Author's Note: WARNING: Gratuitous sex scene! This scene is part of my longer, but (mostly) PG-13, _Down Into Hell_, and does absolutely nothing to advance the plot. Let's call it ... character development! Yeah, that's the ticket. Character development. Some of the characters I'm developing aren't mine. I'm sure you know which ones. My thanks to Gehirn Karies for an excellent job of beta-reading this for me. Fill in: Rasena is a 3000 year old Etruscan vampire, an old ... acquaintance of LC's. She was in seclusion and he tricked a follower of hers, my boy vampire, Michael, into revealing her location. She's irritated that he interfered with her protege, and most especially, because he infringed upon her privacy. She wishes an apology from him and the following is.... LACROIX'S APOLOGY Lacroix unlocked the door to his apartment then stepped aside to let Rasena enter first. The small woman stood in absolute stillness a moment, dark eyes sweeping across his front room before she strolled across the threshold. He took the opportunity to admire her lush figure from behind, as well as her smooth movements that always carried that hint of a coiled power carefully restrained. Her long, wavy black hair swung around her bare shoulders as she surveyed her surroundings. He hung up his coat and then moved into the kitchen. He took a couple bottles out of the refrigerator so the contents could warm to room temperature. "This is quite lovely, Lucius," Rasena commented, indicating the room with a graceful sweep of her arm. "It is so reassuring to see you didn't succumb to the gothic impulse. Some of the places I visited in Europe...." She shuddered delicately. "Well, I would so hate to live in a cliche," he said, gazing about complacently. The furniture was modern, with simple lines. The colors were rich, though - dusty blue, cream and terra cotta - a pleasure to the vampiric eye. The varied textures of the fabrics added depth. He changed the pictures on the walls frequently. Currently, they were lithos of intertwined bodies of various gender combinations. "Well, Lucius, let's have our little talk." "Talk?" he inquired, one eyebrow lifted. He moved smoothly to stand in front of Rasena, but as he lifted his arms to encircle her, she placed a firm hand in the center of his chest. "Talk," she repeated coolly. "All right," he acceded wearily. "If you feel the need. Talk." He stepped away, turning a shoulder to her. Upper lip lifting a bit at his brusqueness, she nevertheless went on calmly, "Michel doesn't say otherwise, but I don't think he let slip my location without some prompting from you." "The subject had arisen in our conversation." "Why did you want to know where I was, Lucius?" Facing her again, he spread his hands. "My motives were innocent, I assure you." "Those being...?" "Really, Rasena, this suspicious streak in your nature has never become you. I was simply concerned for the well-being of an old friend." "After five centuries?" "You know how it is with us." "Companionship was your only concern?" "Yes, Rasena. Really, this is becoming tiresome." "Given your urge for company, once you found out where I was, why didn't you drop by for a visit?" He snorted. "A jaunt to the Himalayas? My dear woman, I have things to attend to here." "You discussed it with no one else." "This is becoming ridiculous," he said icily. "No, Rasena. I spoke to no one of your deep, dark secret." "I'm pleased to hear it, Lucius. I would have hated for our visit to be cut short by your sudden demise." He stared at her coldly. "Don't threaten me, Rasena." "Never, Lucius." Her voice was as icy as his own. She studied him, face implacable, stony, unmoved by his best basilisk glare. The fact that she was a thousand years his senior echoed forcefully in his mind. She wasn't going to be quelled by a simple look. He found himself at the uncomfortable crux- point of a decision. Was the possibility of Rasena's future company, delightful as he knew that to be, enough to bring him to the point of making a conciliatory move? The idea rankled, but after all this effort, all this nonsense with Michael, if she were to walk out, disappearing again for who knew how long, because he couldn't bring himself to say a few words.... With a certain stiffness, he said, "Come, Rasena, I regret any inconvenience this may have caused you." "No you don't, Lucius. You can't honestly say that you wouldn't do the same thing again. I don't actually expect you to _be_ sorry. But I do expect an apology. Your prying where you were not welcome has compelled me to commit myself to certain actions before I was fully prepared." "I fail to see how my simple curiosity has been so troublesome. But if it has been, I do apologize for allowing my desire to see an old friend override my manners." He held out his hands as though offering something. "Is that to your satisfaction?" She studied him a moment, then her mouth curved every so slightly. "You have said it. Come. Show me. Then, perhaps, I will be satisfied." With severe self-restraint, he kept his face expressionless. She had forgiven him, both for his infringing on her rights as Michael's foster mother, and more importantly for what she perceived as a trespass on her privacy. This, of course, pleased him. However, his irritation at being placed in the position of having to apologize remained quite strong. He _would_ show her. Much more than a simple apology. He paced over to her slowly, until he stood staring directly down at her. She gazed up at him, eyes dancing with amusement. She knew he resented having to bend his neck, he could see that. He took her shoulders, and bent down to touch his lips to hers. He placed small, light kisses on the corners of her smiling mouth. He then applied even greater pressure, letting his rising passion show itself. He lightly ran the tip of his tongue along her lips. Then he moved his mouth down her jaw to her throat. She tilted her head back with a sigh. Her arms went round him, her nails gently scratching up and down his spine though the slickness of his silk shirt. He moved his mouth up and down her throat, kissing lightly at first, then with more force, sucking at her smooth, white skin. Her eyelids drooped, as her lips parted to release a soft sigh. He moved to an earlobe, catching it between his teeth, then flicking it with his tongue. Laying a line of kisses down her jugular, he then allowed his teeth to descend, relieving the growing ache. He laid his fang tips delicately against her flesh, careful not to break the tender skin. The feel of her against his canines sent a surge of pleasurable pressure into his groin, and they both moaned as he drew his fang tips lightly across her throat. He was careful, so careful, not to pierce the skin, forbidding them both the release of blood-letting, no matter how slight. He brought his mouth back to hers, his tongue plunging between her willing lips. Her fangs had descended as well, and he teased the tips with a quick, darting tongue. Her nails were pressing into the flesh of his back and he supposed she had ruined his shirt. He twisted one hand into her thick hair roughly, putting the other in the small of her back to pull her hips against his. Her tongue was now busy against his teeth, her hands on his buttocks squeezing almost painfully. He felt his control slipping, but it was too soon. He broke away, placing his palms on her shoulders and pushing her back. They stared at one another, eyes burning. After a moment, she reached up and ran her fingertips lightly over his lips. "I have missed these, Lucius." Lids sliding down to hood his eyes, he kissed her fingers, then opened his mouth to set his teeth against them, biting down gently. She shivered. "Take me to bed, Lucius," she whispered. He took her hand and led her wordlessly into his bedroom. Once there, he began unbuttoning his shirt, but she captured his hands in hers. "Ah, let me, my dear. I've always enjoyed unwrapping gifts." Smiling, he let his hands fall, and she finished opening his shirt. She pushed it back over his shoulders, letting the silk slither down his arms and back. She leaned forward to kiss him over the heart, then laid her lips against each nipple in turn, biting them gently as they puckered at her touch. She moved back and forth, from one to the other, as she slowly worked at the fastenings of his pants. He clenched his fists to restrain himself from pushing her hands away and doing it himself. "Rasena, my dear," he said tightly, "you were faster untying my cursed points 500 years ago." "Calm yourself, Lucius," she said, lips still brushing on a nipple. "It _has_ been 500 years. Surely you can allow me a few moments to indulge myself. Besides, as I recall, the codpiece _always_ came away fairly quickly. It was the hose that were a chore. And those didn't necessarily have to come off." He breathed out in relief as she finally pulled down his zipper, releasing him to spring into her hand. "Well, hello," she giggled. "Nice to meet you again, too." He snickered at her foolishness. This occasional ... girlish streak had always struck him as an absurd violation of her characteristic dignity. She helped him push down his pants, then turned away from him to walk to the end of the bed. He took the opportunity to step out of his pants and shoes, and strip off his socks, always the least graceful part of undressing to his mind. There really was a lot to be said for a toga and sandals. He watched as she swung around to face him again, reaching her hands up to her shoulder to fiddle with a fastening there. Suddenly, her dress slid down her body to form a dark red puddle at her feet. She had been wearing nothing underneath, and her pale skin glowed like living marble, her breasts high and round, the nipples the palest pink. Generous hips flared under a small waist. "Venus," he murmured, whether an exclamation or a description, he wasn't quite sure. He moved up to take her, to lift her back onto the bed behind her, but again she stopped him with a hand in the center of his chest. She gazed up at him with her Etruscan smile, curving mouth closed as though savoring a secret, eyes half hidden under heavy lids. "The penitent is required to make obeisance at the gate before he is allowed to enter the temple," she declared softly, lips quirked with mischief. She slid her hand up his chest to his shoulder and pulled down, indicating she wanted him on his knees. He resisted a moment, more on principle than by inclination, then sank down gracefully. He placed his hands on her hips and leaned forward to press his lips against the soft, downy triangle between her thighs. He inhaled deeply. The musky woman scent brought his fangs jutting down into his mouth, and he ran his tongue against their tips. He pushed against her flanks, and she let herself fall back onto the silk covers, allowing her legs to part. She uttered a soft cry as he bent to set an open mouth carefully against her inner thigh. He allowed his fang tips the barest pressure against her soft skin, a promise of things to come; there was an unspoken agreement between them to defer from indulging in the blood too early. A 500 year hiatus certainly added an element of urgency to the encounter, but it would be a shame to destroy that tension too soon through callow over-eagerness. His kisses carrying a hint of tooth, he worked himself upward and inward, back and forth from thigh to thigh. With both hands he cupped the mound between her legs. He swept his thumbs up, and she gasped, spreading her legs wider as he circled her clitoris with one and ran the other along her labia. He leaned forward, nuzzling, her wetness slick against his mouth and chin. He sighed, the sense of settling into a favorite place strong, somehow soothing. He flicked his tongue out, and she jerked with the jolt of pleasure. "Ah, Lucius," she murmured softly, running light fingers along the edge of his ear, then over his hair. He took her clitoris between his lips and sucked gently. She arched her hips up to him, and he ran his arms under her, lifting her thighs onto his shoulders. He could then reach around and set his palms against her full breasts. She stroked her nails lightly up his arms, setting her hands over his and squeezing. He lifted his hands up and took her tightening nipples between his thumb and fingers, pinching gently. He swirled his tongue around her clitoris, mirroring the motion with his thumbs on her nipples. Her hands, quick and restless as her pleasure built, moved back down his arms to his ears and hair. He plunged his tongue deep into her vagina, licking along her labia fiercely, then rolling up in a strong, rapid flutter against her clitoris again. He repeated this over and over, until she was moaning, her hips thrusting against him. He sucked at the little nub of engorged flesh, gently clamping it between his teeth then releasing it. Every little bite elicited a gasp from her, until he could tell she was holding her breath. Her hips strained against him, her fingers were playing havoc with his ears, when with a sharp cry she bucked savagely. He let go of her breasts to wrap his arms around her hips, or she would have thrown him off. Tonguing and sucking, he could feel her orgasms spasming wildly through her, as he drove her to greater heights. She wailed, the sound sending a pulse of pleasure through Lacroix. She had always been so ... appreciative. As her orgasms eased, he lessened the stimulation, kissing gently, knowing much more would just be irritating. After some time she came back to herself. "Come up, Lucius," she whispered, voice husky. He crawled up, straddling her, and putting his hands under her armpits, slid her limp body across the slick silk to rest her head on a pillow. Smiling, he lowered himself to lie on her, weight on his elbows. She pulled his head down, careful of his ears, and kissed his mouth and chin, lapping delicately at her own juices. "Eh, your poor ears," she commiserated, turning his head to kiss each one. "I fear I have been unkind to them. As usual." "A small, very small, price to pay." He leaned down to kiss her lips, then her throat. He kept it light, giving her a chance to catch her breath. When she brought her legs around to rub them up and down the back of his own legs and buttocks, he began to kiss her more fiercely. She responded with rekindled passion, her mouth against his throat. The tips of her fangs pricked against the increasingly sensitive skin on his neck, and he ducked away from her. He trailed kisses across her collarbone. He set his mouth against her heart, cupping her breasts on either side, the skin velvety soft against his cheeks. He took one of her nipples in his mouth, sucking gently, twirling his tongue around the crinkling flesh. She reached down between them, trying to take him in her hand, but he arched away from her. "This is _my_ apology," he said with quiet implacability. "I'll do the pleasuring." "But, Lucius, I want--" He silenced her with a deep kiss, letting his hand roam over her breasts. Her dark brown eyes went wide, brows lifting, and he felt her shake with her suppressed chuckles. Feeling her acquiescence, he brought his mouth back to her breast. She sighed languidly, letting her eyes close. He allowed himself to luxuriate in her flesh, teasing her nipples between his fingers, tonguing and sucking at the firm, creamy flesh of her breast. He rolled to one side, bracing himself on an elbow, his mouth on her breasts, his other hand blazing a trail down between her legs. She arched her hips up to meet his fingers, and he slid them into her slickness. He gently stroked her clitoris, then moved his fingers up into her vagina. She moaned and clutched his head to her breast, and the bowstring tension of her body against his sent a flare of passion through him. Shuddering, he bit into her nipple, and she cried out in anguished delight as he sucked her blood into his mouth. The taste burst across his tongue, heady and dark, and he suddenly found himself close, too close to climaxing. He released her nipple and pulled back, gasping, almost blind with his lust. She froze under him, silent, letting him regain his control. Realizing he'd better get on with it, he rolled back on top of her. She spread her legs to receive him, her clutching fingers on his back demonstrating her eagerness. He moved the head of his cock against the lips of her vagina, eased in an inch or two, then eased back out, taunting her, lowering his face to set his teeth on the skin of her throat. He eased his cock into her a little ways again, then pulled out, smiling at her gasp of frustration. He lifted his mouth from her throat, and she growled. He set the tip of his cock between her labia again, and let his weight rest on her completely, pinning her down. He chuckled as she writhed under him. "Lucius," she gasped, "you're a cursed tease." She wrapped her legs around his buttocks, and pulled herself up on him. Laughing, he plunged down on her, and she moaned as he buried himself to the hilt. "Ah, yes, more," she breathed, and he began to thrust slowly into her. His eyes were hot, and he buried his face against her shoulder, lips firmly closed over his aching teeth. He made himself vary his rhythm for her pleasure, but the growing pressure in his groin was beginning to make thought difficult. His buttocks and back suddenly flared with a burning pleasure as she drew her nails up his torso. The smell of his own blood filled his nostrils, and he began to plunge harder, finally allowing himself the indulgence of letting his control slip. He came to an abrupt, involuntary halt, eyes wide. He swore in soldier's Latin, as he found himself grasped and stilled as though by a clenched fist. Rasena laughed up at his startled face. "Not yet, Lucius." She surged under him, rolling them both across the bed, and he found himself on his back. She sat up, sighing as she settled herself on him, taking him in deep. She began to move on him, eyes closed. He bit down on his lower lip, fang tips sinking into his flesh, containing himself with a severe act of will. He lifted his hands to her breasts and she groaned as his fingers closed on her nipples. She opened her eyes, gazing into his own. Her pupils were wide. She seemed almost blind, dazed in her passion and he felt the force of his pleasure taking him, gasping, to the point of bursting. "Rasena, now," he groaned, lifting his chin to expose his throat. He grasped her forearms with bruising force to pull her down to him. Her eyes flared gold. Opening her mouth as she fell against him, her fangs plunged into his throat. As his blood burst into her mouth, he came hard, his yielding groan muffled as he twisted to bite down into her. She cried out as well, and her burning bliss swept through him, carried on the sweet river of her blood. He drew her in, all control abandoned, with a force that would have drained a lesser vampire. Their separate searing ecstasies braided together, redoubling, destroying sense and thought. He felt himself spiraling down into her, a penetration that took him to the edge of the all-consuming abyss at her center. The danger of complete dissolution sent a second, mind-shattering orgasm exploding through him, through her. He came back to himself, to find Rasena softly patting his cheek. As he opened his eyes, the patting changed to gentle stroking. She smiled down at him. "Eh, Lucius, that was marvelous. Let's not leave it so long next time, all right?" Sitting on the edge of the bed, she offered him a glass of blood. "Here, my dear. Drink up. We really need to get back." He took the glass and noticed she had dressed again. "So soon, Rasena?" he protested, sitting up. The spinning in his head suggested he had better drink up, so he did. "It's been a few hours since we left Michel, my dear. He shouldn't be left too long alone, and I thought you had some kind of performance to do." He peered at the clock by his bed, noting the lateness of the hour. He stood up too abruptly, his head swimming in an alarming dizziness. Rasena steadied him, then took his glass. "Let me get you another." She picked a bottle up off the bedside table and began to pour a glassful, while he rocked unsteadily on his feet. "I must apologize. I forgot myself. You're so strong, I'm afraid I played quite the wanton, and took a bit more than I should." She handed him the full glass and he knocked it back quickly. He held it out to her and she filled it again. As she handed him the third glass, she smiled with a certain sated smugness. "Anyone else, and I'm afraid I'd be making apologies to the next of kin. I'm so pleased it was you, Lucius. It's been so long since I've had a lover of your age and experience." Having finished the third glass, he felt much steadier. He was pleased it had been himself as well. "I find the same ... dearth of appropriate partners, Rasena. We'll do this again soon, I hope." She fixed her eyes on his, and her expression became quite serious. "Oh, yes, I'm sure we shall. If you're willing." He took her hand, his lips curling. "Anytime," he purred. Bringing her hand up, he kissed her palm, gazing into her eyes. He found himself sinking into their depths again. Her lips parted and her eyelids drooped. With a little shiver, she lowered her eyes. Noticing his 'gallant response', she smiled, then laughed. "Not quite yet, Lucius. Though I'm certainly flattered. Best go take a shower. Perhaps a cold one." He laughed himself, feeling more ... satiated than he had in years. Sauntering to the shower, well aware of her gaze upon him, he began planning the seduction that would lead her to spend the next day with him. FIN
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Most recent revision Friday, June 21, 1996