AN: I'm not sure if this uploaded properly, so I deleted and reposted. Sorry if you got double alerts or anything.

EDIT: It still didn't upload properly, so this is the second time I'm reposting. Hope it works this time...

Chapter 3:

The girl was still asleep when the sun came up and she continued to sleep while I showered and continued through my morning beauty regimen. I wasn't being particularly quiet as I busied about the room but the venom and the blood loss would render her lethargic for most of the day, so I let her sleep a little more while I brushed my hair and got dressed, watching her as I did so, admiring her peacefulness. The covers came partway up her back and her skin was pale mocha and the sunlight was soft off her chocolate-colored hair. She was a sweet girl, really. Finally I reached into the bed and touched her ankle and shook her gently.

"Leah? Sorry to wake you, but I really have to get going."

She stirred, eyes fluttering. She realized she wasn't at home and startled slightly before remembering where she was. "Oh," she said. "Shit. Um…yeah. I'll just, uh…"

She was blinking and squinting about the room. I patted her ankle again.

"Take your time," I said. "I'll make you some coffee while you get dressed."

I went out into the kitchen and put the coffee on and she came wandering out of the bedroom just as it was ready, dressed in the same clothes she had worn last night, jeans and a jacket, her face hastily wiped free of makeup. When she saw me, she smiled. Kind of shy, kind of not. I poured the coffee for her and placed it on the counter.

"Thanks," she said, taking the mug in both hands and lifting it into a sip.

I nodded and put the pot back, studying her neck briefly. The twin marks in her throat were so small that I could hardly notice them myself and judging from her demeanour she hadn't noticed them either. She was still holding the mug to her lips and she was trying to drink the scalding liquid quickly.

"How are you feeling?" I asked.

She weighed the question. She realized I was inquiring after her emotional state after engaging in underage sex with a complete stranger while under the influences of alcohol and marijuana and for some reason this made her smile. She nodded a couple times. "I'm good," she said.

"Are you sure?"

She nodded, sipping. I watched her for a moment and then I nodded as well, pleased there wouldn't be any complications. Not right away, at least.

She finished her coffee pretty quickly and soon I was ushering her out of the apartment. I made a little bit of small talk, mostly to gauge her mood, and I was delighted to find her handling it quite well. No regrets, no weirdness, treating the event casually but with enough gravity to assure me she wouldn't be reckless in who she mentioned it too. After all, if her "stupid bitch" mother found out—her words, not mine—I could very well be arrested. Still, that was the chance I had taken. Inviting her into my apartment last night hadn't been the wisest decision I had ever made but I had been desperate and frustrated and in the end it had actually been quite worth it.

Despite her coolness, however, I did worry for her emotions. Even from just that one night, she seemed to have developed a rather strong attachment to me. I could see it in her eyes. I supposed it was understandable. I was an adult and I treated her like an adult as well. I was sympathetic. Understanding. Affectionate. And, most importantly, sexy as fuck. Of course, I had only been using her, but she didn't know that. As far as she could tell, I was something of a dream come true, and the hope of a date or a relationship was only half-hidden in her coy glances as she stood on the sunlit balcony to say goodbye.

It posed something of a problem. I had no interest in a relationship, naturally, but I certainly didn't want to hurt or anger her. Not only was I guilty of statutory rape but look at her badass leather jacket—the girl was obviously dangerous. Well, she tried hard to look that way. So I figured the best thing to do would be to leave her dangling and hope she would lose interest on her own. It was possible. It was also possible the memory of last night would grow into a fixation that led to desperation and stalking but what were the chances of that?

She was squinting up at the sun, still not fully awake yet. I was slightly weary of the sun myself, being a vampire and all. I wasn't about to burn to ash but I did prefer the moonlight. She shielded her eyes with her hand and looked up at me.

"So, um…thanks for last night," she said. "That was pretty cool of you, to invite me in like that."

I smiled and touched her shoulder. "I'm glad I could help," I said. "And listen, I'm not exactly sure what's going on with you and your mom, but if you ever need someone to talk to—someone who knows what you're going through—you come see me, okay?"

"Okay. I guess I'll, uh…see you around."

"Sure thing. Take care, sweetie."

I leaned and placed a kiss on her cheek, catching the corner of her mouth just to tease her. She smirked and stood there for a minute to watch the back of my jeans as I progressed down the balcony.

That morning I had a meeting with this chick called Victoria. She was the assistant to James Mathers of Mathers Photography and she was in charge of all his bookings and making sure the models showed up when they were supposed to. Usually a phone call would suffice but we were sort of friends as well so we got together occasionally to flirt and act catty about the other models. She was bisexual, which intrigued me, but she routinely fucked her boss, which didn't. Pity. She was every bit as sexy as the models she organized, albeit rather trashier. She had long red hair and big tits and she like to wear tubetops and tight jeans that showed the waistband of her underwear. Ordinarily a nice redheaded ho would be quite the dish, but in Victoria's case I had always found it hard to move past the taint her boss left on her. James was a brilliant photographer, but he was also a misogynistic twat, and I'd prefer not to have my mouth anywhere near where his had been.

So Victoria and I were only friends, even though she often made it clear she was open to more, preferably in the form of a threeway. Regardless of my disinterest, she like to put a personal touch on our meetings, and today we were supposed to meet at the River Café for breakfast, although by the time I arrived I found her not really in any condition to eat. She had been seated at a table on the terrace overlooking the water and she looked completely wasted, for lack of a better word. Her eyes were covered by huge black sunglasses and when she took them off I could see they were red and bloodshot. She greeted me in a limp fashion and ordered a black espresso from the waiter. I ordered a tea, sighing disapprovingly at my red haired friend. She was wearing the same green satin halter she had been clubbing in last night and I could smell the spilt alcohol on it along with a skanky musk of sweat and stale perfume. Either she had forgotten our appointment this morning or she was simply an irresponsible slut. My guess was the latter.

Neither of us ordered breakfast for our own various reasons and soon she had her iPad out on the table as we went over the dates of my forthcoming photo shoots. My next shoot was tomorrow afternoon, at five o'clock sharp. It would be a duet of sorts with a woman named Rosalie Hale whom Victoria described as un-fucking-real. She showed me a picture of a goddess-like blonde wearing a white sling bikini and I actually felt a flicker of jealousy at the utter perfection of her body. Well, well. It's not every day I meet my match in a mere human. This shoot was going to be interesting. Victoria made a few playfully degrading comments about her and then put her iPad away and slurped on the coffee. The sun was very high in the sky by now, no clouds, and she kept glancing at it as if it was deliberately being so bright just to annoy her.

"Ugh," she said. "This fucking sun."

I nodded in agreement. I like a sunny day as much as anyone, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't more of a night creature. I sipped my tea and set it back on the saucer. "Late night last night?" I asked her, finally inquiring into the obvious.

She snorted as if the word late didn't quite capture it. "Yeah, out all night partying with James. We only got back to his apartment, like, three hours ago. Barely got an hour sleep and then I had to rush here."

"What were you doing for the other two hours?"

She grinned with that whore-ish pride women like her seem to come by. I cringed daintily with the tea at my lips and set the cup back on the saucer.

"What?" she said innocently.

I looked at her dryly. "Is screwing your boss in the job description for an assistant?"

She chuckled and ignored the question. Like me, she had a very casual attitude on sex. Unlike me, she had absolutely no standards. She took another swig of coffee. "So when are you gonna come with us out to the club one night? James really likes you, you know. Why do you think he keeps hiring you? He could shoot any model he wants."

"And I could go to any studio I want, too."

"Come on, don't be so stuck up. Listen, why don't we all go out after the shoot tomorrow night? We could have a lot of fun together, the three of us."

"That's very flattering, but I think I'll pass."

"Come on, I know you like the ladies."

"Ladies, yes. Men, on the other hand…"

"Come on, don't be such a dyke. You need to loosen up a little. Who knows, you might even like it. And if you don't, I'll be there. James likes to just watch sometimes."

I shook my head and finished my tea. Perhaps I would've been a little more tempted if the woman had actually showered this morning but as it stood I think I would've preferred to fuck myself with a cactus than her and her sleazebag boyfriend. I set the empty cup down with a light clink. "I appreciate the offer, Victoria, but I'm afraid I'm still going to have to pass," I said. "In any case, I happen to be seeing someone, and I doubt she'd approve of a casual threeway on the side."

She seemed disappointed but she let it go. "Suit yourself."

I stood up and took some money out of my purse. "Actually, I wanted to surprise her at work this morning, so I better get going."

"Alright, just don't forget: first shoot tomorrow afternoon, five o'clock at the studio."

"I'll be there."

She nodded and slipped her sunglasses back on, flagging the waiter for another coffee. I waved at her with my fingers and continued across the terrace.

By the time I got to the mall there was a smile on my face and a spring in my step. I was going to see Alice and the thought filled me with joy. I couldn't wait to see her face when I surprised her, the smile that would undoubtedly light up her every feature, the delight in her eyes to find her prospective girlfriend coming to visit her at work for no reason at all other than to just see her. A sweet gesture, no? Of course it was. I didn't kid myself into believing the gesture would garner me a reward in pussy, of course, but hopefully it would at least score me some points in the commitment department. At the very least it demonstrated that I took great pleasure in her company and enjoyed being with her, even with her clothes on.

I chuckled at myself as I strode through the mall purposefully, through throngs of shoppers and up an escalator. On our first date she had explained to me that she worked at a place called the One Honey Boutique, a fashion chain that I actually knew quite well. They carried several designers that I had modelled for, including Runaway and Wilde Heart and their own line of Honey Couture. She was a salesgirl, which was actually her dream job until she could attain her dream career of being a designer. The store was on the third floor, in a more sweetly scented area of the mall populated by women in heels and skirtsuits moving among makeup counters and stands of handbags and purses and racks and racks of clothes. Paradise, in other words. I went among the stores with assurance until I found a plateglass window with three words in curly gold letters across it:

One Honey Boutique.

I smiled. How aptly named. I knew of one honey in particular I would find in there, and with that thought, I adjusted my hair, brightened my smile, and sauntered inside.

Alice was arranging some stock and even the mere sight of her caused a wave of pleasure to wash over me. Her uniform consisted of a white blouse and black pants and the pants were tight about her butt, her tiny cute amazing little butt. The feeling in my chest was tight as well and it got tighter as she turned around and saw me, lighting up with delight exactly as I had envisioned, but cuter, prettier, more beautiful. I approached her and her smile grew sassy.

"Hi," she said as if I was any other customer. "What can I do for you?"

"Mmm," I murmured, gazing at her hungrily and putting my hands at her hips. "So many things."

She giggled and pushed at my hands playfully, glancing about the shop. We seemed to be mostly alone, aside from two other salesgirls and a couple customers. She gave me a quick peck on the lips and said:

"So what's up? What are you doing here?"

"Just came by to see you," I said. "Ever since last night, I can't stop thinking about you."

"Me either," she admitted cutely.

"I thought maybe I could hang out for a bit. Are you busy?"

"Not really, it's pretty slow today."

I nodded and looked around. Beside us was the window display with several mannequins and one of them caught my eye. It was the one in a pink ultra-short cocktail dress. The mannequins were all facing the window but it was her ass that caught my eye due to it's similarities to Alice, petite, perfect, and, well, plastic. Alice's was rather more soft, but I had a vision of her in that same dress, and the vision seriously intrigued me.

"Hmm," I said, admiring the dress. "That looks nice."

"Tell me about it. I wish I could afford a dress like that."

"Don't you get a discount?"

"Yeah, but I still can't really justify spending that much on clothes while I'm saving for school,"

I nodded, leaning to examine the price tag. It was a little under three hundred dollars, which seemed fairly modest to me, but obviously Alice had other priorities. How responsible. What a perfect young woman she was.

"What about you, you interested?" she asked.

"Mmm, very."

"Well, I could let you use my employee's discount if you want. Wanna try it on?"

"Actually, I think I do," I said, and then I let go of the tag and turned to her with a sultry smile. "Although I may need some assistance in the change room."

"I thought you might," she said, and then she giggled and went to fetch a copy of the dress.

I followed her and made sure to request a size that was actually a little smaller than my own. Luckily, we hadn't been dating long enough to be privy to that kind of intimate information just yet. She seemed slightly skeptical if the dress would fit properly but I smiled and reviewed her body and said it would fit just fine.

The change rooms were in the back, high class cubicles fitted with chairs and sofas and a shallow pedestal to stand on as you examined yourself in the full-length mirrors. There were no doors, however, just a curtain. Alice ushered me into the cubicle furthest in the back—perhaps subconscious aware we may need privacy—and pulled the curtain closed. I placed the dress on the back of a chair and waited to spring my surprise. Alice turned back to me and I reached for the buttons on her blouse.

"Here, let me help you."

She grinned and made a little squeal. "What are you doing?!"

"I told you I want to try the dress on—on you."

I had half the buttons undone by now and she was standing with her wrists out and a breathless smile, not really understanding but excited anyway.

"Me?" she asked.

"Mmhm."

I pulled off her blouse, leaving her upperbody in only her bra. Just a plain bra that she wore to work but those perfect little boobs would look cute in anything. My hands moved to the button on her pants.

"I want to take you dancing on the weekend," I said. "And I want you to wear that dress. I could picture you in it from the second I saw it."

"I can't let you buy me a dress."

"Don't you want to go dancing with me?"

"Yes, but…"

I tugged down her pants. She bit her lip, positively beaming. I was so glad she mentioned that she couldn't afford the dress earlier. It made the gift all the more sweeter. She glanced wildly over her shoulder at the curtain and spun back to me.

"Okay, okay," she said. "Let me get my shoes off."

I backed off and gave her a minute to undress properly. I took up the dress. On the hanger it looked much smaller than it was but the fabric would stretch—stretch and hug and tightly conform to every inch of Alice's wonderful body.

Finally she had her shoes off and her pants and she was wearing nothing but socks and her bra and panties. She was blushing fairly brightly and I realized that this was the first time I had ever seen her without clothes on—as far as she knew.

I handed her the dress and I watched her pull it down over her head. While her face was covered I had one blinding view body with her arms up and I was almost disappointed as the dress came down to cover it all, much the same as when I watched her dress for our date last night. Her body had the most peculiar effect on me and I could already feel my blood beginning to pump, the hunger beginning to throb in the pit of my stomach. It surprised me how powerful the sensations were, so soon after feeding. After that girl last night I really shouldn't be so… so…

She was wriggling into the dress and I lost my train of thought as the candy pink material settled against her curves, her waist, her hips. Smiling, she turned around for me to zip her up and I did, letting out a soft and shaky breath. The scent of her excitement was strong all around us and the sound of her giggle almost knocked me out. She was posing on the pedestal with her eyes on the mirror. The dress sorted a little oddly with her socks and her bra straps showing but it truly was an incredible fit.

"Well?" she said. "What do you think?"

She stood with her side to the mirror and held in her tummy. As if she needed to. I smiled at the mirror and smiled at her and I shook my head in honest wonder.

"It's perfect," I said. "Turn around."

She grinned, realizing I wanted to see her ass. She turned her back to the mirror and looked over her shoulder as she preened it a little, even standing on the toes of her socks to simulate heels. I looked at it in the mirror and then I circled around behind her to see it with my own eyes, the dress skin-tight, the fabric so taut and hugging.

"Not bad, huh?" she said and gave it a wiggle.

I almost fell backwards off the pedestal. Instead I just fanned myself with a hand, letting out a low whistle at its perfection. "Wow," I said. "It looks amazing on you."

"It does, doesn't it? But still, it's pretty expensive."

"It's not really that expensive. Besides, look how perfect it is. No, I'm afraid I have to insist. You must let me buy it for you."

She smiled and didn't reply but I could see in her eyes that she wasn't going to object anymore. She turned her gaze back to the mirror and posed a little more. She really did like it. I smiled and slipped my arms around her, drawing her eyes to mine. She seemed surprised but she let me kiss her, softly on her lips, cupping her face.

It had only been last night when I kissed her last but I had almost forgotten how sweet she was. I deepened the kiss, eliciting a soft moan from her. I stroked her back and her sides, caressing the soft silk of the dress. I moaned as well, my body beginning to throb. She was just so sweet. So sweet and so soft and so warm and lovely. My hand cupped her butt and squeezed it. She seemed to like it. I squeezed again, letting the dress ride up, and then I bought my hand around to the front of her panties. There was a warmth radiating there and I rubbed my fingers at the soft slit behind the material until—

She broke away, gasping and giggling.

"We can't," she said, backing away and pushing the dress back down. "Not here."

I sighed heavily but my disappointment was somewhat mitigated by the fact that she was right. Not even a hunger as powerful as mine would want to waste our first time in a change room in the middle of the day. I even scolded myself for going as far as I did. Bad Bella. Bad.

"Sorry," I said, playing it off with a breathless chuckle. "I guess the dress is even more enchanting than I thought."

She giggled and agreed, smoothing the fabric with her hands and glancing back at the mirror. "Yeah."

"So you'll go dancing with me next weekend? I know the perfect place, you'll love it."

She looked a little hesitant, a little coy. "I don't know. To be honest, I don't really know how to dance. Never been a nightclub kind of girl."

"Don't worry," I said. "I'll teach you. It's easy. All you have to do move your hips…"

I put my hands at her hips and moved them, side to side. I swayed my own hips to show her how. She looked at them and smiled and began moving her hips on her own, softly in a circular motion, before lifting the smile to my face.

"See?" I told her. "Just like that."

She moved them some more, gaining boldness. I cupped her face and moved for another kiss.

But she skittered away and whinnied like a little horse.

"Sorry," I said, and ran a clawed hand through my hair. "Gosh, this is so hard."

She shook her head and reached behind her for the zip of her dress. "Well, if it's any consolation, I'm as desperate as you are. I just need to be sure about you first, that's all."

I narrowed my eyes at her playfully. "I think you just like to tease me."

"Well, that might be true too," she said, and then she gripped the hem of the dress and pulled the whole thing over her head, exposing her body all over again. Her eyes were alight with a saucy glint and she said: "Speaking of teasing…"

She picked up her blouse and she began to get dressed, very slowly, very erotically.

It wasn't easy, but somehow I managed to do nothing but stand in the corner and pout until she was fully clothed. She led me back out into the store and spent a few minutes trying to convince me not to buy the dress for her but I wouldn't hear of it. Initially I had only wanted to buy it out of the goodness of my own metaphorical heart but after that display in the change room I was glad she felt a little guilty. Hopefully after wearing it on our date she would feel indebted enough to actually put out. Good lord, I'd never known such a relentless tease.

Alice swiped my creditcard through the register and slipped the dress into a cardboard bag. She pushed the bag at me across the counter and I pushed it back with a smile.

"For you," I said. "Don't forget to wear it this weekend, alright?"

She smiled and slipped the bag under the table to take home with her later. "I won't."

By now there were some customers in the store, two pairs of women, one of them pointedly glancing about for some assistance. I sighed and turned back to Alice.

"Well," I said. "It looks like you're going to be busy. I should probably get going."

"Yeah," she said with a disappointed glance at the customers. Then she turned back to me and smiled. "But it was nice of you to come by. I should come see where you work sometime."

"Actually, that's a great idea. I have a photoshoot tomorrow afternoon if you want to come watch."

Her eyes went round and wide. "Seriously? Okay yeah. That would be awesome." She chuckled and nodded with enthusiasm. Given her interest in designing, I was sure she would love it, although this particular shoot wouldn't involve a lot of clothes.

"Thanks," I said. "You'd actually be doing me a favour. I've worked with the photographer before and, well…he tends to be quite intimate with some of the models. Him and his assistant—his girlfriend—keep trying to get me into a threeway, so if I show up with a date…"

"Maybe they'll get off your back," she said. "Good thinking."

I nodded and hesitated a little more before leaving, soaking up a last precious few seconds of her adorable presence. Her smile had turned somewhat pensive after my last words and she glanced down at the counter and back up at me.

"So, uh…you're not interested in threeways or sleeping around?" she asked.

She had asked very playfully, as if only joking around. But I could see the insecurity in her eyes, the suspicion that a woman like me probably gets a ton of offers and might even accept them. I smiled as if she was being silly and leaned my elbows on the counter to look steadily into her eyes.

"Nope," I said. "The only thing I'm interested in is you."

Her smile perked into a giggle. It was a total lie, of course, and yet it felt strangely honest as I said it. In some ways, I suppose it was actually true. Even if the hunger led me in other directions like it had last night, there was no denying that from the first moment I had set my eyes on Alice that it was Alice whom I wanted more than anything.

One of the customers had approached the counter and she interrupted our moment by clearing her throat obnoxiously. She had a dress in her hands and she was obviously waiting for service. At a glance, I would assume she wanted to inquire after a larger size. I do hoped she had wiped her hands of donut residue before handling the merchandise.

I turned back to Alice and winked. "I'll pick you up tomorrow."

She nodded with a smile and quickly hustled over to the customer. "Hi, can I help you with something?"

I backed away, watching her, and then I turned and continued out of the store. I was smiling all the way to the car and still smiling by the time I got back to the apartment.