There’s a sharp pang of guilt in my stomach. Even though I didn’t go all the way with that vampire last night, I can’t deny that our exchange was physically intimate, in a way I hadn’t expected. Shekissed me on the neck, touched my thigh…I can practically feel the pleasant caress of her cool fingers against my skin just thinking about it…
Even if we didn’t go further, I don’t feel right about what happened. I’m in a committed relationship, and it’s not fair to Blake to engage in such behaviour.
Before I can stew on it too much, I find his number in my phone and dial. I bite my lip as I listen to the dial tone, nervous about the conversation I’m about to have. But I have to be honest, even if it’s difficult.
He picks up after several rings. “Hi, babe! I was wondering when you were going to call me back.”
My guilt deepens. I’ve been such an awful girlfriend. I have to make things right. “I’m sorry, Blake. I was up late last night and then I slept in.”
There’s a tinge of concern in his voice. “Really? Are you sure this is Paige? I can’t remember the last time you slept past nine.”
“Yeah, this…this new job has late hours…”
“Oh yeah,” he says. “How’s it going? The vampire blood donor thing? Are you still serious about that?”
“Yeah, I wasn’t sure about it at first, but now, I’ve decided to stay. The pay is really good…”
Blake sighs. “I can’t believe you’re throwing it all away on that overpriced rehab for your brother…”
My chest tightens. But this isn’t the time to get into an argument about that with him.
“Blake, I…I have something I have to tell you,” I say, bracing myself.
He voice darkens. “What it is?”
“I…um…one of the vampires who was drinking from me…kissedme.”
“What?” he snaps. Even though he’s not in the room, his anger feels overwhelming, and my heart starts to pound in my chest.
“It didn’t go any farther than that! We were just…I was on her lap, and we were sitting so close, and then she just…she kissed my neck, that’s all! Then I told her I had a boyfriend, and I wanted her to stop, and it didn’t go any further.”
There’s a thick pause on the line. “Hold on,‘she?’You kissed avampiregirl?”
“Well, she’s not a girl, she’s a woman…”
“Oh.” Blake’s tone completely shifts. “Well, that’s not a big deal, then.”
It takes me a second to catch up to the sudden change in his reaction. “Really? You’re not upset?”
“No, of course not! After all, that doesn’t really count. Actually, it’s kind of hot. I didn’t know you were into that sort of thing.”
My face gets hot. I’m glad that he’s not mad, but his reaction makes me uncomfortable. I try to turn it around. “Listen, I just think it’s important to be honest in a relationship, and I wanted to come clean.”
“That’s great, Paige.Definitelycall me back if anything else happens. I want to know all the details,” he says, a provocative note in his voice.
My stomach squirms. “I don’t know if it’s going to happen again. But maybe we should talk about about it more. Establish some limits and parameters…”
I can almost hear him shrugging over the phone. “If it’s a girl, it’s fine,” he replies, dismissively.
“You mean awoman…”
“Hey, listen,” he replies, cutting me off abruptly. “There’s a game on right now, and the guys are waiting. Call me when you’re back in town, ok?”
“Oh, ok,” I reply. “I’ll talk to you later, then.”
“Bye, babe!”
He hangs up, leaving me with a feeling of relief, but also a new sense of unease. I’m happy he’s not mad. I really thought he would be furious if I told him someone else kissed me. But I also know that what he said isn’t true. Itdefinitelycounted. I can’t deny the power of my attraction to Crimson. Her kiss, her touch…I’ve never felt that way before. Is that because she’s a vampire?
