Taste for Blood by Tilly Greene Page A

these are the last.  I can’t handle the modern day hen night.  Mine was a couple glasses of wine at our local the night before, not a weekend away spent getting wrecked.”  The customer laughed and then helped her put the glasses on a tray.
    “I’ll carry the tray, if you wouldn’t mind taking these two so we can keep them separate,” Ella suggested while pouring an ounce of Absinthe in the two glasses she’d set aside.  Whoever ordered the two Barbed cocktails was in for a nasty headaches in the morning and, hopefully, nothing else.
    The corner was raucously loud, full of talk about sex and the boyfriends, husbands, and a soon-to-be husband they were doing it with.  There were plenty of dirty details shared that Ella found hard to believe actually took place.  The ladies were probably more vanilla in the bedroom than kinky, which Ella personally preferred.
    After handing out the drinks, she started back to the bar when one of the girls chased her down for a private word.  She thought the young woman was going to order another round of drinks and tried to think of a way to say no. Except for Grandma, the entire group was a drink beyond over served.
    “The bloke behind the counter, is he available?  You see, my friend, the bride-to-be, is totally hot for him and, well, you know how it is.  She wants a last shag before the ring goes on for good.  We heard down in Leeds about a guy in Whitby who has a sexy bite that leaves you weak and a pierced willy that’s totally wicked to ride.  That’s fucking hot.”
    Oh boy, that was not what she’d expected the other woman to say. It wasn’t going to happen.
    “No, sorry, he’s with me,” she confided with a wink and went back to the bar.  She picked up glasses as she made her way through the room.  Stopping at a few tables, she chatted with the locals she’d befriended during her short time at the pub.
    “Would you like another, Sean?  Last call is coming up.”
    “Thank you, Ella.”  It was dark inside the pub and she tried to catch a glimpse of his face, but couldn’t see much.  The man was a mystery to her in many ways, which was odd since she could usually read anyone.  No, Sean was a slate wall of sorts.  Cool, hard and smooth, but everyone had a weak spot and he was hers.
    There, she finally admitted it.  She wouldn’t mind getting to know him better, finding his weakness, but that would have to happen another night as she already had plans.  Smiling, she picked up his empty glass.
    Making her way behind the bar, she started to clean the dirty glasses.  Intent on the job, she hadn’t noticed when Josh slipped behind her until he squeezed her hips and pressed his semi-hard cock between her legs.  Startled, she reacted on pure instinct.  Thrusting her elbow back hard against his belly, she quickly spun around and had her hand wrapped around his throat before she realized what she was doing.
    “I’m so sorry,” she cried out, pulling her hand away to find his neck and white t-shirt covered in blood.  Ella grabbed a towel and dabbed his skin to see where he was cut.
    “Your blood, baby girl, not mine,” he told her as he took the towel from her hands.  “You must’ve cut it on a glass you were washing in the sink.”  He lifted her hand and, with his eyes holding hers hostage, stretched out his tongue and licked the bleeding gash.  If he was really a vampire, her wound would close from the enzymes in his saliva.
    The room had gone quiet and she looked around to see people watching them closely.  They were expecting something big to happen, something that proved Josh was a vampire.  She was not comfortable being the center of their attention and clenched her fist, hiding the cut in the palm of her hand.
    “Last call, everyone.  I have a hot piece of prime flesh to heal and you’re all in the way,” he shouted, leering at her as he spoke.
    She felt herself blush fiercely, something she hadn’t done in a very long time.