AUTHOR'S NOTE: Sorry for the long wait between chapters! I've had a pretty crazy year, but I should get back to a more regular update schedule in the next month or so. Thanks for your patience and please enjoy the story!
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Andrew looked at himself in the mirror and held a tie up to his neck. Dissatisfied, he tossed it into a growing pile of neckwear and rummaged in his closet for another. He had been invited to meet Melissa's coven and he wanted to make a good impression. Hearing a knock on the door, he called "It's unlocked!" and continued to search his closet.
Melissa walked into his apartment wearing a simple blue dress. It wasn't showy, but it fit her figure nicely. She closed the door behind her and called to Andrew. "You know, it's really not safe to leave your door unlocked. You should be more careful."
"Or what, a demon is going to break in?" Andrew replied sarcastically. Melissa followed the sound of his voice to his bedroom.
"Ha ha, very funny. Come on, we've got to go. I have a taxi waiting outside," she said, grabbing him by the arm.
"Wait, I haven't found a tie that matches this shirt," he protested.
Melissa sighed and continued pulling him towards the door. "It's not that fancy, I swear. You look fine right now."
"Just fine?" Andrew asked, locking his apartment as they stepped into the hall.
"You look great," Melissa conceded, and they shared a quick kiss before heading to the elevator.
Once downstairs, Andrew saw there was indeed a taxi waiting. For some reason he had expected it to be on fire or driven by a skeleton, but it was just a normal taxi. They got in and Melissa gave the driver an address. Andrew wasn't sure exactly where it was, but it was on the nicer side of town. Already feeling underdressed, he began bouncing his legs nervously.
Melissa noticed and placed a hand on his knee. "It's fine, darling, I told you. This isn't like a 'meet the parents' type of thing, I'm just introducing you to the other succubi in the city so they don't eat you. We'll mingle, I'll do the rites, and we'll leave."
"Rites?"
"Oh, the coven meets every new moon to perform a ceremony. We use magic to transform our appearances and other stuff, but we have a limited supply. So every month we all meet up, perform the ceremony, and recharge. Plus it's a good excuse to catch up."
Andrew remembered something he heard Sandra, the other succubus, say. "You haven't been to a ceremony in a few months, right? Is that okay?"
Melissa waved a hand dismissively. "Yeah, it's fine. I don't use a ton of magic, so I don't need to go too often."
"But if you run out, how will you eat people?"
"Well I'll just have to resort to you," she said teasingly, before leaning over and kissing Andrew. It was a surprisingly passionate kiss for how sudden it was, and Andrew was momentarily stunned before returning it.
The car pulled to a stop and the cabbie turned around. "Alright, lovebirds, here's your stop."
Melissa blushed as she pulled away from Andrew and handed the man a large wad of cash. "Keep the change," she mumbled as she hurried out of the cab and into the building. Andrew quickly got out and followed.
Andrew had suspected this might be a nice building based on the address, but inside he was astonished by the sheer opulence. There were marble columns, mahogany tables, plush velvet chairs and gold inlay everywhere. He tugged nervously at his collar and regretted not wearing a tie. Melissa had walked across the lobby to the elevator, where she waited for Andrew.
"Sorry for running off like that," she said, "I was just embarrassed."
"About being seen with me?"
"No! No, I'm just not used to getting genuine affection, that's all."
Before Andrew could reassure her, the elevator dinged and the doors opened. Inside was an elevator as fancy as the lobby outside and an older gentleman in a tuxedo and a small hat. Andrew waited for him to get out, before realizing he was the elevator operator. Again, he began to regret his lack of formalwear. He wasn't even wearing a suit jacket!
"Good evening. Which floor?" the attendant said in a dignified baritone.
"Floor 69," Melissa said, and the attendant snapped to attention.
His eyes glazed over as he replied, "Yes, mistress," and pressed a button on the panel.
Andrew followed his finger and turned to Melissa quizzically. "There's only 50 floors in this building."
Melissa rolled her eyes. "Yeah, succubi are about as subtle as a freight train. I just say that and Jeeves here takes us to the right floor. I think it's actually 47 or 48, but of course the password is 69."
"A succubus owns the whole floor?" Andrew said incredulously. "She must make good money."
"You don't have to worry about money when you can seduce rich old men and manipulate them into leaving the building to you in their will," Melissa replied.
Andrew let out a low whistle. Being a succubus certainly had its perks. The elevator came to a stop and the doors reopened.
"Have a good evening," the elevator operator said as Melissa and Andrew stepped out. They found themselves in a small lobby, with several doors leading off of it.
"So, a few things first," Melissa said, turning to Andrew. "This whole floor has been renovated to be one big apartment, so don't worry about getting lost. There's going to be about two dozen succubi in there, but you don't have to introduce yourself to all of them. We'll just talk with the matron and she'll let everyone know."
"Got it. Don't get lost and don't talk to people."
Melissa laughed. "No, you can talk to people, I'm just saying you don't have to introduce yourself to everyone. Feel free to say hi to as many ladies as you like." She looked him up and down before saying "Although, with your looks, it may be the ladies trying to get to know you."
Andrew straightened his shirt. "You're sure I'm not underdressed?"
Melissa placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Of course not. You look great." She gave him another peck on the cheek and seemed to consider going further, before shaking her head. "Oh, almost forgot. Things might get a little... weird at the ceremony, so if you want to step out at any time that's fine. You can just hang out in this lobby and I'll be out when I'm done."
"How weird?" Andrew asked.
"Really weird," Melissa replied with a serious expression before smiling again. "But don't worry! It's fine. Everything's fine."
Andrew took Melissa's hand from his shoulder and held it in his. "Are you sure you're okay? We don't have to go if you don't want to."
Melissa squeezed his hand back. "It's fine. I just don't want to scare you off with all this weird demon shit."
"I love weird demon shit," Andrew replied and opened the door in front of them.
A small ballroom dominated the view as they entered the room. It wasn't especially fancy, but such a large space this high up was unusual. On one side was a raised area with several couches and tables, and on the other end of the room was a bar. It was a nice space, and as an architect Andrew should've appreciated it. Instead, he was distracted by its occupants. There were, as Melissa had said, about two dozen women milling about, chatting and drinking. Each one was breathtakingly beautiful in their own way. There were tall women, short women, slim women, chubby women, long-haired and close-cropped, women of every color and complexion. If a person had a type, there was a woman here who fit it to a T. Despite their diversity of appearance, however, they all had one thing in common; they were stunning. Each woman would've been the center of attention at a party and with so many beauties in one place, Andrew was momentarily dumbstruck.
He was drawn back to reality by another squeeze of his hand from Melissa.
"Earth to Andrew. Let's go mingle."
"Right, yeah," Andrew said absentmindedly. As they crossed the floor, Andrew felt eyes all over him. Some women were glancing at him out of the corner of their eye, but some were glaring at him like a piece of meat. Andrew wasn't worried about being underdressed anymore. Now he was worried about making it out of here alive. Out of the two succubi he'd met so far, only one had decided not to kill him on sight. Andrew gulped and stared straight ahead, avoiding the hungry gazes surrounding him. This was going to be a long night.
Andrew and Melissa made their way to the seating area. Most of the women in the room were in their twenties or thirties, but one of the women standing in this group was clearly in her fifties. She wore it well, giving off an aura of experience, but that wasn't the only thing she projected. The women who were talking to her seemed subservient, like a serf speaking to their lord. Clearly this lady was in charge. Andrew felt like he knew her from somewhere, but he couldn't quite place it. She turned to the approaching couple and gave them a warm smile.
"Melissa! So good to see you again. It's been a while."
Melissa returned the smile. "Good to see you too, matron."
The older woman glanced over at Andrew and looked him up and down. "So, is this the boyfriend you were telling me about?"
"Yes, his name is Andrew, and-"
The woman held up a finger. "It's not polite to speak for someone. Let him introduce himself."
Andrew sensed that she was evaluating him and put on his most sociable voice. "Hi, I'm Andrew Reynolds. I'm an architect at Capstone Architectural Firm." He extended his arm for a handshake.
The woman looked at his outstretched hand, then moved close for a hug. "Oh, please. No need to be so formal. We're all family here."
Andrew accepted her hug with a look of confusion. She was giving off an extremely confusing vibe.
She pulled away and held him at arm's length. "Oh, how rude of me. Hugging you before I even introduce myself. I'm Sofia Ramirez."
Andrew recognized the name immediately. "Wait, Sofia Ramirez? As in Judge Sofia Ramirez?"
Sofia chuckled. "Yes, one and the same."
Suddenly Andrew understood why all the succubi in the room were so submissive to her. She was notorious for being the toughest judge in the city, doling out life sentences for crimes other judges wouldn't even give 10 years for. She was also a staunch proponent of capital punishment. Perhaps her strict attitude in the courtroom carried over into her personal life as well.
"Yeah, I've heard of you. It seems like every other month some inmate hangs himself rather than face you in the courtroom."
