Nathaniel doesn't want to be Anita's pomme de sang anymore.  He wants to be her lover, but he's just not a silk sheets kind of guy--as his last date proves.
 
Rated R
 
Disclaimer: Nathaniel, Anita, JC, Damian, Micah, and Jessica Arnet are all Laurell K. Hamilton's creatures.  I am only borrowing them and will make no money from this bit of fic, I swear.
 
 

NATHANIEL IN BLUE

BeElleGee@hotmail.com

(for Meghan)

*********************************************************************

The song, "Sex Type Thing" by Stone Temple Pilots was banging over the sound system, but Nathaniel could hardly hear it above the audience's excited cheers and clamoring. He had just stripped off the last piece of his costume, and was now clad only in the tiniest of g-strings and a powdery dusting of gold glitter.

Now this, was more like it, the young wereleopard mused, taking in the near hysteria he was causing.

Until now, he had been having the rottenest day. It had started first thing this morning when Anita had scolded him like an errant child in front of everybody for coming home late the night before, and not calling. Then he had gotten in a stupid argument with Zane over the household chores which had made Cherry angry at him. Later, he found out he would not be able to use Anita's jeep tonight, which meant he either had to walk everywhere or take cabs. Then he kept dropping things, or losing things. Nothing had been going right, and he had slipped into a bit of a depression earlier that he hadn't been able to shake.

Being on-stage helped, and he was really getting into it tonight. Here the outside world and all its little pitfalls simply didn't exist. And the fact hoards of women were practically throwing themselves at his feet in worshipful adoration, didn't hurt any either. To them, he was a man. Exciting, virile, and sexy, and there to play a role in all their wildest fantasies no matter how simple, no matter how bizarre. Knowing he could turn them on by simply rotating his hips, or rolling his shoulders, was empowering beyond words.

Brazenly, Nathaniel danced to the very edge of the stage, shimmying down to the floor just out of reach of the outstretched hands vying for his attention. The women in the front row were practically begging him to come closer so they could touch him, screaming at him in frustration, but Nathaniel preferred to tease them. He extended his arms towards them, taunting them by crooking his fingers at them, then dancing away again. Some of the women held up money, waving it in the air in hopes of bribing him with it. He grinned and shook his head, making his long red hair ripple around him like a satin veil in the wind.

The song had a fast, unrelenting tempo, but it was also short. The last stanza was pounding out of the speakers now and the wereleopard launched into a complicated series of steps that would take him back towards the curtains. This was the kind of music he liked for his act. Others used long, drawn out songs with alternating beats, but he liked to come on-stage in an explosion of movement and whip the audience into an immediate frenzy. Everything happened so fast, no one ever ordered drinks or talked among themselves when he was on-stage. All eyes were on him from beginning to end and Nathaniel didn't want it any other way.

Looking out into the crowd just before the last of the song played out, the wereleopard's violet-colored eyes were immediately drawn to a woman a few rows back--namely because she was the only one in the mass of shrieking, gyrating females who wasn't moving or yelling at him. It was Jessica Arnet, the policewoman he had met when he and Anita had gone to get Jean-Claude out of jail. She was simply standing there, her gaze fixed on his face, and the smallest of smiles on her lips. Her familiar presence was so unexpected, it made the wereleopard lose his concentration momentarily, and he tripped.

It wasn't a very obvious mistake, and he recovered from it nicely, but he had still screwed up. Facing his audience as a whole once more, Nathaniel tried to smile again when the song ended, but he knew it wasn't very genuine, and his departing bow felt stiff and awkward. Turning, he swore under his breath, and hurried backstage, snatching up a towel from the pile of linens kept on the shelving just inside the curtain.

Blotting the sweat from his face, the wereleopard headed for the dressing room, but stopped short, spying Jean-Claude at the far side of the backstage area. The wereleopard studied him momentarily, wondering if he had noticed the misstep, but decided he hadn't. The vampire was standing there like a misplaced statue someone had deposited backstage, unmoving, unseeing, unbreathing. Leaning against the doorframe, Jean-Claude's eyes were turned in the direction of the stage, but his expression was blank, and his gaze was distant--as if he was too deeply submerged in thought to be aware of anything that was going on around him.

Hurrying past him, Nathaniel tried to adopt a casual air, rubbing the towel briskly over his hair, determinedly tamping down his apprehension. Not wanting to rouse the vampire from whatever undead zone he'd put himself in, the wereleopard purposefully didn't acknowledge him as he walked by. Even if Jean-Claude hadn't noticed Nathaniel's mistake, he decided he would rather not speak to him anyway because he knew where any conversation of theirs would eventually lead, and the wereleopard would rather not discuss such things tonight.

"Nathaniel," the vampire said suddenly, in the quietest of voices that seemed to ring out like a bell.

The shapeshifter stopped, cursing to himself again, and slowly turned around.

"Yes, Jean-Claude?"

The vampire's power shifted and he stirred, morphing out of his statue-like state and fixing his eyes on the retreating wereleopard's face.

"Come here, please," he said, his voice still soft and breathy.

With a sigh of resignation, Nathaniel inched back to where the vampire stood and draped the towel he was holding over his neck.

"Yes?"

Jean-Claude looked him over slowly. "Are you well?"

Shit, Nathaniel thought. Jean-Claude had noticed the mistake, and was clearly attributing it to the illness Nathaniel had suffered awhile back when he'd actually collapsed on-stage during his act one night.

"I'm fine," the wereleopard replied quickly, summoning a thin, reassuring smile.

"What happened then?" Jean-Claude pressed. "You almost fell at the end of your routine."

Nathaniel sighed again. "Yeah. I just lost my place for a moment. The choreography gets a little tricky at the end. It's still pretty new to me. I've only been doing these steps for a few days and I guess I need to practice more. It won't happen again. I promise."

Jean-Claude reached up and placed his hand on the side of Nathaniel's flushed face. The wereleopard flinched at the coldness of the vampire's touch, but tried not to pull away. He felt Jean-Claude's power move around him then, pushing against his own as if testing its strength.

"See," Nathaniel said with a forced grin. "I'm fine."

Lowering his hand, the vampire gave the young wereleopard a rather dubious look, then smiled slightly.

"Of course," Jean-Claude agreed. "It is just that, Anita would not forgive me if I let anything happen to you. I was merely concerned when I noticed you faltered."

Nathaniel lowered his eyes. "I know. But it was just a little mistake, that's all. Don't pull me from the billing, please. I'm fine. Really."

"Then..." the vampire whispered. "What happened?"

The wereleopard's eyes shot up to the vampire's. He licked his lips nervously and shifted his weight to one leg, placing his hands on his hips.

"There's a girl out there," he began. "Someone I know. I spotted her and it kinda threw me off, okay? I...wasn't expecting to see her here, of all places. I wouldn't have thought this was the kind of establishment she'd go to on a Saturday night, 'cause she's a cop." Nathaniel paused, his mind racing through a number of unlikely possibilities. "Either that, or she came here to see me. I don't remember telling her I worked here though."

Jean-Claude smiled, flashing his impeccably straight white teeth. "Ah, now that I believe," he told the wereleopard. "The fond gaze of a woman often wreaks havoc on a man's concentration. Yet, you were fascinating any number of women out there. I must say, I find it rather strange how this particular one's adoration effected you like no other's had."

Nathaniel felt heat rising in his face that had nothing to do with his exertion on-stage. He bowed his head and shrugged.

"I think she likes me," he confessed. "I've talked to her a few times and she seems really nice. She's pretty and smart and...different. I've been wanting to ask her out, but I don't know. I'm not sure if I should. I don't think she'd understand this whole situation with me and Anita. And then, I don't really think I'm her type either."

The vampire was staring back at the wereleopard now in such a way, it made Nathaniel wonder what on earth had possessed him to tell Jean-Claude all that. Regretting his candidness, Nathaniel tried to shrug it all off and play it down.

"Anyway, that was my last set for the night, so I'm going to hit the showers and go home," he said. "I'll see you around."

Jean-Claude did not reply. Instead, he stared unblinkingly at the wereleopard for the longest time until Nathaniel fidgeted under the intensity of his gaze. Finally, the vampire shrugged and placed his hand on Nathaniel's shoulder in a brotherly-type of way.

"Let me give you a little piece of advice, mon ami."

The wereleopard fought the urge to roll his eyes. Instead, he nodded and tried not to frown too deeply.

The vampire grinned. "Just remember. Sometimes, opposites do attract." With that, Jean-Claude nodded for emphasis, lowered his hand, and glided quietly away, disappearing into the shadows.

Nathaniel stood staring after him, somewhat dumbfounded. He had been expecting something long-winded, impractical, and passé from someone like Jean-Claude, but the vampire had taken him by surprise, and actually offered him advice that was short and cliché, but nevertheless, sage.

Yeah, Jessica Arnet wasn't exactly the type of woman Nathaniel usually went out with, but the wereleopard didn't really know her well enough to label her his opposite. Then, Nathaniel knew Jessica was already attracted to him.

Anita was his polar opposite, however and inadvertantly, Jean-Claude's advice made Nathaniel think of his relationship with her more than Jessica Arnet.

But the chances Anita would ever be attracted to him were slim and none. He shared her house, her bed, and her life, but as demonstrated this morning, she still didn't recognize him for the man he was. Nathaniel had always hoped that one day, she would look at him and see him in a different light, the way the women in the audience saw him.

He longed to truly make love to her--feel her warm, firm body wrapped tightly around him as he moved inside her, worshipping her, loving her, fulfilling her every desire, and submitting himself wholly to her every sexual whim.

Maybe, if he went to her tonight and took things very slowly, he could get her to respond to him. He'd lay off the kink, keep it vanilla, and straight. He would touch her softly, but suggestively, hold her close and kiss her. Surely if he let her know how very much he wanted her, she would give in to him.

Nathaniel sighed, turning to look in the direction Jean-Claude had gone, and chided himself for such foolish fantasies. Anita would never look at him the way she looked at Jean-Claude, or Asher, or Micah for that matter. Having even one of them for a lover would fulfill a woman completely, yet Anita bedded all three. Nathaniel had to admit, it made the chance of Anita ever adding him to that prestigious roster null and void. He was way out of his league and he knew it.

At least Jessica Arnet's perception of him was clearly more to Nathaniel's liking. Maybe he should ask her out. It said a lot that she had come to see him perform on-stage. Anita never had, and didn't even like to acknowledge the fact he did.

Heading for the dressing room to shower, Nathaniel tried to console himself with the fact Anita had chosen him as her pomme de sang. Feeding her ardeur allowed him an intimacy with her he would normally not have achieved on his own. And he knew she loved him, even if it was in a somewhat left-handed, obligated sort of way.

There was no denying her devotion to him, however. Time and again she had risked her life, as well as others she cared for, to save him--from himself more than anything. Maybe, if he hadn't caused so much trouble in the past, Anita's perception of him would be different. If he could prove himself to be more help to her than a hindrance. More of a man, than a boy. If only he was more suave and sophisticated. If only he were older. If only....

********

After a set, most of the staff at Guilty Pleasures used the "cast" exit to avoid the club's patrons. Nathaniel was no exception. He had been detained too many times by well-meaning, but usually intoxicated "fans" in the past whenever he had used the front. And tonight, he wasn't in the mood to mingle. He just wanted to get home.

The cast exit was well concealed and spilled staff members into a back alley which wound around the block into a main thoroughfare. It made it easy to slip out unnoticed by the patrons, mainly because the alley was so dark and secluded, few women dared loiter in it.

So when Nathaniel burst through the door and looked up, the sight of the woman standing at the bottom of the steps startled him. Scared him, in fact. His heart stopped momentarily, then raced, pumping his blood as if he'd just run a quarter mile dash. He calmed as soon as he got a good look at her. It was Jessica. The policewoman. No wonder she wasn't afraid of the alley.

Nathaniel's heart raced for a different reason now. He swallowed down the thickness building in his throat and started slowly down the steps towards her.

"Jessica Arnet, isn't it?" Nathaniel asked her, despite the fact he was more than aware of who she was.

She smiled broadly, clearly pleased he had remembered her name after so long. "Yes. I'm impressed. You must have a good head for names," she said quietly. "I wasn't sure if you recognized me when you saw me in the club. I thought you had looked right at me, but then I'll bet good money every woman watching you would say the same thing."

Nathaniel drew up in front of her and offered her a small smile. "No. I did look at you. And I recognized you too. It kind of threw me, I don't know if you noticed or not. But then, that's just the way my whole day's been going." His voice became fainter the more he spoke.

Jessica shook her head however. Maybe she was just being polite. "I didn't see anything amiss," she said and laughed lightly, her eyes taking on a somewhat smoky, seductive haze. "I thought you danced...rather well."

Nathaniel grinned genuinely this time. "Well? That's it? I danced well?" He shook his head. "I could tell you weren't really getting into it."

"Oh, I was!" Jessica quickly amended. "Believe me. I just wasn't three sheets to the wind like the rest of the audience. I'm not really into making a total fool of myself in public that way. Besides, it's not a good idea for an armed officer of the law to get shit-faced, even off-duty."

Nathaniel crossed his arms over his chest and raised his brow. "Armed? Are you armed now?"

"Yeah, of course," Jessica told him. "I always carry my weapon with me." She paused and looked around her into the dark alley. "I sure as hell wouldn't be standing out here alone if I wasn't."

"Why are you standing out here?"

Jessica shrugged and let her eyes wander down the length of the wereleopard's body. "I was hoping you would come talk to me after your performance, but when you didn't, I figured I'd wait here for you to come out. I hope you don't mind. They wouldn't let me backstage. The badge didn't impress your security people much."

Nathaniel blinked back at her, surprised. "So you did come here to see me? How did you know I worked here?"

Smiling up at him, Jessica said, "I'm a cop, remember. And you told me you worked as a stripper in a club on the riverfront. Simple process of elimination. This is the only all-male strip joint on this side of town."

"Ah, yes, I suppose that made it easy for you."
 

Jessica fixed her gaze on Nathaniel's face and licked her lips slowly. "You probably think this is a little forward of me, but I had been thinking about you since we last met. A lot. Probably more than I should have, and just decided I wanted to see you again. I looked up your address in our database, but I thought showing up at your front door one night might be a little much. I didn't want you to think I was stalking you or anything. Coming here seemed a bit more appropriate. Especially since you put yourself on public display here."

Nathaniel laughed. "And the idea of seeing me nearly naked didn't hurt any either, did it?"

Jessica grinned. "Yeah, getting to see you strip, that's what really decided it for me." She paused and looked Nathaniel slowly up and down again. "Then I met up with Blake recently and asked after you."

Nathaniel bristled at that. "You did?"

Jessica nodded. "I was trying to feel her out. See if you two were still just friends."
 

"Yeah, we're friends," Nathaniel said curtly. "Just friends."

Jessica nodded thoughtfully. "I figured. I know she's still with the Master of the City."

Among others, Nathaniel added in his mind. He put his hands on his hips and leaned away from her slightly, sighing somewhat petulantly.

"You know, I didn't want to step on anyone's toes," Jessica continued.

Nathaniel nodded. "I understand."

Jessica frowned. "I haven't, have I?"

"No."

"It's just that all of a sudden, you seem a little uptight."

Nathaniel exhaled forcefully through his nose. "I'm not. Honest. Like I said, I'm just not having a very good day. I'm tired and I want to go home to bed."

The sudden stiffening of Jessica's posture told Nathaniel he had been a little too abrupt just now. He was taking his own feelings of inadequacy with Anita out on her, and he hadn't meant to. She wasn't making him feel inadequate. In fact, she had gone out of her way to let him know how interested in him she was.

Nathaniel opened his mouth to apologize for his tone, but Jessica stepped away from him.

"Of course," she whispered. "I won't keep you. I just wanted to say 'hi' and let you know I really enjoyed your act." She turned away from him, and started walking along the side of the building.

Nathaniel felt like kicking himself. She hadn't come all this way and waited outside the stage exit in the middle of the night just to say hello. It was obvious she was hedging for a date with him, but his mind was so fixated on Anita, he'd blown it. Now Jessica was walking away and probably already putting him out of her mind.

Watching her go, Nathaniel realized he didn't want that. He liked the way she made him feel. The way she kept looking him over, checking him out, when she spoke to him, told him she probably wouldn't be adverse to the idea of sleeping with him. Nathaniel decided he wanted to sleep with her too. He wanted to go out with her, and get to know her better.

"Jessica, wait, a minute," the wereleopard called, jogging after her. He drew up beside her and reached out to touch her arm.

Jessica turned to face him with a hopeful look in her eyes.

Nathaniel smiled down at her and shook his head. "I'm such an asshole. Don't go. You're the first thing that's gone right for me tonight."

At that, Jessica's mouth turned up in a somewhat coy smile. "Okay."

"Here," Nathaniel went on, fishing through his jacket pockets for something to write on. He found a convenience store receipt and quickly unfolded it. "Why don't you give me your phone number and I'll give you a call. We'll get together then. If you want. Do you have a pen?"

Now Jessica plundered her own pockets. After searching the third one, she produced a small stub of a pencil. "How's this?"

Nathaniel smiled and listened while she recited her phone number. He wrote it on the slip of paper and tucked it back in his pocket. "I'll call you, and I promise to be in a better mood when I do. Okay?"

Jessica nodded, seemingly placated. "I'd like that."

Nathaniel looked around, trying to think of some way to delay her departure. "Do you want me to walk you to your car or something?"

Laughing lightly, Jessica shrugged. "I think I'll be all right, but you can, if you want to. I'm parked right out in front."

"Yeah," Nathaniel said, placing his hand on her shoulder. "There's a lot of creeps lurking around this place sometimes."

Jessica laughed again. She had a pretty laugh. "Well, in that case, do you want a lift to your car?"

Nathaniel frowned. "I don't have a car. I was just going to walk...."

"No, come on," Jessica said, shaking her head. "I'll give you a ride home." She looped her arm through Nathaniel's and pulled him against her.

Nathaniel had to admit, he wasn't thrilled with the idea of walking all the way to Anita's house and would probably hire a cab to take him part of the way. If he accepted Jessica's offer, he'd save the cab fare, and get to spend a little more time with her too. Time enough, maybe, to let her know he was interested in her as well.

He nodded. "That'd be great, if you really don't mind."

Jessica shook her head again. "No, of course I don't mind. I like the idea. It would give us more chance to...talk." She grinned, obviously pleased.

That settled, the pair made their way down the alley, around the block to the front of Guilty Pleasures.

Their route to Jessica's vehicle took them directly past the club's entrance and belatedly, Nathaniel realized it would have been quicker to just cut back through Guilty Pleasures. Subconsciously however, Nathaniel hadn't wanted to run into Jean-Claude with Jessica on his arm. He knew it would get back to Anita if he did.

It was bad enough that the vampire doorman on duty saw them. He raised his brow at Nathaniel as they passed and chuckled deeply, gesturing at Jessica.

"Nice piece," he told him. "Gonna get some tonight, Nathaniel?"

The wereleopard was hoping to, but he didn't like his intentions broadcasted so crudely in front of his intented before he had even gotten a chance to make his move. He scowled at the vampire and flipped him off, then hurried Jessica across the street to her car.

"I'm sorry about that," Nathaniel apologized to her once inside the car. "That's one of the creeps I was telling you about. He's a real lech."

Jessica started the car and eased it away from the curb. "Well, to be honest, I can see how what we are doing could be misconstrued. Let him think you picked me up for the night. I don't mind." She peered over at Nathaniel and smiled.

Good, Nathaniel mused and raised his brow. "I don't really mind either, but he could have kept his assumptions to himself and not been so crass in front of a lady."

Jessica grinned. "So you think I'm a lady, do you? Well, I think you're quite the gentleman, Nathaniel for being offended in my honor." She shook her head. "Maybe I should warn you though. I was a tomboy when I was a little girl. I was a jock as a teenager, and now I'm a cop. I don't think anyone's ever mistaken me for a lady before. I'm too aggressive and ambitious and competitive. Tough. Overbearing. Independent. Nothing really soft and sweet about me. What you see is what you get." She gestured at the clothes she was wearing and inclined her head towards him in a little bow.

Nathaniel looked over at her, taking in the jeans and novelty sweatshirt she was wearing beneath her denim jacket. Her hair was pulled back in a loose ponytail in a very no-nonsense style. The only makeup she was wearing was a little mascara and lip gloss. He could tell just from that, Jessica Arnet wasn't exactly the demure, feminine-type. But that didn't bother him in the least. In fact, she was exactly the kind of woman he seemed to gravitate towards. Strong. Up front. On top. Domineering.

The wereleopard licked his lips and leaned towards her slightly. He reached out and touched her ponytail.

"Oh, I bet beneath those clothes and that tough-girl exterior, I could find lots of soft, sweet parts of you," he murmured with an insinuating smile, flirting to feel her out.

Jessica glanced over at him and started to laugh. "I...bet you could too," she replied and swallowed visibly, trying to keep her gaze forward on the road ahead of her.

"But don't get me wrong," Nathaniel went on, trailing his fingers down the side of her face. "I like a woman who is tough. Someone who can take care of herself and doesn't take any bullshit from anybody."

"Mmm. That so?"

Nathaniel nodded. "Oh yes. I prefer women who are...in control."

Jessica laughed again, a little apprehensively this time. "You know. For someone who was so tired and anxious to get home, you're coming on to me pretty strong."

Nathaniel lowered his hand and sat back. "I am tired. I'm just flirting though. I get a little uninhibited sometimes when I'm very tired. I can't seem to help myself. Especially when I'm all alone in the dark with a pretty girl."

"Well, you're making it very hard for me to keep my eyes on the road," Jessica replied, licking her lips.

Nathaniel grinned. "Why? Am I making you nervous?"

Peering over at him, Jessica shook her head. "No. You're turning me on. And I'm a cop, remember? You try anything dastardly, and you'll find yourself in a choke hold with a pair of handcuffs slapped around your wrists so fast, you won't know what hit you."

Nathaniel laughed lightly and leaned towards her, turning up the seduction in his voice a notch.

"Ooo, that's tempting. I think I like the idea of you forcing yourself on me and binding my wrists so I can't get away." He furrowed his brow, looking around the front of the car. "I don't see any handcuffs though. I think you're pulling my leg."

"In the glove box," Jessica told him breathily. "I like to be prepared."

The wereleopard opened the glove compartment and rifled through it until he spotted a glint of silver. He smiled ear to ear and withdrew the handcuffs, holding them up to the dim light of the dashboard.

"Oh god, I love cops," he purred, closing the glove box, but keeping the handcuffs out. "They have the neatest little toys."

"Toys, huh?"

Nathaniel nodded.

Jessica grinned. "You know, I would have never figured you for that type. Not with that sweet angelic face of yours. But then, you do have the devil's own body."

"Do I now?" the wereleopard asked softly. "I must be tempting you then."

Distractedly, Jessica reached up and pushed back a few wisps of hair from her eyes that had escaped her ponytail. "Oh yeah. You're tempting all right. I know you said you were tired and just flirting, but you're making me want to take advantage of you, and that wouldn't be very nice now, would it?"

Nathaniel laughed. "You can take advantage of me. I actually fuck better when I'm this tired."

Jessica looked over at him, her eyes widening. The car began to drift towards the side of the road and hit a rough patch on the shoulder. Jessica jerked the car straight again and swore under her breath.

"Did you just say what I think you said?" she asked as if she were holding her breath in anticipation of his answer.

Nathaniel reached over and ran his fingers down her arm. "Depends. What did you think I said?"

Jessica glanced over at him quickly this time. "That you want to hook up with me."

With the moment of truth at hand, it didn't take Nathaniel very long to reach a decision about what it was he wanted to do.

"Yeah," he answered her with a nod. "All this talk about handcuffs and choke holds and how tough you are, is making me really horny. Let's go someplace and hook up."

Determinedly fixing her gaze back on the road, Jessica gnawed her lower lip, her hands tightening slightly on the steering wheel. She took a deep breath.

"Uh, there's a turn off onto a gravel road about a mile down. It winds around a wooded backlot past one of those new developments." She paused and glanced over at Nathaniel. "We could...park there for awhile, if you want."

Slowly, Nathaniel nodded, keeping his eyes locked on Jessica's.

"Yeah. I want," he whispered.

His heart was already pounding inside his chest and his palms were getting moist with anticipation. It had been a long time since he had done this sort of thing with a woman on a whim, and it made him wonder why he had decided to go through with it now. Twenty minutes ago, all he could think of was getting home to bed to be with Anita. Maybe it was because of the fantasy he had had earlier about her had turned him on more than he realized. Maybe it was knowing in the back of his mind that nothing of the sort awaited him at home. Maybe it was the need he felt to demonstrate his virility. If not to Anita, then to Jessica. At least Jessica was willing.

 
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