Free Short Story Sunday!
Here we are again, on the first Sunday of the month with another free short story. I post one every month as a thank you to all of you wonderful readers. Hope you enjoy the stories as much as I do writing them.
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This month I'm trying something a bit different. Submitted for your approval, Beguiled by a Vampire is an excerpt from book one of The Blood Prophecy series. Find out what happens next by purchasing the $2.99 Ebook.
READER DISCRETION ADVISED, this story may not be suitable for all audiences.
It was my first time in a real stretch, and sitting in the back of the huge car made me feel like Cinderella on the night of the Ball. There was a full bar that made me think maybe this night wasn’t a total loss. Then again, a buzz for a business meeting was not cool, so I didn’t have anything. As I breathed in the smell of new leather, I couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like to have this kind of money. Who knew? Maybe this kind of luxury would have been a regular thing if I hadn’t cursed Steven with that damn Ouija board. With his amazing singing voice, I was sure he would have been world-famous by now. Before I could become sad and guilt-ridden over thoughts of Steven, the limo had stopped.
We arrived at Budapest Cafe, which is a fine dining establishment, not a restaurant. It’s the kind of place that I couldn’t afford on my best days. Somehow, I was sure I was underdressed for fine dining. The limo driver opened my door and waited for me to get out. I fantasized that there would be photographers waiting to take my picture, but there was no one but a pleasant doorman to usher me in. The heavyset woman at the little podium looked down at me with disgust. It must have been my old, wool coat, or she just hated everyone. She stood there for what seemed like forever and said nothing. I finally broke the silence with, “I’m Helena Gray. I’m here to meet with Mr. Szabo.” Her demeanor changed instantly.
“Oh, yes! Come this way.”
The change in her mood and the fake smile made the little hairs on the back of my neck stand on end, but I followed her just the same. The restaurant was softly lit with tall candles on all the white linen-covered tables. Everything seemed to glitter in the dim light as she walked me over to a table in the far corner of the room. Mr. Szabo immediately stood up as we approached the table and held out his hand.
“Ms. Gray, what a delight to meet you.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir.”
I was stunned at how good-looking he was in his dark, blue three-piece suit. There was no doubt in my mind that it was custom-tailored. He looked to be in his late thirties, about 6’3” in height, with brown eyes that sparkled like polished gemstones. His hair was short and pitch black with just a touch of silver on each temple, and his mocha-colored skin was as smooth as buffed granite. I watched him as he glided around me to pull out my chair. His tailored suit contoured his muscular body like a second skin, and he moved like a dancer. There was a crisp scent of cloves emanating from him as he leaned in close behind me to push me toward the table. He then glided gracefully back to his chair across from me. Wow, this was not what I had expected; no braid-able eyebrows here.
“Are you all right, my dear?”
That’s when I realized I was sitting there with my mouth gaping open and scrambled to pull myself together.
“It’s so very nice to meet you, Mr. Szabo. I hope the changes to the designs will be to your liking.”
He took the long tube of blueprints from me and put them on the table next to us as if he wasn’t the least bit concerned about them. He then stared at me with those intense brown eyes of his that seemed to look right into the depths of my soul, and instantly I knew I’d never be the same again.