into the escaping blood and held it out to him. His features darkened, his nostrils flaring and his canines slipping down into position.
"Stop." His voice was thin, fragile. "You don't know what you offer me."
"Yes, I do." Her buttery voice flooded his senses. "Lick it."
Unable to fight his instincts, Thorne leaned forward and let his tongue lash her finger. The blood droplets scattered over his tongue and into his mouth, setting his bloodlust on fire. He cleaned her offered digit, then dropped to his knees, enjoying the metallic scent of her life essence. His spine shuddered, making his body quiver.
"Go ahead, Thorne. Lick them."
He was afraid to give himself over to his bloodlust. What would happen if he couldn't stop? "Sammi, I might not be able to stop."
"I trust you, Thorne."
I trust you
. He'd never heard those words before. At least not from a human and it shook him to the bone. How could she trust him, a vampire? He couldn't even trust himself. He felt her hands on the sides of his head and he was moving closer, closer,
closer … yes!
The glorious richness of Sammi's blood was cascading over his tongue and he shook with the onset of his bloodlust. She was so pure, so clean that his mind sang with the taste of her. He swabbed the long drips on her calves and attached his mouth to her wounds, sucking all that he could and shivering with need.
"Thorne, stop."
Her words quickly brought him back to reality and he raised his blood-red eyes to her, his fangs fully down. He was surprised to not see fear in her eyes. "You're not scared of me?"
Of course, she was scared. She was downright petrified. But she forced herself to remain calm. "No." She couldn't know but her trust was the greatest gift she could have given him. She arose slowly, her legs still sore and gave him a smile. "Now, are you still taking me to dinner?"
"Absolutely." Thorne took her hand, pressing a tender kiss to the soft back. "Shall we?"
*****
"Good morning, Thorne." The housekeeper was patiently waiting in the shadows, concern written on his withered features.
"Good morning, Pieter. What are you still doing up?"
"Waiting for you."
Thorne grinned, picked Pieter up and swung him around, howling with glee. "Oh, Pieter. She's so beautiful!"
"She?"
