Caught off Guard

Flash Fiction for a Paid Subscriber

This is a piece I wrote for Sam’s Spaghetti. As a paid subscriber, she was asked to give me a prompt of any genre or theme, and character names. Here was her prompt:

Make it a star is born, like a famous musician, finds a underrated performer and falls in love with her, but with a twist that they are actually Demon slayer, and the character names should be Brandon and Whitney.

I do not have a lot of experience with fight scenes, but I did my best! You’ll see how quickly I moved past it and went straight back to the spice.

Hope you enjoy!

The thigh peeking out of the slit in her black crocheted bodycon dress was all Brandon could see, despite all the activity going on around him in the high-end coffee shop in Tribeca. He had been coming here for weeks and normally was transfixed on Whitney’s hair - otherworldly, almost translucent, white and full of wild curls. And those eyes…those bright green eyes. Her voice was like no other he had ever heard. He had been almost hypnotized by her beauty and her sound.

He was apprehensive at first, thinking maybe this was some sort of trap. He had only been coming here a few weeks when she had shown up and the timing was suspicious. He had been fucked over by many a demon in a bodycon and wasn’t very trusting these days. But after watching her for weeks, he felt in his gut that Whitney wasn’t one of them.

It was a very nice thigh. But that was not what Brandon was looking at now. He was looking at the tattoo of strange markings at the curve of her hip. The dress was a bold choice, and he respected her for it. She definitely pulled it off. He wished he could see more. But now wasn’t the time.

It couldn’t be.

He was going to have to get close to her so he could know for sure.

Brandon was used to socializing with celebrities. very important people in entertainment and other elites. He usually had all the confidence in the world. But he had been unable to approach this goddess Whitney. Something was different about her and when he saw her, he turned into a ball of nerves. He had definitely already been considering approaching her after seeing her in the dress tonight. Now, he had no choice.

She was singing an original song he had practically memorized, and he was counting down the seconds to when it was over. She always took a smoke break immediately after this set, and so far, Whitney had not switched up her set since she started singing. He was betting on that consistency tonight.

She caught his eye as she hit that last high note, and he could have sworn she winked at him.

He felt something stirring inside of him he had never felt before. He felt dizzy for a moment and took a swig of his beer to steady his nerves.

As predicted, Whitney stood up, tugged her dress down and thanked the crowd, as she collected the money from the tip jar. She pulled out a box of matches from her bra and tucked the money in its place. She took the cigarette from behind her ear and began walking towards the front door.

Brandon followed.

He spotted a pack of cigarettes sitting on the table of an older gentleman on his way after her and quietly asked if he could take one. The man smiled and offered him one, with no hesitation. The man glanced up at Whitney now exiting the bar and winked at Brandon as he took back the red carton and laid it back down on the table. Brandon nodded and hurried after her.

Brandon knew he only had a short time to find out what he needed from Whitney, so he wasted no time in striking up a conversation with her. He walked up to where she was standing, trying to light a match under the awning that stretched across the front of the building.

“I love that last song you played. Is it an original?”

Whitney looked up at him, and he was surprised she didn’t react the way most girls did when they realized who was talking to them. He wasn’t disappointed though. That made him like her even more.

“It is”, Whitney said with a small grin, moving her attention right back to the match. It lit and she moved it up to light her cigarette.

“Have you ever been approached from anyone about a contract? Do you have an agent?”

“I bet you know a guy”, Whitney said dryly.

“I might know one or two. Do you mind if I use one of those matches.”

Whitney handed them over with a nod and took an inhale of her cigarette. She leaned up against the building as she exhaled. She lifted her leg up and rested one Doc Marten on the brick wall and folded her arms. The leg with the slit. He looked down and saw the corner of the strange tattoo.

That was his cue. He nodded towards her leg as he lit the cigarette and took a deep inhale. He choked on the smoke. It was strong. He examined it, but it had no markings that he recognized. It looked home-rolled and the filter was short. He should have smell-tested it first, but he had Whitney and her mysterious marking on his mind.

Whitney wasn’t fooled. He expected small talk.

“It took you long enough”. She pushed herself off from the wall with her propped leg and lifted her skirt up so he could see.

He was right. It was what he had thought. She was a hunter. A demon hunter. He lifted up his sleeve and removed his watch. He presented the now bare wrist to Whitney, so she could see his matching tattoo.

“I already knew who you were Brandon. I am a fan too.”

“So, you knew who I was this whole time? I guess my first instinct about this not being a coincidence was right.”

She didn’t say anything. Only took another inhale of her cigarette. He threw his down and stomped it out. He had no desire to take another puff of the too strong cigarette.

“So, what are you doing here?” He asked.

“On a job”, she said casually.

“Here?”

She gave Brandon a sly smile and let the silence linger a moment before she spoke. “I have been sent here to protect someone.”

She laughed at the perplexed look on his face while he calculated this news and continued to let the quiet stretch between them. It finally hit him.

“Me? You’ve been sent to protect me? I don’t need protecting.”

“You’re being followed.”

He was taken aback. He hadn’t noticed anything weird lately and thought for sure he’d be able to pick up on any strange behavior. He hadn’t seen anything that made him think this could be true.

But he didn’t have any reason to not believe her either. If she had been sent here, there had to be something going on.

He closed the space between them. To anyone else, it would have looked as if he was flirting with Whitney. He leaned down and moved his lips close to her ear. He had been wanting to get this close to Whitney since the moment he had laid eyes on her, but now that he was, he was terrified for an entirely different reason. He was hyper aware of the shape of her being so near his own body.

“Are they here, now?”, he asked in a whisper.

She said nothing, only gave him a flirty smile and nodded her head slightly.

She moved her eyes toward the cigarette he had thrown on the ground.

He froze, realizing his mistake. He had been distracted by this beautiful woman and had let that overtake his senses. “Damn. I am usually not this sloppy.” He whispered again in her ear. “I…I have only had one thing on my mind the last few weeks”.

He straightened and watched her expression for a knowing tell.

She smiled in recognition. She threw her cigarette to the ground and smushed it with her boot. “Let’s take care of this demon, and I might let you buy me a drink”.

“Are there anymore besides this guy?”

"He’s here alone tonight”, Whitney said quietly. “I think if we work together, we can get this guy when he leaves tonight, maybe he'll call the others.”

Brandon looked down at his dressy attire and then gestured toward Whitney. “You are going to fight in that dress?”

“I’ve fought in tighter. I can handle it. Plus, I don’t plan on there being much of a fight, if we get this done right.”

---

After Whitney’s last set, Brandon walked up to her and offered her his arm. He spoke loud enough for anyone within earshot to hear. “Want to find somewhere quieter?” Out of the corner of his eye, he watched the demon. He was staring right at them.

She put her arm through his and let him lead her outside. The darkly lit parking lot sat across from the bar and they crossed safely and disappeared behind a line of cars. They waited.

He watched as Whitney pulled out a small dagger from her boots and held it close to her side. He never knew how these encounters would go, and he wasn’t going to wait any longer to make his move, in case this didn’t go their way. He put an arm around her waist and pulled her close to him. He leaned down and pressed his lips softly to hers. It was a small kiss, but he pulled away slowly, deliberately and felt a stirring as her breath caught.

He released her and pulled out his own dagger from his coat pocket. “I can get you that drink. Or we can go straight to my condo after this, and I’ll pour you something a little stronger.”

The look in her eyes gave him the answer he needed, but they didn’t have time for any further discussion. They heard footsteps. Whitney quickly moved to the front of the large SUV that they were using as a shield and Brandon waited for the demon masquerading as a man to walk by. He saw the man’s shadow as he approached, but before he was able to lay eyes on Brandon, Whitney already had the dagger to his neck from behind him. He heard the man’s choked off breath and he made his way to where he was struggling in terror. The shapeshifter’s eyes widened. He shrieked a sound that only Brandon and Whitney were trained to hear, and of course, any other demons there as reinforcements, waiting to be called upon. It was what they were hoping for. It wouldn’t be long now. Whitney sliced the man’s throat, and as he crumpled, it was not blood, but an acrid steam that rose out of the new opening the dagger had made in his neck. Before he hit the ground, the clean metal dagger found his heart. He shrieked again before his defeated frame melted into the pavement.

They waited.

Brandon could see the rise and fall of Whitney’s breath through the tight dress. Their eyes locked. He took a step closer to her, wishing they were anywhere else but this parking lot. Before he closed the gap between them, they heard an all-familiar shuffling sound of approaching demons. They had to get this over with before he could worry about what he was going to do to that dress that was molded against her body. He watched as a dark figure walked up behind Whitney and he gave her a small nod. They were being surrounded. With one swift motion, Whitney kicked her doc marten back as hard as she could and a loud “ooof” was heard from the demon who was attempting to sneak up on her as the boot met its middle. She turned around and found the demon’s heart before he could collect himself. Brandon’s elbow had simultaneously found the face of the creature coming up behind him. The demon wailed in pain. He turned and charged the him until he had him pressed up against the back of a pick-up truck. He pushed his dagger into the beast’s neck, then heart.

No others came. “Just three?” Brandon asked.

“That’s all I have seen here watching you. There may be more. But I don’t think they’ll risk fighting us tonight in human form. It makes them too weak. And I think we are in too public of a space to have them risk transforming here. I think we are safe, for now.”

They waited a beat longer, making sure no one else was coming. It was Whitney’s turn to make a move, and after she felt it safe, charged Brandon. At first, he thought she was about to turn her dagger on him, and he shrieked in surprise as she pushed her body up against his, his back pressed against the SUV. When he realized he was still very much alive, he grabbed her waist and pulled her tight against him. Their mouths met again and this kiss was much less tame as the one from before. She felt his appreciation against her stomach, and she let out a small moan of need as she felt her body quicken. She pushed herself off of him again, suddenly aware of her surroundings. She looked down at the stinking and smoking puddle of demon at Brandon’s feet and looked back up into his eyes. “Take me to your car.”

“You just want me for that record deal I promised.”

She looked at his very visible erection between them and then looked back up at him. “There’s only one thing I want from you. Anything else, I can do myself.”

He straightened, forcing her back as he did, never letting go of her. He flipped her around and whispered in her ear, sliding the small dagger against her arm, soft enough to not draw any blood. Hard enough to send shivers down her spine.

“If you’ve been watching me, you know where it is. You lead the way.”

Whitney adjusted her dress and began walking in the direction of Brandon’s car.

They never took their eyes off the shadows.