Thanks to Laurelin

Chapter Two– The Armoury

As the helicopter ascended, Josef was extraordinarily glad to be him. Not that he wasn't pleased with himself almost every single day of his existence. On the contrary, he could probably count on both hands the days in his life when he didn't enjoy looking into the mirror and seeing himself reflected back. But today…he didn't even mind running on a couple of hours sleep, and travelling in excessively broad daylight, in a helicopter, albeit specially designed by its owner to offer one hundred percent UVA/UVB protection. It was a very tasty ride literally as well as figuratively, as Andrew had thoughtfully provided lunch. Vapid though she was, she was also B negative, one of his favorites, and her pleasant moaning as he drank heightened the affect of her rare blood type. His only annoyance was that, in all the country, no castles were available for sale. Well, two were, but one had already been re-zoned for commercial use and the other was way out in the Orkney Islands, which would be delightful as a playpen but not practical as a home base, being so far away from, well, everything. But he'd been assured that there was a manor on the shores of Loch Awe that would be perfect, and he was curious at a certain feature that had been touted in the brochure. He'd have someone research the history of the place further, because while a wine cellar in a separate building was little more than an eccentricity, a "cold room" attached to it reeked of vampire sensibility. Checking his watch, he settled himself, using his PDA to command his staff around the world, while his meal napped at his side.

Beth yawned and stretched, opening her eyes reluctantly against the morning sun streaming through the windows. Rolling onto her left side, she sought the comfort of Josef sleeping in the freezer beside her. Her heart sank when she found it empty, until she remembered he'd mentioned that he had some business to attend to this morning. Flinging the covers aside, she thought to soak herself in that swimming pool they called a bathtub, and crossed her fingers in the hope that there was something other than lingerie to wear when she was done. If not, she'd order room service, watch a movie, and strangle him when he returned. Although strangling probably would not be all that effective as a training tool for a vampire.




The helicopter landed on a broad green lawn behind a stone mansion where an anxious-looking little man awaited its arrival. Josef greeted the real estate agent, who suggested they take a walk through the expansive gardens before seeing the house. That idea flatly refused, the man led Josef to the front door.

"This is very good," Josef thought as he carefully examined the front of the house. It was probably early twentieth century, but an attempt had been made to have it look like a small eighteenth century castle. The heavy door opened into a rising foyer, and the high-ceilinged rooms were large and majestic. He liked it immediately, and when they made their way to the second floor, he was sold. The master bedroom suite was large and luxurious, and French doors led to a balcony with an encompassing view of the lake. His schooled poker face revealed nothing as he inquired about the wine cellar.

"Yes, of course. We can access it from a tunnel in the kitchen, or by the entrance just down the hill toward the lake,' the man answered as he led Josef back down the stairs toward the kitchen. He opened a door that led to stairs and a passageway that sloped down to another, metal door.

The cellar was a thing of exquisite beauty, obviously built as a place where fine wine could be savored, as well as stored. Mahogany beams mixed with the well-kept stone and the slight hum of a dehumidifier to keep the precious bottles in optimum condition, and a broad mahogany table with simple but sturdy-armed chairs as well as a wide, comfortable-looking couch led Josef to believe that many a fine bottle, and perhaps the blood of many a willing young woman, had been savored right here. At the opposite end of the room, another wooden door called to his curiosity. The agent, ever the consummate salesman, caught his glance and led him to the door. "This is the most unusual feature, and we speculate that the original owner must have either entertained or hunted a great deal to need what is essentially an extremely large freezer."

Josef stepped into a room comfortable beyond imagination. It was very large and the thermometer on the wall read minus point five degrees, a perfect thirty-one degrees Fahrenheit. Spacious enough for a studio apartment, his mind raced with the possibilities. With the right furnishings, with proper care, he could enjoy a perfect bedroom, and, yes, sleep the night next to Beth, without either of them suffering discomfort. He had to have the place, and he would not be content until his name was on the deed this very day.

As they exited by the hillside door, set amidst a small fragrant garden, Josef said finally, "One million two hundred thousand, if I can sign the papers today." The agent's startled look lasted but a moment, and he was on his mobile to the sellers and then to his office in frenzy. "As well he should be," Josef thought. The offer was thirty percent above the asking price, and the commission was more than enough to have the agent do whatever was necessary to complete the deal now. Josef strode up the hill, wanting to explain what would certainly be a delay in his return to Edinburgh, possibly a long one, to Beth.

"Good morning, luscious, how's the weather?" Josef asked playfully as she answered the phone.

"Luscious? Mmm, I like that. Weather's fine, and I am happy to report that clothes have appeared and I am about to go sightseeing with Alistair. When are you coming back?" She would much rather spend the day in bed, and if he would be back soon, she wasn't going anywhere.

"Not any time soon, but I did find a perfect house, milady, in which I have no doubt you will enjoy traipsing."

She laughed, enjoying the pleasure in his voice. "Did you remember to order traipsing shoes yesterday?"

"Can you forgive my negligence?"

"I'm not sure," she added in a voice husky with desire. "Perhaps if you make proper amends when you return…"

Josef's mind flooded with the infinite possibilities of how he might beg her forgiveness, and he felt a strong stirring that he'd prefer the agent did not see. "I'll spend the day thinking of nothing other than your pleasure," he said as he rang off.


Alistair was waiting patiently in the sitting room when Beth, smiling happily, emerged from the bedroom in her brand-new, £500 jeans. She grabbed a croissant from the waiting tray, and downed half of it before gulping her juice as if she hadn't drunk in a week. She really had to remember to hydrate, hydrate, hydrate, but it was hard to recall anything about having her blood drained other than the exquisite pleasure it brought her. She'd pay more attention, especially with the thought of Josef considering her pleasure turning over and over in her mind.

"So, what would you like to see?" Alistair asked.

Your six-pack, she thought, selfishly wanting to feed her own energy, but responded, "Josef said he'd be gone for awhile, what would you suggest?"

"How about Rosslyn Chapel? It's a gorgeous place and if Josef will tell us when he leaves Loch Awe, we can be back here before he is. A lovely bit of countryside, the Midlothians, as well." She didn't really care where she went, she was happy to explore anything new, and happier still when he opened the door of the vintage Jaguar convertible for her.

"Nice car," she said, settling into the comfortable leather seat, water bottle in hand.

"Isn't it? Not mine, sadly. Josef borrowed it from a friend of his and insisted that I drive it for your pleasure."

Josef thought of everything. Her every whim anticipated, her every need met. As they motored out of the city, she considered what more she could do for him and how soon she'd be able to do it.

Josef grew more impatient by the minute. He'd grant that it had been quite some time since he'd had to do any of this grunt work himself, and thought he should consider a raise for the people whose job it was to do it for him. Why could he not just write a check, sign a paper, and get back to Beth. Charles was driving Lisa to Edinburgh at that moment so that she could take command of the interior designers. He wanted that cold room perfect by Saturday, and at least the kitchen ready by then, as well. Hungry, tired and anxious to see Beth, he stood in the middle of the droning lawyer's speech and said, "Enough. Here's the check, I'll sign a power of attorney, you handle this, and I insist the deed be delivered to me tonight." A clerk immediately began drawing up a limited power, and fifteen minutes later, he was boarding the copter for the flight back to Beth.


They were already on the road when Josef's call came, and she was glad she'd have a minute to freshen up before he arrived. Ripe with anticipation, her mood took a decided turn when Mick's familiar ringtone sounded on her phone. She didn't know how she'd explain all this to him, and wasn't about to do it over the phone.

"Hi handsome, miss me yet?" she asked playfully.

"Yes," he answered so seriously that she wished she could hold him.

"Is something wrong?"

"You're thousands of miles away, for starters. This case is driving me crazy, and I don't have my ace back-up to help. And I really do miss you." She heard the regret in his voice and knew he wished he hadn't sent her here with Josef.

"I miss you too, Mick, and I'd love to tell you how much, but I'm in a car with my babysitter and I really don't think he wants to hear exactly how I'd show you how much if I were there."

"Oh, I bet he would," he said, thinking how much any man would enjoy watching Beth delivery an erotic soliloquy. "I love you, Beth."

"And I love you, Mick." she answered as she hung up. She saw the look of surprise on Alistair's face, but it was none of his business and she wasn't about to explain. She settled back and closed her eyes, allowing only the sound of the breeze as it whooshed by the car to enter her thoughts.


Josef had hoped to be alone with Beth when he arrived at the hotel, though he was tired and hungry and really needed a few hours rest. Instead, his sitting room held Lisa and Charles, and Beth was nowhere to be found. He'd deal with them, and in a much more expeditious manner than he would have with Beth.

"Sorry I couldn't get you rooms here, you're just down the street. Lisa, you need to get out to Loch Awe now and see my wine cellar and my new room, and get them both decorated by Saturday. Don't let anyone tell you they can't do it, just keep throwing money at them until they say yes. Charles, I won't be in need of your services tonight, go and enjoy yourself. Lisa, I am starving, but I promise, I'll be brief and then you're off." Josef drank deeply and quickly, and then climbed into the freezer for a much-needed nap.


The sun was setting in a spectacular display of color as Beth sipped champagne and gazed out the window. No wonder Josef had wanted her to have this suite; the view from the sitting room was amazing. To her right, the Castle loomed, to the left Old Town wound down Princes Street and straight ahead, who knew where, but far past the city to the green of the countryside. She'd spent the last couple of hours lounging and watching the people on the street below, and she was restless now. A tap at the door and a glance at the security screen told her that both Josef, and dinner, had arrived. This vampire thing does have its drawbacks, she thought as she stood aside while Josef, two well-dressed women and a waiter with an enormous rolling cart entered the sitting room. The women smiled and took their place on the settee, while Josef led her to the small table upon which the waiter was laying plates of silver-domed food. Sensing her discomfort, and more than understanding her desire to be alone together, he dismissed the waiter and sent the women to the bedroom. Smiling, he leaned to kiss her as he took the seat beside her.

"I missed you," he said as he ran his hand gently down her arm. Beth gave a slight quiver as he touched her, confirming that she'd missed him, too.

"Well, you're here now and you brought dinner, so I'll try to overlook the fact that you didn't come alone." She smiled, her initial possessiveness melting into acceptance. She loved two vampires, and this was the circumstance of their existence. "It all smells good, what am I having?"

"It's a theme dinner. I hope you'll like everything, but frankly I ordered this food for my pleasure, as well as yours." He poured her a glass of red wine, then uncovered the first of the smaller dishes and placed it in front of her. It was an orb of pastry, accented on one side by a squiggle of some sort of cream. While it looked beautiful, she had to ask,

"Is it a baseball theme?"

"Not even close," he laughed as he raised his own glass to touch hers. "Break it open," he said softly.

Inserting her fork, she popped out a small piece of the golden pastry and a river of thick, red soup ran from the small hole she'd made, running slowly down the side and dripping onto the soup plate. She put down her fork and drained her wineglass, held it out for a refill without uttering a word, then lifted her fork to her lips and tasted the morsel of pastry. It melted across her tongue, so tender, and emboldened her to try the suggestive contents. She pushed again through the hole she'd made, stabbing at the contents, freeing another stream of the thick juice from its container. She took up a spoon, aware of Josef's eyes watching as it approached her lips, so parted them slowly and half-closed her eyes as she tasted it. It was melt in her mouth delicious, but she had to laugh, throatily. "It's Borscht!"

"Specifically, it's puree of roasted beets and fines herbes en croute. Do you like it?"

She spooned another, larger sip, and allowed a drop to slither down her lip before catching it with the tip of her tongue. "Mmm hmm." If he wanted a sensual dining experience, she was more than happy to provide it.

Maybe this dinner wasn't such a great idea after all, he thought as he watched her consume the bloody-looking appetizer with careful appreciation. Even the way she expanded the hole through which she extracted the puree was driving what blood he had straight to his groin, and he could hardly bear to watch the way she allowed the dark-red concoction to stain her lips, coat her tongue and it was torture waiting for her to finish. And when she finally set down her fork, and raised her pristine linen napkin, she left a detailed, blood-red imprint of those perfect lips, and placed the napkin in front of him. She was magnificent, and her newly-liberated sexually was extraordinary to behold.

"Josef," she whispered, running her fingers lightly down the length of his burgeoning erection, "You look hungry, too. Won't you have something?" she asked, tossing her hair to one side, fully exposing the creamy length of her neck. He was frozen completely 

for a moment in time, entranced by both the look in her eyes and the feel of her hand caressing him. Then, she swore she felt the air stir as he moved in a blur of speed, first toward the bedroom and then toward the door as he removed used freshie number one.

"Josef, there's no need to gulp your dinner, it's not polite," she teased, loving the sensual thrall in which she held him.

"There most definitely was, my little vixen, and you know it. I promise, I'll take the time to savor dessert," he said, lifting her hand to his lips to kiss it lingeringly, sending sparks flying through her. He lifted the largest of the lids, putting the plate in front of her and the napkin across her thighs, purposely placing the lip-print down toward her lap. She gave a little shiver, and he smiled at her sensitivity.

A beautiful filet mignon, inches thick and bathed in a red wine reduction, sat before her. Lifting knife and fork, she sliced a thin, long sliver from its perfectly-crusted brown edge, swirled it the sauce languidly and raised it to her lips, pulling it from the tines with her teeth. Her eyelids fluttered as a throaty, musical "Mmmm," escaped her lips.

He was going to come right there, right in his brand-new five thousand dollar suit, with no more stimulation than watching her eat dinner. Big miscalculation on his part. He was completely out of control, something so foreign to his nature that he could not begin to process it. He had to do something, distract himself in some way. He pulled her chair closer, took the knife and fork from her startled hands, and sliced straight down the center, revealing the blood-rare interior. She couldn't like her steak well-done and unappealing, oh no, it had to be just warmed through, the blood running freely. He skillfully sliced a thin sliver and held it to her lips, which parted in desire for the morsel. This was definitely not better. He thought the routine movement, slice, swirl, feed, would be a distraction. Slice and swirl were good, but with each bite he lifted to her lips, she found a different way to tease it, and him. Just as he thought he could stand it no longer, she pushed his hand away, and said, "No more. I have to save room for dessert," all the while burning his eyes with hers. "Maybe you should have yours, as well."

You asked for it, he thought. He could turn a meal into a sex act far more easily than she. His dinner could moan for him, could writhe in his arms, could have an orgasm.

He fetched the freshie from the bedroom, and settled her onto his lap before removing the cover from Beth's dessert. A small, shallow bowl of fresh, ripe cherries, stems attached but carefully split and pitted, sat amid a flourish of crème Chantilly.

Beth watched as Josef whispered something into the woman's ear, and shivered when she saw him vamp as he lightly scraped his fangs against her neck, before sinking them into his carefully chosen spot. Heat flooded her, tightening her nipples and slicking her thighs, and she grabbed a cherry and popped it in her mouth, needing to divert herself from the urge to shove the woman aside and climb into his lap herself. Josef's grip tightened as the woman's moans became screams, and her body shook with her orgasm. Beth sat transfixed as Josef retracted his fangs and licked the punctures at the woman's trembling throat, stroked her arm as she quieted, then lifted her from his lap, standing to steady her as he poured a glass of water from the carafe on the table and placed it in her shaking hands. As he led her to the door, Beth picked up another cherry, this time rubbing its juicy, fleshy center across her lips, staining them with the deep red color.

Josef took his time at the door, ostensibly watching the freshie make her weakened way through the close, but in fact giving Beth time to savor what she'd seen. When he turned back to her, she was dragging a cherry through the crème, and pressing it against her lips as if resisting, then surrendering to it. As he approached her she stood, popping one last cherry into her mouth as she stepped from the table. When he was just inches from her, she put her red stained fingers to her mouth and pulled out a perfectly tied cherry stem. He'd seen it a hundred times before, it was both trite and silly, and yet when Beth did it he found it charming and erotic. She tossed it aside and moved closer, sliding her hands inside his jacket then up and over his shoulders to free him of it. She had the look of a woman on a mission, and he could not wait to discover exactly what her mission was.

She placed her hands against his chest, smiling wantonly, and pushed him, just a little, in the direction of the bedroom. Knowing she actually could not move him, she was inordinately pleased that he went along with her game, yielding backward as she began to unbutton his shirt. Unbutton, push. Unbutton; slide her hands inside his shirt, push. 

At the bedroom door she accomplished her task, and tossing the shirt aside, brushed her hardened nipples against his chest as she reached behind him and opened the door. Another push and he was moving toward the bed, and her hands were at his buckle, deftly unfastening it as he felt the backs of his thighs hit the side of the mattress. She leaned in to kiss him, but when he moved his arms to encircle her, she backed away, unbuttoning and unzipping in one movement, then sliding both pants and underwear slowly down his legs. As they reached his knees, a final push so he sat, and she kneeled between his legs, caressing his calves as she freed first one leg, then the other. She leaned forward, offering a tantalizing view of her breasts as her lips met his thigh, and he placed his hands in her hair, massaging and whispering her name as she used hands and mouth against legs. He made to pull her to her feet, but relented when he felt her resistance. She worked him slowly with lips and hands, taking as much as she could into her mouth, the sounds of his pleasure encouraging her. She moved away then, lifting the hem of her chemise and pulling it slowly over her head, arching her back to thrust her breasts toward him.

He reached for her, but she settled back on her heels after crawling closer to him. Taking him in her hands, she rubbed the smooth, hard flesh across her nipples, circling each in turn, held him against her neck, ran it slowly across her face, savoring the velvet heat before capturing the swollen head once again between her lips. His hands in her hair helped set a rhythm and depth she could accommodate, and soon he was begging her for release, but she was hardly ready for that. She continued to tease and torture him until the immediacy subsided, then redoubled her efforts, again and again, until he could hold back no longer, crying her name as she swallowed the sweet-savory taste of him. She felt herself lifted away to have his teeth sink into her flesh just above her breast and held his head to her as he urged her to the release she has just given him.

She held him close, face cradled against her chest as if she couldn't hold him long enough, as if she never wanted to let him go. He wanted to tell her that he'd never felt as he had when she taken him, that her reverence and love had made the experience unique. That the only sound he ever cared to hear again was her pleasure ringing in his ears, his name on her lips. Instead, he kissed his way up to her pliant mouth and, sliding his hand between her thighs, smiled devilishly and whispered, "My turn."

Thank readers and reviewers, it helps to know you're there.