Bernadette poured two bottles of champagne into the full bathtub, then removed her clothes and slowly slid in. She stretched out her body in the warm water, running her hands from her shoulders down to her fingertips with a look of pleasure. The dim lights in the room accentuated her curves, and her skin shimmered in the darkness. Her sensual body writhed in the sweet-smelling steam rising from the water.
Jörg sat on the edge of the bed, watching Bernadette. He could feel the ancient blood stirring in the depths of his soul. Drain this woman for sustenance, the blood commanded him, as if to say that was far more important than the joys of the flesh. Jörg ignored its demands. He forced himself to think about the refreshing breeze and woodland smells of his hometown to hold the monster’s power at bay.
Bernadette got out of the bathtub, wrapped herself in a soft towel, and wiped every last drop of water off her body. Once she was done, Jörg told her to put on her clothes.
“You’re really not going to do anything?” she asked. “You paid for me.”
“I didn’t come here today to buy your body; what I want to buy is food. I’d like to talk with you about that.”
Bernadette climbed naked onto the bed, crawled over the comforter, and leaned in close to Jörg. She put her face close to his, then ran her lips down his neck. Jörg repositioned himself and kissed Bernadette’s throat and cheeks in response. But that was as far as he went.
“I want you to think of me as a comrade,” he told her.
“What’s a comrade?”
“Someone who isn’t just wrapped up in this war, but who actively resists it, even if they can only do it in their own modest way. I’d like for the two of us to have that sort of a relationship. Of course, once you’re free from this brothel, it’s your own choice as an individual whether you want more from me. And if I still find myself thinking about you, we’ll meet again. It’ll be much more romantic than sleeping together because it’s your job.”
“You really are a strange one. You’re not a normal man.”
“The war destroyed my heart. Both my body and soul aren’t what they once were.”
Jörg could feel Bernadette’s fingers around him. She started to squeeze him harder, and he let out a moan.
“I know there are more important connections in this world beyond the physical,” Bernadette said, “but you’re the first customer to ever say that here. It’s not fair.”
“How is it unfair?”
“If we sleep together now, then I can forget the whole night as if it were a dream. But if we don’t do anything, I’ll never be able to forget you. I’ll obsess over a hopeless fantasy and keep waiting for it to come true. Don’t do something so cruel. Sleep with me and leave.”
“You’d really prefer that?”
Bernadette nodded.
Jörg put his hand on hers, then pressed himself close to her soft body.
The more passionately Bernadette responded, the more strongly Jörg felt that he couldn’t allow himself to get anything more than physical pleasure from her. He would get his sustenance elsewhere. That’s right, he thought. I can get it from the madame. The madame was a woman who ran a traditional brothel and, even now, had managed to keep the place thriving. She must be overflowing with vitality. Taking a little from her surely wouldn’t affect her in any way.
Once they had finished and Jörg was lying next to Bernadette, he circled back to the subject of the food procurement.
“Kleinerbrunn is in the Pfalz region,” she told him. “Do you know it?”
“It’s a fair way west, closer to the French border than to Berlin.”
“It’s an enclave of Bavaria, so their beliefs and attitudes are different from the rest of Prussia. They don’t blindly follow the orders of the German government, even during the war, and lie about their harvests whenever they can. When the government asks for donations of pots and pans, they say they don’t have any more to give. Lately, the mayor has been imploring them to buy war bonds, but nobody does.”
“Sounds promising.”
Bernadette smiled amusedly. “That attitude is why they have food reserves that don’t show up in records. They sell part of their food stores to rich people from the cities at prices that are dozens of times higher than market value. Don’t criticize them for it, though. Farming villages where all the men have been taken by the war don’t really have any prospects once it ends. They have to keep farming, even though their husbands and sons will never return. Can you even imagine how cruel that is? What else can they do but find someone willing to buy from them for even a little more money so they can plan for a stable life after the war?”
“I get it. I don’t intend to criticize them in the least.”
“So the question is: Where do we get the money to buy the food at such high prices? There’s no way Diana could pay for it all by herself. Say you temporarily loan her the money— How and when do you plan to have her pay you back? It’ll be an astronomical amount by the end of the war.”
“I have an idea. We’ll work it out somehow.”
“You seem awfully relaxed about it.”
“I have something lined up. To start with, I’d like you to tell your relatives that I’ll be going to Kleinerbrunn. It would look suspicious if I suddenly showed up, so I’ll need you to write me a letter of introduction.”
“Whatever you need.”
“Thank you.”
“Is there anything I should keep in mind when writing the letter?” Bernadette asked.
“Don’t mention anything about my age or what I look like. With this type of work, I might need to go in disguise. I may not look like this when I go there.”
“Okay. I’ll watch out for that when I write it.”
Dawn broke as they were still sorting out the finer details of the plan, and soon after, Jörg left the room.
He walked downstairs and settled his bill with the madame. As she walked him to the front door, he gripped her hand in both of his and theatrically declared, “Bernadette was absolutely wonderful. I really took a liking to her.”
“Thank you. That’s wonderful to hear.”
“I’ll be back. Soon.”
“We’ll be looking forward to it. I’ll let the girl know.”
Jörg felt a rich sustenance flow from the madame’s hands into his body. His energy and strength recovered immediately, leaving him feeling as refreshed as if he’d just woken up from a long sleep.
As if he’d just lost one more piece of his humanity.
Once he returned to Xandra’s inn, Jörg stopped by the Count’s room and knocked on the door. A voice bade him to enter, so he stepped inside to find the Count reading in a chair, as always.
After greeting him, Jörg said, “I’d like to borrow some money so I can buy Bernadette’s freedom.”
The Count closed his book, an exasperated look on his face. “That good, was she? Just one time, and you fall head over heels?”
“No, it’s not that. I promised her I would free her from the brothel in exchange for information about the black market.”
“That’s hardly a fair deal. You come out far worse in that arrangement.”
“Actually, I’m going to need even more than that. It’s going to cost a lot just to buy the food.”
“I have money, but I cannot lend you an unlimited amount.”
“No, I know. You and I are both immortal, though, so I can pay you back over hundreds of years.”
The Count set his book down and steepled his fingers together in front of him. “You seem to be losing all restraint.”
“You think so?”
“I’ll lend you the money—and don’t worry about interest. If I lent it to you like you asked, the interest alone would be phenomenal. However, I have no intention of making money off you, so we’ll ignore it.”
“Thank you.”
“Do you have a contact for this black market food trade?”
“Yes. Bernadette told me about someone.”
“Well then, it seems all that’s left is to go there and come to an agreement.”
“I’ve already arranged for that, too. If I don’t need to worry about funds, then things should go smoothly.”