CHAPTER SEVEN – "Ask Josef"

The veal cordon bleu was superb. I noticed that my wine glass held sparkling pear juice, which was delicious, as well as suspicious. Over dinner, Mick explained that he wanted our marriage to be blessed by a priest, which I agreed to; we both had a kind of yearning to get back so some kind of spirituality that had been missing in our lives, and now seemed terribly appropriate, probably since we both felt that this great miracle—"US"—was some kind of divine gift, and we were both very thankful. But—the priest would come later. For now—we were going to VEGAS!

"I spent some time with Josef today, and he had his 'entourage' on hand to work out every detail for us, so—if it's all right with you, my dear, you will become Mrs. St. John next week—that would be Thursday, May twenty-second. Can you be there?"

He looked at me expectantly--he was so excited! I giggled and reached for my glass.

"That's fine, Mick—are we doing a nudist wedding by chance, since I won't have any time to get a dress?"

He looked thoughtful. "Now that IS a great idea! I should have thought of that!" He put another spoonful of pilaf on my plate. "Eat hearty—there's plenty!"

"This is SO good, Mick. I'm just loving your cooking! I feel so special!"

"Well, as far as I'm concerned, you are as special as special gets! I'm glad you like it! Now, back to the details. Keep eating! I'll talk." I nodded and kept chewing.

"Josef says it's all arranged. We'll fly on one of his private jets to Las Vegas, accompanied by our witnesses, Josef and Simone, if that's okay," My eyes opened wide, but I simply nodded and kept chewing.

"There we will check into the bridal suite at the Wynn." He watched my face and reacted with a little smile as I raised both eyebrows.

"Wow! The Wynn! That's very luxurious!" I took another bite and watched him watching me. I couldn't help but smile.

"Well, it seems that Josef and Steve Wynn are good friends, so I guess the red carpet will be rolled out for us! Anyway, after we get settled, the Wynn limo will take us to The Piazza, which is right next door, and there we will have people waiting to help us find our perfect wedding attire!

"Ohhh! I love shopping! But--if it's a place Josef has chosen, I'm not sure I'll be able to afford a dress!"

"Josef insists that all the wedding expenses are his gift to us. He wants us to have a day to remember, in his words. I also think he's trying to butter us up--but--that's all right with me. So, after we arrive at this Piazza, Josef and I will head to the Men's Monkey Suit Department at Barneys, and you and Simone will be welcomed by a staff in the Bridal Department at Diane von Furstenberg, and you will be helped in the selection of your dresses! So—how does it sound so far?"

I knew my mouth was hanging open, but when Mick's finger touched my chin, I was a little embarrassed.

"It's okay, honey. You can close your mouth. This is just chump change for Josef! He's having as much fun with this as we are! Besides, he's thinking about a long weekend away with Simone, I'm sure!

"You have to be kidding, Mick! This is WAY more than I ever expected! Private jet! A wedding gown! My gosh!"

"Nothing but the best! Josef insists, and I'm letting him. He owes me—big time! So the question is—can you make it? Can you give Talbot the information tomorrow and take off work for two weeks? I should say, two weeks alone with me?" He grinned and I blushed.

"I guess so—TWO WEEKS! Mick, what are we doing for two weeks?" His leer was unmistakable and I laughed out loud. "I mean—besides THAT!"

He pouted for a second. "Oh! I was under the impression that THAT was what we needed to get away for!"

I dabbed my mouth with my napkin and leaned over to kiss him. "THAT is exactly what I want to do—probably 24 hours a day! I'm just wondering where we're going to do THAT for two weeks!"

"Oh—um—it's kind of a surprise." His one eyebrow went up, as if wanting to know if I was going to press him for more information. He was so cute and happy—I didn't really want to ruin his surprise, but I felt I did need a little more information!

"Do I bring bikinis or a parka?" He took both of my hands in his, glancing again at the sparkling bauble on my left ring finger. "I love the look of my ring on you, Beth," he said softly, then looked up at me, eyes gentle, full of passion. "I'd say, don't bring much, since you'll be spending most of the time with no clothes on, just the ring will be enough, but warm weather items for when we go out once in a while will be good."

"Hmmmmm. Very mysterious, my vampire lover! Just as long as we're not heading for Transylvania, I'm happy!" We both laughed.

Mick gathered up the dishes and together we quickly loaded them into the dishwasher, which was one of those very cool foreign deals that washed the dishes in a drawer! He had the best appliances! He packed a little overnight bag again, and we headed to my car. He talked about how great this was going to be, and I agreed—I had never seen the Wynn, but it was new and I was sure it would be wonderful.

"I told Josef we'd want a couple of days in Vegas, if you don't mind, before we take off for our final destination. I know how you like Dashboard Confessional, so I got tickets for Friday night. They're playing at the Hard Rock.

"Really? Mick! That's so great! But we'll have to get dressed," I said smiling into his eyes.

"Oh, it will be tough to be dressed for a few hours, but that will just make getting back to our suite all the sweeter!" I heartily agreed.

Mick drove my car back to my place, got out and opened the door for me. We walked holding hands to the door, while I thought about what a gentleman Mick was—I had to admit that I loved some of his 'old fashioned' habits, like the way he opened the doors for me, and how he always kept an arm around my waist as we walked, just little things, but things that told me he cared about me and wanted to treat me like something very precious to him. I felt the same way—I'd donate a kidney or give all my worldly posessions away for him! My gosh, this feeling for I had for him was so strong! It surprised me, yet it didn't, because this was Mick, and Mick was far beyond anything my girlish imagination had ever conjured in my dreams of the one perfect man for me.

We got to my door, which he opened for me, let me enter first, and then as soon as we were inside with the door closed, he threw his bag on the floor and picked me up off of the floor, bringing my face up to his, then kissing me ardently while my feet dangled in midair. I felt light as a feather, and intensely aware of him, his body clutching me to his, his kisses sweet and eager. After a minute, he let me slide down his body until my feet met the floor. As soon as I was on solid ground, I began taking his clothes off, coat first, then pulling his Henley over his head. He got busy as well, and soon we were simply stripping each other of all clothing, throwing the garments in a tell-tale path all the way to the bedroom, arriving at the bed naked and wanting, falling together into the soft mattress, eager for each other as we touched, tasted, groped and stroked. My heart raced just looking at his perfect naked body! He literally looked good enough to eat! Hmmm. Good idea!

"Ah, Beth. I can't stop wanting you. I try to think of other things during the day, but it doesn't work. I need you so much—I can't wait until we get away together!" We held each other, kissing hungrily. I wanted him badly, but wanted to please him as much as he pleased me. And after only a few days, I did know what he liked! I smiled at him as I slid down his body, taking my tongue and running it lightly from the little cleft in his chin on down his neck and chest, then circling his perfect little nipples with my tongue until they stood tight and erect, listening to him moan with pleasure as I kept moving my tongue on down, down to his navel and below, tickling slightly as I went, enjoying listening to him groan. I reached the place where his pubic hair stood out like a wild bush, surrounding a very large, very aroused male organ. I couldn't resist; I had to touch it. I took a hold of it at the base firmly with my right hand, and moved up and down. Mick shifted on the bed and groaned some more. I took my tongue to his sack and tickled him there while my fingers pressed against him just behind his scrotum, and this caused the reward of yet more guttural sounds coming from deep in his chest.

"Beth, you're going to kill me, baby! Ohhhhhh. OHHHHH!!" he shouted as I suckled one large testicle fully into my mouth, then did the same with the other one. I could see that his hands gripped the bedding and his knuckles were turning white. From there I took my tongue up the underside of his long, thick shaft, stopping at that little spot on the underside just below the head, where I had already discovered he was exquisitely tender. My tongue flicked that spot a few times until he was beginning to thrash on the bed a little bit. So I decided to put him out of his misery. Still grasping him low and firmly with my hand, I put as much of him into my mouth as I could swallow without being choked to death. He was HUGE, but he tasted like Mick, which was honey on my tongue! I began an up and down motion with my mouth as my hand assisted me by pumping, pleasuring him.
"AHH! Beth! Oh!"

"MMMMMhmmmmm" I answered, busy and happy to have the object of my desire under my control! I wanted to drive him crazy—it was only fair! He had done it so often to me lately! The rhythm got faster as he began to move his hips, and I heard him panting when I stopped long enough to lick and suck him hard. He moaned and moved under me as I loved him with my mouth, and as I stroked him with my tongue and hand, I felt his hands move down into my hair, and soon they were pushing my head down, as I opened for him, letting him slide part way down my throat. I was literally swallowing a python, I thought, but having him in my mouth, so deep and so intimate, was getting me so hot and wet that I couldn't help myself from groaning along with Mick. I felt him stretch his legs out straight, as he sucked in his breath, and I knew he was close to the edge, so I kept on with my motions until I felt him tense up, saw him lift his head up off the bed as he came, with long, pulsing, shuddering movements, emptying what was not there, moaning and sighing as I stroked him, sounding as though he was dying of pleasure. He groaned and trembled as wave after wave engulfed him, and as he slowly returned to himself, he withdrew his fingers from my hair, allowing me to come up for air. I sighed and kissed his shaft, suckling him to completeness. Then I laid my head down on his thigh while he continued to catch his breath, which was coming out short and choppy, while I, still holding him firmly, began kissing his skin, so tender down there in the secret place, loving the soft hair of his thigh under my cheek. I reveled in the sensations and scents that surrounded me, content to have pleased him.

After a minute, he reached down and put his hands under my arms, pulling me slowly up over his naked, muscular body, then rolling me onto my back. He kissed me hard as he parted my legs with one knee and penetrated me swiftly with dead-on accuracy, hitting the target with amazing precision, an arrow to the bull's-eye. I gasped and gripped his upper arms, so hard in my hands, aware of his muscles bulging as they supported his weight. I was rocking and pushing with him at a frenetic pace, feeling that he was as desperate as I to join this way, to thrust deeply, as though that could possibly satisfy the need to get even closer! Oh, but this was satisfying! My God! It's just that it was SO GOOD--as far as it went--but I needed more—more of something I didn't understand. He was practically bruising my insides, yet I wanted more and more, as though the more we gave each other, the more we wanted; I knew he felt the same way, somehow, as if with him inside of me, I could see into his mind, and also I knew from the way he pushed himself into me, over and over, with wild abandon that he felt the urgent need as well. He reached down and brought my legs up so they went up over each of his shoulders, giving him even deeper access to my center as he pushed on, hammering me, desperate for that—something—I couldn't define. In a moment, I felt my muscles contract around him, squeezing in pleasurable pulses, and as I began to cry out, he, too, was taken over by the pleasure our bodies were giving each other, and I felt him letting go inside of me, both of us crying out for the other, so filled and fulfilled, yet still knowing somehow it wasn't enough!

"OH, GOD, MICK!" I cried, my body convulsing as his body battered mine, feeling both wonderfully complete and yet—not quite. How could we ever find a way to satisfy the hunger of wanting the other so badly? What would completely sate us? I was only slightly surprised when I felt his fangs sink into the tender skin inside of my upper arm, and I gave myself up to him, allowing his mouth on me to suck my life's blood into him, becoming part of him, and at last the feeling of complete abandon and release came over me, causing me to buck and cry out as the intensity of the orgasm, combined with his fangs in my flesh brought me to that place I had yearned to find: a place of complete and utter surrender to him, my lover, my friend, my vampire angel who, in feasting on my tender flesh, tasting me, savoring me, finally brought me to a state of complete and utter ecstacy! In giving myself up to him like this, allowing him to join us this way, we both found the balm we were seeking, the giving and taking so totally selfless, that we felt the bond of something way beyond ourselves joining us, telling us that this was it, this was our nirvana, this was ecstasy as it was meant to be between a man and a woman. I was vaguely aware that I was shuddering under him as he poured his soul into mine and took my life into his body with his tongue and his teeth.

I might have lost consciousness for a few seconds, I'm not sure. I only know that I felt almost as though I had left my body for a moment. When I returned, I was completely spent, and apparently, so was Mick, since he lay on top of me, breathing hard, trying to regain some level of control. I could barely breathe with his body still bearing me down into the bed, but air wasn't even important to me as I savored the simple joy of having his body on mine, heavy and precious. I was still trembling slightly from the both the intense physical contact, as well as the extreme emotional connection I felt with him.

My eyes were full of tears again as I kissed his cheek, an act of intimacy which also seemed to serve as a way to bring him back into the present. He rolled slightly to the side, but didn't pull out of me, and without even opening his eyes, he simply put his arm around me and pulled me tight against him as he slung one long leg over my hip. My mouth was at his neck. I lightly kissed his Adam's apple, his jaw, licked the indentation where his neck met his chest, murmured my love against his skin. MMMMMmmm. Mick! My beautiful Mick!. I could never get enough of him! My tears spilled over and ran down his skin. He moaned softly again, still semi-catatonic. As I lay in his embrace, I wondered at the warm glow inside of me, still flooding me with contentment with each beat of my heart, spreading that glow through my entire body. I felt as if I had been lit up from the inside, and I momentarily wondered if I was glowing. My toes curled with pleasure.

"My God, Mick!" I said, breaking the silence of our reverie, sniffing and drying my tears on his chest.

"I know," he mumbled into my hair. "If we keep this up, the way things are escalating, I'm afraid we're going to kill each other with pleasure!"

"I know!" I rasped, my throat raw and dry from the activity and crying out. "I wonder if two, young healthy people have ever actually done this to the death. The fourth "F," isn't it? Is it always this strong a force?"

He was silent for several heartbeats. I wondered if he was even conscious. Then he said in a serious voice, low and ragged, "Sometimes that's what I'm afraid of, Beth. I've never had an experience with a human before, but this just seems to be getting so very--intense. I think I'm going to have to ask Josef about this."

"Really? Is it that. . ."

"Yeah, Beth—it's that good—it's not supposed to be this good with a human, I'm told. Here I was expecting you to be mild mannered and in control, and I find I have a beautiful little she-wolf who knows how to strip me completely of myself, causing me to go vamp before I even realize what I'm doing! I'm used to being the one in control! I think I might have to find out if we're getting ourselves in trouble here!"

"Mick?"

"Yeah, honey—what?" He still sounded pretty out of it.

"Get me in trouble. If that's what trouble is, I don't care!"

"Be careful what you say when you're with a vampire, Beth" he said in a low, serious voice. You don't understand yet, but you could definitely get into more trouble than you bargained for!"

"That's okay with me, Mick. I want it all--Mick?"

I heard the steady, even breaths in my ear. He was sleeping. And as I listened to his breathing so close to me, so comforting, I fell asleep in his arms.

I woke several hours later. There was a chocolate mint on Mick's pillow with a note. I groggily unfolded it, and tried to focus my eyes on his handwriting.

"Beth, my love, I'll be back in time to take you out for breakfast. I've gone to run a few errands. I miss you every moment I'm away from you. See you soon. Love, Mick"

--

Mick was sitting in Josef's house, having awakened his friend, who now sat in his silk robe, sipping his favorite O-positive from a tall tumbler. Mick joined him in his breakfast. Josef's smile was incredulous.

"So, buddy, you're telling me that the sex is TOO good? I'm sorry, but I can't seem to find any problem in that." He looked at Mick, a little puzzled, and very amused. Mick was still young, as far as vampires go, but explaining sex to him was kind of like giving him the father-son talk before the wedding!

"You know, you're making me feel VERY old, coming to me for advice on sex!"

"I'm sorry, Josef, but who can I talk to? I mean, you ARE older—you've had a LOT more sex in your life than I've had! This is new to me! I mean, there was always this unwritten rule about us not getting involved with humans, Josef—and that advice even came from YOU! And now I find out you didn't stick to your own advice, and here I am with the one girl in the whole world who is my soul-mate, and I'm almost afraid to make love to her! I want to know—what was it like for you?"

"Well, what do you want to know?"

"I'm sorry to have to ask you this, Josef, don't answer if you think it's too painful, but—how was it with Sarah? What do you feel with Simone? I can't understand what's happening between Beth and me!"

Josef looked his friend in the eyes, seeing his pain, seeing that he was truly worried. This wasn't a joke to Mick! Josef swirled the deep red liquid in his glass, watching it, thinking about what to say before he said it.

Mick simply waited, hoping Josef would be able to shed some light on this situation and help out. After living four hundred years, the man ought to know something helpful!

"I don't want you to feel uncomfortable here, Mick. I appreciate that you think I can help you. I'm not sure I can, but let's talk. I'll tell you about my experiences—hopefully that will give you some new insights into this problem you think you have with Beth. Okay? Okay."

"That's fair, and thanks," Mick said, picking up his glass and taking a swallow.

"Sarah was probably the love of my life, Mick. And we were together for a long time before I found out that she knew what I was. The sex was great—it was warm, compassionate, satisfying. We had a good sex life! She understood the sex would change after I turned her, and she wanted to experience that too—she said she wanted it "all." She gave me her informed consent—it just didn't work out." He paused, getting a faraway look in his eyes for a moment, then he quickly returned to the present.

"After she went into the coma, I felt as though I had a hole inside of me that could never be filled again. I wanted her back so badly Mick—I went to every vamp I knew and asked if there was anything I could do! I was desperate for her! And it wasn't the sex, Mick, it was HER. I wanted HER, human or vampire, it didn't matter. She knew me and understood me as nobody ever had."

Mick saw the moistness in Josef's eyes and appreciated his honesty. "Hey—I'm so sorry, Josef. Now I finally understand that kind of love, and honestly, without Beth, I don't know if I could even keep living!"

"You would, but yeah—it's like that. But the sex—it was good because it was Sarah, not because it was so GOOD, you know? And the other sex I've had with human women, well, it wasn't all that earth-shattering, you know? But fun and pleasurable is good when you're lonely! And it's the same with Simone, but she wants me to turn her, so the sex will obviously change, but she's already okay with the biting, so really, the sex is pretty great! Is this helping you?"

Mick was looking into the glass in his hands, turning it quickly back and forth in his palms, thinking if it were cream in there, he'd soon have butter. He listened intently to Josef, but wasn't hearing what he really wanted to know.

"Compare the human sex to vamp sex, Josef."

Josef gave him a raised eyebrow look.

"Just humor me, okay? This is very important to me!"

"Hey, brother!" Josef blurted out, "You were probably the champion of vamp sex with Coraline! You know the difference! It's like the difference between hitting a shrub with your car when you pull into your driveway versus being run over by a semi in your compact! Am I right? I mean, all of us were insanely jealous of what you and Coraline had! Is that it? Sex with Beth isn't like the sex with Coraline? But no—you said the sex with Beth was 'too good,' so at this point, I am the confused one."

"Coraline—that—was, it was like survival of the fittest! Sex with her was like a rugby death match! She practically tore me apart! Honestly, I don't know why I kept going back! Yeah, it was intense and it was pleasurable in its own sick way, but it was dangerous!" His eyes suddenly changed as he looked at his friend, sitting calmly, listening, trying to understand what the problem was. Mick's eyes took on a wild, worried look.

"Maybe its ME, Josef! Maybe it's something wrong with ME! Maybe it wasn't even Coraline! I mean, I did as much damage to her as she did to me! Geez! That's not love, that's just pure insanity!"

"Well, it might be love. . ."

"NO! I know the difference now! I've experienced true love now! I can't believe what we share together, Josef—I sit in awed silence watching her sleep afterwards, and I can't understand it—this thing that's between us! It's. . ." his breath caught in his throat and emotions overwhelmed him.

Josef, surprised by the emotion, leaned over and put a hand on Mick's arm. "You really are in love with her, aren't you, man?"

Mick looked at his friend, eyes filling, then catching himself, gaining control. "I love her more than anything, Josef. And when we—are—together—"

"When you and Beth have sex. . .what is it, Mick? What are you afraid of?"

"I feel like, like I'm so lost in her, so lost in the moment, and she—she's so giving and willing and I completely lose my head, man! I mean, like last night—I bit her, and I bit her not just to taste, but—it was like I wasn't even there for a second, I was drinking her in and she was giving back all of herself, and. . ."

Josef felt a pull low in his groin. He almost wanted to close his eyes and imagine he was Mick for a moment—with Beth—on the bed—oh, man, what every guy dreamed of! Now Mick had it! Josef couldn't help the tiny stab of jealousy, but he soon snapped out of it. This was his best friend! He smiled at Mick and raised his glass.

"Here's to what we all crave, Mick, and it sounds as though you've found it—love and sex blending into that complete bliss we all seek but rarely experience. Thank the Universe for this gift, Brother! Don't be worrying!"

"But I'm afraid I'm going to kill her, Josef! I'm afraid I'll lose all control and I'll just go bezerk on her and I'll drain her and she'll be dead!"

Josef sat back again, watching Mick's face with an intense, analytical gaze. "But that isn't your real fear, is it, Mick? Your real fear is that you are going to turn her, because we both know that if that happened, and you totally vamped out on her and drained her, you'd feed her your blood and she'd become one of us. THAT is your real fear, isn't it?"

Mick sat looking miserable. "I guess, yeah, that's really a fear That's it."

"But why, Mick? Would she REALLY be mad at you? Tell her now! Tell her before you marry her that there is ALWAYS that possibility that you might accidentally go off and turn her! She needs to know this. It's a fact we can't deny—we sometimes do turn the lovers we're with. Just let her know ahead of time, and she'll be okay with it! I'll bet you a million dollars that she will! Why? Because she LOVES you Mick! She loves you! She wants to be with you forever and if you turn her—she will be! You'll be a great teacher, Mick. It will all work out okay. Trust me. But you do have to be honest with Beth."

Mick looked at Josef with eyes that were stricken.

"What Mick!" Josef was genuinely concerned. "It hasn't happened, has it? Have you already turned her? What is it?"

"Josef—Beth is pregnant. I can't turn her. It would kill both her and the baby."