Black than Blue Read online

  I stared back at him, offering a knowing smile. Aside from the lustful scent oozing off him, it wasn’t hard for me to recognize why he’d stopped by. A booty call was a booty call. Andrew and I waited for a while as Van figured out what he wanted to say. He looked at the floor, back between Andrew and me, then considered the door again. The small tent in his shorts made him rethink the exit.

  “Is it okay if Cleo watches?” Andrew finally asked.

  Van bit his lip, probably weighing the embarrassment factor of having me look on. “Yeah, that’s fine.”

  Andrew nodded toward his bed. “Come on.” Van nearly bolted across the room, stripping out of his shirt and his shorts as he went. He was naked and facedown on Andrew’s comforter before his boxers hit the floor. I laughed to myself and watched Andrew as he moved around his room, locking his door then digging up some condoms and lube.

  I stopped him as he passed his desk one last time. I took him gently by the chin and shoved my other hand into his shorts. I worked his cock, feeling it grow hard in my palm. He shuddered as I barely pricked his neck with my fangs.

  “You come for me, okay?” I instructed him.

  “Yes, Cleo,” Andrew replied. Eager to be alone with me, he walked to the bed, ditching his own shorts as he went.

  When we see our feeders fuck, it’s like a switch is thrown inside. We want to feed and we want to participate, though I had no interest in touching Van. I watched Andrew as he pounded away with sharp thrusts. It only took a few minutes. Van came quickly, and just as fast, he kissed Andrew on the mouth, grabbed his clothes, then ran back to his room.

  Andrew discarded the condom.

  “We’ll go down to Moreland’s soon,” I said. “I need to have you properly.”

  “Yes, Cleo.” I growled softly at his tone. He was such a good boy.

  “For now.” I stood and unzipped my pants. I reached below my clit and spread my juices up along the shaft. “I want your mouth.”

  Andrew came across the room and knelt before me. He was good with his tongue.

  I fed from him and fucked him for a good two hours, giving him my wrist periodically to help replenish his drained fluids. Once we were finished, I stripped completely naked and waited in Andrew’s bed while he cleaned himself up. Cum covered his stomach and his thighs.

  “Honey, set your alarm for four forty-five,” I told him before he settled with me between the sheets. Andrew reached for his clock while I set another alarm on my phone. I’d take another form for my own safety if I slept past sunrise, but I wasn’t in the mood to chance it. I ignored another text from Tokyo—Where are you?—and cuddled up next to my feeder to sleep.

  Chapter Four

  Benny

  I turned in my German test and went outside to wait for Jill to finish with her exam. She was the only freshman in our German IV class, but she was doing very well. Almost as well as me. I headed for the rotunda at the front of the building and continued walking the moment I saw a group of basketball players occupying the sitting area.

  I found a seat outside on a raised ledge by the stairs and pulled out my media and culture book. It was still cool out, but the sun was shining and most of the recent snowfall had melted. There was still time before the bell tower chimed off the hour, but soon students started trickling out of the building. I tucked myself farther out of the way and continued to wait for Jill. I wanted to ditch her and enjoy lunch by myself, but she knew where I lived. As I turned the page, a shadow blocked the sunlight coming through the winter clouds.

  “Mmph. Benny, Benny, Benny.” I didn’t have to look up to know De’Treshawn Boss was standing over me. The point guard for the Maryland University men’s basketball team had been sniffing around various girls all year, but recently I’d been honored by his attentions.

  I nodded, my lips pursed.

  “No hello for me?”

  Realizing that reading was futile until he left me alone, I peered up at him. De’Treshawn wasn’t attractive. His head was too small for his body and his teeth were too small for his mouth. And his breath smelled. He overdressed in this obnoxious way where everything matched, from his hat to his shoelaces. Today’s motif was brown and gold, with a faux designer pattern. Where he found brown jeans with that much sag, I’ll never know.

  I stared at him a moment more, wondering what would be the best way to shake him. Politics. Feminine hygiene. Literature.

  “Sorry. I was just so wrapped up in my book. Chinese marketing keeps me busy.”

  His eyes glazed over momentarily as he looked at the cover of my book. I wasn’t entirely sure how well he could read. There were several girls who actually did the team’s homework and papers. But in this instance, he couldn’t be swayed.

  “You coming to watch me hoop this weekend?”

  “I will be in attendance. My sorority sister is on the dance team, remember?”

  “Word. So when are you gonna let me holla at you? A good-luck kiss before a game can work wonders for a nigga’s jump shot. And I know you don’t want to spend Valentime’s weekend alone.”

  He said Valentime’s.

  Though I never looked forward to being alone at any point in the year, the question didn’t dignify an answer. I tried to make my point clear to De’Treshawn. I wasn’t now, nor would I ever be looking to spend time in his company. De’Treshawn took this as some sort of challenge and tried harder with what he thought were jokes and compliments to get me to see why I would be a fool to go on living without his penis inside me. We’d done this dance before, though never with a steadily growing audience.

  At first, it was just a buddy of his who appeared at his side. Then two more and then two members of the women’s basketball team, one of whom, Trea, was actually a very attractive butch who I wouldn’t have minded a romp with in another time and place. She seemed to understand that I wasn’t playing hard to get. Unfortunately, she was enjoying the show and didn’t step in to tell De’Treshawn to shut up. But what would have been a stupid and forgettable exchange turned into a full-on scene the moment I saw Jill marching toward us with marked determination. She didn’t care for De’Treshawn any more than I did, but only because she thought he was encroaching on her turf.

  “You ready to go?” I said to her the moment she approached, but she was focused on my gentleman caller.

  “Why don’t you just back off, De’Treshawn!” she nearly screeched. That caused a few more people to stop and stare. Mostly because his name sounded adorably ridiculous with her accent. “She’s not interested in you.”

  “Oh yeah?”

  “Yeah,” Jill said. “Benny doesn’t even like boys, so you don’t have a chance.”

  “How you know all that, shorty?”

  “Because she’s my best friend and I know she’s gay.” This conversation between Jill and me had never taken place, but still she let those words burst out of her mouth. The president of the Tri Pis, Kimber Knowles, and three of her lackeys walked down the stairs just in time to hear that little confession. They stopped to watch the rest of the show as well. I ignored Kimber’s snide smirk.

  “I told you, stupid,” Trea yelled over De’Treshawn’s shoulder. I glared at her. Trea just smiled in return.

  “Is that right?” De’Treshawn saw this as a challenge.

  Trea broke in again instead of letting me answer for myself. “I have a better chance than you, dumbass.” She slid between De’Treshawn and me, brushing my shoulder gently as she went. “Benny, when you get tired of this fool barking up your tree, you come holla at me.”

  “Yeah, I’ll think about it,” I muttered as she and her teammate walked toward the cafeteria, all high fives and laughs as they went. I was ready to go myself, but De’Treshawn wasn’t ready to let me leave.

  “Whoa! Whoa! Wait,” he said, grabbing my wrist. He’d crossed the line.

  “Let her go,” Jill yelped, giving him a shove. He stumbled back a half step, chuckling at Jill as he recovered his footing.

  I paused and looke
d at his fingers digging into my skin. “Let me go,” I said quietly. De’Treshawn dropped my wrist. I fixed my jacket and tucked my book into my bag. I’d planned to give De’Treshawn a piece of my mind, but then Micah showed up.

  Micah was a good friend. As president of our brother fraternity, we did a lot of Greek-related activities together. He cared about all of the girls in Alpha Beta Omega, not just his girlfriend, A.J. I appreciated his chivalry when it came to our whole chapter, but the moment he stepped into this situation flanked by Jim and Tim, the Tongan twins, two massive football players who had pledged OBA in the fall, it escalated a now-uncomfortable conversation to the workings of a fistfight. The fact that Micah, Tim, and Jim were wearing their OBA letterman’s jackets made it look like a basketball versus football throwdown was about to break out. I’d say it was a situation akin to something else I’d experienced in high school, but I went to an all-girls school where I was rather invisible.

  “Can I help you?” De’Treshawn said.

  “That depends,” Micah replied, thankfully keeping his cool. “Is he bothering you?”

  “Yes! He—” Tim slipped a hand over Jill’s mouth and dragged her out of the fray.

  “No, Micah. He’s not bothering me.”

  “You heard her, white boy. You and the faggot patrol move along.” As pasty and blond as Micah was, he also met De’Treshawn at an even six-four and he definitely wasn’t gay. He also wasn’t the kind of guy who thought being called gay was an insult. Micah laughed and I may have snickered a little as his girlfriend A.J. walked up and slid her tiny hand into Micah’s massive palm.

  “Hey, baby,” A.J. said as she looked cautiously between Micah and De’Treshawn. “What’s going on?”

  “The Boss here just throwing his slurs around and harassing Benny,” Micah replied.

  “It’s not harassment if she like it, playa,” De’Treshawn said.

  “And I don’t,” I finally spoke up. “De’Treshawn, good luck on Saturday, and please feel free to never speak to me again.”

  “Was that clear enough for you?” Micah asked.

  “Whatever, man.” De’Treshawn licked his lips and stared at my breasts. “I’ll peep you later.”

  I grunted dismissively and took the polite elbow Jim offered me. “You okay?” he asked sweetly.

  “Yeah. I’m fine.” Pissed, but fine.

  We headed to the cafeteria with Micah and A.J. Tim followed with Jill tossed over his shoulder. When she giggled through her protesting I knew he’d gotten her to relax. Once we were a safe distance away from De’Treshawn Boss and friends, Micah sprang back to his normal cheerful self.

  “You wanna come by and see our puppy later?” he asked.

  “Benny, he’s so cute,” A.J. added.

  “Can I come too?” Jill asked.

  “Of course, Jilly Bean,” Micah teased her, winking at me.

  “Don’t call me that,” she pouted.

  “Did you guys pick a name yet?” I asked, preparing myself for even more time with Jill.

  Micah broke out in a huge smile. “Motherfucker.”

  Right, because what else would you name a puppy?

  *

  That Saturday night, I found myself in the front row of the students’ section of Madison Arena, with Jill chattering my ear off on the right and Samantha on my left, seemingly exhausted from the night before. Most Friday nights were movie nights in the Alpha Beta Omega house, and every movie night, the viewing quickly devolved into an orgy / feeding frenzy for my sorority sisters and our sister-queens. Rather than sit by and try to watch the movie or sit by and watch Tokyo try to weasel her way between Cleo and her feeders, I waited until the first half of Dirty Dancing was over before I offered Camila my neck. She was full, of course, but I always felt rude running from her the one night of the week every girl in the house gave from her vein.

  I swallowed my orgasm with quiet dignity, thankful that Jill was busy feeding Ginger, and escaped back to my room unnoticed. I called Mama and thanked her for the Valentines and chocolates she’d sent me, finished some homework, then decided it was time for bed. Now in the middle of another night out with the girls, I tried to get comfortable in the narrow plastic seats. I regretted the thick sweater I picked for the walk over from the house. I’d peeled off my jacket, but I was still sweating.

  There were a few announcements over the loudspeaker and the other team’s players were announced as they took the court. I pulled out my phone, trying to ignore Jill’s constant comments. Luckily, someone thought to save me.

  “Jill.” I looked up, shocked to see our sister-queen Faeth in her natural form, standing beside our seats. She looked nice. She’d straightened her usually curly hair and pulled it back into a ponytail. A gray mock-neck sweater, loose dark gray jeans, and a pair of white sneakers rounded out her outfit. She’d been a demon for over thirty years, but her constant trips back to her former home in New Zealand kept her accent in place. Tonight, though, she covered it, opening her O’s up in a perfect impersonation of a Baltimore native.

  “What?” Jill replied.

  “Skylar and Hollis want you to go sit with them.” Faeth nodded up in the stands.

  “Really?” Hollis and Skylar had been giving Jill the cold shoulder all year. They’d nicknamed her Jaws due to the metal in her mouth. They refused to give up the cruel name, but maybe Ginger had finally had a talk with them. I glanced behind us to see the two freshmen waving Jill up to their row. I looked up a little farther and caught Cleo’s gaze.

  She was in a different form, of course. Her hair was hanging longer, down to her shoulders, and was held back by a ruby-studded headband. Her face was similar to a Nigerian runway model I’d seen in a few magazines, but whose name I couldn’t remember. She looked different from the neck up, but her body was the same. And Cleo had a way about her that would never fade. Plus, she had on another leather jacket she’d taken from Tokyo and she was sitting beside Andrew with her hand in his lap. She snarled at me with a cold grimace until I turned around. Just three more months and I’d never have to deal with her and her lack of social graces again.

  “Yeah, go. Sit with them,” Faeth said. “I’ll keep Benny company.” Jill weighed her options for a moment. A chance at friends, possibly for the next three years, or a few hours next to me.

  “Do you mind?” she asked me.

  “No, not at all. Go hang out with them. I’ll see you back at the house.” I mustered half a smile and patted her on the leg. She kissed me on the cheek, then squeezed around Faeth to get to the aisle. Faeth made herself comfortable beside me, propping her feet up on the railing that separated us from the first row of public spectators below. She draped her long arm on the back of my seat. I caught her scent, a light hint of fresh grass. It was an odd smell, but pleasant, and it suited Faeth.

  “You’re welcome,” she said, nudging my leg. “I know she’s been driving you nuts.”

  “Thank you. Your voice sounds too strange this way.” I smiled at her.

  “Just trying to fit in with the locals. Can I be your Valentine for the evening?”

  “I’m not much for company, but sure.”

  The lights in the arena dimmed, and hip-hop music blasted above us. De’Treshawn and his four teammates were introduced, slapping hands and bumping fists with the rest of their team as they ran onto the court in their Maryland University warm-up suits. The purple and gold was a great combination, but the scheme did nothing to improve De’Treshawn’s appearance. I watched him as they warmed up, fixated on his showboating and his small teeth. He really wasn’t attractive.

  “I’m pretty good at basketball, you know,” Faeth said.

  “Are you?”

  “Yeah. You should see me. I’m all legs. I can dunk and everything.” Faeth laughed. I rolled my eyes, chuckling back at her. Considering her strength, she could probably rip the hoop out of its supports. Our conversation was interrupted by the team’s equipment manager. I had no idea what his name was, but he was out
of breath and waving a T-shirt from the aisle near us.

  “Benny?” he panted.

  “Yeah?” I frowned at him.

  “This is for you.” He held up the T-shirt closer to my face. A sweaty Maryland University Basketball shirt, I guessed had been worn at some point earlier in the evening. “From De’Treshawn.”

  My body temperature spiked with rage and my cheek twitched. What the hell was his problem? “I don’t want it.”

  “Please just take it. He’ll give me so much shit.”

  “Kid.” Faeth leaned forward. “She said she doesn’t want it.”

  He looked Faeth over. Even though she was sitting, he could tell that she was taller than him, and anyone could see, much stronger. And even though I didn’t check, I’m sure the rest of my chapter and the OBA boys were watching. This wouldn’t end well if he pushed the issue. “Shit. Fine,” he grumbled.

  We watched as he shuffled his way back down to the court. De’Treshawn took a warm-up shot, made it of course, then ran to the bench to get the dirt on my response. It would be too much for him to drop dead right there on the parquet floor and completely out of the question for him to realize that maybe it was time to back off. De’Treshawn looked up at me, unfazed as Faeth tightened her grip around my shoulders, and blew me a kiss. I looked away.

  “How long has that been going on?” Faeth asked.

  “Doing recon for Camila?” My sister-queen would want to hear about this. I just hadn’t planned to tell her.

  “No.” Faeth laughed. “Just because you’re not mine doesn’t mean I don’t care.”

  “Four weeks, but don’t worry about it. He’ll realize I’m serious when I don’t cave before graduation.” It was enough that Micah was watching my back without my asking. I didn’t need our sister-queens to be paranoid. De’Treshawn was on my nerves, but he wasn’t dangerous. Just stupid.

  “Okay.” Faeth accepted my explanation with a shrug.

  I watched the first half of the game with mild interest. The starting five were severely lacking in basic teamwork fundamentals, but De’Treshawn was untouchable from the three-point line, and his teammate, Ron Michaels, was just as skilled under the rim. By halftime, we were up by twenty. Finally, both teams left the court and the arena went dark.