Love at First BitE

Marian Renaud already had a frown on her face when the man sat down across from her, and could almost hear Walter’s voice telling her to smile. She forced a smile to show, keeping her teeth hidden but remaining polite and fought the urge from centuries ago to curtsy to the man. He was moving to her table, and she didn’t need to get up.

“Hey there, I’m Steve,” he said, giving her a smile that did nothing for her confidence in their interaction. “I’m an investment banker, so I know a lot about the worth of things. I make my living sizing up opportunities and determining which of them will be most likely to yield the sorts of results that are to my benefit.”

Marian raised an eyebrow, barely moving otherwise. “Interesting skill to bring with you to speed dating,” she said.

“Seems the perfect skill, I think. I can tell within a few seconds of talking to someone whether or not they’ll be worth my time. I’m quite a catch, so I need to make sure that my hook is only out there for those that are truly worthy.”

Her smile broadened a little, though without any additional joy. “I’m not sure how I feel about being compared to a fish in this scenario, Steve. But please, do go on.”

“Take you, for example,” he said. “You’re well dressed, you’re very attractive. A bit pale, but that just means you don’t buy into that whole tanning trend; you’re not shallow enough to think that a glow to your skin does anything for your perceived value.”

Marian’s smile was at the man’s expense, at the overinflated ego that would lead to such thinking. But he interpreted it as complimentary.

“You clearly have money, but you’re not new to it; no flashy gaudiness, just high-quality clothing, and understated jewelry. That necklace looks antique and based on the rest of you, I’d believe that it truly is, and not just some cheap knockoff meant to look antique.”

“I must say, I’m impressed,” she said. “I did not expect you to head in that direction, to be so complimentary while showing off this skill. You can tell that I am intelligent and deep, wealthy and comfortable with my money. Well done.”

He waved her off as if he didn’t need her praise. “That’s just what I’m saying. I can tell that you’re worth talking to just by looking at you. I recognize designer clothing, and the elegant style of your makeup – you look almost like you’re made of porcelain. You’re clearly a woman who knows her value.”

Her eyebrow raised again. “Insofar as it relates to the aesthetic image that I present, yes. But beauty, as they say, is only skin deep.” Marian was starting to enjoy the conversation; Steve seemed to be witty enough, and passably intelligent. So long as he had some level of emotional depth, he might be worth dating, at least once or twice.

Then he said something that showed his depth to be more reminiscent of a puddle than the ocean she was hoping for.

“People say that because they aren’t attractive, and think they can make up for it with other traits. But you don’t need to worry about that; there’s no pressure for you to have a ‘great personality’ or anything like that. Someone as beautiful as you doesn’t need to compensate for anything.”

Her smile hardened, and her eyes glanced to the digital clock in the center of the bar that was counting down their time together. Twenty seconds wasn’t soon enough.

“As charming as that may be, Steve, I do prefer it when people care about what is happening inside. Despite your seeming insistence to the contrary, I am not a porcelain doll meant to decorate and look pretty.”

“Nonsense,” he said. “You’re absolutely gorgeous.”

She sighed. He wasn’t listening.

Marian shifted in her seat, ready to pretend to be getting a phone call so she could excuse herself and leave. Speed dating was such a terrible idea. How had she let Walter talk her into this? She’d given it a try, at least; but five whole minutes was a long time, even measured against two centuries of life. At least, these minutes had been.

But then she glanced over his shoulder again and caught the eye of a young woman. There was an immediate attraction, causing her heart to beat for the first time all night. She was moving table to table, and was just two tables away from her.

If she finished this time with Steve and managed to suffer through the next person, she would have a chance to talk to this other woman and see if there was more there than the sharp features and confident half smile.

So she turned to look at him again. “What do you do for fun, Steve?” she asked him.

“I like to make money,” he said. “And I like to spend it on my women. One thing I’ve learned in my dealings is that a female is a lot like a business-“

That was all she could take. She locked her eyes on his, grabbing his train of thought and stopping him from saying any more. The way he’d said ‘female’ was enough to assure her that she didn’t need to hear any other words come from his mouth. So she held his mind in place, staring deep into his eyes, blocking him from even being aware as the time counted down.

When the alarm went off and it was time to move, she looked away, breaking their gaze. Steve took an involuntary breath and looked around in mild confusion. She smiled at him and waved goodbye.

Steve wrote something on his little note card and moved on to the next table, where Walter was sitting. At least they’d be able to talk about Steve later and have a little laugh. She was sure that Walter would be jealous that her blood didn’t give him the same control over the minds of mortals as it gave her. Walter, after all, would have to talk to Steve the entire time.