Page 30 of Ghoul Kisses

“Are you okay?” I ask Eric.

“It’s awkward to be here, because I don’t go out in the human world,” he says.

“Why don’t you?”

“I never had any interest in the human world until now.” I blush at his answer. My phone chimes with an e-mail from Nessa.

I’ll see you there, heffa Your date better be hot. My boyfriend says he won’t be able to make it because he has to work tonight.

I reply to her message.

Okay, see you there. I’m sorry he flaked out.

She replies

No worries.

I tuck the phone back into my purse. I don’t know how to ask Eric this question, so I am going to blurt it out and hope it eases the awkwardness between us.

“Um.. Eric?” He brushes his lips against my knuckles.

“How was last night for you? Was I bad?” I avert my eyes to the navy carpet, embarrassed by my question. He cuffs my chin and kisses my lips.

“No, you’re great in the sheets.” His voice is sweet as honey. My cheeks flame at his words.

“How many women have you slept with, Eric?”

He gives me that you-really-don’t-want-to-know look.

“Three hundred.” My mouth drops to the floor. I keep forgetting he is over seven hundred years old.

Then my thoughts go into a whirlwind. I start going into doctor mode and thinking about all the sexually transmitted diseases. Ghouls don’t get human diseases; I learned that working with Dr. Edward. But, what about pregnancy? I touch briefly on the topic. Could I get pregnant by Eric? I love kids, but I’m not ready to have them. Hell, my life has been turned upside down, and I’m just coming to grips with the idea that supernatural beings exist. Plus, I want to be married before I have a baby. Jessie told me to never have a baby out of wedlock. Did Eric come in me? Panic constricts my chest.

“Could a male ghoul and a human have a child?” How could I be so irresponsible? I never had sex without a condom. Okay, that’s a lie. Before I got sick with cancer, I lost my virginity to Fred, and he didn’t use one. I didn’t use a condom with a few guys in college. When I attended med school and had to learn about the different diseases, that was an eye opener for me. I vowed to never again have unprotected sex with a man. And here I am being stupid.

“Yea, it’s very rare. The only half-ghoul I’ve ever met is Jack,” he states.

“Jack? The guy I stitched up?”

“Yeah.”

“Is that why he is the only ghoul I’ve seen that has mis-matched eyes?”

He nods. I don’t want to take any chances; I’m going to contact a gynecologist as soon as possible to prescribe me birth control. I do not want children.

Next Door Gastro Pub is a little spot where Vanessa and I used to hang when we were attending Seattle University. They have a local band playing, and the food served here is awesome. I grab a table since Nessa hasn’t arrived yet. The waitress collects our orders, and I inform her that we are waiting for someone. Lady Gaga’s Monster booms through the speakers.

“Vanessa is like family to me, Eric. She is as important to me as you are,” I blurt out. My nerves are causing a bad case of verbal diarrhea. His lips brush against my forehead. Vanessa sashays to the table. Her complexion is pale. Her elegant scarf compliments her yellow dress. God, she can dress. I stand up from the table and hug her tight. Eric shakes her hand. I hope she is not aware of Eric’s abnormal body temperature. She sits across from us, surveying Eric.

“You’re Eric?” she asks, removing the scarf from her neck. Eric nods, and his hand entwines with mine. The waitress collects Nessa’s order and leaves.

“Tell me about your boyfriend?” I ask.

“He’s a delivery man.”

“Are you guys serious?” I ask her.

“As serious as we can get,” Vanessa deadpans. When Vanessa says that, it means she is not into him. In other words, she likes to sleep with him but not enough to be serious with him. I don’t know how comfortable she is talking about her personal life in front of Eric, so I will leave it at that. Later, I’ll shoot her an e-mail drilling her with a bunch of questions.

---