Literally Bitten by Victoria Blisse – Vampire Loving in a Book shop!

It was a quiet day in the shop—the Monday lull after the weekend rush before the midweek madness. Lily had toyed with closing all day but she was a solitary soul and she had all she needed to be happy at the shop, so she would enjoy her book in the peace of her sanctuary. She’d never been one to socialise, and not just because of her father’s strict rules about her home time, either. She was not a gregarious type, wasn’t interested in make-up and pretty clothes. She wore what she felt comfortable in. Soft trousers or long, heavy skirts matched with simple T-shirts was her favoured style. She would try to complement her rubenesque figure with a V-neck to her tops and avoided stripes like the plague. She always felt she was a mishmash of styles, since she’d been blessed with abundant curves, but her skin was as pale as rice paper and would not tan, no matter how hard she tried.

Lily was fairly convinced she’d been born in the wrong century. A couple of hundred years ago she’d have been the height of fashion with her impressive décolletage and pale skin that appeared to never have seen the light of the summer sun and so would have proved she was wealthy and well-to-do. She was sure her figure would benefit from a corset, too. But she had never been brave enough to visit a lingerie store to be fitted for one. She was so far away from being comfortable with the fripperies of femininity that the idea of walking into such a place filled her with fear. Lily was the kind of woman who bought everything in the local supermarket. Her snacks, her household goods and even her underwear. She liked it that way. It was efficient and tidy, like her.

Her perfect, lazy afternoon peace was shattered by the familiar jangle of the door being opened. She put down her book and smiled.

“Hi, can I help you?”

“Erm, yes, I think so.” The timid young man smiled, looked down at his shoes then back up again.

“Brilliant, what book are you looking for?”

“I’m not sure,” he continued, pawing the long strands of dark brown hair from his face. “I’m kind of new to books.”

“Ah, what kind of story do you like to read, then?”

“Well.” The guy’s cheeks flushed bright pink and he bit his lip nervously. Lily found it rather endearing. “I really don’t know. I’ve never read anything before. Well, not for fun anyway. Just school books.”

“Okay, no problem. So, what kinds of films do you like?” It wasn’t a completely unusual thing to have a person come in with no idea of what they’d like to read. However, generally they’d have a specific genre in mind. It was rare to get quite this little information from a customer. But Lily found she could forgive him for his ignorance as his tall, lean good looks seemed to be playing havoc with her insides. There was something about the hesitant young man that appealed to her in a very animalistic way.

“Well, I don’t like war films, or those historical drama type ones,” he replied, “but that’s not what you asked. Erm, I like action films. Heroes and villains and magic and erm, stuff.”

“Sounds like you’d like the fantasy and sci-fi section. Follow me.” Lily stood and walked out from behind the counter. She flushed as she noticed his gaze drop from her face to her breasts then even lower. Clearing her throat, she walked towards the back of the store. His stare seemed to burn into her back and she strutted more to give him a good show. It wasn’t often she received such direct admiration and it was incredibly intoxicating.

“Okay, so here we go. All the authors are in alphabetical order here.”

“Right. Where do I start?” He looked perplexed.

“Well, I just like to browse in hopes of finding something new and unexpected. But I can give you a few recommendations if you like.”

“Yes, please.” The relief in his voice was evident. “I know it sounds silly but I’m feeling a tad intimidated in here.”

“No need for that. I pride myself on the friendliness of my bookshop.”

“Oh, it’s not you, not really. I mean, you’re beautiful and that makes me all tongue-tied and anxious but it’s the books. There’s so many and I don’t know where to start. I don’t want to pick a dud one.”

“Okay, well, here are a few tips. Don’t just go on the front cover. Look at the blurb, the writing on the back. That should give you some idea of what’s in there.” Lily reached up to a shelf, gently brushing past his shoulder, and pulled down a book.

She stood beside him and turned the book over in her hands. “See? But sometimes even the blurb isn’t enough so you need to just have a read of the first few pages, too. So just find yourself a quiet corner and check out anything you like. I like browsers here.”

“Anything I like?” He arched a brow and placed a hand on Lily’s arm, just above her elbow. She gulped, giggled and glanced down at the tips of her slip-on shoes.

“Well, within reason. I don’t have a million quid or a private jet you can borrow.”
“But will you give me a kiss?”

She looked up and met his gaze. His eyes were vivid green and sparkled with bravado and anxiety. The red tint to his cheeks showed that he was not as confident in his flirting as he professed to be.

“What do you think, sir?” She rebounded his questions without twitching a muscle.

“My name’s Thomas. You can call me Tom.”

“Okay, Tom. But my question still stands. Do you think you can get kisses in a bookshop?”

Lily tried really hard not to wink or to smile. She loved watching the indecision flash across his face. She could almost hear his thoughts while he scrabbled to work out whether he should cut and run or push a little bit more.
“I know it’s not what you’d normally expect to get in a bookshop but I couldn’t resist asking. You know, I’ve walked past this shop every weekday for years. Every time I’ve seen you I’ve been bowled over by your beauty. Today was the first day I plucked up enough courage to come in and talk to you.”

“Really?” She couldn’t help smiling. She was certain there wasn’t a woman alive who could resist such a compliment from a young, attractive guy. She was finding herself swayed.

“Really.” He bit his bottom lip, tugged at the lapels of his worn denim jacket and shifted from foot to foot. “But I’m sorry if I’ve overstepped the mark. I didn’t mean to offend you.”

“Oh, Tom, I’m not offended in the slightest. But if I’m giving you a kiss I want something in return.”

“What?”

“Even more kisses.” She moved forward and placed a hand in the centre of his chest. He looked up, smiled hesitantly then moaned as Lily’s lips hit his with the determination of a woman seduced.