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Standing under the water a
long time, her head slowly cleared. Absolute focus had to be the highest
priority tonight. Making a connection with the crazies, as Joanie at the
Denny’s called them, would hopefully gain her access into the back rooms beyond
the bar area at The Black Rose . A clear head for the entire night
prevented vamp mind touches, a skill she was a bit weak on. Despite extensive
practice, control of the images in her head to prevent vamp thoughts
penetrating her barriers left room for improvement. So, no strange concoctions and no sweet talking vamps whispering in my
ear, Rule Number Seven, for tonight.
    The new outfit was neatly
placed on the bed. The ensemble went well together. Pretty good for a non-Fashionista. After applying make-up, she tied her hair back in a ponytail and dressed. Next
came packing the handbag, an elongated clutch accommodating the essentials—holy
water and one small wooden stake. A backpack with extra equipment stayed in the
car. With a last minute check in the mirror, and a spray of perfume, she ran
out the door.
    First stop of the night
was Denny’s Restaurant. Ordering a small salad and diet Cherry Coke, a
scintilla of something on her stomach, would suppress the hunger and keep it
light. She really wanted a thick juicy steak and a baked potato with butter and
sour cream to go with the salad, but she’d be good and not eat too much.
    While waiting for Gwen to
show for her shift, a group of vamp groupies walked in. They were loud,
obnoxious, and gave a family at an adjacent table a hard time, making faces and
rude comments to the children and mother. After about ten minutes of the
bullying, Alex couldn’t take the rude behavior anymore and approached the groupies’
table with intent in her eye.
    Alex slid in next to the
tall male with blonde spike-haired. He wore body piercings in his nose, brow,
ears, and lip and probably other body parts, Alex suspected. The male sported
tattoos on his arms depicting vampires and Gothic symbols. Rubbing her hand on
his thigh in a long, languid stroke up and down his well-muscled leg, she felt
him twitch from the action. The squeak that escaped from his mouth told her he
didn’t expect the aggressive tactic. Good,
I’ll teach him manners.
    “Hey, I’m passing through
and searching for some action, if you know what I mean. You guys seem like you
know where to find it, mind taking me along?” she asked demurely and rubbed on Spike’s thigh. Spike was the name she
associated with him.
    “I can tell you are a
classy lady, maybe the VIP residence across town would be more to your liking.
But you can’t get in there, doll. It’s private invite only. We’re going down
the street after here, we’ll take you there. It’s more casual and has pretty
good action in the back rooms. You should find what you’re searching for. They
have anything you would want.”
    “Cool. I’ll just follow
you. Let me know when you’re ready. I’ll be over there finishing my dinner. And
please don’t bother them anymore, I don’t like trouble before I go out to play,
you know what I mean?” Grabbing Spike’s crotch, the only answer she expected
from him was a plaintive squeak.
    Alex finished her salad
and watched her new friends behave themselves the remainder of their time at
Denny’s. Gwen didn’t show for her shift, and Alex didn’t care anymore. She came
for a connection and got one, with possible access to the inner workings of The
Black Rose through the company of locals. Hopefully, trusting them would be
better than trusting a vamp.
    Alex and the Spike Goths
arrived at The Black Rose about nine-thirty by her watch, paid the
cover, and walked en masse into the main part of the club. They were a
large group of ten and Alex didn’t blend with them. Every eye in the club
watched the freak entourage make a sweep of the room. The band played a popular
hard rock song and several couples on the dance floor gyrated to the fast
moving beat.
    “Hey,