My Little Ventrue Pt. 06 Ch. 18

A host of people at the bar, and another thirty on the dance floor, swaying, grinding, to the slow, deep, drumming beat. The red light and flickering white strobes made Bloodlust feel as if it were the inside of an actual heart, and everyone within it could not ignore the urge to move to its pulse. As if by instinct, kine succumbed to the beat, entranced, drawn into its allure, and their bodies demanded they act to its desires with dance, touch, and lust.

Antoinette smiled down at her childe. Samantha looked delicious in the black dress, and to her sire's delight, she chose to wear the first one Antoinette had picked for her. It highlighted her round buttocks nicely, and left her beautiful, curvy legs fully exposed. She had chosen to wear a thong underneath, but it looked marvelous where it hooked near her exposed hips. The criss-crossing black straps that ran over her stomach, sides, back, and breasts, left nothing to the imagination. They had also taken the time to play with her hair, emphasizing its brown waves as they reached her mostly bare shoulders.

Ashley and Julee had come as well, wearing simple but colorful short skirts and black tank tops with open backs. The ghouls did not wish to pull eyes away from their master, or their master's new childe tonight. Would there be jealousy between them and Samantha? Antoinette did not know. Perhaps.

Natasha stood beside them as well, and to Antoinette's great joy, was wearing something as equally as revealing as the Prince. Antoinette's long, silver dress was barely more than a few dangling slips of fabric, and it drew many eyes, but it was Natasha that drew more eyes this night. The tiny woman wore a petite black skirt, similar to Samantha's, and small enough that everyone could see the hips of the thong underneath. Better yet, she wore a tube top, a wonderfully tiny tube top that did a poor job of covering her small breasts. The fabric was also slightly see-through in the strobing light, barely, only enough to provide a slim hint of her nipples for onlookers.

The point of the attire was obvious: to announce to onlookers that, despite her tiny stature, she had the curves of a woman, sexual and seductive. Antoinette had picked the attire for her, knowing it would make her terribly uncomfortable, but also knowing it would stroke her ego, once the eyes started to find her. Eyes did, many, and Natasha squirmed as she failed to suppress a smile.

"Come," Antoinette said to her childe. "I prefer to sit upstairs."

Samantha, gulping, eyes wide as she looked around at the sights, followed after her. Antoinette walked slow, inviting eyes to stare, and indulging her Daeva ego as many men and women looked at her body. Samantha looked down, but she was smiling as she realized many people were looking at her as well. Good. Five women, all terribly beautiful, sexual, arousing to any viewer, and walking as a group. It was strangely fun, silly and juvenile, but fun.

Samantha stopped as her eyes fell upon a couple in one of the booths, still on the bottom floor. A woman was sitting between two men, a hand rubbing the crotch of one, while she leaned into and kissed the lips of the other. Others were drinking, and exchanging saliva in vast quantities as they kissed each other between gulps. Others were sitting alone, but shivering in obvious bliss, and Samantha gasped as she realized the person, a woman, was being eaten from underneath the booth table.

"I'm in way over my head," her childe said.

Natasha giggled, and gave the woman a small touch on her arm. "It's n-not so crazy, once you've been around it f-f-for a while. The kine here are happy."

"B-But, they're... they all look so young! And they're not really preparing for their future, you know? They're being so juvenile! I mean, how much money does—"

Antoinette looked over her shoulder at her childe, and met her gaze. A small exchange of a soft look was enough to remind Samantha of their earlier conversations. She was no longer a kine, she was Kindred, and she had to learn to think in such terms. To completely separate her mind from her previous modes of thought would be foolhardy, leaving herself open to the Beast and its animal desires. But to chain herself in the impulses she developed as a human, was equally as foolhardy, and that included her motherly tendencies. Many Kindred lost themselves to depression if they refused to embrace at least some of the Beast, and Samantha was at extreme risk to such desolation.

"Right, right. I shouldn't worry about what they're doing." Nodding several times, as if drilling the information past her own mind's defenses, she started up the stairs after her sire. "It's hard. I... I'm too old for—"

"You're t-too young, if anything," Natasha said, giggling all the more. To hear the little woman make such a sound lifted a great weight from Antoinette's shoulders. Natasha took Julias's death hard, but she also seemed quite overjoyed to have a new companion in the Ordo Dracul. "Given a little t-t-time, I'm sure you'll be... d-doing whatever you want, with whoever you want, really."

Samantha managed a small frown as she kept walking up the stairs. "I don't even know what that is. It's been so long since I've... done anything, with anyone."

"I suggest," Antoinette said, "that you keep any sexual exploration rather shallow, tonight. It will be your first Kiss, and could be quite overwhelming."

"So you're saying, I shouldn't sleep with... whoever I... hunt?"

Antoinette laughed, and motioned to her favorite booth upon the second floor of Bloodlust. It sat further back, in the center of the balcony, and the lighting up above was not as powerful or direct as that below. Darkness reigned on the second floor.

"My childe, if you decided to bask in the touch of a dozen men and women tonight, at once, I would say to enjoy yourself. I only suggest keeping your explorations light, because it will be your first time enjoying the Kiss, and you may find yourself a touch surprised at its impact." And you are not yet prepared mentally, with such a vast wound still healing. Antoinette slipped into the booth, and Samantha slid in beside her, Natasha taking Samantha's other side. Julee and Ashley stood behind the booth, to be extra eyes and ears for Antoinette as she relaxed. "There is nothing to fear, no matter what happens, as long as you remember what I told you. Do not kill whoever you Kiss, and lick the wound once you are done to seal it shut."

"Don't kill, lick it shut, right right." Samantha put her hands on the booth table, and looked down at herself. "Wearing something like this, I'm surprised a guy hasn't tried to jump me yet."

Antoinette rolled her eyes, and motioned to Natasha.

"D-D-Don't be so hard on men. If a man g-gets aggressive with you, it's almost always n-not because he... he's going to do something horrible. It's because m-most women like a confident man." Natasha gestured to the railing. They couldn't see the first floor from their booth, but the memory of its sights would no doubt be vivid in Samantha's memory. "A lot of w-w-women like it when a man gets aggressive, m-make her feel... helpless. B-B-But not when she isn't into the guy. It's... it's..."

"It is a difficult balance for men to find, my childe," Antoinette said. "Timidity is not attractive, but society looks down upon men who are too aggressive." For the conversation to head into this direction, the social and cultural establishments of gender norms and sexual attraction, was not what Antoinette had expected. But, she was happy to indulge the topic, and happier still, that Natasha was learning from her lessons. "What Natasha and I mean to say, is if a man is being aggressive with you, do not fret. If you have sternly told him to leave you be, and he does not, then you are encouraged to exercise your abilities as a Kindred."

"My abilities? Oh, you mean hurt him."

Natasha punched the air, once, with a lightning jab. "Kapow! Or s-something. Break an arm, or leg, or w-w-what have you. As long as you don't kill them, then d-do what you want."

Samantha gulped again and looked to Antoinette. "Really?"

"Oui, as I demonstrated to you earlier, with the stool leg. But, such a measure is rarely required. If a man is being aggressive with you, in all likelihood, it is because he believes you have flirted with him, and he is approaching you in a way he thinks you will enjoy; as dozens of women in this very establishment have proven. In such a circumstance, simply being upfront with him and saying 'no thank you, I am not interested' will end his chase. Usually." Antoinette had long lost interest in being chased. Chasing, she found, was far more appealing. Perhaps it was simply a question of time and Kindred blood that led to such a change in Antoinette. But then, Natasha was not the sort to enjoy chasing, and she was both old and Kindred. No, the little woman definitely enjoyed being chased, and considering her boyfriends were literal incarnations of beasts of the hunt, such a thing was likely a near nightly occurrence for her. Lucky her. Antoinette had not slept with Jack since Julias's death, and she was not sure when they would again.

She was not sure if she could let her sexuality fully emerge in Jack's presence anymore, after seeing the alien entity within him emerge. An abhorrent, disgusting thing. The look in its eyes had not been Jack's, and the idea of such a nasty beast touching her body was not a pleasant one. Worse, the idea of letting her guard down around the monster that had summoned an army of crows, and had slaughtered hunters in such a brutal way, such a... Viktor way, sent a cold shiver down her spine. Not a shiver of fear, but of revulsion.

She shook her head, and refocused her thoughts. Jack had shown no signs of letting his curse emerge a second time, and she should trust his word that it would not affect him, especially where his relationship with her was concerned. And she did trust him, mostly.

"And," Antoinette continued, "if you truly wished to, you are allowed to kill kine, Samantha. There is little reason to, and almost always only negatives to gain. But know that, no matter what happens tonight, you are more than capable of managing any kine that comes your way, in any way you see fit. You came with me, and you will leave with me."

"Guess I won't be going back to some random stud's place then?"

Too drôle, and cute. Antoinette could not help but chuckle. "Not until the hunters have been dealt with. While this section of South Side is quite safe, quite is not completely. I—" The Prince cast her glances to the stairs, and smiled as she recognized the vampire coming to join them. "Samantha Terry, meet Jessy Herrington, and Eric Tanverson." Samantha's eyes went wide, a reflex that Antoinette found herself drawn to. It was an expression of sincerity, showing Samantha's soul with blatant honesty, much like her son did. It was precious.

Her childe's eyes had gone wide from having at least two of her senses overwhelmed. The first was the unmistakable aura Eric gave off. Samantha did not yet know how to understand the strange way the Beast communicated with her, altered her senses, told her things and made her aware of things she had not been before, such as subtle smells, or body language. It was undoubtedly warning her now that Eric was an extremely dangerous animal, and perhaps not a simple kine.

The second reason was Jessy's clothing. The Gangrel wore a tiny skirt, same as Samantha, but it was her top that had Samantha staring. Jessy's top could barely be considered more than an elaborate necklace, with many loops of black fabric perhaps an inch thick circling around her neck and over her shoulders, and dangling against her chest. A dozen loops, hanging loosely, and doing an abysmal job of covering her skin. Her breasts hung free, with some black tape drawn in an X across each nipple, hiding them but for a subtle hint of pink at the inner edges.

Jessy and her brazen attitude were such a delight. Her short blonde hair, her muscular physique, and surprisingly large bust, were such a pleasing visual combination of strength and femininity, that Antoinette could not help but be interested in the woman's pursuits. And her pursuits had most definitely become interesting, as knowledge of her rather extreme sexual adventures with her werewolf partner became known.

"You're Samantha? Hot damn, you are gorgeous." Jessy slipped into the booth next to Natasha, before she froze and looked at Antoinette. "Uh, sorry, Prince. Can I—"

"I am here only as observer, Miss Herrington, and aid to my childe on her first hunt. Behave as if I were not here... to a reasonable point, of course."

Jessy nodded, and Antoinette half expected her to salute. It made Antoinette smile.

"So you're Jack's mom? Yeah, gorgeous! Who convinced you to wear that?"

Samantha shrank in her seat. "Um... m-my sire."

Lights flashed in Jessy's eyes, and she leaned over the counter, across Natasha's lap toward Samantha. "First hunt? If you're shy, I can lend you one of my boys."

"Boys?" Samantha said, eyes drifting up from the table toward Eric. "I, uh—"

"No no, that's Eric, my boyfriend. I got four ghouls, dudes, and—yeah, two of them over there." The Gangrel nodded toward a booth. "And... that's Vincent, over there. Looks like he's getting a blowjob right now, but that just means he'd enjoy a Kiss even more." Another nod for another nearby booth.

Samantha leaned out enough to follow Jessy's directions and spot the male ghouls. Her gasps were audible despite the music, earning a laugh from Jessy.

"D-Don't rush her!" Natasha said. "Samantha, my friend J-Jessy is an asshole."

"I happen to like that asshole," Eric said, stepping up with a smile. Jessy burst into laughter, and Eric took a moment, before realizing his double entendre. "You know what I mean."

"Fuck, we are wiped," Jessy said. "Boss has me and Eric running the whole damn city up and down, patrolling. And Eric still has to do his shifts, too. Tonight's the first night we get any free time, once his shift's done tonight."

"Um, Eric," Samantha said, "I... I um, you seem... uh..."

"Werewolf," Eric said, smiling at the woman. He did not sit down. He was wearing the suit the other bouncers wore, a nice balance of classy and fun, no tie, and suit jacket undone. Combined with his dark skin and shaved head, he looked terribly attractive, and Samantha looked him up and down at least twice. Perhaps her Daeva blood was showing through, drawing her gaze into the delicious symmetry of his body.

"Werewolf?" Samantha shivered, and rubbed her arms for a moment before setting them on her lap. "Wow."

Antoinette struggled to not giggle at the expense of her childe. Jack had warned the Prince of the woman's infatuation with juvenile romance dramas, including the infamous Twilight series. Talk of vampires and werewolves would fill her mind with fantastical images that were wholly inaccurate. But, for the moment, it was a pleasing delight to let the woman's own imagination fill her thoughts with wonder.

Eric looked at the small woman for a few moments, before he adopted a strange smile. It was not a smile Antoinette was used to seeing on paranormals, but she did recognize it. It was the smile of someone who was going to talk with an older person, a mix of respect, but also understanding that the minds of the older were never quite as quick as the minds of the younger. The man had plenty of practice from dealing with his father, no doubt. Antoinette appreciated it.

"Jessy is right though, you look great. Certainly don't look old enough to be Jack's mom."

She smiled, and to Antoinette's utter delight, giggled. The woman was helpless to the obviously manipulative words of Eric, kind as they were. Jack's analysis of his mother was correct, that she was a simple-minded woman, with a heart of gold. Antoinette almost felt bad, bringing such a pure woman into a place of decadence, sexuality, and wanton exploration of boundaries. Perhaps she was being too hard on her little childe, throwing her into the deep end and expecting her to swim?

As much as it was true that Samantha was a fresh Kindred, a fledgling only a week old, it was also true that she was the Prince's childe. Much was expected of her, and Antoinette had faith she could fulfill those expectations. While Jack may think much of his success and abilities were due to his curse expressing its power, Antoinette knew better, as did Julias. Jack had a mind capable of great feats, with or without his curse, and the Prince expected to see various aspects of Jack's determination and skill emerge in her new childe.

But for now, she was a naive woman, vulnerable to words. Eric's words had been kind, but Antoinette could foresee others attempting to manipulate her. Jessy would no doubt push the woman into a sexual affair, but that was not necessarily a bad thing. Sex and the Kiss, especially when combined, were wonderfully capable of easing the sorrow of a pained soul, if at least only momentarily.

"You all know Jack?" Samantha said. "It's... hard to imagine, Jack making so many friends. After James died, he always kept to himself. All his teenage years, he did his own thing, alone."

"Jack's been making waves ever since Julias brought him in," Jessy said. "I mean yeah, he was pretty closed off then, and still is a bit, but he's a force, you know? When shit hits the fan, we can all rely on that little punk." Nodding, Jessy pulled Eric down to sit next to her, before she slid onto his lap sideways, and hooked an arm around his neck. Her free arm played with his suit, tugging at the shirt underneath, and fingers slipping in between buttons to find skin. "Kid even ran a rescue mission. Saved me, Eric, and another wolf named Clara."

"Jack running... rescue... missions?" Samantha shivered and set a hand to her neck. "It's... I suppose it's easier to see him doing that, than being social and making friends. But harder to accept. He must be in danger... all the time."

The Gangrel nodded, and spoke up before anyone else could. "Our second life isn't without risks, Sam. Your kid has saved a lot of lives." And again, before anyone could say anything, or before poor Samantha could even react to the contentious Gangrel, Jessy slammed both palms down on the table. It made everyone flinch save for Antoinette. How poor Eric could handle such a bundle of unbridled aggression, Antoinette would never know. "But from where I'm sitting"—she laughed at her joke, and punched Eric in the chest—"this night is about you, right? Don't worry about Jack."

Samantha gulped, and looked up at Antoinette.

The Prince smiled down at her childe once more. "As much as the boisterous Gangrel has invited herself into our affairs, she is not wrong. Your son has made unprecedented advancement in skill and position, Samantha. He can take care of himself, better than most. You, on the other hand, are a brand new fledgling, and must learn to do the same." Complimenting her would work well, but complimenting her son would turn the woman into malleable clay, fully willing to believe and follow whoever it was that applauded her offspring. Antoinette would have to work hard to teach the woman some awareness, and to be wary of forked tongues.

Antoinette did take a moment to offer Jessy a small glare. It said many things, in a fraction of a second of eye contact. Do not push my childe too hard, stupid woman, or I will break you, and your sire will be helpless to do anything but watch.

Jessy gulped in a similar manner to Samantha, and Antoinette smiled. Message sent and received.

"I'm not sure what to do," Samantha said.

Antoinette tapped her chin a few times. "I think, perhaps, you should take Jessy up on her offer."

"Say what?" Jessy said, eyebrow raised.