02

Foreword

Two months of flirting, four dates, three dinners, one movie, two glasses of wine and finally the man and woman were where they wanted to be from the moment they met -- in her darkened bedroom, furtively kissing. The light from the hallway gave just enough illumination to see each other's outlines. Their mouths connected in a deep kiss as his hand slid down, caressing her body. Her arms snaked around his neck, pulling him closer. He cupped her breast and she moaned as she felt the heat of his palm through her clothing. She playfully bit on his lower lip then moved her mouth down to pepper kisses along his rugged jawline. He guided her to the bed and started slowly removing her clothing, continuing to enjoy the taste of her mouth. She reciprocated, unbuttoning his shirt and pulling it off, then reached for his zipper. He broke the kiss to remove the rest of his clothes and quickly slip on a condom. Meanwhile she positioned herself in the center of the bed for him. He crawled between her spread legs, and resumed kissing her.

He entered her gently and their bodies began to rock in sync. Driven by lust and desire they stayed connected: kissing, touching, stroking, caressing. He could feel himself getting closer and started ramming himself deeper into her. She screamed out in pleasure and soon they reached their peaks. Spent and satisfied, he slid off her and placed a wet, sensuous kiss on her lips. He gingerly rolled off her and started removing the condom. Horrified, he realized it had broken. His mind went into a frenzy, thinking of the consequences from just a little tear in the thin latex. Shocked, disappointed, and ashamed, all he could mutter was "Oh, God."

Chapter 1: It Begins

Neil sat in the smoky bar waiting on his friend. He was late, as usual. Neil staved off boredom by twirling his beer cap on the table.

"Sorry I'm late," Drew apologized, sitting down at the table and waving over the waitress to order a drink.

Neil shrugged off the apology. He watched as the waitress skittered over and did everything but offer Drew a lap dance while taking his order. As usual, Drew remained oblivious to the flirting. Although both men were handsome, only Neil knew his effect on women (and some men). Drew never seemed to notice all the hungry looks he received. Drew was the tall, brooding guy who could melt women with his penetrating gaze and the rich, dark velvet sound of his voice. Neil was smaller (some might say too thin). He had a rocker/ bad boy aura about him which, combined with his killer smile, meant he never had to spend a night alone if he didn't want to.

"How's life?" Neil asked casually.

"Never ending," Drew sighed.

Neil chuckled. "How's it going with the hot librarian? Allie? Andrea?"

"Alex," Drew clarified. "It

was

going well. I really started to like her. She's beautiful and could actually form a coherent sentence."

"You want too much from the women you date. I'm happy with just 'hot'," Neil responded. "So what happened?"

Drew leaned forward and uttered softly "Condom broke."

Neil's eyes grew wide and he sucked in his breath. "Damn."

Drew nodded and leaned back in his chair. "Yep. The first time we hooked up too. Needless to say I can't risk it and see her again."

The waitress had returned and flashed a bright smile at Drew while leaning forward to give him a generous view of her cleavage. He barely glanced at her and dug out his wallet to pay for his drink. Neil stopped him. "It's on me," he declared and gave her a couple of twenties along with a seductive smile. She returned the grin and, with a wink, told him to let her know if he needed anything else. Neil watched her ass as she shimmied away from the table.

Drew watched his friend's reaction and drily said "Lemme guess. Another woman who passed your long list of requirements?"

Neil gave him a big grin and said sarcastically "Maybe I'll date her for a while and really get to know her before having sex. I hear that ends well."

"Screw you." Drew drained his beer in frustration.

****

Alex Daniels glanced at the clock and groaned. There were two more hours until closing and she was convinced those hours would feel more like two weeks. Being a librarian was nothing like she had imagined. Instead of chatting with fellow book lovers, she had to listen to whiners trying to talk their way out of overdue fines. Less getting lost in the stacks than making sure there weren't creeps in them doing God knows what. Still, it did have its perks. She loved seeing all the new books as they came in and she had gotten to know some regulars, including Drew. She smiled to herself thinking about him. They hadn't spoken since they had sex the other night. That was only a few days ago so she was telling herself not to panic. He didn't seem like the type of guy to dump a girl once he'd finally gotten into her pants. Yes, he was upset about the condom breaking but hey, accidents happen. She was on the pill so he didn't have to worry about any unwanted pregnancies. She surreptitiously pulled out her phone and frowned when she saw she had no new messages.

"That's like a watched pot that never boils. You won't get a text if you keep staring at it," she heard a man's voice suddenly say.

Alex looked up quickly and was surprised to see a guy standing in front of her waiting to check out. There wasn't anyone near when she glanced down at her phone. He just seemed to appear. "Oh. I... Uh... I was just checking the time. I'm not waiting for a text or anything," she said lamely, trying to recover her composure.

The stranger looked at her knowingly and just smiled at her. Alex took his library card and scanned it.

Peterson, Neil. No outstanding books. No late fees.

She scanned each book and turned slightly to run the books over the desensitizer machine so they wouldn't set off the alarm. Out of the corner of her eye she thought she saw the guy lean forward and inhale, like he was sniffing her perfume. She turned quickly but he was still rooted to the same spot, giving her the same knowing smile. She pushed his books toward him and told him they were due by the 18th.

"You'll be seeing me again before that," he declared. She looked at him in surprise. "I read fast. I'll be back soon to check out more items," he clarified.

She relaxed and smiled politely at him. "Enjoy your books, Mr. Peterson."

"I'm looking forward to seeing you again--" he looked down at her name tag -- "Alex," he smiled back.

****

"You're more potent than you think you are," announced Neil as he strode into Drew's living room.

"What have I told you about letting yourself into my house?" Drew asked, not bothering to get up from the sofa.

"Don't remember. Probably not to. You're always telling me things that I don't feel like following so I stopped listening to them," Neil cheerful admitted. He settled himself into a chair and repeated "You're more potent than you think you are."

"What does that mean? Don't tell me you're starting to fall for me," Drew asked, aghast.

"No. As many rules as you have about your house, I'd hate to hear how many you have for sex. I meant that I saw your new friend today, April."

"Alex," Drew corrected.

"Yeah, that's her."

"Why'd you go to see her?"

"You said she's hot so I had to verify that. You often value personality as high as looks so your assessments can't always to be trusted."

"And?" Drew smirked.

Neil pictured her in his mind: tall, with long, chestnut brown hair, and hazel eyes. Her clothes hid her curves but he had no doubt how good she'd look naked with those full breasts, rounded hips, and long legs. "She's very pretty," Neil admitted. "But I got a whiff of her. You transferred part of our condition to her. It was faint enough that it won't trigger the transformation but it's enough to alter her."

Drew couldn't believe what he was hearing and gave his friend an incredulous laugh. When Neil didn't crack a smile or indicate he was kidding Drew got defensive. "I know people don't get infected right away. Most of the time they have to be exposed ten or more times."

"Yeah, when they get infected from a strain that has been slowly diluted through the centuries. But our families are the source, the genesis, the originators. Like those ads for mountain spring water claim, we are pure."

"So? I've converted people in the past and the transformation didn't start the first time we had sex."

"Maybe you just never noticed any of those times because those conversions were completed quickly."

"I don't believe you. She may have gotten some of the virus in her system but not enough to do anything," Drew argued.

Neil shrugged. "Doesn't matter if you believe me. You'll find out soon enough. Her body will start changing and the need to complete the process will consume her."

"So what do you suggest I do?"

"That's the fun part," Neil grinned. "You screw her and continue screwing her until she begins her transformation."

"I can't do that to her," Drew argued, shaking his head. "I told you I'm not going to change anyone again."

Neil sighed. "Oh God. Playing the tragic anti-hero who doesn't want to curse his woman to a life of immortality? Hasn't that been done to death?"

"And hasn't his friend, the asshole only concerned with what he wants, been done to death too? In any case I still don't believe she's gotten enough of the virus to alter her. She may have a trace but there's no way she's been altered or in any danger of becoming one of us."

Neil gave his friend a half-smile and didn't bother saying anything else. Better to let him believe that lie for a few days.

Chapter 2: Stranger Danger

Closing time at the library finally came but Alex had to spend another hour shelving and retrieving books on hold. Glad to finally be heading home, she glanced at the clock on her car dashboard.

Shit. It's already 10:20

, she thought and debated skipping dinner to just crawl into bed. She let herself into her apartment and immediately felt her skin prickle as uneasiness washed over her. Something was just... off. She couldn't figure out why until she slowly realized that every item was slightly askew, like someone searched her place and tried unsuccessfully to put everything back in place. She grabbed her purse, raced out of her apartment and called the cops from her car.

She bit her nail as they searched her house, one cop staying behind with her. She tuned out his constant hollow reassuring phrases until she finally heard the 'All Clear.' She couldn't help feeling trepidatious walking into her apartment, even though she was assured it was safe to enter and that no burglars or bogeymen were hiding in the shadows. The cops still needed to complete the paperwork and she had just started explaining how everything had been slightly rearranged when there was a knock on the door, causing her to start. One of the cops opened the door cautiously to two men in suits who introduced themselves as members of the F.B.I. The timing of their visit was lost on no one. Matching Alex's level of suspicion, one of the cops suggested that they all go to the police station where their credentials could be corroborated. It took more than 45 minutes to verify that the two gentlemen were, in fact, with the F.B.I, after which Alex was finally ushered into a room to talk. Her long exhausting night was only getting longer.

"So, Miss Daniels," Agent Richards began, glancing at the file in front of him to confirm her name. "What is your relationship with Andrew Elias?"

She gave him surprised look. Andrew? They thought what happened at her apartment had to do with Drew? "Uh, we just started dating," she explained tentatively. The two men nodded encouragingly, hoping she'd elaborate. Alex looked from one to the other. Granted she'd only known him a short time but she couldn't imagine Drew having any connection to the break in at her house. "Do you think he's somehow tied to what happened at my apartment?"

"We're exploring all angles," Agent Bradley replied noncommittally. "How long have you known Mr. Elias?"

"I don't know. About 3, 4 months maybe? Is he in trouble with the law?"

The agents looked at each other then looked at Alex. Plastering fake smiles on their faces they explained that Andrew Elias was a person of interest in some of their investigations but refused to confirm anything more. Despite their verbal gymnastics of talking without actually saying anything, Alex couldn't picture Drew doing anything criminal. She wasn't naïve. She knew how charming people could be on the outside while their soul was black on the inside. (Hell, cut her off in traffic and she'd briefly consider many vicious, evil thoughts herself.) But she trusted her instincts and her instincts told her Drew was a fairly good guy. Sure, no doubt he had a secret or two (weird porn collection maybe?), but overall he was smart, funny, and kind. She snorted softly to herself. These agents could ask all the questions they wanted and she'd answer but she knew it was just a waste of their time.

They started peppering her with general questions: "How did you meet?" "What did you know about him prior to your first date?" But they soon started veering into personal inquiries: "Have you been intimate with him?" "How many times?" "Did he have any tattoos?" "Any scars?" Alex was starting to get irritated and cranky. She'd been there for hours and didn't feel like sharing the details of her sex life with strangers. Sensing her exasperation, the agents wrapped up their interview and offered to give her a ride home.

Alex kept nodding off in the backseat. She tried to stay awake but it was around 3:00 in the morning and she'd had a long day. Her head had started lolling to one side and she accidentally knocked it on the window, waking herself up. She looked out at the scenery, flying past in the darkness of night, and realized that they weren't anywhere near her home. She yawned and told them they made a wrong turn. The agents ignored her and continued driving down their same route. She tapped Agent Bradley on the shoulder and explained her apartment was on the other side of town. He looked at her in the rearview mirror but didn't say anything and kept on driving.

Alex started panicking. Shit shit shit! This was just like those action movies where the shadowy federal agents kidnapped the heroine. Only problem was that, unlike those movies, Alex did not have any weapons on her, nor was she trained in any fighting styles. In a word, she was fucked. She started screaming and thrashing at the two men, the door, anything she could reach. She was determined that if she couldn't take the 'flight' response, she'd damn sure take the 'fight' one and do as much damage as she could. Agent Richards tried to turn around to try and subdue her when suddenly the car screeched to a halt, throwing everyone in the car violently forward.

A slight haze of tire smoke surrounded the car. All three people in the car were momentary stunned by the abrupt stop and they peered into the inky black night, past the small puddles of light from the streetlamps, to see what had caused it. The streets were empty and eerily silent. Out of the darkness a thin man came striding up with his hands in his pockets. He looked so casual that you'd almost think he just happened to be passing by but he was looking intently at the people in the car. The two agents, who had been so calm and aloof all evening, suddenly looked terrified and started fumbling frantically to unbuckle their seatbelts. The man had reached the car and opened the rear passenger door. Alex started feeling frightened herself, just from the reaction the guy was having on the F.B.I. men. The guy suddenly leaned down and popped his head in the car. Alex felt immediate confusion when she recognized that the man was the same one checking out library books earlier this evening.

He gave her a big smile. "Hm. We meet again. Alex, isn't it?" She nodded dumbly. He looked at the two agents who were now cowering against the dash. "Gentlemen. Seems like you might be lost. You'd think the government could afford to install GPS in your vehicles," he said lightly. His face suddenly turned threatening. "I'd better give Ms. Daniels a lift. You two should be on your way... before you get lost again."

He turned toward a still stunned Alex and gave her an encouraging smile. He silently held out his hand and after a split second mental debate on the lesser of two evils, she took it and was helped out of the car. He led her down the street toward an expensive car, not bothering to look back as the federal agents gunned the engine and sped away. Neil held the door open for her and gestured for her to get in.

Alex hesitated. "Who are you?"

"Neil Peterson. I'm a friend of Drew's." She looked at him suspiciously. If Drew was doing something possibly illegal, wouldn't his friend be too? He read her expression and assured her that despite what the two agents may have implied, neither was involved with anything illegal.

"You wouldn't admit it if you were," she muttered.

He laughed. "True. So you can choose to accept a ride with a possible nice guy or a possible criminal. Or you could try to walk home, which I wouldn't suggest seeing how far out of town we are. Or, if you want, I could find those F.B.I. agents and let them know you'd prefer to ride with them." Alex grimaced and got into the car. Neil closed the door behind her and got into the driver's seat. "I'm sure you had a long night but, if you don't mind, I'd like to take you to Drew's house. There's a lot he needs to explain to you," he said soothingly. Confused and angry, she agreed, hoping Drew could tell her what the hell was going on.

"So how long have you know Drew?" she asked, trying to pass the time as they drove.

"Forever. His family and mine didn't get along for a long time though. It was all very

Romeo and Juliet.

Not the climbing balconies shit but the whole Montagues and Capulets. We only recently started hanging out."

She nodded but didn't say anything else. Her mind was going over what he said. Hm... Families that didn't get along. Was that a possible gang war? She honestly couldn't picture the elegant Drew in a gang. She looked at Neil. She also couldn't picture him in a gang. There was something slightly dangerous about him though. She examined him. The car's interior was black and she could only really make out his eyes and teeth in the subdued interior lights. It was that smile, she decided. It had a wolfish quality to it, all gums and big teeth.

As if reading her mind he murmured "The better to eat you with, my dear" without taking his eyes off the road.

She stared at him in horror and felt a shiver race down her spine.

****

Author's Note: Apologies for the lack of smut so far but I promise to make up for it in upcoming chapters. This is the first story I'm posting to Literotica so, to borrow a line from the movie Tea and Sympathy, "Please, be kind."