"Because you look a lot likeher."
"Who?"
"Oh, that's right. You haven't read about her. Danielle." He gives a low whistle. "You look a lot like her. No wonder my brother'ssmitten."
"I don't know about that," I say and avert my eyes, my cheeks hot. "We justmet."
"Oh, yes you do know about it. Just remember, he's still a priest in his mind, if not in office. He has ethics so despite how attracted he is to you, he won't act on them. I on the other hand, have onlyappetites."
His admission makes me strangely warm. He has appetites. Michel has ethics. But for someone with such ethics, Michel sure seemed ready to betray them, kissing me twice. Making me feel his desire when he did. The two are so different – like night andday.
Julien motions to the waitress, who comes by and takes his order for a double chocolatemilkshake.
He stands after she leaves, and takes off his hat and coat. In the very short moment while he's busy hanging it on the coat hook, I examine his body. He's well-built although not overly buff like a bodybuilder, but there's a sense of strength and hardness to his body beneath his clothes. Narrow hips and tight ass fitting very nicely in his low slung faded jeans and thick black belt. Wider shoulders almost straining at his black t-shirt. He sits down again. From beneath the scarf he keeps on hangs a wooden crucifix on a long black leatherrope.
"God, I hated the fifties," he says and glances around. "Everyone was so uptight. There was the whole nuclear holocaust thing starting. McCarthyism took over, making everyone paranoid. I'm more of a sixties and seventies man myself. You know – hippies, pot, free love. But then again, I did love the nineties – the seventeen-nineties, that is. Mozart, Beethoven. Hell, I loved the whole eighteenth century, for that matter. The Age of Enlightenment. Vienna. Paris. Rome. Florence. The French Revolution was great forvampires."
I shake my head and just stare at him in amazement. "It must be wonderful to live so long, see somuch."
He tilts his head to one side for a moment, looking at me. "There are some perks to beingdamned."
"Damned?"
"You know. Undead. Fallen.Vampire…"
"Don't tell me you ascribe to the cursed by Godthing?"
"Oh, we're cursed all right," he says. "And who else but God would doit?"
I shake my head. "I'm an atheist. I don't believe in curses." The waitress brings my tea and I stir in somesugar.
"Ah but God believes in you, Eve, no matter what youbelieve."
"You were a priest aswell?"
He leans back, clasping his hands, his fingers entwined. "Yes. Until the Church went against myfather."
"Michel said you left theChurch?"
He nods and looks around as if he doesn't like this line ofquestioning.
"So, what are the other perks?" I ask,curious.
"Strength, I suppose. Senses are superior. Speed helps when someone's chasing you with a stake." He takes in a breath and leans forward, his grin starting. "Un-believable stamina, not to mention knowledge gleaned through hundreds of years of practice." He wags his eyebrowssuggestively.
I feel my cheeks heat at that and glance away, unable to hide my owngrin.
"God, you're sweet looking, Eve," he says. "And that blush." He mock-frowns and puts his hand over his heart as if inpain.
The waitress returns with our food and Julien takes a big sip of hisshake.
"A vampire drinking a milkshake in a fifties diner," I say, while I cut up my omelet. "Who would have everthought?"
"Come on, Eve. We're just humans who have a really hard time dying. We do everything the same as you. Eat, sleep. Fuck." He grins. "So," he says, leaning forward. "Tell me about what happened since I last sawyou."
"We've metbefore?"
"Not formally. Your mother kept you away from me," he says, grinning, and I wonder if he takes anything seriously. "Didn't want to scare you, but I think you saw me once at your house when you got up late at night and I was walking to the bathroom. You screamed, if I recall, because you saw me in the dark. Your mother had to assure you that I wasn't a monster. Or," he says and makes a face, "at least, not one who was going to hurtyou."