Henry arrived at the Acchus Manor a few hours later, parking his Jag behind a lengthy line of assorted luxury vehicles that trailed alongside the expansive well lit concrete driveway.
"Quite a gathering here tonight." he said quietly to himself.
As he approached the house he admired the immaculate beauty of its structure and the manicured gardens that surrounded it. Most of all, he admired the wealth that must be invested in it.
Henry had dressed in his usual modern vampire affair, black pants, a dark red collared shirt and his black leather jacket. He questioned whether he was suitably attired for such a fancy place. It would have to suffice.
The front door was open, but Henry was drawn to the loud chatter, laughter and barely audible music emitting from the rear of the house. Presuming he may find Vicki and Coreen amongst the supposed crowd, he followed his way down a pebble covered path at the side of the building.
A festive atmosphere became more apparent now as he entered a stylish tiled patio area which lead out to a classically styled in-ground pool. Well crafted stone sculptures decorated it's edges, an ethereal blue light beamed from its liquid contents.
A large group had gathered here. Most of them appeared to be in their twenties and early thirties, beautiful people, all dressed to impress. Wine was clearly the drink of choice. Bottles and glasses were strewn around the place, left on the tiled floor, on lawn furniture and dumped on the various tables that were laid out with platters offering an assortment of gourmet snacks.
As Henry began to move through the group, he became more aware of various levels of intoxication. Couples were flirting unashamedly, some dancing intimately on an imaginary dance floor, others whispering quietly to one another and 'making out' in the dimly lit sections of the garden.
He had almost regretted stopping for 'a bite to eat' after he had left his apartment. There was a smorgasbord of gorgeous women, eyeing him through the crowd, any of which could have been his for the tasting.
Not sensing or seeing either Vicki or Coreen outside, Henry began to make his way inside the house. The sound of a squeal, a loud splash followed by raucous laughter could be heard behind him as a young girl was tossed into the pool by two brutish young men.
Henry could sense a slightly different mood as he entered the house and into an extravagant entertainment area. Brightly lit, the room was divided into three sections.
One section contained a big screen TV, tuned in to a music video channel showing a clip with scantily clad young women gyrating to a techno beat. A variety of side tables and plush sofas were here. One sofa filled by two men with a young woman draped across their laps. The young woman was kissing one man, while the other appeared to be sliding his hand up under her dress.
In the middle of the room was a gaming table. A round of what Henry quickly identified as strip poker was underway. Five players in various stages of undress were busy throwing down cards and brightly coloured chips. The men wolf-whistled and cheered as one of the girls removed her bra and threw it across the table.
The other side of the room contained a pool table. One girl was leaning down on top of the side of the table with her very low cut top, as if she were presenting her cleavage as one of the 'pockets'. A short, blonde, college-aged girl was in control of the pool cue, leaning down to take her shot, getting guidance from a similarly aged man who stood closely behind her. She was making no efforts to hide the fact that she was grinding her hips back against him as he leaned in over the top of her, arms over hers, as if to help her with her aim and technique.
The scenes of drunken debauchery were amusing to Henry, but he was focused on locating Vicki and Coreen, to ensure their safety while they were supposedly 'investigating' the death of the young Miss Turner.
Picking up on Vicki's familiar scent faintly in the distance now, he headed into a darkened hallway at far end of the room.
As he approached the end of the hallway, he entered a large candlelit room which revealed a surprising site. A mass of naked writhing bodies filled its entirety, all partaking in various sexual activities, filling the couches, the floor and up against the walls. Women with men, women with women, men with men. Gasps, groans and bodily noises filled the otherwise quiet room. Should the novelty of group sex not have worn off some time during his first hundred years, Henry might have actually been aroused. The collective sound of blood pumping aggressively through the veins of these promiscuous beings made him hungry, but not for the flesh.
His immediate fear was that Vicki had given in to her carnal desires, that she was one of the many naked, sweaty bodies in the room. The thought filled him with jealousy and sadness. This was not like her at all.
He could barely detect her scent amongst the cloud of pheromones that filled the air. He scanned the room looking for her, wandering around in an attempt to identify her amongst the several honey-blonde haired women sprawled about the room, stepping over arms, legs and torsos in his path.
A sense of relief washed over him. She was not here. But where was she?
Another exit eventually led Henry out into a grand foyer, a shiny marble floor led to a majestic staircase that spiralled up to the second floor. Expensive artwork adorned the walls. Crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling.
At the opposite end of the foyer, was what Henry could only describe as a 'parlour'. This room too was candle lit. It did not have doors yet its doorway was veiled with a thin, almost transparent fabric. From what he could make out, it appeared to be painted red inside, filled with matching floor rugs, sofas and decorations. Its soft red glow spilled out into the foyer. Henry could detect the presence of someone inside.
As he approached, music began to play within. A lone female figure stepped into the middle of the room, silhouetted against the curtain.
As the rhythmic beats of a sensual tune filled the air, the woman began to dance.
It took only a moment for Henry to recognise her. The lone dancer was Vicki.
She was dressed in the tight little black dress he had seen her in just weeks before. The first time he'd ever seen her out of her jeans and t-shirts was at his art exhibition. Just as it had then, the dress again clung tightly to her curves, displaying her long slender legs. Vicki's hair was loose and slightly unkempt.
Henry crept closer, watching intently as she began to sway her hips softly from side to side. Her eyes were closed as if lost in the music, oblivious to the world around her.
He watched as she began to run her hands over her body as she danced. She traced her own outline with her fingers, down over her breasts, stomach, hips, thighs then slowly all the way back up again. Vicki was putting on an uninhibited performance that Henry secretly hoped was all for him.
What had gotten in to her? He'd never seen her like this. Not that he was complaining, but he presumed that like everyone else tonight, she too had been drinking. The thought that she would ever do this with a conscious mind was too unreal. It would be something Henry would secretly wish for none the less. He pictured her standing at the end of his bed, dancing for his amusement.
The temptation to sneak into the parlour for a closer look was too much to resist. He feared he may never get the opportunity to see this glorious seductive creature act like this again.
Grinning fiercely now, extremely turned on, he parted the curtain and crept inside.
It immediately became evident that Vicki was not alone. Vicki had an audience.
An older, silver haired gentleman sat in an arm chair across the room, resting his chin on one hand, wine glass in the other. He was watching Vicki intently.
Henry wanted to race over and break the neck of this lecherous old pervert in a fit of jealous rage, before it suddenly dawned on Henry as to why he thought Vicki had been alone.
Standing outside just seconds ago, he'd heard the sound of only one heart beating inside the parlour, and that heart beat belonged to Vicki.
This 'man' was not human.
He reached for Vicki and grabbed her by the arm. He wanted to get her out of this place, and fast. Vicki spun around, her dance disrupted.
"Henry! You made it to the party!" she said joyously as she wrapped her arms around him.
It confirmed his suspicions that she was indeed drunk. She'd never greeted him with a hug before. The fruity odour of wine on her breath was also another obvious clue.
"C'mon Vicki, time to leave." Henry commanded.
"But you just got here...stay a little while... dance with me." Vicki had him by the hand as she shuffled her feet with the music, attempting to lure Henry into the rhythm.
The man in the armchair stood and spoke. "It seems to me that Victoria is no in a hurry to go anywhere. Maybe you should just leave her be. I promise I'll take good care of her." he said audaciously.
Henry was on him in an instant, fangs reared, eyes black as night. He had him by the neck , leaving him suspended mid air. The old man's wine glass fell from his hand, dramatically splashing red wine across the floor.
Henry spoke in his deep, threatening and hypnotic growl, "We are leaving. Vicki was not here tonight. You never met her and you will not contact her again."
The man began to laugh, his body jiggling like a rag doll in Henry's grip. He did not struggle, making Henry wonder if it was even possible to suffocate or break the neck of a creature who's heart did not beat - whatever he was. Not human, nor vampire. Henry could not identify him.
Vicki, apparently blind to the situation in front of her simply stood back with a look of mild confusion on her face.
"Oh, Henry this is Brian. Brian this is Henry." she stated as she waved back and forth between the two men. She then began humming along with the music still playing in the parlour, clicking her fingers in time with the beat.
Brian was grinning at Henry now. "So a Night-walker eh? Well child, I suggest you put me down immediately."
"Child? How dare you patronize me! I've walked this earth for nearly five hundred years!" Henry tightened his fingers around Brian's throat.
"Didn't you ever learn to respect your elders vampire?"
In an instant Brian had twisted Henry's wrist to instigate his release. He slammed his fists into Henry chest, catapulting him across the room. His weight tearing through the curtain as he flew out into the foyer, the momentum sliding him across the smooth marble floor. Vicki raced out after him.
"Oh wow Henry..that looked really cool. Are you OK?" she asked with a laugh, sitting down cross-legged next to him on the cold hard floor.
Henry groaned, feeling two large bruises begin to form on his chest. His tolerance for Vicki's intoxication was beginning to wane, "Vicki where is Coreen?"
"Upstairs.. with some guy." she shrugged.
With lightning speed Henry raced upstairs, blowing like the wind into a variety of bedrooms.
Vicki stood up in the foyer, glancing back behind her to see Brian venture out from the parlour. She smiled and waved to him sheepishly as he watched her from afar.
She turned back around and noticed a lone bottle of unopened Merlot which sat temptingly on the hallway table. Vicki picked it up and stared at it. She addressed the wine bottle with an authoritative tone, pointing at it commandingly, her brow furrowed. "You're coming home with me tonight." she informed the inanimate object.
Eventually Henry returned with a slightly dishevelled Coreen to the bottom of the stair case.
"Hey... what's all this about?" Coreen mumbled, also tipsy.
"You two, grab your coats, let's go... now!" Henry ordered.
"Oh geeze... fine.. OK." Vicki muttered in response followed by a hiccup.
Both ladies clumsily grabbed their coats from the rack and begrudgingly headed out the front door. Vicki's hand still clutched tightly around the bottle of wine.
Brian stood in the parlour doorway, a smirk on his face and arms crossed as he watched the vampire make a hasty retreat.
