Blood Debts and Jelly Beans
While the story is not furry per se, it does involve a vampiress crime lord, her garou protector, and her kitsune personal aide. I love these characters, and I'm trying to come up with more ideas for them, more stories to involve them with. Hopefully someday I can polish them up enough to get them published :) So please, please comment! I'm a comment whore and love to know what you think!!
*****
I sat behind my desk and sipped from my cup of chai tea with extra cinnamon. My laptop and web station were both opened at the left side of my desk, ready for me to go back to work. On the right side of the desk sat my calendar, a ceramic coffee mug full of pens, and my phone. As I placed the cup of tea by my phone, I looked up at Maka. Her T-shirt was crumpled, and her long, raven hair fell across her face as she paced back and forth in front of my desk. "So sit down with him. Have Mavis bring him some blood. Ask him what he wants. Then make your decision. Tell him you have to consider it and make up some excuse if you need to. You've always been good at ad-libbing stuff like that."
Maka leaned against the corner of my desk. "I know, Geoff. I just can't help but feel that I'm over my head here. We've been here for two whole weeks and we've already had three attempts to steal from us and undermine us. What are we doing here?"
I stood up and walked up behind her. Reaching down, I massaged Maka's shoulders. "Your sire thought you could handle this. That's why he sent you. I'm here because I love you, because I want to assist and protect you." She turned around to face me and I gazed into her violet eyes. "Of course there's gonna be a few that want to test the boundaries, see what they can get away with and how weak you are. But you've proven every time that you can be an intelligent, ruthless, shrewd, cunning, and generous leader. Most of those under you are really starting to respect that." I kissed her softly, her fangs brushing against my lips as she finally smiled and kissed me back. "As for the ones who don't, we'll either get them in line or replace them."
"How can you be so strong?" she whispered.
"I take my strength from you, just like you take yours from me." Maka rested her head on my chest. I sniffed the air around her. "You haven't eaten today, have you?"
"I haven't had time..." Maka began. I let her go and leaned against my desk. "Geoff, no..."
"Ma-chan, you know you need to eat. And you know I enjoy it as much as you do." I pulled off my shirt.
She brushed away the shoulder-length blond hair that fell against my neck. "You know I can't resist you when you do that..."
"I know."
"Silly wolfie," she purred. Then she leaned forward, and her fangs sank into my neck. My eyes clenched as my left hand cupped the back of her head. The smell of my blood filling Maka ripped a growl from me. My nails grew as I raked them down Maka's back. The link on my neck broke as Maka gasped. She looked up at me, her eyes a vibrant crimson, my blood dribbling from her full lips. I could feel my eyes darken and narrow...my mouth salivated as my gaze fell on her exposed neck...
A knock on the door shattered my attention. I snarled, my canines bared as I glared at the door. Mavis opened the door and stepped in. "Sorry to disturb you, Mistress, but Edwards is on the phone again demanding you meet with him." Mavis turned to me, her eyes locking with mine. "Geoff, we need you to come back for a moment, please."
I half-sighed, half-snarled and let Maka go. "Thank you, Mavis." She nodded and left the room, closing the door behind her. "So that's why you keep a kitsune as a personal aide," I smiled.
"Mavis is a wonderful friend and ally. I don't know what I'd do without her. Or without you." Maka kissed my cheek. "I guess I should get dressed for the meeting with Edwards." She looked down at her attire and chuckled. "I don't think he would appreciate seeing the new Don in ratty jeans and a T-shirt." She walked towards my office door.
I smiled at her. "I'll get my suit and meet you in your office in fifteen minutes." Maka turned and blew me a kiss, then closed the door behind her.
***
Thirty minutes later, I stood behind and to the right of Maka's desk. I adjusted the sleeves on my charcoal grey Chinese style power jacket with matching pants and a white shirt. My long blond hair was braided down my back and my goatee was perfectly trimmed. Maka sat at her desk wearing a deep navy tailored suit with white blouse and navy heels, her hair put up in a severe and intricate bun. She looked over her glasses as the door to her office opened. The one window in the office, a five foot square with an elongated window sill, was closed and secured, and the office's minibar had been fully stocked and prepared.
In walked Mavis, followed by Edwards. He was a small man of five feet and a couple of inches, but there was a dangerous gleam in his silver eyes that made me wary. "Mistress Maka, thank you for seeing me on such short notice," he said in a nasal tone as he bowed.
Maka indicated that Edwards should sit down in one of the two chairs on the other side of her desk. As he sat, Maka made a small show of closing her web station and her leather-bound legal notebook. Mavis walked over to the minibar. "Mavis, would you bring me some blood, please?" Maka's Irish lilt was slightly pronounced as she looked Edwards in the eye. "Would you like something to drink, Edwards?"
"No, thank you, Mistress. I am fine." Maka nodded to Mavis. Mavis poured some blood from a chilled, sealed decanter into a brandy sifter, which she handed to Maka. The vampress took a small sip, then nodded her thanks to Mavis. Mavis nodded in return and left the office, closing the door behind her.
Maka looked over her glasses at Edwards. "Now, please tell me what is so urgent that I had to rearrange my evening schedule to see you."
"As you know, Mistress, I run a small confectionary boutique for a select clientele on Mason Street. Lately, I have had a bit of difficulty with..."
"You own the candy store with the expensive chocolates?" Maka asked off-handed as she gazed at the sifter in her hand.
Edwards gasped. "Mistress, I serve only the highest quality..."
"The blood chocolates are a bit overpriced considering the quality." Then Maka looked up at Edwards as if she had not interrupted him. "Please continue."
Edwards swallowed. "As I was saying, Mistress, there is a man by the name of Williams who has recently opened a sweet shop across the street from me. His quality of merchandise is inferior to mine, so of course his prices are much lower. Not only has he gone to undercut my prices, but he also insists on advertising that his merchandise is superior to mine. It has been very hurtful for my business."
Maka took another sip of blood. "And how does that affect me?"
Edwards' eyes narrowed, a flash of red permeating through the normally silver irises. "Do you have any idea who I am?"
"No," Maka responded. "Should I?"
Edwards stood, his hands shaking. "I am Michael St. Edwards. My sire is Francois Delucian. Delucian once saved your sire from execution in Berlin, and my sire was promised a favor in return. This is why I was given leave to place my store in your sire's territory. You owe me, and you owe my sire, and you will take care of this!"
"You wish to call in the favor and keep this Williams from hindering your business?" Maka arched an eyebrow.
"Yes! It is my right!"
Maka nodded. "Then it shall be handled by week's end."
Edward turned and stormed out of the room, knocking Mavis down as she opened the door to the office. My façade dropped and I rushed to Mavis' side, helping her up. "Thanks."
"No problem." I smiled at her. Maka filled her sifter with blood, then poured a glass of plum wine for Mavis. Mavis sat at one of the chairs in front of the desk, while Maka leaved against the desk. I opened the window and let down my hair before sitting in the window sill. The cold bay wind caressed my face and pulled the scent of blood from my senses.
I felt Maka's eyes on me, so I turned to face her. We exchanged a smile, then she took another sip of blood as I looked back out the window. Maka sighed. "What an insufferable man. Had he not called in the favor, I'd burn his store down on general principal." She looked to Mavis, then back to me. "Ideas on how to handle this?"
Mavis took a drink of her wine. "Mistress, does Edwards have the right to call in the favor? I find it hard to believe that Delucian would want it spent on something as trivial as a candy store."
Maka reached across the desk for her web station. Mavis pulled out her Blackberry. After a few moments of internet searching, the two women grinned. Feeling their baneful ire, I turned to look at them. "Apparently Edwards is overstepping his authority quite a bit." Maka closed her web station. "But if word gets out that we did not honor the favor, no matter the circumstances, our sire will lose face. And we will suffer the consequences." The vampress paused for a moment to study my face. "You have the evil grin now. What is it?"
"Can you reach your sire tonight?" I asked.
"In a case like this, absolutely."
"Good. Contact him. Mavis, I'll need a car and driver for tomorrow night. We may be able to work this out to our advantage..."
***
The following evening, at five minutes to midnight, my car pulled up in front of Williams' shop. The driver got out and opened the car door for me. I climbed out, making a small show of adjusting my trench coat. "Stay by the car and wait for my signal," I told him. Then I walked into the shop.
Williams, a pudgy man with watery green eyes and thinning orange hair, was arranging a display of chocolate covered fruit. "How can I help you?" At that point he turned to face me. His shopkeeper's smile fell. "Wha-what can I do for Mistress Maka, sir?"
"Do you sell blood chocolates?"
"Of course!" He darted behind a display case and took one out tenderly. "Please try one, sir, with my compliments."
I stood back a bit and sniffed it, bristling immediately. "I'll take two pounds of the blood chocolate and two pounds of the assorted jelly beans."
Beads of sweet dripped down Williams' face as he tried to smile. "Yes, sir." He quickly mixed a large bag with at least four pounds of jelly beans, then filled a five pound box with the most select blood chocolates from his case. "Here you are, sir. With my compliments to the Mistress."
I looked out the window and motioned for the driver. He walked into the store. "Take the candy to the Mistress and tell her everything is taken care of." He nodded and left. I pulled out my wallet and placed $200 on the counter.
"No charge for you, sir!" Williams insisted.
"I pay my debts, Williams. What time do you close?"
"Why, at midnight, sir..."
"Close the store, Williams. You and I have some business to discuss," I growled as I slipped off my coat. My eyes narrowed as Williams locked up the door and closed the blinds on his windows. The fear wafting from the pudgy man and the sound of his pounding heart made me grin...
***
At two o'clock that morning an ambulance pulled up to Williams' shop. Edwards watched from behind the cracked blinds of his store. Edwards cackled. "That'll show anyone to move their business into my town!" he chortled.
"Now, Edwards, you and I have some unfinished business to attend to," I whispered.
Edwards spun around, his eyes wide. "You! You can't come in here! You're not invited!"
"I am garou. I need no such invitation." I smiled widely as I motioned to the darkness. "Neither does your sire."
With that Delucian floated in from the shadows. "Edwards, you've been a grave disappointment to me..."
***
As dawn broke, Maka lay in our bed licking her fingers. "Mmmm...milk chocolate and almond bark...virgin A positive...with just a touch of raspberry...these are heavenly!" She rolled over, placing her head on my chest as she offered me one. "You should try one of these. You'd love it."
I shook my head. "I'll stick to the jelly beans. You know what blood does to me."
Maka flashed her fangs as her free hand stroked my naked thigh. "I know," she whispered.