Page 67 of Heathens

“Can I kiss you?”

“Oh, you’re asking for permission this time?”

He sighs, shrugging his shoulders and running his thumb back across my knuckles. I feel like a mouse that’s been caught by a lion.

“Well, I promised myself I would be a gentleman.” His tongue runs across his lips before lingering on one of his fangs. “At least for a while.”

I nod quickly, letting his mouth melt into mine. It’s soft and delicate, so much different from before, although I recall it may have started this way once or twice. Dominic kisses my top lip first before pushing his tongue inside of my mouth and tangling it with mine.

His hand slips around the back of my neck and I’m breathless; completely at his mercy as I’m pressed against him. I bite down on his lower lip and tug, giggling as I listen to him moan. Dominic breaks away, reaching up to wipe away some of my smeared lipstick.

“Let’s go upstairs.”

We step into the steel elevator, and he presses the button for the top floor.

“Are there other vampires who live in this building?”

“It’s just me.”

“You live all alone in a high rise? Seems kind of wasteful and cliché for a vampire, doesn’t it?”

He glances at me with a grin as he twists one of the skull rings on his fingers. It’s silver with two black stones set in its eyes.

“Smart, aren’t we? Actually, I originally wanted it to be an apartment building for us – vampires, that is – but The Bank had other plans.”

“Gee, I wonder why,” I remark wryly as the elevator climbs higher. “A bunch of vampires a block from a building full of blood seems like a disaster waiting to happen.”

“I guess that’s the human way of looking at it. Either way, I mostly use this place for storage now.”

“What kind of storage?”

“Cash, guns, drugs, whatever we need.” He pauses. “But I assure you, you’re safe here. I have state-of-the-art security. Bulletandvampire-proof glass, alarm systems, the works.”

“I think I can trust you,” I whisper.

He raises a brow.

“Really?”

“At least as far as I can throw you,” I tease.

“Fair enough.”

“But, wait a second, what the fuck is vampire-proof glass supposed to–”

The elevator dings and the doors open, and my jaw drops when I see his penthouse. It’s massive, thick black blinds pulled up to let the moonlight cut through the room and bathe everything in an ethereal silver glow. The place is sparsely but purposely decorated with a record player, a small side table next to a sofa, and some bookshelves stacked with volumes old and new. I guess Dominic doesn’t really see the need for a television set, but really there’s much on cable anymore. I mostly use our TV to watch old videotapes.

Across the room, I spot a tall shelf filled with vinyl. Other than what we listen to at work, Ruby and I don’t have many albums. I can’t help but wonder what vampires listen to.

The entire place is open concept with the same black and gold marble floors, charcoal walls, and even the sconces from the lobby providing a low ambient light. At the end of the room I turn and spot a dining room table – black, of course – with a bottle of wine, two crystal goblets set out. In the center is a bouquet of dark red roses sitting in a black vase.

“Wow,” I whisper.

Dominic turns to me and smiles, his eyes twinkling as he waits for me to say something backhanded, but I have to disappoint him.

“This is beautiful.”

He blinks, a little surprised, before gesturing toward the dining room table.

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