Not What She Seems

chapter 10



The next afternoon Sylvia woke up late and groaned as she recalled the horrible night before with Keith. After his confession they had spent the rest of the night with a tense silence hanging between them, only broken by the occasional necessary word when it came time to eat and time to show him to the guest bedroom. He hadn’t tried anything with her, before bed or afterwards. She couldn’t decide if she was pleased or disappointed about that.

If only it were easier. She longed to be able to move one way or another in regards to him. Throw him back out into the world with an angry slam of the door, or climb into his bed and enjoy each other again as they once had. She knew she needed his help to stay out of the Hunter’s clutches but she also needed to stay out of his clutches as well. She couldn’t put herself through what she had survived before because of him.

The smell of bacon and eggs hit her as soon as she opened her bedroom door. Her stomach rumbled in response, and another, more primal Hunger began dully gnawing at her as well. Great. All the stress of yesterday had burned up the energy she had gotten from the two mid-grade feeds earlier in the week. She had hoped it would last a few more days at least, but stress, be it physical or emotional, burned it up at a faster rate.

“Good morning,” Keith greeted her hesitantly. He stood at the stove, cooking scrambled eggs. “I had a food service bring some groceries this morning. Your fridge was pretty bare.”

“I usually eat out. I’m afraid I’m not much of a cook,” Sylvia shrugged as she avoided his gaze.

“Come on, it’s almost ready. Do mind getting us some juice?”

“I’ll pour you some, but it’s coffee I’m after right now.” She opened the fridge and took out the new carton of juice. “Thanks for doing all of this… getting food and making breakfast.” Still she wouldn’t look at him.

“Look, about last night…” he began.

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Okay. I just wanted to let you know that I’m sorry I made you so uncomfortable. It was such a surprise to find you like that and I guess I hadn’t really thought through what I was going to say or how you might feel about it.”

“It’s fine. Let’s just forget about it.” She was eager to put the whole thing behind them and forget it ever happened. She couldn’t concentrate on sorting out her feelings for him right now while she had an Innocent to seduce, a territory to reclaim, and a Hunter to avoid. It was a relief to her that he would let it go. At least she hoped he would.

“So what are your plans for the day?” He set their places at the table and laid out the food while Sylvia fiddled with her coffee before bringing their drinks to the table.

“I don’t have any yet, but I’m thinking I’ll need to hunt tonight.” She dug into her breakfast after sneaking a quick glance at him, only to find he was watching her with interest.

“I could use a feed myself,” he agreed. “So how do we, uh, work that out? Do you bring your guys back here?”

She shook her head. “I never do. I don’t want anyone to know where I live. It gets too messy.”

“Okay… so how am I supposed to keep you safe if you’re off at some random guy’s place?”

Sylvia thought as she crunched her bacon, actually daring to meet his gaze. He was not exactly relaxed, but not as tense as last night or showing any signs of jealousy at the mention of her having sex with another man. Maybe this could be okay after all.

Before she could come up with an answer to that, he offered the solution. “I think it’s gonna have be to down and dirty, grab and goes for both of us for a while. That okay with you?”

“I guess it’ll have to be,” Sylvia cringed. As a succubus she was familiar with the terms he used as they were part of their kind’s lingo when referring to certain types of prey. A ‘down and dirty’ referred to having sex somewhere public, like an alleyway or a restroom. ‘Grab and go’ was often used to describe prey who just wanted to get down to the nitty-gritty of it, straight to the sex without a lot of preamble or foreplay. Either way it meant Sylvia would be stuck screwing lower or poor grade energies. The higher grades rarely stooped down the level of a quickie in the coat room with a stranger.

“So what’s you territory here?” Keith asked. Sylvia told him and he brightened when he heard her mention the Downtown Crossing area. “How about the Lounge? That place is always packed.”

Sylvia raised an eyebrow at him quizzically. How long had he been back in Boston? Long enough to know some of the popular local spots, it would seem.

“There are far less incubi in this city than succubi, so Lilith did away with our territories a while ago. We’re free to hunt wherever we like, so I’ve had a chance to check out a few places,” he explained.

Sylvia’s cell phone rang from the kitchen counter and she jumped up to get it. Seeing it was Mason she excused herself and went to her room before answering it.

“Hey,” Mason greeted her. “I have a few minutes in between classes so I thought I’d give you a quick call to see how you’re doing.”

Sylvia smiled to herself. No one ever asked her how she was doing unless they were in the middle of having sex and the man was looking for an ego boost. “I’m good, how about you?”

“Better now that I hear your voice. Listen, I just found out my buddy’s got a show at a local art gallery tomorrow night. I know it’s short notice, but would you like to join me? I’d love to have you come, if you don’t mind a stuffy evening in a stuffy art gallery,” he joked.

“I don’t mind at all. I’d love to!”

“It’s black tie. I could pick you up at eight?” Sylvia grimaced silently when she heard that he wanted to pick her up. It was her policy to never give her address out to her dates.

“I have to work late tomorrow night. Could I meet you there?”

“How about I pick you up at work then?”

She didn’t dare have an Innocent pick her up at the service’s building. He’d be a beacon to all the other succubi that might be going in or out of the office at that hour, picking up their pay or meeting with Lilith. Lilith herself would probably sniff him out, even from the top floor, Sylvia mused. She hated to do it but she had to break one of her own rules if she wanted to accompany him.

“Actually, I’ll just knock off early so I can get ready.” Reluctantly, she gave him her building address but not her apartment number. She would just have to be waiting for him in the lobby. It was bad enough he’d know what building she was in. She didn’t need him knowing exactly which apartment was hers too.

“Okay, 8:00 it is. I’ll see you then,” Mason lowered his voice and added, “I’m really looking forward to it. I can’t wait to see you again, Sylvia.”

“Me too.” Already she was mentally selecting the perfect dress for the occasion as they said goodbye. This black tie event would give her a chance to really show off her looks in a stunning dress. She hoped to have Mason in her panties by the end of the night, but she wasn’t counting on it.

Suddenly she remembered she’d have to find a way to ditch Keith. She couldn’t have him tagging along on her date, and she couldn’t risk him finding out about her Innocent. There was still a day to figure it out. She just hoped she could come up with something by then.

Back in the kitchen, Keith had finished his meal and begun washing the dishes. Sylvia examined what was left of her breakfast and decided she didn’t want to eat anymore. Her preoccupation with her upcoming date had shut down her appetite for the time being.

“So I talked to Lilith just now,” he informed her. “She says there were no new murders overnight. Seems like the Hunter couldn’t find any succubi to kill.”

“I think a lot of the girls are lying low right now.” She casually boosted herself up to sit on one of the kitchen counters while she watched him clean up. Her conversation with Mason had her feeling much more relaxed now, as had Keith’s demeanor at breakfast. The awkwardness between them had passed. It was a struggle not to stare at his fine ass but she did her best not to.

“Let’s hope they stay smart enough to keep out of his way.” He dried his hands on the dish towel and then leaned back against the sink, facing outwards towards Sylvia where she sat on the counter. Suddenly he crossed the kitchen towards her and placed his hands on her pajama top.

“Don’t!” She tried to push his hands away as he reached for the buttons on her top. She knew that look in his eyes all too well. Damn it, she was afraid of this.

“Relax,” he said softly as he gently re-buttoned a button that had come undone without her noticing it. “I just can’t take the view anymore. A man has his limits.” His hands dropped by his sides once he had redone the errant button and he stood mere inches from her, his eyes ablaze with an intense heat.

It would be so easy, she realized. If she just leaned forward and parted her lips and… no. But if they were so over, why did his mere proximity light her afire inside? Her groin ached dully with desire but before she could do anything rash, Keith jerked away from her and went to his room, slamming the door behind him without another word. He left her bewildered, trying to sort out what had just happened and what might have happened between them if he hadn’t walked away.

~~~

Keith stayed in his room for most of the day, and Sylvia finally decided she would go read in her room to give him a chance to come out if he wished to. She hadn’t been reading twenty minutes when he knocked on her door.

“Come in,” she called, placing her book down.

He came in and sat on her bed, leaving plenty of space between them.

“I didn’t mean to freak you out earlier, in the kitchen. I just wanted to help,” he explained earnestly.

She sighed. “I know, and I’m sorry I thought you were doing something else.”

“I’m just a little bit hurt you assumed I was hitting on you. I told you I wouldn’t, if that’s what you want.” Keith’s dark eyes searched hers and Sylvia felt the tiniest bit guilty for assuming the worst of him. “I just couldn’t take it anymore. The way you were sitting, I could see everything and it was driving me crazy.”

She smiled gently at him. In an odd way it was nice to know he was still undeniably attracted to her, even if she knew better than to rekindle their former relationship.

“It’s okay. We good now?”

“Yeah, I guess so. Just give me some credit next time, okay?” With a grin he lazily reclined in the space next to her, satisfied they had smoothed out the earlier misunderstanding between them. “So how’s your book?”

“It’s all right. Truth be told, I’m having trouble concentrating on it. I just keep thinking about the Hunter. I keep wondering who he is and who he’ll kill next…” She couldn’t bear to finish her sentence with the unspoken ‘if it will be me or someone else’ she was thinking in her head.

Keith gently patted her hand as he grinned up at her and Sylvia’s blood sang at his touch. “No worries, Sylv, you’ve got the best bodyguard in the city,” he joked, trying to lighten the mood.

She smiled at him, praying her eyes wouldn’t betray the lust she felt towards him at the moment. “‘The best in town’, huh? I sure hope so.” She tore her gaze away from him as her libido screamed in protest that she wasn’t taking advantage of having the best lover she’d ever known in her bed again. She glanced at her alarm clock and was surprised to see how late it had become.

“So,” she turned back to Keith, “you ready to go hunting soon?”

“Sounds good to me. How long do you need to get ready?”

“Give me an hour, then I’ll be ready. That work for you?”

“Sure thing. I’ll be ready whenever you are,” he assured her as he rose to prepare. He closed the door behind him and Sylvia stared wistfully into space, wishing she could stay home and romp in bed with him instead of hunting for a feed.

~~~

True to her word, an hour later Sylvia was showered, dressed and ready to go. She wore a skimpy leather skirt, with a snug top that showed off more than a little of her ample cleavage. She wore her hair loose and wavy.

Keith whistled low as she walked out into the living room. “God help the men there tonight!”

“You’re not looking too shabby yourself,” she replied. It was a sincere compliment. He had on a pair of faded Levi’s, and a body hugging long sleeved graphic t-shirt that hugged his muscular biceps and torso. She doubted a single woman there would resist his advances.

He opened the apartment door and looked out to make sure everything was clear. “Come on.” He reached behind his back without looking, offering her his hand. Tentatively she grasped it and as soon as she did he curled his fingers firmly around her hand. Emotions flooded through her as she remembered days gone by, walking hand in hand with him through the old Boston when they together. The feeling of holding hands was both familiarly comforting, and a bit painful all at once. She suddenly realized how much she missed him. She had spent so much time pretending he didn’t matter to her anymore and that he was out of her life for good, but it simply wasn’t true. She had missed him terribly and still did, even two hundred years later. The realization was a shock to her.

She must have hesitated, staring at their intertwined hands a bit too long because Keith looked back to see what was delaying her.

“It’s fine; the hallway’s clear. I won’t let anything happen to you, Sylvia,” he reassured her, thinking fear was keeping her from stepping out of her apartment.

“Thanks,” she replied weakly, offering him a shaky grin as he held onto her hand. They rode the elevator down and crossed through the building lobby onto the street. Sylvia didn’t pull away.