Vivienne

Wendy had stepped into the bathroom to touch up the red-copper lipstick she’d applied earlier in the coffee café with Brian. “Always look the part, Red.” She winked at herself in the mirror and adjusted her tight sea green blouse just as she heard the front door open.

“Wendy?” Nicholas raised his voice in question.

“I am in the bathroom, just a quick second and I will join you.” She packed her make-up bag in her purse and took a deep breath before swaggering out to meet the police officer in his living room.

“You look amazing, Give me a moment.” Nick walked into his bedroom, pulled off his holster and placed his detective badge with his keys on an end table beside his bed. “I think I am going to take a quick shower and get the day off me.”

Leaning against the bedroom door frame, Wendy stuck out her bottom lip in a small pout. “Dinner will get cold and I have waited long enough today for you.”  The reporter giggled and licked her front teeth seductively. “You have had me waiting here since I dropped off my cousin.  I took the time to make dinner and now you want to waste time in the shower.”

“I smell like ass.” Nick laughed, grabbed Wendy by the waist and pulled her into a possessive hug. “Although…” He took a moment to smell Wendy’s luscious red curls, “…I could eat.”

Wendy purred lightly before nibbling on Nick’s ear, “Mmm…me or dinner?”

Unable to resist any longer, Nicholas slammed his lips into Wendy’s with such a fevered pace that he accidentally bit her lip.  He pulled away quickly and saw the blood forming. “Damn.  Sorry.”

“Don’t be.” Wendy purred intensely before squeezing the wound so more blood formed from the tiny bite. Throwing her arms around her lover, Wendy smeared her blood onto his mouth in a deeper embrace.

Nick matched Wendy’s kiss push for push, absorbing the little dribbles of blood so they trickled down his throat.  He let out an impassioned anxious grunt then kissed his way to the reporter’s neck and nibbled in the same spots he’d done earlier in the day. “God you are irresistible.” Nick expressed heatedly.

Wendy wiggled free of the man’s arms and took a couple steps back then fluffed her hair. “Pace yourself, darling.” Licking the remaining blood from her lips, Wendy started slowly walking backwards to the kitchen. “I don’t want you passing out on me just yet.” She curled her finger indicating for Nick to follow.

“You…Minx. You are a giant tease.” Nick said and adjusted his pants quickly, then followed Wendy into the kitchen.  He smiled as the reporter handed him a beer from the refrigerator.  “Um..thanks?  I would rather have you though.” Nick took a sip of the ale and put it on the table, trying to corner Wendy. “I have plenty of stamina, trust me.”  He winked.

Slithering away from Nick’s hands, Wendy pulled a chair out for him to sit in. “We have all night, Nic..hol..as.”  Wendy slowly and sensually said the man’s name. “We will have a good time very shortly, I assure you, sweetie.” Pointing at the wooden seat, Wendy laughed. “Sit. I made this and you promised me a nice dinner.”

“I promised you dinner. That doesn’t mean that you make me dinner.” Nick winked and sat down. “Alright, what are we having, Ma’am?”

“Calling me Ma’am, is just rude after I slaved over a hot stove for you, darling.” Wendy placed two plates covered in tin foil on the table. “These are unique with flavors, big man.” She tore away the foil on his to reveal a juicy cheeseburger and hand-made french fries.

Nick started laughing and shook his head in disbelief. “This is by far the most fancy dinner I have had in weeks.”  He sniffed the burger, “Is that…coffee?”

Wendy pulled the aluminum foil from her own plate and sat down. “It is. I looked up the recipe on Pinterest of all things. It sounded like a fun thing so I made myself some coffee for later and used the grounds like it said in the patty.”

Nick raised his beer to Wendy, “Cheers.”  He smiled and winked, “Thank you for the delightful meal.”  He picked up the burger and took a healthy bite, swallowed it and munched on a few of the fries before speaking again. “I know you were telling me a little fib earlier, Wendy.”  He took another bite of his burger, “Brian is not even close to being your cousin.  I just didn’t press the issue at the time.”  Nick picked up a couple more fries and ate them waiting for a response.

Taking a couple of her own fries and dipping them into ketchup slowly, Wendy laughed and replied, “What makes you think he isn’t my cousin?”

“You don’t have an aunt or uncle.  Your mother and father were only children.”  He took another bite of his burger and swallowed. “I did a little checking into your family.”  He cleared his throat and took a sip of beer, coughing lightly.

Wendy silently ate the two fries she’d dipped and played with moments before, watching the older man across from her get more and more uncomfortable.  Reaching once more for the aluminum foil, Wendy recovered her plate and then placed her elbows on the table and innocently laid her chin in her hands. “You checked into my family, did you? What did you find out?”

Nick cleared his throat again and used the beer to wash another piece of his cheeseburger down. “Er-hummm.”  He cleared his throat once more. “I-I know you gr-graduated from college with a deg…”  He let out another cough and pounded his chest. “..degree in mass communications.  Served a few years in the Army but l-lleft…”  He took a heavy breath and caught the glimpse of a bracelet on Wendy’s wrist. “W-w..”  Nick gasped for another breath of air and jumped from his seat, pulling open his silverware drawer.

Smiling wickedly, Wendy finished his sentence, “...left with honorable distinction.  It is how I came into the service of fourteen news. Good police work detective.”

Nick slammed the drawer shut and drew another painful and desperate breath, before reaching for Wendy’s bracelet. Horror washed over the man’s face as he recognized that it had his name engraved on it with the words in bold black, ‘Peanut Allergy’.

Reaching into her pocket, Wendy pulled out her iPhone and tapped a few buttons before the song “Sweet but Psycho” started playing its sweet little taunting tune. Unclasping the little silver warning from her wrist, the red-head dangled it in front of Nick’s wide eyes. “You know, this helps when it’s worn. It doesn’t do much good in the drawer, next to a broken watch.”

Nick ran over to the chair he sat in most nights and dug around in the side pocket of the recliner, then fell to his knees. “W-w….” He rasped, still fighting to keep breathing.

Picking up her phone, Wendy danced and lip synced to the quick beat of the song by Ava Max.

“You’re just like me, you’re out your mind
I know it’s strange, We’re both the crazy kind
You’re tellin’ me that I’m insane
Boy, don’t pretend that you don’t love the pain
Oh, she’s sweet but a psycho
A little bit psycho
At night. she’s screamin’
I’m-ma-ma-ma out my mind
Oh, she’s hot but a psycho
So left but she’s right, though
At night, she’s screamin’
I’m-ma-ma-ma out my mind
Grab a cop gun kinda crazy
She’s poison but tasty
Yeah, people say, Run - don’t walk away
‘Cause she’s sweet but a psycho
A little bit psycho…”

“It has something to it, don’t you think Nick?” Wendy stated as she watched him fall to the floor and crawl slowly towards the bathroom..  “Are you looking for these?”  Wendy asked triumphantly as she produced six epipens from her purse, dangling one in front of the dying man.

Fear and panic took over in Nick’s mind as he hastily crossed the floor towards the reporter. “P-p..”

Wendy knelt down just out of his reach and swayed one of the little pens, “Nick, Nick.” She backed up as he crawled forward. “Tisk, tisk.” Wendy inched towards the man’s recliner. “You are getting way too close for comfort.” Getting far enough out of reach, Wendy sat down on the floor and crossed her legs.  Gleefully she watched as Nick clawed and crawled his way closer to her. “You see, you are so close to figuring out who killed my camera crew and those lovely guys in the ambulance.”

“Cr-cr..Craz…” Nick gurgled and surged forward, digging his fingernails hard enough into the wood floor that they cracked and snapped off with an echo.

“I prefer the term curious psychotic.”  Wendy cackled, sprawled out on the floor and stayed out of reach. “I will give you a hint.”  She whispered, “Tee-hee, it was me.”  Wiggling her eyebrows, she feigned a shocked look on her face. “Oh, I know!  Who’d think that a demure little red-head like myself, would kill four…I mean five people.”  She bit her lip fast, “Eh, it’s still four.  You aren’t dead.”  Pausing to once more dangle the epipen in front of Nick, “Yet.”

Nick’s eyes rolled up and his head hit the floor.  Wendy crawled forward and slapped his face hard enough that his head twisted lightly and he wearily opened his eyes. “Now, now.  No giving up just yet.”  She laughed and bounced the life saving pen on his forehead. “You don’t know how I did it!”  She laughed and scooted back once more, resting her chin in her hands. “Genius, if I do say so, myself.”  She beamed. “When I found your lovely bracelet..”  Wendy clasped the medical chain on Nick’s wrist. “I just had to make a dinner you wouldn’t forget. French fries in peanut oil for starters.”  She fluttered her eyes and laughed maniacally, “The burger? Yes, that too. I used your lovely coffee grinder and made peanut powder from about a cup of peanuts and the coffee grounds.”  She leaned forward and kissed his bluing lips. “It worked like a champ!  I am proud of it.” Standing up, Wendy brushed herself off. “You are my crowning achievement, Nick.  You should feel the privilege of dying to me and not some blood sucker.”

Still singing, Wendy watched as Nicks eyes slid shut for the final time. “Let’s see.  Put these back where they belong.”  She danced to the music as it kept playing from her phone and replaced five of the six epipens where she’d found them hours before. “Hummm.  Let’s make this tragic, Nick.” Pulling Nick’s body so it faced his recliner, she placed the final pen in his hand and patted his balding head, “You won’t be needing your notes anymore.”  Wendy grabbed the officer’s notebook and his phone. “Humm, should I let someone know that you are here rotting on the floor?”  Shaking her head and packing up her plate, Wendy headed for the door. “No. Since you already smell like ass, let’s let the others enjoy it as well.”  She paused at the front door, “I hate to kill and walk away, but I have a vampire to track down.”