It Runs in the Family

The cacophony of boozy conversation filled the well-appointed house of attorney Douglas Hattering. Friends from his law firm and the neighborhood and a hand full of faces he didn’t recognized formed small clusters of people talking, drinking and flirting with each other in the spacious living room. One of the guests he didn’t know was a beautiful pale woman with long black hair and a form-fitting black dress cornered by three wide-eyed young bucks.

Moving with a slow, cool determination, he smiled and nodded his way through the partygoers to finally enter the knot of drunk, clumsy men trying unsuccessfully to seduce the mysterious woman. Because Douglas was a partner in the firm, the younger lawyers quickly accepted that their hunt was over and disappointedly drifted off to look for other prey.

The woman’s dark red lips parted in a smile. “Wow. That was impressive, in a primitive, tribal kind of way. You must be the chief.”

“Law firm partner and party giver. Welcome to my home.” They touched glasses.

“Thank you. It’s beautiful. Gina Bholes.”

“Douglas Hatterling. And how do you pass your days, Gina?

“I’m an arachnologist at the university.”

“Spiders? You study spiders for a living? I try and keep as far away from them as possible. It’s really a phobia of mine.”

“You’re not alone, but they are fascinating to me and their webs can be so intricate and beautiful.”

“Not if you’re a fly. Can I get you another drink?”

“Thank you. I’d love one.”

“And when I get back I have to know what got such a beautiful woman interested in such horrid creatures,” Douglas said as he walked toward the kitchen.

Two hours later, the house now empty, Douglas and Gina lay naked on his bed, breathing heavily after physical, satisfying sex. Gina got up on one elbow.

“I never answered your question,” she said.

“My question?”

“How I became interested in spiders.” Douglas turned toward her, his blissful expression instantly turned to one of terror as he watched her eyes transform into large red embers and fangs begin protruding from her mouth. “It runs in the family.”