© ItalRT4u, 2012

     I wiped the silent tears that had fallen during the cab ride away as I faced my visitor and forced a smile.

     “What are you doing here?”  I asked him as he stood up to greet me; a look of concern on his face.

     “I had to check up on you.”  He tells me, meaning he remembered what day it was.  Gage stood there, looking ruggedly handsome as he always had been.

     “How long have you been here?”

     “An hour or so.”  He sheepishly answered, shrugging his shoulders.  “Judging by the outfit, you're doing just fine.”  He rubbed the back of his neck.  It didn't take an empath to know that he was riddled with nerves. 

     Why do I make him nervous? 

     He had always been cool, calm and collected.  It was kind of nice to see the sudden effect I had on him.  I suppose he had thought that I wouldn't want to give him the time of day, which he was right about that one.

     Call me crazy, tired, or delusional, but I had invited Gage inside.  I'm unsure as to the true nature of his visit and honestly, I couldn't care less.  The only thing I knew was the fact that I didn't want to be alone right now and needed someone familiar around me – Gage was the lucky subject of my relief on this night.

     “I miss you.”  Gage tells me as we had been sitting on the couch in awkward silence.  I got up and moved toward the mantle, grazing my fingers over the picture frames that held photographs of me and my family.  I missed them so much, it was almost unbearable.  When I hadn't answered, I heard Gage's throat clearing.

     “What?”  I turned towards him.

     “Well, I wasn't expecting silence.”  He said with a short tone.

     “What did you expect?  That after six months I'd run back into your arms?”  I snapped.  “The truth is Gage, that I am glad to see you.  It only solidifies my sentiment that all you are good for is a piece of ass.”  Gage's face flushed with a blush of frustration.  I knew that he wasn't expecting me to have answered him in that fashion.  I was no longer the weak, demure woman he once took advantage of with his cheating ways.  I was able to stand on my own two feet now – for that, I was thankful he had come into my life.

     “Wow.”  He chuckled.  “I'm kind of liking this outspoken version of you.”  He took a few steps towards me.  I lifted my hand to signal for him to stop but he continued on, a cocky demeanor present in his body language.  My defenses were wavering and I could literally sense his lust seeping into my very core.  The last thing I needed was a repeat from earlier tonight, until I had some answers on what exactly this whole glitch of mine entailed.

     “Stop.”  I said, my voice cracking and sounding husky but he closed the gap between us until the fronts of our bodies were slightly grazing.

     “I can't.”  He whispered onto the skin that covered my collarbone, causing my pulse to quicken.  My arms hung limp, by my sides.

     “You have to.”  I say at a silent whisper, clearing my throat.  “We're not...”  My voice left me altogether as I felt his soft warm lips on the soft spot below my ear; a moan escaping my lips.

     After a few dozen seconds of battling the erratic thoughts inside my head, I deduced that giving in was my only option seeing as my body was progressively betraying me.  Despite all the obvious reasons why I should kick this sexy jerk, nonetheless, a jerk out of my house, whatever it was that was going on inside me simply had a greater hold over me – knocking all rational thoughts out of my head.  My defenses were completely dysfunctional therefore rendering me helpless and at Gage's mercy.  It was very much trance-like.

     Refusing to kiss him on the lips, I let him have his way with me.  I can't even recall how we had gotten to my bed.  I was too enthralled with the feeling of his body against mine, his hands playing me like the delicate instrument that I was.

     It was tonight that I had my first taste at sex.  My virginity now thrown out the window, discarded like an old toy I no longer needed.  Oddly enough, I was glad it was with Gage, despite our history; and not some one-nighter.  I felt the flaming thirst, the same one that had formed within me at the club earlier tonight, finally being quenched.  My body invigorated, feeling alive, I got up from the bed, leaving Gage lying there as I reached for my silk bathrobe.

     “When did you get a tattoo?”  He asks me.  Freezing in my spot, I hadn't realized what I would answer if anyone would spot it.

     “It was a gift to myself.  I got it a few weeks ago.”  I lied.

     “You sure have changed.”  He tells me, shaking his head with a grin.  “Now, come back to bed.”

     “I think you should leave.”  I tell him in an out of the blue fashion.

     “What?”  He sat up, the sheets dropping away from his upper torso, barely covering his package.  I eyed him feeling hungry but knowing that another taste of him would be entirely wrong for obvious reasons.

     “You heard me.”  I tell him, grabbing his pants and chucking them at him.  “I've got to work tomorrow and you'll only keep me up with your snoring.”  I said dismissively which prompted him to get up and do as I had requested of him.

     I woke up, feeling like a new woman.  My muscles ached slightly from last night's ventures with Gage but my body was still riding its blissful high.  I reminded myself that I should check in with Carly.  She was my mother's baby sister.  Surely, she'd know a bit about my situation.  Mom had told me that all the women in the family had the gene.  She was the only relative that I had bothered to stay in touch with; all the others being dead, dying or dead to us due to an old family feud.  Carly was more like an older sister to me than an aunt. 

     I'll give her a call after this shift.  I told myself.  That should keep her from hunting my ass down seeing as I had yet to return her call from a few days ago.

     I was in for an eight hour shift at the bistro by nine.  The day was pretty much normal until the lunch rush started.  It seemed like the place was a magnet for men today and every male eye in the place, co-workers included, was on me.  I forced myself to get through the lunch rush and I was practically there too until one of my regulars decided to get fresh with me.

     “So Payton,” he grabbed my wrist and pulled me back toward him; “what do I have to do to get you to give me five minutes of your time outside of this place?”

     “It's easy.  Nothing.  I don't date customers.”  I told him, trying to pull my wrist out of his grips only to have his hold on me tighten.  “Will you please let go.”  I attempted to pull again, giving him my best sweet smile.  I've had guys try to pick me up before but nothing like this.  He was outright freaking me out.

     “I don't think so.”  He got up, pulling me toward him so that we stood a foot away from one another at eye level.

     “Listen jerk, the lady asked you to back off and let her go, so step off.”  I hear from behind me.  I didn't have to turn to see who it was.  It seems I have inherited some kind of knight in shining armor.  I turned to find myself facing none other than Mr. Bright Eyes himself.

     I really need to find out his name.  Mr. Bright Eyes is bound to get old if we keep bumping into each other like this.

     “Bitch.”  The patron mumbled and turned to leave, kicking his chair so it tipped onto its back.  My hero walked around me and grabbed the chair to sit it back on its feet.

     “What are you doing here?”  I asked him slightly flustered; my arms crossed at the chest, tapping my foot as I awaited my answer.

     “Can't a guy just come in and eat?”  He smirked at me with an amused look twinkling in his eyes; that deserved a chuckle.

     “Seriously?”  I muttered.

     “Honestly?”  He asked and I nodded.  “I had no clue you worked here but I'm glad I came in.  Now I get to check up on you.  How are you feeling?”

     “I'm better.  Thanks.”  I looked down shyly.  “I should get back to work.”

     “Sure.”  He smiles at me.

     “Thanks for yesterday by the way.”  I tell him as I head back to the kitchen.

     “Don't mention it.”

     Heading home after what I can definitely call my weirdest shift yet, I was glad that this work day was over.  Checking my messages using my cell, I found one from Gage and another from my aunt.  I deleted Gage's message without reading it and immediately dialed Carly's number.  Carly had managed to make everything seem so urgent all of a sudden.

     Half an hour later, I was sitting at Carly's kitchen table, talking and enjoying some dinner.

     “Anything odd happen lately?”  She finally broke our shared silence.  My eyes met hers as my fork fell freely to my plate and she smirked.  “I see you've noticed some changes.”

     “That's the understatement of the century.  I'm a goddamn succubus!”  I exclaimed with a slight panicked tone.  To be honest, I had hoped that my parents had been wrong and at the same time, I wish I knew more about how I would be affected by it all once I did come into those abilities.

     After a few hours, I had left Carly's house, happy to know more about this whole new part of me.  It turns out that I had caught on to things quite quickly.  Carly had explained her first experience with a man, after her urges had hit her.  He wasn't quite as fortunate as my guy at the club – hers died on her.  She literally managed to suck the life out of the poor soul.  The only thing Carly couldn't help answer was why my empathic defenses weren't working right with this whole new succubus business.  From that aspect of things, I knew I was solely on my own with figuring things out.

                                          *************************************

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