The clock chimed the hour, and she rose from the bed. Stretching languidly, she drew back the heavy drapes, and looked out the window. Darkness had fallen, blanketing the city with an ebony cloak. Darkness hid all manner of flaws, real and imagined. Lights sparkled, glistening jewels in the blackness. She smiled.

It was time to hunt.

She dressed casually, ran her fingers through her long, black hair, then headed out the door.

It was a bar on the far side of town. The place where men go to forget their wives for a little while, and sometimes find women to help them forget. Soft rock music greeted her when she walked through the door. She paused in the doorway, wrinkling her nose at the powerful smells of spilled rancid beer and stale cigarette smoke. Once she regained control of her revulsion, she looked over the men set up for her buffet.

There were several men at the bar, one or two of which had taken notice of her. She silently shook her head in distaste. Too old, she decided, noticing this one's paunch, and that one's balding head.

One likely candidate had his back to her. He had shoulder length curly hair that seemed to be brown. She mentally assessed his attributes, starting at his broad shoulders skimming down his thickening waist. She tsked softly. How some men do let themselves go... His ass wasn't bad, and he seemed to have powerful legs. He turned then, catching her watching him. An arrogant smile lit his mobile mouth, and her decision was made. It would be him.

She slowly made her way over to him. He stayed where he was, watching the soft sway of her hips. "Hi." She smiled warmly at him. "Buy me a drink?" she asked, sitting at a table.

His eyes boldly raked over her, and she fought the urge to roll her eyes. They were all alike. "What'll you have?" he asked in his slow southern drawl.

"Wine," she answered, letting her eyes assess him once more, drifting over his bulging crotch. Oh, yes, he would be the one. She met his gaze. "Red wine."

He nodded, and she watched him go. This was almost too easy.

Too soon he was back, and they talked. His girlfriend didn't understand him, he complained, sipping his own wine. She was turning out to be more and more like his soon to be ex-wife. He had another woman, too, waiting for him. "She's really sweet," he said, "and she'll be there once I'm done with Suzie."

"Really? What makes you thinks so?"

He smiled, hazel eyes glinting in the darkness. "Tina loves me."

Poor fool, she thought, smiling warmly at him. Her hand stroked his thigh, brushing across the straining bulge at his crotch. "Let's get out of here," she purred.

He followed her out the door.

They went to a cheap motel room. Sitting on the edge of the bed, she wondered how long it had been since the sheets were changed. It didn't matter, she thought, eyes raking over him as he stripped off his clothes. Oh, he was making this too easy.

When he was naked, she rose from the bed. Holding his gaze, she swayed over to him. Clutching his hair with one hand, she held him still as she kissed him. His tongue immediately tried to plunder her mouth, and she sighed. Did men no longer possess any finesse? Did they know nothing about wooing a woman?

Apparently not, she decided, as his hands busily slid under her shirt, groping for her breasts. Enough, she thought, pulling out of his arms, and leading him to the bed. She gave him a gentle push, and he fell back on the mattress. Still clothed, she climbed on top of him. "Sorry, cher," she said softly, her soft French accent coming out as her fangs lengthened. His hazel eyes widened, watching as she transformed, as her eyes glowed molten red. "Women are not toys, cher. Too bad you found out too late, eh?" He opened his mouth to scream, but it never came. Her mouth came down on his neck. His pulse beat beneath her lips, and she bit. Blood gushed over her tongue, and she moaned softly, drinking in the salty fluid. Hot and thick, it flowed into her mouth, and she drank greedily. She felt his heartbeat slow, then finally stop.

When she rose from the bed, she gave one disdainful glance to the figure on the bed. Licking the blood from her lips, she found and pen and paper, and wrote a small note. It read:

"Tina, be glad of the service I do you tonight. He wasn't worth it."

She propped the note on his chest, patted his cool, white cheek, and walked quickly to the door. Smiling from the doorway, she blew him a kiss, and went out into the night, shutting the door firmly behind her.

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