Forever and a Night

Nathan Davenport is being stalked by Isabella Ravini the feral vampire who created him over a hundred and sixty years ago.

“Somebody come get these orders!” Mia shouted, pounding

the little bell next to the pick-up window, ready to wring

some servers’ necks.

Tavania’s was packed, and the wait for seating currently

stood at about an hour. They were two servers shy tonight,

and the ones here, whom Mia needed to be running food,

were chasing their tails in the dining room, trying to get

checks to the guests and basically keeping them happy in

the midst of the chaos.

She glanced across the fifteen plates under the heat

lamp, taking up every inch of the pass window and groaned.

The food had to go out now.

Andrew, the line cook, came around her with two more

steaming orders, ready to be run. He took one look at the

pass and cursed. “Where the hell are all the servers? What

am I supposed to do with these?”

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6

“As deep in the weeds as the kitchen right now, at least

the ones who are here.” She snarled the last part, furious

with the two who weren’t.

Mia dashed out the kitchen door into the servers’

station, grabbed a large oval tray and jack, set it up, and

began pulling plates, lining the carrier with them.

“What are you doing?” Andrew asked, frowning at her

through the kitchen side of the window.

He was twenty-three, the age of her oldest daughter,

tatted like a jailhouse skinhead but a talented cook.

“Running this five top myself. What choice do I have?”

“Man, Brittany and Michael suck, doing this to us on a

Saturday night.” He put the two new steaming plates in the

spot she’d cleared. “When Joe finds out they both ditched

work tonight to go to that Deathtroid concert, their asses

are going to be grass. I wanted to go too. This is the first

time they’ve played in New Orleans.”

“Well, I’m not into that ear-raping, heavy metal music,

but I agree with you on one thing�"I hope he mows both

of their backyards.” She hoisted the heavy tray onto her

shoulder and grabbed the jack, sparing Andrew one last

look. “Keep the orders coming. I’ll be back as soon as I can

to help.”

“Hurry. The POS printer is spitting them out faster than

I can hang them.”

Mia glanced at the table number on the ticket, then took

off. When she returned to the server’s window, she groaned.

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7

No more orders had gone out, and some were starting to

seriously wilt and dry. She noticed a lone plate at the far

end of the window, which was completely toast, grabbed it,

and tossed it in the buss tub.

“Andrew!” she yelled through the window. “Remake on

table 59. A Tour of Sicily. Flying!”

He shot her an are-you-frickin’-kidding-me look, then

got busy.

So did she, running more orders and filling in where

needed on the floor. On her next trip to the pass, Andrew

had just dropped 59’s remake.

She snatched the plate and ran it to a one top in the far

back of the restaurant. When she arrived, she found a lone

man seated there with long black hair tied into a ponytail,

studying the screen of a laptop. He glanced up at her,

offering a warm smile. Mia let out a sigh of relief. Whatever

he’d been doing seemed to have kept him occupied. At least

he didn’t appear primed to unload for his long wait.

She smiled back with a calm winning one. “I hope you’re

having a pleasant evening, sir. I have your Tour of Sicily

plate.” She sat it in front of him next to his computer. He

didn’t answer immediately because he glanced over her

chef attire, and she noticed his nostrils flare. The look in

his eyes seemed intrigued. Mia suspected he was curious

as to why kitchen staff delivered his order, and he probably

thought she reeked. Marinara and other garlic sauces were

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8

splattered across the front of her white chef ’s jacket, which

she hadn’t time to even think about changing.

“Thank you. This looks wonderful. I can see you’re a bit

understaffed here tonight, but don’t be concerned about

me. I’m easy to please.”

Mia glanced about the room then back at him, thinking

he did seem like the most centered person in the place at

the moment. The couple at the table just right of them were

scowling, whispering to one another and looked minutes

from bolting.

God, Joe, why did you have to come down with the flu on a

Saturday night? she thought, referring to her boss and the

head chef.

“Are you okay?”

He obviously sensed her anxiety, given his concerned

expression. She opened her mouth to reassure him, and

then her gaze fused with his and her breath caught. His

eyes were captivating�"violet, like the color of the African

Violet flower, the irises huge and widely dilated. The amount

of light in the dining room was marginal for ambiance, but

enough caught his brilliant gaze and for a brief second,

gave the illusion of light catching a diamond at just the

right angle. They sparkled literally then filled with mirth.

“I take it you’re the chef?”

Boy, he had quite the Southern drawl. Deep south. Not

Louisiana though. More like Georgia. Maybe Alabama.

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9

And he was sinfully good-looking. Like if it were a crime,

he would be outlawed in forty-eight states, gorgeous.

She cleared her throat and centered herself. “Sous chef.

But I’m cooking tonight. I hope you enjoy, and thanks for

dining at Tavania’s. I’ll do my best to get a server your way

as soon as possible. Is there anything else you need?”

He glanced at his plate and bottle of wine. “I’m perfect

and low maintenance. No one need hurry on my account.”

Mia grinned and rolled her eyes. “Lord, I wish you could

extend those vibes to the rest of the diners.”

He chuckled. It was a deep, pleasant, sexy sound that

married well with his smile, one which had probably led

more than a few women to their demise. He was the

epitome of male eye candy, but she had no time to indulge

that particular sweet tooth. 

“Anyway, enjoy.” She turned and hurried back to the kitchen.

It had been a three hundred plus cover night, and Mia’s

angst finally settled into gratefulness. Not one plate came

back, and as far as she knew, none of the guests had pitched

any fits, although she had yet to speak to all the servers.

The time was a little after midnight, but she knew from

experience there would still be guests present in the dining

room because the bar stayed open until one in the morning.

She and Andrew had just finished kitchen clean up on

their end and were fixing their shift meal. She walked over

to one of the stoves with a couple plates where Andrew

cooked them both steaks and grilled squash.

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10

“Crap, talk about a night from hell,” Andrew said as he

took the empty plates from her. He filled hers, then his

own, and turned off the grill and range top.

“I know, but hey, we rocked, without Joe and without

those mutinous deserters.” 

Everyone in the house tonight knew Brittany and Michael ditched work to go to the

Deathtroid concert. When Joe refused their request for the

night off, they’d obviously plotted a rotten little scheme to

call in sick, which had coincided with Joe’s flu thing. A

coincidence, she was sure, yet perfect debauchery on their

part. No one would tattle on them, but Mia knew Joe to

be savvy enough to smell a rat where those two kids were

concerned when he learned of their “sick” day.

They were college students, into the whole heavy metal

thing. She had children their age. Granted she’d raised her

three girls in church, with godly principles, and taught

them to be better than sneaks and liars, but kids were kids.

Anyway, it was all water under the bridge now.

Plate in hand, she went to the bar to eat her very late

dinner. Andrew headed for the outside break area with his

meal. As crazy as the night had been, she knew he’d be

jonesing for a cigarette.

Cody, their lead bartender, a guy about her age, early

forties, with light-blond hair and cornflower-blue eyes,

flashed her a smile when she seated herself on a stool at the

far edge of the bar. “Want a glass of wine?”

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11

“You bet.” Mia didn’t hesitate. After tonight, she might

have two.

Knowing her preference, Cody poured her a glass of

Cabernet and sat it in front of her. “You know, I’m not sure

Joe could have pulled off what you did tonight. Mostly

because he can’t move as fast as you.”

Mia chuckled and gave him a chiding grin. Joe was a

very large man, and he enjoyed every aspect of the culinary

industry, especially eating his creations.

Cody grinned back, then continued. “Yeah, there were

long waits for food, and people were getting antsy. But at

least from what I saw, customers left happy.”

“I hope so,” Mia replied, cutting into her steak. She took

a bite, swallowed, then added, “I can’t take all the credit.

Andrew had the grill, and he was literally smoking the

orders off of it. I had to end up running plates because we

had no more room under the heat lamp.”

He huffed and picked up a couple of empty highball

glasses next to her on the bar. “I saw you running orders

earlier. I think the girls should tip you out.”

Mia took a sip of her wine. “No, I think Brittany and

Michael ought to tip us all out for their little splurge

tonight, but we both know that’s not going to happen.”

Cody chuckled and began wiping down the oak surface

next to her with a wet bar rib. “True. Let me know if you

want a refill.” He nodded toward her glass then walked over

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to a trendy-looking thirty-something couple who had just

seated themselves five barstools away.

Mia was starved. She dug into her meal. There had been

no time to eat today, which was par for the course in a busy

restaurant. Generally, she only ate twice a day. Breakfast

before she left her apartment for work and her shift meal

always falling around this time.

Restaurant hours were long and laborious, twelve

to sixteen hours, but the overtime pay made up for the

exhaustion. She intended to use some of the money she’d

saved when her three daughters�"Tiffany, Danielle, and

Chelsie�"all living in Springfield, Missouri, came to visit

her later this summer.

“You’re having a very late dinner.”

Mia’s head shot up, her gaze slashing toward her right.

The speaker was that drop-dead-gorgeous man she’d

delivered the one top order to earlier, and he was standing

beside her holding a glass of wine. She swallowed the bite

in her mouth and said, “This tends to be my normal dinner

hour. How was your dinner?”

She was surprised to still find him here but not unusual

she supposed. Tavania’s was one of the tamer establishments

here on Bourbon Street. Guests, whether single or in a

group, often came here to eat, hook up to Wi-Fi and work,

or just hang out in a nonparty atmosphere.

“Amazing, actually. You’re a talented chef.” He took

up residence on the stool next to her and sat his glass on

the bar.

Forever and a Night

13

Mia noticed him studying her. His eyes, the most

beguiling she’d ever seen, held intrigue. She felt a little

unnerved by his perusal, but she chalked it up to a customer

desiring to speak to the chef. It happened all the time.

Mostly with Joe because he was head chef. Happy guests

often asked to speak to him. She had a roll to play. So play

it she would.

Mia pushed aside her plate and smiled. “I’m Mia Peebles.

Is this your first time at Tavania’s?” She extended her hand.

He gave it a cordial shake. 

“Yes. I drove by tonight anddecided it might be a quiet place to do some work. Not so

much, but I managed to accomplish what I needed to. I’m

Nathan Davenport.”

Mia laughed. “Yes, it was a bit crazy tonight. It’s good

to meet you, Nath�"” She broke off and glared at him.

Her heart did a little trip over in her chest when her brain

cells began to fire and comprehend the name the man had

given her.

“Oh my god,” she breathed. Suddenly, his features

began to morph with the memories of numerous news and

other TV show interviews she’d witnessed over the last

ten years or so. Nathan Davenport was a real estate mogul

and currently the richest man in the United States and

possibly worldwide. Also the most sought-after bachelor

on the planet. A playboy. He had a different supermodel

or Hollywood starlet on his arm every other picture or

interview taken of him.

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14

He looked amused. “I guess you know who I am.”

“Duh.” She laughed, picked up her glass of wine, and

sipped. “My biggest question is, how did you end up here?

I thought you lived in New York.”

“I do primarily, but I have a number of homes, and one

of my favorites is here in New Orleans in the heart of one

of the historical districts. Circumstances have brought me

to the city. Unfortunately, I don’t have a private chef here,

just a housekeeper, so I went out for the evening.”

Mia blinked at him. A private chef? Wow! Of course a

man like him would have all sort of household and personal

staff. Her background was redneck, Missouri rural. Just

having food on the table every day for her ex-husband and

children had been a miracle of God for many years. That

kind of wealth stymied her.

In her four years with Joe, she’d had many encounters

with well-to-do folk and had learned to accept and

accommodate their eccentricities. Not every wealthy patron

she’d met were all up in their stuff, but she suspected Nathan

Davenport about as spoiled as a rich person could get.

“What?” he demanded, grinning at her.

“Nothing. Just glad you happened by tonight and

enjoyed your meal. And truly, I hope you’ll visit Tavania’s

again.” She tried for a kind smile then stood, intending to

take her half-eaten plate and wine glass to the dish pit.

He laid a hand on her arm, halting her. “Are you finished

for the evening?”

Forever and a Night

15

Mia’s smile faded. There was a hungry look in his eyes,

which had nothing to do with food, and she didn’t like the

implications. “No. I’m closing tonight and have another

hour or so ahead of me. Why?”

“I was going to ask you if you’d like to have a drink with

me when you’re finished. I’d be happy to wait.”

His expression seemed polite enough. Maybe her

thinking was a little harsh. He’d been completely cordial,

but Mia was forty-two years old and wise enough to

recognize a player when she saw one. “That’s very kind of

you, but no. It’s been an extremely long day, and I’m beat,

but I appreciate the invite.”

He appeared disappointed, but Mia didn’t care. She

hadn’t dated since her divorce. Hadn’t had time and certainly

tonight, she had no time for a guy like Davenport. The man

would have been a temptation for a nun. She’d lived like

one for the last five years because work left her no time

for a social life. However, she wasn’t thinking very sisterly

thoughts at the moment, which solidified her refusal. That

and the fact he was Nathan Davenport. Dating required

commonalities. She couldn’t think of one they might share.

She’d taken several steps away from the bar when she

heard him speak.

Mia, look at me.

His voice had taken on a deep hypnotic tone, which

seemed to echo in her head. In fact, it seemed to only be in

her head, not audible. The strangeness of that reality should

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16

have been terrifying, yet something compelled her to turn

and face him. She sat her dishes on the bar.

“Come with me.” He gave her a kind, reassuring smile.

She opened her mouth to say, Hell, no, but the word that

came out instead was, “Okay.” Her heart tumbled over in

her chest.

Mia realized she was seriously losing it because she

allowed him to escort her out the front door of the restaurant

without a peep. As hard as she tried to get her feet to obey

her mind’s order to run back inside the restaurant, they

were useless. They just kept taking her the direction he led

them. Her voice was useless too. Her jaws felt locked. She

began to pant and look around.

Mia, relax. You have nothing to fear. I’m not going to

hurt you.

Her gaze, wild and crazy, she was sure, shot toward him.

His words and voice had been in her mind. She hadn’t

heard them audibly.

Oh god, please tell me this is not real, that I’m going to wake

up from this any second.

He gave her a reassuring smile and took her hand. She

wanted to yank it away and use both to scratch his eyes out,

but she couldn’t move them either.

You will be afraid no more. Understood?

As his words filtered through her head, fear evaporated,

and her breathing and pulse gained normal momentum as

desperately as she tried to fight both. He must have drugged

Forever and a Night

17

her. That was the only explanation Mia could come up with,

because her mental and physical control were history.

She looked around to gain perspective. Everything

seemed surreal. All the Bourbon Street noises and smells

were alive to her senses yet distant, all stationed in a tunnel,

contained with her in the midst, separate yet, apart. Nathan

stood beside her, holding her hand. At some point, a long

black limo pulled up to the curb. He opened the door and

gently ushered her inside.

She perched on the edge of the plush ebony leather and

stared forward, vaguely aware of her surroundings. She

felt Nathan settle in beside her, but her mind still held the

strange, trancelike state, which made her ambivalent to the

atmosphere or danger. It was all so illogical. Somewhere

way in the back of her mind, she knew fear would have

been a handy tool at the moment. She wanted it more than

anything but couldn’t scrounge it up.

“Mia, look at me.”

The only option was obedience because she couldn’t

think for herself. This had to be a dream because she had

zero control over speech, thoughts, or motor skills beyond

those he commanded.

His expression was gentle and warm. He reached up and

trailed the back of his fingers across her cheek. “I’m not

going to hurt you, little one. You won’t feel pain or fear, only

pleasure I promise, which even that you won’t remember

come tomorrow.”

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Mia just blinked at him. None of what he’d said made

sense, until he leaned in and captured her lips. That ambient

part of her, which kept protest or any other actions at bay,

broke free when he began wreaking some major havoc on

her mouth. She drove her fingers into his hair and pressed

in, taking all he gave and returning more and then some.

She hadn’t been kissed in over five years and like

this never in her life. Everything carnal in her had been

unleashed, by Nathan, herself, she didn’t know, but she

had to have more. She broke the kiss just briefly to crawl

onto his lap, then returned to devouring his mouth, vaguely

aware she now had physical control. She should have been

using it to get the hell out of here, but it was the last thing

she wanted.

He started sucking and biting at her lower lip while

trailing one palm across the side of her black tank top, down

her Levis and back again. She was on fire! When he broke

free of her mouth, she let out a little grunt. Disgustingly

enough, because she wanted more.

He looked at her, those strange violet eyes shimmering

again now with pure hot lust. He grinned. “My instincts

were right. There’s one hell of a fire simmering beneath

that prickly exterior. However, as strange as this may sound,

based on what we’re about to enjoy next, I’ve never forced

a woman sexually. Know you’re in complete control there.”

She looked at him as if he were a lunatic. So was she,

because she realized he hadn’t been prompting her actions

Forever and a Night

19

for the last several minutes. They’d been all hers, which

astounded her. She didn’t do casual sex. 

“I need to go.”

“Not yet.” He frowned at her, then leaned in and

abducted her lips again. 

Whatever drug she was tripping

on still had her in its thrall. She caved in like a semi on a

sinkhole. It got wild and crazy for a bit, then his mouth

left hers to trace kisses across her cheek and neck. That

felt really good. Her eyes rolled back in her head, and she

moaned. He began to suck on the skin where her pulse

pounded out of control.

All of it, everything he did to her, was kinky, sexy, and

felt great. She leaned her head back to grant him further

access. He pulled away for a brief second, then she heard

him growl. Really growl. The sound was deep and scary, like

a wolf ’s warning just prior to attack. It reverberated loud

with menace in the small space. She glanced up and caught

a flash of white hovering below his upper lips as he leaned

forward and buried his face in her neck.

A sharp stabbing pain in her throat snatched a cry from

her, but immediately, her body went limp, and she felt no

more pain. Her arms fell to her side, and her head lolled

back. Thankfully, he was holding her because she had lost

all muscle control. She hung like a rag doll in his grip. Once

the concern of her immobility passed, she realized what he

was doing to her.

He had bit her neck and was now drinking her blood.

The last rational cell in her brain told her this was wrong

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in every sense of the word. Sinful! As if it would have

mattered. She had no ability to move, let alone fight. The

rest of her brain cells were saying, Oh my god, more please

more. They won, despite her desperation to scratch for her

morality. What he did to her, wrong or right, felt incredible.

Pure, raw, sensual crazy took over. Wild, raunchy thoughts

between her and this insanely hot man were racing out of

control in her head. Somehow she knew they weren’t just

hers, but his, because she wasn’t that creative.

Everything happening to her mind, emotions, and body

at the moment held time in limbo. Eventually, he stopped

and spent a good while kissing and nuzzling her neck until

the hurricane of sensuality he’d created between them

settled into a gentle shower.

She made a little grousing noise when he pulled her

off his lap and settled her next to him. Her mind was still

in a fog, a dream, she didn’t know, but she looked at him,

hoping to gain some answers.

He gave her a heated look, then said, “You’ll remember

us meeting but not what happened here. Go finish your

dinner. I’ll be seeing you again soon.”

He opened the door, then assisted her out. Mia didn’t

even remember how she managed her way back into the

restaurant. The next thing she recalled was the irritating

buzz of her alarm clock.

Author's Note

Reviews are greatly appreciated.

Reviews

[matrixmark]

Great ipression of a very busy diner at the beggining. Got a great sense of mia in a bit of a panic through he temproary chaos. loved the bit with the guy calling out the orders...gave more tension to the already chaotic scene......and then enter the stranger. Really held my attention as to where the man was taking mian and the converstion dialogue was really well written.

AND WHAT A TWIST AT THE END. Good work. This story has legs and a long way to go.

Mark.

[SweetNutmeg]

You secured my interest when you mentioned New Orleans, as I am a native. But I was already pretty into the story. I started out thinking this would be a gritty tale about the hard life of a working woman, but then-- tada! Nathan.

A few things:

"...is here in New Orleans in the heart of one of the historical districts."
This sounds like a tourist brochure. "The Garden District" or "the Faubourg Marigny" or whatever would work better for me.

"She felt Nathan settle in beside her, but her mind still held the strange, trancelike state, which made her ambivalent to the atmosphere or danger"
I'm not sure what you mean by ambivalent.

"Somehow she knew they weren’t just hers, but his, because she wasn’t that creative."
Haha, that was great.

All in all, this is a fantastic start. It flowed well and was surprising in all the spots where it was supposed to be surprising. I really enjoyed reading it.

[WanderingDavid]

Thanks for posting a fun and interesting story! Overall, I think you did a great job. I almost quit reading because the first part just seemed like a very accurate and detailed description of what it must be like to work in a busy restaurant, but then she met the handsome stranger and things started to happen.

I did cut and paste a few sentences that tripped me up. Here they are:

I didn't understand "“As deep in the weeds as the kitchen right now, at least the ones who are here.”"

I would change "captivating violet" in the sentence "His eyes were captivating"violet, like the color of the African Violet flower, the irises huge and widely dilated." -- so you don't say "violet" twice.

Too cliche: "Like if it were a crime, he would be outlawed in forty-eight states,"

"She had a roll to play." I think you mean "role".

[genocide]

I like this you definitely get to have a feel with the charthers

[HeyJadeXO]

I enjoy the story !. The dialogue is a little confusing.I find myself rereading to figure out who is speaking.Other then that great job!