And now we get to the fun part. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did while writing it. Let me know what you think, so's I know whether it's good enough to continue or not.


My shift at Club Radio had turned into something of a marathon. I'd had the occasional night when some loaded asshole had come in waving his cash around and demanding private shows until the wee hours of the morning, and with my very greedy and admittedly corrupt boss there was no refusing. There were times that I hated this job and others when I thought I'd never want to go home.

The thing was, and this was terrible, but I thrived on the attention. Not that I was vain or anything as boring as that, far from it. I'd grown up being told by my family and the children at school that I was nothing. The daughter of a whore and her nameless John, so scathing looks were the one I expected when I ran into anyone in my small home town of Kerrville, Texas. Barely more than two stoplights to spread amongst it, it was the type of place where everyone, knew everyone else, what they were doing, and all their dirty little secrets.

The day I'd turned 18 and legally an adult throughout the US, I packed the few clothes I had, bought a ticket to Vegas, and got the hell out of that hell that had been my life since I was born.

So now here I was, dancing in front of men and women who looked at me in fascination and lust. There was no hatred, not whispered insults, just me standing on a stage with a few other girls and dancing for people who appreciated it. They loved me, and they didn't even know my name.

All right, so I have a few issues. Who doesn't?

I was just getting off the small stage, waving my goodbyes, when my boss, a Mr. Rodger Mecum came sprinting my way. His normally greasy hair was just a touch oilier than normal, a sign that he'd been "straining" himself with the new girl again in his office. He liked to call it training, though this wasn't a whore house, so I didn't know how that worked.

"Are you going?" he asked beady little eyes scanning me up and down in what I'm sure he thought was innocent appreciation. "You can't go. Doris isn't here tonight, you have to work the floor in her place."

My jaw feel at this and I crossed my arms, "Are you kidding me? You had plenty of time to find a replacement Rodger, she asked for this weekend off about last week!"

"Listen, if you don't want to work, then you're free to leave, just know that I won't be signin' you any more shifts if you do."

There was a brief moment when we stared into each other's eyes and I imagined what it would feel like kicked the metal-plated stiletto of my shoe into one of his balls. I let myself enjoy the satisfaction that would come with watching his shriek and writhe around on the floor and then nodded. Rodger smiled in his gross creeper way and nodded.

"Good, help Ginger with the drinks then. Let's get this place hoppin'."

I watched him disappear into the crowd with his big fake smile on his face, greeting costumers and promising deals while under the table he charged them for everything but the air they were breathing.

Working the floor had never been enjoyable. While the stage offered more attention and safety, being IN the crowd meant they were free to slap your ass and jerk you about, which they did almost immediately. I kept my smile in place no matter what though, a skill I'd honed in my years in Kerrville. As long as they thought I was enjoying myself, there would be no problems and no complaints that might get me fired. Working the floor felt like walking on a bed of nails.

My first customer was a businessman. I saw his type in here nearly every day. Those on "Mandatory business trips" that consisted of hookers, live shows, and more drugs than I could name in one sitting. They tended to go for the blonds, a nice stereotypical choice. Someone they could assume was dumb and therefore boss about. These men came here to relieve the stresses of work and sometimes to make themselves feel more in control.

Mr. Pallidor was no different, and a regular. He showed up here nearly every year around the same time and always asked for two girls. One to dance and one to take to the back and fuck. Technically such things weren't allowed, but Rodger made exceptions for the customers with a deeper s and the ability to cause problems.

Ginger thankfully was going to be playing the role of Prostitute this evening, so all I had to worry about was dancing and how quickly it could get Mr. Pallidor out of his chair and banging the ever-loving bejesus out of Ginger.

"Hiya Suger," I smiled, putting on my best Texan accent and slipping out of my silk robe. Being that I'd come from the lone star state, Rodger had decided I would play the randy cowgirl. It was irritating pretending that all Texans rode around on horses and dressed like Daisy Duke, but it paid the bills.

"I saw you dancing onstage." Pallidor said matter-of-factly. He was a very straightforward man. "I enjoy watching you."

I smiled in what I hoped was a bashful manner and batted my lashes for him. "Well now you've got me all to yourself, honey." I turned around starting a slow dance for him, "What are you going to do with me?"

From her place in his lap, Ginger rolled her eyes and hailed the bartender over for more drinks. One of her jobs was keeping Pallidor supplied with the most expensive scotch we had in the place, and she wasn't stopping until he'd bought the whole damn bottle.

Pallidor smiled in the tight, no-nonsense way he always did and motioned that I take a glass of my own. Not one to pass up good liquor I smiled and took a swig, enjoying the pleasant burn as it made a slow trail down my chest and radiated to the rest of my body. That wonderful burn was one of my favorite sensations, and I'm sure it showed.

Pallidor raised his brows, sipping his own glass and smiling again. "I take it you like the stuff?" he asked slowly, while I took another swig and finished the glass. I giggled softly, and nodded watching as he had Ginger refill it for me. Secretly I taunted her for not being offered anything at all save the hand he currently had under her skirt.

After my second tumbler was refilled I really got in the swing of things. My irritation disappeared and a pleasant buzz of frivolity washed over me. I began to dance with abandon, and Pallidor ate it up. I truly enjoyed my dancing, enjoyed the way I could completely captivate a man, and sometimes a woman, through the simple swaying of my body. I moved my hips in a sensual circle, running my fingers through my hair and making it just a touch wild, as if I'd just rolled out of bed with him, and as he watched, I know that's exactly what he was imagining. I was on fire, I was a goddess.

And then I spotted him.

I wasn't sure if I'd seen correctly at first, but I twirled for Pallidor, giving myself the excuse to look and was struck with a strange nervousness when I found myself to be right. There was a brief moment when I couldn't imagine how in the hell Jerry had found my work, until I remembered blurting it out to him earlier that evening. Wasn't he supposed to be with Doris? Was she here as well?

Jerry had spotted me before I noticed him it seemed, and now was making a slow path toward me and the businessman. A quick glance at Pallidor confirmed that Ginger was doing her job and distracting him. My dance was more of an idol entertainment now, something to glance at between kisses, but Jerry wasn't looking away.

I watched him buy a beer, chatting with the girl behind the bar a moment. Macy watched him as if he'd just walked right out of her wettest dream, not that I blamed her. He'd forgone his yard-working getup, for a tight-fitting grey shirt and black jeans. Contrasted against his pale skin, the clothes seemed to make him glow, as if he'd swallowed a bottle of sex-appeal before walking in to the club tonight and suddenly I could hardly look away from him.

I watched Jerry as he excused himself from the bar and moved across the civilian dance floor toward the VIP rope. For a moment I wondered how he planned on getting passed the bouncer. It wasn't as if I could ditch Pallidor just yet and vouch for him. I glanced back at the businessman, now so involved with Ginger that he'd forgotten me completely, and when I looked back into the crowd for Jerry, he was gone.

I panicked a moment, trying to look for him without seeming desperate, should he still be able to see me. I caught little glimpses here and there, a grey shirt that wasn't his, a shock of dark hair, a leather cuff around a wrist that was too slim. He was simply gone in the time it had taken to blink. Was he avoiding me then? Did he want to stay away from me out of respect for Doris, or did he feel awkward knowing that it was me dancing like a seductress in daisy dukes and a red button-up shirt that had been tied off right below my breasts? I couldn't help but feel a little rejected then, even if it was mostly at the fault of the alcohol.

I decided that if he was embarrassed of me, he wasn't worth my time, though he hardly seemed the sensitive type. I told myself it was better this way, seeing as he was Doris's catch even if she wasn't here with him. Then again, maybe their little date hadn't gone so well and he'd come here to forget about her. I laughed at myself and decided to focus on my dancing. If anything the guy could see what he was missing.

Pallidor whispered into Ginger's ear, a sure sign that this party was over and her part had started. She smiled in a bright plastic way and nodded, standing up and pulling him along with her. The businessman paused long enough to down the rest of his scotch and grab my belt. I sucked in a gasp when he jerked me closer, fearing what might come next and whether I was about to get fired for defending myself. The drunken man only grinned however and pulled a wad of bills from his pocket, stuffing them down the front of my shorts.

"Buy yourself something nice." He said and then Ginger was pulling him off toward the back, where they would have the privacy of one of the rooms and soundproofing.

I resisted the urge to shoot him a vicious reply, and instead fought to keep my smile as he leaned forward and gave me a sloppy kiss. Seeing the way my eyes had narrowed involuntarily, Ginger grabbed his shirtfront and pulled him back to attention, planting one on him instead and happily diverting his attention elsewhere. I took the opportunity to grab the forgotten bottle of scotch, compliments of Pallidor and slip into the crowd heading toward the back hall and the phones. I let the couple get there first of course and counted out the time it would take them to get cozy before moving into the hall myself and taking a nice warm gulp of scotch, shaking around the tingles.

It had just occurred to me that I might be a little tipsy when I turned around and nearly jumped out of my skin. In my fright, I lost my balance and might have toppled over if Jerry, who had appeared out of nowhere, hadn't caught me.

"Whoa there," he said, smiling in his devilish way. His arms were wrapped around my back, holding us flush together, and for a moment I let myself enjoy the feel of it. "Didn't mean to scare you." His tone said he wasn't exactly unamused by it either.

After a brief moment of steadying myself, I gently pulled away and stepped back away from him, leaning back against the wall. "You wouldn't have if you weren't so fucking quiet. How do you do that?"

Chuckling, Jerry shrugged, "The music is pretty loud, even in here."

I nodded, decided it was a stupid question to be blamed on the alcohol and instead gave him a smile. "Follow me."

I handed him the bottle and grabbed his free hand, pulling him down the short hall passed the bathrooms and through the Employees Only door. Almost immediately after the door had swung closed behind us, the music was muffled to a soft rumbling and I released him with spin in place and looked him over.

God did he look delicious tonight. Already feeling a little wild, I didn't mind openly eyeballing him, and he didn't seem to be bothered by my blatant ogling.

"Not that I mind," I said, stepping closer to him and reaching out to take the bottle from him and take a swig, "but aren't you supposed to be making with the crazy sex with a certain blonde. Goes by the name of my best friend?"

Jerry's gaze went from me and then to the rest of the room, as if he were checking for others before he shrugged and closed the space between us. "We had a few beers but she left before anything could really come of it." He grinned, taking the bottle away from me to take his own swig, "To tell you the truth I don't think she was enjoying herself. She practically exploded out of the house."

There it was again, that quiet amusement in his tone that I couldn't translate. Normally, this might drive me crazy, but in my current state of inebriation I didn't really care about anything. Anything but the fact that he was talking to me, that is.

"So you thought you'd swing by here and see her best friend and…what exactly?"

"Well," he spoke slowly, nearly black eyes going from my lips to my own eyes and back again, "I was hoping you might have a few suggestions."

I watched him a moment, wondering if it was worth it to act coy, when suddenly I felt myself moving. My fist closed around the front of his shirt and I tugged him down for a kiss. He didn't go stiff or awkward as I expected he might, instead the guy slipped a hand into my hair and tightened it until it hurt, but the pain was just intense pleasure for me at the moment. I let Jerry walk me back against the wall and flatten a palm beside me, caging me in place.

He kissed better than I would have imagined. It was hungry, and demanding. Our kiss was more than just lips and tongues and teeth, it was a battle for dominance, and I'm not ashamed to admit that he was winning. It wasn't until he'd submitted me, when I was left panting and hot, that he broke the kiss to look down at me with a wicked smile. It was hard to hold his eyes, now black in the dim light, when they were as intense as they were now, so I distracted myself with conversation.

"That's really the only one I've got." I said in reply to his early question. To this Jerry chuckled and in the dark his smile seemed sharp.

"I think I can work with it."

I smirked, pleased when he leaned down to kiss me again, but this time he trailed his lips along the line of my jaw, then to my throat. The grip I had on his shirt tightened and I moved my free hand up to the back of his neck, urging him to continue. To make my long night into something memorable. I let my fingers slip into his soft dark hair, titling my head to let him continue his kisses. My eyes had just fallen shut in the pleasure of it, when suddenly I felt a very distinct flash of pain. I jumped, and he chuckled, pulling back enough to look down at me with a smile that I couldn't help but feel was a little malicious.

"Damn." He sighed, looking me over, "I really was going to wait, maybe even have a little fun with you, but you just smell so good." To emphasize this he leaned forward drawing in a deep breath, "I couldn't help myself."

I frowned in confusion, giving him a nervous chuckle in response and wondering what in the hell he was talking about. Was I drunker than I'd thought or did he really think I'd be frightened off by a little playful biting?

"Wait?" I asked slowly, but he didn't respond, only smiled. I was about to press him for answers when I felt a strange warmth plop down into my shirt and trial between my breasts. I frowned at the sensation, thinking that we must be standing beneath a leaky AC unit. When I reached up to wipe away the water, however, my fingers came away red. There was a long moment of silence then, when I stared down at my fingers trying to understand what it was I was seeing. I knew, make no mistake, but it just didn't make sense.

Why would I be bleeding?

I looked to Jerry for answers, lifting up my fingers in an unspoken question, but he only smiled at me, and to my surprise, leaned forward and drew my fingers into his mouth. He sucked away the blood, closing his eyes in a perverse pleasure, and when he opened them again there was no mistaking it, they were black as obsidian.

I didn't know what to do in that moment as I pulled back my hand protectively and instead reached up to touch the place he'd bitten me. Sickness and fear rolled my stomach as I felt the flow of warmth and the tender, distinct feel of punctures. I wasn't just bleeding, I was gushing, and I looked down at myself in horror to find that the blood had made its way down my front and was dripping onto the tile floor.

I opened my mouth to speak, but all that came out was a pathetic animal sound of horror. Jerry, still smiling, titled his head, the fingers in my hair tightened and tugged my head to the side. He leaned down, taking another deep breath of me and seemed to shudder in the pleasure of it.

"Do you smell that?" he asked softly into my hair, "That's your fear. It's intoxicating."

I whimpered beneath him, feeling as if my legs would give out any second. I had started to tremble against him, and when he bent down to draw his tongue along the line of blood on my throat I screamed.

Jerry's hand snapped down over my mouth and suddenly I was noticing his fingers tipped by what seemed to be claws. Had they always been that way? He laughed at me when I tried to struggle and shook his head.

"It really is your fault you know." He said black eyes searching my expression, "Doris was one thing, but you," he laughed , "you practically threw yourself at me." Jerry shrugged and when he smiled I saw that he had fangs like something out of a monster movie. "Then again, it can only be expected from a girl like you. Pretty and smiling for everyone else but inside you're broken." Jerry brushed away a tear as it trailed down my cheek, tucking my hair behind my ear. It was far too tender for the situation and it made my stomach roll as if I might vomit from fear.

"So what was it Natalie?" he asked, "Did Mommy not love you enough, or did Daddy love you a little too much?" when I only whimpered he shook his head and soothed me softly, brushing a finger over my lips. "Hush, Natalie, it doesn't matter anymore. I'll take it all away." My sobbing was only muffled by his fingers and he chuckled again pulling me close and brushing his lips, red with my blood, against my cheek. "Shhhh, just close your eyes. The pain doesn't last forever, I promise. Soon you will never feel pain again."

That was it. The moment when I realized he meant to kill me and snapped back into myself. At the sight of my blood, I'd become a pathetic crying thing, but now I sucked in a breath and gripped tight to the bottle of scotch I still held in my hand. As Jerry leaned in and his lips parted over his fangs, I cried out and smashed the bottle against his head as hard as I was able in our positions.

It didn't shatter like it did in the movies, instead I heard a distinct thunk and Jerry jerked to the side, dropping his grip on my hair long enough for me to pull away from him and back away toward the door. I brandished the bottle as he shook it off and turned back to me, but as I looked at him, it slipped from my fingers and fell to the ground. This time it exploded into tiny little shards, but I couldn't care less.

Jerry's face was different. It had changed in a moment into something horrible and sickening and I couldn't help the strangled cry that escaped me when I saw it. He was no longer gorgeous in his pale and dangerous way, instead his eyes had gone completely black, the pupil consuming even the whites. It was his mouth however, that was the worst. It was wider than it should have been, impossibly wide, and his teeth. God, it was filled with teeth, some curved, all sharp and as I watched he snarled at me.

My legs finally gave out then and I crumpled down into the pile of jagged glass and liquor. It burned where the glass was cutting into me, but I was too occupied by the way Jerry was rehinging his jaw, his teeth slipping back up into his gums to become the falsely seductive mask it had been when I met him.

Jerry reached up to touch his fingers to the small cut I'd given him with the bottle and as I watched the flesh knitted itself back together as if it had never been marred. He gazed at the smudge of dark blood on his fingers a moment before his black eyes snapped back up to me and he smiled.

"You shouldn't lose your temper Natalie, it isn't polite." As he spoke, he began to move toward me, closing the distance between us.

Thankfully, fear propelled me off the ground and slammed me against the door to the main room Anything to get away from that horrible monster. I threw open the door and dashed out of it, one hand pressed against my wounded throat out of fear that I was bleeding to death. He didn't run after me, simply followed at a slow, deliberate pace. The fact that we were surrounded by people didn't seem to affect him at all.

"Help!" I began to sob, watching him over my shoulder as he followed me through the crowd. "Please, someone," but no one seemed to notice or care. What the hell was wrong with these people? Didn't they see the blood? Couldn't they see the monster behind me? The unnatural color of his eyes? How did they not see any of it?

I spotted one of the bouncers near the main door and stumbled my way toward him. Thomas had been here for years and had become one of the few men here that I trusted. He'd saved me from many a stalker and unstable drunk and now he was the only one in this place that looked at me when I called to him.

"Thomas!" I choked on tears and fell against him, gripping his black Security t-shirt for dear life. "Help me, please. God you have to… you have to stop it."

I'm sure I made quite the sight, covered in tiny slices from all the glass, tears running mascara down my face, and thanks to the spilled scotch that drenched my shorts and coated my legs I smelled as if I'd just drunken myself into a fit.

"Jesus, Temp, you weren't fucking around tonight were you." He scowled and peeled me off of his shirt, "What, did you have the guy buy you the bar? Christ, you need to call a cab and sleep this off before you start to scare the customers." He leaned forward to inspect my blood-stained shirt, "And what the hell have you been doing back there, bathing in the strawberry syrup? Go home Natalie or Rodger's gunna fire your ass for good this time."

In the time it had taken for the bastard to rant, Jerry had moved up behind me and with a charming smile, he scooped me up into his arms. The bouncer arched a brow, but didn't move to stop him.

"Sorry about this, I've been chasing this one all over this place." He laughed, "Didn't know she was going to get this rowdy tonight or I might have just kept her at home."

Thomas looked at him a long moment before he rationalized the statement. "What are you, the boyfriend?"

Jerry laughed at that and shrugged while I shook my head violently, not that either man paid attention to me. My head was starting to spin, and the music was disorienting. I wanted to speak but was finding the fear lodged in my throat at the feel of this monster touching me that I couldn't get anything out. God, his face had been horrible!

"I think we both know this little spitfire doesn't like those labels, and I'm inclined to agree with her."

Thomas grinned, "I hear you. She's a handful buddy, you sure you got this?"

Jerry laughed, looking down at me and tightening his grip so I couldn't struggle as much, "I think I can manage her."

"Good luck with that." He grinned waving us off and turning his attention back on the crowd. Jerry nodded his appreciation and moved for the door Thomas held open for us, the smile on his face full of smug victory.

"No, Thomas," I managed to squeak out, "please," but the door swung shut behind us and I was left alone in the dimly lit parking lot with Jerry the monster. He walked us to his truck, black eyes flitting about to make sure we weren't attracting attention with all my crying. Once we were there, he let my feet fall back to the pavement and pressed me back against the driver's side door.

"You know, you're making all of this much more difficult than it needs to be." He leaned in to hiss and breathe in the scent of me, letting his eyes roll closed in pleasure. " All that fighting is only making me hungry, Nat. It's better when you're scared." He chuckled, peeling my hand away from my throat and nuzzling against it, "You taste better when you're terrified."

"Stop."

"It's all that adrenaline. Gives you a nice little kick."

"Get away from me." I sobbed, beating at his chest until he gathered up my wrists and pinned them between us.

"But isn't this what you wanted, Natalie? Parts unknown." He laughed softly, lifting my chin to search my eyes, "And I believe there was something about soap-suds."

I didn't have time to be embarrassed or horrified by the fact that he'd been listening to me earlier from across the street. Right now I was focused on the way he was breathing me in, and the strange way in which he hissed out his air, like a snake warning me before it struck. It was my fear. The terror bubbling up inside of me and making my heart race was only exciting him, but I couldn't just stop being afraid. That was impossible now that I'd seen what he really was.

"Mmm," he murmured as his free hand moved up to brush the hair away from my throat. "The things I'm going to do to you when we get home." He laughed at my shudder and then, without warning he bit down into the already tender flesh of my throat.

This time it was no brief flash of pain. This was terrible, when I struggled he only bit down harder and the longer he drank, the harder it was to fight. My body was growing heavy, and soon he was the only reason I remained on my feet. Jerry drew at my vain until I was so tired that even my sobbing had quieted to soft whimpers. It was getting hard to keep my eyes open, though I knew there was no way in hell I wanted to fall unconscious around him. It was unavoidable though.

The last thing I saw was the satisfied grin on his face as he wiped my blood from his mouth and licked his fingers clean.