Date: Tue, 18 Aug 1998 13:21:47 -0400 
From: Kristy Hanak <hanakk@idt.net> 
To: FKarchiver@fkfanfic.com 

Disclaimer
The following story is a LaCroix/female story. This is my first 
attempt at fanfic and erotica of any kind so please be kind.  
Let me know if you liked it or if you have any constructive 
criticism to offer email me at hanakk@idt.net. 

LaCroix is not mine...I wouldn't complain if he was...but 
sadly, he does not belong to me.  I borrowed him for a torrid 
affair with the character of my creation, Kayleigh. :)  It is not 
meant to offend any of the actors or producers of the show, 
it's just a bit of fun. 
***********************************************************************
********************


October


Kayleigh stood out on her back porch enjoying the cool fall 
wind against her skin.
Although she was slightly chilled,  it was such a pleasure 
after the long, hot summer. Her garden was still had some 
late blooming flowers and the trees were just beginning to 
turn color. She gazed into the night sky contentedly and 
watched a shooting star. Ah, a wish was to be made. She 
closed her eyes and made a wish.  The breeze picked up 
her long black hair and spilled it over her shoulders. She 
hugged her arms to herself and leaned against the railing of 
the deck smiling dreamily to herself. 

"You should be careful what you wish for my dear...you just 
may get it..." a voice murmured throatily from just behind 
her. She whirled around and saw no one, nothing, save for a 
white rose at her feet.  Kayleigh picked it up and looked 
around.. "What the?" She went down the deck stairs to 
check out her backyard.  Kayleigh scanned the trees and 
bushes. The grass was soft on her feet and she walked 
quietly around the perimeter of the yard. Nothing. Feeling 
uneasy she quickly walked into her house and locked the 
door.   

Kayleigh stood in her kitchen and pondered. "Who the hell 
had left the rose? It couldn't be.." she thought to herself. 
Thinking back to the past weeks's events, she recalled 
meeting some other Cousins and adding links on her web 
page to all the Cousin-friendly homepages.  She even 
added a few links to her OWN homepage.   

She shrugged to herself. "Must be some weird coincidence."  
She inhaled the rose's heady scent..and smirked 
sardonically to herself.  "But what a pleasant thing THAT 
would be if it were true...LaCroix paying me a visit... I 
certainly wouldn't be too quick to kick HIM out!"  That 
thought  put a rather large grin on her face. 

She hunted around in her cabinets for a vase and came 
across a nice crystal bud vase.  Perfect.  She snipped the 
end of the rose at an angle, and filled the vase with water.  
She placed it on her kitchen table and stood back, admiring 
it. Then she headed into the bathroom to get ready for bed. 

She went into her room and fluffed up her feather bed.  She 
flopped herself into it with a sigh.  "God I'm tired." she 
thought.  She rolled over and snuggled into the featherbed 
with a little smile on her face. She never even noticed the 
ice blue eyes watching her from her open window and the 
slow smile that played across full lips.

Kayleigh slammed her alarm clock off. UGH...6:15, time to 
get up. She sat up in bed and stretched.  She looked out her 
window. It was a nice morning, cool and sunny.She 
stumbled out of bed and into the kitchen. After turning on the 
coffee, she went to shower.  Kayleigh came out of the 
bathroom towelling her hair. She opened the blinds on the 
back door and looked out onto the deck. The trees were 
already sporting part of their autumn colors of red, orange 
and yellow and the sky was a brilliant shade of sapphire.  
Kayleigh looked at the rose on her kitchen table and  
remembered what had happened last night . It gave her a 
rather pleasant chill down her spine. Turning, she picked up 
the rose again and sniffed it. After putting on her makeup 
and getting dressed,  Kayleigh went off to work. 

Kayleigh logged onto her computer at work. "Doh! all this 
email to get to!" She scrolled through it quickly and noticed 
a strange message. She pulled up the note..it wasn't signed. 
No return address or .sig message. "Wierd." It was just one 
sentence...."I hope you liked the rose..it's beauty paled in 
comparison to yours...."  "What the hell??!" " It must be 
someone playing a joke on me. "  She surreptitiously looked 
at her co workers to see if anyone seemed to be waiting for 
a reaction from her, but they all seemed to be engrossed in 
their work. 

Although her fascination with LaCroix was hardly a secret to 
her co workers and friends, she couldn't imagine any of 
them playing a trick on her like this.   She deleted it and got 
the rest of her work in order.  She certainly had a pile of it to 
do.  She put on her headphones and awaited the first call of 
the day.  The phone rang as if on cue, she pressed the 
button and answered the phone. Her day had begun. The 
day passed quite uneventfully but Kayleigh still had a hard 
time concentrating on the customers she had to speak to. 
Her mind kept wandering back to the rose and the email. 
She wanted to call her best friend about the whole thing, to 
get her opinion, but decided to keep it to herself instead.  
Just in case it all was a joke. 

At 4:00 Kayleigh gathered up her things and headed out the 
door. She secretly wondered what would await her when she 
got home.  She tried to shake off thoughts like that. "I don't 
want to get my hopes up."  She got to her car and and got 
in. Kayleigh locked the door and searched for a CD to play. 
"Damn CD's get all over the car..I gotta clean this out" she 
thought to herself. Picking one off the floor, she turned and 
started the car while the first song on her "Faith and the 
Muse" CD started. 

When she arrived home, she kicked off her shoes . Kayleigh 
walked into her living room and turned on the tv and settled 
into her chair. She was halfway through Ricki Lake and 
dozing in her chair when she suddenly felt like she was 
being watched. She opened her eyes and looked around. 
stretched. Kayleigh made her way to the kitchen and began 
preparing dinner. After leaving it to simmer she headed back 
into her living room carrying a glass of iced tea. She got to 
her chair and shrieked.  The glass went tumbling to the 
floor, shattering into a million pieces. In her chair sat 
another white rose with a card attached to it. She picked up 
the card and opened it. It was written in a sprawling , artistic 
hand. It read,  " I would like the pleasure of your company at 
7pm, tonight. Please dress in evening attire.  L." 

NO way this is happening...I'm not going to get all decked 
out only to sit here and be made a fool of when no one 
shows up!!" " Nope, not this girl...no way in hell...."  But 
Kayleigh had a mental picture of LaCroix coming to pick her 
up and opening the door wearing  leggings, a sweatshirt and 
fuzzy cow slippers. Since that thought made her cringe in 
horror, she decided to get ready just in case.   "Alright...it's 
probably not true..but I'll do it."  She went into the kitchen 
and put the dinner she had prepared into a tupperware 
container and placed it in the refrigerator. "Hopefully I will 
NOT be here later to have that!" she said to herself. 

Kayleigh  marched herself into the bathroom and began a 
shower. After doing her hair and makeup again, she slipped 
into one of her favorite dresses. A deep wine colored velvet 
with long sleeves, and a low neckline. Kayleigh slipped on 
her jewelry..she decided on a simple moonstone pendant 
and matching earrings.    Admiring her work in the mirror, 
she put on her shoes and looked at the clock. "WOW! It's 
already 6:30!" Only one half hour to go.  She headed back 
into the living room and flipped on the TV again. She found 
herself unable to concentrate on the TV, waiting for the 
doorbell to ring. Finally it did, and Kayleigh nearly jumped 
out of her chair ... "Oh god...I have to go get the door.. "  
She took a deep breath, squared her shoulders and walked  
to the door. She could hardly wait to see who stood out 
there, hoping it was true.  She peeked through the peep 
hole and saw an ice blue one staring back at her.  She 
backed away and slowly opened the door. 

Kayleigh stared in disbelief at the site before her, he really 
was real. There he stood in full person...Lucien LaCroix..  
She clutched the doorframe tightly for a moment. My god 
was he beautiful.. her eyes trailed upwards from the black 
doc martens he wore with tight black leather pants, a black 
high collared silk shirt with a red ribbon detail on it and a 
long leather overcoat. His signature dagger pin gleamed at 
his throat. She looked into his mezmerizing blue eyes and 
squeaked  "Hello" as she held out her hand to shake his.  
LaCroix brought her hand to his lips and brushed it with a 
kiss. Kayleigh purred under her breath hoping he wouldn't 
hear.  He was still slightly  bent over her hand when he met 
her eyes. "It's a definate pleasure to meet you Kayleigh. I 
have looked forward to this moment." he said silkily. 
Kayleigh laughed nervously and said "I would most 
definately have to say the same to you Mr. LaCroix."   He 
smiled and said "Please...call me Lucien."  Kayleigh nodded, 
"Alright Lucien, please come in while I get my jacket."  
Kayleigh secretly loved the way his name rolled off her 
tongue. She opened the door wider and allowed him in. She 
watched as he made his way to her living room and looked 
around. "Please sit down." Kayleigh motioned to a chair.  
LaCroix sat down and got comfortable. He crossed one leg 
over the other and steepled his fingers under his chin, 
eyeing her.  Kayleigh watched as his eyes trailed over her 
body slowly. She almost feel his eyes burn into her.  He 
gave her an appreciative smile. With a raised eyebrow he 
said "You look beautiful Kayleigh, that dress is a wonderful 
color for you."  "Thank you Lucien." she said as she 
smoothed the dress over her hips, "It's one of my favorite 
colors." Her eyes locked with his for a moment, and she 
blushed and turned away.  "I'll be right back, I just have to 
get my coat." LaCroix nodded slightly and Kayleigh turned 
and went into her bedroom. 


"So my dear...tell me what it is you would like to do this 
evening. We can go anywhere your heart desires..." said 
LaCroix.  His voice seemed to reverberate in her ears.   
From her bedroom, Kayleigh laughed and 
said.."Anywhere?? Well..if I could REALLY have my way..I'd 
say let's hop a jet and fly to New Orleans for the evening!" 
"But I'm sure whatever you have planned for us this evening 
will be more than wonderful."  She was slightly surprised, 
she had thought that he had made plans already. But if she 
got to choose what she wanted to do, so much the better. 
She grinned evilly to herself. Oh, the ideas she had in her 
head! If he only knew!!  Kayleigh walked back into the room 
slipping her long black velvet jacket on. She stopped in front 
of LaCroix  and looked down at him. He stood and took her 
hands. "We can go anywhere you wish."  He pushed back a 
stray lock of hair from her cheek. His cool hands lightly 
brushed her neck. A little icicle crept up her spine, but she 
shook it off. "OK, New Orleans it is!  Shall we get going??" 
Brazenly, she entwined her arm with his. LaCroix merely 
smirked as Kayleigh grabbed her purse and nearly pulled 
LaCroix out the door. 

After getting settled in the back of LaCroix's limo, she sat 
across from him and looked around.  It had a black leather 
interior with heavily tinted windows.  Very clever. She gazed 
out the window thinking to herself for a moment.  " I can't 
believe I am sitting here, in a Limo with LACROIX going to 
New Orleans for the evening!!" "This is just too much for me 
to handle...MY GOD LOOK at him..." Kayleigh stopped 
herself. What if he could read her mind?  She laughed softly 
to herself and glanced over at him. If LaCroix did read her 
mind he gave no indication. But she did think she saw a 
smirk play across his lips, only for a split second. "Would 
you like a drink?" he asked. He pressed a button and 
opened a  door in the wall of the limo. Inside was a small 
bar. Kayleigh hesitated but then decided to have a drink 
anyway. "This night is too incredible, I may as well throw all 
caution to the wind and enjoy it!" she thought. 

LaCroix moved aside a bottle of red wine in a green bottle 
and pulled out a bottle of what happened to be one of her 
favorite white zinfandels. He took out an intricately etched 
wineglass and poured a bit for her to try. Kayleigh sipped 
the wine and nodded. "Very nice." The glass was very 
pretty. It had what looked to be a rose and vine pattern all 
around the rim. LaCroix finished filling her glass and handed 
it back to her. "What a beautiful wineglass..I love the 
etching." LaCroix smiled "They are pretty aren't they?" He 
held another glass up to the light and turned it slowly with a 
far away look in his eyes.  "I think I will join you in a drink." 
LaCroix took out a green bottle and poured himself a glass 
of his wine mixture.  Kayleigh looked at him and wickedly 
said "Merlot?". LaCroix eyed her with amusement. 
"Something like that, it is an excellent vintage." he said.  He 
held his glass up to her "Salud." he said.  Kayleigh smiled at 
him "Salud."  He took a sip and sat back in the seat gazing 
at her.  

He crossed one leg over the other, and watched her 
interestedly, sipping his wine.  "So my dear, what makes you 
pick New Orleans?  Have you been there before?" he 
asked. Kayleigh nodded, "Yes, I feel like it's my home away 
from home.  I always feel so relaxed and happy there."  "I 
must have lived there in another life." she laughed.  LaCroix 
smiled at her. "Yes, I understand what you mean, New 
Orleans has always been one of my favorite cities."  "Even 
with all the wonderful places you must have seen Lucien?" 
Kayleigh was surprised, he seemed like he would like 
Europe the best.  

LaCroix nodded and continued "Oh yes, no other place in 
the world has an atmosphere quite like New Orleans." 
Kayleigh nodded  "I agree.  It is one of my most favorite 
places as well."  LaCroix uncrossed his leg and leaned 
closer to her.  "And how much of the world have you seen 
Kayleigh?"  His nearness was making her a tad nervous, but 
she tried to ignore it. This was a man who would want 
details.

She made a flippant gesture with her hand.  "Let's see.." she 
chewed her lip thoughtfully... "In the U.S. I have been all 
over the east coast, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, California..' 
He nodded. "I like the towns along the coast like Monterey 
and Carmel myself.."  He smiled and let her continue. 
"Minnesota, New Orleans of course and Montana." "In 
Europe, I have been to England, Germany, Austria, 
Switzerland, Belgium, Holland, Poland and France."  She 
could tell that he was impressed.  LaCroix continued to eye 
her with interest.  Kayleigh was beginning to feel more than 
a little scrutinized. "You're quite well travelled for one so 
young."  he said with a strange note of pleasure to his voice. 
Kayleigh nodded "My parents have been taking me to as 
many places as possible since I was a young girl. I'm glad 
they did, I adore travelling."  "I just wish I had more time and 
money to do it!  Working full time takes up so much of 
everyone's life. I wish I didn't have to!"  LaCroix nodded in 
sympathy "You poor mortals, spending your lives working, 
working, working and never having time to really enjoy your 
lives."  "Such a pity." he said as he shook his head with 
mock sadness for the human race.  Kayleigh rolled her eyes 
at him, but she figured he was just  teasing her. " Well 
excuuuuuse me, not all of us have the luxury of immortality 
my dear Lucien."  He nodded and sipped his wine. "True." 
he agreed.  Kayleigh laughed and shook her head at him.  
She settled more comfortably into the seat and began to 
relax.  He was quite a challenge.....

LaCroix looked at her intently. "So what would you do if you 
didn't have to work any longer?"  Kayleigh shrugged her 
shoulders "That's easy, if I suddenly came into the means of 
not having to work anymore, for instance, if I won the lottery 
or something, I would set my parents up nicely and then I 
would invest some money and then I would do nothing but 
travel for as long as I wanted."  "Maybe even live for a while 
in each place, that way I can get an idea of the culture of the 
area." He looked at her over his glass as he sipped.  "That 
would be a good idea." he agreed. Kayleigh continued "I 
love to travel and see new places. Every now and then I 
even try to go somewhere local just to get out of the area. 
It's so easy to get sick of the place you spend your life in."  
LaCroix looked thoughtful.  "I can certainly relate to that, 
sometimes you just need to get away. Start anew 
somewhere else..."   Kayleigh noticed the slight change in 
his eyes.  "What about you Lucien, I can imagine the stories 
you must have to tell.  You have been around for what, over 
2000 years? You have seen things most of us only read 
about in our history books!" He nodded at her.  "Yes, I have, 
haven't I?  It has been quite interesting." "You mortals are 
an endless source of amusement." He sipped from his glass 
again. 

They felt the car slowing down, coming into a turn.  The 
local airport was quite close to Kayleigh's house, but she 
was surprised that they had gotten there already. They 
pulled directly onto the tarmac and stopped in front of a big 
lear jet. It was all black except for a white Fleur de Lys on 
the tail.  LaCroix stepped out of the limo and offered his 
hand to Kayleigh to help her out. She took his hand and 
followed him up the stairs and into the jet.  

The jet was extrememly luxurious. Decorated in soft shades 
of grey, there was a plush couch and chairs around a small 
glass table that had two gargoyles on either side, under the 
glass.  LaCroix motioned to the couch.  "Please, make 
yourself comfortable. I'll just be a moment." He walked 
towards the cockpit.  She sat down on the couch looking 
around.  She arranged her dress under her so she didn't 
wrinkle it. The lights were dimmed just enough for comfort.  
LaCroix was talking to the pilot.   Kayleigh was looking at 
the magazines on the coffee table when LaCroix came back 
into the room. "Would you like some more wine?" he asked 
from behind her, startling her.  Kayleigh jumped slightly.  "I 
didn't see you come back into the room. " she laughed at her 
own jumpiness.  "We should be taking off in a moment." he 
said. He poured her another glass of wine and handed it to 
her. She took it and sipped it slowly. The engines began to 
whine and they both felt the plane start to taxi down the 
runway He sat down next to her.  As they picked up speed, 
Kayleigh stiffened.  She hated the takeoffs.  They lifted off 
and ascended into a flight pattern. When they had levelled 
off, she relaxed against the couch and looked over at 
LaCroix.  He looked pointedly at the jacket she was still 
wearing.  "Will you be taking your jacket off and staying a 
while?" he teased. Kayleigh slipped it off and handed it to 
him.  He placed it on the arm of the couch carefully.   
"That's much  better." he said. 

LaCroix poured her another glass of wine and sat back. 
Kayleigh was getting used to his intensity.  He looked at his 
watch " We should be in New Orleans shortly Kayleigh." 
Kayleigh stood up and walked over to one of the windows 
and looked down at the twinking lights below. "The lights 
always look pretty from up here..like jewels against velvet."  
LaCroix walked up behind her and looked out over her 
shoulder. Kayleigh's body tingled with electricity with him 
being so close.  The hair on the back of her neck felt like it 
was standing on end when LaCroix leaned in breathed in 
the scent of her perfume."Ahh..Egyptian Musk. It's quite a 
lovely fragrance."  Kayleigh brought her wrist up to her nose 
and sniffed to remind herself of  what she had put on. "Yes, 
that's right. It's one of my favorites."  She turned towards him 
as LaCroix gently took her wrist and closed his eyes as he 
enjoyed the scent.  He kissed her wrist lightly with his soft 
lips. Kayleigh immediately felt electricity shooting up her arm 
and going directly into her nether regions. She watched in 
fascination as he kissed her wrist harder and tightened his 
grip slightly.  She could feel him run his cool tongue lightly 
over the vein in her wrist. She yelped as she felt two sharp 
points scrape her wrist.  LaCroix let her wrist go and opened 
his eyes slowly.  Kayleigh could feel her pulse pounding in 
her throat and she took a step back to steady herself.  She 
looked down and rubbed her wrist with her thumb.  

He raised her chin with a finger and looked into her eyes. 
Kayleigh gazed up into two pools of glowing gold.  "Perhaps 
we should take our seats again Kayleigh.  Would you like 
some more wine?"  He motioned to the couch with his hand. 
She thought she saw the hint of fangs behind his lips. She 
nodded and went back to the couch and sat down. Between 
that voice and those eyes..she felt herself growing damp just 
looking at him.  With trembing hands she took the glass he 
offered.  She definately needed a drink now. When she 
looked at him again, his eyes were blue.  He sat down next 
to her. "We should be landing soon, Kayleigh." He looked at 
his watch and nodded.  "And we shall have the whole night 
in front of us." He raised his glass to hers, and clinked it 
gently. She watched him slowly drain his glass. 

The plane landed and they exited the jet. It was a beautiful 
night in New Orleans, warm with a cool breeze. Kayleigh 
inhaled deeply and looked up into the night sky. She caught 
another shooting star. She closed her eyes and made 
another wish.  "What are you doing?" asked LaCroix. 
"Making a wish." she said. "Whenever you see a shooting 
star, you are supposed to make a wish." LaCroix smiled at 
her and said "Be careful what you wish for..because you just 
may get it." Kayleigh laughed and said " It WAS you on my 
back deck wasn't it?" LaCroix smirked and said "Of 
course..it was such a beautiful night..the perfect night for a 
visit." He leaned in close to her and whispered in her ear... 
"Do you have any idea how beautiful you look when you 
sleep?" "I was very tempted you know." He held her with his 
gaze, his voice taking on a nearly hypnotic quality. All she 
could hear was the sound of his voice and all she could see 
was his eyes ...eyes that slowly were turning from blue to 
gold. "You watched me when I was sleeping?!" she 
exclaimed. He placed his hands on her shoulders with an 
iron grip, fingers stroking her neck..feeling the pulse that 
beat just under the skin. "Oh yes...I watched you every 
night..I was quite close and you never knew....I listened to 
the sound of your breathing and to the blood rushing 
through your veins.  Your heartbeat rang in my ears like it 
was my own. I watched you dream..your lips were 
parted...your breath coming quicker....moaning softly...tell 
me, what do you dream about Kayleigh? Was it about a 
secret lover...or an unfulfilled desire?  I want to know your 
dreams..and your fantasies. I can awaken things in 
you....things you never even knew you wanted." 

Suddenly, he let her go..the spell broken.  "All you have to 
do is trust me Kayleigh..." He still held her with his gaze. 
She nodded weakly..speechless. Earlier that week she had 
had quite an erotic dream. She couldn't remember much 
about  it, but she did remember waking up suddenly, 
dripping with sweat and gripping the bedclothes tightly.  He 
couldn't possibly know about that...or COULD he? She 
blushed furiously and looked away.  LaCroix reached out 
and stroked her cheek with a long finger.  He cupped her 
chin in his hand and forced her to meet his eyes. "Do not be 
ashamed of your dreams Kayleigh. " "How does that saying 
go?" "Oh yes.. A dream is a wish your heart makes when 
you are fast asleep." he quoted. He raised an eyebrow at 
her, smiling.   Before she could say anything, he put his arm 
around her shoulder and led her to the waiting limosine. 
 
They arrived in the French Quarter quickly. The driver pulled 
over on Decatur Street right in front of Jackson Square.  He 
opened the door for them. LaCroix helped her out and said " 
I have already made arrangements for dinner. Shall we head 
over there?" Until now, Kayleigh had not realized how 
hungry she was. "Yes, I 'm starving!"  LaCroix led her up the 
street. Kayleigh grinned from ear to ear looking at the 
people and all the shops and buildings they were passing. 
She was ecstatically happy to be there. "You have no idea 
how happy this city makes me Lucien..I feel totally at home 
here." He grinned at her and she linked her arm with his and 
walked happily. "Kayleigh..it was quite a good idea to come 
here. It's been quite a few years since my last visit."  They 
walked slowly down the street. It was surprisingly not 
crowded. Kayleigh was enjoying the attention they were 
getting as they walked down the street. "We  probably make 
quite a striking couple." she thought.  Especially with 
LaCroix' stature. He was a good head and shoulders taller 
than her and quite easy on the eyes. And the way he looked 
in those leather pants probably helped too. She chuckled 
under her breath.   "Ooops, there I go again..ah, if he DOES 
read my mind who cares?!"  LaCroix smiled to himself.. "And 
what is so amusing?" Kayleigh asked.  He stopped walking 
and looked down at her.  "You are my dear!"  "Your 
enthusiasm is quite enchanting."  He smirked at her and 
they continued walking. 

"Ah, here it is.." They stopped in front of a restaurant that 
Kayleigh had always wanted to go to. "The Court of Two 
Sisters". He held opened the door for her and they stepped 
inside.  It was a beautiful place. All white linens, soft lighting 
and the clinking of plates and silverware. The Maitre'D led 
them over to a table by the window.  A vase with a  white 
rose in it was in the center of the table along with a few 
small white votive candles.  LaCroix held out her chair for 
her and then sat down across from her.  Quite the 
gentleman. 
 
Kayleigh looked around at the sumptuous surroundings. "I 
could get used to this." she thought as she looked at 
LaCroix. "I have heard the food is quite good here." La Croix 
nodded as he motioned for the waiter to come over.  He 
ordered a bottle of champagne and then handed Kayleigh 
her menu. "Are you trying to get me drunk Lucien?" She 
winked at him. "So you can take advantage of my weakened 
state?" Kayleigh quelled the evil smile that threatened to 
creep across her face at THAT thought. 

 LaCroix feigned shock and said with a rather evil gleam in 
his eye "MOI?! Would I ever do such a thing?" He slid his 
hand over to hers, his voice quiet. "Somehow my dear..I 
don't think I would be taking advantage of you at all..you 
would be quite willing."  His blue eyes took on a shade of 
gold as she watched them...and as quickly as it started it 
was gone again. "Oh really?!" said Kayleigh indignantly 
while raising her eyebrows at him.  She was going to 
protest,  but deep inside she knew it was the truth and so 
did LaCroix. That thought alone made her tingle from head 
to foot.  She watched him as he opened the bottle of 
champagne.  It made a loud popping noise.  He deftly 
picked up a glass and poured some into it and offered it to 
her. She took the glass from him.  She was going to 
comment on his earlier statement, but instead smiled 
demurely at him while sipping some champagne. After 
ordering her dinner, she noticed that LaCroix had another 
green bottle next to him. "Did you bring that with you?"  
"No." he said  "I know the owner, I have been friends with 
his family for a long time."  "He keeps a stock for me."  He 
picked up the bottle and poured himself a glass. She 
watched him drain the glass quickly.  "Are you 
getting..umm..hungry Lucien?" she asked.  He shook his 
head "I'll be fine..." He poured another glass and drank it 
slowly..looking deep into her eyes with every swallow.  He 
was quite seductive. She decided she needed to go freshen 
up. She excused herself and went to the ladies room. 

Inside, she washed her hands and looked in the mirror. She 
stared at her reflection. Just the right touch of color to her 
cheeks and her hair and make up were perfect. She grinned 
at herself and went back to her table.  LaCroix was sitting 
there looking at the people in the restaurant with a detached 
air.  She went up behind him and put her hands on his 
shoulders. Impulsively, she kissed him on the cheek and 
went back to her chair.  He actually looked a little surprised.  
"Penny for your thoughts Lucien." He smiled at her.   "So, is 
there any place you would like to go while we're here?" She 
asked. "I myself am happy just being in New Orleans. And 
with such wonderful company as an added bonus? What 
more can I ask for?" She winked at him.  LaCroix smiled and 
said "No, my dear, this night is for you. We shall do 
whatever you wish."  

The waiter brought her dinner and another bottle of wine for 
LaCroix.  The meal was absolute perfection. It was all 
expertly cooked and seasoned. Blackened Catfish with a  
side of Red Beans and Rice. It was delicious. LaCroix 
watched her intently as she ate her meal. "Do you ever miss 
not being able to enjoy food, Lucien?"  LaCroix shook his 
head. "Not  really, we can experience it somewhat through 
the blood." "So many things can be experienced that way." 
He smiled at her. Kayleigh admitted to herself that she was 
quite curious as to what a few of those "things" might be.  
She smiled at him as he filled their glasses. 

Kayleigh could hardly remember the last time she had tasted 
such wonderful food.  When the dessert menu came around, 
Kayleigh shook her head. She was going to drag LaCroix to 
Cafe Du Monde later. LaCroix sipped his wine thoughtfully.  
"I think after dinner we can go for a nice walk along the 
river.." Kayleigh nodded in agreement.  "Ok, that sounds 
good."  She leaned back in her chair and sighed 
contentedly, gazing at him over the table.  He smiled and  
poured her another glass of champagne. It turned out to be 
the last glass in the bottle. By this time, Kayleigh had had a 
quite a few glasses of champagne, not to mention the wine 
in the limo and jet.  She was starting to feel a little 
lightheaded.  "Are you feeling alright?" asked LaCroix. " 
Yes, I'll be ok in a minute, I just need some fresh air."  "Ok, 
then we shall go.." LaCroix stood up and pulled out her chair 
for her. He held up her jacket for her and helped her put it 
on.  He lifted her hair out from under her jacket. His cool 
hands brushed the sides of her neck again.  Kayleigh got a 
little shiver down her spine.  He paid the bill and by the look 
on the waiter's face, left him quite a nice tip.  They went 
outside. "Thank you for taking me there Lucien" "I have  
wanted to go there for a long time "  LaCroix smiled and took 
her arm again.  "I am glad you enjoyed it. Perhaps you 
would like to have coffee?" he asked.  "Oh yes..and I know 
just the place!" Kayleigh led him down to Decatur street 
once again and quicky found a table at Cafe' Du Monde. 
They sat under the green awnings by the edge of the patio.  
A waitress came over and took the order. She smiled as she 
noticed the waitress eyeing LaCroix slyly. Kayleigh stifled a 
giggle.  He noticed her smirking and said "Did I miss 
something?"  Kayleigh laughed..."Apparently so! In case you 
didn't notice Lucien, you turn quite a few heads!  Our 
waitress seemed quite taken with you." When the waitress 
came back with Kayleigh's coffee she gave LaCroix the once 
over again.  LaCroix fixed her with a gaze that could have 
melted marble and slid his hand up Kayleigh's leg.  Kayleigh 
almost choked on her coffee.  The waitress quickly walked 
away.  "OOOOO!!  You are ONE naughty boy." she clucked 
her tongue at him. " You nearly made me choke on my 
coffee!" LaCroix laughed. She was glad to see that he 
seemed to be enjoying himself too. She thought to herself 
happily. "I like sitting here just people watching. It's such a 
busy section of the city, there's always something interesting 
going on." She noticed a man setting up a telescope in the 
front of the cafe.  He was pointing it over Jackson Square.  
Kayleigh craned her neck to see what he was aiming it at.  
She saw the constellation of Orion high in the sky.  LaCroix 
turned his head to see what she was so interested in.  "Ah 
yes....Orion, the great hunter."  he murmured.   "Let's go see 
if we can look through it, I'd like to see what he's pointing it 
at."  They got up from the table and walked over to the man 
and his telescope.  Kayleigh walked over to the man and 
noticed a small pail on the ground next to the telescope 
marked "donations." She took some money out of her pocket 
and put it in the pail.  "Thank you." said the man. "Would 
you like to take a look?  I am observing the Orion Nebula 
tonight." Kayleigh smiled at him and nodded.  She stepped 
up onto the crate to reach the eyepiece.  She focused it a bit 
an saw the beautiful Orion Nebula. It was reddish in color 
and spread out like mist. She could see the stars behind it.  
Kayleigh turned around and waved LaCroix over.  "Look, 
you MUST see this Lucien, it's sooo beautiful." She stepped 
off the crate and let him look.  Being so tall, he didn't need 
to step on the crate.  He peered through the eyepiece and 
grinned. "That is truly beautiful, this telescope really brings it 
into great detail."  He looked at it a minute longer.  "Very 
pretty." He placed some money in the pail too.  The man 
thanked him. Kayleigh was happy to see him so pleased. 
LaCroix smiled as he held his hand out to her. They 
continued walking.   "Have you ever seen the Orion Nebula 
before?" LaCroix shook his head  "Not for a long time, and 
certainly not through a telescope like that. It brought it into 
such great detail. Have you?"  Kayleigh shook her head. 
"Nope, so it was a first for both of us." 

They ended up walking on the path by the river.  There were 
a few other people walking around, some were sitting on the 
benches and grass enjoying the evening. Kayleigh walked 
over to the railing and looked out onto the moonlit river. 
LaCroix wrapped his arms around her from behind and 
pulled her gently into his embrace.  She leaned against his 
solid chest, enjoying the feeling of his strength behind her. 
She sighed, her skin tingling. Her heart beat a little faster as 
she imagined what it would be like to be with him..to give 
herself entirely to him. As if in answer, LaCroix stroked her 
hair gently and massaged her shoulders with his strong 
hands. Kayleigh smiled and groaned softly. "OH,  that feels 
so good... you have magic hands." LaCroix continued to 
massage her neck and shoulders.  "Have you ever seen the 
houses on St. Charles Avenue?" he asked.  Kayleigh 
nodded "Yes, but only from a tour bus."  "Really?" he said, 
seeming a little surprised. "Then I shall have to take you to 
my house on St. Charles Avenue. Would you like to see it?"  
he asked.  Kayleigh nodded enthusiastically, "Oh yes, I'd 
love it."  She was going to start walking to the limosine when 
he drew her closer. She could hear her heart beating in her 
ears.  LaCroix gave a little growl and pushed the hair away 
from her neck gently.  He leaned into her and slowly kissed 
up and down the length of her neck. Her skin was like 
alabaster in the moonlight. It shimmered softly. He slid his 
hands down her arms and clasped her hands in his. His grip 
was like steel, Kayleigh closed her eyes and leaned back 
into him, turning her head so that it rested on his shoulder to 
allow him better access. Warning bells were going off in her 
mind, but her desire for him outweighed her fears. He 
continued kissing her neck, a little harder now, and she 
could feel his kisses beginning to sting slightly. Her hands 
were clenched tightly in anticipation as LaCroix placed his 
mouth firmly on her neck where her pulse beat the 
strongest.  He slid his fangs into her gently. Kayleigh 
gasped as she felt his fangs pierce her flesh. Tiny pinpricks. 
The beginnings of such waves of pleasure. She relaxed 
against him and gave in to the sensations. The experience 
ended all too abruptly when she felt him withdraw his fangs 
after a moment. She gave a little whimper of disappointment. 
LaCroix spoke in her ear.. " That was just a sample. You'll 
need to save your strength for later." He chuckled softly. 
Kayleigh felt something trickling down her neck and LaCroix 
bent his head and slowly licked her neck, closing the 
shallow wounds.  She looked up into his golden eyes and 
shivered. She could see his desire equalling hers. Kayleigh 
smiled at him, secretly wondering what else the night would 
hold.  "Shall we go?" asked LaCroix.  Kayleigh nodded and 
took his hand as they walked to the limosine. 

Kayleigh settled into the smooth leather seats. She was glad 
to be sitting.  She decided to be the devil's advocate and 
tease him. "So, what DO you have in mind for later?" She 
grinned evilly and raised an eyebrow at him.  "Oh, don't you 
worry Kayleigh, I am quite sure you will approve." said 
LaCroix and gave her his best leer.  Kayleigh smiled and 
leaned against him. She watched the beautiful houses on 
St. Charles Avenue go by. "What made you buy a house 
here Lucien?" she asked. "I was doing alot of moving 
around at the time and I fell in love with the whole 
atmosphere of this city." "It's alive like no other place on 
earth..it's as if the very air itself has a will of it's own." "It 
even has a smell of it's own...of earth and spices." Kayleigh 
listened to his voice. Again,  was mezmerizing in it's tone.  
She would almost bet that he could read a cereal box and 
she would enjoy listening to him.  

Kayleigh nodded in agreement. "Yes I agree, everything 
here is so vibrant you could almost breathe it in." "I have 
thought about moving here myself, but the summer is so hot 
here!" LaCroix nodded "It can be quite warm here..but the 
weather doesn't affect me like it used to."  "Oops, I forgot 
about that.  How does the weather affect you?" Kayleigh 
asked. LaCroix looked thoughtful for a moment and said  "I 
don't notice the weather much really.  It has to be extreme 
for me to notice it." LaCroix reached out and clasped her 
hands in his. Kayleigh could feel the coolness of his skin. It 
was like touching cool silk. Kayleigh looked at his elegant 
hands as she ran her fingernails lightly across the palms of 
his hands. She ran her hands up his arms, feeling the well 
defined muscles. She placed her hands on his face and 
leaned over and kissed him passionately. His tongue slid 
into her mouth and sought her own. Kayleigh felt an arousal 
like never before. She looked at him through half lidded 
eyes and noticed that he was looking back at her and his 
eyes were slowly changing from blue to a warm gold. His 
fangs descended and she slowly slid her tongue over them, 
feeling the sharp points gently.  She raked her tongue over 
one and felt it cut her. LaCroix pulled her into his embrace 
and kissed her fiercely. She could taste her blood.   He ran 
his hands down her back, and pulled her onto his lap. He 
didn't break thier kiss.  It seemed to go on forever.  
Suddenly LaCroix pulled back and broke their embrace. He 
pressed a button on the wall and took out another bottle of 
wine. He uncorked it and drank half of it quickly.  "Are you 
alright Lucien?" she asked. He nodded and said "Yes....I'm 
fine." It came out almost as a growl.  Kayleigh trembled 
looking at him. She got a little nervous at the thought of him 
being REALLY hungry.  She watched him as he finished the 
rest of the bottle. Kayleigh could smell the metallic tang of 
the blood mixed with the wine. She began to kiss him again, 
thrusting her tongue into his mouth, tasting the lingering 
wine and blood mixture on his lips.  The view of St. Charles 
Avenue was soon forgotten.  He kissed down her jaw to her 
neck, kissing her gently. Then the car stopped.  They both 
looked out the window in surprise.  "I guess we're here." 
said Kayleigh. 

They had pulled up in front of a magnificent mansion.  
Painted all white, with green shutters. There were lots of 
trees and wisteria on the front lawn. An iron gate was at the 
beginning of the front walk. Kayleigh got off LaCroix's lap 
and got out of the limosine with him. He opened the front 
gate and beckoned for her to follow him.  They walked up 
the front porch stairs and LaCroix took out a set of keys and 
opened the front door.  Kayleigh walked through the door 
and he followed her in.  It was like they had gone back in 
time. They were standing in the front foyer. Directly in front 
of them was a winding staircase leading up to the first and 
second floors with a huge crystal chandelier over it. To their 
left was a large living room with a fireplace. From where 
they were standing she could see that it had a comfortable 
looking couch in front of it flanked by two matching 
overstuffed chairs.  "Let me give you a tour." he said as he 
led her into the livng room. There was a coffee table in front 
of the couch with some books and an ornate wooden box 
sitting on it's surface.   A tiffany stained glass lamp was lit in 
the corner by the window lighting the room softly. The room 
was painted white and had wood flooring.   The windows 
were dressed with sheer white curtains, topped with 
burgundy velvet drapes.  The drapes were tied back to let in 
the night air. It was a very cozy room. 

To their right was a dining room, all done in oak paneling 
with beautiful wood furniture. It was all highly polished and 
gleamed in the light. The seating was for 10. " I thought you 
hadn't been here in 10 years Lucien." "Everything is so 
immaculate." she said.  LaCroix nodded and said " I have a 
regular housekeeper who comes in a keeps the place tidy 
for me in case I decide to come here on a whim." 

He led her to the kitchen. It was more modern than the rest 
of the house. It had marble countertops and black cabinets. 
Some of the cabinets had glass doors so you could see 
what was inside.  Kayleigh could see the rows of neatly 
stacked dishes and glasses through a few of them.  She 
wondered if the cabinets were empty.  He also had a large 
gourmet stove and huge refrigerator.  On one side of the 
room there was a wine cellar set into a recessed section of 
the wall.  He noticed her looking at it. "For company." he 
said.  "My collection is in the basement. Wouldn't want any 
confusion now would we?"  He smirked. "No, that would just 
not do." she said mock seriously.  They headed back to the 
foyer. They came back to the staircase. LaCroix held out his 
hand and said "Come, let me show you the upstairs." He 
took her hand and led her up the stairs. Again, it was 
furnished beautifully. He really knew how to decorate. 
"Maybe I can get him to help me redecorate my apartment." 
she laughed to herself.  The second floor had five rooms to 
it. Three bedrooms, a sitting room and a fully furnished 
bathroom with a jacuzzi. 

LaCroix showed them all to her one by one. Each one was 
nicer than the last. When they got to the last room, he said 
"I have saved the best for last" and grinned wickedly.  He 
opened the door with a flourish. Inside was the most 
gorgeous room of the house. A massive four-poster bed with 
a carved headboard dominated the room.  It was draped 
with burgundy curtains tied back with black tasseled cord.  A 
matching burgundy velvet bedspread  was on the bed and 
one corner was turned back showing the black silk sheets.  
Under the bed was a marvelous persian rug. On the other 
side of the room stood a grand armoire carved with intricate 
scrollwork .  There were also matching wooden night tables 
on either side of the bed.

LaCroix lit a match and touched it to the wick of the oil lamp 
next to the bed. He then flicked off the lights and closed the 
door.  "I much prefer the light of a lamp, so much easier on 
the eyes." Kayleigh looked at him and noticed the flicker of 
gold again. Kayleigh clasped her trembling hands together.  
"Where is the bathroom Lucien?" "I'd like to freshen up a 
bit." She asked. "Down the hall, second door on the left." he 
said. Kayleigh left the room and walked down the hall. She 
could hear LaCroix doing something in the room and 
wondered what he was up to.  Kayleigh brushed her hair out 
and gathered it on top of her head in a loose bun. She 
secured it with two hair sticks. Loose tendrils framed the 
sides of her face. She lightly dusted her face with powder 
and blotted her lipstick. Kayleigh looked at herself in the 
mirror again and took a deep breath. "This is truly a night to 
remember." she thought to herself.  A quick dab of perfume 
oil and she went back to LaCroix' bedroom. 

The door was closed, she knocked once. "Come in." she 
heard LaCroix say. Kayleigh opened the door and nearly 
dropped her purse. LaCroix had lit tiny white votives all over 
the room making the room glow with a gentle light. Incense 
burned in the corner perfuming the air wonderfully. It was 
perfect. . "Lucien, you went through all this trouble for me? 
It's beautiful..." her voice trailed off.  "Yes mon ange..the 
expression on your face alone is worth it .." He came to her 
and gathered her into his arms gently. Kayleigh wrapped her 
arms around him and put her head on his strong chest. 
LaCroix kissed the top of her head and led her to the bed. 
He sat her down on it and began to kiss her. He started at 
her forehead then moved down to her eyelids..lips..cheeks. 
He dusted her face with tiny velvet kisses.

 Kayleigh had not expected him to be so tender and loving. 
She was amazed. He slowly began to undress her. First he 
took off her shoes and placed them by the bed. He ran his 
hands up her legs and grinned when he found she was 
wearing garters and stockings. He unfastened them 
carefully and slid her stockings off her legs, kissing her legs 
gently. Kayleigh watched him in amazement. He raised her 
arms and pulled her dress over her head. She sat in front of 
him in her bra and panties. The air felt cool on her skin and 
she shivered. Her nipples hardening in response. He sat 
behind her and kissed her from her fingertips to her 
shoulders. He began to nibble on her neck. Kayleigh arched 
her back at him, trying to press into him. "Patience my 
dear...patience.." he said. He slid the bra straps off her 
shoulders and continued to assault her with kisses. He 
undid the clasp of her bra and pulled it away. He gently 
pushed her back onto the bed and began to kiss his way 
down. He gently sucked a nipple into his mouth and 
ravished it with his tongue, biting gently. He did the same to 
her other breast, licking and sucking it gently.    Kayleigh 
looked at him and saw that he was fully transformed, golden 
eyes and fangs.  She could wait no longer.. She pulled her 
his head up to hers and kissed him hard. She began to 
unfasten the dagger pin at his throat and pull his shirt out of 
his pants.  She undid the last button with her teeth. With a 
growl, she yanked the shirt off his shoulders. She could tell 
he was amazed at her ferocity. He was gazing at her with a 
mixture of hunger and lust in his eyes. His skin was like 
marble, it was cool, white and smooth. She ran her hands 
over his shoulders and arms and then ran her hands across 
his chest. His well defined muscles were rippling beneath 
his skin with every movement.  He was nicely sculpted, not 
overly muscular.   She began kissing his neck, alternately 
biting and kissing. She'd give him some of his OWN 
medicine!  

LaCroix drew in his breath quickly. He let it out with a hiss. 
"Ah hah..I'm not the only one that likes that am I Lucien?" 
teased Kayleigh.  He chuckled throatily. "No mon 
cher...you're not."   Kayleigh ran her hands down his waist 
and felt his arousal. She nipped at his neck some more 
using her sharp teeth and kissed down his chest.  She tried 
to flip him over onto his back but it was like trying to move a 
brick wall.  He grabbed her wrists and pulled them above 
her head pinning her to the bed with one of his hands.  "I 
see you like it a little more rough...don't you my dear?"  He 
reached down and pulled off her panties. Kayleigh heard a 
metallic clink and realized that he had fastened her arms 
above her head with some sort of cuffs. 

He rolled off her and unzipped his leather pants sliding them 
down his hips. He pulled them all the way off as she 
watched. His erection was enormous and looked like it could 
etch glass. He was definately blessed.  He climbed back 
onto the bed and crouched over her. She looked deep into 
his gold eyes and all her reservations dissolved. All she 
knew was that she wanted him badly, NOW.  She moaned 
loudly as he kissed her from her head from her toes. He 
kissed his way up her legs and moved over to her inner 
thighs. He lowered his head and slid his tongue into her.  
His tongue swirled around the core of her arousal. Kayleigh 
had to bite her lip to keep from crying out.  He kissed the 
insides of her thighs, nibbling gently every now and then.  
He teased her with is tongue until she was trembling 
violently with every flick of his tongue. LaCroix expertly 
brought her close to orgasm again and again..but never 
pushed her totally over the edge.  Kayleigh begged for 
release. Suddenly he stopped. Kayleigh thought she would 
go mad if he continued. He leaned over her and asked 
huskily "Do you want me Kayleigh?" His eyes were blood 
red now. Kayleigh was suddenly afraid,  she closed her eyes 
so she didn't have to look into his eyes.  "Open your eyes 
Kayleigh, open your eyes and look...at...me.." he ordered.  
She opened her eyes and forced herself to meet his gaze.  
"Yesssssss. That's it, show me you are not afraid Kayleigh." 
He hissed.  He loomed over her "This is what I am Kayleigh, 
do you still want me?"  She looked at his golden eyes and 
fangs.  Yes,  she still wanted him more than she had every 
wanted any man in her life. "Tell me how much you want me 
Kayleigh" he growled. "Yes Lucien, I want you NOW!! "  He 
smiled, baring his fangs to her. "Take me..." she practically 
screamed. She wanted him with every fiber of her being. Not 
caring if she lived or died as long as the pleasure continued. 
She turned her head and bared her neck to him. He 
uncuffed her wrists and pinned her to the bed with his 
hands. She tried to pull away but when she realized she 
couldn't,  she stopped struggling.  He was grinning at her 
ferociously. "Do not fight me my dear...I am much stronger 
than you." he growled. LaCroix rose up and sank his fangs 
into her neck violently,  thrusting into her at the same time. 
Almost instantly, Kayleigh's world exploded into a million 
shimmering fragments. The pain was intense but quickly 
gave over to an indescribable pleasure. Her eyes rolled up 
and she closed her eyes, enjoying the incredible feelings of 
pleasure that threatened to push her over the edge of 
sanity. Never had she felt so fulfilled. He thrust into her 
again and again. She realized that she could feel her blood 
being drained out of her body. She raked her fingernails 
down his back and held onto him tightly. She wrapped her 
legs around his hips, hoping to push him in deeper. She 
turned her head slightly and bit the side of his shoulder 
hard, leaving reddish marks on his alabaster skin. He thrust 
into her even harder. Waves and waves of pleasure washed 
over her. She began the ascent to her orgasm, clutching him 
tightly with both her arms and legs. She arched her back 
into him with the force of it,  and the rest of the world around 
her disappeared and all that remained was the two of them, 
joined as one.  She could feel his desire for her. She felt him 
stiffen and knew he was close. He continued his thrusting as 
his breath came quicker and she felt him flood her. He 
collapsed on top of her and Kayleigh wrapped her arms 
around him.   He withdrew his fangs from her neck and 
gently licked the wounds clean. Kayleigh had finally stopped 
trembling and opened her eyes. Her arms were still wrapped 
around him tightly.  As she looked into his eyes, they went 
from red to gold to blue. He kissed her and said "Sleep 
now.. I will be here when you awake."  Kayleigh could hardly 
speak. All she managed a nod of agreement. She felt tingly 
from head to toe. He wrapped her in a soft blanket and held 
her in his arms. The last thing she felt as she closed her 
eyes was LaCroix's arms around her. 

When she awoke, LaCroix was gone and she was tucked 
into bed.  She sat up and listened for his voice.  
Strangely..she could almost sense that he was near.  
Kayleigh strained her ears and heard him down the hall 
talking to someone. Kayleigh wondered what time it was. 
She searched for a clock.. WOW, it was 3am! They were 
never going to make it back in time. Kayleigh contemplated 
calling in sick to work from here. That would be quite easy. 
She stretched out in bed and enjoyed the feel of the silken 
sheets across her skin.  She fluffed up the pillows and 
spread her hair out over them.  She laid back with a big 
smile on her face. She felt positively wanton, and was 
completely and utterly sated.   LaCroix came back into the 
room wearing a black silk robe. "My dear, you look quite like 
the cat that ate the canary." he teased.  Kayleigh smiled and 
patted the bed next to her. "Come here." she said. LaCroix 
smiled and got into bed with her. "I was wondering where 
you went."  Kayleigh curled around his body comfortably. 
"You know, it's 3am, we're never going to make it back to my 
house before sunrise." LaCroix shrugged and said 
"Well..tomorrow is friday...why don't you call in sick to work 
tomorrow and spend the weekend?" "I can take you back on 
Sunday."  Kayleigh thought about it for a moment and 
nodded. "Ok." I'll have to call myself in in a few hours."  She 
rested her head on his chest and closed her eyes, enjoying 
the feel of his skin under her palm. He wrapped his arm 
around her. His skin was warmer now..from her blood she 
realized. Her eyes flew open and she felt the wounds on the 
side of her neck. They stung slightly.  LaCroix noticed her 
sudden alarm and asked "What's wrong?"  Kayleigh looked 
at him worriedly.."I'm not going...to.." She stopped talking 
and looked at him seriously.  "Am I ok, Lucien?" she asked.  
"Yes my dear, you will be fine. I was extremely careful."  "All 
those bottles of "Wine" helped didn't they?" She asked 
jokingly. LaCroix nodded and said "Yes..they did. But 
you....were much.. more.... delicious." He licked his lips at 
her. He leaned in and kissed her gently. They snuggled 
together and Kayleigh fell back into a  peaceful sleep. 

Kayleigh awoke to the smell of fresh coffee. LaCroix entered 
the room with a tray. He smiled when he saw her sit up.  
"How are you feeling my dear?" he asked.  Kayleigh yawned 
and stretched. "Fine, but what time is it? I'm afraid to ask.." 
She looked at the clock.  It was 10am.  "Eek" she said. He 
looked at her amusedly   "Don't worry, I took the liberty of 
calling you in sick to work today." I said I was your.... 
Uncle..." said LaCroix with a little wink.  "You looked like you 
needed some sleep."  He placed the tray on the bed across 
her lap. "Thank you." she said. The tray held a plate of 
toast, coffee and fruit along with a white rose in a small 
silver vase.  Kayleigh stirred milk and sugar into her coffee. 
"Ahhhhh, I needed that." she sighed.  "I thought you 
might..you mortals and your addiction to coffee." he rolled 
his eyes in mock exasperation.   "I have run you a bubble 
bath and I have had some things picked up for you. They 
should be brought up shortly. " Kayleigh smiled at him.  
"Thank you Lucien, this is all really too kind of you. You're 
going through so much trouble for me."  He made a 
dismissive gesture with his hand. "It is my pleasure." he said 
as he stroked her hair.  "Now, I must leave you to sleep. If 
you need anything, please ask my assistant, James. "He 
can take you into the quarter for the day if you'd like.  He 
can bring you back after sunset."  He leaned over and 
kissed her. "I look forward to seeing you later." He turned 
and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him 
quietly.  He looked as if he had spent the entire night awake. 
"I wonder if he was watching me sleep again." she thought 
with a smile. That thought made her feel warm and tingly.  
Kayleigh finished off her breakfast smiling dreamily.  She 
slipped on the robe that LaCroix had left her, it was a black 
satin kimono with a dragon pattern down the back.  She then 
headed to the bathroom.

She stepped into the bathroom and locked the door. The tub 
looked so inviting to her stiff muscles. Kayleigh stood in front 
of the mirror and slipped off her robe. She inspected her 
neck and ran a finger lightly over the two healing punctures. 
She closed her eyes and remembered what it had felt like. It 
was nearly indescribable.  She felt herself getting aroused 
again just thinking about it. She slipped off her robe and got 
into the tub. It was enormous. Definately enough for two 
people. What a nice thought that was. She grinned to 
herself and let herself relax.  Seeing a button on the rim, 
Kayleigh decided to press it. She heard the rumble of the 
jets as the jacuzzi kicked in. What pure bliss. She let the jets 
ease her tired muscles.  She again found herself 
daydreaming of the night before.."What am I turning into?? 
Some kind of nympho?" Sheesh!!  What in the world had he 
done to her? She wanted him badly again. She breathed the 
scent of the bubble bath in. It was a delicate floral with a hint 
of jasmine. She started thinking of LaCroix again....his lips at 
her neck, kissing, biting. The exquisite pleasure of his 
vampiric embrace. His eyes looking at her so hungrily and 
his voice soothing and seducing her.  She couldn't resist 
him. And she was quite happy in that knowledge. 

Kayleigh finished the rest of her bath with a little smile on 
her face. She stepped out of the tub, towelled herself off and 
slipped on her robe again. LaCroix had thought to provide 
her with the necessary toiletries and makeup. "He is 
absolutely unbelieveable" she thought. He had provided for 
her every comfort.  She moisturized her body and used a 
scented powder afterwards. She let her hair air dry as she 
applied her makeup. When she was done, she lightly dusted 
her face with powder and headed back to the bedroom.   

In the bedroom, across the bed was a long, tight black 
velvet skirt , black velvet creepers with 4 inch platform 
soles...the exact shoes Kaleigh had been looking at in a 
store at home, "How did he know??" she wondered.  And a 
purple velvet top.  Under the clothes was a brand new set of 
underthings. Black lace bra and panties, and a nice pair of 
opaque thigh highs with lace trim.  Kayleigh was 
incredulous.  Everything fit perfectly. She dressed quickly 
and slipped on her shoes. Even those were perfectly 
comfortable! She checked herself in the mirror and deciding 
she looked ok, headed downstairs.  She wondered where 
LaCroix was. She wanted to let him know she was going out 
but she didn't want to snoop around his house. She 
shrugged and went out the front door and got into the 
limosine.  "Decatur Street, please." she said to James.  He 
signaled left and headed downtown to the French Quarter. 

He pulled over on Decatur Street. "I'll be back here at 4pm 
to pick you up." he said. Kayleigh thanked him and went on 
her way.  First she headed back to Cafe' Du Monde for 
coffee. It was always her starting point.  Kayleigh always 
used it to get her bearings straight. She settled down at a 
table in the back of the patio and relaxed. The waitress from 
last night was there again. She nodded in Kayleigh's 
direction and kept walking. Kayleigh smiled sweetly at her.  

Another waitress came over and took her order. "One coffee 
please."  Kayleigh sat back and relaxed. Even though this 
was probably the most touristy place in the city, she still 
enjoyed it. It was in a great location of the city, and there 
was lots of action to watch. She couldn't stop smiling. This 
was the best weekend of her life. She didn't want it to end. 
She decided to buy LaCroix a gift to show her thanks. 
Now..what to get him?  "He probably has everything he 
could possibly want...and then some." she thought. 
"Hmmmmmm...I'll just have to look around."  

It was such a nice fall day. The trees around the square 
were red, yellow and orange. It was just cool enough for 
comfort and the sky was a brilliant blue.  The waitress 
brought her order. Kayleigh stirred sugar into her coffee and 
picked it up. Sipping it thoughtfully.  She tried to figure out 
what to get him, and found herself daydreaming again.  She 
smiled to herself. She finished off her coffee and headed up 
to Royal Street. 

Royal Street was bustling with the usual mixture of tourists 
and locals. Kayleigh strolled along merrily and looked into 
the windows. She smiled at all people that caught her eye. 
She looked in the windows of the antique shops. She 
stopped to look in another window and there it was, the 
perfect thing. In the window sat a tray of silver rings. One of 
them looked like it was a poison ring, one of those rings that 
had a flip top lid with a secret compartment inside.  

Kayleigh entered the store and walked up to the clerk. A 
woman was behind the counter. She went up to her and 
asked to see the ring in the window. The woman walked 
over to the window display and picked up the tray with the 
silver rings in it and brought it back to Kayleigh. She looked 
through them and then picked up the poison ring. It was 
oval, with a smooth lid and some carving on the base. Very 
nice and masculine.  "How much is it?" she asked holding it 
up.  The clerk took it and looked it over.. "Hmmmm..it's a 
nice piece, very nice work and heavy silver." "It's $50.00."  
"Ok. I'll take it. "  Kayleigh took out her money and paid for 
the ring. "Would you like it wrapped?" the clerk asked. "Yes, 
what kind of paper do you have?"  Kayleigh selected a 
purple foil paper and added a silver ribbon.  She thanked 
the woman and headed out back onto Royal Street.
  
She decided to go to Audubon Park to see the leaves.  
Kayleigh found out the bus schedule and went to the bus 
stop.  She boarded the bus and found a seat by the window. 
She watched the streets go by as they headed to the Park.  
After a short bus ride, they stopped in front of the park. 
Kayleigh got off the bus and looked at the trees. The whole 
park was blazing with colors in the sun. Red, orange and 
yellow leaves were everywhere...on the trees..on the grass. 

People were walking around the park and enjoying the 
scenery. Children were playing with thier families. Kayleigh 
walked along the path slowly, enjoying every minute of the 
day. She was acutely aware of the fact that she was just 
happy to be where she was at the moment and tried to take 
it all in. Almost like she wanted to memorize it.  She felt like 
all was right in her world. She sat down under a tree and 
leaned against the trunk, watching the people. Kayleigh 
reached into her pocket and took out LaCroix's foil wrapped 
gift. "I really hope he likes it." she thought.  

She was surrounded by brilliant leaves. She decided to take 
some for LaCroix. "I'll bet he hasn't seen them in years." she 
thought.  She walked around gathering up the prettiest ones 
she could find and wove them together into a small circlet.  
She put it in the bag with his gift and continued walking 
around the park. 

Looking up, she realized that the sun was beginning to 
make it's decline. The sun's rays were turning a nice shade 
of orange, making the leaves seem even more colorful.  She 
headed back to the bus stop. Luckily, she arrived just in time 
for the next one.  She boarded the bus and settled into a 
seat. She was dozing in her seat when she opened her eyes 
and found out her stop was next. She signaled to the driver 
to let her off. Kayleigh got off the bus and headed back to 
Decatur Street to meet James. 

He was there waiting for her already. He got out and opened 
the door for her. "Did you have a nice day madame?" he 
asked.  "Oh yes.." she nodded. "It was a wonderful day."  
Kayleigh smiled at him and got into the limosine. 

They pulled up in front of the house and James let her out. 
He followed her up the front walk and let her into the house. 
It was dark except for a few candles lit here and there, 
providing a cozy light to the rooms.  Kayleigh walked into 
the living room. The fireplace was lit and she warmed her 
hands by it while she watched the flames flicker. She felt 
hands on her shoulders and turned around. "Good evening 
Kayleigh." said LaCroix.  He kissed her gently. He looked 
wonderful.  She trailed her eyes over his body and saw he 
was wearing another pair of black leather pants with a black 
cashmere sweater. He also had his Doc Marten boots on. 
Yes, he had wonderful taste. 

"Did you have a nice day out?" asked LaCroix.   "Yes I did! It 
was a gorgeous day..such perfect weather!" she exclaimed.  
Kayleigh sat down on the couch and stretched out languidly.   
LaCroix got himself a new bottle of his favorite vintage.  "Do 
you care to join me Kayleigh?"  He held up a bottle of 
zinfandel.  She nodded. 'Yes, thanks"  He poured them their 
drinks and brought them over to her, joining Kayleigh on the 
couch.  The fire burned merrily as Kayleigh watched it.  
LaCroix got comfortable next to her. "What did you do today 
my dear?" he asked, sipping his wine.  

Kayleigh thought for a moment .."Well, first I went to Cafe 
Du Monde for a little while to decide where I wanted to go." 
"Why you insist on frequenting that place is beyond me 
Kayleigh."  LaCroix looked at her with amusement. Kayleigh 
shook her head at him  "It's on Decatur street. That's always 
been my starting point. It's become something of a ritual 
when I come here.  If I didn't start there, I'd NEVER 
remember where anything was!" she laughed.  "Then I went 
to Royal Street and Audubon Park." "The leaves were in full 
glory there.  It was wonderful. All the different shades of red, 
orange and gold.  I really adore this time of year. I am very 
glad I got to spend some of it in New Orleans." she 
squeezed his hand.  He smiled down at her. 

By the way..thank you for the change of clothes and the 
toiletries.  How did you know what I would need?"  LaCroix 
laughed  "In all my years, I like to think I picked up a few 
things!"  He rose and took her hands in his. "Dinner will be 
served at 6, would you like to go upstairs for a bit? I have a 
few things to take care of before then." Kayleigh nodded and 
headed up the stairs.  

She went into the bedroom.  She placed the bag with the 
leaves and ring in it on the bureau.  Turning, she saw the 
most beautiful dress she had ever seen laid out on the bed.  
It was deep red silk with jet beading in an ivy pattern going 
down one side of the dress. It had spaghetti straps and was 
floor length.  A pair of black suede platform boots were on 
the floor in front of it.  She walked over to the bed and 
picked up the dress and put it against her.  She looked over 
in the mirror.  It was gorgeous. It looked like it would fit her 
perfectly.   She glanced over at the clock.  It was 5:30.  Half 
an hour to get ready.  She slipped out of her clothes and 
neatly folded them.  She put on the robe that LaCroix had 
given her and went into the bathroom to freshen up. She 
brushed out her hair until it was gleaming.  She touched up 
her makeup and dabbed on a little perfume.  Satisfied, she 
headed back to the bedroom to get dressed.  She slid the 
dress over her head. It fit her like a glove. The material had 
a wonderful drape and cut that accentuated her figure 
nicely.  She sat on the bed and pulled on the boots.  They 
also fit well and were very comfortable.  Such soft suede.  
She walked over to the mirror and looked.  The color was 
excellent for her too.  She smiled at herself and went 
downstairs. 

LaCroix was at the bottom of the steps waiting for her. She 
gracefully decended the staircase towards him and did a 
little spin for him.  "That dress looks exquisite on you 
Kayleigh."  He observed.  "Yes, I agree" she said with a little 
wink.  "It's beautiful, thank you so much." She stood on 
tiptoe and kissed him.  LaCroix smiled down at her.  "I had 
seen that dress in a shop window, and I had it sent here for 
you. I thought you would like it."  Kayleigh nodded, "I do."  
He held out his arm to her gallantly, "Shall we go into the 
dining room?"  She smiled and nodded "Yes, let's." She took 
his arm and together they went to the dining room.  On the 
way, she caught a glimpse of herself in the hall mirror.  "I 
really feel beautiful in this." she thought.  "That's because 
you are my dear..."  Kayleigh stopped for a moment. It was 
the first time he had responded directly to a thought she 
had. "How did you do that?  Have you been able to do that 
all weekend?"  LaCroix smirked at her.  "No my dear, but 
now we have a bond.  Through your blood, I could sense 
some of your thoughts and emotions."  "But right now, it was 
easy to see what you were thinking, it was in your eyes."  He 
gazed at her intently and took her hands and placed them 
over his heart.  "You and I now have a link to each other."  
Kayleigh was touched, this kind of intimacy was impossible 
between two mortals.  She decided to trust him and follow 
his lead.  He smiled at her and motioned towards the dining 
room. 

The room was dimly lit by candlelight. Just enough to see by 
and it created quite the atmosphere with the dark wood 
furniture.  The table was set for two people with two 
hurricane lamps as centerpieces.  Between the lamps, was a 
huge basket of flowers.  Even in the candlelight, it's colors 
were still bright.  LaCroix pulled out her chair for her and sat 
down across from her after she was seated.  "James has 
prepared a lovely dinner for you my dear.  He has also 
baked you a chocolate torte."  Kayleigh smiled at him. 
"Wow, all this eating and drinking! I am getting quite 
spoiled." LaCroix laughed.  "This IS New Orleans, the city of 
great food and drink. Or so they say... You are spending the 
weekend like a true native!"  He pulled out a bottle of what 
looked like a rose' wine.  He uncorked it and poured some 
into a glass.  He handed the glass to her then filled his own 
with his usual.  Kayleigh raised her glass to his and they 
clinked glasses.  "To new experiences."  she said.  LaCroix 
raised his eyebrows at her.  "Indeed." Kayleigh took a small 
sip from her glass. It was good, but left a lingering aftertaste 
she couldnt place. Kind of metallic.  Her eyes went wide 
when she realized what it was.  Blood.  "Did you get our 
bottles mixed up? " she asked him.  He shook his head. "No, 
that wine is infused with a little of my blood.  I would like you 
to experience our bond. This is the best way, it will highten 
your senses."   Kayleigh could feel it coursing through her 
veins already.  Her skin tingled, and her eyesight got more 
sensitive and clear.  Her sense of smell and hearing were 
also greatly improved.  She reached out and took his hand.  
Even her sense of touch was enhanced.  She ran her fingers 
over his hand and felt the tiny electric shocks of friction. It 
was amazing. She felt very alert.  "That is really 
incredible..."  She was overwhelmed by her senses for a 
moment, but then she began to adjust.  She drained the 
glass while LaCroix watched her with fascination.  "Then you 
accept, excellent. " he nodded thoughtfully.  "It is always 
interesting to see how one reacts.  You are quite a good 
subject my dear.  You are adjusting well already." He filled 
her glass again. 

James came in bearing a tray. He set it down in front of her 
and took off the cover.  She was assaulted with the different 
smells of the food.  Her sensitive nose was able to detect all 
the different spices in the food. He had made her Crawfish 
Jambalaya. Kayleigh's mouth watered.  If it smelled this 
good..it must taste even better.  She placed her napkin in 
her lap and picked up her fork.  LaCroix poured himself a 
glass of wine.  "Bon apetit."  he said.  Kayleigh took a bite of 
the Jambalaya.  It was heavenly. She wasn't sure if it was 
due to her sharply honed senses, or that James was an 
excellent cook.  She thoroughly enjoyed her meal.  "This is 
fantastic. He is a positive gourmet."  He smiled at her. "I 
thought you would enjoy his cooking. He actually is a 
gourmet chef."  Kayleigh nodded. "I can definately see why." 
"Too bad you can't taste this..."  LaCroix smirked at her " I 
have no more need for food, I find that blood is so much 
more succulent."  His voice took on that hypnotic tone again.  
Kayleigh looked at him over the table. He was reclining back 
in his chair comfortably, and sipping his wine and watching 
her with interest. "Now who looks like the cat that ate the 
canary?"  She teased him.  He held up his hands in 
innocence.  "I am just pleased at your reactions my dear. It's 
most fascinating."  He continued to watch her as Kayleigh 
finished her meal and put her knife and fork together on the 
plate.  James came in shortly afterwards and picked up her 
tray.  "Thank you, it was delicious."  James just smiled at her 
"You're very welcome madame.."   He left the room.  

Kayleigh sipped more of the wine.  It was still affecting her, 
and the taste was beginning to be quite pleasant.   "You 
know Lucien, it is quite rude to stare..." she admonished 
him.  He smiled back at her. "Forgive me, you're quite 
right.." She closed her eyes for a moment, taking a mental 
note on how she felt.  She could almost feel every nerve 
ending in her body tingling.  When she opened her eyes 
again, LaCroix was still watching her with a slight smile on 
his face. "How do you feel my dear?" he asked.   "Actually, I 
feel great. Too bad you can't bottle this stuff, it's probably 
better than Prozac." LaCroix smirked.   "This is a special 
occasion Kayleigh, only a select few are able to experience 
it." he said somberly. " I wanted to share this experience 
with you. So you could get a better understanding of what I 
am and how it affects my life. I knew that you would react 
well to it."    

James brought in another tray, this one held a silver pot of 
coffee and a piece of chocolate torte.  He set the cake and 
coffee cup down in front of her. He picked up the pot and 
filled her cup for her.  He set the pot down to her right.  
"Thank you."  James nodded slightly and smiled at her. He 
then left the room carrying the empty tray.  Kayleigh stirred 
milk and sugar into her coffee.  LaCroix slid the piece of 
cake over to him.  He picked up the fork and for a moment, 
Kayleigh thought that he was going to attempt to eat a bite 
himself.  Instead, he held it in front of her lips.  "You want to 
feed me?"  she laughed.   He nodded at her.  "Yes. " 

Kayleigh took the first bite into her mouth. It was wonderful, 
rich and chocolately. She tried to eat the cake as 
seductively as possible, but it was quite difficult when he 
kept making her laugh. She was afraid she'd get cake 
crumbs all over him.  When he had fed her  the last piece, 
she lightly wiped her lips, making sure there were no crumbs 
anywhere.  She sat back in her chair and smiled at him.  
"That was a wonderful dinner. Thank you and James too."  
"You're quite welcome mon cher."  "James is always very 
happy to have any excuse to show off his culinary talents."   
Kayleigh looked at the basket of flowers on the table and 
was reminded of the ones she had gathered for him.  "I'll be 
right back." she said.  She got up and quickly went upstairs. 

She picked up the bag and went back into the dining room, 
holding the bag behind her.  She walked over to him.  
"Close your eyes." she said.  "My, my, my, what's this?  A 
game?  I DO so enjoy games...." he said.  He closed his 
eyes then peeked with one blue eye.  "Keep them closed 
Lucien, or I will = have to blindfold you." she scolded.  
"Hmmm, that is quite and intriguing thought my dear. I'll 
keep it in mind." he said amusedly.  "Ok, hold out your 
hands."  He smirked and held them out.  She placed the ring 
of leaves in his hands.  "Ok, open them."  He slowly opened 
his eyes and looked in his hands. He smiled  when he saw 
them. "These are beautiful, I haven't seen fall leaves in 
ages."  He ran his finger over a scarlet leaf.  "Thank you 
Kayleigh, that was very thoughtful of you."  Kayleigh smiled 
back at him.  "You're quite welcome, I thought you would like 
them. I tried to find the prettiest ones for you.  I also have 
one more thing for you." she said.  

He looked surprised. Kayleigh took out the ring box and 
handed it to him.  He unwrapped it and opened the box.  He 
took out the ring,  turning it in his palm. "This is quite lovely 
Kayleigh, where did you get it?"  "In one of the shops on 
Royal Street. I just walked by and there it was, calling my 
name. I thought you might like it."  She watched as he 
slipped it onto his right pinky finger. It was a perfect fit.  He 
held his hand out to her so she could see how it looked on 
him.  "Thank you, I shall treasure it always." He said and 
kissed her gently. "You're welcome, I'm very glad you like it. 
I wanted to give you a token of my apprecation for this 
weekend, it's been wonderful." He smiled at her and they 
both sat down again at the table. Kayleigh poured herself 
more coffee.   LaCroix stood up. "I have something for you 
as well."  Kayleigh was not expecting anything in return at 
all.  "Lucien, you're done enough for me."  He stood behind 
her chair and whispered in her ear. "Nonsense my dear, 
now it is your turn to close your eyes. And.... I expect you to 
keep them closed until I come back."  He stroked her hair 
and she heard him leave the room. She peeked out of one 
eye quickly then closed it. She would go along with his 
game. He had been a good sport about hers. 

She heard him come back into the room and stand behind 
her.  "Are your eyes still closed?"  She nodded "Yes."  "Pick 
up your hair please." he said. Kayleigh did as she was told 
and waited.  Her senses were sharp, she could feel him 
behind her and she could sense an air of amusement about 
him.  She felt him slide something around her neck.  It was 
cool and had a good weight to it.   She wanted to open her 
eyes and look, but he wouldn't let her. "In  a moment..." he 
said.  She felt him fastening something around her neck.  He 
took her hands and raised her out of her chair. "Keep them 
closed.." he reminded. "I will lead you."  They walked a bit 
and then they stopped.  "Ok open them." he said.  They 
were standing in front of one of the hall mirrors. Kayleigh 
opened her eyes and saw that he had fastened an exquisite 
necklace around her neck. It was a silvery link chain with a 
large pear shaped garnet pendant set point up at the end of 
it. It was shaped like a Y necklace. It had no visible catch. 
"How did you get it on?"  "With a pair of small jeweler's 
pliers." "There is no catch, it is seamless. Wear it always, 
and think of me." Kayleigh touched it gently, moving the 
stone back and forth to catch the light.  "It's beautiful, never 
have I seen anything so lovely. I love silver too."  She kissed 
him happily.  "It's platinum my dear." he told her.  She could 
see him smiling at her in the mirror.  

She turned to face him. "Thank you Lucien. It's the most 
beautiful thing I have ever seen."  She couldn't express what 
she felt in words.  She reached up and hugged him tightly. 
"So, now what shall we do.  It's still quite early."   LaCroix 
rose to his full height and leaning over, scooped her up into 
his arms easily.  Kayleigh whooped with laughter. "What are 
you doing?"  LaCroix just smiled down at her.  She held tight 
onto his shoulders with her arm as he carried her up the 
stairs. "I have some plans for you this evening.." he 
demurred.  Kayleigh gave him a wicked grin.  

He walked up the stairs and carried her into the bedroom.  
He set her down on the edge of the bed as he went around 
the room lighting a few candles. When he was finished, he 
came back the to the bed and stood in front of her. "Close 
your eyes." he said.  Kayleigh smiled up at him "Oh, we 
have some more games in mind do we?  Or did I just give 
you some naughty ideas?"  LaCroix raised an eyebrow. "My 
dear, are you going to listen to me?" "Or will I have to make 
you listen to me?"  Kayleigh decided she liked his game and 
decided to play along.  She obediently closed her eyes.  
"Good, now keep them shut."  He slid something cool and 
smooth over her eyes.  He tied it gently around her head, 
carefully avoiding getting it snagged in her hair.   Then he 
took her hands in his and pulled her into a standing position. 

He stood in front of her, running his hands down the curves 
of her body.  Kayleigh smiled with pleasure.  He kissed her 
on the forehead and continued trailing his hands over her 
body. He gently leaned in and kissed her lips softly. 
Gentleness turned to ferocity as their desire grew.  Thier 
tongues explored each other's mouths. Kayleigh wrapped 
her arms around him and pressed her body into his, she 
could feel his hardness against her leg.  She ran her hands 
down his back to his ass and squeezed it. LaCroix gave a 
throaty chuckle and did the same to her.  Kayleigh traced 
the ridge of his ear with her tongue and kissed the side of 
his neck.  With her hand, she pushed his head to the side 
and and nipped gently. She could sense his amusement and 
his passion.  He raised his eyebrow and slipped a strap of 
her dress off one shoulder. He kissed the curve of her neck 
and down her shoulder. Kayleigh stiffened in response "You 
are quite sensitive here my dear..." He kissed and licked the 
curve of her shoulder gently. Kayleigh's hand curled into a 
claw as he scraped the area with his fangs. She lightly dug 
her nails into his back.  He slipped off the other strap and 
her dress slid to the floor, a scarlet puddle of silk at her feet. 

LaCroix leaned down to pick up her dress. Kayleigh could 
sense the motion of his body as he leaned over. She put a 
hand on his shoulder to steady herself as she stepped out of 
the dress.  He knelt  in front of her, she could feel him close 
to her body, his breath on her thighs.  Her knees felt weak.  
He slid his hands up her legs and parted her thighs gently.  
He slid her panties down her legs slowly, taking his time.  
She was already highly aroused.  She stepped out of them. 
Kayleigh awaited the touch of his tongue. LaCroix leaned in 
and slid his tongue into her wetness.  It was like an electric 
current, she felt it all throughout her body.  He teased her 
with his tongue, swirling and dipping until she was trembling.  
He entered her with a finger and slid in and out of her slowly 
as his tongue worked it's magic on her.  He brought her 
closer and closer until she thought she would collapse. 
Finally, just as she was about to climax, he stopped and 
stood up.  Kayleigh gave a whimper of frustration.  LaCroix 
chuckled again as he pulled her head back by the hair and 
kissed the base of her throat.  He released her and spun her 
around and raising her arms gently. Kayleigh could feel the 
smooth wood of the bedposts under her hands.  He tied her 
hands gently but securely to the posters of his bed. Kayleigh 
wasn't sure she was liking the turn the evening was taking.  
She was suddenly more than a little afraid.  "Yessssss my 
dear...fear is a good thing.  It spices the blood nicely." he 
hissed in her ear.  She pulled tentatively at her bonds.  He 
placed his hands over hers on the posts.  "Do not pull at 
them mon cher, you may hurt yourself.  Or, you may force 
me to use something a little..more..sturdy.." he purred. She 
guessed her bonds were some kind of silk cord or scarf.   
Her fear was making her desire him even more.  IF that were 
even possible. She felt sure he wouldn't hurt her, but she 
still wasn't postitive.  She felt him stand behind her once 
more... "Yes..fear..it makes the heart pound and the blood 
run quicker... You feel so....alive.. don't you?"  His feral 
nature seemed to have taken a greater hold of him this 
evening.  She was almost thankful for the blindfold this time.  
He began to kiss his way up her spine, moving over to 
ravish her neck and shoulders with stinging kisses.  He 
pressed his hand between her shoulders and pushed her 
slightly forward.  "Yesssssssss." He hissed.  "Offer yourself 
to me Kayleigh."  He backed away from her to admire the 
view.  He shed his clothes quickly and stood behind her. 

He pressed himself against her. Kayleigh could feel his cool 
skin against hers.  It warmed slightly from her body heat.  
She felt his hardness at her opening and gasped with the 
pleasure of penetration as he entered her.  LaCroix  growled 
softly deep in his throat.  "These boots give you an added 
height my dear..." He thrust into her deeply, quickening his 
rhythym, then slowing down finding one that was 
comfortable.  Kayleigh strained in her bonds, her shoulders 
aching from the angle of her body.  LaCroix seemed to 
sense what was wrong, he wrapped an arm around her 
body, supporting her, he never breaking his rhythm.  
Kayleigh found herself matching him, meeting him thrust for 
thrust. She gripped the posts tightly as he slid in and out of 
her.  His hand slid between her legs, stoking her passion. 
She began to tremble slightly,  electric waves of blinding 
pleasure began to wash over her.  LaCroix quickened his 
pace, thrusting into her hard and fast, she began the ascent 
to her orgasm and she could feel him thrusting quicker and 
more steady..  Suddenly she felt him stiffen,  he raised her 
up.  He pulled her head to the side firmly, baring her neck to 
him.  LaCroix brought his mouth down to the curve of her 
neck and shoulder and bit into her soft flesh deeply. 
Kayleigh moaned loudly and shuddered, giving in to her 
orgasm. LaCroix followed right after her. He drank deeply 
from her, Kayleigh knew he was draining her, but the most 
exquisite pleasure had taken hold of her.  It was even more 
wonderful than the previous night.  Every nerve ending 
seemed to be on end. She felt her orgasm all over her body.  
She began to lose conciousness, her head fell forward and 
she gave in to total blackness, still feeling his lips on her 
neck. 

She was drifting in and out of sleep when she awoke with a 
start. She
sat upright and tried to get out of bed.  She looked at 
LaCroix next to sleeping peacefully.  His blond hair tousled, 
sleep relaxing his features into a picture of perfect 
contentment.  She stepped onto the rug and teetered into 
the bedpost, awakening him. LaCroix gathered her into his 
arms gently. "Shhhhhhhh.. my dear..you must rest now. I will 
be here by your side." he murmured. He sat on the bed 
beside her stroking her hair.  "I'm so thirsty Lucien..can I 
have something to drink please?" She was parched. He 
tongue felt like a cotton ball.  He placed a 
finger on her lips "Don't try to talk..you need more rest." He 
turned away from her and picked up a glass and handed it 
to her. She could hardly hold it in her hands, she felt so 
weak. He noticed ,and gently tipped it to her lips. She 
sipped gratefully. The water was ice cold. "Thank you 
Lucien."  LaCroix smiled at her and leaned over and kissed 
her softly on the forehead.  "Rest my love, I will stay with 
you."  Kayleigh again fell into an exhausted sleep. 

When Kayleigh finally awoke, she didn't know what day it is 
or what time
it was. All she knew was that it was time to get up. 
Something was
awakening her. She slowly opened her eyes.  Everything in 
the room
was sharply defined and startlingly clear.  She sat up, the 
bedclothes falling away. "It's just LaCroix's blood in me." she 
thought. It must be quite
powerful to still be affecting her.  She heard footsteps 
coming up to the door and she covered herself back up. 
LaCroix came into the room and sat next to her on the bed.  
"How are you feeling my love?" he said while stroking her 
hair. 
"Strange Lucien....what's wrong with me?" Kayleigh took his 
hands in hers. "Lucien, you MUST tell me. Please..." she 
implored.  "You didn't bring me
across did you?" she asked. LaCroix shook his head slowly. 
"No, but I
almost did. In all my years I have always had tremendous 
control. And
last night, I nearly killed you." "It has been so long since I 
met another with such passion, I forgot myself." 

 Kayleigh's hand went up to her throat and felt the sore 
spots. They were slightly raised but nearly healed.  "I had to 
give you somen more of my blood to keep you going. It was 
not diluted with wine this time. It's effects may be 
permanent."  Kayleigh's eyes widened.  "And that means 
what?"  "That I will get cravings for a little of the red vino?" 
LaCroix shook his head. "No, but you will be a little more 
sensitive to the sun for a while, and your senses will remain 
enhanced." Kayleigh relaxed a bit.  She was still a little 
disturbed, but every new experience has its price.  "All right, 
as long as it goes not farther than that."  She could sense 
that he was happy about her reaction.  "I don't care much for 
the daytime anyway." 

She took his hands in hers.  "And what about our bond?"  
Last night, while he made love to her, she experienced a 
total connection with him.  It was comforting. Thier blood 
was mingled in each other's veins.  LaCroix looked into her 
eyes. "Yes mon ange, that too shall remain for a longer 
while." Kayleigh smiled back at him.  He gathered her into 
his arms again. She sighed, he head against his chest.   
She looked at the clock. It was 5pm!  The sun should be 
going down soon, that's why he was up already. Kayleigh 
looked at him slyly and said, "How about a nice bubble 
bath?"   LaCroix smiled at her. 
She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him.  "I'll go 
and run our
bath Lucien." Kayleigh slipped on her robe and headed to 
the bathroom. 

Kayleigh walked into the bathroom and looked in the mirror. 
She
certainly looked a little on the worn out side.  She looked 
pale and
feverish. She turned her head, inspecting the tiny wounds 
on her neck
again. The looked almost healed, there was just a slight 
discoloration.
She ran a brush through her hair, and splashed water on her 
face. 
Turning on the taps, she adjusted the water filling the jacuzzi 
and
added a capful of bubblebath.  Fragrant steam began to fill 
the room,
soothing her with it's scent.  She went back into the 
bedroom to get
LaCroix.  He was just about to open the door when she put 
her hand on
it. For a moment, they both stared a the door from either 
side of it
wondering who was going to open it first. Through their 
bond, they had
both communicated opening the door to each other but it 
had been at the
same time.  Kayleigh took a step back and waited for 
LaCroix to open the
door.  He opened it and walked towards her.  "Your 
communication to me
was almost perfect Kayleigh.  You have a talent for it."  he 
mused. 
Kayleigh put a hand on his arm and led him into the 
bathroom.  Once they
were both in, she locked the door and motioned for him to 
get in. The
steam swirled around them and Kayleigh stood on tiptoe to 
kiss him
quickly  "I think I'd better get in first, I can judge the water
temperature better.  She slipped off her robe and slowly got 
in the
tub.  The water was hot but soothing.  The bubbles were 
nearly up to her
chin.  She held out her hand for LaCroix.  He too slipped off 
his robe
and gracefully joined her in the tub.  They both tilted thier 
heads back
against the rim of the tub, relaxing in the feeling of the 
water. 
Reaching out languidly, LaCroix turned on the jets and slid 
further down
into the tub with an enormous sigh.   Kayleigh kept her eyes 
closed and
smiled.  Her legs were entwined with his under the water.  
She could
feel his skin warming from the water, just like it had warmed 
when he
had drank from her last night.  She gave a little shiver.  "Is 
the water
getting too cold for you Kayleigh?"  She shook her head 
"No, it's fine,
thanks".  She settled back against the rim.  LaCroix took one 
of her
feet in his hands and started slowly massaging it.  She 
smiled in
contentment and let him contine and then pick up the other 
foot. 
"Ahhhhh.." she said. "That feels nice."   He continued to 
massage her
feet and moved up to her calves. She could feel herself 
getting aroused.
But she was much too tired for anything else. She was 
nearly drifting
off to sleep again, when she heard LaCroix laugh to himself.  
"Am I
boring you my dear?" He asked with a twinkle in his eye.   
"No, not at
all Lucien, I am just still very tired. forgive me." He smiled 
and
nodded. He let her foot drop back into the water and said  
"turn around
Kayleigh. "   "Why?" she asked.  "You'll see." he said with a 
grin. 
Kayleigh did as she was told and turned her back to him. He 
placed his
hands on her hips and slid her between his legs firmly. She 
heard him
pick up a few things and was unceremoniously dunked into  
the water. 
She came up spluttering "What was that for?!"  she glared at 
him while
wiping the water out of her eyes.   He surpressed a laugh 
and smoothed
her hair away from her forehead.  "I needed to get your hair 
wet to wash
it silly girl.  Now hold still."   LaCroix picked up a bottle of 
shampoo
and poured a glob of it into his hands and rubbed them 
together. He then
began to massage the shampoo into her hair.  He lightly 
scratched her
scalp with his fingertips.  Kayleigh smiled to herself and 
enjoyed his 
washing her hair.  "Ok, tilt your head under the faucet." he 
said as he
rinsed the shampoo out.  He picked up another bottle and 
slathered her
hair with conditioner.  He worked the tangles out by running 
his fingers
through her hair gently from root to tip, over and over. It was 
quite relaxing. 
He then rinsed it out. 
 
LaCroix picked up two bottles of body wash and held them 
out to her, "Which one?"  Kayleigh pointed to the vanilla 
scented one.  "Ahh, good choice. One of my personal 
favorites."  Kayleigh stifled a smirk while she imagined him 
in
the jacuzzi with bubbles up his ears and a big grin on his 
face while
soaping himself up with vanilla bodywash.  LaCroix laughed 
"Actually, that is a
pretty accurate scenario my dear. "  Kayleigh smiled to 
herself while he
picked up a body sponge and began to scrub her back and 
shoulders. 
"Stand up." he said nudging her gently.  Kayleigh stood in 
front of him
while he gently scrubbed her body.  It was strangely 
comforting, yet
slightly arousing.  He was soaping up her legs and she 
watched him
amusedly. "Maybe you should take over this part."  She 
deftly continued
and handed the sponge back to him. He had a soft look in 
his eyes. Once
she was all soaped up, he poured water from the tap over 
her with his
hands.   She sat back down in the jacuzzi with him feeling 
totally
relaxed and refreshed.  "Ok, your turn." she said.   "Are you 
too tired
my love?" he asked.  Kayleigh shook her head.  "I'm fine." 
Now turn
around..."  He grinned at her and complied with her wishes.  
LaCroix
turned around and sat between her legs facing  away from 
her.  She took
a few big handfuls of water and dumped them over his head.  
He playfully
glared at her for retaliating. "You will pay for that later my 
dear.."
he threatened.  "Careful Lucien, don't go making any threats 
when I am
the one with the sponge in my hand..." she brandished it at 
him and stuck out her tongue.  She picked up the shampoo 
and began to wash his hair. The shaved parts were soft and 
felt like velvet.  She enjoyed the way it felt under her fingers.  
She scraped his scalp gently with her long fingernails. He 
moaned quietly in enjoyment.  She made two tiny shampoo 
horns on his head and laughed out loud.  He brought his 
hand up to them and smirked at her.  "Hmmm, is that what 
you reallly think of me?" he teased.  "Close your eyes 
Lucien.." She rinsed out his hair. She ran her fingers 
through it and and made it stick out in all directions. She 
grinned at him and picked up the body sponge and poured 
some vanilla body wash on it. She began to scrub his 
shoulders, feeling him loosen up.  He bent forward and she 
scrubbed his back.  She ran the sponge all over his broad
shoulders and back.  "Ok Lucien, your turn to stand up." He 
did as he
was told and she stood up with him. She gently soaped up 
his chest and
legs.  She noticed some movement and looked pointedly at 
him. He smirked
at her. "Who knew a bath could be so enjoyable my dear?"  
She handed him
the sponge and he continued.  "We wouldn't want to get 
carried away
would we now Lucien?" she demurred.   "No, indeed we do 
not...at least
not...............yet." He whispered.   She fluttered her 
eyelashes at
him and  feigned shock.   She rinsed him off and they both 
stepped out
of the jacuzzi.  He took a warmed up fluffy towel and dried 
her off. He
also wrapped her hair in a towel for her.  In turn, she dried 
him off  and rubbed his head with a towel drying his short 
hair.

His hair still stuck out in all directions.  She looked at it and 
kissed
the tip of his nose.   He grinned at her and held out her robe.  
She
slid into it and tied it at the waist.  He slid into his robe and 
they
went back into the bedroom to get ready for the evening.


On the bed, Kayleigh there was a pair of comfortable-
looking black pants
with a black cashmere cardigan, along with a purple bra and 
panty set.
"We even share the same favorite colors." She mused. She 
dressed quickly
and sat next to LaCroix who was tying his boots.  He wore a 
pair of
black pants, with a black mandarin collared shirt and his doc 
martens.
"So what would you like to do tonight Lucien?"  He looked at 
her and
said "Would you like to stay IN this evening my dear?"  He 
cocked his head at
the bed wickedly.  "Or what about the ride on the streetcar?" 
"Do you
still want to do that?"  She nodded happily. "Yes! That would 
be
great!"  "Although another night in your bed seems like a 
wonderful idea
to me,  I don't think I have the energy for it right now 
Lucien." He
smiled at her. "Tired you out did I?" he smirked at her. "Ok, 
then let's
go."  They went downstairs and Kayleigh picked up her 
purse.  They went
outside and waited for the streetcar.  Kayleigh could see it 
coming down
the street.  She put her arm around LaCroix's waist and 
drew him closer
to her. He put his arm around her gently.  It was a nice night 
again.
Cool and breezy. The leaves rustled in the trees.  Kayleigh 
closed her
eyes and breathed in the night air. With her heightened 
senses, she
caught different scents in the air and she could see slightly 
better in
the dark now too.  The streetlights in that area of New 
Orleans were the
older, dimmer ones, not the modern sodium ones.  They 
cast a dim glow on
them as they waited.   After a few moments, it rounded the 
corner and
pulled up to them.  They paid their fares and settled into a 
seat
together.  

LaCroix clasped her hand in his as they looked out the
windows at all the houses passing by. Occasionally they 
passed one
Kayleigh particularly liked and she would point it out to 
LaCroix. He
was quite well versed in the owners and history of some of 
the houses on
St. Charles avenue.  A few more people had gotten on the 
streetcar with
them.  A couple sitting across from them seemed most 
interested in
LaCroix's monologue about the houses. They were trying 
not to seem like
they were listening but Kayleigh knew they were.   She tried 
to
communicate this to LaCroix.  He stopped talking and 
listened to her. 
He arched an eyebrow at her as a slow grin broke over his 
face. He spoke
a little louder "And this house over here," he said while 
pointing out
of the window. "Well...it has QUITE the history.  I wonder if 
they ever
did manage to get all the blood off the walls....." "Rumor has 
it that
the house is cursed by Marie Laveau herself!"  He turned 
and looked at
the eavesdropping couple.  Kayleigh stifled a laugh when 
she noticed
that their eyes were as big as saucers and they hurriedly 
looked away
from LaCroix when he looked at them.  They were the first 
ones off at
the next stop.  As they got off the streetcar, LaCroix looked 
at them
and charmingly said.. "Au Revoir...."  They practically ran 
down the
street.  He sat back in his chair grinning to himself.  Kayleigh 
shook
her head at him. "Naughty boy..." she admonished.  "People 
shouldn't
eavesdrop my dear, it really is quite rude."  he said.  
Kayleigh just
smiled and shook her head at him.  

The streetcar had brought them close to the quarter.  They 
got off and
walked towards Jackson Square.  Her first night there with 
LaCroix
seemed like ages ago. She was quite happy and relaxed.  
They walked hand
in hand in amiable silence.  Just enjoying each other's 
company.  They
walked all around the square and watched people.  They 
came to Cafe Du
Monde and Kayleigh looked at him.  Again she tested out 
her link with
him.  He smirked at her. "I knew that was coming."  Again 
they sat down
at a table near the back of the patio.  Kayleigh sat back in 
her chair
and looked at LaCroix.  He called a waitress over and 
ordered for her.  The waitress walked away to get her order. 
"You know my tastes so well Lucien."  she demurred.   
"Even more so now my dear...."  he gazed at her, his eyes 
flickering gold.  She looked at him and did the same... She 
could actually feel her eyes change color. 

She looked at him in surprise.  "Did you see that Lucien??" 
she asked. 
LaCroix leaned in and looked into her eyes intently.  "Do it 
again." 
Kayleigh wasn't sure how she did it before, but she tried to 
do it
again.  Sure enough, they flickered gold quickly.  LaCroix 
was
surprised.  She could sense it.  "Ok..how come I can do 
that?"   He
shook his head. "I am not sure. Once my blood wears off, 
that ability
should too."   He looked at her and smoothed her hair.  "Do 
not worry my
beautiful one, I will watch over you."  The waitress put down 
the coffee
and beignets.  Kayleigh poured milk and sugar into her 
coffee and
stirred it.   She picked up a doughnut and bit into it.  She 
realized
that she was quite hungry.  "Hungry my dear?" LaCroix 
asked as he wiped
a bit of powdered sugar off her lip.  Kayleigh took his hand 
and licked
it off his finger, gazing at him as she did so.  She watched a 
smile
creep across LaCroix's lips slowly.  "Well, are we feeling 
better now
Kayleigh?"  She nodded at him. "Oh yes..a little night air is 
just what
I needed." She looked at her empty cup. "That helped too."   
She smiled
at him.   "Ok, shall we walk again?" she said?  LaCroix left 
the money
on the table and they decided to walk along the river again 
rather than
go down Bourbon Street. Although Kayleigh had been to 
New Orleans many
times, she still liked the more populated areas of the city.  
Areas like
the CBD or Central Business District  over by Canal Street 
were just
mainly hotels and malls.  The Quarter itself held all the 
charm she
needed.  "I prefer the Quarter too." LaCroix agreed.  
Kayleigh laughed.
"I have to get used to your picking up what I am thinking.." 
"Ok, to be
fair...tell me what I am thinking Kayleigh.."  She 
concentrated hard and
tried to feel what he was thinking.  She could sense a deep 
happiness
and contentment from him.  "That you're happy Lucien?"  He 
nodded. "Not
bad...not bad at all... " "I was thinking that I haven't enjoyed 
myself
so much in quite a long time Kayleigh."   "Ever since..." He 
stopped and
she saw the change in his eyes.  She touched his arm 
lightly.  "It's ok,
 I understand." His errant children.  She wondered where 
Janette
was. LaCroix looked down at her. "She is still in Paris. There 
is no place in the world that suits her better."  "She still 
keeps in touch with me."  Kayleigh knew better than to ask 
about Nicholas.  LaCroix's mood darkened slightly, she 
could
sense it, so she hugged him tightly.  He looked down at her 
and his eyes
were soft again.  "Come, let's walk..."  

The moon lit up the sky brightly, it reflected off the river, 
bathing
them in a silver glow as they walked slowly hand in hand.  
They walked in comfortable silence from one end of the river 
to the other. Then they headed back to the Quarter. 

"Well Lucien, this has been a most memorable weekend." 
mused Kayleigh. 
LaCroix nodded in agreement. "Yes it has.."  He put his arm 
around her
shoulders and pulled her close. Kayleigh idly fingered her 
necklace. It
was so beautiful.  They walked back to pick up the streetcar.  
They
found a seat in the back and sat down.  Kayleigh leaned 
against his
shoulder and closed her eyes. She could sense the smile on 
LaCroix's
face.   "Kayleigh, we're almost there." She opened her eyes 
and looked
out the window, snuggling closer to him.  The streetcar 
pulled in front
of his house and they got out.   "Thank you, that was fun." 
LaCroix smiled, "It's been quite a long time since I rode the
streetcars."  "You're welcome."  They walked into the house. 

Kayleigh headed  into the living room.  A fire was burning 
merrily in
the fireplace and a tray with a bottle and two glasses was 
already set
up. Kayleigh sat down on the couch and stretched her back.  
"Would you
like some wine Kayleigh?"  She nodded. "Yes please."  He 
poured her a
glass from another bottle. And then filled his own glass with 
his usual
vintage.  She took the glass from him.  She held it up to him 
and said
"To new experiences."  LaCroix smiled slowly "Indeed." he 
said as he
touched his glass to hers and sat next to her on the couch. 
Kayleigh
sipped slowly. It was regular wine. Nothing funny in it.  She 
was still
feeling the effects of LaCroix's blood, but they were 
lessened now. Her
own mortal senses seemed trifling in comparison. "Lucien, 
how do you get
used to having such enhanced senses?"  "Don't you ever 
get sensory
overload?" LaCroix nodded and sat down next to her. "Yes, 
at first, but
you find that you adapt to it over time.  I can't even 
remember what my
mortal senses were like anymore." He shrugged 
dismissively.   

Kayleigh stared into her glass thoughtfully. "You have a very
interesting life, you have seen so much." "It must be quite 
wonderful to
have all those memories and knowledge."  LaCroix looked 
into the fire,
"At times..the memories were all I had, haunting me.  But 
now, I have
come to terms with them. The mind is an interesting thing, 
mortal or
immortal, it can only hold so much, then you begin to forget 
certain
things. If I had 2000 years of memories all stored away, I 
would most
certainly go mad." "But, " he continued, "It was quite 
interesting
watching the world change over the years. I have tried to 
keep my life
as interesting as possible."  He swirled the liquid around in 
his glass
slowly.  "This life can be both a blessing and a curse."  "It all
depends on what you make of it, some react better than 
others." She
could tell he was thinking of his children.  She stroked his 
hair. He
smiled at her.  "I am enjoying myself immensely though." 
Kayleigh reached out to him through their bond.   "I can tell 
Lucien....I can tell."  she grinned back at him.  

Kayleigh wondered how she would react to it. It would be 
wonderful to
live forever, to see the world change, to have time for travel.  
It was
something that she had always been interested in.  LaCroix 
looked
pointedly at her. "Why my dear? Interested in becoming one
of.....us......" he purred at her, his eyes flickering gold again. 
"That is something I would be quite keen on. I think you 
would be a
marvelous addition."  Kayleigh shrugged.  "I don't know, 
that's
not something you just jump into without thinking." She ran 
her hands through her hair thoughtfully. Twirling a few 
strands around her finger. 

"The luxury of a choice is not always an option my dear." he 
purred looking over his glass of wine at her.   She shivered 
slightly under his scrutinizing gaze. 
They were getting into serious topics here.  He shrugged his 
shoulders slightly. "But, it is your decision my dear."   She 
stared into the fire again
thoughtfully.  Could she REALLY do it?  Leave her life? Her 
friends and
family and stay with him? She looked at him. Her heart 
ached, part of her
wanted to throw herself into his arms and stay with him 
forever and the
other half wanted to continue her life.  As boring as it was in 
comparison. "Would you still stay in touch with me?" she 
asked hopefully. She didn't want this weekend to be the only 
contact she ever had with him.  He drew her close,  "Of 
course."  " I respect your decision, no matter what it is."  
This surprised Kayleigh, she figured that he just would take 
whatever he wanted.  "Let's just say, that I
have learned something of a lesson." He said seriously.   
Kayleigh
nodded and leaned against him. "My offer stands Kayleigh."  
He turned
her face to his "When you make up your mind, I will be there 
for you."  
She smiled at him, then leaned over and kissed him slowly.  
She looked
up at the grandfather clock.  It was after 1am already.  Time 
sure
flew.  She would be going home tomorrow.  She didn't want 
this weekend
to come to an end at all.  She knew deep in her heart that 
she had to go
home.  She softly stroked his face. "Lucien, would you like to 
go
upstairs now?" she asked demurely looking at him through 
her eyelashes. 
LaCroix arched an eyebrow at her, his eyes twinkling "Why 
yes,  I
believe that you read my mind perfectly Kayleigh."  He stood 
and pulled
her up to her feet. He took her hand and led her up the 
stairs.  

Kayleigh followed him into the bedroom.  Again, he lit the oil 
lamps on
the nightstands and some incense.  He sat on the bed and 
held out his
hands to her.  "Come to me." he said.   She walked over to 
him and took
his hands. She looked into his blue eyes.  "Kayleigh, I can 
tell that
your wish is to go home tomorrow, but I would like to have 
this last
evening with you." Kayleigh looked down at her hands.  She 
felt guilty
leaving him. He sensed this and tilted her chin to look at 
him.  "You
cannot base your decision on my feelings, you have to 
decide with a
clear head and a sure heart."  Kayleigh nodded, a lump 
forming in her
throat.  She hugged him and laid her head on his shoulder.  
"I should go home Lucien, I can't just not return."  He 
nodded. "I understand." "But tonight, I am yours alone." she 
said. He kissed her lips gently, looking into her
tear filled eyes.  "Do not upset yourself mon ange..."  "Let us 
enjoy
our evening together." he murmured.  She laid back on the 
bed as he
leaned over her, kissing her gently. He began unbuttoning 
her cardigan
slowly, kissing her newly exposed skin. Kayleigh sat up for a 
moment
while he slid her cardigan off her shoulders.  He unhooked 
her bra and
slid that off next. Kayleigh lay back against the velvet 
comforter,
her hair spilled out over the pillows. Her necklace glittered in 
the dim
light.   He kissed her gently, sliding his tongue into her 
mouth slowly,
like he was savoring her taste.  Her heartbeat quickened, 
she could hear
it in her ears.  LaCroix kissed her chin, trailing his kisses 
downward
to her breasts, he kissed them each in turn.  Kayleigh slid 
her hands up
his back, running her fingers through his hair.  He stopped 
as she
unbuttoned his shirt.  She ran her fingers over his skin, 
trying to
memorize what it felt like.  She pulled the shirt off his 
shoulders
gently.  She then laid back on the bed and opened her arms 
to him.  He
kissed her passionately, sliding her pants off. Soon she 
found herself
completely  naked under him.  She undid his trousers and 
tugged at them
slightly.  LaCroix slid them off and placed them next to the 
bed in the
growing pile of clothing.   He knelt  between her legs and 
bent down to
tease her with his tongue. Kayleigh moaned aloud and held 
onto his
shoulders.  He slowly drew circles with his tongue around 
the center of
her pleasure.  He teased her, brought her closer and closer  
and then he
finally climbed on top of her and eased himself into her. He 
made love
to her slowly and gently, concerned more about her 
pleasure than his own.  Kayleigh wrapped her legs around 
his hips, meeting his thrusts, matching his passion.  

She looked into his eyes as they changed to gold and his 
fangs
decended.  She offered her neck to him.  He kissed the side 
of her neck
and slid his fangs into her gently, this time, there was no 
pain at all,
just tidal waves of pleasure.  He drank from her slowly, 
Kayleigh felt
his skin warming as she arched her back into him, raking
her nails down his back. She rode the wave into sweet 
oblivion as he began his climax as well,  breathing heavily 
against her neck.  He withdrew his
fangs and continued to slide in and out of her slowly, 
prolonging his
orgasm.  Kayleigh watched as his fangs retracted and his 
eyes went back
to blue.  He gathered her into his arms and hugged her 
tightly. 
Kayleigh held onto him, a tear escaping her tightly shut lids. 
"Shhhh mon ange.." he said as he cradled her head in his 
hand.  He handed her a tissue and she laughed and dabbed 
at her eyes.  He opened his arms to her and she settled into 
his embrace.  They both fell into peaceful slumber in each 
other's arms.  

Kayleigh awoke to the bright sun on her face. She sat 
straight up in bed
and looked around.  She was back in her own apartment. 
LaCroix was no
where to be found.  Had she dreamt the entire thing she 
wondered.  Her
hands flew up to her thoat. Her necklace was still there, so 
was the
robe that LaCroix had given her. It was draped at the foot of 
the bed. 
She got out of bed and slipped on the robe.  A black 
suitcase was at the foot
of her bed. She picked it up and placed it on the bed.  She 
unlatched it
and opened it.  In it, was the clothing that he had given her 
along with
a bottle of vanilla body wash.  She picked it up and laughed.  
How
thoughtful.  She had wanted to say goodbye to him, she 
wondered why he
had just taken her home while she was asleep.  It was 
probably easier
that way.   She took out the clothes and hung them in the 
closet.  When
she got to the bottom of the suitcase, she saw a black box , 
much like
the one LaCroix had had her necklace in. She opened it. 
Inside was a
note and a Fleur De Lis keyring with two keys on it.  The 
note was sealed with red wax and had an ornate letter "L"  
as the seal. She opened the note.  It was written in LaCroix's 
artistic hand...

"Kayleigh, I didn't want to have to say goodbye, so instead, I
say Au Reviour..until we meet again.  The keys are to my 
house in on St.
Charles Ave. Who better to give them to than you? You who 
share my love of
this wonderful city. My jet is at your disposal,so feel free to 
make use of it.  Just let me know when you would like to use 
it.  

Mon ange, I shall treasure the memories of this weekend 
always.
You are always welcome in my home, and dare I say it...in 
my bed?  I
look forward to our next meeting.  With love and affection 
eternally,
Lucien."   

Kayleigh smiled to herself, next to her bed, he had also 
placed an
enormous vase full of white roses with a red ribbon tied 
around the neck
of the vase.  Kayleigh picked up a bloom and sniffed it.  It 
smelled
wonderful, she wondered where he got such beautiful roses 
from.  She ran
the soft petals across her lips and gazed out the window 
thoughtfully. 
She knew she had made the right decision in deciding to 
come home, but
part of her longed to be with him.  She headed into the 
bathroom with the vanilla bodywash.  

She ran herself a bath.  Her tub was quite a bit smaller, but 
it would have to do.
Steam filled her bathroom, along with the scent of vanilla.  
She slid off her robe and looked in the mirror.  Her neck had 
two small marks still, but she suspected they would heal 
quickly like the others.  She watched her necklace sparkle 
as she turned her head from side to side.  Kayleigh shut off 
the water and tested the temperature, it was perfect.  She 
eased herself into the tub and leaned back and closed her 
eyes.  Her senses seemed to have returned to normal too.  
He was the most thoughtful man. Now she had access to a 
house in New Orleans and a jet.  She could hardly believe it.  
Kayleigh wondered if LaCroix was going to stay in the house 
for a while. How will she find him again.  She realized that 
he had never given her a telephone number or anything. 
"Well, he came to me this time, so I imagine that he will be 
able to find me again.  I'm certainly not going anywhere." 
She turned on the hot tap again and added a bit more water.  
Picking up a sponge, she poured some of the body wash 
onto it and began scrubbing herself.  Next she washed her 
hair and gave it a good condition.  She stepped out of the 
tub and wrapped her hair up in a towel and then dried 
herself off.  She put her robe back on and walked into the 
kitchen. She stared in disbelief.. another vase of white roses 
was in the kitchen, and another on her coffee table.  How 
cute.  She smiled at the thought of him setting this all up as 
she slept.  She put on some coffee and made some toast.  
She went out her front door to pick up the Sunday paper.  
She carried it back to the kitchen, made a cup of coffee and 
sat down to read the paper.  She couldn't concentrate on it. 
"I wonder what he is doing.."  Her toast popped up and she 
got out the butter for her toast.  Because her refrigerator 
was nearly empty, she decided she would have to go 
shopping for food.  Kayleigh got dressed and headed out 
the door after breakfast.  She had worn a button down black 
velvet shirt with her jeans so she could show off her new 
necklace.   She got into her car and noticed a pair of extra 
UV sunglasses hanging from the rear view mirror.. "That 
Lucien..he DOES think of everything doesn't he?" she 
thought.  

Kayleigh started her car and headed to the local 
supermarket with a smile on her face. "Better pick up some 
sunscreen." she reminded herself.  

THE END??????? 

Part 2 may follow..if anyone is interested.