In Anikka's universe, Liese was the point that everything else revolved around. With her long blonde hair, violet eyes and cute figure, everything came easy to Liese. Anikka wasn't ugly by any means, but she couldn't hold a candle to Liese.
And tonight Liese had actually made time for her. It had been a long time since they'd hung out together. Anikka really wished that they weren't spending that precious time in a club filled with drunk men and women; but Liese wanted to go to the Nocturne, so that's where Annika was now.
Annika always did anything Liese told her to do. It never occurred to her to do anything else.
They'd come here because some boy Liese was interested in; apparently, this was a hang out of his. Annika would admit that this boy was beautiful; blond and feline with green eyes and an almost elfin frame. However, she could tell immediately that Liese was wasting her time because this boy would have no interest in her. She wasn't his type.
She was a girl.
When she'd mentioned that to Liese, she'd laughed at Anikka. "It figures you would think that way. Just because you like your own sex doesn’t mean the world does."
No, it didn't. But perhaps because she did prefer girls, she could see the signs of when someone was gay. Like the lack of eye contact. Or where his eyes weren't looking: her full breasts or anywhere below her face. But it was just something she could tell. If she had to explain why, she couldn't, but she knew.
It wasn't surprising that Liese would throw Anikka's preferences in her face. After all, Anikka didn't even know that about herself until the one night that she slept at Liese's place.
After pretending it never happened, Liese made the excuse that she was really, really drunk, and besides, Anikka was the one who initiated it.
Even though Liese had only a few glasses of wine. And she was the one who had crawled into Anikka's bed.
They hadn't done very much. Some kissing. Some caressing. Some petting. But it had been enough for Anikka to realize that she really, really liked it. And that Liese knew it.
It never happened again. No matter how much Anikka wanted it to. And dreaded it would.
Yet she wanted to be with Liese tonight, even if it was just barcrawling. Even if Liese would ditch her as soon as she saw the one boy. Even though being around Liese was like a knife through her heart. And just as Anikka predicted, Liese turned on the charm, her megawatt smile burning into Anikka's soul.
"He's right there," she gushed.
He was. But he wasn't alone.
Perhaps Anikka was wrong about the slip of a boy, because he was talking to a pretty young woman, with curly black hair pulled back in a barrette. However, even if he was with her, Liese would not be dissuaded. People like her were not accustomed to losing and he'd just fall for her, and take her home and Anikka would be stuck here since Liese drove them here.
Things always worked out for Liese. It was a fact of life that Anikka had accepted long ago.
The young woman suddenly walked away. Here was Liese's chance. With a peck on Anikka's cheek, Liese took off after him, and Anikka found herself crumbing into a puddle of tears.
It didn't matter anyway. Now that Liese was gone, Anikka couldn't care less who saw her bawl like a fucking baby.
"Who made you cry, petit?"
Anikka turned in the direction of the voice and saw the same young woman who had been talking to the boy. She'd only seen her from a distance and from the back but this close up… Anikka found herself drawing in her breath.
She didn't think it was possible, but this young woman was even more beautiful than Liese.
Dark curly hair framed her heart shaped face, her eyes were the color of the sea, with sooty black eyelashes fluttering against her mocha skin. It reminded Anikka of cocoa, but with cream to lighten it a little. Her lips were a cupid's bow, and she carried herself with a grace that made Anikka want to weep because she knew she could never be like that.
And her voice. Honey with a touch of smokiness.
"Did that girl hurt you?" she asked.
Blood rushed to Anikka's cheeks, blushing because she was ashamed that she was so obvious, and flushing because any doubts she had about what she liked had just ended. A part of her had wondered if it was just Liese. Her star appeal. Her fire. But while Anikka knew that the feelings she felt for Liese were real and powerful and painful; it wasn't just Liese.
And this gorgeous young woman was concerned about Anikka. She didn't know her, yet she was concerned. "She didn't hurt me, don’t worry about it."
The young woman, she couldn't have been more than seventeen or so. Yet there was something about her eyes that reflected an old soul. Considering that at twenty, Anikka was so immature, maybe that would compensate.
A cool hand stroked Anikka's cheek. "You love her."
Anikka was dumbfounded. How did this young woman know so much about her? "Are you psychic or something," she joked. Anikka would have known if this young woman had read her mind, she was a Class Six telepath. It was hard to sneak into her head.
The dark haired woman laughed. "I am. But that's not how I know. I know because you are in so much pain that you show it whether you want to or not. And by showing it, you're feeding your friend. But I have a secret for you."
Anikka sniffled. "You do?"
"The reason I know a lot about you is that I've seen her before." A smile played upon the full lips. "And she's seen me."
That was the secret? Anikka was suddenly aware that she really didn't know her at all, that she had almost been ready to spill her guts out to a total stranger. All for the pity of a beautiful woman. "Look, I appreciate your concern," Anikka began, "But I have to go."
Anikka started to walk away, but the young woman followed her. "At least listen to what I have to say, cheri. Then you do with it what you will."
Annika was getting angry. She knew nothing about Anikka, what gave her the right to be so presumptuous? She stopped dead in her tracks. "All right. Tell me what you have to say, then leave me alone."
"Is that what you really want me to do?" Her long fingers gently pushed strands of Anikka's red hair from her face, the light touch raising goosebumps along Anikka's arms and legs.
"Y-yes," Anikka stammered, as she felt soft lips on her cheek. Lips that were trailing to her ear.
"Are you sure?" she breathed in Anikka's ear, the vibration of her lips making Anikka shiver.
"Nnnnnnnnn…" Anikka couldn't get the word out. She couldn't even speak.
"She approached me." A gasp escaped Anikka's lips as she felt a surprisingly icy tongue caress the shell of her ear. "Flirted with me. Tried to touch me. But I turned her down. So now, she'll be eating herself up alive, wondering what you have that she didn't."
Anikka was confused. Someone turned Lisse down? And this someone was clearly showing an interest in Anikka that was more than sympathy. An interest that no one had ever shown before.
But one thing that the lady said stuck out more than anything else. Lisse had approached her. Liese had basically hit on her. Liese had been tormenting Anikka about her preferences when she had preferences of her own.
Liese was a fucking hypocrite.
All of the shame that Anikka had been holding inside her since that one fateful night suddenly turned to rage. How dare she. How dare she! The whole time that Liese had spent, making Anikka feel like the world's biggest pervert, she'd been lusting after girls herself.
Although, Anikka had to admit, even the straightest girl would want this woman. And this woman was interested in her?
"Why?" she asked. "Why did you turn her down?"
The young lady laughed. "You sound as if it's an unnatural thing. The next question you'll be asking me is why I like you."
"You don't even know me."
"Maybe I know you better than you think." The young woman turned Anikka's face to the side. "And maybe I want to know you better." Soft lips pressed gently against her own, trembling slightly with restraint.
Unlike with Liese, this was a closed mouth kiss. A very careful one. As if she didn't want to scare Anikka off.
With the fluttering in her belly and the tingling between her legs, there was no chance of that.
As if she could sense what Anikka was feeling, she nibbled at Anikka's bottom lip, using her tongue to nudge the closed lips open.
She tasted like wild strawberries and everything that Anikka wanted but always denied herself. Then she broke the kiss. "I'm moving too fast," she muttered.
For the first time that night, Anikka smiled. "No. You're not."
"You're a sweet girl, but I'm not being fair. Here I am, seducing you, and I don't even know your name."
Her sudden uneasiness was somehow comforting. She wasn't perfect, even though she definitely looked perfect. It gave Anikka the urge to put her at ease. "My name is Anikka. What's yours?"
"I call myself Amorette."
Which meant her name could be anything. Again, the fact that she'd never seen Amorette, or whatever-her-name was, before nagged at Anikka. She could be anybody. An ax-murderer. A crazy person.
She could be someone who Anikka could fall for very easily. Someone who Anikka was already finding herself falling for. Someone who could just as easily use Anikka's desire against her and break her heart.
Just like Liese.
Anikka was wracked with confusion. On the one hand, she was definitely attracted to Amorette and the idea that she would actually have an opportunity to act upon that attraction excited her. On the other, the fear of leaving herself so open terrified her just as much.
"I won't hurt you, Anikka," Amorette whispered.
"I want to give you pleasure. To show you that not everyone is as calculating
and selfish as your 'friend.'"
"So that's what this is about." Anikka glared
at her. "You feel sorry for me."
"Are you telling me that I should see you as someone to pity?"
"No! No," she repeated in a small voice. "I just don't want charity."
"You're not getting it, cher. Would it make you feel better to know that a lot of my motives are purely selfish? I think you're beautiful. Your hair is a curtain of flame. Your skin is like cream. I want to kiss it. But not if you're unsure. I don't want you to regret anything." Amorette's smile was kind. "And not because you're afraid that I won't like you otherwise."
Which was why Anikka had let Liese kiss her in the first place. It didn't matter that she enjoyed it, or that it answered questions she'd had about herself for a long time. What mattered was that Liese had used Anikka's desperate need to belong against her. And Amorette refused to.
Amorette pulled Anikka against her breast, stroking her hair. "If you're not ready, then it's okay."
The dress Amorette wore was low enough cut that Anikka's lips were resting against bare skin. Amorette smelled like jasmine, and Anikka realized that if she wanted it to, her tongue could caress between Amorette's breasts. As a way to silently tell Amorette that she was ready, Anikka gave Amorette a tentative lick.
Amorette kissed her hair and nuzzled her throat. "Only what you feel comfortable with," she told her softly.
Anikka found herself wondering what Amorette looked like underneath the pretty dress. Out in the open, she'd never find out. With the giddiness of hovering on the edge of a cliff, she shyly said, "I want to."
Amorette lifted Anikka's face from her chest. Then she tilted it upwards, kissing Anikka on the mouth. "I’m glad. Come with me."
Anikka suddenly remembered Liese. She'd have no idea where Anikka was. "I need to tell my friend where I'm going."
"Your friend is getting what she came here for. But not from the one she came here for."
Something about the offhand way that Amorette said those words chilled Anikka. "The blond boy you were talking to. He isn't into girls, is he." It was a statement, not a question.
Amorette shook her head. "No. But his lover is."
"So he's just going to hand her over like a toy?" As furious as she was at Liese, and as nasty as Liese had been to her, she didn't deserve that.
"Trust me, she's being well taken care of. And she's not being raped, if that's what you're afraid of, Anikka," Amorette told her with a bit of an edge to her tone.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean it that way."
"You're concerned for her. You have a reason to be." Amorette sighed. "She didn't come here just for sex, she had some suspicions and knowing the boy, those suspicions are probably being confirmed right now.
"I usually don't do this, but you're too nice a girl for me to deceive." She released Anikka, but put her hand on her chest. "Tell me what you feel."
Amorette's breast. A soft pillow that Anikka's fingers stroked until Amorette lifted her hand to her lips, kissing the fingers. "That feels nice, but it wasn't what I meant. I want to know what you feel under your hand. Not my breast. Not the dress. Tell me what you feel pulsing there."
Amorette put Anikka's hand back on her chest and she wondered what the hell the dark haired young woman was talking about.
Then she felt it. Or rather, she didn't. Amorette's chest wasn't rising and falling. And there was nothing pulsing at all. No pulse. No heartbeat. No breath.
Anikka pulled her hand away in horror. "How can this be?"
"I wanted to be honest with you, cheri. You're not stupid and you would have figured it out eventually when we… when the clothes were off and there was nothing to hide it anymore."
"You're not alive!"
Amorette's hand covered Anikka's mouth, gently but firmly. "We don’t need to let everyone know, oui? I like you Anikka, but I can't afford your panic. You're in no more danger than you were before I revealed myself. But if you scream again, I'll kill you."
She lifted her hand from Anikka's lips and now Anikka could see a glimmer of fluorescent red in those aquamarine eyes and a flash of teeth that she hadn't felt in Amorette's mouth.
Because Amorette had stopped the kiss before she could feel them.
Amorette seemed to gather her composure and the red in her eyes faded. "I don't want to kill you. If I had, I'd have done it by now."
Amorette was a… no, Anikka couldn't even think the word. She'd be terrified if it didn't seem so surreal. Not real at all. Like a dream.
Then one thought snapped her out of her daze. Liese.
"She came for that?" Anikka asked in disbelief. Then she shivered. "The boys. They're going to kill her."
Amorette smiled thinly. "It's tempting, but you care about her so I've warned them not to. In fact, you saw me tell one of them to make sure they watch themselves."
Annika gulped. "When you bed a girl, you don't really want sex, do you? You just want her-"
"Blood?" Amorette whispered in her ear. "I want and take both."
"From me?"
"Yes."
"But what if I don't want you to take any?"
Amorette gave her a sad smile and pushed her away. "Then I need to leave you."
"That's not fair!"
"I know. And it's frustrating because I want you so badly. But if I made a promise that I couldn't keep, it wouldn't only be unfair to you, it would be fatal."
Anikka was frustrated too. As scared as Anikka was, Amorette was still beautiful. Still desirable. Maybe it wouldn't be too bad….
"Does it hurt?"
"Not really." Then Amorette grinned. "In fact, it can enhance things."
The playfulness and invitation in Amorette's eyes made Anikka shiver in an entirely different way. Her breath caught in her throat and it was a few moments before she could ask, "What do we do now?"
"What do you want to do?"
What did she want to do? Anikka was actually being offered a choice. "I don't care as long as it involves you."
Amorette laced her fingers through Anikka's, squeezing her hand. "Allons, I know a place where we can be a little more intimate."
"Where?"
"My room."
Anikka's heart was pounding so hard that she felt it would explode. There was no turning back once they got there. "Alright."
"Don't worry, I'll take good care of you."
Anikka realized that Amorette was nervous. Anxious that she'd scared Anikka off. Again, the desire to reassure the other woman was stronger than her own fear. "I trust you."
Amorette lit up like a Christmas tree. "Let's go, then."
After going up a flight of secret stairs, and through the door that led to a hidden corridor, they reached Amorette's room. Amorette unlocked the door and they walked inside.
Anikka quickly took everything in. Rooms often reflected the personality of the person and that was definitely the case with Amorette. Everything was so feminine, almost romantic. The room was lit completely by candles and the hurricane lamp on her night table. She had a four poster bed with a cream colored comforter, and a matching dust ruffle and lacy shams. Her carpeting was violet, and her walls were painted lavender. It had a definite romantic ambiance.
Anikka sat down on the bed, ramrod straight. She hoped Amorette would make the first move because she honestly had no idea of what to do next.
She sat down beside Anikka. "My pillows are very comfortable," Amorette said softly. "Lay back and relax."
Anikka kicked off her shoes and lay down on Amorette's bed. She was right. The whole bed was comfortable.
Amorette leaned over her, and although she unbuttoned Anikka's blouse, she left the bra on. "That can come off later, if you want."
Then Amorette's lips met hers and Anikka was lost in her kiss.
Amorette seemed to meet her rhythm; their tongues dancing slow and languid. It was as if all of Anikka was turning to liquid, melting from the heat brought on by Amorette's kiss and caresses.
Then Amorette's mouth slid away from hers; her tongue tracing the line of Anikka's jaw. "I like how you feel," she murmured. "Like a peach. Your skin is soft." Her hand gently slipped underneath Anikka's skirt. "And you're sweet and juicy inside."
Anikka gasped as she felt Amorette's fingers ease their way inside her. She purposely didn't wear pantyhose on the off chance that Liese would get drunk again and want to fool around; now she was thankful she'd made that decision.
Waves of pleasure overtook Anikka as Amorette's finger slid over her clit, unlike Liese's clumsy fumbling, Amorette's touch was barely there, which was even more arousing.
Amorette's mouth slipped lower, kissing and licking her nipples before sucking them through the bra. At the same time her finger moved in and out of Anikka, gradually increasing her speed, and Anikka's body tingled from head to toe.
Then Amorette lifted Anikka's skirt and licked inside her thighs, teasing for a while before lapping at the juices that were now oozing from her sex; and throwing Anikka into ecstasy.
When she and Liese had messed around, she'd felt good but didn't orgasm. Now she knew why. She'd been more in love with the idea of Liese paying attention to her, the sex had been okay, but it was being touched that had excited her more than anything else.
Amorette, on the other hand, was an attentive lover, using every sigh and moan to guide her and it wasn't long before Anikka found herself pushed over the edge.
It began as a slight trembling of her legs, working its way upwards to her pussy, where it became an earthquake.
Her body shook so much that she almost didn't feel Amorette's tongue caressing inside her thigh, then the slight sting as her teeth broke the skin.
Amorette was right, it did enhance things. Maybe it was the firm sucking and her lapping. Maybe it was the fact that Anikka could tell that it was giving Amorette great pleasure. It was as if she'd been injected with a pleasure drug, every touch of Amorette's lips and tongue seemed to resonate, amplified through every nerve in her body until she came again.
All too soon, it was over. Anikka felt the teeth withdraw and Amorette lifted her head. She licked her lips free of the juices and blood that stained them. "It's getting late. We better get you back downstairs."
Anikka was crestfallen. "You don't want me to stay?"
Amorette sat up and played with Anikka's hair. "It's not safe, cheri. I'm barely controlling myself. I was… hungry already, but lovemaking makes me even more so."
Anikka smiled and sat up. "Then take more."
"I appreciate the offer, honey, but no."
"Why?"
"Because I won't stop, I won't want to stop, and I'll end up draining you to death."
The look in Amorette's eyes prevented Anikka from protesting any further.
The look of a hungry animal.
Then it faded and Amorette's eyes were kind again. "Please, Anikka. Don't make it any harder than already is."
Anikka buttoned up her blouse. "I'm never going to see you again, am I?"
"No." Amorette touched her cheek. "And it would be better for you if you didn't come back to the Nocturne. Safer. You already know too much about me and the others. That puts you in a lot of danger."
Anikka felt the beginnings of fear prickle her spine. "From who?"
"From the two boys who know you're here tonight. From anyone of our kind."
" Would they kill me?"
"In a second."
Anikka took a breath, then let it out, calming herself. "Will they try tonight?"
"Not as long as you're with me. But you need to leave. Now."
"How about my friend?"
Amorette's expression hardened. "She's waiting for you by the bar. They're done with her."
"What the hell does that mean?"
"It means that they've taken what they want. Don't ask me any more, please!"
They left the room and made their way back downstairs to the Nocturne.
"Let me take you to your friend."
Amorette took her hand and they walked back to the bar, where, just like she said, Liese was waiting.
It took everything in Anikka not to gasp at the state of her friend.
Liese's hair was mussed and matted with sweat, her shirt untucked and crookedly buttoned; her skirt unzipped. She was much paler than she'd been when she walked in here, and the bruises all over her throat stood out in stark contrast. And her eyes. The haunted expression in them made Anikka want to cry.
"They didn't have to…" Anikka trailed off, not caring that Liese could hear her because she had a feeling that Liese was past hearing anything.
Amorette shook her head. "Your friend must have really irritated him."
Not them. Him. "Which one?"
"It doesn't matter."
And it really didn't. Liese had finally gotten what had been coming to her a long time ago, but strangely, Anikka didn't feel any vindication. Only sadness. And pity.
She went over to Liese and held her hand. "Time to go, Liese."
"Are we going somewhere?" Liese asked in a childlike voice.
"Yes. Home."
"Oh goody!" Liese's smile was beatific. "Can I have ice cream when we get home, Mommy?"
At first Anikka thought Liese was joking. Then she realized that Liese wasn't. Her mind was gone. They hadn't killed her, but it probably would have been more humane if they had.
"I'm sorry," Amorette whispered. Then she was gone and Anikka was left with a vegetable.
As she and Liese left the Nocturne, Anikka realized that they'd both gotten what they came for. And for a change, Anikka was better off. But it was an empty victory. The very person she'd wanted to impress the most was now too insane to care.
As much as she hated Liese's conniving, bitchy, nasty self, Anikka missed it terribly. Better that than this shell of a person.
A very empty victory indeed.