Meg answered the door on the second knock. A man clad in black and looking almost unreal stood there in the darkness, staring at her without words. Amazed at her luck and not questioning the oddness of such a handsome stranger at her door, she grinned and moved back, inviting him inside. He smiled at her and she blinked, thinking he had a tremendously bright smile. He closed and locked the door behind him, staring at her with an absorption that bordered on fanaticism.

"You want me," he said bluntly, his deep voice flowing over her like honey. "Tell me what you want."

Meg cleared her throat, her pale eyes fixed to the burning blackness of his gaze. She had never seen this man before in her life. She could never have forgotten such a face. And yet she answered him.

"I want you to take me hard," she said breathlessly, the words torn from her lips by something she couldn 't explain. "I want it rough and I want to feel you ripping through my virginal flesh," she said and watched the stranger staring into her eyes mercilessly.

Meg shook her head. Sure she liked her s.e.x rough, but she'd never really considered doing it a.n.a.lly. Yet she'd just told this large, strong, handsome stranger to ravish her. She wondered if she was dreaming. Nothing about tonight seemed quite real.

She swallowed audibly as he stripped out of his clothes. He looked more than ready for the task at hand. She stared at his body, caught by the dark hair surrounding the large weapon waving at her between his thighs.

He motioned for her to come to him and she moved like a puppet on strings. A tiny bead of avarice reminded her of the quality of his clothing and she vowed that after she'd had s.e.x with this man, she would check his pockets for valuables. Then she moved towards him and all thoughts of theft faded.

He lifted her clothing from her, gently removing the cloth with what must have been a razor in his hands. Though he moved quickly, not a mark or drop of blood touched her. Then he slapped her, not hard, but enough to make her cheek sting, and Meg felt her body instantly respond.

Though she had lain with that playboy a few hours past, he hadn't aroused more than her l.u.s.t for his money. This man, however, made her seethe with need. He turned her around against the wall with rough hands and tightened his hold on her, pressing into her body, allowing her to feel him large and hard and throbbing behind her.

He gripped her hands above her head and whispered words that had no meaning. He braced her arms and spread her legs further apart, his knee whispering against the wetness between her thighs. Without a word he entered her moist body, his large p.e.n.i.s thrusting inside of her without sound and she wondered at the amazing ecstasy flowing through her body.

"Oh, G.o.d," she gasped as he pumped inside of her, his body long and hard, almost painful. Then he quickly removed himself and positioned his phallus higher. Meg groaned as he pushed into the tender flesh never before touched by a man. "Please," she cried, shaking her head as her mind tried to distinguish between the exquisite pain her gave her and the raw pleasure that drowned her body.

He grunted slightly as he pushed past her tight walls, pulling out and then slamming harder into her. Meg gasped as the pain-pleasure built. His fingers moved over her, moving into her wet v.a.g.i.n.a, over her c.l.i.toris with ease as he thrust inside of her harder and harder. And then he bent his head and she felt real pain and real fear.

His teeth sank into her neck and she heard him groan, felt his hips thrust faster inside of her until he shuddered and came inside of her. But he wasn't done. His mouth moved over her neck, his touch gentler as he drained her body with a quickness that astounded her.

He inserted his still hard shaft into her wet v.a.g.i.n.a and again thrust in and out, his hand working the front of her body, teasing the hard nub of desire that grew as Meg flew towards release. Soon the pain and the pleasure mixed until she felt nothing, neither the release of her o.r.g.a.s.m as it triggered his second one, nor the black void that consumed her entire body and soul from the light.

Trey breathed heavily as his body pulsed, his desire sated again this night, doubly so as the woman had been darker than the last. She had not only wounded the man she'd robbed earlier, but had killed two others in the course of her thieving over the past month. He tried to relax, to still his beating heart. But the blood that lingered in his mouth tasted so good. He panted and stared down at his now flaccid body, wondering how a man like himself had been so drawn to the darkness.

He shook his head. He didn't like inflicting pain, he thought with a frown, only pleasure. But the woman tonight had begged him to breach her, to cause her pain--a ch.o.r.e that left him with some distaste. And yet, she had asked him for it, and he felt obliged to serve her needs.

He stretched and tried to focus on his success and pleasured body instead of the aching sadness that pushed at him for his crimes. He didn't consider, as the Elders did, that he aided the light. Light didn't feed off of the darkness, didn't strip life from those deemed unworthy by a higher power. Darkness caused death, he thought.

He blinked and his clothes again joined his body. Trey licked at the blood still staining his teeth and sighed at the pleasure that afforded him. He looked inward and saw that he could indeed return home, his task now complete. Then he turned to mist and flew back to his home on wings of emptiness.

Adara bit at the pencil in her mouth, surprised that James had the utter gall to approach her at home after all he had done. She opened her door and stared at him blandly, not reacting to the sight of his bruised face and bandaged head.

"What do you want?" she asked coolly.

"Please, Adara, just let me in for a few seconds and then I'll go," he said and winced at the pain in his head.

Adara stared at him and sighed, throwing up her hands and moving back so that he could enter.

"I suppose I should ask what happened to you," she said less than enthusiastically.

"I was robbed," James said, looking pathetic as he blinked at her weakly.

"And I care because...? Shouldn't Marci be tending your wounds?" She couldn't help asking nastily.

"She's at her sister's this week," he offered quietly, and sat down without asking.

"Great," Adara said, her emotional scars throbbing as she stared at him. "Why are you here?"

"The thief took my watch," he said bitterly. "You know, the one my mother bought for me? The Rolex?" He reminded her. "And I think you might have a copy of the appraisal. I couldn't find it at my place."

Adara stared at him. It had been four months since their split, but Adara kept excellent records. She thought quickly. "Wait here," she ordered, returning moments later with a square envelope. She handed it to him, aware that he was leaving out some interesting details. "So when and where were you robbed?"

"Last night, at my place." He grimaced and stood. "She, I mean, he was pretty rough," he said.

"She?" Adara asked quickly. She could picture it very clearly, as if she'd been there when it had happened. Sometimes the visions struck her like that. "So she screwed you for more than your body, eh, James?"

James stared at her warily but said nothing. "Thanks," he mumbled and walked out the door.

Adara stared at her closed door, wondering at the odd scene she'd envisioned. So James was now into rough s.e.x, hmm? She shook her head and smiled, able to laugh that perhaps justice had been served last night. Now Marci would know what it felt like to be the 'woman wronged'.

Adara moved back into her office and continued working on her computer. Later that night, she dressed with care. She had persuaded a friend of hers, a journalist for the Rathan Times, to go clubbing with her as a lark. Sue had a bubbly personality and love of excitement that made her the perfect companion for Adara's venture into the dark side of life, Adara thought.

She had just applied some lipstick when her doorbell rang.

"Come on in," Adara shouted and continued to work on her makeup. She froze as she caught sight of the woman behind her.

Sue Saxton, normally a pet.i.te blonde, wore a long black dress showing ample cleavage and a long, fishnet clad leg through a thigh-cut slit. Three-inch killer heels graced her small feet but what really grabbed Adara's attention smiled at her from Sue's face. Sue's blond hair had been spiked, the tips colored black. She'd applied some very white pancake foundation, making her blue eyes look that much more blue surrounded by black liner, black mascara and gray shadow. Her lips, in contrast, were full and pouty, covered in black. Sue wore little jewelry save for a large silver cross around her throat and two silver hoops in her ears.

"How do I look?" the bubbly blonde asked, lowering her voice and sounding like a poor Elvira imitator.

"Like a gothic tramp." Adara shook her head.

"You don't look so bright and shiny yourself, Morticia," Sue joked.

Adara looked at her reflection. She wore black as well, a long dress that covered her from her neck to her feet. The dress clasped at the back of her neck and bared her shoulders and arms while it hugged every curve of her body, flaring slightly around her calves to ease movement. She had decided on red lipstick, not opting for Sue's look, but for a simplicity that would allow her not to feel so odd. The only other makeup she wore consisted of dark eyeliner and a hint of blush. Other than that she wore small gold earrings. "What about your shoes?"

"Simple black pumps, two-inch heels I'm afraid," Adara said apologetically.

"Great," Sue said dryly. "Well, at least you did a good job with your hair."

Adara had put her dark hair up in a clip, pulling it away from her face and neck so that it gathered fully behind her head, licking at the back of her neck in wisps and small curls. The thick brown ma.s.s looked shiny and almost black in the dim bathroom light.

"Well, partner, let's go get 'em," Adara said and grabbed her small clutch.

Adara and Sue didn't wait long in line outside of Vampland. Their dresses had them in the door faster than the young vampire groupies and preppy outsiders looking for something different to entertain them.

"Ladies." A large bouncer wearing a thick black cape grinned at them as he took their cover money. Then he waved them inside.

Adara heard Sue gasp and echoed the sentiment as they walked into the crowded club. Adara saw people dressed in all manner of styles, mostly wearing the ever-popular black. She and Sue fit right in, rather nicely, she thought as a woman in a long cape pa.s.sed by them.

The atmosphere was thick with smoke, not from cigarettes, Adara found with some surprise, but from the fog machine near the DJ. The music was a fast, throbbing techno beat that had people swaying against each other as they overly imbibed.

The large room had been done in dark shades of black and maroon, with large velvet draperies hanging on the walls and along the ceiling to hide the old pipes and construction of earlier years.

Oddly enough, Adara noticed that by and large the men and women in the club were fairly attractive. Most of the patrons fell between twenty-one, per the sign out front, and their mid-thirties, though Adara did note a few older people mingling in the crowd.

After a short time perusing the ma.s.ses, she and Sue decided on a drink to calm their nerves. They reached the bartender and Sue flirted outrageously, leaning over the bar to successfully capture the bartender's gaze.

"Gee, Sue, at this rate you can be one of my star interviews about raw s.e.x in public. Why don't you just jump him and have your way with him on the bar?" Adara asked under her breath as Sue laughed at something the man said.

Sue smiled at the man and waved as she grabbed Adara's arm and pulled her towards a less crowded section near some tables away from the dance floor.

"Look, we're here to see how 'bad girls' do it, right? Well, tonight I feel like a bad girl," Sue said. "Maybe I will be your first interview," she murmured as the bartender approached.

"Hi," he said as he stared at the two of them with an appreciative gaze. "I'm John, the manager." He smiled.

"I'm Sue and this is Adara," Sue said and winked at him. "Great club," she nodded enthusiastically.

"We get a lot of interesting people in here," John said, his gaze wavering between Sue and Adara. Sue leaned closer to him and his eyes again clung to her bountiful b.r.e.a.s.t.s.

Adara managed to avoid rolling her eyes as John and Sue made small talk. She heard little of what they said as her eyes scanned the crowd, her interest in the people around her taking over.

"Tour?" John asked and Adara looked up to see Sue and John staring at her.

Adara flushed slightly, caught ogling the ma.s.ses around them. "Oh, sorry. I was distracted," she said waving her arm at the throng out on the dance floor.

John laughed. "No problem. It's a little overwhelming at first," he said. "So would you like the tour, the complete tour, Madame Author?" he asked with a rakish grin.

Adara glared at Sue who shrugged. "So I told him. It's not as if it's a secret why we're here."

"You don't mind, John? I wouldn't want to take you away from anything," Adara murmured, thoughts of an insider's view intriguing her.

John grinned and looked leisurely over Sue's scantily clad form, making her blush. "It'd be my pleasure. I 've got to tell you, we get a lot of beautiful and interesting people in this place. But you two really stand out." He complimented them with a genuine smile.

Sue beamed and Adara smiled her thanks, though she didn't quite understand what he meant. Surprisingly, Adara had been complimented on her looks her entire life. She had never seen anything special in her tall frame and average face. She had dark brown hair and brown eyes, a plain nose and a mouth that had been accused too often of speaking her mind. She couldn't figure out why men seemed to notice her amidst other women. Now Sue, she thought to herself, Sue stood out.

A pet.i.te blonde with a surprising amount of curves, Sue had that Nordic blond-haired, blue-eyed s.e.xual bombsh.e.l.l look about her. And her bubbly personality only added to her attractiveness.

But never one to look a gift horse in the mouth, Adara shrugged and moved through the club with Sue and their tour guide.

Chapter Three.

Adara noticed that John proved to be an entertaining host. They listened as he explained the bar and its inception.

"Three years ago this place was fairly tame. I mean, we're outside of the city and Rathan, though not small, isn't Philly. This place used to be a billiards pub called Smiley's and it was going downhill fast, like the rest of western Rathan.

"Then Trey happened upon it and suddenly this place turned into an overnight success. We're attracting folks from Philly, Jersey, and even New York when they can get away for a weekend. You guys came at just the right time. Fridays are usually the best nights," John smiled.

"Trey?" Adara asked.

"Trey Blackthorne. He's the owner and the genius behind this place. If he's in, I'll introduce you later." John moved them away from the bar and dance floor towards a stairway leading to a second floor. "Up here is the VIP section," he said and nodded to a large man guarding the stairwell. The man nodded and lifted a velvet rope, allowing them entry.

"We have a number of people who prefer the quiet up here, the dark intimacy and anonymity we can provide away from the dancing lights." John pointed over his shoulder. Adara saw that like the area below, this level was crowded. She noted several curtained booths against the walls.

"Privacy booths," John said with a nod in that direction. "They cost but they're worth it." He looked at Sue and Adara and shrugged. "I know you haven't been here before, but you must know the type of place you've come to tonight. It's an erotic fantasy club," he said bluntly.

"Downstairs is more for the hip, younger crowd. Up here you have a higher clientele," John said and walked with them towards a back stairwell. "This leads us to the backrooms, the whispered 'dark area' of the club. It's all nonsense of course." He shrugged the notion away.

They descended back to the first floor and entered what looked like a posh hotel hallway, nothing seedy or dark around them. Several doors lay on either side of the corridor and Adara could see that the hallway curved further down to admit more rooms.

As they started down the hall, they pa.s.sed a door through which Adara thought she heard some odd moans.

"We don't endorse drugs, prost.i.tution, or anything illegal or harmful to our patrons," John said evenly as they paused outside of a door. He knocked and then pushed the door open upon hearing a hearty "Come in." Adara noted a group of well-dressed men and women engaged in a rousing game of strip poker. John smiled and closed the door behind them as they left.

"I'll admit we cater to a different crowd. But Vampland is about enjoying your s.e.xuality. You can rent these back rooms for anything you want," he said. "But again, we get wind of prost.i.tution or drugs and you're out. Some rooms are better suited for, shall we say, horizontal entertainments." He grinned and looked at Sue. "Others are fun meeting places for gamers, couples or parties."

"What about orgies?" Adara asked wryly as the moans from the first room sounded louder.

"Interested?" John asked looking surprised. Sue managed to smother a chuckle and he grinned. "Oh, just curious, sure. Well, like I said, we rent the rooms. We don't interfere in our patrons' activities unless we get complaints. All those who enter these back rooms do so of their own consent and their own free will."

"Isn't this all just another way of promoting prost.i.tution and torrid s.e.x?" Adara asked. She couldn't fathom that the law hadn't closed this Trey person down.

John shook his head. "Not at all. Adara, the people who come to Vampland want excitement and adventure, something outside the norm. They don't pay us for s.e.x. They bring their fantasies here and we indulge them. Didn't you see the costumes out front? Now if you want to meet a real vampire," he said grinning and led them back towards a door through which they reentered the first floor. "I'll introduce you to my boss."

John escorted them to the far wall away from the dance floor on which rested a wide set of stairs. Adara and Sue stopped at the small landing at the top and waited while John slipped inside. Then he opened the door and motioned for them to follow him.

Adara saw a small room that looked like a seating area. A small couch and several chairs had been carefully arranged around a table. She noticed that the furniture looked surprisingly clean and tasteful, done in dark shades of maroon and navy blue. The molding on the Queen Anne couch was of mahogany, the same as the three chairs and table.

John waited for them by the door on the far wall. He waved them forward and they moved through in file, Adara bringing up the rear. When they entered, she had to adjust her eyes to the low lighting in the room. This room was twice as large as the outer room. It stood in darkness save for the burning lamp over an immaculately organized desk.

John raised a dimmer switch so that the overhead lighting made everyone visible. Sue gasped audibly and Adara caught her breath as they saw the man John had been waiting to introduce.

John grinned. "Sue, Adara, I'd like you to meet the man behind the mystery, Trey Blackthorne."

Blackthorne rose to his feet and moved around the desk to meet them. His eyes, dark and piercing, seemed to absorb their every detail, as if he stared at them from Lucifer's vantage.

He towered over Sue and Adara put him at roughly six-four or five.

"Pleased to meet you," he said in low, courtly tone as he kissed Sue's limp hand. She smiled weakly and stepped back, as if intimidated by the man's larger-than-life presence.

Then he turned to Adara and his body stiffened slightly for perhaps a split second that no one but Adara seemed to notice.

Blackthorne bent over to kiss her hand and Adara felt a burning heat run through her where his soft lips caressed her skin.