Chapter 21

“…I hate the idea,” groans Bart.

It’s already the second time he said that.

“Chill, Bart, he’s perfect for this,” I chuckle. “The girls on the forum were unanimous. That photographer is a typical asshole, using his reputation to force them to do nudes. But, he does have some talent, and plenty of reputation in the field, which is why none of them has been able to sue the bastard… Too bad for him, I doubt he’s ever met someone who could actually stand up to his schemes.”

“…Yeah, I hate it.”

I ignore him, and step out of the car. Cecily helped me pick out my outfit, and we settled for one of my new pairs of slim jeans, and a black, fitted tank top, the basic outfit for a model. With my high-heel boots, my coat and the black cap, I look the part. I’m also not wearing any makeup, which makes me glad for my new flawless vampire skin… I adjust the big glasses on my nose, another last-minute accessory I thought about, just in case.

“You wait for me here,” I say, leaning against the car’s window. “I’ll be just fine, Bart. If he doesn’t think I came alone, he’ll be even more annoying to deal with, and I don’t want to spend more time than necessary up there already. Okay? Just go and… have a drink while I’m busy.”

“Very funny.”

He keeps on a grouchy face, and his hands tight around the wheel. I know he won’t leave the car and just keep listening to everything that’s going on up there, but I’m really not worried either way. If anything, I’d be worried for the bastard waiting for me upstairs. Actually, this will be a good exercise for me…

I check the texts again. I’m a bit early, but so be it. Any girl should have been wary of a man that offered a shooting session at seven in the evening, but for me, it was perfect, right after sunset and with still enough time to prepare myself. I re-read the messages while getting out of the car and walking up to the building. It was quick. My shy text with a brief bio. His prices, sent an hour later making himself look very busy, but really, all I had to do was to send a couple of pictures of me. He said yes right away, thanks to Cecily’s thorough catfishing expertise… I got a time and location for the very next evening. I did look good in those pictures we sent, and just innocent enough to be that rotten pig’s type.

Finally, I spent a while reading a long thread of girls complaining about his methods on an anonymous forum, so I know exactly what to expect.

“Hera!” He opens the door. “Come in, darling.”

Damn, he is charming, for an asshole. Perfect white teeth, nice face, well built. He smells like cologne, good cologne and aftershave. I guess there’s a reason so many girls fell for it. The more my vampire eyes look though, the more I find some imperfect details. A random beard patch under his chin, a faint smell of tobacco and whiskey, and his shirt not so subtly opened two buttons down on a hairy chest. …

Yuck. His mid-length hair and golden necklace tell me he thinks himself more handsome than he really is. Well, perhaps it is the comparison with my new male siblings that make him look horribly average…

“Good Evening, Sir,” I say in my shyest voice.

“Sir? Please call me Scott! Your pictures aren’t bad,” he says with a bright smile. “You’ve got potential, but how come your Instagram is empty, darling?”

Of course he checked out my social media.

“Oh, I decided to delete everything a while ago and get a fresh start,” I smile innocently. “I heard that your social media should be absolutely flawless, so I had to get rid of everything that was in there, I intend to manage it better from now on! These pictures will be my first step.”

“Good, good! You know, I don’t often have time like this for a newcomer like you, you got lucky.

Somebody cancelled on me last minute, so here we go. And also, I do know how to recognize some potential when I see it!”

There we go, flattering me as if I should be so grateful he agreed to give me two hours of his time… I quickly glance around. We are obviously in his private apartment, so I guess the studio he mentioned is that white corner with the cameras and bright light set up in the living room. It may seem fancy to newcomers who have only ever taken pictures with a phone or a half-decent camera, but I know this is all pretty cheap equipment to put his hands on. Way to have girls come over making them think it’s some professional studio location. There’s a bottle of whisky visible on the bar of his open kitchen, and I’m sure the door isn’t open on the bedroom just by mistake either.

“Oh, would you like a glass?” He offers. “I just usually pour myself a glass before work. Relax, I’m not the kind of asshole to force you to drink! It’s just that it often does help to relax the newbies a bit!”

I was also prepared for this. The girls who refuse to drink get gradually pressured that they are just not relaxed enough until they actually agree to the first glass… I’ll skip that part, and make it seem easy.

“…It’s not too strong, is it?” I ask, using my fake shy voice.

“Of course not!”

Liar. At least, he’s completely buying my acting. Looks like I haven’t lost my touch… I glance at the large windows, with lots of natural light coming in. Well, right now it’s natural moonlight. I bet Bart is listening to everything from downstairs, his car is parked right outside those windows.

I take the glass Scott hands me, pretending not to see how he just checked me out from head to toe…

with a good stop on my cleavage.

“You have great proportions, Hera darling,” he says. “I’m sure you’ll do amazing! Now, shall we get started?”

“A-alright,” I chuckle, licking the sweet whiskey off my lips.

I put the glass down, just a bit left in it, and he saw it. This amount really does nothing to me though, so I’ll have to act accordingly. The taste was a bit odd, even for cheap whiskey, so I suspect there’s something else in it. Well, nothing to bother me. I walk over to the white corner, checking my surroundings as if it was my first time.

“So you’ve never taken professional pictures before, honey?” He asks.

“No, just with my friend… She’s the one who mentioned you, actually, and she heard you were a pretty known photographer in the field.”

That’s free for his ego. He immediately seems to grow an inch taller, and nods, faking humility.

“Well, I like to say I do have a lot of very good relationships with some of the very best. If you work well with me, having my name on your book is already a very good way to introduce yourself to the agencies honey, it is a competitive world to step into! I could even say a word or two to some of my friends and get you working with the very best, very soon.”

“I do hope these pictures turn out good,” I smile.

“That will all depend on you darling!”

There we go. His ego on the line, we start the photoshoot. At first, I act shy, taking awkward poses, but acting exactly as he directs me, faking some new found confidence. Of course, I actually already know the basics of how to pose, where to look, the way to tilt my head and make myself look good. He’s still happy to try and drop a few compliments, boasting about my curves, my “natural talent for this”, and how I look good in his camera. There’s a hint of flirting, but it’s smooth, always an inch away from the line. Seems like he’s perfected his game over the years, but it’s always the same. The girls on the forum almost always mentioned they had felt flattered by his praise at first… I play his game for a while, giggling at some compliments, acting all shy and cute, yet confident and sexy when it comes to taking pictures. It’s a hard balance, I need to look pro on the pictures, yet make that idiot believe he’s got me dancing in the palm of his hand…

“You’re doing absolutely amazing, Honey,” he says after a while, checking on his camera. “Shall we take a little break? You must be hot! Let’s have a drink together.”

“Sure!”

More giggles, I agree to another glass of whiskey, trying to act like I didn’t see him pour more than one normal dose, and drink it politely, like a good girl. That guy probably thinks he’s being subtle, but his body language is all too clear; he’s getting closer, and when he brushes my skin “by mistake”, he jolts, surprised by how cold it is… Still, he’s enjoying the hunt too much to realize I’m not the prey. I suggest we get back to it before he gets too many ideas; I do actually need him to take some good pictures.

“…Mh, Honey, you’re doing well, but I feel like we’re missing a bit of an opportunity here. Would it be alright if you drop the top? Just the top darling, so we can see that gorgeous body of yours.”

I hear the faint tension in his voice; he’s testing me. But I smile, and slowly, turn around, and take off my top slowly and shyly. I picked a simple black bra on purpose.

“…Amazing,” I hear him groan. “Let’s see…”

He snaps a few shots, and I’m fine with it; I’ve already shown much more on screen, this much isn’t enough to make me shy. I still have to act the part though, so I pretend that the alcohol is working its part in making me more relaxed, and follow his instructions. Of course, it’s not long before he suggests I lose the bra, too.

“Just for the sake of those pictures, Honey. It’s always better when there’s nothing like this stupid fabric, so they get a better picture of what you can do.”

“Of course!”

Off the bra goes, but I’m not a child; I know how to pose so I show enough, but not too much. This time, I step up my A-game: I give him flawless poses, cross my arms left and right or give him the back view to hide my nipples; whatever he says, he can’t make some bullshit excuse that I need to show everything when I’m giving him this much.

“…You’re a diamond in the rough, Honey,” he smiles not long after. “Come on, take off the pants now.”

I smile, and obey. I can imagine Bart fuming in the car, but this is going just as expected. He’s far too excited, and the shutter doesn’t stop even when I’m just taking off my jeans. I pose, with just my simple black panties left, giggling and acting like a foolish girl who doesn’t realize how wrong this is.

“Amazing,” he keeps saying, getting closer. “Keep doing this… Yes, great…”

At least he’s still shooting. He’s getting close, though, too close. I know he’s struggling because I do know how to pose, and he hasn’t been needing to give me any directions for a while. He clearly knows what he wants next, but he’ll have to play smoothly to get it this time.

“You know, it would be better if you lost the panties too, darling.”

“You think so?”

I stop posing, and hand on my hip, staring at him. I cut off the acting, and his smile fades a little.

“That’s just my professional advice, Honey. The real pros never say no to nudes! …Look, if you’re embarrassed, I can dim the lights a bit. Do you want another glass? It will help you relax.”

He goes and quickly fills that glass. I take it, and drink it, while he smiles, thinking he won. When I’m done, I extend my arm, and drop the glass, letting it shatter loudly and theatrically on the ground. Then, I turn my black irises to him.

“You’re a little piece of shit,” I say with a smile.

He blinks, as if he wasn’t sure he’d heard me right.

“E-excuse me?”

“You make all those girls drink until they weren’t sure what they did, took hundreds, thousands of pictures of them nude, of yourself having sex with them, and then, you handed them the acceptable pictures, threatening to release the embarrassing ones if they ever spoke. …Did I get any of that wrong?”

He stumbles back, completely taken by surprise. Not only am I not drunk at all, but my speech, demeanor and attitude did a 180. I’m now faintly glaring at him, trying to use my domination to intimidate him. I’m not sure if that’s working, but he does look shocked and unsure at least.

“Y-you… I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he groans. “I’ve had this kind of girl before, they just make claims to try and defame me, they have no proof!”

“Where are the proofs then, Scott?”

This time, I’m using my charming power. His lips twitch.

“I-in my laptop… I-In a secure… secure file…”

“Of course. But it’s really bad to keep those images and videos without the girls’ consent, right?”

“Y-yes…”

“So, I suggest you send all their pictures back to them tomorrow morning, with a long, long, long apology email of how much of a rat you are. And then, you’re going to delete all those pictures from your laptop, and never, ever try that again. What do you think?”

He slowly nods. I smile, and slowly get closer. Why do I feel so hungry all of a sudden… Oh well.

“You’re a rat, but you’ll do for a quick meal.”

I show my fangs, relish in the sudden panic in his eyes, and bite. Perhaps I make this a bit more painful than necessary, but… he deserves it, right? I suck, suck his blood with delight. Not bad, for a rat.

There’s an interesting taste… something a bit yummier than usual. I slowly enjoy each gulp, trying to count. I discussed it with Bart. I need to stop before ten… I try to force myself. Count. Stop, Hera, stop.

You’ve had enough. After the eighth, I groan, but step back. He’s still standing there, although looking paller, and wobbling.

“Now, forget all this happened. Forget me, forget tonight, and just do as we discussed.”

I push him with my finger, and he falls. Unconscious, but alive. With a bit of luck, the glass on the floor will serve as a decent explanation for the blood stains…

Next, I walk over to the camera, taking the memory card for myself. Then, I quickly put my clothes back on, grab my coat, and walk out, leaving him there. Back downstairs, Bart’s already got the car engine running. I give him my best smile, and get inside. He stares at me for a second.

“…What?”

“You’re turning into a real baddie, Baby Vamp,” he mutters.

“…Is that bad?” I tilt my head.

“I don’t hate it, for one,” he chuckles.

He hands me a tissue to wipe off the bit of blood on my chin, and drives off. I was less messy than usual this time… and that was good, too. Surprisingly yummy… I can barely believe I managed to stop, I could have emptied the bastard dry. I check the time, and it’s not even ten. That was a nice idea. I feel satisfied knowing that I served at least one bastard some well-deserved revenge.

Once we get home, Cecily almost jumps on me to see the pictures, and we move to the living room, Felicia, Cata and Lancelot also gather around to see them. A bit proud, I tell them all about how I handled that photographer while the laptop starts.

“Ha!” Scoffs Cecily. “You’re nice to have left him alive. I would have hung this idiot by his balls…”

“Cecily!” Cata protests, visibly shocked.

“What? At least Baby Vamp got a nice little meal. It’s always better when they are a bit excited isn’t it Baby Vamp?”

I freeze, confused.

“…What do you mean?”

They all go silent for a second, and Cecily laughs, her eyes going to Bart.

“Oh, please, Bart! You didn’t tell her the best part?”

“I didn’t think I had to…”

“What is this about?” I ask, completely confused.

“Sex, Baby,” Cecily smiles like a cat in heat. “Hunger is Lust’s sister. Desire makes blood taste so much better… You got your first try tonight, and that was just a sample.”

…Oh.