Bear in mind that this was written several years ago before my writing style changed, so there may be spelling or grammar errors present in a few places. This will not be a problem however with new content, because I will go over it with a fine tooth comb before I even think about sending it to be published.
Without further ado, here is the first chapter of Guided.
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My name is Taylor Michaels.
I'm a single college graduate working small jobs. At least till something better comes along. But no matter what comes next, I'll never forget the day I first met my boyfriend Doug. He came into the small public house where I was working one night with a smile on his face and a man on his arm. A mixture of sweat, pheromones and Calvin Klein filled the air.
The club was a small set up including an aged snooker table was in the middle of the room. It also had a table football set that had seen better days. Its ball was kept behind the bar so no one could steal it. Not that anyone would. The bar was slightly worn with several beers and lagers on tap. Two fridges out back kept our several soft drinks cool so they were always ready to serve. I rolled my eyes and looked at Doug with false disgust. The physical embracement of an overused stereotype always made me smile.
Just then, a wave of arousal swept over me. Due to my lack of romantic experience, I related this to pleasuring myself in the toilet five minutes afterward. Being single had its downsides. Unlike most people that passed through, I could sense that there was something different about him. Not because of his shaggy hair that was a mix of gold and brown, or his eyes that would have shamed the brightest emerald.
Even the fact that his physique was perfect wasn't what I found to be unusual. The fact he was so mysterious made me more sexually aroused than I had ever been.
"Keep it in your paints Taylor" I told myself.
Although I had come out of the closet years ago, it wasn't very often I saw a man that I genuinely would have liked to get into bed with.
I didn't have any more time to ponder what struck me as unusual about the man. Just at that second, a burly woman in her forties slammed her used wine glass onto the counter. She gruffly asked for a refill and took a drag from her asthma inhaler.
I made sure to count how many she had drunk that evening. At the present time, I was up to three of the smaller bottles we had in stock. She had been in hospital for several weeks.
So my common sense determined that if she asked for another, refusing would the safest thing to do. We didn't need anyone passing out from alcoholic shock.
I poured her a glass of our cheapest rosé. She had insisted on it being cheap. I thought how ironic that sounded, at least in my own mind. After she had paid for the drink, another man walked up to the counter. Smiling broadly when I saw him, I almost knocked a rack of glasses onto the floor with my left hand. After balancing them carefully back on the shelf, I turned to face him.
"Hey Markus, long time no see" I said.
It had been several weeks since I had seen him. Markus was in his early thirties with scarlet red hair and wore a mixture of jeans with white trainers. A vest coat with golden symbols and a blue base completed his ensemble.
"Indeed it is" he replied.
His accent was a mixture of American and British. It gave him the air of not quite belonging if you didn't know him that well. Mind you, he didn't spend a lot of time out in the open at least to my knowledge. This was due to the fact that he was a sprite. No really, he has real magic. All I can say is that thankfully he didn't have wings.
"What brings you round this neck of the woods?" I enquired of my enchanted friend.
"Well to see my favourite godson for one. But there are a few disturbances around here that I need to look into"
I had to figure it must have been a business trip that brought him here. Being sceptical, perceptive and suspicious was part of my nature. But having a good heart and solid moral compass meant it was kept in check. Most of the time. Markus was a kind of policeman for the supernatural so his schedule was pretty tight. But he could travel from Europe to Atlantis and back in time for tea.
Laughter came from a table round the corner so I turned to face what was causing the joke. The man I would refer to later as Doug and his man had just down a shot in one go. Now, they were giving each other deep kisses on the lips. Rolling my eyes, I continued to do jobs round the bar. Making sure to talk to Markus every so often, so he didn't feel like I was ignoring him.
"So what's the emergency tonight?" I asked him.
"Well, there are a few young vampires hanging around the churches. Now and again they trap people in them" Markus explained.
I had to laugh slightly even though I knew it wasn't the least bit amusing. Vampires did drink blood but the most ironic fact was that they rarely drink from humans. 'Take that Hollywood' had been the first thought through my head upon discovering this.
They considered themselves to be pure and didn't need any sustenance from inferior beings. You're probably wondering how I know about vampires and sprites. Well, it's a long story. Let's just say I was once accosted by a very handsome stranger who happened to be a supernatural being.
I'd freaked out at first but once Markus had explained everything, I accepted it as normal. Because what was the point of mindless panic over something you couldn't change?
Another not so well known fact about vampires is that if that if a liquid looks like blood, it will sustain a vampire completely. So they could live on cranberry juice and never once feel hungry or underfed. But a few of the younger ones tended to perpetuate the myth just for fun.
Of course, the sprite always stopped them and used their magic to erase the memories of the people involved. The older vampires always made sure that these jokers were severely punished for their crime. Usually by the means of execution.
"Any supernatural clients tonight?" Markus asked interrupting my thought.
This was a relief since I had been polishing a glass at the time. The heat caused by the friction was starting to burn the tips of my fingers.
"A few gargoyles, a shape shifter and several alcoholics" I said in a nonchalant tone.
Gargoyles could shift into the form of the gigantic dragon-like being as portrayed in the myths. But they stayed in human form during the day and when in public company. Most of them were rather pleasant, if you didn't mind the fact they smelt strongly of marble up close.
Markus looked astonished.
"Taylor Michaels it may surprise you to learn that one of your clients is a bone fide werewolf"
For a moment, I was stunned.
"A real werewolf in here?" I asked.
He nodded judiciously.
"Who is it?" I asked cautiously.
He pointed round the corner, directly at Doug.
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