Chapter 9

• I stood at the dark end of the bar, turning the drink in my hand, watching all the action around me. As odd as it seemed, this place was familiar and that brought comfort. The bartender, Jorge, knew me, and I always sensed confusion from him. I suppose I didn’t blend in well with the crowd that preferred this location, but I liked it. There were five different exits, and that was better than any other spot I had found.
• It wasn’t late enough to have the usual crowd falling over each other, but there were a few good prospects I was keeping an eye on. It had taken a few decades to hone the skill of selecting the right person. Of course, the sixties had been the easiest by far to find someone to share a few non-sexual close moments with, but that time was long gone.
• I’d like to say I’d always kept it platonic, but that would also be a lie. The years could be lonely and the occasional night of lying to yourself was allowed and forgiven. Mostly. The least complicated person to select was a female. Men always expected more. If my other realm-ness involved being able to place a trance on my victims, that would have made life so much simpler, but sadly it did not. I knew this after trying when I first thought I was a vampire. The moments in my youth had been strictly trial and error.