Dead Girl Talking Read online

  Dead Girl Talking

  by

  Annmarie Ortega

  Resplendence Publishing, LLC

  http://www.resplendencepublishing.com

  Resplendence Publishing, LLC

  P.O. Box 992

  Edgewater, Florida, 32132

  Dead Girl Talking

  Copyright © 2009, Annmarie Ortega

  Cover art by Chel Hickerty

  Electronic format ISBN: 978-1-60735-077-4

  Warning: All rights reserved. The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.

  Electronic release: October 2009

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and occurrences are a product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, places or occurrences, is purely coincidental.

  For Misia,

  Thank you for being an awesome friend, a willing proofreader, and teaching me about this, that, and the other...

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  About the Author

  Chapter One

  I’m not a slut. I’ve never been the type of woman who has a one-night stand with a man I just met. I have to know a man for a while before getting naked in front of him. So it was completely out of character for me to be lying flat on my back getting my brains screwed out by a guy I just met, but I did just that. And sleeping with that stranger changed my life forever. It just so happens that my one-night stand was with a vampire who in the throes of passion bit me making me a vampire too. I learned the hard way that love bites, and once bitten there’s no going back.

  I usually go to one particular nightclub to meet my roommate Veronica. This particular night she never showed up and I honestly wasn’t all that surprised. She had a boyfriend that she was with all the time and she was hardly ever at our apartment anymore. I knew it was just a matter of time before she’d tell me that she was going to move out of our place and in with her boyfriend.

  After waiting around for Veronica for a while I decided to go home. The club scene wasn’t my thing and I’d much rather put on my favorite flannel pajamas and read the book I bought earlier that day. I was walking towards the club doors to leave when a man I was passing stopped me.

  “Hey, you’re not leaving now, are you?” He had an exaggerated frown on his face when he grabbed my arm. I had never seen this guy before and was positive I’d remember him if I had. He was gorgeous. While he spoke, I was baffled as to why he was even talking to me. Let’s just say I’m no model. I have long brown hair, brown eyes, average height and thighs a little too large for my liking.

  I laughed while nodding my head to him. “Yeah, sorry I’m about to go.” I knew he was trying to pick me up, but I wasn’t interested.

  “My name is Jake. How about you let me buy you a drink before you go…” he trailed off waiting for me to tell him my name. He comically raised an eyebrow waiting for my response.

  I looked at him and thought about my pajamas and book waiting for me at home. Then I decided one drink couldn’t hurt. “My name is Janice and I’ll stay for one drink, but that’s it.” I emphasized the word one so he’d know I had no intention of hanging around all night.

  “Cool, come on.” He turned to lead me back towards the bar. “Is vodka and tonic ok?”

  “Yeah, sure that’s fine,” I answered.

  We sat next to each other on stools and he ordered us drinks. We sat at the bar and talked for a while, joking and making each other laugh with silly small talk. When I finished my drink I pushed the glass away from me on the bar indicating I was finished.

  “Jake, it was nice meeting you and thanks for the drink. I have to be going now.” I stood up to leave.

  “You’re going to go? I was thinking that maybe we could dance?”

  “Oh were you?” He was a smooth talker and probably they type of guy who got everything he wanted. I knew his type well; too well in fact. I had been in a relationship for a long time with someone who reminded me a lot of this guy.

  “Dance with me,” he pleaded as he got up and started to pull me by the hand to the dance floor. I thought he was adorable and I knew I wasn’t going to say no to him. We danced to a few songs together on the overly crowded dance floor. I started to notice a lot of women staring at us. Then I realized actually they weren’t staring at us, they were staring at him. He was the kind of man you’d see looking at you from the glossy pages of a magazine, not in real life. He had light brown hair that was all one length and hung past his shoulders. His eyes were a light brown with amber colored flecks in them. He wore a white t-shirt and faded jeans over his muscular frame. It was obvious to me that he worked out from the muscles I could see bulging through his shirt.

  When the song we were dancing to ended, he took me by the hand leading me off the dance floor. I didn’t even ask where we were going. I followed him up a tall flight of stairs to the second floor of the nightclub. There were various rooms upstairs, each one painted a different color. Some rooms had overstuffed sofas or chairs for people to sit and talk. He led me to a room painted a bright peacock blue; the only furniture was a red sofa shaped like a pair of giant lips against the wall. He led me to it, sitting down then pulled me down to sit on his lap, straddling him.

  Jake had an expression that made my pulse race; there was a fire raging in his eyes. He put his hands on my face and stared at me intensely, then pulled me to him so our lips touched. Our first kiss was gentle, but then he seemed to lose control and his kisses became harder and more intense. His tongue pushed against my lips and I opened myself to him. I knew that I should get up and leave but I let what my body was feeling control me instead of my sense of reason. I missed kissing, and I guess I simply let myself be carried away.

  Jake’s hands caressed my hair as I wrapped my arms around his neck. My entire body turned hot from his kisses. His mouth left mine and started to trail down my neck. I could feel his breath against my skin as he groaned low against my throat.

  He took one of my hands in his and guided it to his lap and the bulge between his legs. I could feel his rock hard erection under the denim of his jeans. My head was thrown back, my mouth slightly parted as I caressed him and he continued to kiss my neck. His mouth moved from my neck to my ear. “God, I want to fuck you, Janice.”

  I didn’t say anything back; I was completely lost in him. He could have taken me right there and I wouldn’t have protested.

  All of a sudden, the music stopped and the overhead lights in the club came on. It was jarring and brought us back to reality quickly.

  “What time is it?” he asked.

  The way he stopped kissing me was abrupt, and from the way we’d been kissing, his actions surprised me. “Well if they’re turning on the lights then it must be four in the morning.” I couldn’t believe that time had gone by so quickly with him. We had spent almost the entire night together.

  “Damn. I have to go right away.” He was clearly upset because of the time.


  “Oh, ok.” I got up off his lap. I was disappointed he seemed in a hurry to leave all of a sudden.

  Jake stood up. “Bye,” he said then kissed my cheek. He turned around to leave and started to walk to the staircase we used to get to the second floor. I watched him pause, then turn around and rush back to me. He took my hands in his. “Listen, I’m so sorry I have to leave like this and I’d really love to see you again. Could you meet me here next Saturday night?” His eyes looked anxious and he seemed tightly wound, as if he was fighting the urge to run down the stairs out of the club.

  “Sure, I can be here.” It was obvious we were attracted to each other so hell yeah I wanted to see him again. When I had gone there that night, I hadn’t planned to meet anyone but I enjoyed him kissing me and feeling his hands on me. I hadn’t made love with a man for a long time and quite honestly, the idea of having a one-night stand was appealing to me.

  “Good. So I’ll see you next weekend.” He turned around to leave again, then once again hesitated and turned back and kissed me one last time. He rushed back to the staircase and hurried down the stairs. I walked over to the balcony that overlooked the entire dance floor. I saw him look up at me to smile and wave before he disappeared into the crowd of people leaving through the club’s front doors.

  I stood there for a moment with my hands on the railing, thinking about everything that had happened that night with Jake. I wondered if he would really show up next weekend. One thing I did know; I would be there to find out.

  Chapter Two

  “I think you should wear this.” Veronica held up a shiny silver sleeveless top.

  “Really? You think so?” I replied as I zipped up my jeans.

  It was Saturday night and she was helping me get ready to go out.

  “Absolutely. Why did you buy it if you aren’t ever going to wear it? Trust me, this is the top for tonight.”

  “It looked cool in the store but I’m not sure if it’s me.” It was flashier than what I usually preferred, and I didn’t know what had possessed me to purchase it. Since I bought it, I’d never had the nerve to wear it.

  “Wear it,” she said shoving the shirt in my hands.

  “Alright,” I said taking the shirt from her. After I put it on, I looked at myself in the full-length mirror. I had to admit to myself, I was looking good.

  “So are you nervous? Seeing this guy again?” Veronica asked me.

  “Yeah. He was really gorgeous. But you know I don’t want anything serious.”

  “You know someday you’re going to want serious again. Not all men are jerks.”

  “Maybe so, but not yet. Now I just want some fun.” I hated having this conversation with Veronica. She knew I tried serious once and it didn’t work for me. I ended up with my heart broken and I swore it would never happen to me again. To say I was not big on commitment now was a huge understatement. “Ok, I’m ready to get going.”

  I took one final look at myself in the mirror then picked up my purse and started heading towards the front door. Veronica followed me to see me to the door.

  “Don’t forget, we’ll be at the club at around twelve thirty. I’ll look for you as soon as we get there.”

  “Ok, cool. Hopefully you won’t find me there sitting by myself,” I joked.

  “Go have fun. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

  I was only in the club for a few minutes when I saw Jake through the crowd. He was leaning against the bar talking to a woman who was absolutely beautiful. She had long blonde hair and wore an outfit that was so revealing she wasn’t too far from being naked. The way she was hanging on him and smiling, it was obvious to me she was anticipating her getting to know him intimately. My stomach soured and I thought there was little chance of he and I getting together. I stood staring at the two of them thinking they were the perfect looking couple. I told myself that I was a complete idiot for thinking he would really want to see me again.

  Maybe Jake felt me staring at him or I sent him some sort of vibe, because he turned and looked directly at me. In fact, I thought I saw his eyes lit up when he saw me. He leaned over to speak to the woman and I watched her smile slowly fade from her face. I then saw a look of utter disappointment as he left her and started walking across the room towards me.

  “Hey Jake.” I fought the butterflies that were suddenly loose in my stomach. I was amazed he had left perfect model girl to come talk to me.

  Jake looked at me up and down, blatantly checking me out. I could tell from his expression that he approved of what he saw. Suddenly I was glad I had Veronica help me get dressed.

  “Let’s go to the bar and I’ll get us drinks,” he told me.

  “No thanks, I’m good.” During the week, I convinced myself that the drink I'd consumed with Jake made our attraction seem like more than what it was. I didn’t want alcohol to cloud my judgment tonight.

  “Well then dance with me,” he pleaded. He took my hand and started to pull me to the dance floor as he had last week. I hesitated and he nearly pulled my arm from its socket. “Come on, Janice.”

  As we moved to the dance floor, I watched his ass while trying not to be totally obvious. It was difficult to not reach out and give it a firm squeeze. Tonight he was wearing blue jeans with a light blue shirt and boots. He had his long brown hair pulled back in a ponytail. He turned around to face me and we started dancing. He looked at me and his eyes drew me to him and literally made me breathless. Even though the music we danced to was fast, he moved closer and wrapped an arm around me pulling him even nearer to him. I could tell the attraction I felt last week was still there with no alcohol. It was an exciting feeling.

  We danced for a few songs and all the while, I could feel jealous eyes upon me. It was during the end of one song I felt hands on my shoulders that came from behind me. I spun around and saw Veronica.

  “Hey!” I reached over to hug her as if I hadn’t seen her just a short while ago.

  “He is gorgeous!” She yelled in my ear so I could hear her over the thumping of the music.

  Veronica stepped back and gave me the thumbs up sign. I swatted her hand away because I didn’t want Jake to see her gesture. She leaned close to me to yell in my ear again.

  “I’m not coming home until Monday night sometime. You can have the place to yourself.”

  I nodded that I understood her then turned to Jake. “This is my roommate Veronica!” He nodded that he’d heard me and gave Veronica a casual wave.

  “I’ll see you later; I’m going back over to the bar. Have a fun weekend.” She winked at me before she turned around and left.

  I turned back to Jake and we started dancing again. He rubbed himself against me on the crowded dance floor as we moved to the music. I was hot from all the people pressed up against us and from the undeniable sensation of his erection against me. As we throbbed together with the music, Jake leaned down to me. His lips brushed across my temple and they were cool against my skin. I reached up and put my hands on his muscular chest. He was hard and solid under his shirt. Our eyes locked and his spoke to me. They told me that he wanted me right there on the dance floor. My eyes must have told him that I was ready and willing for whatever he wanted. The reason I think that is because the next thing I knew he took me by the hand and led me off the dance floor and out of the club.

  “What are we doing?” I stopped walking and he yanked on my arm. We were standing in the parking lot across the street from the club.

  “I want to be alone with you. That place is too crowded. I thought we could go somewhere just the two of us.”

  Now that I knew for certain he wanted to be with me, I needed to clear some things up with him first.

  “Jake, you should know I’m not looking for a boyfriend. I was in a relationship for a long time and I’m not ready to do that again. I’m not looking for anything serious.”

  “That’s ok with me. I thought we could have some fun together, that’s all. I’ve been alone for a long time and I’m not looking fo
r a commitment either,” he explained to me.

  “So this is just for tonight? No strings attached?”

  “No strings, just tonight,” he agreed.

  I knew it was crazy agreeing to go have sex with a stranger, but I wasn’t really thinking with reason. Instead, I was thinking about how nice to it would to have sex with a real person and not an appliance that required batteries. “How about we go to my place? Veronica won’t be back until Monday night,” I suggested.

  We walked to his car and I thought about what I was doing. I realized that this was only the second time I’d met him, but my not having sex for so long had finally caught up with me, and he was so god damned hot. I knew I didn’t know anything about him but honestly, I didn’t care. We didn’t have to take things slow while dating to build a relationship. The only thing building between us was the sexual tension and honestly that was all we needed.

  We got in his car and I gave him my address. He pulled out of the spot and started to drive. “Do you know how to get there?”

  He glanced over at me while he continued down the street. “I do, I’ve lived in the city a long time. I’m familiar with the Northwest Side.”

  Jake pulled up in front of my apartment building and we both got out of his car. We went into my building and went upstairs. I opened it and walked inside kicking off my shoes. He stood in the doorway looking at me but not entering.

  “Aren’t you going to invite me in?” He filled the doorway as he leaned in it both tall and wide.

  “Well I didn’t plan on having sex out in the hall so I guess you better come inside,” I said sarcastically, moving closer to him.

  Jake nodded and entered my apartment, then closed the door behind him. He surprised me when he scooped me up into his arms as if we were newly weds on our way to our honeymoon bed.