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."
