madness

usual disclaimers. permission to mel moser and molly schneider to archive

at their respective websites. comments to author at vampwrtr@aol.com.

"Dial M for Madness"

by Vampwrtr

Janette could barely contain her impish smile, as she made her way through the club. He deserved it. Oh, how he deserved it. She knew she was being rather awful to him, but somehow she just couldn't stop herself. As she passed a table, she favoured a tall blonde woman with a smile and a nod. Yes, revenge was always the sweetest medicine.

She sat down on the barstool at the end of the bar. Maurice didn't waste any time setting a glass of the house special down in front of her. She flashed the bartender a grin and sipped at the dark red liquid, savouring the flavour. They shared a momentary look of conspiracy and then Maurice was off, attending other duties.

Janette settled into her perch; it might be a bit of a wait. She couldn't sense him at all, and somehow, that thought made her smile. He was stubborn, if nothing else. He was stubborn, difficult, hard-headed, and she loved him. But that wasn't about to keep her from garnering revenge. She was still trying to replace her gowns, and her lipsticks. The thought of all those lovely lipsticks being tossed away in the garbage still made

her blood boil.

She took a long drink. As she set the glass down, she felt him approaching. He walked up behind her, and leaned in close. She could smell his cologne, and feel his breath, hot upon her neck. It almost made her want to put a stop to her plans. Almost, but not quite.

"You look quite delicious this evening, Janette," his voice whispered into her, "Is that a new dress?"

She finally turned in her barstool to face him, "Oui...do you like it?"

"Yes," a seductive smile lit his lips, "it makes for a beautifully wrapped package."

She purred at him, "Thank you, mon cher.....it almost makes up for all the dresses you cost me."

They smiled at each other for a moment.

He leaned into her even more, "I'm wounded, Janette," his eyes twinkled with wicked delight, "I should think, by now, you would be over it."

"Mmmm........."

He leaned in and lightly touched his lips to hers, "I forgive your awful thoughts about me anyway...."

His eyes sparkled and his lips curled into a smug grin as he walked away. She was positively infuriated. Any thought of sparing him, quelled. Slightly pouting, she slid back onto her barstool. Then a slight smile appeared upon her lips once more. Yes, she would have the final laugh.....

*****************

LaCroix could feel Janette's irritation with him. He smiled to himself;

women, they could be such a trial. A tall blonde vampire walked by,

LaCroix caught himself watching her as she moved past him. He shook his head at himself, and sighed as he watched her walk away. She hadn't so much as even glanced in his direction. He frowned, realising that he was feeling sorry for himself all of a sudden. Was he that lonely, or was it just the sting of rejection?

He walked back toward the hallway and his soundbooth, feeling a damned site less smug than he had only moments before. As he entered the soundbooth, he stopped dead in his tracks. The tall blonde vampire was sitting on his console, her long legs swinging underneath. She was leaning back slightly, and she was staring at him. She ran her tongue around her lips.

For a moment, LaCroix was mesmerized by the sight of her; entranced with the seductive way she was staring at him. He closed the door to the soundbooth and smiled at her, his hands clasped in front of him.

"Well, what do we have here?"

The blonde didn't say a word, instead she allowed her shoes to fall off her feet, and onto the floor with a muted thud. She stared longingly into his eyes. It was fairly clear what she wanted. He didn't move. Her eyes tinged yellow and her fangs dropped. A small smile appeared on his face, but ever the cool customer, he still made no move toward her.

She ran her tongue along her fangs, allowing them to pierce it. His nostrils filled with the smell of her blood. He began to lose the battle of control. His eyes tinged gold and his mouth parted slightly as his fangs descended. He was suddenly leaning into her, kissing her deeply. She responded to him by wrapping her arms around his neck, pulling him down onto her.

LaCroix found himself becoming lost in her touch and in the feel of her. As he reached to push her skirt up, she kicked him off of her, accentuated by a cruel laugh. LaCroix connected with the wall quite hard, and he stared at her in confusion. With a wistful smile, she adjusted her clothing, and brushed a few stray strands of hair from her face.

As she walked out the door, she finally spoke to him, her voice thick with a French accent, "You're not very delectable upon closer inspection. Good night...."

LaCroix was so stunned, he just stared at her. A feather could have knocked him over. She laughed as she walked out the door, leaving him to contemplate his lack of male prowess. Exactly when he had lost it, he

could say. Before he had a chance to straighten himself up, Janette sauntered into the booth.

"Who was the statuesque blonde? A new lover?"

Uncomfortable, LaCroix covered, "No, no, a.....prospective employee."

Janette moved closer and wiped the lipstick off his face, "Oh, really?"

He looked away, completely embarrassed, "Is there something you want, Janette?"

"Want? Non....well, perhaps there is one thing...." He stared at her, so she continued, "I think an apology for cleaning out all of my belongings might be in order...."

He glared at her, "Don't be daft....."

"Oh, I see. Our ego is still a little too large to admit the transgression, eh? I wonder how large your male ego will be if word of this little tete a tete gets out...."

Once again, he looked away. Janette could feel his rejection, and she experienced a sudden pang of remorse for setting him up. She moved a little closer to him, so that she could see his eyes. He looked like a cocker spaniel that had just been reprimanded for marking in an inappropriate spot. She couldn't stand to see him look so miserable, even if he did deserve it. She gently pulled his face toward hers and pressed her lips upon his.

He tried to move away, but Janette gently guided his mouth back toward hers, kissing him deeply. After a few moments, she pulled away.

"I'm sorry, LaCroix...it was my fault."

"No, I have quite simply lost all charm and attractiveness."

He stared at her with the largest, saddest blue eyes she had ever seen, and her heart melted. It was her responsibility. She hadn't thought that he would take it so seriously; but then, she should have known better, after all, he was a man, and this was a very serious blow to his ego.

Janette did the only thing she could think of to do; she closed the blinds on the windows of the soundbooth, locked the door, and walked over to him. LaCroix remained silent, as she removed his jacket and began to unbutton his shirt. She leaned him back as she kissed him deeply. LaCroix responded to her hungrily, and she began to make love to him with passion that surprised them both.

***********************

His bed was warm and comfy, and Janette pressed further into his arms.

He tightened his hold on her, "Are you cold, Janette?"

"Non."

She smiled at him, gently caressing his chest.

A strange smile touched his lips, "Tell me, Janette...what was her name?"

"Who?"

"The blonde you sent earlier, to seduce me...."

Janette turned in his arms to stare at his smiling eyes. He knew. All along, he had known, but had pretended to be hurt. Her eyes began to tinge with flecks of gold as understanding hit her.

"How could you?" She shoved him away and stood up, "How...dare you. You, you....."

LaCroix smiled at her, "You did take an awful chance, Janette. How did you know I wouldn't kill the woman?"

She stared at him, her eyes still full of anger, "Because I know you," she hissed, "there are many horrible things you might do, but physically force yourself on a woman is not one of them." She glared at him, "However, tricking me into this......position, for revenge--"

Faster than the human eye could follow, LaCroix was at her side, a hand shushing her, "--No, that was not the reason." She stared deeply into his eyes, and embarrassed by his own emotions, he looked away as he answered, "I have.....missed you, Janette."

It was the simple truth, she could feel it. She smiled at him, all would be forgiven and forgotten. In some ways, she would miss their little war, it had been somewhat entertaining. She allowed him to guide her back into bed, and once again she cuddled into his arms. Janette could not have seen the impish smile forming upon his lips, nor sensed the gears in his mind clicking through some rather interesting possibilities of revenge.

He smiled to himself. They had eternity with which to play this game; eternity to volley revenge back and forth; centuries to inflict embarrassment and discomfort upon one another, only to make up once more. It could not be understood by the casual observer; but then, theirs was a particular strain of madness, not subject to the foibles of mere mortals.

fin