My Vampire Bromance

Chapter 13: A Night Downtown

I parked in the eastside downtown garage, willing the bulge in my pants to go down.

Stop it, Phillip, get ahold of yourself. You like girls. Girls! I slapped myself in the face as I turned my car off and undid my seatbelt.

Victor doesn't like you, he was just hungry, and you definitely don't like him. You're just confused.

I slammed the door to my car, the side rattling as I did so. I locked it and headed through the stinking garage, and got into the elevator to go onto the street level. I was about a block away from Egmont Street. The walk there wouldn't be too bad. I sighed as I watched the elevator doors open. A group of girls drunkenly stepped in, eyeing me, pointing at my shirt, and giggling.

"I like your shirt," one said. She pointed to the poppy printed collared shirt I was wearing. "It's pretty. What's your name?"

"Phillip," I said, brushing past her.

"You're fucking hot!" her friend shouted beside her. I looked at the blonde and brunette pair, then shoved my hands in my pants awkwardly.

"Thanks," I said. The blonde teetered forward, her darker-haired friend catching her as the steel doors closed in front of me. Damn, this outfit was working! "At least you know what you're talking about," I said, thinking of Victor's fingers sliding over my arms, my wrists, the nape of my neck as he slowly unbuttoned the shirt from where I had tightly fastened it around my own. His touch had been so gentle, and the look on his face. I'd only ever seen Jenna look at Clark like that when they had just started dating. I'm imagining things, I told myself.

I straightened and walked out of the parking garage toward Egmont Street. As I walked into the downtown area, I was aware of the many pairs of eyes that watched me move through the brightly lit streets. Women young and old hollered. Men did the same. When I finally got to the Korean restaurant that Victor told me to meet him in front of, I began to wonder if he was simply yanking my chain.

What if he had lured me out here to kill me? I mean, he had full access to my home now. If I were a vampire, that's what I would do. Stalk some guy with no sense of self-worth, infiltrate his home, promise to help him get a girl, dress him in my clothes, and then kill him right when he least expected it.

"Phillip?" a firm hand grasped my shoulder, the cold hardness of it penetrating the thin fabric of the shirt I was wearing. In my haste to get out of the house, I had forgotten to wear a jacket. I jumped, turning instantly around, my nose smacking into a bright green embroidered velvet jacket. Strong hands pulled me back away from him.

"Jesus, Victor!" I cried out. I wiped my forehead and straightened my glasses. "Where the hell did you come from?!"

Victor looked to the left, where an alley was, "Down there," he said cocking his head in the direction of it. I peered around his torso.

I screwed up my mouth, "Did you feed?"

"What do you think?" he asked, looking down at me. I was acutely aware I was still being held by him.

"Hell yeah, bro! Get it!" someone shouted beside us. I looked to my right to see a crowd of people, obviously drunk, shouting and raising drinks in paper bags our way.

I looked up at Victor, finally aware of where his hands held me. Around my waist! I started twisting out of his grip. "Where are you going?" he said, winking down at me.

"Do you have any idea what this looks like?" I asked. My heart thundered in my chest.

Victor looked up at the drunken crowd that was coming upon us. They continued to yell and cheer. "Of course, I do," he said. Victor grinned, and I suddenly felt my stomach flip. "Just relax," he purred as suddenly he dipped me, the drunk people yelling and cheering.