The day had arrived, her day to become a concubine. Olivia was not thrilled. High-strung nerves made her stomach roll and bile claw its way up her throat. She brushed her teeth and ran her hairbrush through her hair. Soon, the beautification process would begin. Hairstylists, professional dressers, and a nail tech would arrive. The last time she did any kind of prep like this was her high school prom.
She glanced at her phone. They should be here in five minutes. She put her brush away and pressed her elbows to the vanity, her chin resting on her hands. Sucking in a deep breath, she exhaled and watched her reflection in the mirror. Her chestnut brown hair hung to her waist, soft curls giving it a slight wave. She closed her eyes and lowered her head. Then the doorbell rang.
“Fuck,” Olivia whispered, then stood. She peeked into the mirror once more, then nodded. “Let’s do this.”
Making her way to the door, she saw two women and one man dressed in black cloaks, faces and heads obscured with a hat and shawl similar to a bee keeper, and black gloves on their hands.
Vampires.
She opened her door and the trio quickly stepped inside. No introductions. Olivia closed the door and stared at her visitors.
“So, umm, hi. I’m Olivia.” She waved one hand then wrapped her arms around her waist.
The women pulled the gloves off their hands, then removed their wide brimmed hats. They almost reminded her of the Preachers she saw occasionally with their Sunday hats going to Catholic mass. The one to her left unwrapped her shawl from her face. Her skin was alabaster, her eyes a light hue of blue. Her hair crimson, like fire. The corners of her mouth lifted in a grin.
“Hi there. My name is Amanda. I’ll be doing your hair today.”
Amanda had a southern drawl as apparent as Olivia’s.
“I have Jackie next to me here,” Amanda nodded to the other woman, then motioned to the man. “This here is Bryce. Jackie will do your nails. Bryce will dress you.”
Bryce removed his hat and shawl. “We’re going to make you look like you walked off the Hollywood carpet.” His voice was heavy, gravelly. The shirt covering his body was taut around his thick arms. The pectorals on his chest twitched when he moved his arms. Hell, he was built like a lumberjack. His skin was pale, like Amanda’s, but with dark hair and light tan eyes, like coffee mixed with cream. He smirked. “You will walk in and look like the princess you are.”
Olivia lifted her brow. “I’m no princess, but I don’t mind looking pretty.” She flashed a glance at Jackie. The woman had blonde hair and sapphire eyes, like the ocean near the Caribbean.
Like Amanda.
The vampire curled her fingers, motioning Olivia to come to her. She stepped toward her and Jackie grasped her hand.
She tilted her head at Olivia’s nails. “Not bad, but I’ll make them better.”
“Right,” Olivia said and freed her hand from Jackie’s. “What do you need me to do?”
The team brought in their supplies, consisting of hair products, curling irons, makeup, and clothes. Lots and lots of clothes.
An hour had passed but to Olivia it felt like it was only minutes. She wanted the time to draw out. The longer the process took, the better. When she was done, she would be escorted to the coven.
“Are you excited?” Amanda asked.
“I’m not sure, honestly,” Olivia told her.
“You’ve known about this your whole life. Aren’t you curious?”
“Well, yes, I am, but I’m not sure what to expect. I don’t know how I fit in, other than being a feeding source.” She lifted her hands up to stop Amanda, then turned in her seat. “May I ask you something?”
Amanda nodded with a smile. “Of course.”
“Does it hurt?”
“Does what hurt, hun?”
Olivia cleared her throat. She did not want to offend the woman but had many questions she could not ask just anyone. She tried again. “Amanda, when I’m bitten, will it hurt?”
Amanda shook her head. “Not in the least. You will feel nothing of the sort. You will feel something,” she giggled, then continued, “but it won’t be pain.”
Olivia lifted her brows then felt blood rush to her cheeks. She lowered her gaze to the floor. “Well, that’s good to know.”
Amanda touched Olivia’s chin with a finger and tilted her head up, forcing Olivia to meet her gaze. “No one will force you into something you don’t want to do. If you permit feeding only, then that is all it will be. If you allow more to happen, like sex, then it will, but only by your permission. No one takes a concubine against their will.”
Olivia nodded. “Thank you,” she whispered, turning back around in her seat. “Any idea who I’m promised to?”
Amanda shrugged. “I have an idea, but the surprise is best when you don’t know. Now, then.” She pulled the top part of Olivia’s hair back and pinned it. “You’re stunning.” She walked around to face her and picked up her makeup bag.
“Ready for me?” came a voice behind them. Olivia glanced in the mirror as Jackie entered the room.
“Yeah, go ahead. I’m almost done here,” Amanda told her.
“You look divine, my love,” Jackie boasted. “I’m going to shape your nails and paint them to match the lipstick you’ll wear. I have a feeling Bryce will dress you in red tonight! You’ll stand out, most certainly!”
Olivia beamed and allowed Jackie to take her hand. She felt like a celebrity being worked on. “I don’t necessarily like to stand out. I’m more like paint on a wall. I would rather blend in and not be noticed.”
“Oh, you’re shy?” Jackie asked.
“I wouldn’t call it being shy, but I’m quite introverted. I keep to myself.”
“Well,” Jackie started. “Other concubines will be at the coven. But once you’re paired, you’ll live with your vampire.”
“Or vampires,” Amanda added.
Olivia’s stomach dropped. Did she hear her right? She stared Amanda, then turned to glance at Jackie, then back to Amanda. “Did you say vampires, plural?”
Mischief sparkled in the hairdresser’s eyes. “It is up to you, but more the merrier, right?”
Olivia wanted to become one with the chair, right now, more than anything. She was the woman who liked sex with the lights off. She didn’t like being ogled by anyone, definitely not a group of men. She swallowed past the lump that had formed in her throat. “Wh-wh—” she took a deep breath and tried again. “What’s the likeliness of a multiple arrangement happening?”
Amanda came around to Olivia’s front and squatted down. She grasped her hands and smiled. “My dear, as I said, nothing will happen without your consent. There is nothing to be scared of.”
“Unless it’s Victor,” came Bryce’s voice as he entered the room.
If looks could kill, Amanda would have burned Bryce right then with her death glare. “What the hell is wrong with you?”
Olivia pressed her lips together to keep herself from giggling. As much as she was not looking forward to this arrangement, she'd begun to grow fond of Amanda. “Who is Victor?”
“Only the richest, most powerful vampire,” Bryce said. “He thinks his dick is the size of his bank account.”
Olivia laughed out, then covered her lips. “Oh, I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be, “Amanda told her. “Victor thinks all things are his. You know, boy in a sandbox, all toys are his.”
This alarmed Olivia. What if this Victor showed up tonight and had an interest in her? If he decided he wanted her, could he have the power to sway the ceremony? Would the elders allow it to happen?
“I know what you’re thinking,” Jackie offered and patted Olivia’s hand. “He has no right or say so over anyone who comes in, or who they will be paired with. As much as he wants to rule and run things, he cannot.”
A bit of the weight she felt lifted. “Well, that’s good to know. I’m still curious about this entire pairing. What if the vampire does not find me attractive?”
Amanda pulled a few curls down to fall around Olivia’s shoulders. “Once the pairing is done, looks do not matter. You will become his.”
“What if the pairing is with a woman?”
“Do you prefer women?” Jackie asked.
Olivia shook her head. “No, but what about male concubines?”
“We have pairings that go both ways,” Jackie told her. “And if we’re not paired, well, there’s volunteers we can feed from.”
“You never want to be a volunteer,” Amanda whispered in her ear.
“Why not?” Olivia whispered back.
“If the vampire dies before their concubine, the human is kept at the coven. It would be impossible to live among humans with everything they have learned about our kind. As a concubine, once you have tasted and experienced vampire blood, it becomes something of an addiction. If you’re not paired, or refuse everyone presented, and opt to become a volunteer, you, well, for lack of better words, become a blood whore. The addiction is demanding and will consume your life.”
Olivia considered this for a moment. If her vampire died, she could not leave. If she were to run away, they would find her and bring her back. She would have to be the one who died to escape this reality. She closed her eyes and let out a deflated breath.
“Olivia,” Jackie whispered. “Please, trust me. The vampire you will be paired with, he will treat you well. You will be precious to him.”
“I will be his blood bag. How is that precious?” She asked and opened her eyes.
Jackie smiled to Olivia. “I promise, you’ll see. Look, I’m all done.” She stood and put the nail polish down. “I only need to do your toes, which will take a minute.”
Olivia looked at herself in the mirror. Her hair was styled, makeup perfect. She shifted her gaze to her hands. She felt like a prisoner inside the body of a celebrity. It was not fair. None of this was.
“So, I see it is now my turn?” Bryce asked.
Leaning in the doorjamb of her bedroom, Bryce winked at her. She smiled at the man. She couldn’t help it. As rugged and outdoorsy as Bryce appeared to be, he exuded excitement like a kid in the candy store.
“I wish I could wear these,” he teased with a wink. “But I don’t think they make my size.”
Olivia giggled and stood. She followed Bryce to her bedroom. Her queen-sized bed had clothes set out over the entire thing. She could not see any of the pillows. Her artwork on the wall became hangers for dresses. Her mirror was covered with a shawl.
“How am I supposed to see myself?” she asked.
“You won’t,” Bryce told her and motioned her further into the room. “You will only see yourself after this point in time once you’re paired.”
She frowned. “What for? I’d love to see my dress.”
“Well, look down,” he said. “Now, come on, take off your clothes.”
She froze and stood silent, fear creeping up her spine. She shook her head.
“Olivia,” Bryce whispered. “I prefer the cock to the pussycat. Don’t worry, I think you have an amazing body.”
Olivia laughed and side-glanced at Bryce. The man was grinning, and he shrugged. She really liked her dress team. Would they be around once she was with her vampire? She would have to find out.
Moments later, Bryce was pulling dresses over her head, zipping her up, shaking his head, undressing her, and starting anew. He was good, though. He never once messed with her hair. Amanda would most definitely follow through with the death glare and use a knife.
“Oh,” Olivia began when a question hit her. “So, no sun?”
“Correct,” Bryce answered. “Arms up, one more dress.”
She lifted her arms. “Garlic?”
He chuckled. “Nope.”
She nodded, then turned around once the dress was over her head. The coolness of the satin felt nice. The material was a bright hue of crimson, like a new red car. “Stakes to the heart?”
“It would definitely hurt from penetration, but no.”
“Hmm,” she pondered.
“Decapitation,” he whispered.
“Oh.” She turned to face him once she was zipped. “That’s dreadful. And messy.”
Bryce chuckled. “Yes, it is. And, Olivia, we have found the winner!” He clapped his hands under his chin and beamed with excitement. “Ladies, come check out our charge!”
Their charge, she wondered. She let it go. “So, doable?”
Amanda nodded.
Jackie gasped.
“You look amazing, Olivia. Simply divine! You will have all heads turning in your direction tonight,” Jackie said. “Let me paint your toes and get them dry, then slip on your shoes!”
All heads in my direction?
No, thank you.
She’d keep to herself to avoid eye contact, if possible. Jackie tended to her feet then Bryce brought out a pair of low heels.
“Oh, that’s not what I expected,” Olivia said. “With the dress and the hair, I figured I would be in stilettos.”
“I can make that happen, but honestly, Olivia, you’ll thank me for this. The floor is concrete in the coven. It’s chilly. You’ll want to wear these shoes. I’ll also provide you with a shawl.”
She nodded. “Thank you for taking care of me today. Will I see you three after I’ve been paired?”
“It’s possible,” Amanda told her. “You may call on us anytime to come do your hair, nails, or dress you for an occasion.”
“Will there be occasions for this?”
“Sure,” Amanda said with a smile. “Tell your vampire you’re lonely and want female companionship.”
Bryce cleared his throat.
“If I need a personal shopper you’ll be my top person,” Olivia said to him.
Amanda took her hands and held Olivia’s arms out. “Wow, you’re a vision.”
Olivia blushed and shifted her gaze to the floor.
“Try to keep eye contact with your vampire when he addresses you,” Amanda offered. “It’s respectful. He’ll appreciate that.”
She nodded. “Thank you. Anything else I should know?”
“Just try to enjoy yourself. You’ll have everything you need at your fingertips,” Jackie told her.
Olivia nodded once more. She lowered her arms to her side and turned away from her new friends. She was about to give up her life as a human to embark on a new journey as a concubine. She held her head up, pushed back her shoulders, and stood with feigned confidence as she turned to face her trio. “Let’s go. I don’t want to keep them waiting.”
She hoped her false self-assurance masked the fear she felt. When she walked through the doors as a human, they would close behind her as a concubine. Her vampire would be a stranger, or worse, vampires. She picked up the handbag Bryce had matched with her dress, and followed her team toward the door. With a final glance at her home, she turned on her heel and walked outside.
The sun had set, and the stars twinkled in the sky. She shivered slightly. She felt a shawl cover her shoulders and she smiled. “Thank you, Bryce.”
“You’re welcome.” He opened the back door to the dark stretch limo parked on her street. “Your chariot awaits, princess.”
She walked the short length of her driveway, curious if her neighbors knew where she was headed, and if they knew they would never see her again. At this point, it did not matter. What mattered tonight was surviving the introduction as a concubine and leaving with her new paired partner.