Once Bitten, No Longer Shy by Julie Steimle (to read list TXT) 📖

hauling garbage as well as supporting the club with a donation. Troy noticed Rick assured them all he would fund what he could. He even hinted he would love to attend, even though he was a student of Brown University and not NYU.

“Can’t win them all,” one guy said, meaning Rick couldn’t win them all.

But then a girl asked him, “Have you heard from Audry lately?”

Rick shook his head, struggling against the color in his cheeks. “It’s not like we correspond.”

“I’ve heard from her,” Jandra said, raising her voice.

And the tone in the group immediately changed to gossipy and intrigued. Hearts jumped and eyes flickered to Rick and Jandra, as well as Bobo. That’s when Troy clued in they were talking about the famous vegan who made the wolf tee shirt, Audry Bruchenhaus. He peeked to Rick who pretended not to be as interested in the news from Audry as the others, though his heart was speeding up.

“Audry is out West right now,” Jandra reported with a nod. “She’s been busy working in correlation with a number of organizations out there trying to think of a humane way to deter wolves from entering ranching land—despite her distaste for the industry of cattle ranching. She believes a win-win compromise will reduce wolf and coyote fatalities—which is her goal.”

“That’s a really good idea,” Rick murmured, pondering it himself. Damn, that guy had a one-track mind. “Is she studying a kind of tech? Like sonic deterrents? Or something more simple?”

“Sonic deterrents?” Jandra raised her eyebrows, thinking on that. Clearly she thought it worthy to pass on to Audry.

“Well, yeah,” Rick said, as if it were obvious. “Hungry wolves will do whatever they can to get to food, so barbed wire is not really a good deterrent. They can dig, and they can jump and climb—even to their own harm. But wolves hear high frequencies. I bet some kind of sensor and alarm system might work, at least to chase them off.”

Jandra grinned at him. “You really do think a lot about wolves, don’t you?”

Rick shrugged, though Bobo rolled his eyes and so did Troy.

The meeting continued until near eleven. By then Troy and Nicole had retired to his room for ‘a little fun’. Rick had also slipped out before Bobo could grab his keys to drive him back to the hotel, taking the subway. Bobo had shot Rick a dirty look, yet let him go. Most of the club trickled out together in clusters and were gone before midnight.

When Troy went down to use the bathroom, leaving exhausted Nicole upstairs to sleep, he overheard a conversation he was sure was not meant for his sensitive vampire ears.

“…why not?” Jandra’s voice was soft, almost begging. “We’ve been together for a while, and I know you feel the same about me as I do you. So why can’t we go the next step?”

“I don’ wanna hurt you,” Bobo whispered.

“You won’t hurt me,” Jandra whispered back, kissing him.

Troy could hear Bobo’s heart booming. Damn. He knew what was happening. That was why they broke up. Of course Bobo was worried about getting more intimate with his girlfriend. He was a walking danger to anyone who got close to him.

“Jandra, everybody I loved got hurt by me,” he said. “I told you the story. You heard it. I’m cursed.”

She huffed. “I don’t believe that.”

Troy hung back. There was no reality where it was ok for him to step in and say something, though he wondered if there was some way to help Bobo. He had been wondering how far Bobo had gone with his girlfriend—and now he knew. Barely. Of course Bobo was scared of hurting her.

“I’ve shown you how it works,” Bobo said.

“That was just a trick,” she said.

Bobo moaned.

“It wasn’t a trick. Jandra, I really can hurt you. Don’t you remember when Audry’s fiancé attacked her and I dragged him off? He was hittin’ me and I didn’t get hurt at all, but he was bruised to hell. Bleedn’.”

Fiancé? Rick’s Audry was engaged? The vegan? Ooh. Sucks to be Rick.

“You stopped him,” Jandra said. “Those bruises were from hitting you. You’re built like a stone monument.”

Bobo groaned once more. “I didn’t do anythin’ but drag him off her and out of the tent.”

Troy stiffened. Dragged off? Wait. He had said attacked. Was Rick’s Audry being raped by her fiancé?

“It was self-inflicted,” Jandra said.

Troy walked more boldly down the stairs. He had to stop eavesdropping. They had to know he was there. Both turned and stared at him, hearing the sound. He could see Jandra’s eyes widen on his pale-as-death skin, at least from the boxers up. He lifted a hand. “Sorry to interrupt.” And he moved to go to the bathroom.

Huffing, Jandra stepped aside from Bobo and pointed to him. “Will you tell him he’s not cursed?”

Troy lifted his eyebrows and looked to Bobo. “What do you want me to say?”

“Tell her the truth,” Bobo said, shoulders hanging desperately.

Looking to Jandra, Troy replied, “He’s cursed.”

She rolled her eyes, stepping back with hanging shoulders. Then she stiffly folded her arms.

“Kids used to avoid him at school—including me—because we were afraid to bump into him,” Troy explained. He looked to Bobo. “Rick was the only one who wasn’t afraid of you. Which I never understood, because he was in more danger of hurting himself by you than anybody.”

Bobo’s eyes widened on that, but then considering it, he replied, “That’s because he knows what it feels like having someone scared of him. His mom. Remember?”

A shiver went through Troy. But it all made sense. Of course Bobo knew. But Troy had always thought Rick was either insane or severely arrogant, thinking nothing could hurt him. But it wasn’t the case.

Jandra looked confused. She shook her head. “Wait a minute. Are you serious?”

Nodding with sincere eyes, Troy sighed hard. “Yeah.”

She looked to Bobo. She pulled back. “I don’t believe it. This is superstitious nonsense. There are no such things as curses.”

Troy shrugged, and headed to the bathroom again.

“Haven’t you ever notice that almost nobody touches me,” Bobo said, letting Troy go. “People naturally shy away.”

“Not me,” Jandra said, coming in closer. She gently touched his face.

Bobo braced himself. “I know. Which is why I am afraid for you. When I hold your hand, the pressure you feel is your hand holding mine. I have to barely hold you so your fingers don’t get crushed. I can’t put any pressure on you without it being twice as hard as normal. What if you get hurt?”

“I don’t believe this,” she said, shaking her head. “When I kiss you, when I touch you, I don’t feel you hurting me. It’s all in your head.”

Troy shut the bathroom door, wondering now if he had ever hurt Nicole during sex. He was much stronger than before. She was the only person he had ever had sex with, but he worried now. Did she ever get bruised when he got too excited or forceful? Would she complain if she did?

Done using the facilities, when he came out of the bathroom again, they were still talking. Bobo spotted him and said, “I’ll prove it to you. Troy, I’m sorry, but can I use you for a second. You’re strong and you can take it.”

Sighing, Troy approached him. “Do you want me to hit you?”

“Just enough so she can see. I’m sorry,” Bobo said again.

Nodding, Troy stood before her, showing his bare white chest, displaying it for her to see. She peevishly folded her arms when he turned to face Bobo. Bracing himself, Troy slapped Bobo with his open hand on his chest. That same moment, the force of it, the sting, struck him back, making him stagger back just a bit. As an almost vampire, the blow was not that hard, but it did leave a mark—his handprint and only temporarily—on his own chest.

Jandra’s eyes widened, nearly popping out as he stared at it. Her arms loosened, stunned.

“It’s real,” Troy said as the mark faded. “We call it the rubber-and-glue curse.”

Her eyes whipped to Bobo again. “No way.”

“I don’t want you to get hurt,” Bobo said again.

Pulling back, staring at the pair of them, she rushed to the door where her bag had been left. She looked back to Bobo, horrified. And he looked away, shaking. She went out.

When the front door closed, Troy gently rested a hand on Bobo’s shoulder. “I’m sorry, man.”

Bobo shook his head. “She had to find out. At least now she won’t get hurt.”

Sighing, Troy nodded.

“And I now know how Rick feels,” Bobo said, going back into his room.

Troy watched him, wondering what any of this had to do with Rick.

Compromising Deals

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter Twenty-Three

 

 

 

Saturday, Troy woke without Nicole. She could not stay over Friday night. Her day-long shift would start early, she said. Inventory. They were going to be audited, her boss had said.

That was fine. But he missed her. Truthfully, Troy had pondered on what Rick had said about Nicole. There had to be more to their relationship than sex. And he had told himself that he had tried. He had tried to show interest in her essential oils. He had tried to include her in his research. He even had tried to have a day where they remained clothed and not touching each other—but truthfully, it was near impossible to keep his hands off her, and visa-versa.

It embarrassed him. It was even more embarrassing that Rick was right about them having not much else in common. Her love for poetry at least forced Troy to research more poems to learn, so if they ever played strip poker again, he would have more to say besides corny joke poems and stupid vampire facts.

That’s when an idea occurred to him. She had to legally have a lunch break. Why not bring her lunch? It would be a short ‘hi’ and just enough to be with her for at least ten to twenty minutes. He needed a break from research besides. So Troy decided to make one of those avocado and chicken paninis they had a few days back. He still had spinach leaves and those sundried tomatoes. He also had a garlic free pesto and muenster cheese. After wrapping them up and putting both sandwiches in a bag, grabbing drinks and some fruit, he put on a clean shirt and pants, snatched his keys and went out the door with a skip in his step.

The journey to the mall was happily distracted. He felt like flying, grinning while people stared at him with wide eyes. Though perhaps later people would say they saw a day-time vampire walking about the streets of New York, he did not care. He could feel his heart straining to beat. And he thought, ok, so maybe his relationship with Nicole was a lot more physical than the ‘saintly werewolf’ wanted for himself. But it filled a hole in his life, and he figured people like him and Nicole should be allowed a chance at some kind of love. And as far as he was concerned, it was equal. He wasn’t a rich CEO who could change the world with his influence. He was just a poor vampire victim who just wanted to share what he knew with others. And he had fallen