Gifting Night

Chapter 4: Endless Dream

This is chapter 4 of a series. Thank you to all the readers who inspired me to continue the series with their constant support. While it is not entirely necessary to read the each chapters in progression I highly recommend it. Please remember that the Dhase are a species of my own creation, and although they are based on vampires I have drastically changed the mythos. I hope you enjoy.

*

How many months had it been? Chris had warned Katherine countless times that time seemed to flow differently for the Dhase than for mortals. Kat had merely assumed he referred to the passing of years and the patience that could be learned when one had literally an eternity to experience the world.

It has to be at least summer

, she reflected as she realized the warmth of the evening. There, a newspaper dispenser stood not too far away. She crouched down to read the date in the early evening sunlight. Catching the reflection of sunlight filtering through the clouds, Katherine momentarily forgot to read the paper. She still found herself amazed by the false legends that had formed around vampires. She still found herself amazed that she could wander into a church, or even walk about during the day.

At some point humanity vilified the Dhase, turning them into the vampires of legend. I suppose it's not so big a surprise they would create all sorts of weaknesses in order to comfort themselves. If they knew real vampires could only be killed through starvation they'd probably have boxed everyone they could find up long ago and sealed them so tight even the rats couldn't get in.

Oh course those mortals that knew enough truth about the Dhase to know their lack of weakness would already have known the rest of the truth. Katherine had known that partial truth and sought them out. Dhase did not feed on the blood of mortals but rather their vital energy; their life-force. Dhase 'tasted' a person's emotions in their aura, which made cruelty a very difficult concept.

That was the theory. Katherine was finding the reality much different. Daphne, the elder who guided her across the bridge of rebirth, could easily sense the emotions of the people around her. In fact, the elder could expand her ability to sense the prevailing emotional state of the entire city. She had known, for instance, when the baseball team won a game before it hit the news. Of course the woman had no idea what was going on, not knowing or understanding about baseball, but she had suddenly declared the city was joyous. It was the next day that Kat had learned an unexpected home-run had brought the team to victory from the jaws of defeat at the exact moment the older Dhase had made her declaration.

Katherine had no more ability to read people's emotions than she had as a mortal. She still relied on the various physical cues people used without realizing. If she couldn't read others, she had discovered the ability to alter other peoples' moods with ease. It was a talent of empathy less widely known; projection. If she had found it difficult, in life, to hide her feelings from those around her it was the next best thing to impossible now.

A man cleared his throat above Katherine. She looked up and realized the man, in a business suit, wanted to get a copy of the paper. She blushed and quickly glance at the date at the top before she stood aside. It was late July.

Has it really been almost nine months?

It seemed almost impossible.

Of course there were even greater benefits to her knew life. She grinned as she thought of the way she spent her nights with Daphne. It was her nocturnal activities that caused her life to be an almost constant haze of lust and euphoria. Although Chris, her first truly remarkable lover, had moved out Daphne had insisted two other people, mortals, needed to move in.

Chris had been another Dhase, the critical second member needed to bestow the gift to their chosen. That first night, this past Halloween, Chris had brought her to heights she hadn't known, before Daphne had even joined in. For a while after he had continued to live with them, continued to bring her to greater and greater heights. It was Chris who had subtly informed Kat of Daphne's sexual preferences.

It was because of those preferences that Julia had come to live with the two women after his departure. By carefully bringing the woman to climax, and then feeding from her heightened level of energy, the two could feed from her without any threat to her health. In return, the gorgeous blond swore it was the absolute best sex she'd ever had. Katherine could believe that, knowing her own experiences with Daphne between her legs.

Now it was time to find the second roomie. For some reason Daphne had insisted they needed to find an additional partner, a

male

partner. It had been a few days before. Kat grinned as she remembered her head between the brunette's legs. Daphne had been screaming her release for a few minutes when she suddenly stopped, grabbed Kat gently by the ears and growled something about needing to find Katherine a man. Kat had laughed and put it off to some sort of strange joke.

The next day Daphne practically stalked the house and radiated lust so strongly that even Julie could sense it. When Julie and Katherine had tried to seduce the woman she refused, insisted that she needed something else and stormed out of the house. Kat had been greatly surprised when she reappeared, hours later, smelling of cheap cologne. At that point Kat suspected that it was Daphne who needed a man about the house from time to time. Kat was just a convenient excuse. She grinned at the thought.

Kat spotted the store she had been looking for. The high class clothing store should have everything she needed for a night on the town, hunting down a new man to join them occasionally. Daphne insisted that Julie and Kat should find him on their own, given that they needed to approve more than she. She had sent both women off to outfit themselves for the night. When the two reached the mall they split up. Julie's tastes in clothes tended towards the newer 'urban-wear' while Katherine preferred slightly more formal attire.

She sauntered in, glancing about at the dresses. Each of them cost a small fortune, at least in her mind. She had to remind herself repeatedly that money was no longer a difficulty. Not only was Daphne incredibly wealthy, but she had taken the limited finances Katherine possessed and increased those dramatically in the short time they had been together. Now, the dress that she had scrimped and saved to impress the Dhase with was worth a pittance compared to those she browsed.

There were employees in abundance asking to wait on her, hand and foot if she asked, but she waved them off. Kat had spent too much of her life living among the lower-middle class ~at best~ to feel truly comfortable being fawned over. She pulled a couple of dresses and brought them into the lingerie section. Again she wandered through, selecting matching sets which went with one, or more, of the dresses she'd selected.

There was a young man watching her. He was trying to be surreptitious about it but her move from the woman's apparel department into lingerie had made it all but impossible. She had noticed him when she entered, he'd been in the men's section absently browsing. To judge from his shorts and band t-shirt he either couldn't afford the prices at this store or preferred a lower profile.

Now that she knew for certain that he was watching her she began to steal glances back, studying him. He was probably about six feet tall and carried a little extra weight in his gut. Otherwise he seemed in very good condition with broad shoulders and thick, untoned, arms and legs that spoke of strength through honest labor rather than dedicated effort. His short hair was that color half way between a dark blond and light brown that Katherine had never been able to truly identify. He had a solid looking face, defined well by the thin beard. All in all she guessed his age at around twenty.

She finished her selections and headed for the changing rooms. He lagged a little behind, browsing from rack to rack, but remained steadily with her. She couldn't tell yet what his intentions were but was confident in her ability to handle him if he proved not to be benign. Although only nine months as a Dhase she had already developed some of their strength and could give all but the strongest of men a run for their money.

"How many items do you have ma'am?"

Katherine had been paying so much attention to the young man, and not being spotted looking at him, that she hadn't realized she was already at the dressing rooms. She looked down at her pile to confirm the number. She decided to bend the truth slightly, counting the sets of underwear as single items. "Eight." The attendant looked as if she was about to object when she noticed the dresses in question. Their noticeable price decided her,

after all it's better to suck up to someone who might not be able to afford these, and make sure they're still around afterwards, than to offend a rich customer.

Kat shook her head and smiled at the thought. "Is that room, the one on the end, open?" She had chosen with a different thought in mind and the associate agreed.

Because it doesn't hurt any and it will give her a better view when I leave in case something is missing.

Kat pulled the bundle close as she slipped in the door and tossed it on the bench. Three dresses and five sets of underwear. She quickly lay the dresses out and arranged the lingerie on top according to which dress, or dresses, they matched. After looking at one of the dresses in better lighting, a deep blue one that wouldn't quite go with her bright red hair, she decided to shift it immediately to the hanger without trying it on, the underwear that complimented only it was similarly removed.

As she hung the dress up she glanced out the door. She had somehow 'forgotten' to close it all the way. She smiled, seeing the young man desperately trying to keep from looking her way. It was clear he knew the door was open and seemed equally clear that he didn't want to intrude on her privacy. Kat knew his resolve would break and he would glance. She intended to make the glance memorable.

Meanwhile Kat had legitimate business to attend to. She placed herself within view of the open door and moved her hands to the buttons of her thin blouse. She turned at the last moment to begin opening the shirt. As she reached the bottom she pulled it free of her skirt and let it drop to the floor. She regretted now wearing the thick white bra, but it was her most comfortable, besides, she was confident her breasts, straining in the tight, if concealing, device were treat enough.

She crouched to pick up the shirt. It was an act, drawing out his glimpses and pretending the scenario was accidental. As she stood, to put aside her blouse she peeked over her shoulder to see him half turned towards her, furiously checked out a rack of ties. His eyes would be darting beyond his control now.

The zipper moved down slowly, holding the waist of her plaid miniskirt. She knew the outfit resembled some fantasy schoolgirl image. It was a far cry from the black outfits she had once worn, but now she had discovered a self confidence she never thought possible. She never would have had the courage to undress knowing someone was watching, much less specifically because someone stood in witness.

Kat kept a grip on the waist of the skirt and lowered it down her legs, bending over to reach her feet without bending her legs. From the back he would have a very good view as the black bikini panties clung to her. That she knew he was there, knew he watched, caused those very muscles to clench slightly. She could be caught any minute by the woman attending the stalls, or perhaps another customer entering or leaving the rooms. She didn't care, it only excited her more. He was her audience, and a very quick glance told her he had noticed the latest development.

Now he crouched by the belts on the end of the tie rack. He appeared to inspect the material, but she could tell he was trying to hide the strain in his pants. She stood up, slowly running her hands along the insides of her legs as she uncurled. She heard a rack clatter slightly, as her hands briefly caressed her taboo recesses, and grinned.

Deciding to give the poor man a short break she turned towards the mirror, presenting him with a silhouette of her shapely form and held up the deep green dress. Once upon a time Katherine hesitated to wear her favorite color for fear that it made her, with her chosen hair color, look like a reverse carrot. Now she accepted the combination. It was all about confidence. She turned back to the bench to replace the dress, bending at the hips to give her audience another good view, and collect the other.

The next dress was a soft purple dress. This one rose much higher on her long legs, displaying them nicely but didn't cut nearly as deep in the front of back. There had been a third dress which rose equally high on her legs but cut much more daringly in the front than even the green dress. Unfortunately it had been pink and, for all of her newfound confidence, she still could not bring herself to wear such a 'girly' color, no matter how well the color worked on her.

The green one.

The decision limited her other selections slightly, from four to two, but she was more confident with the choice of color. The purple dress and two subsequent lingerie sets went on the hook with the rest of the discarded choices.

Miraculously she had found a set of underwear in exactly the same color as the dress. As she leaned over this time her eyes flickered behind her. The young man still crouched by the rack, but now his subterfuge was broken by lack of concentration. Likely he wouldn't last long before the attendant noticed him. She slowly straightened and turned to the hanger. She pulled everything from the hanger, separated a black lace set from the rest and turned towards the door. The man had sense enough to scurry back behind the rack entirely.

Katherine poked her head out of the room, hid her nearly naked form and called the attendant. The woman moved over with a politely cautious grace. "These I'm definitely not going to need." She handed the bundle of clothing carefully through the door and the other woman relaxed visibly. With two of the dresses returned she must figure Kat has little intention of theft. "I grabbed the wrong size with this one," she handed the black bra and matching thong through the door, "is there any way you could check to see if they have it in 38C and a 5?"

The woman's suspicion returned slightly but the return of so many items had made her much more comfortable. Finally she glanced at the other rooms, all vacant and smiled as she nodded. She hung the returned items in the small, locked, booth to be dealt with later and wandered off with the requested set.

Katherine smiled as she turned back around. The set had been her size, but in looking for it she had noticed that the sizes she had requested were absent. Given the number of clones in various other sizes the woman should be gone for quite a few minutes, especially if she was conscious enough, as Kat suspected she would be, to keep an eye on the dressing rooms to make sure no new customers came and Kat didn't try to sneak off with the dress.

She reached behind her back, facing mostly away from the door again, to unclasp her bra. She barely heard the man's gasp. Her own breath caught slightly as she realized the sheer enjoyment he was gaining from the unexpected boon. From his angle he should be able to see the slight slope and curve of one of her breasts. She was grinning as she tossed it negligently on the bench. She figured stripping completely would seem too suspicious so she leaned forward yet again to collect the green bra.

She couldn't figure a way to make putting

on

a bra sensually so she simply did it quickly; clasped in front, spun around and arms looped through the straps. Once it was on she presented him with a profile once more. While the position worked poorly to see herself in the mirror, it was more about comfort anyway, until she got the dress on and confirmed the straps blended smoothly.

As her hands dropped to the thin bands that wrapped her hips, he squeaked. Although not a 'manly' noise she still had to pause in order to catch her breath. Her core, almost exposed now, clenched with desire. She took a deep breath and began to bend, this time revealing her most treasured depths fully to the youth.

She heard the rack clatter noisily. By the time she turned around he was long gone. Although she laughed at the antics her actions had inspired, aching hips reminded her she had been effected as well. She hurriedly tried on the matching thong and slid the dress on. The combination was everything she's hoped for. The bra was designed to pull her breasts together slightly. As it did, the neck plunged daringly deep, fortunately the center strap of the bra simply blended in with the trim surrounding the neckline.

Meanwhile the bottom had a single slit that ran straight up the right side of the dress. It was possible, Kat decided, that moving around too much in the dress would cause the spaghetti strap of the thong to slide into view. She didn't mind. The dress showed her shapely leg and hip enticingly and by the time a strap might slide into view she likely will have selected someone already.

She changed back into her 'schoolgirl' outfit, grinned at the mirror, tied her hair back into twin ponytails to complete the look, and headed out. The attendant was returning. "I'm sorry but I couldn't find anything in that size."

Katherine waved it off, looking around slightly for any sign of the young man. "Don't worry, I decided on this combo." She held up the complete set to show the other woman. She smiled when the attendant was equally surprised over the matching colors.

Kat paid for the dress and moved back into the flow of traffic on the sidewalk. She was window-shopping when he caught her eye. Suddenly she had a craving for tea and a pastry. She slipped between people and popped into the café. She snuck over to the back of the line and waited, watching him. She could tell she'd had quite an effect on him. His cargo shorts bunched unevenly as he walked.

He was ordering when she slid up next to him to order at the second register. Her order was simple, allowing her to speed through the process in time to get hers just as he was turning for the tables. He bumped into her in his haste to clear the line. Despite perfect balance, she managed to spill tea on her blouse.

"Uh, oh God. I'm so sorry." He recognized her as his eyes traveled up from the stained shirt, to meet her eyes. He instantly developed an expression that mixed deer-in-the-headlights and kid-in-the-cookie-jar. "How can I make this up to you? Is there anything in there," he nodded to her bag, "you can change into?"

Katherine shook her head. "Naw, just a dress to wear to Cassidy's tonight." She deliberately dropped the name of the club, the most elite in town, in the hopes he would catch it. Either he didn't catch it or he did, and without the flinch she would have expected if he didn't think he could get in. She motioned with her head towards the counter. "Grab a bottle of ginger-ale. Would you?" He nodded briskly and turned around again. She had no idea whether it would work or not but she didn't much care. The shirt could be replaced. Her earlier actions needed to be addressed.

She dabbed at the stain with a napkin as she headed for the bathrooms. She knew this café and couldn't have planned things better if she tried. He hurried after her and tried to juggle his sandwich, coffee and the ginger ale. She reached the solitary bathroom. The other bathroom had been broken for so long that no one remembered whether it had been the women's or men's room. Granted the working one had urinals but rumor had it so did the broken one.