by Thea Dane
“Time to leave.” Lee put his hand on her shoulder. They returned downstairs with the bouncer. Violetta avoided looking into the dancefloor area this time.
Outside, the car was still parked. Lee ushered her inside before he got in and closed the door. He pressed a button to speak to the driver. “Take us to Desmond Industries.” Then he released the button and handed Violetta a bottled water from the car’s mini fridge.
“Why did you invite me inside the club?” She unscrewed the cap.
“I wanted a human witness present when I took care of the gang. You need to see that I intend to quell the fighting between my kind and yours.”
“Thank you. I didn’t expect to see that.”
“I imagine there were many things you didn’t expect to find in the club tonight.” He touched her shoulder. “You’re very tense. Did the guards disturb you?”
What could she say to him? She was shocked to see that her brother’s attackers had been identified and punished. Shocked that Lee was the one who administered justice when he could’ve brushed it off and let the rogue vampires continue to hurt humans. She was absolutely stunned that the vampire who bit her in the sewer was none other than the gang’s leader. On top of all that, her body was stewing in a rage of hormones and pheromones after watching the orgy on the dancefloor. “I guess I have a lot on my mind tonight after what I saw.”
He massaged her shoulder. “I can help you.”
She set the water in a cupholder. “I don’t think so.”
He lifted one side of his mouth in a delectable smirk. “Is that a challenge?”
She had the urge to kiss him. She had to stop her body from moving towards him. “I think you’re the one challenging me. Are you trying to make me say I want you?”
“I know you want me.” He put both arms around her and drew her in. “It’s time for you to see that you need me like I need you.”
She couldn’t feel this way, couldn’t want him to kiss her, hold her. Hell, take her right now in the backseat of the car. Violetta clung to him as he started kissing her mouth and then moving his lips over her chin and down to her neck. His lips were warm and soft, a juxtaposition from the slightly rough scratch of his beard. She tensed in a mix of both fear and anticipation when he pressed his mouth against the side of her neck, right over the vein. Then he surprised her by untying the sash of her coat. He put his palm on the front of her silk blouse.
Her nipples hardened in response to his touch. She wish she’d worn something more substantial than a lacy bra so there’d be a thicker barrier to keep her from being sensitive to his attention. But it wouldn’t have mattered. Her body showed her what it wanted.
He unbuttoned her blouse and his hand slipped beneath the thin woven fabric. She barely noticed the car moving forward while he kneaded and massaged her breasts. He centered himself on the backseat and pulled her onto his lap. She stopped breathing when she felt his hard cock through his pants. It pressed into the center of her panties. He was big and long. Violetta’s hips instinctively moved. She rubbed against him while holding onto his shoulders.
He put a hand underneath her skirt. His fingers skimmed the top of one of her thigh high stocking seams until he reached her panties. He pushed aside the lace fabric and found the slick center. Violetta moaned and moved against his fingers. He stroked her clit slowly at first in lazy circling motions. She squeezed her eyes shut.
“Look at me.” He started touching her in a relentless motion, making her pleasure build. The car motioned forward, making the sensation more intense.
“Violetta, I said, look at me.” He pushed a finger inside her.
Her eyes shot open. Lee was staring at her face, a mix of desire and hunger in his eyes. He moved his finger along her slick walls. Her body became his to command.
Her vaginal muscles squeezed his finger. She couldn’t take her eyes off him as he pleasured her body, taking complete control. The sensation built.
He rubbed her clit with his thumb. “Tell me what you need from me.”
She couldn’t lie to him. Not like this. Her body was past the point of betraying her. “Lee, don’t make me say it.”
He didn’t relent. “Tell me to stop and I’ll stop. You tell me what you need from me.”
“I don’t want you to stop.” Her voice sounded like it was coming from a distant place. Passion overtook her concern about their boss-employee relationship, their scandalous location in the backseat of a moving chauffeured car, her vanity, and the desire to maintain control. She pushed Lee’s suit jacket from his arms. “I need more from you.”
She heard his pants unzip. His swollen cock, now freed of its confines, extended up past his hips. Violetta moaned as the large tip grazed her thighs. He moved her panties to the side and rubbed his cock along her wet lips. The sensual slide made her buck her hips in anticipation. “Don’t make me wait.”
She shifted and he pulled her panties off. With strong hands, he positioned her legs to straddle him again. He entered her in one swift stroke.
Violetta drew a sharp breath in. His length took up every bit of space inside her vagina. She rocked back and forth, finding her own rhythm. He gripped her waist while making short, intense thrusts in time to her pace.
This was...wild. Her own need shocked her. He penetrated so deep. Her body resonated down to her core. To keep from crying aloud, she pressed her lips to his while their hips melded into each other. He invaded her mouth with his tongue. She did the same to him, feeling the tips of his fangs. This should have terrified her, but her heart raced with desire instead of fear.
The tinted windows fogged over from the heat their bodies gave off as they strained for their pleasure. He splayed his hand across her back and pressed her tight against him. Her thigh muscles burned as she squeezed them and arched her back, taking what he gave. How could she have deceived herself into thinking she didn’t want or need this?
Her body rose higher. He took his mouth away from hers and put his face between her breasts. His hand clamped on her hip as his movements were strong enough to make her rise and fall. Violetta’s fingers were in his hair. “Lee.” She could barely get out his name as he made a sweet wreck of her defenses.
“You’re exquisite.” His voice carried a rasp as his breathing sped. “Everything I imagined.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck. Her body was clinging to the brink. She squeezed her thighs again and her body shattered into climax. She tilted her head as pleasure ripped through her.
Violetta felt Lee’s mouth on her neck again. A tiny prick ensued as the tips of his fangs pierced her skin. A bit of pain and more pleasure assailed her. She spiraled through the sensation until she realized what was happening. She felt a trickle of warmth on her neck. Panicked, she moved off his lap. She touched her neck and saw her fingers come away with blood. “What are you doing?”
“I had to taste you. Your body, your blood smelled so good.” He looked a little lost himself.
“You bit me. I never said you could.”
He zipped his pants. “I’m sorry. Come back. Let me heal your neck.”
“What? No.” She got her panties on.
“Violetta, you’re bleeding. Let me stop it.”
The car pulled up to the Desmond Industries building. She knew she couldn’t go into work bleeding and with her skirt hiked all the way up her thighs. She smoothed her skirt down and edged closer to Lee. He cradled the back of her neck as though he were going to pull her in for a kiss. Instead, he tilted her head to the side and ran the tip of his tongue on the bite mark. She felt a slight sting and then nothing.
“There.” He dabbed at the thin trail of blood on her neck with his handkerchief.
Violetta buttoned her blouse and closed her coat. “I have to go work on sending you the notes from the last meeting.”
“What last meeting?”
“I don’t know, but there are several of them I need to send you. And finish planning your Christmas gala.”
He pocketed the handkerchief and adjusted his pants. “Violetta, you don’t have to keep up a façade.”
“I’m not pretending. This shouldn’t have happened. I have work to do. From now on, that’s all I’m doing.” She turned to the other door and pushed it open before he had a chance to stop her. She hurried into the building and flew to the elevator so she could ride it upstairs alone.
Chapter Eight
The next ten days refused to go by without Lee thinking of Violetta and the amazing way their bodies and emotions connected. The sex in the car had been hot, frenzied. He enjoyed making her lose her inhibitions and sending her over the edge with pleasure. He couldn’t forget how in that time she trusted him to provide for her physical and emotional need for release.
But it was all over right after it began. It was his fault for drinking her blood. She was so beautiful and sweet, he couldn’t resist. Once her blood passed his lips, his body craved her. She was in his system and he wanted more. In his passionate haste, he lost control, failed to prepare her, and frightened her off as a result.
She did her part in the office to maintain professionalism. She avoided him during the office Christmas party, but every time he saw her in those fitted dresses and watched her long legs as she walked across the room, he felt a tightening in his groin. She wanted him to put up a cold front as well, but how when there were other parts of him that were lava hot? It wasn’t just his body that craved to be joined again with hers. Something deeper happened when he took that first taste of her blood.
What was with this human woman? What was so different about her than other women, both human and vampire over the centuries whom he had taken to his bed? It was easy to forget them. She, on the other hand, made his body, mind, and soul seek connection. This was the first time he felt this way. And for the first time in his life, he didn’t know what to do.
“Excuse me, Lee.” Her voice made him snap to attention.
“What is it?” Today he had to be in the office during the afternoon because his human associates were holding meetings early to free up their schedules in time for Christmas. Despite being sleep deprived, he noticed Violetta’s new perfume. It was creamier and sweeter than her usual jasmine scent. It was enhanced by the heat of her skin. He wanted to unbutton the high collar of her dress so he could taste her skin from her neck to her breasts.
“Nicholas is on the line.”
“I’ll take the call.” Even Bloodbound business wasn’t enough to drive away thoughts of Violetta in his arms again. He picked up his office phone while watching her walk from his office. “Any news on our runaway?”
“Still nothing. They’re waiting to be told what to do next.”
By ‘they’, Nicholas meant the guards. “Tell them to keep looking for Crane. Keep trackers on all personnel. Let me know of any leads.”
“Will do. Anything new on Trevor’s murderer?”
“No, unfortunately. If they find any slayer in the city, the guards have my permission to bring him in for interrogation.”
Lee got up and left his office after the call. He stopped by Violetta’s office. “Tell Harry I’m going to another meeting.”
He rode the elevator all the way down to the first floor, thinking about the phone call. This hunt for Felix had gone on for too long. The rogue vampire should’ve been found already.
His cell phone vibrated when he was halfway to his meeting destination. Lee received a text from his mother. He realized she sent it a few hours ago when he last used his personal phone.
I switched flights. Coming in this afternoon instead of Christmas Eve. Can’t wait to see you at the airport, Leeland.
He put his hand to his head and grumbled. Between work and thinking of Violetta, he forgot about his mother’s habit for unpredictability. He called Violetta’s desk phone.
VIOLETTA SAT IN HER office, finalizing the plans for the upcoming fundraising gala. It was set to go tomorrow. All the catering had been ordered and musicians contacted. Lana even had her dress sent over.
But even though she kept herself busy at the office, her mind was still on Lee. In one brief span of time, he got a hold of her body, mind, and soul. No man ever made her lose her inhibitions like that. She felt free in his arms, yet safe and protected. She couldn’t remember the last time she felt that way. Her slayer training taught her to be ashamed of what she did with him. This was the vampire she was ordered to assassinate.
A connection to Lee was still there. She felt it inside. Was it because he bit her and took her blood? That act had left her feeling vulnerable. She still wrestled with her conflicting emotions. What was she going to do moving forward? The gala was tomorrow and Christmas Eve, the time of his coronation, was the day after. She had to make some decisions fast.
She got a phone call from him just before four in the afternoon. Working these earlier hours added to her fatigue. She yawned before she answered. “This is Violetta.”
“I need you to pick my mother up from the airport.”
She was shaken from her drowsiness. Did Lee tell her his mother was flying into town? She couldn’t remember. It wasn’t on the schedule. Either she was flying in for Christmas or his coronation. “What’s her airline and flight number?” She reached for a pen on the desk in order to jot the information down.
After he gave it to her, he said, “I also need you to entertain her until I can meet her for dinner tonight.”
“Uh, okay then.” She never thought this would be part of her job description. Exactly how did one entertain the vampire alpha’s mama? “She might want to rest after her flight. Should I take her to your address?”
“She insists upon staying at the new five-star hotel on the upper west side. I already made a reservation for her. I’ll text you the information.”
“Got it. I’ll help her get settled in.”
“Thank you, Violetta. And whatever you do, don’t mention the Christmas gala to her. She’ll want to make the event an extra five hours long.”
“I won’t say a word.”
“Great. I appreciate you.”
Her face and body warmed, but she didn’t want to dwell on what he said. Keep it business. Strictly business.
She dialed Harry’s extension to ask him to bring the car around. It was already after four and the airport was a thirty minute drive away. She had to get a move on.
VIOLETTA HAD HARRY drive to the airport and stop at Gate 23. She got out of the car and went inside. At that moment, as people rushed by, loaded down with suitcases, it occurred to her that she failed to ask Lee for his mother’s phone number. How was she going to recognize the woman? Shoot. She didn’t even know the woman’s name. Her neck alerted her to vampiric energy as she scanned the airport gate.
“You must be Violetta,” a female contralto voice purred nearby.
She viewed a striking woman across the way with shoulder-length, white wavy hair. The woman reminded Violetta of those Italian Vogue models with their high cheekbones and bright style. Her fuchsia designer jumpsuit shouted out from underneath her burgundy Burberry trench coat. “Are you Lee Desmond’s mother?”
“Salome Desmond. I’m intrigued to meet you, my dear.” She held out a French manicured hand. “Lee described you to me perfectly.”
“He did?”
“Yes. He said you have a heart-shaped face and you’d be wearing red.”
She glanced down at her dress and saw that it was in the red family, a deep garnet color.
Salome picked up her Louis Vuitton rolling suitcase and started walking towards the exit. “Speaking of my son. He said you were going to pick me up, but are we going to meet him at his office?”
“No, ma’am. He’s been tied up today in meetings. He said he’ll see you tonight at dinner.”
She put a hand on her hip. “Dinner? That long? No offense to you, but I don’t like being passed off to his assistant. I’m his mother, not a business colleague.”
Uh-oh. It looked like Lee was going to be in hot water. The sit
uation presented itself as humorous to Violetta. Still, she was going to stay out of Lee’s family business and focus solely on what she needed to do. “He would have come to the airport himself if he weren’t so busy.”
“Of course he told you to tell me that. What am I supposed to do until tonight?”
Violetta sensed Salome’s vampiric energy ratchet up a couple notches due to her irritation. She needed to get her to calm down. “This is your first time in Briar City, isn’t it? We can kill a few hours by touring the town if you’d like.”
Salome handed her suitcase to Harry once they were outside. “I’d like to change out of these clothes first. The person on the plane next to me was eating Doritos and dusting the crumbs off his fingers. Some landed on me. I feel so grimy.”
“We can check you into your hotel first.” She waited for Salome to get into the car.
“That is a satisfactory plan. I’m ready to see all that Briar City has to offer. You’ll be my little human tour guide, won’t you?”
Violetta looked up from buckling her seatbelt.
Salome giggled. “Did you think I didn’t know? He told me, but it’s not like I can’t tell myself. You smell like a daywalker.”
“I didn’t know we daywalkers were so aromatic.”
She giggled again. “You have such a dry wit about you, not at all like that last stuck up, boring assistant he had. I tolerated her when he had a business trip to Ireland. What was her name, Katie or something?”
“Katrin.”
“Whatever.” Salome got on her seatbelt just as Harry got the car moving forward. “I’m glad you picked me up from the airport and not her, but I do wish it were my son instead.”
Violetta got the point the first time. It was going to be a long evening.
They made it to the hotel back in Briar City. There, Violetta made sure she got Lee’s mother situated in her suite. She had the concierge stock the fridge. Stacy from Fast Dash made a delivery, too.