Daughter of Darkness (Kindred 1)

“The only ones in there are our housekeeper and my younger sisters, who are both asleep. We can easily slip into my room unnoticed, and I don’t plan on making a lot of noise anyway, do you? I mean, I should be the one moaning with pleasure. You can grunt.”

He laughed, but he didn’t get out of the car. Frustrated, she put her hands on her hips, glanced up toward Daddy’s bedroom, and then turned back to her date as if something new had occurred to her, something that would get him to do what she wanted him to do.

“I didn’t think you were this shy. You didn’t act shy earlier tonight. What was that back at the bar? All some macho act for your friends or something?”

“No. I’ve been accused of a lot of things but definitely never of being shy.”

“Right. You’re really hesitating because you’re worried about waking up my housekeeper.”

“Look,” he said after a momentary pause, “I do have a confession to make.”

Brianna took a step back. “Oh, no, don’t tell me you’re gay.”

He laughed. “No. But I am married.”

Brianna just stood there looking at him. “You’re kidding,” she finally said. She stepped back up to the window. “Married? You’re not wearing any ring.”

“I don’t usually when I go to the Underground looking for some action. I asked you to let me take you to a motel, didn’t I? I don’t understand why you want to go into your own house. Why would you want to do that?”

“I like making it in my own bed. Call me kinky. I’m better in my own bed,” she added. “You’ll see.”

“I don’t know. I mean, if someone does wake up, you have to explain, and then, I mean, one thing can lead to another, and I don’t need to get involved with a costly divorce right now.”

“You’re very deceptive. That’s very dishonest. What kind of a marriage do you have?”

“Obviously not the best, but…”

“But you’re disgusting,” she said, and turned away from him for a moment. I saw her look up again at Daddy’s bedroom, and then she turned back to him.

“Listen. There isn’t any problem and won’t be any. My room is away from everyone else’s rooms. The walls are thick. No one will hear us, and even if anyone did, she would ignore us. My maid certainly wouldn’t care. You’re not exactly the first guy I’ve brought home, you know.”

He didn’t reply. I could see Brianna was getting very agitated. She turned away again, looked up at the house again and then back to him. “I don’t know,” he said.

“Please come in for a little while,” she pleaded.

“What is with you? How could someone who looks like you be so desperate for a lover?”

“I’m not desperate,” she snapped back at him. “I don’t like being teased, and I don’t like my time and energy wasted.”

“Hey,” he said. “I’m not teasing. We can still make use of your time and energy, too. Get back into the car, and we’ll go to this motel I know. I don’t see why you…”

He stopped talking. I could see that something had captured his attention.

“Who’s that?” he asked her. She turned toward the house.

“It’s my father. Thanks a lot. You woke him up.”

“But you said he wasn’t home.”

“I didn’t kn

ow he was home.”

“I’d better go.”

I didn’t blame him for being frightened. I was sure Daddy was unhappy about being awakened at that time of the night. I held my breath, anxious to see what would happen to Brianna.

“No. You can’t just go,” she moaned, and actually opened his car door. “You’d better get out and at least let me introduce you. If you just drive away, he’ll think I’m trying to hide something, and I’ll be in big trouble.”