t me from the transformation. My body shook. Though the pain was excruciating, I felt ecstasy. I bit down on my lower lip to contain my scream. When I tasted my own blood, I knew it was almost done. I licked my teeth and felt small, sharp fangs emerging.
Destiny
Camille Blue
He walks naked into my bedroom, my dream lover who haunts me every night. The moonlight hits his body, illuminating the tattoo of Chinese characters on his right shoulder. I lay waiting for him to come to me. As he moves over me, I embrace his hard body with my arms and legs. We kiss like longtime lovers. We touch with impatient passion, as we make love once, twice, then again. After hours pass, he kisses my shoulder, before moving toward the edge of the bed. I reach for him, but he vanishes.
• • •
I jolt awake. My breathing sounded harsh. My sweat-drenched nightgown clung to me, making me shiver in the coolness of my bedroom. I headed to the kitchen for something to drink. The quietness of the house still unnerved me. Until a month ago, my twin sisters had kept the house buzzing with their activities. Now they were at Howard University living their lives. I felt so proud of my sisters, but I missed them so much.
After I poured myself a glass of ice water, I pressed the cold glass against my hot chest. My mind imagined meeting a real man who could stimulate me as much as my dream lover did.
• • •
“I want to lose my virginity. I need your help,” I said to my best friend at dinner the next night.
Uli did not look surprised by my request. Little surprised a woman who owned a sex empire that included a male escort service and an adult film production company.
“You’ve held on to your golden nugget this long, why not wait for Mr. Right?” Uli asked.
Uli’s conservative attitude mystified me. She had been in a relationship with two men and a woman for three years. A ménage à trois et moi was what she liked to call her unique relationships.
“I’m too busy with my practice to find Mr. Right,” I said. “I just want to . . .”
Uli lifted one perfectly arched eyebrow. “Fuck?”
“I wouldn’t have put it quite like that, but yes,” I said.
“So tell me, Dr. Kincaid, what kind of man are you interested in?” Uli asked.
“I want someone smart enough for good conversation,” I said. “Nice looking. Confident, but not too cocky. He should be a really good lover; that is the point of all this, after all.”
Uli nodded in understanding, and then sipped her lychee martini. “You want a cerebral Boy Next Door who fucks like Casanova,” Uli said. “Anything else?”
I glanced around to see if anyone had heard Uli. No one seemed to be paying us any attention.
“No,” I said. “I think you’ve got the idea.”
“I know the place for your sex odyssey,” Uli said. “New Orleans. That city will blast you out of your comfort zone, and bring out your sensual side.”
“New Orleans,” I said.
I nodded and smiled. I liked that idea a lot. I could not think of a sexier place. Uli and I spent the next several minutes settling all the details of my sexy weekend. We parted with a hug and a promise to have a long talk when I returned from New Orleans.
• • •
Later that night, I dried myself off after my bath. I took the time to really look at my body. My breasts were full, as were my hips, but my waist was small. I was a fit size twelve. I had few hangups about my body. When you care for sick people who would give anything for a healthy body, it makes carrying a few extra pounds insignificant.
I slipped into a lavender satin nightshirt and spritzed myself with my favorite perfume, Bulgari. I felt in a New Orleans frame of mind. So, I put on some Wynton Marsalis, made myself a Hurricane, and danced for the first time in years.
• • •
Two weeks later, the sultry scent of New Orleans infiltrated my body like a spirit massage. I checked into my hotel in the French Quarter, then went to my suite to get ready for my evening. After a cool shower, I dressed in an off-the-shoulder black dress and five-inch black stilettos. I carefully applied my new makeup. I smiled at my handiwork. I looked pretty damned good.
I felt eager about the evening ahead as I prepared to meet my three prospective lovers. My chauffeur drove me to a historic restaurant that Uli had suggested in the gorgeous Garden District. I selected a table near the entrance and waited for the show to begin.
A man who resembled Idris Elba entered, and looked to be searching for someone. I hoped he was searching for me. My heart skipped in excitement when he walked to my table. He frowned when he looked at me.