A Vampire’s Kiss
(Book 1 of the Vampire Revelations series)
By Alexis Taylor
Copyright © 2011 by Alexis Taylor
Cover and art copyright © 2011 by Alexis Taylor
Smashwords Edition
This entire book is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters, and incidents are all either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, persons – living, dead, undead, or vampire – are entirely coincidental. All right reserved.
June 2011
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WAIT!
What you’re about to read contains scenes of a sexually graphic nature. If explicit sex scenes offend you, please return this book to Amazon. Some sex scenes may even breech accepted taboo, and are not for the faint of heart.
This goes for all the books in this series.
…still here?
Great. Excited to have you along for the ride. Enjoy!
CHAPTER ONE
“God, she’s hot, isn’t she?”
“Huh?”
“Bro! You gotta pay attention to these things!”
Ryan was sitting in a lecture hall next to his best friend and roommate Jamie, who was ogling the girls sitting a few rows down.
“Which one?” Ryan asked, looking up from the notes he was taking earlier.
“The one who just sat down beside that group over there,” Jamie said while discretely pointing out the girl with his pen.
“The blonde one?”
“Yea. Have you ever seen her before?”
“Dude, all I can see is the back of her head.”
“Just… swivel in your seat a bit to get a better look.” Jamie had a hungry look in his eyes, the kind that crept up when he identified something he really wanted. Or someone he really wanted.
Ryan obliged, stretching his neck to the side to try to get a better look at the girl who sat down. Unfortunately, the way her straight hair framed her face made it impossible to see past it. But, thanks to the way the seats in the auditorium were positioned, Ryan was able to get a glimpse down the front of her shirt from the higher elevation behind her.
“Oh, wow. She’s got great tits,” Ryan said under his breath.
“Really? Dammit, I can’t see anything from here!” Jamie tried to move around in his seat to get a better view, but his seat position made it impossible.
“I don’t think I’ve seen her before, though. I’d remember that body.”
“So we’ve got a new friend to make,” Jamie chuckled. “I just love spring weather, man. All these girls who were covered up in the winter come out in their skimpiest outfits. It’s like discovering a fucking treasure trove on campus.”
“Do you ever stop to think about anything other than sex?”
“Me?” Jamie looked abashed. “Of course not, bro. We’re fucking seniors! What else is there to think about?”
“Exams, maybe. Plans for after graduation. We’ve got to find jobs by the end of summer, you know.”
“Pffft. That’s months away, man. Jesus, when did you become such a prude?”
Ryan had to admit that he wasn’t being himself. But he learned only yesterday that the final employer he had been waiting for to get back to him for a job offer had turned him down. That made his resume’s record 0-for-12. This school promised that it placed all of its students into high paying jobs, touted the value of a college diploma, the worth of a real education, blah blah blah, all that bullshit, but reality was staring Ryan straight in the face. He had taken out student loans worth $60,000 each year for the last four years, and had no idea how he was now going to pay them back now without a job lined up after graduation.
Ryan knew his best friend Jamie wasn’t worried. His dad owned a big car dealership in southern Florida, and Jamie was more than likely to be headed there after graduation. In fact, his friend had basically treated the last three and a half years as one giant party.
Which wasn’t all bad, considering how often Ryan had joined in – and benefited from all the girls who seemed to be magically drawn to Jamie. It was a lazy arrangement, but one that Ryan didn’t mind. Jamie would host the parties, droves of girls would come, and a lonely one would ultimately make her way to Ryan for an easy lay. It was passive, easy, and required very little effort. Too bad getting a job wasn’t the same way.
“You there, man? You just zoned out…?” Jamie was looking over at Ryan with concern.
“Huh?” Ryan shook his head, coming back to the auditorium. “Yea, absolutely. I was just… thinking.”
“Thinking?” Jamie looked surprised. “Thinking about what?”
“How great that girl’s tits would feel in my face,” Ryan lied.
“Hah!” Jamie barked a laugh and clapped a hand on Ryan’s back. “Atta boy. I knew you’d come around.”
“You think she’s our age?”
“Probably younger. I don’t think we would have missed her if she was here all four years with us. I can’t wait to get out of class so I can talk to her. How much longer we got?”
Ryan looked at the clock at the front of the room. “Fifteen minutes.”
Fifteen minutes later, the professor was finishing up his lecture, and people started getting up, ready to file out and leave.
“Here’s your chance,” Ryan said to Jamie as the first student rushed out the door.
“Nice!” Jamie looked excited, like a hunter targeting his prey. “You coming?”
“Nah, I think I’ll sit this one out.”
“Really? What’s with you, man? Usually you’d jump right on that!”
“I dunno. But you better hurry if you want to make your move – she looked like she’s about to leave.”
“Hey, she’s not going to fuck you if you don’t talk to her,” Jamie shrugged, and got up to walk down to the group of girls.
Ryan bent down to pick up his notebook and open his backpack to put it into. His mind was still more on his plans – or rather, the lack thereof of plans – for next year, where he was supposed to find a real job. He had no idea what he was going to do, now. No matter how politely that final rejection letter from the employer was written, it still forced him to completely rethink what he was going to do with his life. Which is why he didn’t want to go over with Jamie. The clock was ticking – and it was inching him closer and closer to unemployment.
“Ah, she’s an ice queen, that one.”
Ryan looked up, and saw Jamie standing beside him.
“Well, that was a lot quicker than expected. No go?” Ryan asked.
Jamie delayed for a moment, making a pouting face… but then the corner of his lips twitched into a victorious smile.
“No go?! You kidding me?” Jamie waved a small piece of paper in front of Ryan’s head. There was a phone number written on it in small, delicate letters. “Her name’s Ashley, and we’re meeting her tonight.”
“Hey, way to go man!” Ryan clasped Jamie’s hand in a congratulatory shake. “I knew you’d be able to do it.”
“Would have helped if you were there to disarm her friends,” Jamie admitted, then rummaged through his back pocket before emerging with a small envelope. “Here,” he said, handing it to Ryan.
“What is it?”
“Just open it.”
“Did you get it from her?”
“Just open it, dude.”
Ryan ripped through the seal, and slowly pulled out a glossy slip of paper. Looking at it, he realized it was a plane ticket.
“Dude… is this what I think it is?”
“Me and Brett heard what happened with your last job offer, so we pooled some cash together…”
“What? How’d you hear about it?”
“It doesn’t matter. But we thought, since this is our last year, and who knows where all of us are going to be next year…” Jamie rubbed the back of his head uncomfortably and cleared his throat. “Since we don’t know, we thought we’d get this for you.”
“Wow, thanks man.”
“Check out the destination.”
Ryan read the ticket. Departing from Boston, MA on April 15th to… Ibiza?
“No way,” Ryan breathed.
“Yea man. Our spring break plans right there. Think of it as one last hurrah before we go out into the real world.”
“Jesus, this must have cost a fortune.”
“Nah,” Jamie shook his head, “like I said, don’t worry about it.”
“And you got one too?”
“Yea, Brett and I have tickets too.”
“So you guys just got this one for me?”
“Sure, that’s what friends are for,” Jamie shrugged, “besides, I heard it gets absolutely crazy there for spring break. There wouldn’t be enough girls there for me and him alone if you injected Viagra straight into our dicks.”
The word ‘crazy’ was a bit of an understatement. Ibiza was only the single most raucous party destination in the entire world. The small island’s entire existence was built around catering to the lavish needs of its tourists, who all come to take part in the outrageous night life. Ryan had heard that the parties there started at 3pm and didn’t let up until noon the next morning. And everybody who went there did so with only one goal in mind: get drunk, get high, and get lucky. You could walk into a club with your eyes closed and have girls hounding your dick in seconds.
This was the single best surprise that his friends could have gotten for him. A week of partying in Ibiza with two of his best friends without any downtime was just what he needed to get his mind away from the job situation. He couldn’t have been more excited about it.
“We’re going to be staying at a Hilton,” Jamie continued, “and we booked a room with three separate bedrooms so we each can–”
“—bring a girl back each night,” Ryan finished the sentence with a smile. “It sounds fantastic, man, but, even with the ticket, I don’t know how I’ll be able to afford the trip. The room’s got to be expensive.”
“No worries. Brett’s cousin is the hotel manager, and he gave us the room for dirt cheap. I’ll cover you for it if that’s what needs to be done. But you’re coming, no question about it.”
“Jeez, I wasn’t expecting this. I don’t know how to say thank you.”
“Just don’t fuck things up tonight when Ashley and her friends come visit,” Jamie winked before following up with a playful punch to Ryan’s arm. “I saw one of the girls she was sitting with, and she seemed just your type.”
“Did you invite her over, too?”
“You’d better hope so. Come on, let’s get out of here so we can game plan the evening.”
~
CHAPTER TWO
Later that night, Ryan found himself sitting with his friends Jamie and Brett watching the basketball game in his dorm. Jamie had managed to coordinate with the girl he met – Ashley – to get her and a bunch of her friends to come visit. Tonight. It wasn’t supposed to be a big thing by any means – a Wednesday night meant that most of them had class the next morning – but with Jamie setting things up, Ryan could never be sure of what to expect.
“So Jamie’s got dibs on Ashley, Ryan gets first choice amongst her friends, and I get the leftovers. Is that right?” Brett asked. He was sitting across from Ryan on the couch, and wasn’t too happy with the arrangement.
“Hey, it’s like I said bro, you weren’t there, so you’re shit out of luck,” Jamie replied with an air of indifference. “Anyway, if it wasn’t for me, none of them would even be coming here tonight.”
“And what about Ryan? You said he didn’t do anything.”
“Come on, give me a break, he hasn’t gotten laid in how long? …Ryan?”
“Uhh…” Ryan thought for a bit. “Three weeks this weekend. Last time was with that Mexican girl from the frat house.”
“Oh, she was a hottie, wasn’t she?” Ryan reminisced. Then he turned his attention back to Brett. “Besides, you’ve got a girlfriend, so I don’t see why you’re complaining.”
“Hell, what she doesn’t know isn’t going to kill her,” Brett replied with a mischievous grin, “and anyway, me and her agreed to take a break until after spring break.”
“And what does that mean, exactly?” Ryan asked, incredulous.
“No arbitrary restrictions on me,” Brett exclaimed, and moved his hands in a mimicry of breaking free of shackles. “I’m free to party it up as much as I want in Ibiza!”
“Dude, I don’t even see why you have a girlfriend,” Ryan said sarcastically.
“Guaranteed free sex?” Jamie laughed.
“Something like that,” Brett said, also laughing. “Besides, it makes sure I don’t have a dry streak that lasts three fucking weeks.”
“Shut up,” Ryan said. “How long was yours again before you met Lucy? Something like four months?” Lucy was Brett’s current girlfriend.
“Ah, touché, my friend,” Brett replied, as Jamie added, “Nicely played.”
“Thanks boys,” Ryan said in the midst of a laugh. Suddenly, all their attention was turned to the door as they were interrupted by three very precise knocks. Jamie sat up straight in his spot and eyed his two companions seriously. “Looks like the girls are here. Nobody do anything stupid and fuck this up, alright?”
“Deal,” Ryan and Brett both said in near unison.
Jamie went to the door and stopped to look through the peep hole before backing up and swinging the door open. Outside stood four girls, all dressed in bright, tight clothing that showed off their young bodies. Looking at each one in turn, Ryan realized he hadn’t met any of them before. But damn, they were gorgeous.
“Ashley!” Jamie exclaimed, and swept in to embrace the girl standing in the middle in a big hug. She seemed a little thrown off, but then reciprocated in turn. Once Jamie let go, he ushered the girls in.
“Come on in, make yourselves at home.” Jamie nodded at the couch in the middle of the room where Ryan was sitting with Brett. “These are the two friends I was telling you about. Ryan and Brett.”
“Nice to meet you,” Brett said, and stood up to offer a hand to Ashley. She took it, and one by one introduced all three of her friends.
Instead of participating, Ryan found himself glued to his seat on the couch, unable to move. His mouth had gone completely dry, and his eyes were focused completely on the last girl who had come in. She was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen in his life. Dark, streaming hair ran far past her shoulders, and a tiny white miniskirt just barely concealed the upper parts of her legs. She had a deep, luscious tan, and bright blue eyes that stood out like sapphires in the night. The color of her eyes also matched her skimpy blue top, which stretched tightly over her chest with an unbelievably low neckline. In fact, it looked like she could fall right out of that shirt if she leaned over. Time seemed to slow for him, and it felt like he was in a dream. He couldn’t believe his luck.
“Ryan? Ryan!” Jamie was looming over at him with a frown. Ryan broke out of the spell, and met Jamie’s eye.
“What?”
“Ashley here was just saying how her friend Veronica had just transferred to the university from Seattle,” Jamie said slowly, emphasizing each word, “and I remarked on what a great coincidence that was, because you came from there too.”
“Huh?” Ryan had lived in Boston his whole life, and had no idea what Jamie was talking about.
“I thought that maybe,” Jamie continued, again stressing his words, “because the two of you come from the same town, you might have a lot in common.”
“Oh!” Ryan had finally caught on to what his friend was doing. A small, fabricated lie to fake some familiarity with the girl was a great idea.
Ryan got up slowly, still eyeing the tan brunette. He had no idea which of them “Veronica” was, but he took Jamie’s cue. “Yea, Seattle’s a great city, I tell these guys about it all the time.” He stepped towards the girls, and extended a hand towards the brunette. She was standing on the very left, and Ryan decided it was the perfect opportunity to introduce himself to them from left to right. “My name’s Ryan.”
The girl took his hand, and Ryan had to forcibly stop himself from shivering as their palms met. Her hands were so soft, so absolutely delicate that it drove him crazy. “I’m Veronica,” she said in a sweet, somewhat shy voice. Ryan gaped momentarily. Again, he couldn’t believe his luck. But, as decorum would have it, he had to continue to introduce himself to all the girls before focusing again on Veronica.
“My name’s Emily,” said the one standing beside Veronica.
“I’m Ashley,” the sultry blonde from the lecture hall told him.
“Megan,” the girl on the very right said simply. She seemed… frosty. Ryan knew she would be the one Brett would target – he knew that Brett loved challenges.
After the introduction were made, Jamie led the girls to sit down on the couches arranged around the TV. The game had just hit halftime, so it was the perfect time for some conversation. Before Ryan sat down, though, Jamie interrupted.
“Say, Ryan why don’t you bring us some drinks from my room. Maybe Veronica can help you?” Ryan nodded – and thanked his friend silently in his head. This was another great move – by bringing Veronica with him away from the group, he’d be able to have some immediate one-on-one time with her. The perfect opportunity to get to know her.
“Sure, no problem. Veronica, you want to come?”
“I guess,” she said while getting up from the seat she had just taken. She definitely seemed the shy type.
“It’s just down at the end of the hall,” Ryan explained as he led her away from the sound of conversation in the living room. She just nodded, and followed him there.
They got to the room, and Ryan flicked the light on. There was a single bed, a few shelves and drawers, and a desk.
“Just take a seat while I find the drinks,” Ryan said, motioning to the edge of the bed. Slowly, Veronica made her way over, and sat down with her legs together. Ryan bent down to reach under the desk to get the liquor, and just at that moment Veronica moved to cross her legs. In that split second, out of the corner of his eye, Ryan caught a glimpse of her bright red panties. Suddenly, the image of her, slowly stripping out of exotic lingerie, flashed in his mind. He cleared his throat, and buried his head under the desk while moving his hand searchingly for the bottles.
“So… you’re from Seattle, too?” Veronica said suddenly, maybe a bit quieter than expected.
Ryan bumped his head against the top of the desk as he tried to sit up. “Uh, yea,” he grunted
“What part?”
“Oh… the north part of the city.”
“Me too!” Veronica exclaimed. Ryan cursed his luck. He was already grasping for straws – he had no conception of anything to do with Seattle, except that it was somewhere on the west coast of America. The last thing he needed was to get into a conversation about the specifics of the area, when the wrong detail could easily signal a red flag in Veronica’s mind. At the same time, he knew that if he just managed to get Veronica to take the lead when talking, he’d be able to pick up on enough bits and pieces to create some semblance of conversation.
“It’s a great place, isn’t it?” he said back to her. “Sometimes I miss all the people I knew there.”
“Oh my god, me too!” Veronica said, and Ryan saw that she again shifted her legs. “I mean, I like this school, but I’ve grown up there my whole life, and this place is so different.”
“I know,” Ryan said while stepping over to take a seat next to Veronica on the bed. From this close, he could smell her luscious wildflower perfume, and it made his heartbeat quicken. “What were your favorite parts about… back home?”
“Uhm…” Veronica’s eyes glazed over momentarily in thought, then she looked right back at Ryan through deep lashes. “The ocean, and the mountains. And the fresh air. I love being outside.”
“Tell me about it,” Ryan said. “The mountains are absolutely unbelievable there, huh? You know, I had a cabin on one of them that my family used to go to every summer.”
“Really?” Veronica’s eyes were intent, focused on Ryan’s face.
“Yes,” Ryan replied, lowering his tone and slowing his speech. “Every summer, I would go up there with my two brothers, and we would spend a week entirely in the wild. Just… living. We would catch our own food in a nearby stream, and make cook fires every evening. My father taught us all how to do it. He said that it was… essential… to know how to survive in the wild.”
“My dad’s the same way,” Veronica breathed, and leaned closer in. “He didn’t like relying on other people, and taught us to fend for ourselves.”
“Yes, it’s best to know how to… fend for yourself.” Ryan said the words slowly, tantalizingly, and when Veronica leaned in closer to hear, he knew he’d won half the battle. His heart was still beating out of his chest, but the window to make a move was now or never. He brought a hand up slowly to her face, and traced the outline of her cheek with one finger. “A person needs to know how to fend for themselves when coming to an unfamiliar place.”
“Yes,” Veronica said, and audibly swallowed. Ryan realized she was just as nervous as he was. “It makes you a… stronger person, when you can do that.” She moved her legs closer to Ryan, and he placed his other hand lightly on the inside of her thigh. This time, she shivered.
“And strong people make for the best type of acquaintances,” Ryan said in a near-whisper. The space between their faces narrowed, and Ryan could feel her warm breath on his lips. Using the same finger he had been tracing her cheek with, he hooked it under her chin and gently pulled forward. She closed her eyes, and parted her lips in anticipation of the imminent kiss.
Suddenly, they were interrupted by a loud yell from the other room. Both their heads whipped back toward the doorway and the source of the noise.
“What was that?” Veronica asked.
“I don’t know,” Ryan admitted. As soon as the words left his mouth, though, another yell was heard from the other room, and this time it was clearly distinguishable. It was a girl’s voice, and she sounded angry.
“Get off me, you big jerk!”
“That sounds like Ashley,” Veronica said worryingly, and immediately got up from the bed to go see what was going on. Dammit! He had been so close! Now, he had no choice but to follow.
What he found in the other room was the absolute last thing he wanted to see. All three of the girls who had been there with Jamie and Brett were standing together with their arms crossed, staring daggers and the two guys on the couch.
“What happened?” Ryan asked.
“We’re leaving, that’s what happened,” Ashley said angrily. For some reason, she wouldn’t look Jamie in the face. “Come on Veronica, we’re getting out of here. These guys are pigs.”
Veronica looked to Ryan somewhat helplessly, then back to Ashley. Indecision was clear on her face, but it quickly evaporated into steely resolve. “Let me get my purse,” she said, and walked back towards Ryan’s room.
“Be fast!” Ashley warned. Jami was still sitting on the couch with an uncomforting grin on his face, while Brett looked like he had been beaten down with a baseball bat.
“If anything happened, I just want to apologize in advance…” Ryan began, but he was cut off by a furious glare from Ashley. Instead of replying, she strode to the door and swung it open. “We’ll be outside!” she yelled down the hall to Veronica. “Hurry up!” And with that, she stormed out the door, her two friends straight on her heels.
A few seconds later, Veronica emerged from the room, with no purse in sight. Come to think of it, Ryan wasn’t sure she even had a purse when she first came with her friends. But as she walked by, she stopped in front of him and reached up to place a kiss on his cheek. “Call me,” she whispered in his ear. Then, without looking back at Ryan’s friends, she left the dorm. When the door closed behind her, Ryan rounded on Jamie and Brett. Both had smirks as wide as lanterns painted on their faces.
“I just want to apologize in advance,” Jamie said in a mocking tone.
“Oooh, I’m so sorry for my two pig friends,” Brett followed right up in the same tone.
“What the hell happened here?” Ryan demanded. He was angry at his two friends for screwing up what had been a sure thing, and was in no mood to be poked fun at.
“Woah, calm down there buddy,” Jamie said defensively. “When did you ever start taking the girls’ side in these things?”
“I’m not… taking the girls’ side,” Ryan said irritably. “I just want to know what happened.”
Brett shrugged and looked over at Jamie somewhat accusingly. “Our friend over there was a bit too aggressive, and it kind of backfired in his face. I was the unwitting victim.”
“Oh, don’t play dumb, Brett,” Jamie fired back. “You were just as guilty of trying to move things too quickly as me.”
“Maybe,” Brett said thoughtfully, “but at least I knew my girl was totally willing to go all the way. It was only once you spooked your girl that mine decided to display some morals.”
“Ah well, I don’t think we could have made it work, anyway,” Jamie said. “There were two of us and three of them. And unless two of the girls were down for a threesome – which I seriously doubt, this early in the relationship – one would have been left out, and she would have gotten all pissy and wanted to leave early.”
“Dammit guys, you couldn’t wait just a few more minutes before scaring them off?” Ryan demanded.
“Woah, you’re not angry at us, are you?” Jamie asked. “What, did we interrupt something?”
“As a matter of fact, yes, you did.”
“Ooooh, Ryan almost got lucky tonight!” Brett said mockingly. “It’s too bad his idiot friends had to go and screw everything up, isn’t it, Jamie?”
“It’s a damn shame,” Jamie replied. “I wouldn’t have thought he would be so sensitive considering the spring break trip we set up.”
“You’re right,” Ryan said, unclenching his fists. “I… apologize for getting angry. It’s just that Veronica was fucking hot, and she was totally into me.”
“We noticed that on her way out,” Brett said slyly.
“Yea, we forgive you,” Jamie said, “and moreover, I think I noticed something that’ll cheer you up.”
“And what’s that?” Ryan asked.
“I don’t think she had a purse when she came in… or when she left. Perhaps she left something in the room for you?”
“What do you mean?” Ryan asked.
“Oh, you know, a phone number, maybe something like that,” Jamie winked. “Why don’t you go check it out?”
Ryan nodded, and walked over to his room. Sure enough, a piece of paper lay on the desk with a 10-digit phone number written on it, plus the words ‘call me!’ underneath, with a heart serving as the point of the exclamation mark. Ryan picked it up and folded it into his pocket before returning to the other room, where he chuckled at Jamie. “Looks like you were right, bro.”
“See what I told you? No need to worry.”
“The only thing that might put a wrench in your plans with her,” Brett added, “is how soon we’re gonna be leaving for Ibiza.”
“Oh, that’s right!” Ryan exclaimed. “You think I can set something up with her before then?”
“It’s Wednesday now, and school lets out for spring break this Friday,” Jamie said, “and we’re leaving the next morning. So you’ve really got to pull a rabbit out of your hat to make it work with her before then.”
“Probably a low chance for it then, huh?” Ryan asked. Both Jamie and Brett nodded. “Fuck it, I can meet up with her after. We’re going to Ibiza, boys! I can’t worry about some girl here when there are going to be dozens there every night.”
“Hundreds,” Brett corrected him. “At least, that’s what my cousin tells me.”
“I can’t wait,” Ryan said. “So, what are our plans for getting there?”
“An early morning flight,” Jamie said, “so no partying before we get there, unless we want to miss the plane. Personally, I wouldn’t like that very much.”
“Me neither,” Ryan agreed. “So how is the hotel room set up, anyway? I guess we’re going to be going out most nights, right?”
“Every night,” Brett corrected. “And I’ve made it a personal goal to bring a chick back to the room each one of those nights.”
“A girl for every day of the week,” Jamie laughed, “that’ll make for some story.”
“We should set it up like a competition,” Brett suggested. “The man who’s slept with the most women by the end of the week wins.”
“What’s the prize?” Jamie asked.
“How about the losers cover the return airfare of the winner?” Ryan suggested, and was met with confused looks from his friends. “Look,” he clarified, “I appreciate that you guys paid for my ticket and all, but I should contribute at least something to the trip. At least, if it’s set up like a competition.”
“You sure?” Jamie asked.
“Absolutely. Anyway, I plan on beating both of you badly. We all know who’s got the most game out of the three of us.”
“Fat chance,” Brett snorted. “Without my girlfriend watching my every move, I’ll be unstoppable.”
“Hey, let’s not forget who brought us the girls tonight,” Jamie added.
“Yea, the same guy who screwed it up for everyone,” Brett laughed, which caused the other two guys to laugh as well. Once the mirth settled down, Ryan spoke:
“So it’s settled, then,” he said. “The man with the most women by trip’s end gets his return flight paid for by the losers.”
“Deal,” Brett said.
“Gotta make it official,” Jamie said, and thrust his arm out into the air in front of him. “A three-way handshake to seal the deal.”
Brett reached out and placed his hand on top of Jamie’s first, and Ryan followed suite. “To the victor,” Ryan said.
“To the victor,” Jamie and Brett echoed, and the three of them threw down their hands in unison, sealing the pact.
As soon as that was done, Ryan noticed that Jamie got a sudden mischievous look on his face.
“Hey, I just thought of something,” Jamie said.
“Yea?” Ryan asked.
“Did Veronica seem to be… Spanish, to you?”
“Maybe a little bit.”
“But definitely more European than American, right?”
“Oh yea, absolutely.”
“You should see if she’s got any family out in Europe. Maybe she’s planning to go visit over spring break.”
“Maybe. But so what?”
“Duh, man, you should see if she’d be interested in coming out to Ibiza with us with some of her friends.”
“Actually, that’s a great idea,” Brett jumped in. “That’ll land you some major bonus points if you get her to come out there. And if you do that and sleep with her, well, I’d just crown you the winner right on the spot.”
“It doesn’t hurt to try in any case,” Jamie said.
“We’ll see,” Ryan said. He didn’t think the chances of making it work were very high, but there was no way of finding out short of trying. Plus, she did leave her phone number on his desk, and did seem extremely affectionate right away. Who knew – maybe she’d be amiable to the idea. “But I’ll give it a shot.”
“Atta boy!” Jamie exclaimed.
~
CHAPTER THREE
The next few days flashed by for Ryan. In the excitement for the upcoming trip, he had forgotten all about worrying for next year. Instead, time was spent planning with his friends their clubbing itinerary on the Spanish island. They had ten nights there, and wanted to spend every minute of every day out enjoying the clubs. Plus, with spring break in full effect in most of America, there were bound to be tons of hot, slutty drunk girls dying to hook up. It was the most perfect storm, and the best way to top off a great four years of school.
Ryan also managed to find time to start exchanging brief texts with Veronica, who was colder on the phone than she had been in person. Nonetheless, she wanted to meet on Friday night, but Ryan had to turn her down – he had to get packed and get ready to take the early morning flight on Saturday morning. He mentioned the idea of her coming along – briefly, mind you – and she somehow managed to completely avoid the question. Well, it was like he said to his friends: there was no way to find out without trying.
Friday night was restless for Ryan, and the sounds from all the people celebrating the start of spring break outside kept him up most of the night. He itched to go out, but knew that there was no way he’d be able to get on the plane if he was drinking tonight. Plus, if Jamie was able to stay in on such a loud night, Ryan could as well.
Around 4:00AM the next day, Jamie erupted into Ryan’s room with a loud bang. The light was on in the hallway, and Ryan could see that Jamie was fully decked out in his most showy Hawaii shirt, unbuttoned almost all the way to the bottom of his chest, along with some white cargo shorts and those ridiculous but awesome plastic-lined sunglasses.
“You look like a parrot,” Ryan said as he pushed himself up.
“Gotta be dressed for the weather,” Jamie answered.
“It’s a long flight there,” Ryan warned.
“I know, but I want to be ready to go out as soon as we get there. Come on, you need to get up so we make our flight. Brett’s already waiting out in the living room.”
“Brett’s here?” Ryan asked in disbelief. The flight actually wasn’t for another three hours, and it only took thirty minutes to get to the airport.
“We’re all excited, man. He’s never been to Spain before.”
“Me neither.”
“So, we’re anxious to get there! Come on, get up and meet us outside.”
With that, Jamie turned around and left Ryan to fully wake up. Ryan threw his blanket off, and swung his legs to the side of the bed. He’d gotten less sleep than he wanted, but the reality – the imminence – of the trip hit him for the first time. He was going to Ibiza for an entire week to do nothing but party and get laid! With his two best friends by his side, and hordes of drunk girls all around. This was going to be the best spring break ever. No – it was going to be the best week of his life, ever.
Quickly, Ryan collected the last of his belongings and threw them into the opened suitcase with the rest of his things that he’d packed the night before. It wasn’t much – a few shirts, some swim trunks, and a few bottles of booze. Obviously they’d be able to buy more alcohol there, but Ryan didn’t think it would hurt to bring his own supply for the first night. By the way Jamie was making it sound, they’d be out in the clubs before they even had a chance to look at the room they’d reserved at the hotel.
Ryan picked up the suitcase, brushed a hand gruffly through his dark brown hair to tame it slightly, and came into the living room. Sure enough, Brett and Jamie were waiting for him on the couches, with Jamie looking the more impatient of the two.
“Finally!” Jamie exclaimed when he saw Ryan emerge from the hallway. “You ready to go?”
“Absolutely,” Ryan replied. “I’m surprised you got here so early,” he added, motioning to Brett.
“Actually, I got into a fight with the wife,” Brett admitted.
“Let me guess, she didn’t want you going?”
“Something like that.”
“She didn’t even know about the trip until last night, did she?”
“Hey, it’s not my fault!” Brett defended. “It just never managed to come up in conversation.”
“Except it’s come up every time you’ve been hanging out with us,” Jamie laughed.
“Maybe I didn’t really want her to know,” Brett said.
“So what happened about that ‘break’ you were so proud of getting before?” Ryan asked suspiciously.
“I don’t think she had quite the same thing in mind as I did,” Brett said, and Ryan thought that Brett actually looked chagrined for a moment. Chagrined! “Anyway,” Brett continued, “I’ll deal with her once we all get back. I told her that I’d be unavailable to take any calls this week.”
“Smart man,” Jamie said sarcastically. “Looks like you planned everything out.”
“Hey, I just wanted to have the best possible time with my boys,” Brett explained. “It’s our last spring break together as college students, after all.”
“Damn right,” Ryan agreed. “Shall we go, then? If you guys insist on leaving so early, I want to get to the airport in time to grab some breakfast.”
“Sounds good,” Jamie said. “I ordered a cab for us, and it should be waiting outside already.”
On those words, everybody picked up their bags and filed out the door. Ryan made sure the front door of their dorm was locked, and then followed Brett and Jamie down the stairs and outside the building to the street. Sure enough, a yellow taxi cab was waiting for them on the other side, and after squeezing all three bags into the trunk, the three of them got into the car. Jamie took the front seat, because he called the cab, and Brett and Ryan were left with sitting in the back.
It was still dark outside, and the clear night sky left hundreds of stars visible. Looking up at them as the cab drove off, Ryan felt a pang of nostalgia for the early college days. This really was his last trip with his friends as college students, and he still had no idea what he was doing next year. But, hard as it was, instead of dwelling on that, he resolved to focus on where he was going and on the excitement building for the trip. Who knew what could happen in Ibiza. If it was his last big hurrah before entering the real world, so be it – but he wanted to make sure it all started with a bang.
**
One long, agonizing, 12-hour flight later, Ryan found himself standing in the middle of a packed airport in Ibiza. Everywhere around him, college students talked excitedly amongst themselves as they all waited for their luggage to come down the carousel. At least three quarters of the crowd was female, and there was not a single unattractive girl in the bunch. It looked like everybody had come here to party over spring break, and, more importantly, the girls looked like they were desperate for some good hard cock.
“Wow, like kids in a candy store, huh boys?” Jamie grinned at Ryan and Brett.
“Tell me about it.” Brett’s eyes were wide, and he was looking around him without discretion, obviously enthralled by all the girls he was seeing.
“This is… so amazing,” Ryan said. “I couldn’t even begin to expect this when we left Boston.”
“You’re welcome,” Jamie laughed, and slapped Ryan on the back. “This’ll keep your mind off any dark, depressing things looming in the future, won’t it?”
“For sure,” Ryan answered.
“And don’t forget our little wager,” Brett added. “The man who slays the most pussy this trip gets the flight back paid for.”
“Oh, I know,” Ryan replied. Despite operating on only a few scant hours of sleep, and enduring a 12-hour flight, the excitement for going out to the clubs here hadn’t waned for him at all. In fact, he thought he was more amped to go out than even Jamie, who had been most excited in the days leading up to the trip.
“So what’s the plan, then?” Brett asked. “I think we should bring our things to the hotel room and then go out right away.”
“Sounds good to me,” Jamie replied. “Beachside bar or downtown club, first?”
“I think the clubs open earlier,” Brett said, “meaning we can get into them right away. We might have to wait a few hours for the bars to come alive.”
“Then our choice is made,” Jamie laughed. “To the hotel room, and then to the clubs!”
Suddenly, Ryan noticed the luggage carousel whir to life. “Check it out, the bags are finally coming down,” he said, and pointed to the mechanism. From a connecting pathway, various travel bags and belongings began to fall onto the rotating belt.
“Perfect timing,” Jamie said. “I was beginning to think we’d be stuck in this airport forever.” At a quizzical look from his friends, he added with a laugh, “not that I’m complaining, with this scenery.”
Ryan leaned back against a wall and watched as the girls – and some guys – made their way to the carousel to pick up their things. Watched, and waited for his own bag to come tumbling down. After ten minutes or so, he saw a familiar red handle on one of the bags that looked just like his own. “There’s mine,” he announced to his friends, and started making his way through to crowd to pick it up.
In his brief walk, he couldn’t help but notice all the tantalizing perfume smells from the girls gathered in the terminal. The thought of all these girls, drunk and partying later in the night, excited him to no end. He’d have the time of his life here.
He reached the carousel, and bent down to pick up his bag. He did so without really looking, though, and was surprised when his hand brushed against something soft, something warm. Startled, he looked down – and saw that another hand was already gripping the bag by its handle. A pale, delicate hand, with painted nails in a vibrant, bright red. His eyes quickly followed the arm up, and he was shocked to see one of the most… alluring… girls he had ever come across.
He could not call her beautiful, outright, but there was something about her pale complexion, contrasted starkly by the deep red lipstick she had on, that called out to him. Her lipstick was the same vibrant shade as her nails, and dark, straight hair framed an angular face. A sharp nose that was just slightly too big to be called pretty stood out beneath deep, dark eyes. Ryan could not see that she had any makeup on other than the lipstick, but at the same time, there was not a single imperfection to her. Her eyebrows were angled neatly to emphasize those big eyes, which looked like they could absorb all the light in a room. She definitely wasn’t beautiful by the usual standards, but instead looked very… exotic. And the shade of that red lipstick stood out above all else.
“Excuse me,” she said simply, and took the bag from the carousel. All the while, however, she maintained strong eye contact with Ryan.
“I believe that’s my bag you’ve got there,” Ryan said.
“Is it?” She raised an eyebrow. She had a way of slurring her words, in an accent that Ryan couldn’t quite place. But her voice was strong; both bold and powerful.
“Yes it is. I recognized the handle from far away.”
“Are you sure?”
“Positive.”
“Well, in that case, I’d suggest you take another look.” The way she said it left no room for argument. Ryan had to force himself to tear his eyes away from her face, and look back down to his bag.
What he saw caused him to do a double-take. The bag she was holding – the bag that he was certain was his own – was not the one he remembered trying to pick up. Instead, what she held was a deep red purse, with an extended handle. Ryan blinked, but the bag didn’t change.
“My apologies,” he said, scrubbing a hand haphazardly through his hair, “I was certain that was my bag, before.”
“Sometimes things are not as they seem, boy,” she said simply, and looked Ryan up and down. For a long, discomforting moment, Ryan felt absolutely naked – and not in the good way. It was like she was able to, with that gaze, look right through him and peer deep into the most intimate trenches of his mind. It was an uncomfortable feeling. Just as suddenly, she turned away, and Ryan couldn’t help but shiver. He closed his eyes involuntarily, and when he opened them – she was gone. She should be still visible walking away in front of him, but he couldn’t find her anywhere.
Well. That was a strange encounter if he’d ever had one. Her face was one that he would not easily forget. The almost blood-red color of her lipstick and nails stuck out in his mind above all else, especially its contrast to her milky white, smooth skin. And the way her gaze made him feel – that was unusual in its own rite.
There was also the dismissive way in which she addressed him – calling him ‘boy’. He’d never been called that before. Especially not by an attractive woman. It wasn’t like he was much younger than her – if he was younger at all. She looked to be about the same age as everyone else in the airport; that is, college age. Or maybe a few years older, at the most.
Ryan looked back to the moving carousel – and surprised himself again when he found his own bag on the floor beside his feet. Did he unknowingly pick it up? No – the bag that he tried to grab before was definitely the one that the girl had her hand on before him. So how did his own bag get there? He shook his head, trying to clear his mind. This was all very strange, very… unusual. An odd start to the Ibiza trip.
Shaking his head again, he picked up his bag – looking down again to make sure it was his – and made his way back to his friends.
“Dude, what took you so long?” Jamie asked upon seeing him. Ryan was surprised again to see that both Jamie and Brett both had their bags standing beside them. But they didn’t even have their bags when he left…
“What do you mean? I was only there for a few minutes?”
“A few minutes?” Brett snorted abrasively. “Try half an hour! We’ve been standing here waiting for you for ages.”
“What are you talking about? I was right over there…” Ryan began to point to the spot he’d just come from, but trailed off as he saw that the crowds he had thought were still there – the crowds that he was sure he walked through on his way back to his friends – had almost completely dispersed. “What the…?”
“’What the’ is right,” Jamie said. “Where the hell did you decide to run off to?”
“I’m… not sure. I don’t remember.”
“What’s wrong with you, man?” Brett asked. “You haven’t been sneaking drinks on the flight, have you?”
“No, I’m sober as can be,” Ryan frowned. None of this was making any sense. He clearly remembered walking over to the luggage carousel only a few minutes ago, and then having that encounter with the girl. Except that trying to remember exactly what happened with her made him feel… dizzy. It was all very strange.
“Well, now that you’re back from wherever the hell you were, we can finally get going,” Jamie said. Then, after looking at Ryan, he added, “you feeling good, man? You look like you’re about to throw up.”
“I’m fine,” Ryan countered. He really did feel fine, just a bit uncoordinated. “Let’s just get to the hotel and drop our stuff off.”
“Sounds good to me,” Brett said, and, picking up his bag, made his way to the exit. Jamie followed closely behind, leaving Ryan standing by himself for a second. Ryan looked around one last time, then, shaking his head again, took off after his friends.
~
CHAPTER FOUR
“Wow, this place is exquisite,” Ryan said as he looked wide-eyed around the room. After a small bout of miscommunication with the foreign taxi driver, they had finally arrived to their hotel, and had just made their way to their room. Ryan saw that he wasn’t the only one who was impressed, though – both Brett and Jamie also had their mouths hanging open.
The room they reserved was on the fifth floor of an ocean-side hotel. Brett’s cousin, who had set up the rooms, had promised that they would impress, but Ryan had no idea he meant it quite this way. The front door opened up into a spacious living room, which had a large balcony that faced the beach. Faux-leather couches decorated the center of the room, and three doors made openings in the two side walls. Each one of the doors led to a separate bedroom, where a king-sized bed was neatly done up in crisp black and white sheets. Each of the rooms also opened up to a private bathroom, with a large Jacuzzi in the middle. Ryan had never seen such luxurious accommodations.
“Well, boys, looks like we should have no problems bringing girls back to this place,” Jamie announced.
“No kidding,” Ryan answered. “I feel like a king in here.”
“Don’t get too cocky yet,” Brett laughed, “it’ll take some time before we get any girls back here.”
“Time?” Jamie scoffed. “Time is for losers. All we need to do is get to the club scene as fast as possible.”
“True that,” Ryan echoed. “Now that we know where we’re staying, we might as well start the party.”
“I’ve got just the thing,” Jamie said, and opened his bag to pull out a bottle of Patron.
“Tequila shots?” Brett asked.
“Why not? Take a couple right now, and then we go out right away. A little pre-gaming never hurt anyone.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Ryan said, settling on the couch. “You got shot glasses?”
“Would you expect anything less?” Jamie laughed, and pulled out three shot glasses, along with a few limes in a Ziploc bag.
“You got limes bro?” Brett asked, amazed.
“Hell yea I got limes. I came prepared.”
“Nice!” Ryan said. “Come on then, let’s get going. I’m as amped to go out as I’ll ever be.”
“Damn right,” Jamie laughed, and pulled out a Swiss army knife from his back pocket to cut the lime into small slivers. He then tossed the bottle of Patron to Ryan to open, which he did eagerly and poured out three shots.
“We got any salt?” Ryan asked Jamie.
“Nah, just the limes.”
“Well, good enough anyway.” Ryan passed a shot glass to each of his friends, and Jamie did the same with the slivers of lime.
“Here’s to a mind blowing week in Ibiza!” Brett said while raising his glass in a toast. Ryan and Jamie did the same.
“Cheers boys,” Ryan said, and threw the shot back, following it up with the lime. Jamie and Brett did the same thing.
“What do you say, five shots and then we go out?” Jamie asked.
“Sounds good to me,” Brett said, clearing his throat. “Damn, this tequila is strong though.”
“It’s the best stuff,” Jamie beamed. “You’re not chickening out on me are you?”
“No way,” Brett protested, then looked to Ryan. “Pour us another shot, bro.”
“With pleasure,” Ryan said, and poured each of his friends another serving of tequila. They downed the second round as quickly as the first, and Ryan made a face as the second shot hit his taste buds. He thought he could already feel the liquor dulling his senses. He was drinking on a completely empty stomach, after all.
“Did you see all those girls at the airport?” Brett asked suddenly.
“Hell yea,” Jamie replied. “I bet they’re all itching to find guys like us out there in the clubs.”
“I bet they’re all as horny as we are,” Ryan said, “and will jump on the first guy they see tonight.”
“We better waste no time in getting out there, then,” Jamie laughed. “But I agree. Those girls looked fucking hungry for cock.”
“And we’re here to give it to them,” Brett smiled. “Bartender! Another round!”
Ryan obliged, pouring another three shots and handing them out quickly. Everybody took theirs, and on a count of three they all threw them back in their throats, followed up by another slice of lime.
“Starting to feel good yet?” Ryan asked.
“Fuck yea,” Jamie said. “Tonight’s going to be epic.” Then he stood up, and mimicked a deep thrusting motion in the air. “That’s what I’m going to be doing all night with these club bitches.”
“No way man, it’s more like this,” Brett said, and leaned back to put his hands in front of his crotch to move them up-and-down like he was guiding a girl’s head. “Blowjobs all around, tonight.” That caused everyone to erupt in boisterous laughter.
“Another two rounds and we’re gone,” Ryan said once the laughter subsided. “Actually, let’s do double shots.”
“Deal,” Jamie said.
“Fine by me,” Brett followed.
“Who goes first?” Ryan asked. Jamie put up his hand quickly. “I’ll do it,” he volunteered.
Ryan poured a shot in two glasses, and slid them across the table to Jamie. “One after the other in succession,” he explained.
“I know how to do it,” Jamie countered, and took a shot in each hand. “You go next,” he said, looking to Ryan, and then took both shots. He slammed the glasses on the coffee table when he was done with a twisted face.
“That’ll keep you in a good mood for the next few hours,” Brett laughed. “Ryan, you’re up. I’ll pour them for you.”
Ryan handed the bottle to Brett, who poured the shots and gave them to Ryan. Ryan downed both quickly, and gagged at the taste. Five shots on an empty stomach definitely wasn’t the best idea. But he held his ground and kept it all down. He was definitely starting to feel a buzz.
Brett was up next, and took both shots like a champ.
“Time to go, boys,” he announced once he finished. “Last man standing tonight wins.”
“Last man standing with a woman beside him,” Ryan corrected. “Let’s get this party started!”
The three of them left the hotel room, loudly bounding down the stairs. When they got outside, Ryan could feel the excitement in the air. All around him, groups of people were running around, yelling and hollering and above all enjoying themselves. The girls he could see were barely wearing anything, which only added to his enjoyment. People everywhere wore bright colors and open shirts, clearly appreciating the hot weather.
“Wow, now this is spring break,” Jamie said to his friends.
“Hell yea,” Brett replied. He was already ogling a group of girls on the other side of the street. “Where are we going first?”
“Let’s just get into the first club we see,” Ryan offered. “That way, we stay close to the hotel, so if – or rather, when – one of us finds some girls, it’ll be easy to bring them back to the room.”
“Sounds good to me,” Brett said. “Shall we start down the street, then?”
“Let’s go,” Ryan replied. In the distance, about a block and a half away, he could see a long line-up leading to heavy wooden front doors. Four large bouncers stood guard with their arms crossed, holding the line of people at bay. “That seems like as good a place as any,” Ryan said, nodding towards the building.
“Dude, that line looks like it would take hours to get in,” Brett said. “I’m ready to party now.”
“Well, let’s just get closer and have a look,” Ryan replied, and set off towards the club. He knew from experience that anywhere there were bouncers standing around looking bored, there was a way to get in that didn’t involve the front door.
When they got closer to the club, Ryan saw that the line waiting outside was even worse than he had anticipated. There were literally hundreds of people, standing three-deep, waiting to get in.
“A place this popular has got to be good, huh?” Ryan said aloud. His friends murmured something in agreement, but Ryan was already looking for a path to the bouncers. He had an ace in his back pocket that he was willing to pull out immediately.
“Wait here,” Ryan told his friends as they got within a hundred feet of the entrance. “Don’t follow me unless I motion to you. I’m going to go talk to the bouncers.”
“Pfft, good luck,” Jamie snorted. Then, he looked somewhat surprised at his own snarkiness, and added, more sincerely, “seriously, good luck bro. I hope we can get in.”
Ryan nodded, and started walking towards the front of the club. Not a direct beeline – he knew he had to be more subtle than that. He walked in beside some of the people waiting in line, stopping by a few of them to ask for the name of the club, which he learned was Divinity, and pausing by some others to ask about the popularity of the place. Everyone said the same thing: Divinity was the place to be this week in Ibiza. Some of the guys mentioned crudely that both the hottest and the easiest girls frequented the place, which only increased Ryan’s resolve to getting him and his friends in.