Three Hours Pt 03

Back home doubt begins to set in.

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Everything in Lucy's apartment was spotless. She still found herself straightening things that didn't need straightening, milling in circles like the thoughts in her head.

Sure, talking to the police, skimming over what happened last night had seemed fair. It was nobody's business who shared her bed. Trouble was that in the cold light of day, something about last night seemed well... not right.

The girls had said something to piss her off, something about sugar daddies, she didn't remember. She'd left them outside drinking cocktails, gone inside to dance and let off steam. She remembered grinding her hips back to back against a red headed woman in a gold dress, getting hornier and hornier and then taking it up to the hotel room like it was nothing. Like she'd not just had a two year dry spell. She hadn't fucked a nameless stranger since before Eli was born, it hadn't appealed to her, so why now? Why seduce a woman in public, in front of the hosts?

Whatever happened between Maisie and Cara was completely out of character too. Did someone spike that cocktail pitcher? Maybe that's what happened to the poor men in the pool, some sort of date rape drug. That would mean her testimony, the honest account she should have given, could have been relevant to the case.

The more she tried to think about the stranger, the more her memories seemed absurd. The intensity was all too real. She'd come hard, begging for more, clutching at soft red hair. She could hear laughter, feel lips fluttering against her thighs, but why couldn't she remember the words the woman spoke? Why couldn't she picture the woman's face at all? The more she tried to force it, the worse her hangover got, a drilling pain right through her eye into her head.

This was useless. She downed a couple more pain pills, snatched up her purse and sunglasses and walked up the street to her favourite café. As soon as the iced latte hit, her head began to clear. She sighed with relief, sinking back into the patio chair and watched a bee skim between the tulips.

The note in her purse was real enough, and there had been a connection, wordless, breathless, she ached to remember it.

I can't call today. I'll sound desperate, she fretted.

Maybe the mystery lady was having the exact same dilemma this morning. Lucy blushed, lifted the menu and fanned herself. It was unseasonably warm for April.

What if she doesn't even want to see me?

In the cold light of day, they might be too different, maybe they had nothing but pussy in common. Would she like to 'catch a show'? Lucy had never been to the theatre in her life.

She swung by the office just after four, checked her diary for Thursday afternoon and Friday morning. There wasn't anything she couldn't shift. Supplier's meeting could move to Tuesday morning, the ombre colour job on Friday would be good experience for the senior stylist. The June rostas needed a bit of work to squeeze in all the holidays, best get ahead today. She fired off a couple of emails, compiled a few invoices for last week's events and then took out the little note.

Unforgettable, it said.

The phone buzzing on the desk made her jump. Eli's grandma.

"Hey, Grace. No you're not disturbing me, is everything..."

She froze and listened, gripped the handset with some crazy strength. It was too late for Eli to say his goodbyes. Mack had gone.

"I understand completely," Lucy said, nodding in the empty office. "You're a good woman, Grace. You always did everything you could for your son, sometimes..."

"He was all on his own,"

she sobbed,

"my baby boy."

Lucy felt herself welling up. "Oh God. Do you want me to come up? No that's stupid, isn't it, I'll meet you back home, can I organise you guys an earlier flight?"

"That's so sweet, I'll have to let you know."

She sniffed and hiccuped,

"They called a coupla hours ago, I... We're both still in shock. I knew it was coming, I thought we'd have more time. We haven't told Eli yet."

"Gracie... the kid's not stupid, he'll know that something's up. Look, I really need to be there for you guys, just let me know what the plan is."

"Thanks honey. I love you."

Lucy was taken aback for a second. "Ditto Grace. Take care."

Shaken didn't cover it. Lucy put her head in her hands. She was overwhelmed with sadness for Eli and his grandparents, but the biggest emotion by far was relief.

"It's over... it's really fucking over..."

She let the emotions flood past the dam she'd so painstakingly built. All these years he'd begged her to come see him. He sent dozens of letters to her solicitors, to her friends. Knowing he was one soft parole hearing away from being out in ten years was torture. She didn't want to hear his mother say 'I love you' right now. She'd wished Mack dead with every atom of her heart.

Then the guilt hit her. It's not like he ever stole from her. He never pimped her out, hell, her own daddy had been worse. Sure, Mack had a temper, but the worst part of this whole thing was that given time he could have talked his way back in.

"He was a killer." She said to no-one. "He didn't just hurt me, he was a horrible person." She smeared her tears across her face and winced as mascara stung her eyes. "Fuck it."

She stabbed out an SOS text to Stella. The reply came back almost immediately.

Sorry hun, out tonight, we got a sitter x X

She messaged Jess and got no reply, it didn't even say read.

What if she didn't need to talk about anything, what if she had nothing to cry about. What if she just needed arms around her, lips on her skin, someone who'd do anything to make her...

Her thumb hovered over the newest contact in her phone, the single letter E.

It was a hook up, a fling. Call her crying and scare her off for life... but it felt so real, so innocent.

The ringer purred quietly once... twice...

"Hello?"

Oh, yes, that voice rang Lucy's bell. She shivered as the memory of a goodnight kiss surfaced. "Hey. I missed you this morning."

"I thought your two roommates would have kept you too busy for that."

"It was pretty awkward. Listen, I had to call today, it's kind of stupid, something's come up Thursday. I won't be..."

"Tonight maybe?"

So eager. Lucy's heart fluttered, but she had to laugh, "It's already eight thirty and I'm still at work, I'm a hot mess."

"I could have my driver pick you up? Take you wherever you needed to go... after. You're thinking about it?"

Damn. Those innocent words were so loaded with desire. "Really?"

There was a pause, long enough for Lucy to hold her breath.

"Or drop you home in the morning."

Lucy flushed pink. She closed her laptop and slipped back into her shoes. "Because I'm such a sure thing?"

"You're still at the office. Are you alone?"

She rolled her eyes, "Eight thirty on a Sunday night? Yeah I'm alone in the office."

"Wait a second, send me the address."

Lucy messaged her address with a cynical smile. "Bossy."

"Do you carry your little toy with you?"

"How are you so fucking naughty!"

"That's a yes. Please, baby? See how many times you can get off before the driver comes to bring you to me."

Holy... "So, umm," Lucy closed her eyes, felt her sex, pulsing, loving the way her body responded so easily to this game, "If I play your way I'll be soaking wet in the car. Where's your place?"

"Not too far, clock is ticking."

The little vibe sounded obscene with nothing but the water cooler as competition. It was a low throb, the battery was on its way out.

"Don't forget your beautiful tits. You know I'll spoil them when I get my hands on you."

Lucy giggled as she teased her nipples with the little vibe. It was as though her tits were hard wired to her clit as she began to finger little circles around her bud but the position was hard on her wrist.

"This chair..."

"Kneel on the floor. Better?"

"Mmm hmm, b... better, hold-on-a-sec..." a quick nudge with her left hand, she set the phone between her knees and hit face time.

"My god you're a delightful pervert!"

A wave of euphoria had her hips dancing, she pressed the little toy firmly against her slick clitoris and it hummed more gently than Lucy would have liked. Then more gently still.

"Nooo..." she moaned, humping futilely against it, "the damn battery!"

"You don't need that thing anyway with your clever little fingers Lucy."

"Naw, it's not... the same... You have such a sexy voice. I bet you could read me the weather report and I'd get hot."

Lucy lay back on the bright carpet tiles and propped her phone against a chair leg to better see the picture perfect face of this woman, her escape from the bitter mundane. The light was low, something like fronds of an enormous fern framed her shoulders in the background.

"The weather? I can do better than that, lie back and close your eyes."

"Now I feel stupid," Lucy giggled. "Is that water running?"

"I'm in the hot tub right now, can you hear it? Warm salt water, tropical flowers, I wish you could smell them. Soft pink petals in the bud, but flushing deep red with this heat when they open. I could rest my head on your shoulder right now, touch you there, deep in your heat, feel you breathe my fingers into you, can you feel it? Always so soft and hungry for me."

Lucy bit her lip as she slid two fingers into her core. "Oh! I need you to do this for real, please..."

"Let me stay here, stay inside you, let me kiss your sweet tits, and taste your sweat and touch you, I belong inside you, I need this more than words can say, come home for me, Lucy, come for your Bess, love me my darling."

"Oh God! Elizabeth! Fuck!"

"Come for me my sweet, give it to me!"

Lucy screamed words that were lost in waves of electricity, saw colours flaring to brilliant white, a supernova flinging her into the unforgiving void and it didn't end, it couldn't end, it connected her to time itself. Her nerves became continents, torn apart then drifting to touch each other again as though years were nothing but heart beats. And wherever Bess ended and Lucy began seemed laughably irrelevant.

"I love you,"

the vampire whispered.

"Oh, Bess, let me hear it again."

"I love you."

"I can't breathe." Giddy with endorphins, Lucy grinned at her crazy immortal lover. "How do you do this to me every time?"

"You called me!"

That twinkle in her eye. As though she wasn't risking everything with such games.

"Damn." It was a good job Lucy was lying on the floor. Her legs were still shaking. "How long until my ride?"

"He's waiting for you outside Franco's. I guess I'll have him pick you up some dinner."

"I can't even..." Lucy laughed. "We're doing this then?" She sat up, fished around in her purse for a tissue, dabbed her eyes and tidied herself up.

"It's not too late to chicken out, Lucy. You know I only want what's best for you, if you're not ready then..."

"

"It was never going to be easy, Bess, right? Even if nothing had changed, I can't do this to you any more, but it has, everything's different. Baby..."

"You are right, I can't take much more of this. I worry for all the things I can't change..."

"Stop." Lucy turned her attention back to the screen. The thought of her Bess as a vulnerable person was terrifying. It was easier for Lucy to pretend everything was in the hands of some powerful immortal with all the answers. "Mack died."

Bess looked uncomfortable. She chased a stray lock of hair back behind her ear.

"I know darling. My people are on it. You know, I don't sit around in the hot tub daydreaming about you every night, I was about to call you.

"Wow." Lucy shook her head. "So, knowing life as I know it is over and you thought, booty call?"

"It won't be like that my love. I do everything in my power to keep Eli safe but Mack's blood will tell, sooner or later... look, don't let's do this over the phone."

"I know, I know. Okay." Lucy took in all the details of her soon to be former office. Little post it notes, a sketch on the white board Eli had done a year ago. She stuffed the framed photo from his tenth birthday party into her bag. "I don't suppose I can bring my phone and laptop?"

"If you must bring personal effects then the driver will have to isolate them until they can be cleaned. Don't break the seal he gives you until everything is stowed and you're safely in the car."

"Okay. Oh god."

"You can trust him, Lucy,"

the vampire said gently.

"I'm scared."

"Good."

Bess was all business for a moment.

"You'd be a fool if you weren't."

The vampire hung up before Lucy could say any more. In the end Lucy left the office and walked up the street to Franco's Place without a backward glance. It was easier than she expected once her feet were moving.

She couldn't help checking all the strangers. She was looking for that predatory edge which had drawn her to Mack, something untamed. Or perhaps it had been the other way around. Maybe he'd been looking for someone weak, easy to control and manipulate. Maybe she'd had 'victim' tattooed onto her forehead from day one, whatever. Here she was, walking wide eyed into another world where everything she'd taken for granted was a lie.

The car was an ominous looking black SUV with deeply tinted windows. The driver looked like a federal agent, complete with earpiece and aviator shades. He got out to open the passenger door for her, and she recognised him from the bar. His stony expression barely changed as he lifted his shades to get a better look at her.

His voice was calmly reassuring, with a subtle southern lilt. "Put everything in the grey box ma'am. There's all new clothes for you to change into, here's the seal. Just tap on the partition when you're done, I'll complete the casting." He handed her a piece of wafer thin terracotta tile the size of her palm. "I'll give you some privacy."

Lucy flinched as he closed the door. She stripped to her skin, removing even her shoes and jewelry, placing it all in something that could have been dragged out of an Aztec temple. "Put your clothes in the tiny creepy coffin," she muttered under her breath. In went everything, but somehow there was still plenty of room left. She shuddered as she closed the little 'box', and it literally winked out of existence.

She turned the seal over in her hands, holding only the very edge. Intricate symbols seemed to crawl across its surface faster than her eye could follow. She took a deep breath in, closed her eyes and snapped it in two. Nothing happened of course. Nothing that she could perceive. She gave a gentle tap on the glass partition, still, nothing happened. Her skin started crawling as the adrenaline wore off. Sitting naked, alone in the back of a limo, it all felt like a bizarre waking dream.

Lucy did her best to shake off the nerves. The world was no different now than it was an hour ago when she'd felt safe. The truth was Eli would never be safe where his cousins could find him.

There was a little black shopping bag where the box had been. Bess had chosen a very simple outfit but still exquisitely made. Soft silk layered harem pants in charcoal grey, and a pale pink cashmere sweater with a plunging neckline. That made her smile. At the bottom was a slim jewelry box tied with black ribbon. It was a vintage Cartier wristwatch with Lucy's name etched on the back, underlined with an elegant scrolled eternity sign.

The car began to move. Lucy watched the city lights blur through the tinted glass. She clutched the watch tight in her fist and brought it to her lips. Saw herself at the point of no return, on that fateful "date" thirteen years ago.

***

"It's alright," the beautiful woman had said. "Believe me, I know exactly how you're feeling."

Lucy blinked stupidly up at her, thrown off for a second by the empathy in those words. If she didn't get paid she wouldn't make rent. If she didn't make rent, she'd be out on the street. Parole violation, straight back inside. They'd take her baby away, the parole officer had warned her multiple times. "Please, lady, what do you want from me?" Fucking tears. Useless tears! "I need you to... I really need this job, just tell me what you..."

"Shh, honey, you have it all backwards." The woman pulled Lucy's cocktail dress back up and fastened the zipper. "You need to be home with your little one. Every cell in your brain is still home with him anyhow. I'll pay you for the hours and live with the blue balls you've given me. Can you call your ride back early?"

"B... but..."

"It is a pity. You really are gorgeous, even your tears are beautiful. Maybe in a few months when you find a sitter you can actually trust I'll book you again."

"Really?" Lucy sniffed, almost daring to hope this oddball client was serious.

"Let me grab you a drink. Something to take the chill off your bones." The woman smiled, just the smallest curl of one corner of her lip. "Who should I ask for?"

"Lulu Debonaire." That confused Lucy. A little chill ran up her spine. "I thought you booked me from my new profile..."

"No." The woman shrugged. "I use Stella a lot, she knows my type." She smiled her mysterious smile again and looked intently at Lucy. "Malted milk chocolate with a dash of whipped cream and cocoa sprinkles. How does that sound?"

Lucy opened her mouth, then closed it again. "That sounds p... perfect." The woman slipped silently away presumably to make hot chocolate. Lucy stood awkwardly, slipped her red stiletto heels back on and perched on a fireside chair. She texted Tony to ask if he was free but he didn't reply.

Her tits ached, stiff nipples chafing against the damp breast pads. The promise of a woman's touch had been rudely withdrawn, but her horny tits didn't seem to get the message.

The hot chocolate came in a tall glass with all the trimmings. The woman set it on the table and casually reached out and brushed Lucy's curls off her face.

"Thanks so much," Lucy blushed.

"It's too warm, you should take care. What's happening with your ride?"

Was there something more to that question?

"I... I'm not sure, he hasn't replied yet."

"Lucy?" Definitely more to that question.

Lucy met the woman's dark eyes, deep set and hungry. Her throat closed up so fast she could hardly breathe. "Uh huh?"

"I hate going back on my word but... do you mind if I kiss you?"

The woman had a beautifully expressive mouth, full lips stained a dusky rose. Her beauty was timeless. In that moment Lucy reached up and brushed an insolent thumb across the perfect cupid's bow. "I mind if you don't."

The room was almost too warm and Lucy was flushed with her own arousal. The cool press of those sweet lips against hers was another question, hesitant at first. With mouths half open, they teased each other, until Lucy succumbed to impatience. She abandoned submission, took control of the kiss. Then her demanding tongue met rising sharp teeth.

Her lust flared, fed by the kerosene that was her own self destructive desire. Caught in the jaws of a predator, defenceless, Lucy abandoned reason, gave herself to the fantasy. The vampire pulled away enough to answer Lucy's reckless lust with a sad smile.

Lucy remembered to breathe. "Why did you stop?"

"I didn't bring you here for... for that," the vampire said. She closed her eyes, face still inches from Lucy's, "It's not what I want from you."

As Lucy's thoughts tumbled together, reason prevailed. There was deep fucking chemistry, this woman was intense. Lucy had never felt such a rush just from a kiss, but really? She was rich and beautiful and pale, It was a hot little fantasy.