Sands and Victoria Afternoon 3 part 3
Sands: Victoria is still up for it, despite the fact the guy raked her pretty good. We gain the platform just before the train has closed its door and we scramble to get in. As the doors shut, we press together in the crowd and I'm trying not to giggle hysterically. I haven't had this much fun in a while. I stare into Victoria's eyes. "He cut you."
Victoria: "Just a little, " I say quietly as I raise my arm between us to get a better look at the wound. "That was interesting. Do that often?" I ask. "The wound's not too bad, he just caught me the right way. " I lower my arm but the crowd of people pushes us closer together. I look up in his eyes. "I haven't been in a fight like that before, not with our kind I mean." He's staring at me. The thrill of the fight mixed with the smell of my blood must be exciting him.
Sands: All right, Sands, settle down. You can't throw her to the floor and make love to her here. I smile. "We still have to figure out why we are being followed."
Victoria: "Yes, that would be a good idea." I rub my hands against him. "Let's get off at the next stop, my home is not far from there, and I think I could use another shower and a drink." I'm such a mess, while he on the other hand looks wonderful. Like a model from one of those fashion magazines, purposely rumpled.
Sands: I'm glad alcohol and drugs work for us. Where would I be without them? But survival before pleasure. "I think we should pick up some shoes," I glance purposefully at her feet, "then go to Abberline House. They might know what's going on with the Viscalli bastards." My voice is low so only another vampire in close proximity can hear me. "They might be making moves against others of our clan."
Victoria: I sigh heavily, "All right, that's probably a wise idea. Although," I point at his chest, "for the record, you know I'm not fond of clan houses and if I have to go, I'd rather be looking my best. I don't want to give the old biddies anything to gossip about." The subway screeches to a halt and the doors slide open. The crowd surges out.
Sands: I grab Victoria's hand and we merge in with the masses. I can smell them and I'm glad I ate well last night. I usually only eat every fourth or fifth day. The older we get, the less we need. That doesn't mean I don't enjoy feeding. There's a deeply satisfying pleasure in it, whether I'm hungry or not. I can still taste the blood of that giant vampire from the last platform.
Victoria leads. I follow. We're playing the part of young people in love. Only, we're not young and it's more like lust at this point. I don't know if I've ever been in love. Well. Once. But love tends to hurt too much. And look what happened when I started to soften up with Ajedrez. Fuck it. I'll settle for the joys of the flesh and leave all the sappy stuff to the poets.
We're up on the streets. No sign of our shadows. I think we lost them. She leads us up and over and up again to the door of a fancy high-rise, much newer than my building.
Victoria: I slide a card in an electronic slot and the chrome doors slide open. I lead him to a row of elevators and we stand and wait for the cars to come down. An older couple walks up and looks at the two of us in a disapproving manner. I don't even acknowledge them, then coolly before the doors slide open I turn and look the man in the eyes. Nervously he tells his wife that they'll wait for the next car. I smile and Sands and I walk into the elevator.
It's all modern here. I don't really care for it that much. But it's new, secure and one of the best in town, I think it was built by the Donald Trump fellow. I prefer a touch of the old myself. The warmth of rich woods and the cool touch of marble.
The elevator quickly spirits us to the top floors. Not quite the penthouse but close enough. We exit, mine is the only apartment on this floor. The doors are straight ahead, I giggle to myself. wait until he sees the inside. It'll be a shock after all this modern metal and glass.
Sands: This building doesn't seem to match Victoria. She's all Old World and brightness. This place is cold and modern. There's an older couple at the elevators. They look at us with little scowls. I'd like to bite the guys' nose off the way he's looking at Victoria. So we're wet. Big fucking deal. So she's barefoot. I find it hard not to smile now.
The elevator comes and the old folks let us go. Old folks. What a joke. I'm hundreds of years older than them. It gets funnier as we ride up.
We get off somewhere on the 39th floor and I follow Victoria, watching, listening. No other vampires near us. She's opening the door. I watch.
Victoria: The key card opens the door with a flash of light and a buzz. I push open the door and motion for him to proceed. "After you," I sing. Once he's in I shut the door and activate the locks. I lean against the door and watch. "Go on," I urge.
The are two heavy velvet curtains framing the entrance, they're drawn now. Sands steps forward and moves one to the side. The floors are wooden and covered with Persian carpets, brightly colored and tasseled at the ends. The furniture is a mixture of styles, some from my time and some from the era of Queen Victoria. There are rich oil paints on the walls and huge arrangements of flower in Chinese vases. Tiffany stain glass lamps illuminate the room filling it with a soft glow. A large iron stair case wraps around the room reveling a series of doors on the landing. The room is off set by a row of French doors which give way to a balcony of tremendous size with one of those views New Yorkers would kill for. "Do you like It?" I ask.
Sands: "Impressive," I tell her. I am drawn to the paintings. Artistic jealousy and all that. "You didn't tell me you were a collector. Do you collect more than art?" I amuse myself by wondering if she has a room full of men ready to answer to her every need. I'd have to kill them all, of course.
Victoria: I smirk. "A few things." I walk across the room. "Make yourself comfortable. The kitchen is through that door under the stairs."
I take off my coat and hang it in a closet near the entrance. I'll have to have it cleaned. "I'm going to go up and take a quick shower and change. But please feel free to look around. I have a library upstairs, the last door there." I begin to walk up to the second floor and stop just in front of my bedroom door. "It's not as good as yours, though." I smile and disappear.
Entering my bedroom I slip out of my clothes and lay them carefully on the bed. I cross into my bathroom, which beside the kitchen is the only modern room in the house. Some things can't be avoided. I twist up my hair and slip into the shower. I can hear him moving about the apartment. I wonder what he's looking at.
Sands: I still feel restless. I move to the window and look out. It's snowing full out now. I can't even see to the street below. Nothing but gray out there. Turning, I follow her instructions to the library. It's not just a library. There's piano. I sit down and tinker a bit, then launch into a little jazzy blues that matches the weather, all dark and gloomy and full of pain, even without the words. It's a nice piano, and the acoustics in her place are good with all the wood.
Victoria: The sounds of the piano lilt through the house. I smile. He's very talented; art, music. I like him and I don't like many of our kind at all, although he's not the type to stick around. I can see that, so I should not let myself get too attached. Just have fun, it's hard to find things that are fun to do after you've lived for 200 years. Things kind of melt together.
I step out of the shower and dry off. I hum along with the melody he's playing. I don't think I've heard it before, but I seem to know the song. I walk back into my bedroom and pull out a set of lacy black underware and matching bra. Victoria's Secrets. I love that name. If they only knew the secrets I've got hidden beneath their product.
I go to the closet and pull out a set of black leather boots, they'll go well with the outfit Sands has provided.
Sands: I can hear her moving around I her bedroom and I restrain from going to join her before she can get dressed. We have work to do first.
Thinking of what she and I will do later, my mood and music change. She did say she likes to dance. I wonder where we'll end up.
Victoria: I sit down at my vanity and begin to apply makeup. I know I don't need it, but that's what women do, they always strive for perfection. I put on just enough to bring out my features and then run a brush through my hair. I decide to braid it tonight. One long thick braid. I run a black, silky ribbon through it.
Soon I'm once again dressed in the outfit that Sands bought for me. With the addition of Prada boots. I'm ready to go. I stop and look in the mirror before heading to the library. I' m still humming.
Sands: Thinking about tonight, I also am forced to think about going to Abberline House. I wonder if there's a way for me to isolate Victoria so she doesn't talk to anyone except maybe Salvator or some of the Guardians. Those socialites, and in my world that's an insult, are bound to start filling her in on my history. All from their twisted point of view. I get angry just thinking about them.
My playing comes to an abrupt halt. I'm getting antsy now. I want to get moving. I want a drink, too, but it's best to have all my wits just in case there's a few of the Viscallies waiting for us when we leave.
Victoria: I enter the room, "Why did you stop playing?" I ask one hand on my hip one leg slightly extended. "It was beautiful."
Sands: I'm confused. She's snapped me out of my ruminations and I'm no longer sure if I'm angry or horny. Horny. She looks mighty fine in those black leather pants. And those lips. They're so full. I know people these days inject crap into their lips to get that look.
Standing, I move over to her and put my hands on her hips. "You're in danger of being ravished looking this good," I tell her.
Victoria: I smile and push him away, "I though we had places to go?" I tease, although I'd love to thrown him down on the floor and straddle him right now. "Did you want to go to clan house now, or can we go there later?" I take him by the hand and lead him down the stairs into the living room. "I have tickets to the art show, and I think you said something about dancing. Both sound better then and evening of scrutiny."
Sands: "I think we'll live longer if we swallow the evening of scrutiny," I shrug. "It won't take long. We'll talk to the Guardians, fill them in." I think a moment. "You have a car?"
Victoria: I nod and go to the phone. I dial the garage. "Julio, this is Miss Dupree. Yes, I'd like the car. Five minutes, Thank you." I put the receiver down.
Sands moved up beside me. "Could you get me a coat please, the black one behind the fur. I have a message here on the machine I need to check." Sands nods and steps away. I press that annoying little blinking red light.
The tape rewinds and then plays. "Victoria, this is Georgio. We didn't hear from you last night. Is everything all right? Are you coming to the opening tonight? Would you like me to come around and get you? Call me - kiss, kiss." My hand went to my lips to cover a smile. I erased the message. I know Sands heard that, I wonder if he's jealous?
Sands: She has a lot of fur coats. I think PETA could use her place for a rally point. She did say black. Oh, it's not fur. This is a heavy wool coat. Very stylish. Long. I pull it off the hanger and flip it over my arm. I can hear the message machine playing from some prick named Gerogio. Sounds gay.
I come up behind her and help her into her coat. "Ready?"
Victoria: "Yes." I let him help me slip into my coat. "Oh wait, I need to get a few things." I go to a table across the room and slide open a drawer. I pull out a few hundred dollars and slip it into the pocket of my leather pants. I return to Sands' side. Just before we exit I stop him. "Sands?" I run my fingers along the collar of his coat. "What's your real name?"
Sands: I think my mouth hung open there for a moment like a dead fish's. "My real name is Sands," I tell her. "Sheldon Jeffrey Sands. Esquire once upon a time. It's no secret. I just prefer Sands."
Victoria: "Alright that's all I wanted to know," we exit and take a different elevator to the garage. Julio is waiting for us with the car. It's a sliver Mercedes Benz. I smile at Sands. "You drive." And I cross to the other side. Julio scrambles to open the door for me. "Thank you," I reply.
Sands: Okay, this is better. I get into the car, glad the upholstery is leather so my wetness won't ruin anything." The heater is already going and I'll be almost dry by the time we reach the house.
She directs me and we exit the garage. Windshield wipers keep up a rhythmic skisk-skisk across the glass. I turn the lights on and we head north.
The drive from her house would normally be less than twenty minutes, but it's still time for the masses to be rushing home from work, so it takes us almost forty-five minutes until the beams of the headlights illuminate the massive wrought-iron gates.
There's an electronic box set on a stick. I press the call button there and wave up at the camera that is focused down on us. "It's Sands and a friend," I say into the box.
The doors silently swing open and we drive in. Abberline house has a very long driveway. There are lots of trees on the grounds and a high wall and hedges, all engineered to keep the comings and goings as private as possible.
The driveway turns in front of the mansion, which is made of a gold-tone stone. The lights are on, making it look like a treasure box. I pull the Mercedes up to one of the open spots and we get out. I leave the keys in the ignition. No one steals cars from our clan house.
I can tell Victoria is a little nervous. She loops her arm through mine as we walk up the steps and one of the hopefuls opens the doors.
Victoria: It is lovely inside and really screams of money. The floors of the entry are black and white checkered marble and a few stairs descend into a sunken foyer. An ornate mahogany staircase rises to the second level on both sides of the room. Large iron candelabras hang from the ceiling. There are a lot of people here tonight and they all turn to see who approaches.
Sands: It's show time.
To be continued.
Sands: Victoria is still up for it, despite the fact the guy raked her pretty good. We gain the platform just before the train has closed its door and we scramble to get in. As the doors shut, we press together in the crowd and I'm trying not to giggle hysterically. I haven't had this much fun in a while. I stare into Victoria's eyes. "He cut you."
Victoria: "Just a little, " I say quietly as I raise my arm between us to get a better look at the wound. "That was interesting. Do that often?" I ask. "The wound's not too bad, he just caught me the right way. " I lower my arm but the crowd of people pushes us closer together. I look up in his eyes. "I haven't been in a fight like that before, not with our kind I mean." He's staring at me. The thrill of the fight mixed with the smell of my blood must be exciting him.
Sands: All right, Sands, settle down. You can't throw her to the floor and make love to her here. I smile. "We still have to figure out why we are being followed."
Victoria: "Yes, that would be a good idea." I rub my hands against him. "Let's get off at the next stop, my home is not far from there, and I think I could use another shower and a drink." I'm such a mess, while he on the other hand looks wonderful. Like a model from one of those fashion magazines, purposely rumpled.
Sands: I'm glad alcohol and drugs work for us. Where would I be without them? But survival before pleasure. "I think we should pick up some shoes," I glance purposefully at her feet, "then go to Abberline House. They might know what's going on with the Viscalli bastards." My voice is low so only another vampire in close proximity can hear me. "They might be making moves against others of our clan."
Victoria: I sigh heavily, "All right, that's probably a wise idea. Although," I point at his chest, "for the record, you know I'm not fond of clan houses and if I have to go, I'd rather be looking my best. I don't want to give the old biddies anything to gossip about." The subway screeches to a halt and the doors slide open. The crowd surges out.
Sands: I grab Victoria's hand and we merge in with the masses. I can smell them and I'm glad I ate well last night. I usually only eat every fourth or fifth day. The older we get, the less we need. That doesn't mean I don't enjoy feeding. There's a deeply satisfying pleasure in it, whether I'm hungry or not. I can still taste the blood of that giant vampire from the last platform.
Victoria leads. I follow. We're playing the part of young people in love. Only, we're not young and it's more like lust at this point. I don't know if I've ever been in love. Well. Once. But love tends to hurt too much. And look what happened when I started to soften up with Ajedrez. Fuck it. I'll settle for the joys of the flesh and leave all the sappy stuff to the poets.
We're up on the streets. No sign of our shadows. I think we lost them. She leads us up and over and up again to the door of a fancy high-rise, much newer than my building.
Victoria: I slide a card in an electronic slot and the chrome doors slide open. I lead him to a row of elevators and we stand and wait for the cars to come down. An older couple walks up and looks at the two of us in a disapproving manner. I don't even acknowledge them, then coolly before the doors slide open I turn and look the man in the eyes. Nervously he tells his wife that they'll wait for the next car. I smile and Sands and I walk into the elevator.
It's all modern here. I don't really care for it that much. But it's new, secure and one of the best in town, I think it was built by the Donald Trump fellow. I prefer a touch of the old myself. The warmth of rich woods and the cool touch of marble.
The elevator quickly spirits us to the top floors. Not quite the penthouse but close enough. We exit, mine is the only apartment on this floor. The doors are straight ahead, I giggle to myself. wait until he sees the inside. It'll be a shock after all this modern metal and glass.
Sands: This building doesn't seem to match Victoria. She's all Old World and brightness. This place is cold and modern. There's an older couple at the elevators. They look at us with little scowls. I'd like to bite the guys' nose off the way he's looking at Victoria. So we're wet. Big fucking deal. So she's barefoot. I find it hard not to smile now.
The elevator comes and the old folks let us go. Old folks. What a joke. I'm hundreds of years older than them. It gets funnier as we ride up.
We get off somewhere on the 39th floor and I follow Victoria, watching, listening. No other vampires near us. She's opening the door. I watch.
Victoria: The key card opens the door with a flash of light and a buzz. I push open the door and motion for him to proceed. "After you," I sing. Once he's in I shut the door and activate the locks. I lean against the door and watch. "Go on," I urge.
The are two heavy velvet curtains framing the entrance, they're drawn now. Sands steps forward and moves one to the side. The floors are wooden and covered with Persian carpets, brightly colored and tasseled at the ends. The furniture is a mixture of styles, some from my time and some from the era of Queen Victoria. There are rich oil paints on the walls and huge arrangements of flower in Chinese vases. Tiffany stain glass lamps illuminate the room filling it with a soft glow. A large iron stair case wraps around the room reveling a series of doors on the landing. The room is off set by a row of French doors which give way to a balcony of tremendous size with one of those views New Yorkers would kill for. "Do you like It?" I ask.
Sands: "Impressive," I tell her. I am drawn to the paintings. Artistic jealousy and all that. "You didn't tell me you were a collector. Do you collect more than art?" I amuse myself by wondering if she has a room full of men ready to answer to her every need. I'd have to kill them all, of course.
Victoria: I smirk. "A few things." I walk across the room. "Make yourself comfortable. The kitchen is through that door under the stairs."
I take off my coat and hang it in a closet near the entrance. I'll have to have it cleaned. "I'm going to go up and take a quick shower and change. But please feel free to look around. I have a library upstairs, the last door there." I begin to walk up to the second floor and stop just in front of my bedroom door. "It's not as good as yours, though." I smile and disappear.
Entering my bedroom I slip out of my clothes and lay them carefully on the bed. I cross into my bathroom, which beside the kitchen is the only modern room in the house. Some things can't be avoided. I twist up my hair and slip into the shower. I can hear him moving about the apartment. I wonder what he's looking at.
Sands: I still feel restless. I move to the window and look out. It's snowing full out now. I can't even see to the street below. Nothing but gray out there. Turning, I follow her instructions to the library. It's not just a library. There's piano. I sit down and tinker a bit, then launch into a little jazzy blues that matches the weather, all dark and gloomy and full of pain, even without the words. It's a nice piano, and the acoustics in her place are good with all the wood.
Victoria: The sounds of the piano lilt through the house. I smile. He's very talented; art, music. I like him and I don't like many of our kind at all, although he's not the type to stick around. I can see that, so I should not let myself get too attached. Just have fun, it's hard to find things that are fun to do after you've lived for 200 years. Things kind of melt together.
I step out of the shower and dry off. I hum along with the melody he's playing. I don't think I've heard it before, but I seem to know the song. I walk back into my bedroom and pull out a set of lacy black underware and matching bra. Victoria's Secrets. I love that name. If they only knew the secrets I've got hidden beneath their product.
I go to the closet and pull out a set of black leather boots, they'll go well with the outfit Sands has provided.
Sands: I can hear her moving around I her bedroom and I restrain from going to join her before she can get dressed. We have work to do first.
Thinking of what she and I will do later, my mood and music change. She did say she likes to dance. I wonder where we'll end up.
Victoria: I sit down at my vanity and begin to apply makeup. I know I don't need it, but that's what women do, they always strive for perfection. I put on just enough to bring out my features and then run a brush through my hair. I decide to braid it tonight. One long thick braid. I run a black, silky ribbon through it.
Soon I'm once again dressed in the outfit that Sands bought for me. With the addition of Prada boots. I'm ready to go. I stop and look in the mirror before heading to the library. I' m still humming.
Sands: Thinking about tonight, I also am forced to think about going to Abberline House. I wonder if there's a way for me to isolate Victoria so she doesn't talk to anyone except maybe Salvator or some of the Guardians. Those socialites, and in my world that's an insult, are bound to start filling her in on my history. All from their twisted point of view. I get angry just thinking about them.
My playing comes to an abrupt halt. I'm getting antsy now. I want to get moving. I want a drink, too, but it's best to have all my wits just in case there's a few of the Viscallies waiting for us when we leave.
Victoria: I enter the room, "Why did you stop playing?" I ask one hand on my hip one leg slightly extended. "It was beautiful."
Sands: I'm confused. She's snapped me out of my ruminations and I'm no longer sure if I'm angry or horny. Horny. She looks mighty fine in those black leather pants. And those lips. They're so full. I know people these days inject crap into their lips to get that look.
Standing, I move over to her and put my hands on her hips. "You're in danger of being ravished looking this good," I tell her.
Victoria: I smile and push him away, "I though we had places to go?" I tease, although I'd love to thrown him down on the floor and straddle him right now. "Did you want to go to clan house now, or can we go there later?" I take him by the hand and lead him down the stairs into the living room. "I have tickets to the art show, and I think you said something about dancing. Both sound better then and evening of scrutiny."
Sands: "I think we'll live longer if we swallow the evening of scrutiny," I shrug. "It won't take long. We'll talk to the Guardians, fill them in." I think a moment. "You have a car?"
Victoria: I nod and go to the phone. I dial the garage. "Julio, this is Miss Dupree. Yes, I'd like the car. Five minutes, Thank you." I put the receiver down.
Sands moved up beside me. "Could you get me a coat please, the black one behind the fur. I have a message here on the machine I need to check." Sands nods and steps away. I press that annoying little blinking red light.
The tape rewinds and then plays. "Victoria, this is Georgio. We didn't hear from you last night. Is everything all right? Are you coming to the opening tonight? Would you like me to come around and get you? Call me - kiss, kiss." My hand went to my lips to cover a smile. I erased the message. I know Sands heard that, I wonder if he's jealous?
Sands: She has a lot of fur coats. I think PETA could use her place for a rally point. She did say black. Oh, it's not fur. This is a heavy wool coat. Very stylish. Long. I pull it off the hanger and flip it over my arm. I can hear the message machine playing from some prick named Gerogio. Sounds gay.
I come up behind her and help her into her coat. "Ready?"
Victoria: "Yes." I let him help me slip into my coat. "Oh wait, I need to get a few things." I go to a table across the room and slide open a drawer. I pull out a few hundred dollars and slip it into the pocket of my leather pants. I return to Sands' side. Just before we exit I stop him. "Sands?" I run my fingers along the collar of his coat. "What's your real name?"
Sands: I think my mouth hung open there for a moment like a dead fish's. "My real name is Sands," I tell her. "Sheldon Jeffrey Sands. Esquire once upon a time. It's no secret. I just prefer Sands."
Victoria: "Alright that's all I wanted to know," we exit and take a different elevator to the garage. Julio is waiting for us with the car. It's a sliver Mercedes Benz. I smile at Sands. "You drive." And I cross to the other side. Julio scrambles to open the door for me. "Thank you," I reply.
Sands: Okay, this is better. I get into the car, glad the upholstery is leather so my wetness won't ruin anything." The heater is already going and I'll be almost dry by the time we reach the house.
She directs me and we exit the garage. Windshield wipers keep up a rhythmic skisk-skisk across the glass. I turn the lights on and we head north.
The drive from her house would normally be less than twenty minutes, but it's still time for the masses to be rushing home from work, so it takes us almost forty-five minutes until the beams of the headlights illuminate the massive wrought-iron gates.
There's an electronic box set on a stick. I press the call button there and wave up at the camera that is focused down on us. "It's Sands and a friend," I say into the box.
The doors silently swing open and we drive in. Abberline house has a very long driveway. There are lots of trees on the grounds and a high wall and hedges, all engineered to keep the comings and goings as private as possible.
The driveway turns in front of the mansion, which is made of a gold-tone stone. The lights are on, making it look like a treasure box. I pull the Mercedes up to one of the open spots and we get out. I leave the keys in the ignition. No one steals cars from our clan house.
I can tell Victoria is a little nervous. She loops her arm through mine as we walk up the steps and one of the hopefuls opens the doors.
Victoria: It is lovely inside and really screams of money. The floors of the entry are black and white checkered marble and a few stairs descend into a sunken foyer. An ornate mahogany staircase rises to the second level on both sides of the room. Large iron candelabras hang from the ceiling. There are a lot of people here tonight and they all turn to see who approaches.
Sands: It's show time.
To be continued.