Act Two Chapter Twelve - One Caress

Michael rang the door bell to the townhouse. He wasn’t sure what to expect here. He wasn’t sure even why he was here. But, it seemed to him that the more he got to know Leigh, the more he wanted to know. Her presence was the only peace he had here.

The door opened and Leigh poked her head out. “Michael?”

“Hey, I was in the neighborhood. Am I interrupting anything?”

“No, my roommates are out for the night. Come on in.”

Michael accepted the invitation and stepped inside.

“I had forgotten I gave you my address and phone number when we went out for coffee the other day.” Admitted Leigh. “So I’m a little surprised to see you at my door. Surprised, but pleased.”

“Well, I know you can’t always get out with the kids and all.”

“Yeah, we take turns, Tori and I. She watches Matthew and Ladonna when I’m at work and now it’s my turn.”

“Seems fair. How’s work been?”

Leigh nodded. “It’s work. I am glad you’re here. You’ll make tonight go more pleasantly.”

“Watching kids is tough.”

“Well, it’ll be bedtime soon. They’re out back. Care to come out and sit with me?”

“Sure, but first.” Michael proffered two bottles of Yuengling from his coat. “I brought goodies.”

“I thought you were underage like me.”

“Maybe I am. Maybe I’m not. The Fox Club doesn’t care. A lot of other places don’t either.” Said Michael, trying to be teasingly mysterious.

She took one of the bottles. “Still cold. Nice.” She twisted off the top and took a swig of the beer. “Come on.”

The two sat down on the back porch in a couple of somewhat rickety lawn chairs. In the small yard, Matthew was playing with who Michael presumed was Ladonna, a cute little black girl.

“You know, it’s funny. They look like they could be siblings.” Observed Michael as he took a swig from his own beer. “Your son is bi-racial.”

“Yeah.” Said Leigh quietly.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to…” began Michael. “I mean, I came over to enjoy your company, not dredge up unpleasant memories.”

“You don’t need to apologize.” She replied. “The other night, we talked about you and I think I hit a nerve at one point. Guess it’s my turn now. With Matthew and his father, well, there’s just a lot of baggage there.”

“Yeah, we all have too much of it, don’t we?” Michael was playing coy. He did not like his confessions from the other night being so easily remembered.

“Well, if we’re going to date, you should probably know the story.”

“We’re dating?” asked Michael.

“Oh, don’t pretend that isn’t what all this is about. You asked me if I was seeing anyone when you came to the Fox Club. You asked me to the coffee shop. Now you show up at my door uninvited and unannounced.” Her voice was playful, teasing. “Your siblings must not be very surprised at Christmas time if you think you’ve fooled anyone into thinking you’re not interested, Mr. Allens.”

“Okay, touché. You got me.” Said Michael. Admitting it out-loud made even Michael more comfortable with the idea. She was nothing like what he’d ever envisioned as a romantic partner. If he’d encountered her back in Blacksburg, he’d never given her a second look. But he wasn’t in Blacksburg and life (or unlife as the case may be) was different now. And for all the chaos of the last several weeks, Michael was certain of one thing. For whatever lack Leigh may have had, she more than made up for it in other areas. He knew was that it felt good, calming even, to just be sitting there on the porch with her. “So, what’s Matthew’s story?”

“His father is named David.” Michael winced at hearing that name and briefly wondered if…no, that wouldn’t be possible; His friend David wasn’t black. Leigh continued. “He was the hottest guy I’d ever seen, basketball star, straight-A student, top notch guy. He was black and grew up down the street from me. I went to school with him since kindergarten. You know, it’s funny. You’d think that familiarity would make me less likely to be attracted to him, but…” She let her voice trail off.

“Obviously, something happened for you two to hook up.”

“Yeah. We had a Sadie Hawkins dance at the school, and I got up the courage to ask him to go. And he said yes. But there was a problem. My dad didn’t mind black people or black kids in most circumstances, but he didn’t want me to date one. Said it wasn’t right to mix the races.”

“Thirty years after Martin Luther King and we’re still trying to crack that old chestnut.” Said Michael with exasperation. “So, I take it he didn’t take too well to your asking David out.”

“Yeah, well, he didn’t know. We found a way to keep it a secret. Along with our whole relationship. But then I got pregnant and we weren’t hiding anything anymore.” She paused, watching her son. “I tried to get an abortion before my folks found out. But I happened to show up on Pro-life Protest Day and I didn’t have the guts to walk through a picket line of nutso Christians calling me a baby-killer.”

“Can’t blame you there.”

“So I decided to keep the baby. Of course, my folks found out obviously. I think they might have handled me being pregnant okay, but not…” Her voice failed her as the flood of emotions overwhelmed her. She wiped a tear away from her eye.

Michael leaned over and took her hand in his. “You don’t have to tell me. I think I know what happened next anyway.”

“Yeah.” She said. “Thanks. But it gets worse. Not only did I have to deal with my folks, I also had to deal with David. He wanted nothing to do with his son. Walked away. I haven’t seen him since.” She looked at Michael. “So that’s our story. You know sometimes when I tell it, I get all weepy like I am now. Other times

I’m just so angry I want to hit something. I try not to be, because it’s not going to change anything, but I can’t help it. I resent them all. My father for throwing me out. David for abandoning me. And sometimes even Matthew just because he exists. I know I shouldn’t. It’s not his fault he got born into this crazy screwed up world to a worthless mother like me.”

“One mistake does not undo the good that you do.” Michael quoted, throwing her words from the other night back at her.

“Thanks.” She sobbed out. Without warning, she threw her arms around him and cried. Michael wasn’t quite sure how to react; he just held her and said nothing.

Leigh regained her composure after a minute or two. “Sorry. I…”

“I think I know the real devil in all this.” Said Michael.

“Excuse me?” replied Leigh, confused.

“You said you’re angry at your Dad, and at David, and at Matthew, but the one you truly resent is yourself. You’re mad because of your mistake. The same mistake I made.”

“All I wanted was someone to love me.” She said, as if not hearing him.

“And there it is. That’s the mistake. You fell for it. I fell for it. It’s intoxicating, isn’t it? Being told you’re loved, you’re special, that you’re the only one. That they’ll be with you forever. We believed it. We all want to believe it. So badly that from the moment we hear it we buy into it immediately. And when our dreams are dashed…” he let his voice trail off.

“Is that why you left Blacksburg?”

“Sort of. Mostly.” replied Michael. “I believed the lie and it came back to bite me.”

“What did you do to her?” Michael’s eyes stabbed at her when he heard that question. “She betrayed you. She cheated on you. But said the other night that what you did to those robbers is connected to your regrets. You admitted you went too far with someone who didn’t deserve it. So what did you do?”

Michael realized now he was in a very delicate place. He was so close to finding some peace, and yet now his dancing with the truth and deceit had drawn him, and Leigh, to this point.

He stood up abruptly. “I should go.” He looked down at Leigh. “It was something I’ll never do again.”

“Don’t go.” Leigh pleaded. “I’m sorry. I pushed too hard.” She stood up and put her arms around him, as if to hold him in place. “I’ve known abusers. Known true monsters of men. Seen them with others. One thing I know, they never regret what they do to others. Never feel one lick of guilt. You do, and that says a lot.”

Michael thought her assessment somewhat naïve, since his own regrets had not stopped him from doing any of the horrible things he had done. He knew also he could break her hold, flee from that place, never see her again. It would be best for her, he knew. She had no idea how much danger he had already put her in.

But he didn’t. He stayed there, enjoying the feel of her arms around him. Wanting to drown in that feeling. There was peace in those arms, a peace he’d not felt since he could remember.

“I may not know the whole story. And I may never know. But I do know that you saved my life, Michael, and indirectly Matthew’s life. You’re smart, kind, and a better listener than I’ve had in a long time. I know I want to be with you. If I can help, I’m here.”

“For now,” he began slowly. “you can help me forget.”

He’d meant it quite literally, not as some sort of come-on. But Leigh released him. “Let me get the kids to bed.” She kissed him on the cheek. “And then I’ll try.”

----

Michael sat there quietly as Leigh busied herself getting her son and her roommate’s daughter off to bed. He again thought about leaving. Sex with Leigh was not why he had come. He did not desire her in the way he had all the others, including Deborah and Rebecca. Brown eyes instead of blue. Dirty blond hair instead of dark or red. And she was obviously a score or so pounds overweight, but not so much that her curves were gone. No, she was still quite buxom and the more he thought about it, the more he realized he did desire her. But this was a different feeling. Not lust, but…

“A penny for your thoughts.” Came Leigh’s voice, interrupting his reverie. Hearing a phrase once used by Deborah pained him and Leigh saw it on his face. She sat down next to him again and took his face in her hand. “Sorry. I guess I’m not so good at helping you forget after all.”

“Not your fault.” Said Michael tersely. “You couldn’t have known…”

“You don’t need forgetting.” Said Leigh firmly. “Whatever it is, it’s killing you. I can see it in your eyes, Michael. Hear it in your voice. See it in the way your hold your body. You’re dying inside.”

Michael turned away, unable to look her in the eye.

“Tell me please.” She pleaded. “It hurts me to see you like this. I won’t…I promise I won’t leave, no matter what you say.”

“That may not be a promise you can keep.” Said Michael forcefully. She didn’t flinch at the change in his voice. She simply stood there patiently.

“I can’t tell you everything. But either directly or indirectly, I am responsible for the destruction of three lives, not one, three. And not like those scum at the bank. These were special, people I cared about.” He paused. “People I loved. People I should have loved better.”

“That’s a start.” She said. “Whatever the details of what you did, Michael, I think you need to do two things. One, if there’s any way you can set things right, you’ll need to do that to find peace. And two, you need to forgive yourself. I know these may sound like platitudes and I’m sure you could probably argue that since I don’t know the details these things are somehow impossible. But I also think I’m right and I think you know it too. You’re too smart not to have.”

“Always easier said than done.” Mused Michael.

She laughed in response. “Don’t I know it? But you know a shared burden is a lighter burden. My story is not quite so dramatic, but it pains me at times too. You carry my burdens and I’ll carry yours. Maybe together we’ll both find what we need.”

A dangerous road that, as Michael well knew. But at the moment, with his aching soul, he could not resist. “Is that a proposal? A scheme? A plot?” said Michael with a mirthful tone, trying to lighten the mood again.

“A proposition.” Replied Leigh. “It may be an unseasonably warm night here for November, but my bed is warmer.”

Michael smiled and nodded his assent. She took him in hand and led him inside.

It had become unusual for the girl to take the lead in his dalliances. Deborah, he remembered, often did so during the first few months, but as Michael grew in confidence those faded and became less frequent. Kris almost never initiated, nor had Rebecca, nor had any of his other conquests. Michael found this to be to his liking, and by the time they reached the bedroom, Michael did feel something rather usual, the stirring of his loins.

He knew at any moment he could take the initiative, but this time instead of seducing he chose to be seduced. As Leigh pulled him inside, she stepped away. Michael took the moment to close the door. Music began to play behind him. He turned around to see Leigh fooling around a bit with a radio.

“Is that who I think it is?” asked Michael. “De’Mode?”

“Yeah.” Replied Leigh as the opening violins of One Caress began to play.

“Another reason to like you.” Said Michael slyly.

“This song gets me hot. It’s so seductive. So dark.”

“Oh, girl, lead me into your darkness…” Michael sang softly along with the song. He knew it well, being off the same album as a number of tracks he’d performed with Krushed Prophet.

“Keep doing that and I’m going to come before you even touch me.” Threatened Leigh.

“That’ll make life easier.” He joked.

“But not nearly as fun.” She grabbed his belt and yanked him to her. She covered his mouth with hers and kissed him fiercely. With a mild shove, she pushed him away a second later and began to slowly work off her jeans in time with the music. Michael stood back, leaning on the dresser as he watched the strip-tease.

“Would telling her she could do this for a living be a bit rude?” Michael wondered. “Damn, she’s turning me on.”

She was down to her underwear when she came back over to him, her eyes a piercing “come hither” look. As she took him in her arms and kissed him again, Michael felt a desire of a different, more menacing, kind: the hunger for her blood. It was almost reflexive; Michael almost never had sex with a mortal woman where he didn’t feed. He pulled away from the kiss somewhat suddenly, trying to bring his urges under control. In all of his confusions regarding this young woman, there was one certainty. He wanted her to be a friend, a companion, or a lover, anything but prey.

It was in that moment that he realized he hadn’t fed, not for several nights. In his depression, it never seemed important. Michael felt a twinge of fear. If he caved in, would he be able to stop in time or would he destroy the life of another he cared about?

If Leigh noticed anything about his internal struggle, she ignored it and kept going. She kissed him again forcibly, her hands going down to his slacks to work them off.  She knelt down in front of him. His underwear went next, and then she took him.

----

They made love for hours, longer than any previous encounter Michael had. Always, Leigh took the lead and Michael made no effort to change that. She would exhaust herself and then they would lie next to one another, laugh and talk for a bit, until her strength returned and she would pull him into her again. As voracious as Deborah, Rebecca, and Kris had been, they had nothing on Leigh.

At last though, she was still human and eventually sleep took her. No longer distracted by either her sex or her conversation, the urge to feed returned, stronger now than before.

“No!” Michael demanded of himself. “I won’t. Not with her. She’s something else. Something different. Something special.”

“So were the others.” Came another voice in his head, unbidden. “You must feed. Here’s a chance. Just a little bit. She’ll never know.”

Michael untangled himself from her slumbering embrace. He gave her bare leg an affectionate stroke and it was as if he could feel the blood pulsing just beneath the skin. His resolve weakened, he bared his fangs, and bit down hard onto her thigh. He immediately regretted his weakness, but then a wash of blood filled his mouth and he cared no more.

Michael’s resolve was not so weak that he lost himself to his hunger as he had on the beach. He let go after a few seconds and watched the wound seal. Leigh, spent from their passion, never stirred. Michael wiped his mouth, licking up the last bit of blood that remained there and then leaned over to give her a kiss.

“I’m sorry.” He whispered. And then stood up to gather his clothes.

---

It was around 3am when Michael returned to Solomon’s beach house. The place was quiet; Michael assumed that Solomon was out and about, perhaps trying to track down his former contacts in the area. Of Ernie, there had been no sign. Michael was not particularly concerned about that. The longer his psychotic and selfish rescuer stayed away, the better.

“So you’re the whelp who sent Mathias into fits?” said a voice. Michael nearly jumped out of his own skin. He hadn’t heard nor seen a thing.

The vampire who spoke was an ugly diminutive hunchback. If he could stand fully erect, Michael guess him at close to 6’, but as it was he could barely manage 5. His whole body seemed twisted in a wholly unnatural way. The vampire smiled, relishing Michael’s reaction.

“Anyone who can do that is bound to be a friend to me. They call me…Max.”

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