So I'm Not a Vampire? Ch. 06

Hey Everyone,

So this is the completely edited version of So, I'm Not a Vampire? Thank you searchingforperfection for helping me edit the entire So I'm Not a Vampire? novellette. Thank you to my beta tester, Fanfare, for reading the entire Peaches series. Without you, I wouldn't have been able to work out those rough edges in the story. Thanks :)

Side note: all future stories I post on Lit are stories that will not be published. If you have questions, concerns, or just want to say hi, feel free to message me.

-Rosi

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Chapter Six: B.A.B.

I woke up mortified with a hangover. It sucked big time. But it was still better than the last time I'd woken up, so that was something. I stumbled to the bathroom, shedding my clothes on the way, stubbed my toe on the bedside table, and bumped a hip against the doorjamb. By the time I was in the shower and the water was pouring over me, I was sure that I was going to slip and fall.

I had a somewhat blurry, somewhat crystal-clear memory of what had happened the night before. Thankfully, I'd maintained some part of my virtue if the clothes had been any indication. I could vaguely remember Bane handing me a drink, telling me his vampire powers, feeling something large under my foot, and then darkness.

"Ugh!" My head hurt like crazy and my body felt sluggish. I was feeling the full weight of my size fourteen—alright, sixteen self, and it was awful. There was stuff on my teeth, my hair felt like it was just a large mess of fire ants, and my skin felt gritty. I promised myself for what had to be the hundredth time that I would never drink again. Or at least, nothing except beer and wine, on occasion of course.

My attempts at getting myself ready were half-assed at best, but I didn't care. I exited my bedroom and saw Bane with a glass of what looked like red wine and a bunch of covered plates in front of him. The man, however, wasn't dressed like the type of guy who would be sitting in a five-star hotel suite drinking wine at whatever o'clock in the morning it was.

He was in torn and faded black jeans, and an ancient Guns N' Roses t-shirt. Honestly, the guy didn't look anything like a vampire. Especially not with his short, black curls, dark skin, and rosy cheeks. He sort of reminded me of a hot rocker.

"I ordered food." Bane gestured to the covered dishes and smiled. "Wasn't sure what you wanted, so I had them bring an assortment."

The bread had fared well in my stomach, so I was pretty sure bacon, eggs, and French toast would also be pretty good. It sort of chafed that I wasn't a vampire. From what Bane had said about vampires the night before—and what I could remember—it sounded like a pretty cool thing to be.

"Coffee?" Bane asked politely as I pulled out a chair and collapsed into it.

I scrubbed a hand over my face and nodded as vigorously as I could without adding to my headache. "God, yes!"

"Cream and sugar?"

I shook my head and reached for the cup. "Black."

A distinct memory from the night before hit me and made me almost drop the coffee cup: But you're Black. Is that racist? Am I a racist? I groaned internally as I remembered the words I'd said last night, and then another memory of Bane's hot breath on my hair and heated words in my ear. No matter how hard I tried to suppress it, I blushed from the root of my hair straight down to my toes.

Thankfully, Bane didn't say anything or throw what happened last night back in my face. I cleared my throat and moved on to another topic. "What's on the agenda today?"

He shrugged and finished off his wine as I uncovered the plates of food and started to dig in. "We have a party tonight."

"A vampire ball!" I exploded, nearly choking on a bite of waffle. I reached for my coffee and burned my tongue trying to swallow. Bane handed me a glass of water I hadn't seen, and I chugged it until the waffle passed and I could breathe again.

Then I realized I was actually breathing. Damn! It was just another nail in the "you're not a vampire" coffin.

"I said party, not ball."

I bounced up and down in my seat as images from different vamp parties on TV flashed through my mind. "Yeah, but everyone knows that vampire parties are really more like galas and balls."

He gave me a funny look and I noticed even more red in his eyes than before. It didn't leave me with a warm, fuzzy feeling to see that red. It wasn't like he was looking at me like I looked at chocolate right then, but if what he said about his eyes was true, soon he was going to look at me like I was a giant chocolate fountain in a hot dessert.

Bane rose and shook his head ruefully. "I don't know who this 'everyone' is, but I think your perception of my race is skewed." He came around the table and tilted my chin up, forcing me to swallow the bacon I'd been munching. "We are not as refined as you think. Never forget, habibi, that beneath this facade, I am still a monster."

I looked into his eyes and knew he wasn't really trying to scare me, but was just giving me fair warning. I remembered that I'd only known Bane for a little over twenty-four hours: two nights, two mornings, and one day. That was it.

I tossed my head and scootched my chair back. "Better the Devil you know ... ."

His smile was one the mean girls at my school used to give me when they wanted to frighten me. It was a smile that said I didn't know them, we weren't friends, and if it was in their interest, they would destroy me in a heartbeat. Becky Tural had given me that smile and I'd punched it off her face. I was many things, but a wimp wasn't one of them. A stupid fool who ran head-first into danger was probably on the list of things I was, but I was also a girl who didn't put up with people's crap, and I had a vicious streak to go along with it.

I tried out a smile I hoped looked cold as ice, but knowing me, it probably just made me look like I was constipated. "I know what you are, Bane. You don't know what I am. And until you figure it out, I'm a wild card, and I could have powers that would put yours to shame. This is a business arrangement. We both want to know what I am, and we can work together up to a point."

I took a threatening step toward him, begrudging the fact that he was a few inches taller than me. I was usually the tall one, the one looking down on people; the fact that I had to look up sort of lessened the menacing look I was going for. "Don't ever think to control or threaten me, Bane. You might be a monster, but I'm a mystery."

Never in my life had I sounded so freaking brilliant! I mean, hell yeah, I was Peaches, m'fer! At the beginning, no one knew what Sookie Stackhouse from Charlaine Harris's books or Cat Crawfield from Jeaniene Frost's books were. They'd been unknowns, and they'd turned out to be kick ass heroines with awesome superpowers that no one else had. No doubt about it, I was an unknown, and by definition that made me a B.A.B—Boss Ass Bitch.

A smile curved Bane's lips, and a hint of pride flickered in those red-brown depths. "Up for some shopping, mystery girl?"

I turned and walked past him into his bedroom. I stuffed my flats back on and moved toward the door. Bane was still standing near the breakfast table, watching me closely. I tossed a sultry look over my shoulder. "Only if you're paying, vampire."

He was behind me in a second. Heat hit my back, and his hands were on the door, caging me in. Weren't vampires supposed to be cold? I tried to remember every time Bane touched me and could only remember heat. A strong heat, scented slightly by male musk and some kind of exotic oil that reminded me of the Middle East, maybe Egypt.

A vision suddenly flashed in my mind. Me, up against the door with Bane between my legs, his jeans loose around his hips. My nails dug into his tight ass, his teeth on my neck as he thrust up into me. The image was so clear that I felt my nails scrape my palm and my panties dampen.

I couldn't remember if Bane had said vampires had super smell, too, but I was pretty sure even a normal guy would've been able to smell the lust coming off of me. I wasn't a prude, but neither was I a slut, contrary to the night before. I'd had sex with a couple guys, real meat-and-potatoes type stuff, but the heat Bane was throwing off, and the look in those dark eyes, promised decadent chocolate ice cream with gold shavings. Five-star gourmet all the way.

Bane's voice was a low purr in my ear. "What would I get in return?" His tongue licked the shell of my ear and I shivered all over.

Oh, I was not below exchanging awesome clothes for sex, partly because I knew I was already going to knock boots with Bane and getting something out of it was always a plus. But a part of me—the part that had never before been so vigorously pursued—wanted to wait a little bit longer, draw out the tension. After all, I'd only known the guy for a day and a half. I might be easy, but I wasn't that easy.

I was amazed at how calm and unaffected by his animal magnetism I sounded. "My gratitude and appreciation."