Chapter 2: Putting it together

I was sitting in the Hotel Artemide cafeteria drinking cappuccino and reading a newspaper. The morning ritual helped take some of the angst over the previous night away. I was bathed and in a new set of clothes, there was no sign that anything strange might have happened. Of course something strange had in fact happened. I had been stalked by a female vampire whose idea of me as prey I initially indulged with great enjoyment. Obviously I had to put an end to it at some point. Long story short, I ended up satiating her hunger with my power and fucking her against a brick wall in a dirty alley. It had been a really satisfying experience.

However, the realization that the world housed more supernatural beings had startled me a bit. In hindsight I felt like I should have known, considering my own strange existence. However, there wasn't much proof to go around when it came to vampires. As far as I knew the Hollywood version shoved down our throats a few times per year wasn't even close to the original myth in the first place. Yet Carolina had been very close to that image at, least at first glance. I toyed with the idea of other supernaturals inhabiting our world. Werewolves and ghosts? The possibilities seemed quite endless and made me reconsider the validity of the many folk tales I had heard throughout my life. It definitely didn't make much sense. Where did all the bodies with teeth marks go? I had another sip of my cappuccino as I pondered the question.

I went over the glimpses of Carolina's memory that I had picked up when feeling her thoughts. She had been close to death on several occasions when failing to satisfy her hunger for blood. It was odd considering that her strength and speed should have allowed her to slay as many people as she needed each night. Was it because she only killed when she was sure she could get away with it or because she needed more blood than she could actually take in when feeding? I sighed and flipped a page in my paper. The world had definitely become more interesting overnight.

I felt a vibration in my pocket and reached for my phone. Looking at the display I saw 'Bianca' and frown through reflex. I wondered what the bitch wanted and considered not even picking up but I eventually hit the answer button.

"Hello Bianca," I said flipping another page.

"Hello Eric, how are you?" she asked with a small Italian accent.

"Not so great, I got stood up by my date last night,"

"Maybe your date was not very happy about how you not liking her favorite play of her childhood?" she said with a hint of resentment.

I paused for a second wondering how I should play it.

"I'm sorry Bianca, I was just frustrated with the language, you know I'm just starting to learn," I said trying to sound earnest.

"It is okay Eric I know you were not trying not to be nice on purpose," she said and paused as well "I am sorry too that I left you alone and not letting you come with me in my taxi"

"Can you meet me today? I'd like to make up for what I did if you'll let me."

"I think I would like this Eric, I was thinking about you this morning and I think you are a nice man even if you don't like good theater plays," she said coyly.

I laughed receptively at her remark before answering.

"Can you come to the Artemide?"

"I can come for lunch?"

"Alright, looking forward to it Bianca,"

"Me too Eric, see you soon, kisses" she said and hung up.

I slid my phone back into my pocket and gave an exasperated sigh. I wondered why I bothered with this girl at all. She was very pretty and always made herself up very attractively. She had long black hair and tanned skin. She was 24 years old, thought I was a 28 and on a prolonged business assignment in Rome. It was a necessary lie. Bianca was clearly looking for someone to treat her to the fancier things in life. I remembered her tight fitting outfit from the night before and felt my pants get a bit constrictive. I had to have her. Oh the joy it would bring to shove my cock into her gold digging mouth. I definitely had a thing for manipulative little bitches like her. I could always fuck and forget without feeling bad for them.

My coffee had gotten cold so I motioned for a waiter to bring me another one. I rubbed my temples as I thought of my plans for Bianca. The thing was that although I had achieved quite some control over my abilities it was not really possible to manipulate another mind directly. I insane amounts of time in my college years trying to get girls hot for me with my influence but it rarely worked out as I planned. There were some exceptions like my Psychology Professor Mrs. Aldman with whom I had initiated a long affair thanks to my powers.

One thing was clear; I did not have the power to 'mind control' others. I could send images, sometimes plant ideas and even manipulate current emotions in people but that usually gave mixed results. Amping up the lust in sorority girls for instance only seemed to make them jump whatever guy had awakened it in the first place and that was usually not me. When I really put my mind to it I could couple specific images with emotional fine-tuning to have a girl fall for me over time but in the end it was almost as complex as hooking them the old fashioned way. Obviously my limited powers in the area are quite potent once I actually got a foot in the door and I had gotten quite good at that.

With Bianca though it was still really difficult. The frigid bitch seemed to have no actual attraction to me yet, no strong emotions for me to latch on to and amplify. It was maddening but also alluring since I enjoyed a challenge. It was very hard to resist using my influence when an opportunity presented itself so a successful old faction seduction was always pleasant.

The waiter brought me my new cappuccino with a smile, I always tipped well. I had a sip and looked at my watch. It was 11:30 so I decided to just wait out the last half hour for Bianca. I set down my paper and closed my eyes. I tried to broaden my influence over my surroundings, feeling my essence surge out and coat the objects around me. I could feel the movements of the people around me, of the waiter clearing the table to my right and the rapid hand motions of the arguing couple two tables in front. It was an exercise I had worked on ever since my abilities manifested themselves a little over 6 years prior. With my unique sense I felt the small spoon that lay idle on my coffee platter and tried to 'see' into it. It was a beautiful construct of metal, empty space and chaotic particles for which I knew no name. I focused and attempted to move it.

When I first started to experiment with what I've come to refer to as my influence and my insight I quickly discovered that the little I knew of things like telekinesis or matter manipulation was pure nonsense. One could not simply 'move' an object just by willing it. Describing it as such in any case is a gross oversimplification. It's logical actually, something tangible is needed to move a physical object and mere thoughts definitely do not fill that criterion. My influence is something else though. Although it is controlled by my thought process and emotions it creates a sort of bridge into physical space. With great concentration I managed to manipulate the air molecules and particles around the spoon to create enough telekinetic energy to move it in a circle around the coffee platter.

I sighed bitterly as my concentration faltered and the movement stopped. My power could be notoriously hard to manipulate, especially from a neutral starting point. Inspiration, The last and most significant 'I' in my trio of catalysts was missing. Emotion, urgency, danger or a sudden bright idea were all factors that could launch me into and Inspired state where my power rushed out of me like air under pressure. I had come a long way but I was not enough to satisfy me.

"Eric?"

I looked up and there she stood. My eyes darted from her toes to her head as my jaw dropped uncontrollably. She wore black high heeled shoes. Her legs were bare under her tight skirt, tactically cut to reveal much of her right thigh. Her top hugged her curves in all the right places and swirled tentatively over her slender arms. Her hair, which almost reached her lower back, was long, dark and wavy. Her face was immaculately made up with just a hint of color around her dark eyes.

She smiled at me brazenly, clearly pleased she had managed to evoke such a reaction, and sat down.

"Eric, stop staring, I will think you are only interested in my looks," she said with enough charm to melt a man's heart.

"Sorry Bianca, but may I say, you look absolutely gorgeous," I said with a smile.

"You can say, Eric," she answered and bit her lip teasingly before giggling innocently.

"Hey listen, again, I'm sorry about last night. Will you please let me take you out again?"

She gave me look of simulated uncertainty.

"I don't know Eric. Maybe we are better as friends no? I do not want to get hurt," she said leaning forward slightly and giving me a view of her cleavage.

I slapped myself mentally. She was playing her game again, and I had been stupid enough to let myself forget she was nothing more than a cold hearted gold digger.

"Come on Bianca don't say that," I countered, almost failing to seem sincere as I felt my phone ring again.

"Hold on, I just need to get this," I said and got the cell out of my pocket.

Bianca first seemed ready to use the 'how can that call be more important than me?' card but got distracted as the waiter scooped by our table to get her order. She proceeded to belittle the man by complaining he had taken so long. I paid her no mind however since I was busy listening to the whiny voice of my financial consultant calling me from the States.

"Oh Hello George, shouldn't you be sleeping?" I asked. "What do you mean you sold the Attacus stock this morning?" I asked with a perplexed voice. "I told you to wait until it reached 200!" I went on loudly and proceeded to make an annoyed sound as he continued with his excuses.

As I talked I noticed that Bianca was pretending not to listen to the conversation. Although her gaze was visibly distracted by the expressionist paintings on the cafeteria wall, I knew she was focusing exclusively on what she was hearing.

"George, I don't care how much profit I supposedly 'still' made, I wanted to sell at 200. If you had waited instead of going with your gut yet again we would have made 20 percent more at least. I'm fucking tired of you wasting my profits."

I was focusing on Bianca as I spoke. Was that a hint of arousal I sensed? The bitch was getting turned on by my phone conversation. She had never shown a sign of it before, but hearing me talk about money and dominating another person apparently was what it took to make me attractive in her eyes. I wanted to take here right there and then. Her ample breasts beckoned at me from under her tight top.

I hung up on my accountant, he needed to stop whining and get some sleep anyway. I sat down, making a show of how unpleased I was. My date was looking at me, trying to hide her excitement.

"I'm sorry about that, where were we?" I asked.

"No need to apologize, it is important to keep good eye on your investment," she answered, almost unable to keep herself from asking flat out what my net worth was.

There it was again, genuine attraction, I felt it. Not only was Bianca after a rich man but money and power actually got her juices flowing. I felt she was considering me as a real possibility for her and not just a stepping stone to much richer men. Unable to resist I let my influence reach out and touch her mind, I tried pouring sexual images of us together into her thoughts and noticed her getting slightly uncomfortable in her seat.

"Eric, I was thinking, maybe you could take me out to dinner tonight," she shook her head and blinked her eyes as if through a great effort, " No no, silly me, I have plans. Maybe Friday?"

Unbelievable, she was still sticking to her game plan, not letting me go too far too fast. I had to play it smart since my slight manipulation of her emotions was not going to be enough.

"Actually Bianca I must confess I have a bit of a surprise for you, and if I only show it to you Friday well, I guess you could say it would have expired in a way," I said trying to hint at taking her on a weekend trip. I did my best to send imagery to help her to catch on. She seemed to understand because her eyes widened.

"Would you say it is a very special surprise?" she asked as the waiter delivered her salad.

"Absolutely, and I would love to tell you about it, let's say, tomorrow night, maybe over drinks."

She paused for a moment, giving me a seductive yet innocent smile.

"Alright Eric, you have me interested, and I have no plans tomorrow. I would love to have drinks with you."

From there on I managed to keep the lunch chatter going quite smoothly. I 'accidentally' slipped into a rant of how my accountant was costing me hundreds of thousands in profits then acted embarrassed about it. Bianca regained her cold composure quite quickly but I had her hooked and felt quite confident I could win her little game with the right set of moves.

Once it was over I walked her to the lobby entrance and watched her walk out with great interest. Her skirt was tight around her slim ass and the sway in her walk made my mouth water. With a body like that there was no way her large breasts were real. I definitely didn't care, a good boob job was always visually pleasing and I had yet to find a woman with firm perky natural breasts over a smaller size.

My mind immediately snapped back to Carolina. Her breasts had been bordering on D cups and yet they had been perfectly round and firm. The memory mingled with my recent arousal over Bianca and I felt my dick stiffen slightly in my pants. However it also reminded me that, while I might busy myself trying to seduce Italian primadonnas, I had recently discovered that vampires, bloodsucking creatures of myth, were real. That little fact definitely had an impact on my plans for the day.

After a bit of chit chat in the reception I managed to arrange a delivery of two plane tickets to Saint Tropez. I had to show Bianca something once I saw her the next day after all. Once some other small business was settled I called a taxi and had it take me to a place I found online called La Covo which was an occult library and shop. I was fully intent on doing some hands on research and maybe talk to someone who had always been interested in the supernatural. Not feeling like drudging through muck on the internet I decided an occult shop was the ideal place to get what I wanted.

When I arrived outside the little store and exited my cab, I was immediately approached by a decrepit looking old lady that seemed to be camping the entrance. She walked with rigid purpose and I half expected her to wag her finger at me like a middle school teacher.

"Sir, can I have a moment of your time?" she asked in Italian and held out a flier towards me.

I gave the document a quick glimpse but waved dismissively when I saw it was religious propaganda. As I turned to enter the store the old lady hissed disappointingly.

"You shouldn't enter that place, it is a place of Satan!"

I sighed and opened the wooden door. The place was more or less what I expected. The shelves and surfaces of the old wooden furniture were cluttered with little items ranging from cheesy jewelry to incense and 'potions'. There were bookcases too of course, spread out in a disorganized fashion and containing famous works such as Dante's inferno next to obscure handwritten texts on Wiccan rituals.

Two clerks, a man and a young woman, were standing behind the counter discussing the meaning of life in typical narcissistic fashion. I proceeded to walk into the adjoining room of the boutique where I noticed a lot more books were stored. There was a second visitor there, excitedly browsing through a book in the corner where a couple of moth eaten couches were placed haphazardly.

I made my way down the small aisles, trying to get a feel for what text might contain useful information. My greater Insight had always helped me significantly with these things, ever since my college years. Anything printed or written by man had a specific signature that identified it to my senses. Unfortunately this signature is lost once something is digitized and so using the internet to find important information was a much less reliable method for me.

I was eventually drawn to a folder lying on a small table between two bookcases. Inside was a collection of articles, second hand stories and the occasional collected anecdote. The underlying theme seemed to be evidence of the supernatural with a focus on vampires. Although my insight confirmed the authenticity of many of the writings, there was no information of real value there. Mysterious deaths, strange wounds and unexplainable phenomena, it was all of little help to me.

As I leafed through the pages I eventually got distracted by the conversation going on in the first room. The two clerks obviously had no idea I could hear them perfectly well as they went on about how much they hated 'my kind'. I realized that it might have been unwise to show up at a Goth boutique wearing a tailored suit and power tie. What was I doing there they asked? I didn't belong did I? I simply smiled to myself as I put the folder back where I found it. I gazed around leisurely and let my Insight soak in the aura of the place. Those impressions that I sensed were valuable I committed to memory, they would help me find better sources in learning about the supernatural in the future.

I began making my way back to the first segment of the store. The woman who had been reading intensely in the corner was staring at me with a look of surprise and disdain. Her hair was cut so short it almost looked shaved and her eyes were circled with heavy black makeup. I passed without giving her any attention. The antagonism in the place was getting me seriously annoyed. The two clerks waited curiously as I approached them. The girl was dressed up in a sort of punk-goth outfit, had funky short black hair with pink highlights, a stud on the left side of her lower lip and more piercings trailing the full length of her right ear. She was wearing plenty of black eyeliner and lipstick.