Page 25 of Stripped

“I'm glad you're here, officer,” Leopold said. “This woman is harassing my employees. She pulled the fire alarm and called you here in a pathetic attempt to ruin my property. There is no fire and—”

“There is a fire,” a fireman said, walking out with a man thrown over his shoulder. “A decent-sized fire in the men's room. This guy here passed out from smoke inhalation, but he'll be okay.” The fireman carried the guy, Rixton, to a waiting ambulance. I started after them, but Rixton's girlfriends shrieked and beat me there. I figured Rixton would have more attention than he could handle, so I focused on the angry vampire at my back and the suspicious cop in front of me.

“I was here to see my friends dance,” I said. “My friend Zane offered to take us all on a moonlit wagon ride.”

“Not on the main roads, you won't,” the officer said, scowling.

“Of course not,” Zane said, all confident swagger. “There's a path that runs behind this place over to my friend's farm. The snow's not deep enough, yet, to be a problem.” We'd had two snows during the first couple weeks of November, but it hadn't stuck around long. In another week or so, we'd get more snow, enough that we wouldn't see grass again until April or May.

I looked at the women still with Leopold. “What do you say? Anyone else want to go with us for a moonlit wagon ride? I promise a good party at the end.”

The rest of the women high-tailed it to the wagon, even the ones I knew had kids at home. They must have been uncomfortable with Leopold and the other vamps. Only Alice and Carly stayed back, still hanging on Leopold and looking at him with stars in their eyes. Zed called for Carly, but she ignored him and he stomped over to the wagon, thoroughly pissed.

“Guess these two are staying with me,” Leopold said. He tipped his head to the officer. “I'm going to get them home before they get too cold. They aren't dressed for a wagon ride.” The women were barely dressed at all, and I felt sick as I watched them walk away with Leopold.

If I asked them what they wanted to do, they'd say they wanted to stay with Leopold and there was no way to prove to the officer that Leopold had them under the spell of vampire magic. “Actually,” I said. “Alice, you need to get home to your cat. I know she'll be missing you. We can drop you there on our way.” It was a lame, desperate attempt.

Leopold froze as Alice twisted in his arms and looked back at me. “Don't listen to her,” Leopold said. “She's just trying to get you away from me because she's jealous, she wants me all to herself.”

“You're just trying to trick me,” Alice said to me, speaking more like a robot than a human being.

Leopold gripped Alice's waist and hurried toward his car. Darn it. I needed something more. I needed… he opened his car door. The cop walked away. How the hell was I going to get them away from that leech?

Leopold got Carly and Alice in his car and stalked back over to me. He leaned in and whispered all the things he was going to do to them, right before he drained all the blood from their bodies.

“You wouldn't do that,” I said. “The cops have seen you with them, they'll know it was you.”

Leopold laughed, a sick, twisted crackle of a laugh. “Someone would have to report them missing first, Sissy, and I can be very convincing if officers come around asking questions.” He wrapped his fingers around my wrist and pulled me tight against him. “But I might be willing to miss that meal if you agree to come with me.”

My heart cracked and every part of me rebelled against the idea. I could feel Zane at my back, knew he'd finished helping everyone onto the wagon and was headed my way. “I'll go with you. I'll do whatever you want if you let them go.”

Zane's warms hands gripped my waist and I felt like crying. I didn't want to do this, but I couldn't live with myself if I let Leopold take those women home. “You can't go with him,” Zane said. “He'll kill you.”

“It's my fault they're with him,” I said.

Leopold tightened his grip on my wrist until the bones rubbed together, a satisfied smirk on his face. I bit my lip not to gasp in pain. I'd get away from him. I wouldn't let him enthrall me… I didn't know how, but I'd figure out something. Maybe I'd get lucky and the head of garlic Zane and I had eaten before Rixton had pulled the fire alarm would help me against Leopold.

Zane let me go with a growl of frustration. Leopold helped Alice and Carly from the car and passed them over to Zane. They cried and begged Leopold not to leave them, but he told them to shut up and go with Zane and they did. Leopold led me to his car and I got inside. I didn't look back, didn't think about what I was leaving behind. I closed my eyes and leaned my head back against the head rest.

“This is going to be so much fun,” Leopold said as he turned the key in the ignition and started the car.

***

“Can I offer you a drink?” Leopold asked. We were standing in his living room, a spare, undecorated room in a small, but clean condo in a decent part of town. He'd been nothing but a perfect gentleman since we'd gotten into his car. It almost felt like he was trying to charm me, to woo me. I wasn't sure if I should pretend to be wooed or attempt to kick his ass. I'd had to pretend when I was working in my club, had to smile and flirt even when the man standing before me was old enough to be my grandfather, but I wasn't accustomed to pretending in my personal life.

“What's your plan for me?” I asked. “Do you just want one night? Or are you planning to keep me around for a while?” I tried to keep my tone light and teasing, but my voice shook. I wanted out of that condo, away from Leopold, but I had nowhere to go and no way to get there.

Leopold paced the room until he was standing in front of me. I stared at his forehead, unwilling to risk him compelling me. “Oh, I intend to keep you around for a long while,” he said. “I could compel you, could suck your blood and make you my slave, but I want more from you, Sissy. I want to break you and make you beg.”

I smirked. The guy was a serious narcissist if he thought he was going to get anywhere with me without some serious vampire magic.

He frowned, his lips tight with anger. He wrapped one hand around my neck and gave me a little shake. “I could drain you dry in less time than it takes me to get dressed in the morning. You should fear me.”

But he wouldn't drain me dry, because then he'd never best me, he'd never get me to admit I wanted him. I'd embarrassed him by turning him down and he couldn't stand to be embarrassed. The realization made me smile. I had the power here, as long as I didn't piss him off so badly he accidentally killed me in a fit of rage. “I thought you wanted me to love you,” I said, all simpering flirtation, like he was some guy at my club. Some guy I was looking to tempt into a bigger tip or a request for a lap dance.

He shook me, so hard I heard my eyeballs rattle in my skull. “You'll love me,” he said. “But fear and love aren't so different. I'll use one to get the other.”

He shoved me away from him so hard, I bounced off the couch and onto the floor. I picked myself up, tasting blood where I must have bitten my lip when I fell. Forcing a smile, I sat demurely on the couch. “I'll have a soda, unopened.”

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