Teresa felt sorry at last. This wasn’t the world Roland came from. And biting him till he bled was an odd thing to do to a lover. She said, “I got carried away. I mean really, I did. I actually don’t even remember doing it. You should take that as a compliment. I mean, as a lover.”

“Maybe. But you still can’t bite me, Teresa. Not like that.”

Teresa was on her knees facing him on the bed, naked, and bouncing a little. Her breasts bounced a lot, she knew. She pouted at him. She knew the effect she was having. Sure enough, his cock, detumesced though he hadn’t yet taken the condom off, seemed to move. Very slightly. A little. Perhaps more.

She said, “So… what would you have done, if I’d asked you to untie me?” 

“I’d have untied you.”

“Goodie! Then I should have thought of it.” She was still being playful, though she knew this was not play. This was a moment that could make or break them.

Roland shook his head, in wonder, not negation. “But if you tried to bite me again I’d have got dressed and gone home.” He took the condom off then, and looked around the room. There was a bin beside the bed. He tossed it. He missed.

She paused, considering what he’d said, and reached out and stroked the underside of his cock. “Um. No, that wouldn’t be good. No, I wouldn’t have wanted that.” 

“You have a lot of lovers who don’t mind you biting them?”

“Actually, I don’t usually let strangers push my skirt up to my waist and then take me home in a taxi. I don’t have a lot of lovers.”

“Oh? Really? Oh. That’s quite flattering.” 

“God, you’re clueless. But, yes, I’ve never known anyone make as much fuss as you.” 

“It’s not fuss. I don’t let people bite me.” 

“Oh, I see. I’m a freaky vampire. And you, you’re never the one who gets done to. You’re the dominant one. You do all the doing.”

“I like you, including you being a vampire. Because I like anything that’s you. I will do damn near anything for you. But I’m afraid that what you said about me, that’s pretty much true. I’m a dom, at least in bed. You know the word?”

“Of course I do.”

“For me, it’s almost impossible not to take charge, at least in sexual contexts. I mean, I like all sex, and I can not-dom. But you seemed to react, um, well when I let some of the dom out. We brought some things out in each other.”