Glamour Bites

Cassi had come in just before sunrise with a huge smile on her face, but I didn’t have time to ask her about her alone time with Harper before she had to go to her coffin for the day. All I knew was that she appeared that happiest that I had seen her in all the years we had been friends.



I had spent a great deal of the day just sitting around the house, thinking about Ian and the gentleness of his touch. He was still the sweet little boy I had known as a child, even with the Lycan roaming just below the surface. He could be the one.



I sighed as the sun set just beyond the tree line of my backyard and listened to the sound of Cassi moving around in her room. I sighed and went into my room, pulling my hair up and using a few spells to pile the curls elegantly on top of my head.



Cassi came in behind me and flopped onto my bed, still in her pajamas. “Where are you going, Lexi?”



I sighed, dreading what I was about to tell her, and turned to look at her, leaning my butt against the vanity. “Where were you last night? You barely got home before sunrise.”



Cassi blushed, but smiled brightly and shrugged. “I went back to Harper’s apartment with him. I just had a little fun with him. I think that, um, we’re going to be a permanent item.”



I laughed and turned back to the mirror, applying the lipstick I had stolen from her before applying eyeliner. “Aww, little Cassi got her some Lycan tail.” I smiled at her in the mirror. “I’m happy for you. I had a good time with Ian too.”



“Um, Lexi? Why are you putting eyeliner on? I didn’t even know that you knew how to put eyeliner on that straight. What’s going on? Another date with Ian?”



“Ha! I wish.” I bit my lip as soon as the words were out of my mouth and turned to the closet, pulling a spaghetti strapped black satin dress out of the closet.



I dropped the robe I was wearing and pulled the black dress over my skimpy black lace panties soothing the dress out and adjusting the slit that went from ankle to thigh.



I turned back to Cassi and sighed at the look of confusion on her face. “Promise me you won’t get mad and I’ll tell you what’s going on.”



Cassi frowned and raised an eyebrow. “I don’t like it when you talk like that, Lexi, because I always end up mad. Just tell me.”



“I sort of made a date for tonight with Andreas.” Out in a rush of air, but I knew I was in trouble.



“You WHAT?! Oh my gods! What the fuck do you think you’re doing? He’s a VAMPYRE, Alexia!” She jumped up from the bed and started to come at me, changing direction and starting to pace in front of me. “He’s been jones-ing for a piece of your ass for the last three years. You hate his guts! Why in the world would you make a date with him?”

In a matter of minutes I felt like I was 15 again and my foster mother scolded me for breaking a glass with my magic. I was reduced to nothing more than a pile on the floor.



I listen to her ranting until she was silent and looking at me, waiting for an answer. “Do you really know him, Cassi? Have we ever taken more than five minutes to actually sent down and talk to him? He’s not that bad, and I think that he might really care for me.”



“He’s not that bad? Are you kidding? He’s a vampyre master, the eldest vampyre master, and so many things have been said about him and his love of torture. Why would you …? I can’t believe it.” She sat on the edge of the bed, head in her hands.



“Come on, Cassi. You know me. I don’t say yes unless I’m a hundred percent sure that there’s something salvageable there. Andreas came to me the other night after I told you about the … rape. When I dropped you off at the club, he crawled into my Jeep and spoke to me. He was … different, Cassi. Can’t you just trust me?” I slid into the seat in front of the vanity and look at her.



I don’t know if it was something in my eyes or she just knew that I was stubborn, but she nodded. “I do trust you, Lexi. It’s him I don’t trust. Promise me that you’ll at least take a gun.”



I grabbed the small black purse from the floor and pulled a P85 out of it. “Already there, Cassi.”



“Good.” She looked at me close and then frowned. “Why all the make up and hotness tonight? Why not last night with Ian and the guys?”



“Honestly, Cassi,” I looked back into the mirror to apply my mascara and spoke over my shoulder, “I trust myself with Andreas. Ian makes me feel … weird. I don’t know what it is, but I don’t trust myself around him.”



“That’s exactly how I felt with Harper, but I don’t have your willpower. We barely made it back to his house before our clothes were off. He was amazing. You have no idea.” She blushed and stood up. “I should let you finishing getting ready for your date.”



“Cassi?”



“Yeah.”



“Can I borrow some black heels?”



Cassi smiled and nodded. “Of course. What would you do for shoes if I wasn’t around?”



“Um, duh! Wear leather boots all the time?”



“You are so weird.” Cassi laughed at me as she walked out of the door, leaving me to finish my make up while she went to find me some shoes.



She came back a minute later with three inch spiked heels that would take a miracle for me to stay up in them. I took them anyway and pulled them on, standing in front of the mirror and looking at the woman staring back at me.

My eyes were more dramatic than normal and my lips seemed fuller, but it wasn’t me, not really. I had put on a mask to hide behind. Ian got to see the real me while Andreas got a disguise. It was perfect, in a weird way.



“You look, um, amazing, Lexi. A little weird though. I think this is the first time since I’ve known you that I’ve seen you wear make up. It makes you look more adult.”



“It’s the me I hide behind when I’m scared.” It sounded even weirder saying it out loud, but her nod told me that she understood.



“Either way, Lexi, you look to die for. Just remember, if he tries anything, shoot him.”



“I will. Don’t worry.”



She gave me a small hug as she walked out of the door into the living room, calling over her shoulder. “If you need me, I’ll be at Harper’s.”



“Have fun, Cassi!”



“Don’t you know it!”



I shook my head at her comment and glanced at the clock. Nearly ten. I had a few minutes before Andreas was going to pick me, having gotten a call from him just after my date with Ian. I sighed and glanced into the mirror one more time before grabbing my purse and heading to sit in the living room and wait.



* * *



I hadn’t been waiting long when the doorbell rang. My heart sang and I stood, walking toward the door. I heard Cassi in her room and knew that she was trying to avoid leaving her room. I opened the door and what I saw took my breath away.



It was Andreas, yes, but his hair, which normally hung in his face to frame his blue eyes, was pulled back into a loose ponytail at the nape of his neck. I had never seen him with his hair pulled back enough to realize just how young he truly looked. It was shocking in so many ways that I forgot to breath for a moment, only remembering when he smirked at the expression on my face.



“Andreas, you’re a little early.” My voice was breathless, but steady and that was the only thing of importance to me at the moment.



“Of course, darling. I did not want to keep you waiting. And may I say that you look positively radiant.” He gave me a once over, but it was in no way seductive or teasing.



“Thank you. You don’t look too bad yourself.” The short sleeved, white buttoned down shirt and black slacks did look really good on him. The white of the shirt brought out the darkness of his skin and I had to glance at the shoes to know if they completed the outfit, and I wasn’t in the least shocked to see the patent leather boots on his feet.



“Shall we, my dear?” He held his arm out to me and I took it with only a little hesitation. Maybe Cassi was right. Maybe this had been a mistake.



As we came down the walk and I saw the white limousine, I was no longer worried about whether he was trying to get into my pants or not. He was treating me like he truly cared and, though I was going to be overly cautious of him, I would let him treat me as he saw fit.



* * *



As dinner came to a close, I began to wish I hadn’t come on this date. Andreas was definitely not the vampyre I had originally thought. He was far from the cruel, torturous murderer everyone thought him to be.



He had a great personality and seemed to genuinely be concerned about what had happened to me. I was shocked at first, but began to warm up to him after a few hours of conversation.



I was still unwilling to date him and voiced it, shocked when he agreed that we should start out as friends, not that I had given him a chance. It had been a remark meant to make me feel guilt, and it did, but he proved that he knew very little about me as well during our talks.



Time flew faster than I could have thought and it was nearly dawn before he took me home, walking me to the door and standing with me for a moment. “Alexia, I wanted to say thank you for letting me take you to dinner tonight. It means a great deal that you were willing to be alone with me.”



“It was nothing, Andreas. I had a great time tonight. I really should have gotten to know you sooner. I apologize for all the years that I simply avoided you. Can you ever forgive me?”



“Already done, my dear. Now I should be getting back to my home before the sun rises. I would love to see you again.” He raised his hand as I went to protest. “I mean it as nothing more than as two friends, Alexia. I’m sure you have a boyfriend, so I am not trying to replace him, but I would like your friendship.”



I thought about it and nodded. “OK, Andreas, but as long as you that it’s only as friends.”



“I know. Have a good day tomorrow and I shall call you later tomorrow night.” He lifted my hand and laid a kiss on it before walking down the sidewalk and climbing into the limo. It had been a weird couple of days and all I wanted was sleep.



I opened the door and walked inside, locking the door behind me. The light was already on, so I figured that Cassi was back. But it wasn’t her voice that greeted me. “How was your date, Alexia?”



I jumped and looked up, shocked. “Ian? What are you doing here?”