I was torn. Ace’s offer had the potential to skyrocket my career, and he was very sexy. Victor was my goal. I just knew he held the answers to who framed my father and embezzled the money. But could I stomach him and his propensities?
And I desperately wanted to accept Toven’s offer. He was beyond handsome and made me feel something I didn’t have words for. His payment would more than cover my tuition. There was a future job with him after this. But could I commit to living this way for ten weeks, giving myself to someone for ten weeks? The better question was, would I be able to walk away from him with my heart intact after ten weeks?
“Do you want to talk out your options?” Circe offered.
“No, I’ve made up my mind. I’ll accept Mr. Adams’s offer.”
“I’m glad to hear you say that.”
I chuckled.
“And not just because of the big payday you earned for B.I.T.-10. But also, because I think it’s the one that’ll best set your future. You’ll gain experience in your field, have the opportunity for a permanent job, and you’ll be able to easily fund the rest of your education.”
“I agree. There’s no one left in the world to look out for me. I need to do what I can to look out for myself.”
“That’s a good attitude. When I started this branch of the company, my goal was to take the commodities women possess and use them to help empower women. I didn’t have anyone I could rely on either. I hope to make it easier for young women than I had it. Here is the contract for you to sign.”
She slid it across the table to me. I barely glanced at it before scratching my name on the dotted line.
“Here’s a copy for you to keep for your records.”
“Thank you for all your help, Ms. Thomas.”
“You’re very welcome, dear. When you leave, go to Jacque’s workroom and grab your stuff. I’ll have Toven meet you there.”
“OK.” I moved to walk out of her office, but she stopped me.
“Oh, and Celesta, please be sure to get the most out of your experience and enjoy yourself. Sometimes the unknown is scary, but that doesn’t mean it’ll be bad. I know this job is out of your comfort zone, but I have every confidence that you’ll do yourself and B.I.T.-10 proud. Here’s my card with my direct line should you need to reach me. And because your contract is a lot longer term than most, please do arrange to come in every week to get a spa treatment—hair, polish, waxing, massage, the works from Sandra and her crew. And also, see Jacque next week to get more clothing. I anticipated you getting a lengthy contract, but I didn’t count on a ten week one.” She smiled broadly at me.
“Yes, ma’am. I guess I’ll see you next week. Wish me luck.”
“I would but you don’t need it, my dear.”
I smiled and walked down the hallway to Jacque’s workroom. He was in there with my bags.
“I heard your contract was longer than we planned for. So, I added a few more things I had in your size to your bags. I also put some extra goodies in there for you too. See me next week, and I’ll have more for you.”
“Thank you so much, Jacque. You made this duckling into a swan tonight.” I still couldn’t believe my luck.
“Nonsense, you’re even prettier than a swan without my help.”
I gave him an impulsive hug as the door swung open. Toven frowned at me as I quickly stepped back from Jacque’s embrace. “Thank you, Jacque. Your dress was perfect.”
“You picked out this dress?” Toven asked Jacque gruffly as he strode over to where we stood.
Jacque stood up straight and offered his hand to Toven. “Yes, sir. I thought the color would suit her perfectly.”
Toven shook his hand and said, “You were correct. I hope you’ve selected more perfect outfits for her.”
“I think I have. If you have any specific requests as time goes on, don’t hesitate to let me know. I can make anything you need for her to wear.”
“I’ll keep that in mind. I’ll get you a list of functions we’ll be attending over the next ten weeks so you can see that she has the perfect outfit for each.” Toven turned to me. “Is this all you have with you?” He gestured to the suitcase and garment bag.
“I do have my car in the parking garage.”
“Keys?” He held out his hand.
I arched a brow at him in question.
“I’ll have one of my men drive your vehicle to my home, so you’ll have it.”
“I can just follow you in my car. I don’t want to be any trouble.”
“It isn’t any trouble at all. My man is here anyway, he may as well earn his paycheck.”
I bent over the suitcase to dig in the front pocket for my key ring. A sharp hiss of breath sounded behind me, but I didn’t look back. When my fingers closed over the key ring, I stood in triumph. I dropped the keys in his waiting palm. He pocketed them, then grabbed the suitcase and garment bag in one hand. I placed my hand in the free one he held out to me then followed him out the door.
A shiver traveled up my spine at that small bit of contact with his skin—and it wasn’t from the temperature of his skin. Contrary to what I expected, his skin wasn’t cold, just a tad cooler than mine.
He smirked down at me and led me to the back elevator. Once the doors were shut and we were alone, I asked, “So, after we get to your home, I guess we’ll go over what you want me to get started on first, and then I’ll come back tomorrow?”
“No.”
“I’ll meet you at your office tomorrow?”
“No. You’ll be staying with me during the length of your contract. Will that be a problem?” His face was unreadable as he looked down at me.
I swallowed hard. Why hadn’t I considered the living arrangements before? Of course, any client whose offer I accepted would expect me to be available any time day or night for . . . meals and entertainment.
Before I could contemplate any further, the elevator doors slid open. A large, imposing man in a dark suit stood to the right of the doors, waiting.
“Mr. Adams,” he spoke in a gruff voice.
“Joe, this is Celesta Winston. Please drive Ms. Winston’s car to my home,” he ordered as he tossed him the keys. Joe took a deep breath then stalked away.
“It’s the silver SUV parked on the third level of the parking deck,” I called out.
Toven chuckled at my shouted words.
“What’s so funny? He didn’t wait to find out what I drive. How’s he going to find it without walking around pressing the buttons on the fob until a car lights up in response?”
“Your car will smell like you. He’ll find it easily enough.”
“Oh.” Joe was a vampire too. Damn, I really needed to get my vamp-dar checked. It was definitely malfunctioning.
Before I could process the fact that I’d probably been mingling with vampires unknowingly for a long time now, a long, sleek limo pulled up beside us. A short, stocky chauffer hopped out and came to open the rear door for us. “Evening, Mr. Adams.” He tipped his hat at Toven.
“Good evening, William. I hope you’re doing well this evening.”
“I’m doing just fine, sir.”
Toven ushered me into the beautiful interior. I sank down onto one of the plush leather seats. Toven eased in across from me. The door clicked closed softly, leaving us in the dimly lit cocoon of luxury. Moments later, the privacy glass slid down.
“Where to, sir?” William asked.
“Home, please.”
Soundlessly, the glass slipped back into place. As the car pulled out of the parking garage, the interior lights dimmed even further.
I nervously clasped my hands in my lap and kept my gaze trained out the window. Initially, I’d been relieved when Toven sat across from me, but now that I felt the heat of his stare on me, I would’ve preferred to be next to him and under less scrutiny.
Maybe.
The moments ticked by slowly as we left the lights of the city behind. I didn’t know how long we sat there in complete silence before he finall
y spoke, “Celesta, are you worried about something?”
“Um . . . no. W-why do you ask?” I stammered.
“Because you’re wringing the life out of your hands.”
I looked down and saw I was indeed clutching them tightly enough to cause parts of my fingers to be white and parts to be an angry red. He leaned forward and took my hands in his. He pried my fingers apart to restore the absent blood flow to my fingertips. His touch made my pulse thunder beneath my skin and my breath go shallow. He looked up at me and gave a little smile. “Did you enjoy our time together at the gala?”
“Very much.” I nodded.
“Then why are you nervous now? And don’t say you aren’t. I can hear it and smell it.”
“Well . . . I’m very new to all this. I guess not knowing what to expect puts me a bit on edge.”
He nodded. “That’s understandable. I’m new to all of this as well. I’ve never put forth a proposal like the one I offered you, so I’m a little nervous too. But I’m also a bit excited by the prospect of having you help me.” His fingers continued to rub against mine.
“I doubt you’re as new to all of this as I am. But I’ll admit I’m excited about working with you and helping you.” I squeezed his hand.
“How about we make a deal? If anything makes you nervous or uncomfortable, you agree to talk to me about it and we’ll work it out. And if there’s anything you have questions about, I’ll do my best to answer you fully. And the same stipulations will work in reverse. We agree to be honest with each other. Does that sound OK?”
I swallowed hard in relief. He was being so reasonable. I wasn’t sure why I expected him not to be. But a part of me expected that once I signed the contract, he’d become very demanding and take things I wasn’t ready to give. His words put me at ease. My heart rate slowed, and I was able to draw a full breath. “That sounds great. I think I can learn a lot from you, and I have a lot of skills that’ll help you.”
He smirked. “I bet you do,” he said suggestively.
Heat flared up in my cheeks as I replayed my word choice in my mind. Oh . . . I was going to have to do a better job censoring myself when I spoke with him, so everything didn’t appear to have a double meaning.
“I mean, I have a lot of marketing skills I think we can put to use to build your public image.”
He laughed. “I knew what you meant. I was only teasing you. I’m a bit out of practice on that front, though. So please, forgive me for not doing it right.”
“OK.”
Why would he be out of practice? He probably had women throwing themselves at him constantly. I’d never seen a man quite so appealing as Toven. His thick, dark hair called out for my fingers to bury themselves in it, to grasp it so I could pull him to me. His amber-colored eyes were deep enough to drown in. His lips were a perfect shade and looked so soft. His jaw had a thin layer of stubble. His body was perfectly toned, with just enough muscle.
Yeah, women probably lined up around the block for a chance at five minutes with him. And what was it that Circe had said, something about him enjoying giving pleasure? A gorgeous man who relished bringing pleasure to a woman would certainly never lack for female companionship.
“Penny for your thoughts?”
I snapped out of my reverie. “Mine are worth more than a penny,” I teased.
“Touché. How about you start a tab? What are they worth?” he spoke with a grin.
“I don’t know. Some are worth a lot and others very little.”
“Nothing about you is worth very little, I can assure you of that. I think we need to add a caveat to our little agreement from earlier about things that make you nervous or questions.” His finger traced a circle on the sensitive skin between my thumb and forefinger.
“OK.”
“It makes me nervous to see the wheels turning in your head and not know what you’re thinking about. So, how about if I ask, no matter the value of the thoughts, you tell me what they’re worth and then share them with me.” His gaze entreated me to agree.
I swallowed hard. “All my thoughts?”
“Only if I ask.”
“What if my thoughts are embarrassing?”
“I won’t hold them against you. Earlier, we promised honesty.”
I wasn’t sure I could share all my thoughts with him. That could totally backfire.
He tightened his hold on my hand and looked deeply into my eyes. “Don’t make me use my mind-reading abilities on you to find out what you think.”
I gasped in horror and tried to jerk my hand away. I might not be safe if he could read my mind. He’d know my true motives for going to work for B.I.T.-10. Not to mention he’d be able to hear all my embarrassing thoughts about him, putting my self-worth in jeopardy.
“I’m kidding.”
I let out a breath of relief. “You can’t read my mind?” I asked just in case.
“Not without a blood bond between us and me opening the connection.”
I filed that information away for later. I needed a notebook to write my questions down in.
“Quarter for those thoughts in your mind right now?”
“Well, I was just thinking I need a notebook to write down all my questions for you.”
He reached into his jacket pocket and withdrew a notepad and pen. He tore out a few pages and handed me the now blank notepad. I scribbled my question onto the first page then closed the pad.
“Now for the thoughts I originally asked you about.”
Heat crept up my neck. How could I tell him what ran through my mind? It was so embarrassing to be caught cataloging his numerous assets and wondering about other females in his life. But I wanted to be honest with him where I could. For some reason I didn’t really understand, I wanted to be honest with him like I wasn’t with anyone else in my life.
I cleared my throat. “Well, honestly, I was mentally listing your attributes one by one. And I was wondering why a guy like you would need to hire someone to act as his girlfriend. I’m certain you have many options at your disposal and never lack for female companionship. So why this, and why me?”
7
Toven
Damn, I guess this honesty thing had to go both ways. I never expected to have to explain my motivations to her. I needed a moment to gather my thoughts. Emotions I hadn’t felt in lifetimes flooded my being—the chief one being something like awkwardness.
How embarrassing to need to pay someone to act as my girlfriend? How was I going to explain myself to her without either sounding like an undesirable clod or an arrogant ass who needed no one? How did I explain to her I wasn’t the type of guy who fit into the relationship mold? And why on Earth didn’t I want her to know I wasn’t relationship material?
To buy myself some time, I latched on to the first part of her confessed thoughts.
“What attributes of mine were you listing to yourself? I’d like to know how I stack up in your mind.”
My sensitive hearing picked up the increase in her heart rate. Blood rushed to the surface of her skin even before her blush became apparent. Man, a blush looked good on her. Making her blush might become one of my new favorite past times. The flush made her look temptingly delicious.
Her throat bobbed as she swallowed. That smooth column of untasted flesh tempted me. At the base of it was the tiny flutter of her rapid pulse, thrumming in perfect rhythm with her heartbeat. What would it feel like under my tongue? I wondered how my lips pressed to it would alter its rhythm.
I shifted in my seat to try to ease the discomfort which was rapidly making itself known to me. The beast snickered inside. He wanted to come out and play. I’d kept him on a tight leash all evening. He’d actually been oddly quiet ever since that girl came to my home last night. My musings were interrupted by her voice.
“Well, I thought your hair looked nice.”
“Ah, just nice?” I reached up to brush my fingers through it.
“And soft.”
“So, you think I have nice,
soft hair? That was what you noticed?”
“W-well, I didn’t exactly word it that way in my head. But you get the gist of it,” she stammered defensively.
I scooted forward, totally enthralled by her innocent awkwardness. My knees spread to cage her legs between mine. I knew I was encroaching on her personal space. However, my contract said I was entitled to far more than encroaching, so I didn’t feel too terrible. Besides, I just couldn’t seem to help myself—I felt myself being pulled to her. I just wanted to be near her. And if my nearness made her nervous enough to uncensor herself, then that was a bonus.
The heat from her legs burned into my thighs where they rested against hers. What would that heat feel like without all the layers of fabric between us? My inner beast snapped in approval at the direction of my thoughts. I looked upon her face. Her eyes were cast down to her lap. I used one of my hands to tilt her head back so I could meet her gaze. The other hand still held both of hers.
“Honesty, remember?” Though I wasn’t certain I’d be able to deliver perfect honesty to her, I still needed it from her.
She swallowed hard before answering, “I did tell you the point of my thought, just not the exact wording.”
“OK. I’ll let that slide this time, though you’ve ignited a curiosity in me as to what you could’ve thought so bad about my hair that you won’t tell me. Did I have any other positive qualities in your mental list?”
She smiled shyly. “Well, I thought your eyes were a beautiful shade.”
♪ Beautiful Eyes by Taylor Swift
“Thank you. That it?”
“No, your . . . lips,” another hard swallow before she continued, “are a very nice shade.”
“Women really notice the color of a man’s lips?” I asked dubiously.
“Yes, and the softness of them,” she replied indignantly. She clamped her lips shut as if she’d said too much. It was my turn to swallow hard.
She’d been thinking about how soft my lips might be? Heavens to Betsies. I’d love for her to find out how soft my lips were. I’d love to put my soft lips all over her and show her their softness.
Blood Song: Prelude (Blood Song Series Book 1) Page 11