What a Tangled Web We Weave

by sexyme0731

The story takes place a few months after "the mortal cure." Mick and Beth are caught up in something quite unexpected. Mick's on a case with many interesting little twists to it! Be forewarned! LOTS OF SMUT!

Title: What a tangled web we weave

Author: sexyme0731
Characters: Mick, Beth, Josef
Rating: NC-17
Summary: The story takes place a few months after "the mortal cure." Mick and Beth are caught up in something quite unexpected. Mick's on a case with many interesting little twists to it!
Notes: this is my first attempt at writing, so bear with me. Any helpful tips would be greatly appreciated. Anything italicized indicates a personal thought from the character. Just in case that wasn't obvious!

Disclaimer: I do not own Moonlight or any of the characters (except for the ones that I made up). No copyright infringements are intended. This is a work of fan fiction.

PART 1

The rain caused her white T-shirt to cling to her body like a second skin. She neglected to wear a bra so the contours of her breasts and nipples were made evident. Mick knew that he should have given her his coat when the rain started, but he didn't. he took some perverse pleasure in looking at her breasts through her wet T-shirt. It was like having his own private wet T-shirt contest. He reached out a hand to fondle one of her nipples....

*ring*ring*ring*

The phone rings and Mick is jolted out of one of his many fantasies about Beth. He was daydreaming again staring out the window from his office watching the rain. Cameron Montoya was on the phone again. He was a man in his 50's who hired Mick to find his daughter, Joanna. He called periodically to check on the status of the case. A couple of female college students from LA were found murdered recently and he was concerned about his daughter. The only common link, besides being from the same school, was that the girls moonlighted as strippers. Mr. Montoya had cause to believe that his daughter was dancing as a stripper and might be in danger.

Through a series of uncomfortable dinner meetings with dewy - eyed college coeds, Mick was able to get a couple of leads as to the whereabouts of Cameron's specifically led him to a strip club called the Palomino in Las Vegas. The famous Las Vegas strip. Sin City! Casinos! Strip Clubs! Vegas wasn't his kind of town, but Mick needed to be there for the case he was working on. During his heydays, Mick would've loved this kind of environment, but now... it just seemed so passé. Apparently, word got around campus that strip clubs in Vegas paid good money to work for them on weekends. So some girls would take a flight from LA to Vegas only for the weekend, just to strip.

Finally, Mick enters the strip club. He looks around and sees your typical scantily clad young women serving drinks to overzealous young and old men alike. Nothing new! To his immediate right is a group of rowdy college boys celebrating who knows what! In a different section, another group of men, probably a bachelor party. And over in the corner, yet another group of older businesslike men probably trying to recapture their youth. He shakes his head incredulously and thinks to himself was I ever really like these men? How pathetic! He goes immediately to the bar and asks for Joanna.

The bartender looks him over and says, "are you a cop?... you know what, it doesn't matter... there's no Joanna here!" Mick nods and steps away momentarily. What did he expect? He thought to himself. Given the two murders that happened at this strip club, it's no surprise that the employees were fiercely protective of one another. No one was giving up information that quickly.

Mick walked around the establishment trying to get a good look at each of the female employees, hoping he would spot her. While doing so, a few of the ladies seductively gave him the once over. Some grabbed his ass. "Nice ASS!" He heard in passing. A couple of them propositioned him, "ready for your lap dance yet, cutie?"... "Man candy like you shouldn't be alone, want some company?!" As tempted as Mick was, he knew he had a job to do. Focus! He told himself. Besides, this type of scene held no interest for him anymore.

There's only one person he really wanted to hear a proposition from but he hadn't seen Beth in a couple months since Josh's funeral. He definitely wouldn't have minded if she grabbed his ass! He knew she needed space so he did just that, he left her alone, well... kind of. He made a concerted effort to at least call her once a week to make sure everything was OK. The conversations were mundane, 'how was work?'...'how are you?' What he really wanted to say was that he missed her so much it hurt. He wanted so badly to run over to her place, grab her and hold on tight. Not seeing her was truly killing him! Mick thought Geez! Even in a strip club surrounded by gorgeous women and I'm still thinking about her! I've got it bad! I need to see her!

What was holding him back from telling Beth how he really felt? After all, Josh was gone. He hated thinking like that, but it was just a cruel fact of life. Even after a couple of months, the compound still hadn't worn off. He was still human! But... she's mortal. What if he hurt her? He had to stop making excuses. There was nothing vampire about him that could hurt her, for now, anyway. Besides, wasn't that what he was worried about? Nothing was in his way now.

He kept thinking back to what the pastor said during the funeral. Something about 'making the most of the time that we are given' and he really wanted to do that. But he only wanted to share it with Beth. He didn't know how long this "cure" was going to last so he knew he needed to talk to Beth soon if he wanted her to share in his human experiences. Reverting back was going to be difficult for him, but maybe a brief stint as a human with Beth might make the sting of reverting a little less harsh. Okay, that's it!... the next time I see her, I'm telling her. No more excuses! God, I really need to see her!

mick's cell phone rings, "hello? Yeah ... I know... I said I was sorry, Josef!" "You know I only came here for work. I'll make it up to you okay? No... I'm not having any fun... a strip club... it's just work Josef!... listen, I gotta go. I'll stop by when I get back okay?" Mick could tell that Josef was annoyed, but Mick enjoyed teasing him every once in awhile. Mick had promised Josef some time ago that he would not to go to Vegas without him, but he was sure under the circumstances, Josef would understand.

The lights dimmed in the club and the center stage fell into complete darkness. The first dancer was just about to perform. Frustrated from not spotting Joanna, Mick goes to the bar to grab something to drink. I may as well enjoy the show. I might be here a while. He had his back facing the stage when he hears, "People! Please draw your attention to the center stage and give a warm round of applause to the newest member of our team... VANESSA!!!"

As he takes a sip from his drink, the music starts. It's Fergie's "London Bridge". Mick places his drink down and turns around to face the stage and what he sees completely blows him away. The spotlight focuses on the dancer. Mick's jaw drops open as he focuses on the stripper on the dance floor.

"BETH!?"

PART 2

Were his eyes deceiving him? Nope! There was Beth Turner in all her glory, sitting on a chair, straddling it backwards. Mick had wanted to see her, but not quite like this! Wow! Talk about being careful what you wish for! She was wearing some sort of leather/vinyl outfit. Black. Very shiny! Extremely hot, he thought! She had let her hair grow longer, down to her waist almost. She was wearing a lot more makeup than she usually did, but that was to be expected especially given what she was doing. She was wearing spiked heeled, thigh high boots, a black leather jacket, and a black chauffeur's hat. The rest of the outfit looked like it had been spray-painted on her body.

Everything about her appearance was turning him on. He couldn't remember the last time he was ever this aroused! It took every ounce of willpower he had not to go up there and ravage her. He wanted her desperately! Yup, whether vampire or human, the primal and animalistic nature of men remained the same, he thought to himself. Some things never change! Mick stood there mesmerized. He had seen a lot of things in his lifetime and nothing really surprised him anymore, but this took the cake!

He watched as she slithered down the catwalk like a snake in time with the music. She moved to the stripper pole and leaned her back up against it and slowly slid down, seductively gyrating her hips. Mick who had still not moved from his spot, had the mother of all hard ons! Thank God for dark clubs! He was thankful that the club was just dark enough that while performing on stage, she couldn't really see who was in the audience. Seeing him might have upset her. In all honesty, he was actually enjoying her show. There was his Beth. The love of his life. That blond hair. Those blue eyes! Oh! And those legs! Dancing was definitely doing something for her, physically anyway. I'd give anything to be able to touch her right now! Seeing her again was comforting. A little disturbing and strange given the current situation, but still comforting. But at this point, I'll take what I can get.

Beth removes the leather jacket. She slowly unzips the front of her outfit revealing a very sexy leather bra that is in keeping with the whole outfit. Mick still paralyzed, can only stare like a deer caught in front of headlights. Okay... breathe Mick... don't forget to breathe! The last thing you want to do is pass out right now! In one swift movement she tears off the outfit revealing a black thong. Still moving and dancing seductively with the music, she manages to remove her top. …He nearly falls to the floor.

Hey... how the... where did the... where the hell did she learn to move like that!? He was speechless. His mind literally stopped working. Mick's jeans were now one size too small. The hardness in his pants made it difficult for him to stand comfortably. God, does this woman know what she does to me? Watching the reaction of the other men towards her killed him inside. Yes, that's right, he was jealous! He wanted to throw each one of them out of the club for just looking at her. Killing each and every one of them would've eased his jealousy just as well!

In the back of his mind Mick kept hearing a little voice telling him "you still have to find Joanna". But seeing Beth quieted that down rather quickly! After she finished her performance, Mick ran quickly towards the backstage to try to find Beth. What was she doing there? So many questions he needed answered. He really needed to talk to her.

"Whoa, buddy where do you think you're going?" said a very large bouncer blocking Mick's entrance. He obviously was in charge of guarding the backstage entrance. Man, if I were still a vamp, your ass would be grass!

"I need to speak to Vanessa," Mick said trying to be as professional as possible.

"Yeah, you and every other guy out there!" The bouncer retorted.

Mick tried again, "seriously, I'm her brother! I need to speak to her."

"RIGHT! And I'm her mother!"

Just then, behind the bouncer Beth walked by wearing only a green satin robe. To Mick, after months of not seeing her it was like the gates of heaven opened up and he was seeing his angel again. She had her head down and wasn't paying attention to what was going on. Over the bouncer's shoulder Mick yelled out, "Beth!"

Beth knew that she spent entirely too much time thinking about... fantasizing about... no, wait...'longing for' is more like it, Mick St. John. His wavy hair, that cleft chin, those hazel eyes! And damn those eyelashes! It should be a crime for a man to have lashes that long she thought to herself. She thought she was going crazy because now she was actually hearing his voice. God I miss him! Mick yells again "Beth!" There it is again. God, I'm losing it! She looked up and was met with those hazel eyes that she loved so much. "Mick?!"

She motioned to the bouncer that it was okay to let him through. She immediately grabbed his arm and led Mick to an empty dressing room towards the back of the club. Once inside she closed the door and took a moment to just look at him. Her heart basically jumped out of her chest in seeing him again. There he was, Mick St. John. She had decided long ago even before all of this craziness happened with Josh that she had fallen madly in love with Mick. What she saw in front of her literally took her breath away. He didn't look or dress any differently, but his mere presence made her gasp in surprise. He truly was a magnificent specimen of manhood! it had only been a few months but shethought, My God! I'd forgotten how gorgeous he is! Yummy! Was all Beth could think.

She slowly approached him and gave him a gentle hug. Afraid to do anything more for fear that she may just rip off his clothes right then and there. And what would be wrong with that? She mused. It was obvious that he was aroused. She was relieved to know that she wasn't the only one in the room feeling that way. "It's good to see you," she said. Damn! Did he always smell this good? "What are you doing here?" She asked.

"I've been hired to find a girl that works here."... "Here's a better question, what are YOU doing here?" He asked staring intently at her. She suddenly realized that he had caught her act. She had to look down quickly. She suddenly felt a little embarrassed and shy, she really didn't know what to say. This was so unlike her. Beth Turner at a loss for words? This was a first! Wow! Was that lust, desire or disgust in his eyes! Shit! He saw me dance! What he must think of me!? I wonder if he liked it?

Beth knew that she wouldn't be able to provide an explanation if she looked straight at him, so she avoided direct eye contact. She moved nervously towards the couch, then a chair, then a dressing table. Anything to avoid looking into the eyes that always turned her mind into mush. God, those eyes! He had this strange ability to make her melt each time he looked at her. This confident, determined, aggressive reporter, was reduced to a giggling teenager in his presence. She knew he had no idea of the power he had over her.

"Mo sent me to cover the college coed murders. I knew the dancers weren't going to give a reporter information so to gain their trust; I immersed myself into their world. I became a stripper! Luckily none of them know who I really am. Well, except maybe for one. You know me, anything for a story right?" That's an understatement! he thought.

"Umm... Beth?" Mick was looking down and digging his foot into the floor like a shy schoolboy afraid to ask the next question. He was a little embarrassed to ask this, but his curiosity got the best of him. "Where did you learn to dance like that?" Now it was HE that couldn't make eye contact. How adorable is he right now? She thought. She fought the urge to go over there and kiss him. In due time, Beth... in due time!

"Why Mick St. John?! Are you blushing?" She said teasingly trying to capture his attention in any way she could. He turned away smiling mischievously to himself. He wasn't going to confess anything, not just yet. He was really trying to avoid her gaze at all costs. He didn't answer and wasn't going to look at her with that silly grin on his face so Beth continued to explain. "I met this nice dancer here and she helped me with a lot of the moves. It's really harder than it looks. Believe me."

There was a long moment of awkward silence and then she asked, "Mick, did you catch my act?"

Finally turning around with a devilish stare in his eyes and a sly grin he said, "Yeah, I did."

She approached him hesitatingly, "Did you ... (she leaned in without touching him and seductively whispered into his ear) …enjoy the show?" With that being said, she had made her move. She didn't know what exactly got into her, but she thought what the hell! Maybe being at the strip club every day caused her seductive and raunchy side to finally break through. Or maybe it was just something that had always existed inside of her and Mick was just the catalyst. Whatever the reason, she was enjoying it!

She moved backwards so that her back was up against the wall. She leaned forward slightly to grab hold of his coat and pull him closer to her. His face was only inches away from hers when she grabbed the back of his head and pulled him to her lips and started to kiss him feverishly.

Mick was caught off guard. But that didn't last long! He moved with her back up against the wall and allowed her to continue the passionate kiss. He leaned both his arms on the wall behind her and pressed his body up against hers, feeling all of her wonderful contours against his own, leaving no question that he was aroused. He was in heaven. She tried to tease his mouth open with her tongue. At first, he wouldn't let her through. He wanted to prolong the moment. But eventually he just succumbed to everything.

He opened his mouth and she traced the inside of his upper lip with her tongue. She sucked on his tongue and slowly moved towards his bottom lip sucking and playfully nipping around his mouth. Their tongues played a sweet seduction with each other. Darting in and out, circles, sucking, licking.

Beth's hands moved seductively up and down Mick's back. Starting at his neck and slowly groping down towards his butt. Grabbing his hips and grinding him closer with each kiss. Both her hands moved to his chest and slowly trailed down to his hips until they were inches away from his manhood. She lightly grazed the area with one hand and felt him moan into her mouth. While the other hand moved up into his hair. Sweet Jesus! What is she doing to me! And I still have my clothes on! Damn!

Mick placed his hands on her waist and found the tie holding her robe closed. He untied it and slowly began moving his hands up and down her hips and thighs. Moving back up to squeeze and cup her breasts. I need more... must get naked now... Beth's thoughts were merely ramblings. He feverishly placed kisses down her neck moving towards her breasts, finding one, he started to lick and eventually sucked at the nipple. Ultimately, he engulfed as much of her breast that he could into his mouth. His other hand played a seductive assault on the other breast. All the while, Beth's head was up against the wall with her eyes tightly shut. I can't believe this is happening she thinks to herself.

Then suddenly... knock*knock*

"Beth is everything all right in there?" One of the other dancers saw Beth go into the room with Mick and was just checking up on her.

Mick and Beth stop and press their foreheads together. Both are thinking Dammit! With their eyes still closed, panting and breathing heavily, they try to compose themselves. Beth finds the tie and closes her robe again. Still wrapped in each other's arms and unwilling to let go of each other, Beth yells out...

"Yeah, everything's fine in here. I'll be right out Joanna!" Mick bolted to attention, looks at Beth incredulously and then to the closed door.

"Joanna?" He looks at Beth questioningly. Still refusing to release his arms that have now encircled her waist possessively. Still staring at her, he says "Joanna Montoya?"

Beth stares at him disbelievingly. "Oh, my gosh! Don't tell me she's the one you're looking for?!" Mick nods in agreement, repeatedly.

PART 3

"You have to promise me that you won't tell her why I'm here. If she finds out, I'm afraid she'll bolt and all that work I did trying to find her will be shot to hell! Make up some story like I'm here to visit you …or something... anything." Pleading with her with his eyes.

"No worries! I got this covered. Mick? ... don't go anywhere I'll be back in a few minutes OK?" With that, she kisses him and leaves Mick alone in the room so that she can get her stuff together in the other dressing room. He looks at his reflection in one of the dressing mirrors and thinks YES! Oh, happy day! She kissed me! He looked into the mirror again as if he were talking to somebody else. Fixes his hair a little and says out loud, "she kissed me!" He dances over to the other mirror, looks at his reflection again and says out loud one more time, "she kissed me!" This one man celebration accompanied by random dancing around room continues for a few minutes. He has now turned into a babbling idiot!

"Who is that, Beth? asks Joanna nudging Beth playfully in the ribs. Recalling what just happened in the other room between her and Mick didn't help in Beth's attempt to hide the wide grin on her face. She moves around the dressing table gathering her stuff still grinning from ear to ear. Beth finally says, "he's just a friend from LA that came to visit."

"Friend my ass!" Joanna says not believing a word that Beth said. "I saw you drag that FINE man into that room. No woman drags a man that looks like THAT into an empty room and calls him just her 'friend'." Beth saw an opportunity to finally get Joanna to meet Mick without having her suspect that he was a PI. "You wanna meet him?" Beth said. "He's in the next room waiting for me." Joanna nods and follows Beth into the other dressing room.

Mick stops his happy romp around the room abruptly when he hears the doorknob turning. In walks Beth and right behind her, Joanna. He recognized her from the picture that Cameron gave to him. The picture however, did not do her justice. The young woman was about the same age, height and build as Beth except she had waist length, dark, wavy hair and large almond shaped, hazel eyes. The woman was stunning! Cameron told Mick that he was often told that his daughter looked like a combination of Selma Hayek and Catherine Zeta-Jones, with a little Asian thrown into the mix. He was dead on. Mick assumed that the Asian part was probably from her mom's side of the family.

Beth walked over to Mick and placed her hand on his back. Even just this simple gesture gave him goose bumps. She motioned towards her friend and said, "Joanna, this is Mick St. John... Mick... Joanna Montoya." They both reached out and shook each other's hands and exchanged 'nice to meet you'. Looking at Mick, Joanna thought to herself Good! He doesn't recognize me. Hopefully he won't remember where he's seen me before. Distraction time! Time to play the role of the raunchy stripper.

Joanna slowly circles around Mick like a shark and sizes him up and down. Beth watches and thinks to herself, if she touches him I will literally kill the bitch! With his eyes completely focused on Beth's face, all Mick can do is stand still and anticipate Joanna's actions. She says looking at Beth, "NICE! so this is why you fly back and forth from here to LA!" Beth glares at her as if to say 'Shut the hell up!' The look doesn't work and Joanna continues her verbal assault. "Damn, girl! I don't blame you! For a fine man like this I'd fly from here to Timbuktu. I'd even go as far as signing blank checks for him!" Now thoroughly embarrassed, Beth looks over at Mick as if to say 'sorry'. Mick acknowledges the look and winks at her indicating that it's OK. He's amused and somewhat flattered, but he has no interest in her. It's definitely an ego boost for him, but he only sees her as a completed job for a client. "Mick, it's been a pleasure!" She nods and with that, Joanna leaves them alone. Beth approaches Mick, "I apologize for all of that. She really is pretty cool. So, is she DEFINITELY the one you're looking for?" He nods, "yes."

"Get this... she's actually coming back with me to LA in a couple of days. She's the only one here who knows that I'm really a reporter for Buzzwire. She's agreed to be my 'secret informant' on the murder story, with the stipulation that I never mention her name. So, I think I have this story pretty much wrapped up! I think my stripper days are numbered. And you can thank your lucky stars St. John because I just made your job a lot easier. You don't have to drag her back kicking and screaming, she's actually going back to LA willingly! She has to anyway for school. Oh, and here's the kicker! She's working on her Ph.D. in Biochemistry at USC, but I'm sure you already knew that. Can you believe it?! Beauty, brains, and a body... I really wish I could hate her, but I don't." That's because I have something she doesn't have ... you!

Before he can say anything, Beth takes Mick's hand and leads him to the parking lot where her rental car is parked. Before she can get to the driver's side of her car, he pulls at her hand causing her to spin around to face him and they both fall into a passionate embrace. Mick bends down to plant kisses all around her neck. Going from her earlobe, down her neck, and trailing her collarbone. And then repeating the sweet torture on the other side. All the while, Beth is trying to ask him a question... pretty unsuccessfully!

"Mick, I don't have any other performances tonight." She barely manages to say. Mick, totally oblivious to what she just said, groans "ahuh!" into her neck. " Mick?... her eyes roll to the back of her head oh, God!...ooooo, yeah, that feels good! She tries again... Mick?... wow... okay, nice... wait... Mick?" She manages to cup his face in her hands and he stops the rain of kisses reluctantly. "Where are you staying?"

"Josef is lending me his suite at the Mandalay Bay for however long I need it." Beth thinks, AH, one of the many perks of having a millionaire for a best friend. "Where are you staying?" He inquires.

She hungrily looks at him and with a sly grin replies, "in Josef's suite at the Mandalay Bay." She didn't know how much longer she could keep up this sexually charged banter with him. Her patience was running thin. She needed to be alone with him now! Horny didn't even begin to describe how she was feeling.

Mick glances down at her and knowingly grins like a child just about to open his Christmas presents! She really wants to come back with me! In his excitement, he rummages through all the pockets of his clothes desperately searching for the keys to his rental car. Finding it, he says with conviction, "Follow me."

As soon as the elevator door closes taking Mick and Beth up to the suite, the mutual groping begins! While passionately kissing each other, her hands run savagely through his hair. He grabs one of her legs and wraps it around his hip allowing him to run his hand from her thigh, up her skirt. She pulls his shirt out of its tucked location in the back of his pants and manages to run her hands inside and then up and down his back. He shivers at the electric sensation of her touch. The elevator stops and the doors open abruptly. All these interruptions! Why does this keep happening to us? They make room for the couple coming in and move to the corner of the elevator, trying to act as if nothing had happened. They only succeed in looking like teenagers who just got caught by their parents. Mick and Beth's clothes and hair were still in a state of disarray when the older couple walked in. They knew exactly what the other two had been doing. To hide their amusement, the older couple covered up their smiles by facing the elevator doors until they reach their floor.

The door of the suite opened and neither Beth nor Mick even bothered to look the room over. They continued the mutual assault they had started in the elevator. She drops her purse. He kicks the door shut. She tears off his coat. The shoes come off. All the while, their lips are locked in a kiss that would require a crowbar to separate. She doesn't bother to unbutton his shirt. She just pulls it up and over his head. She marvels at his expansive chest. She kisses one nipple and then the other. While she tries to unbuckle his belt and remove his pants, he manages to pull off her sweater and bra. He stops and steps back briefly to look at her. only one word escapes from his mouth, "lovely!" She finally succeeds in removing his pants and boxers. She too, looks at him in his entirety with an appreciative smile. She focuses on his manhood and says nothing, but her eyes speak volumes. The gods were generous when they made you St. John!

They tumble to the floor in front of the faux fireplace in the living room. Mick maneuvers himself on top of Beth and manages to grab a pillow from the couch for her to rest her head on. He quickly removes her skirt and underwear which were the only two barriers from them finally feeling flesh on flesh. The feeling of his body on hers was indescribable! It was magic! The electricity flowing between the two caused them both to let out deep animalistic moans. He moved away from her slightly and slowly moved both his hands down the length of her body. Touching her as if to commit each curve into memory. Taking in the softness of her skin and taking special care to linger and fondle her breasts.

Mick moves back down to kiss her lips and whispers in her ear, "you are exquisite!"All that can be heard from the room is the deep breathing and panting from the two of them. Beth lightly digs her nails into his back. The sensation causes him to quiver and moan, deepening their already intense kiss. She thinks, maybe we should move this into the bedroom? He leaves her lips, kisses her chin and then her neck. He leaves a hot trail of kisses from her neck down towards her navel. Stopping only to lick and suck one breast and then the other. Nah ... this is good... we don't need a bed! Beth looks down at his hair as he descends her body. She desperately shakes her head back and forth, moaning and arching her back under his touch. Sweet torture! I'm not going to be able to take much more of this! she thinks to herself.

He finally spreads her legs and kisses her inner thigh sending Beth's mind into a tailspin. His lips find her inner core and began licking and sucking her clit. She moans with pleasure and he continues the sweet rampage by inserting one finger followed by another into her and begins to slowly thrust. The pace quickens and Mick realizes that she's close to coming, but before he can finish his task, she maneuvers him to the floor and straddles him. Beth, still straddling him, sits up and reaches a hand behind her and starts caressing and squeezing his balls. He closes his eyes and lets out a deep moan. "Oh, God!" She uses her hand and takes his cock so that the tip barely grazes her entrance. And in one swift backward movement, she brings him deep inside her. The shock causes him to gasp and open his eyes. They pause briefly to look at each other. Both of them amazed and astounded by the sensation of them finally uniting. He reaches up and caresses her cheek and she turns her head slightly and kisses his palm. No words were said. None were really needed.

Beth begins to thrust her hips up and down, foreword and back, slowly at first and then quickens the pace. Feeling him inside of her was better than any fantasy that she could have ever envisioned. Mick held onto her hips, occasionally holding onto her breasts while she continued her sensual ride. She thrust faster and harder taking him even deeper inside her. She just couldn't get enough of him! His head was spinning; he finally had Beth in his arms! His breathing quickened and she knew he was close to the edge. She paused and then with two hard thrusts, his body spasms, he moans loudly and spills himself inside her. He immediately maneuvers his hand to excite her clit while still remaining inside of her. Within seconds after him, she screams, "MICK!!" and her orgasm engulfs her entire body.

Exhausted but happy, Beth collapses on top of Mick, all the while still keeping him inside of her. She buries her head at the side of his neck. Her face just inches away from his ear. Mick looks up to the ceiling and says aloud, "Sweet Jesus, thank you!" Without moving from her position, Beth lets out a little giggle. Mick shifts to try to remove himself from her but is met with resistance. She wouldn't budge and he was too weak to fight so grinning widely, he admits defeat and just wraps his arms around her! In a soft whisper he says, "You know, don't you, Beth?... I know you do." She doesn't move and doesn't look at him but whispers in his ear, "know what?" He wraps his arms even tighter around her and says, "I love you." She still hasn't moved from her position on top of him. He can't see her face but he can feel a smile forming on it. she turns slightly to whisper, "I love you more." Their mutual exhaustion causes them to quickly fall asleep.

PART 4

Still on the living room floor, the morning sun coming through the window hits Beth's face and forces her to wake. Somehow, sometime during the night, she and Mick had exchanged places. She was on her back and when she tried to move, she found she couldn't. Beth glanced down and saw Mick's beautiful head laying on her chest and his body sprawled on top of her, basically pinning her to the floor. He had managed to grab a sheet to cover both of them, but she couldn't remember him doing it! She gently ran a hand through Mick's hair being careful not to disturb him. She smiled to herself, closing her eyes, wrapping her arms lovingly around him. He stirs slightly and snuggles even closer to her. She wanted to savor this moment. Holding Mick St. John in her arms just felt so right.

With some clever maneuvering, she manages to break free from his hold and slips out from underneath him. She grabs his shirt to cover up while she trots off to the bathroom. Luckily, he remained asleep while she tiptoed away. On her way there, she makes note of how expansive Josef's suite really is! Expensive art on the walls. A multitude of valuable figurines strewn about strategically around the room. Expensive Italian leather furniture. Everything about the place just spelled out Josef to a T!

Mick groggily waking up calls out for her. "Beth?" Upon hearing his voice she comes strolling out of the bathroom. He notices that she's wearing his shirt and he smiles to himself. I wonder if she remembers the last time she wore that shirt? They headed to the small kitchenette in the suite where Mick starts to make coffee.

Beth hoists herself up and sits on the edge of the counter watching him scurry about the kitchen. She stares at his back while he prepares the coffee. Wow, he makes wearing boxers look sexy! She jumps off the counter approaches him from behind and presses her body up against his. She reaches around and runs her hands from his chest down to the front of his hips barely touching the obvious bulge. He sighs in anticipation and excitement, hoping that she'll help him find some relief. Much to his disappointment, she suddenly removes her hands and moves her body away from him and returns to her position on the countertop. He turns away from the coffee maker, looks at her and says "you tease!" Beth sits there swinging her legs and gives Mick a flirtatious silly grin.

I guess I'll have to take matters into my own hands. He walks over to her and stands between her legs. He grabs her hips and pulls her forcefully to him. Mick kisses her feverishly. Beth wraps her legs around his waist to pull him even closer. She manages to shimmy off his boxers using her feet. She remains on the counter and with her hand guides him inside her. His thumb finds her clit and stimulates it to such a fever, that this time, her orgasm comes hard and fast. As he thrusts, she clings to his neck and shoulders, and occasionally, playfully bites him. Still coming down from her orgasm, her legs and hips move in rhythm with his thrusts as they become harder and faster until finally he spills into her.

As they compose themselves, Mick tenderly moves a few strands of hair away from her face and traces the outline of her jaw with his fingertips. Looking at her, he never knew that he could love somebody this much. The love she sees emanating from his eyes is so intense. Beth never knew a man could look at her the way Mick does. She loved that feeling! It just sent tingles up and down her spine.

While planting little kisses around his face, she starts to laugh. "What's so funny?" He asks rather concerned. She looks at him and asks, "do you think we'll ever make it to the bedroom?" He lets out a hearty laugh that catches Beth off guard. She's never heard Mick laugh before. After all the angst and drama that he's had to endure in his life, to hear him laugh was very heartwarming for her. If she didn't already love him, she would've fallen head over heels in love with him at that moment. His laughter would have just sealed the deal!

"Just think of it as our way of blazing a trail to the promise land!" He says wrapping his arms around her. "We'll get there eventually."

"I have one final performance to do. Would you like to come and see me perform?" Mick looks at her with concern. She senses his apprehension and says, "it's only one last dance, what could it hurt? Besides, I think you might really like this one!" He didn't need to watch her dance seductively to turn him on, just her mere presence did that. Although, a little dancing didn't hurt either! Mick did not relish in the idea of other men watching her again. But he understood that it was her last hurrah and hopefully she would never do this again! Except maybe if he requested a private performance!

Here we go again! At the strip club. Hey look, I have this little table all to myself. In front of center stage, how lucky am I?! The lights go off. The song "Naughty Girl" by Beyoncé starts to play. The spotlight hits the left side of the stage as Beth walks on seductively wearing a Catholic schoolgirl's uniform. Modified of course! She had ponytails, eyeglasses, and was carrying a little teddy bear. Mick was floored! He didn't bother to wear a coat tonight but if he did this would've been an instance when he would've ran onstage and covered her up. The skirt was way too short, the shirt tied in a knot in between her breasts and a red lacy bra poked out from underneath.

Beth spots him in front of the catwalk and dances seductively towards him. She chooses that spot to perform her act. As she dances, Mick stares at her and tries to play it cool. But it's obvious he's not only uncomfortable with her dancing in front of him, but is disturbed by the other men still ogling her.

Finally, back at Josef's suite, Mick stares down at the famous Las Vegas strip from the window. He marvels at the fact that this trip turned out better than he had hoped for. He never really liked Las Vegas, but it was beginning to grow on him! Turning around, he notices Beth admiring one of Josef's art pieces. Still charged up from her performance tonight, he goes over, grabs her and hoists her over his shoulder, caveman style! "Hey!" She squeals. He carries her quickly to the bedroom. Giggling she says, "is this part of the 'blazing a trail to the promised land' thing you were talking about!?"

Flopping her on the bed, Mick straddles her and makes haste in removing her shirt and jeans. She quickly removes all of his clothing with such zest and earnest, it shocks even her! He attacks her lips darting his tongue in and out and sucking her tongue in between moans. Will I ever get enough of this man? He nibbles and flicks at her nipple with his tongue. Probably not! She turns him over, pins his hands above his head and starts kissing down his chest. "This is my show now, baby!" She says accompanied with a throaty laugh. As she moves down, the sensation of her breasts touching his thighs and his cock is so overwhelming to Mick that he bites his lower lip and moans passionately.

Is she going to do what I think she is? With that, she takes his cock in her hand and flicks the tip lightly with her tongue. Yup! He groans and shifts slightly, obviously enjoying what she's doing to him. Using her tongue, she makes circles around the tip and the head of his cock. The sheer ecstasy on Mick's face edges Beth onward! She sucks in the tip gently at first and then takes in as much of him that she can into her mouth. Mick catches his breath and gently grabs Beth's hair. The sensation is unbelievable! She moves her mouth up and down, licking and sucking all the while. Her movements become more heated and faster and she can tell that he's close! Before anything happens, he pulls her up, flips her over and enters her. He continues to thrust harder and deeper into her. Within moments, he spills himself into her and shakes uncontrollably. She plays with his hair tenderly and barely gets out in a whisper, "ah, the promised land!" They both start laughing.

******

Finally checking his voice mails, Mick notices five messages from Josef. He's worse than a nagging wife! In one of the messages, he tells Mick that he'll send somebody to pick them up at LAX. The flight back to LA was uneventful for the three of them. Beth, Mick and Joanna basically flew in silence occasionally making small talk. They were all just anxious to get back home. At the airport, Josef has a limo waiting to shuttle the trio to their respective homes.

It had been a few days since Mick had seen Josef and in one of his voice mails he asked Mick to stop by after he got back from his trip. Josef had something important to tell him. After the limo dropped Mick off at his place, he basically threw his luggage upstairs, grabbed his keys and drove to Josef's.

"So buddy boy, did 'what happened in Vegas stay in Vegas'?" Josef said smirking. "What type of debauchery did you get involved in while you were there? Oh, sorry, look who I'm asking, the poster boy for the Boy Scouts! Maybe I'm just wondering what I might have gotten into if I had been there. Oh, wait, I wasn't there was I?!" He said sarcastically.

"Did you just call me over to bust my chops or did you really have something important to tell me?" Mick says.

Josef starts to run down the various steps he's taken so far in getting Mick's vial of blood analyzed. Before Josef can continue, Mick informs him that Beth is coming to meet him here and she's bringing the woman that Mick was sent to look for. Josef rolls his eyes and gives Mick a disgusted look. "Another human, Mick? Here? So, I take it you and Blondie kissed and made up? Oh, don't look so surprised, I can smell her all over you, remember? By the way, Mazeltof!" He states with a wicked grin. "You can tell me about it later."

"I haven't told the young woman yet that I was sent to look for her. I needed a neutral spot to tell her. As we speak, Beth's stopping by buzzwire and then picking this girl up from her campus. Don't worry Josef, she doesn't know about the vampire thing!"

"That's not what I'm worried about. You know how I feel about humans. So having them in my home isn't really a highlight for me. Blondie of course excluded, I used to tolerate her only because you liked her so much, but now, she's actually grown on me." Josef states amused.

The doorbell is heard and Beth and Joanna are led in. Mick walks over to greet Beth and kisses her, while Josef looks away in disgust. He doesn't quite catch a glimpse yet of the young lady with Beth. Josef stares out the window looking at the LA skyline, as Beth enters, he says 'hello' but doesn't bother to turn around to look at her. He catches a whiff of the other human entering with her. Great! he thinks. Another one! Wait! This one's familiar! Josef turns around and is met with Joanna smiling at him. Josef's eyes soften and he breathlessly exclaims,

"JOANNA!" He walks quickly over to her and engulfs her in a passionate embrace.

PART 5

Dumbfounded, Mick and Beth stand there staring at the other two with their mouths hanging open. Josef and Joanna have their eyes closed and are holding each other with such intensity that if a bomb exploded outside, they wouldn't even notice! Josef breaks their embrace briefly to look at Joanna. He pulls her back into a tight hug and whispers ever so softly in French, "Ma Cherie." He leads her to the couch and pulls up a chair so that he's sitting directly in front of her. He holds both her hands in his while they immerse themselves in an intense conversation. Mick and Beth can only stand there and watch. Beth, being the ever inquisitive reporter, tries to catch a bit of their conversation but the two of them are speaking in French so she's out of luck!

Beth turns to Mick and asks, "You don't recognize her? How is that possible? I thought you've known Josef forever? Do you think she's a vamp?

"Beats the hell out of me! For the life of me, I cannot recall her face and I have a pretty good memory. Josef and I don't always run in the same circles. Take Sarah for example, I didn't even know she existed until recently."

They turn to stare at Josef and Joanna who are still focused on one another. Beth and Mick know that they should turn away and give them some privacy. But, it's like seeing a car wreck where you know you shouldn't stare but you do anyway. As Joanna speaks, Josef would occasionally throw his head back in laughter over something she says. She would continue and Josef would hang on every single word.

She reaches up and gently touches Josef's cheek. Josef closes his eyes enjoying her gentle touch. He kisses her hands and continues with the conversation. God, I wish I understood French! Beth thinks to herself. Mick has never seen Josef behave in this manner. He has just witnessed his best friend become a sensitive man! The intensity he has in his eyes when he looks at Joanna astounds Mick. Out of all the years that he's known him, Josef has never looked at any woman, vamp or human in that way EVER! It's obvious that he has fallen for Joanna. Who is this woman?

Still not acknowledging Mick and Beth's presence, Josef gets up and leads Joanna down a hallway. They slowly walk towards the hallway holding hands and this time the conversation is in English. Joanna looks at the dent in the wall of the hallway and says, "You still haven't fixed that?"

"I think the person responsible for it should take steps to at least assist in its repair. And until that's done, the wall stays as is." He says mischievously.

"Hey, I never asked you to buy me those rollerblades!" She says nudging his arm.

"I never said it was okay to use my home as a roller skating rink, what's your point?" He says grinning. The two disappear down the hallway.

"Okay, what just happened there!?" Beth says looking at Mick. All Mick can do is shrug his shoulders in disbelief. Moments later, Josef reappears grinning from ear to ear. He sees the confusion in his friend's face and knows explanations are in order.

"Alright Kostan, spill it!" Mick demands.

"I apologize for my behavior. First things first, Beth, would you care for a beverage?" He says in all seriousness. Beth just stares and shakes her head no.

Looking at Mick he says, "Do you remember Linda? She was my assistant many years ago. Do you remember her daughter?"

A light bulb goes on in Mick's head and he says, "She's Linda's daughter? That's Little JoJo?!"

"Well obviously, she's not so little anymore!" Josef says quirking his eyebrows.

Mick remembers an exotic looking French Polynesian woman who worked as Josef's assistant many years back. Mick didn't pay much attention to Linda but then of course Mick never really interacted with any of Josef's employees, only a select few. He now recalls the little girl that Linda brought with her to work almost every day, who she affectionately called "JoJo", but he never put two and two together! Josef always allowed his employees to bring their kids to work just as long as they didn't disturb him. Mick remembers a quiet and shy little girl who always kept to herself and never bothered anybody.

"Joanna's mother died some years back soon after Joanna's 18th birthday. She asked to take her mother's place as my assistant temporarily until I found another replacement or until she started college. She was my assistant for about two years until I finally convinced her that she should go back to school. In those two years, we became very close. I told her things and shared things with her that I never have with any one else. And somewhere along the way, I fell in love with her. I didn't think it could happen again after Sarah, but it did. I guess the universe has a sick sense of humor where I'm concerned! She may be young, but she has an old soul."

"Her mother told her all about the vampire thing. So she's very well aware of our community and all that it entails. Growing up around us vampires hasn't jaded her at all." He says with a snicker. "After Sarah, I knew this was a bad idea, but seeing Joanna every day and interacting with her, there was this natural chemistry that just happened between us. I can't explain it. It was all platonic I assure you! She's 100% human! I was still feeling the guilt of Sarah and didn't want to do anything to harm Joanna. I offered to pay her tuition, but she wasn't having it! She wanted to do things on her own. I kept tabs on her throughout college, but lost track soon after she graduated. I kept away thinking that she should have "human experiences" and not be around so many vampires. She's mortal, she needs that, right? I also thought that by staying away my feelings would change, no such luck! If anything, they've intensified by seeing her again!"

Listening to Josef's explanation, Beth's heart went out to him. No wonder Mick and Josef were such close friends, they had more in common than they realized! She knew that this kind of confession from a cutthroat, heavy hitting, hedge fund trader had to be difficult for him to do. This was a side of Josef that she was glad she was witnessing.

Josef continues, "she actually remembers some of the Freshies and is visiting with them down the hall right now." During this explanation, faint singing can be heard coming from down the hall. Noticing this, Josef becomes annoyed. "Excuse me, I have to go take care of something. They know they shouldn't be playing music at this hour." Josef starts to walk down the hall sternly.

He leans up against the doorway entrance to the Freshies' room with his arms crossed and notices Joanna kneeling and cradling a young boy all the while singing a French lullaby to him. Her back is slightly turned towards Josef so she doesn't see him. Josef remembers his mother used to sing that exact lullaby when he was a boy. Tears begin to well up in his eyes thinking of the memory of his mother singing to him. Not wanting the Freshies to see him in that state, he turns and wipes away the tears. He returns to his position and listens all the while thinking God! I love this woman!

The singing stops and Joanna lays the boy, now asleep, on a couch in the corner. The other freshies had watched in fascination as Joanna succeeded in calming down the normally rambunctious little boy. She turned around to face them and they gave her a very silent applause so as not to wake the boy. She curtsies and is met with a "thank you" hug by the boy's mother.

Just then, they notice Josef. All the freshies come to attention but Josef gives them a reassuring look indicating that their services were not needed at the moment. Joanna, smiling, strolls towards him still leaning up against the doorframe and whispers into his ear, "They say music tames the savage beast!" She walks slowly down the hall towards Beth and Mick with Josef following. She throws her hands up in the air and says, "I'm just full of surprises!" Josef rolls his eyes.

Joanna claps her hands and states succinctly, "OK Mick. On the way here, Beth told me that you needed to talk to me about something. What is it?" Looking a bit uncomfortable, Mick begins to give her the rundown of her father's request and all the little details involved. During the entire explanation, the blood drains away from Joanna's face. Fearing that she may collapse, Josef places his arms around her shoulder. She drops her face into her hands and cries out, "This can't be happening!" She was visibly upset which causes Mick to feel extremely guilty. Beth goes to him and gives him a reassuring hug. Josef knew that Joanna never talked about her father, EVER, to anyone, so this revelation must have been a shock to her to say the least! No one but Joanna and her mother knew anything about the man.

"Mick, you've been deceived! The man who hired you is not my father. My father died when I was a baby. This Cameron Montoya you've described is actually Cameron Taylor. He's a hired assassin who was paid to kill me. That's only because I refused to kill you, Josef."

Beth, Mick, and Josef exclaim in unison, "WHAT!"

Joanna begins her explanation. "In college, I joined the Marine reserves, I thought I was doing my civil duty. We trained a few times a month and in that time, my superiors noticed that I was pretty good with rifles. Because of that, they trained me to be a sniper. Can you believe this? I was flattered at the time and didn't give it a second thought once I finished basic training, because nothing really came of it. That is, until after I graduated from college."

"The reserves called me in and sent me to Iraq for a year as a Marine sniper. I mean, think about it, who better to put out there than somebody who looks like me. No one would ever suspect me of doing anything wrong. I could basically fly under the radar undetected." She looks pensively out the window and says rather quietly, "There are things that I've seen and done that no one should ever experience!" She turns around trying to lighten the mood, "anyway... after I was discharged from the service, I decided to go back to school to get my graduate degree. But word got around about my 'talents' as a sniper and I started to get these encrypted e-mails hiring me to eliminate specific people for a lot of money. I thought I'd left that life behind, but some people didn't want me to forget."

"I had a few odd jobs during graduate school that helped me a little bit with tuition and miscellaneous stuff. But, I still needed more money. So, I did a few "jobs" to help pay for school. I have never met the people or person who hires me, it's basically an encrypted e-mail stating target, location, and the amount they would pay me. They wire half of the amount to me with the request and the rest after the job is done. I'm not given the reason for the assassination. If I accept the job, I just do it, no questions asked! Refusing a job requires me to respond to the e-mail, they stop the wire transfer and hire someone else. Apparently, there are a lot of snipers out there!"

Mick and Beth are sitting there in stunned silence. Mick is wracked with guilt because now he realizes that he just led a hired assassin to his target. He hasn't briefed Cameron yet regarding the case, so maybe there's hope. Josef is livid! He starts to think that if she needed the money so badly for school, she should've just asked him. He would have been more than happy to give her what she needed. Damn her stubbornness!

"Imagine my surprise when I get an e-mail requesting that you, Josef Kostan, be eliminated. I refused the request, but I guess the powers that be were not happy about that so a hit was put out on me. She sighs. The two girls killed were cases of mistaken identity. Someone else, not Cameron, got sloppy and mistaken the girls for me. Don't ask me how I know, we assassins have a strange grapevine!" She says sheepishly.

"C'mon... I would never kill the man I lo..." Joanna stops herself short because she doesn't want to finally confess this information in a group setting. She wants to do it alone with Josef.

Josef perks up, looks at her, but knows why she stops. He completely understands her trepidation. Some things just need to be done in private. She turns to Beth with a request, "Could we stop off at my lab at USC real quick? I forgot about some papers I need to give to Dr. Fisher."

Josef gets up abruptly and runs his hands through his hair, still trying to absorb all the information he's just been given. In astonishment he looks at Joanna and asks, "Dr. Antoine Fisher? The head of the biochemistry department at USC?"

Joanna says, "Yeah, I work in his lab. He's sort of my mentor. He's assisting me with my doctorate degree. Why, you know him?"

"Unbelievable!" Josef says under his breath. He looks at Mick and says, "Dr. Fisher is the one analyzing your blood."

Wide-eyed, Joanna looks at Mick and says, "you're the 'blood anomaly'?" "But, you're a vamp, why do you need your blood analyzed?" She looks searchingly between Josef and Mick. Josef finally says, "you may want to sit down for this one..."

PART 6

Her eyes open and at first, Joanna can't figure out where she is. Things start to become clearer. She's in Josef's room! As she tries to remember what had happened a few days earlier, she sees Josef laying next to her, staring at her lovingly and stroking her arm. She notices that they are completely naked and their limbs are totally entwined. She couldn't tell where one limb started and the other began! "We have not left this room in two days! For a human, your endurance is quite commendable!" He says mischievously while bending down to kiss her. Was everything a dream or was it real? She wonders to herself. Then she recalls...

Flashback to a few days ago:

after Josef explained all about the "cure" and Mick's situation, Joanna offers to take them to the lab to explain what she and the rest of Dr. Fisher's team have discovered.

At the lab, Joanna shows all three of them a microscope slide that she prepared of Mick's blood.

"Do you see the difference between the cells on the left and the cells on the right of the slide?" Joanna indicates the microscope. "The smaller ones on the left are human. The larger ones on the right are vampire. Do you see how they're separated by some invisible barrier? That is what the compound does. It blocks the vampire cells from consuming the human ones. It masks vampirism and allows human qualities to dominate." Mick looks at her in amazement!

"Dr. Fisher knows nothing about this blood coming from a vampire. He believes that this barrier is from some human with a "blood anomaly" that's what we call you!" She smiles at Mick. "He has no idea that I know anything about vampires. Trust me. He'll never find out."

She continues, "We were able to isolate the different components of the compound. The good news is, we can synthesize most of them in our lab except for one. There is a plant in this compound called the Viola cryana also known as the Cry Violet. It's found only in France and was discovered in the 1800's. Only problem is the plant is extinct, it doesn't exist anymore. "

Joanna says, "if we can find a seed or something from the plant... we may be able to cultivate it in the lab... no guarantees, but we can try. It's the key component so without it, the compound is incomplete." Mick and Beth sit in silence for a moment. They go over to Joanna thank her for her help and decide to go to Mick's place to figure out what to do next.

Joanna started to clean up her lab bench when Josef approached her from behind. He was so impressed with her at that moment that it was actually turning him on! He could care less about the "cure." He was more interested in getting her naked. He grabbed her hips and pulled her towards him pressing his arousal against her back . He moved her hair aside and kisses her neck. He turns her around and they're consumed with a tongue probing kiss. Finally feeling his lips on hers was a dream come true for Joanna. She shamelessly placed her hands into the back of his pants, feeling what she believed were silk boxers. Her touch made him let out a low animalistic growl as he pulled her closer. She felt his fangs descending against her lips and lightly grazes them with her tongue. He abruptly stops and pushes her away from him. He's become suddenly aware that they are still in the lab.

"Stay with me." He barely gets out in a whisper. "I want you desperately! But not here."

She tells him that she needs to clean up the lab first and will meet him back at his place.

On the way home flipping through radio stations Josef hears the song "Joanna" by Kool & the gang. He rolls his eyes in disgust and thinks to himself when did I become a sentimental wuss? He normally would change stations but he decides to leave it. The lyrics have a little bit more meaning now. He hears...

/watch?v=snzafal2nAw

Joanna, I love you

You're the one, the one for me

I'm in love, and I won't lie
She's my girl and always on my mind
She gives me her love and a feeling that's right

Never lets me down, especially at night

So, I'm gonna do the best I can
To please that girl and be her only man you see
She picks me up when I feeling low
And that's why baby I've got to let you know….

Upon entering his home, Joanna finds Josef in his office sitting at his desk. Without hesitation, she straddles him as he sits at his desk chair. She rips off his shirt and does the same with her own. She doesn't give him enough time to say anything and begins to kiss him feverishly. She trails her fingernails up and down his back and he lets out an exasperated moan. Josef picks her up and pins her against the wall while fondling one of her breasts. They've managed to remove the rest of their clothes. Before he can start kissing her again she slides down the wall and kneels in front of him. Coming face-to-face with his manhood. He braces his arms against the wall to prepare for her sweet assault. As he enters her mouth, he throws his head back and Joanna notices he has vamped out. Milky white eyes, fangs, animalistic growl. She's excited. Josef leans his hips into her mouth and she slowly guides him in and out. Licking and sucking around the tip drove him insane.

With lightning vamp speed he carries her to the bedroom. Immediately he is on top of her. Joanna is already squirming with excitement. The anticipation of finally feeling Josef inside of her is driving her crazy. He prolongs the moment by kissing her breasts, being careful not to break skin, not just yet! He nibbles and flicks at her nipple with his tongue. She reaches down to grab hold of him so that she can finally feel him inside. He stops her and gives her a devilish grin. She says, "Josef please... don't tease!" With that, he enters her. The sensation to both of them is indescribable! His eyes have turned a milky white and his fangs have completely descended. She knows he's close.

She looks at him, not frightened, but fascinated! As he thrusts, she clings to his neck and shoulders, occasionally playfully biting him. "Josef, it's OK, please take what you need!" She shows her neck to him knowing that his orgasm is near.

Josef is overwhelmed. For a woman to give herself emotionally and physically like this to a vampire means the world to him. Especially one that's just a human! In his 400 years of being a vampire, the women that he has been with have not affected him in such a way. He plunges his fangs into her neck. He is able to taste her love, passion, and desire from that one bite. He spills into her with an intensity that he's never felt before. Her orgasm produces waves and waves of intense spasming that puts her mind in a tailspin. Joanna looks at Josef and giggles, "when can we do that again?" Josef looks at her intensely, "how about now?!" They fall into each other's arms and make love repeatedly throughout the next several hours.

Joanna wakes up several hours later and finds Josef gone. She assumes that he's doing some "freezer" time, so she goes to get something to drink. Grabbing Josef's robe, she passes the stereo in his room and flips it on. The song she hears stops her in her tracks. It's "Kiss" by Prince. /watch?v=WWay3Op5UbA

She dims the lights and begins to dance the striptease number she created to this song. As she does so, she doesn't hear Josef open the door from the freezer room. Her back is turned to him and he watches fascinated! She bumps and grinds seductively while slowly removing the robe. So this is what she does! Before the robe can hit the floor, he grabs her and throws her on the bed and they are once again brought into a frenzy of groping and love 've lost all track of time and don't realize if it's night or day.

Back to present day:

"so, two days, huh?" She asks grinning.

PART 7 -- FINALE

Beth had thought that it was the funniest thing watching Mick on rollerblades! He had been talking incessantly about experiencing almost everything while he was still human. She thought it would be fun to go to Venice Beach. Layout. Walk on the beach. And of course, rollerblade down the boardwalk. Anyone who lives in LA should experience that at least once. Even though he's not a vampire for now, I thought he would be a little more graceful than that!

"Mick, regardless of where this "cure" leads us. Know this, I will always love you whether you're a vampire or human." She says while holding his hand as they walk down the beach. Beth looks at him for some sort of reaction. He wraps his arms around her and gives her a warm hug. All of his fears finally being put to rest.

"You don't realize how much that means to me! Do you know how much I adore you?" Mick says looking at her lovingly. Beth smiles up at him, kisses him on the lips and says, "Oh, I think I have some idea!"

"Will you look at that? We're tracking sand all over the place! Maybe we should both get this stuff washed off. Where could we get that done?" She says mischievously. Back at Mick's place, Beth leads him to the shower where she helps him remove his clothing. She does the same and joins him. Beth grabs the soap and slowly starts to lather his back. She presses her breasts against his back and starts to slide around sensuously. Mick closes his eyes in complete ecstasy. Just taking in the wonderful sensation of her body next to his. She continues to soap up his chest and moves gingerly down to his cock. Which she now begins to stroke erotically. With each stroke, he quivers and moans. Wow, I didn't realize soap could be so good for you!

Already hard, he turns around, lifts her up, and she wraps her legs around his waist. He lowers her body enough to enter her. The sensation still causes her to gasp in amazement. Feeling him inside of her is something that she will never tire of. The water still flowing over them, Beth desperately clings to him and the shower wall to stabilize both of them. His thrusts are slow at first and become harder and faster as he gets more excited at seeing the expression on her face. She feels the waves of her orgasm enveloping her entire body. Not soon after, Mick grabs hold of her tightly as he spills himself into her with such wild spasming that his knees almost buckle. "God, woman! I don't think I'll ever get enough of you!"

Back at Josef's home, Los Angeles

Having woken up with her arms and legs wrapped around him Josef smiled to himself and scratched his head. I could really get used to this he kissed her gently on the cheek while she still slept and headed directly to his freezer room. Joanna awoke a couple hours later to find him gone once again. This time, she had wanted to see his freezer room. She remembers being told even as a child by her mother and even by Josef that the freezer room was off-limits to humans.

She enters the room and sees one very elaborate marble looking fixture in the middle of a very large room. In it, Josef is asleep and completely naked. She goes to the top of the lid and peers inside. She glances Josef over and thinks NICE! She carefully opens the lid hoping that Josef won't wake. Does she really think that I don't know she's here! Having successfully opened it, without waking Josef, she places her hand on his chest and slowly trails it down towards his manhood. Before her hand can reach its destination, Josef suddenly sits up and grabs her wrist.

"You know better than to bother a sleeping vampire!" He says almost scolding.

Joanna is startled and Josef takes note of her reaction. Not wanting to frighten her, he changes the expression on his face, he smiles and then kisses her hand.

"I'm sorry, Josef.... I didn't mean to bother.... I mean, I was just curious...." she manages to stammer out.

"I know EXACTLY what you were trying to do. And for that, you need to be punished!" He says giving her an evil grin. He steps out of the freezer and leads her to the bed. Once at the edge of the bed, he tears off her robe, and pushes her gently so that she falls backward onto the bed. He quickly falls on top of her and Joanna notices that his body is still cool from the freezer. But it's a sensation that she welcomes!

He trails kisses down her body. He kisses her inner thigh driving Joanna crazy. His lips find her clit and began licking and sucking. Her moans urge him on. He inserts his fingers into her and begins to slowly thrust. Josef quickens the pace and realizes that she's close to coming. His eyes have turned a milky white and his fangs have completely descended. He gently pierces her inner thigh and draws a little blood. Knowing that she's at the edge, he quickly moves to her neck. Just as he enters her, he plunges his fangs into her neck. With each thrust, Joanna moans in ecstasy and digs her nails into his back. Her orgasm coming so hard that it nearly makes her pass out! Josef notes that each time they are together, her blood tastes sweeter and sweeter. She truly does love me.

Joanna reaches up to trace his jaw with her fingertips. Looking at him with his arms wrapped around her she says "Josef, I love you.... there... I said it!" She smiles at him, "I always have and I probably always will."

With passion in his eyes, he cups her face in his hands and says, "There are no words in the English language that could fully express the intense emotions I feel for you. Saying 'I love you' just doesn't seem like enough. But believe me when I say, I truly do love you, Joanna. Probably more than you'll ever realize." Her eyes begin to well up with tears just by hearing this confession.

"Promise me one thing, you'll stop stripping. Granted, it's probably the less severe of the things you've done. But for some reason, that's the one thing that seems to upset me the most. OK, I'll admit it, I'm a jealous fool when it comes to you!"

She looks at him and says, "Consider it done. Don't be upset with me. The stripping was really just therapeutic for me. At first I did it for the money, then it allowed me to become someone else and completely forget about all of the bad things I had gone through. When I'm on stage it's just me, the music, and nothing else." With that said, they both fall into a deep slumber.

*****

"I'm sorry Mr. Montoya, I found your daughter however she got wind that I was there and she bolted," Mick was trying his best to throw Cameron Taylor off of Joanna's trail. Still not letting on that he knew Cameron's true identity. After a lengthy explanation from Mick regarding the case, Cameron leaves Mick's office disappointed but still determined to find Joanna.

From the top of the building across from Mick's office, she positions herself to get a clear view of the sidewalk below. This should be simple, she's made this shot a million times. One shot and the problem is gone! She had overheard Josef arrange for Cameron to suddenly "disappear" and knew he was doing this to protect her. But she wanted to take matters into her own hands. She wanted revenge. Joanna had vowed not to fall into that lifestyle again, but she needed to eliminate this one thing, then maybe she could finally move on. Especially if that meant being with Josef again. That in itself gave her the incentive to do this.

She sees him exit Mick's building... aims... and with one shot, pierces his head. She waits a moment to make sure there is no movement. Satisfied, she leaves the location without a trace of any evidence. No one, not even Josef, will know!

"The mysterious murder of Cameron Taylor is still under investigation..." surfing on the Web, Joanna catches some of Beth's online report on Cameron's death. Josef, overhearing the Internet report, smiles to himself with satisfaction. Thinking that his plan for eliminating Cameron succeeded, but not knowing the real truth. Joanna smiles knowingly to herself. She stares out the window and thinks, Oh, what a tangled web we weave!

The End