Her hand played over the bulge in his boxers that Jack hadn’t realized he’d had.
“I was in the middle of a dream,” said Jack. “And I thought you were someone else.”
“You visited me,” said Mira. “I’m merely visiting you, now, in return. It’s the polite thing to do.”
Jack scowled, but felt a little relieved to have confirmation that Mira wasn’t really there. She was easier to deal with like this, in his visions. Or at least, this way he didn’t have to concern himself with what she did on Lestaron Island when she was apart from him.
“You can’t just slip into someone’s dreams unannounced,” said Jack. She was wearing a different outfit than she’d had on the previous night, a tiny black lingerie chemise with a plunging neckline and fabric sheer enough to show her nipples. It made him feel lewd to look at her, even in the darkness of his room.
“Oh, but I quite clearly can,” said Mira. “Without much resistance, I might add. If you were more open to my instruction, perhaps you might have learned how to properly lock the door to your mind, dearest Jack.”
He exhaled through his teeth and shook his head. Mira slid in closer to him, letting her body press against his. He tried to resist her, but her lips were against his an instant later, and she felt so incredibly good.
“Mmmm…” hummed Mira, as the kiss ended. “I didn’t come just for this, however.”
She gave his bulge another squeeze, smiling a playful smile.
“You shouldn’t have come at all,” said Jack.
“Don’t say that!” said Mira. “I came to check up on you. And I am truly glad that I did. I can sense how much blood essence is in you. More than ever before! Which means you’ve made incredible progress.”
Jack looked away from her, feeling his face heat up. Progress? The past day or two had made him feel like he was two people in the same body. One with good intentions, and one with an inclination for crossing the line.
Mira kissed him again, and he felt the second of those two people stirring. It would be so simple to let himself enjoy her. It wasn’t even real, he reminded himself, and he’d already had a passionate encounter with her in his last vision. Why not? What reason did he have for holding back instead of pinning her to the mattress and giving her a taste of what he was really made of?
“Stop.” Jack pushed his hand against her chest.
“Was it the timid maid?” whispered Mira. “Are you biting her too, now? She’d be a natural fit for your situation. You could bite her and enthrall her, and nobody would suspect a thing. She wouldn’t even act much differently.”
Jack tasted something sour in the back of his throat. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
“Are you finished?” he asked. “Because I am.”
“I haven’t even gotten to my point yet!” said Mira, in a pouty voice. “I came to tell you that it’s time for you to take the next step.”
“The next step?” asked Jack. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You need to start building your power base,” said Mira. “The Order of Chaldea will come for you, Jack, as they come for all of us. You must begin training your blood magic in earnest. To do that, you’ll need to start collecting thralls.”
Jack slowly shook his head. Her voice was calm, level, and matter-of-fact. As though she was a teacher, explaining a homework assignment.
“I’m not like you,” said Jack. “I’m not going to sacrifice other people for the sake of getting stronger.”
But he would enthrall people to get information. He’d already proven that to himself twice over. Was what she was suggesting so different from what he was already doing?
“It’s a matter of survival, Jack,” whispered Mira. “And I want you to survive. For so very many reasons.”
Her hand went to his erection through his boxers again, and this time he felt her gently working it free from the fabric. Her fingers felt insanely good, in that special way that only sexual stimulation in a half-asleep state can feel. Jack felt pleasure fluttering through him as Mira began to tease him. And everything about what she was doing qualified as a tease.
She’d move her hand in a pumping motion and then stop, flashing him a coy, knowing smile. Her thumb rubbed along his length, feeling and appreciating every millimeter of his growing hardness. It was all Jack could do to hold his composure. It felt so unfair, and yet, he still desperately wanted her to keep going.
And she did. Mira squeezed each of her fingers individually, letting the pleasure of each movement stand as its own solo of pleasure. She started pumping again with slow, sensual, intimately loving movements. Jack pushed his head back into his pillow and tried to control his breathing as the pleasure began to verge on overwhelming.
“I enjoy this,” Mira whispered. “I know you do, too. My sweet Jack, if you only knew how much I truly enjoy this.”
She pumped faster, and her hand seemed to tense in time with his reactions. Jack had no doubt in the fact that she enjoyed what she was doing, and it stirred a strange conflict in him as he felt her pulling him toward release. She was doing it for him. Her soft hand, stroking and caressing. The wet, hot kisses she continuously pressed against his neck and cheek.
Jack gasped as she pushed him over the edge. Mira didn’t slow her pace, even as he made a mess all over her hand and wrist. It wasn’t real, he reminded himself. She was touching him through a spell, across a distance. It shouldn’t have felt as incredible as it did.
“See?” purred Mira. “Wasn’t that exquisite? It’s only a single part of the reason behind why you should take my advice.”
“No, I shouldn’t,” he said. “I’m not interested in living my life as a monster. I can find a way forward without taking advantage of other people to do it, even if it puts me at risk. I’m not scared.”
Mira let out an exasperated sigh and pulled away from him slightly.
“You should be,” she said. “The naivety of youth is truly a marvel. My sweet, sweet Jack. If there’s one thing that you should listen to me on, it’s this.”
Mira leaned back in close to him, pressing his lips to his for a short, parting kiss. Then she was gone. Jack rolled over onto his back and exhaled through his nose. He hated the fact that she’d gotten the last word.
CHAPTER 21
Jack woke up late the next morning. He made his way downstairs and found the girls he’d rescued sitting around the dining room table, eating waffles and chatting in their native language. Ryoko was dressed in her maid uniform and moved about the room like a busy bumblebee, doling out seconds and refilling glasses.
As soon as they saw Jack, all of the girls stood up from the table and came around to face him. He stood there, feeling a little dumbfounded, as they all gave him a bow so coordinated that it almost looked rehearsed.
“Ms. White explain to us what you are doing,” said Kia. “I… or rather, we, can never repay you.”
Jack felt a little awkward. He scratched the back of his head and waved a hand dismissively.
“It’s fine,” he said. “Really. I’m just doing what I can to help.”
He didn’t elaborate on the fact that he hadn’t really been expecting to have to shell out thousands of dollars for their sake when he’d first rescued him. Still, it made him feel good, and that feeling was something he could hold onto. It made him feel like he really wasn’t that much like Mira, after all.
“Sir?” Ryoko moved to stand next to him, smiling as she looked at him. “Do you have plans for today? I should have asked you earlier if you needed anything.”
“I do,” said Jack. “Give me a couple of minutes and I’ll explain just what I need.”
He grabbed a waffle off the platter in the center of the dining room table and nibbled on it as he walked back into the foyer and took out his phone. Martine had already done as he’d asked and texted him the details.
MARTINE: Meeting with my boss, Emanuel Jacques, set for 10 AM. Dress nice. <3
There was an address l
isted along with the message. The street name was downtown, or at least what passed for it on Lestaron Island. Jack slipped his phone back into his pocket.
“I’m going to need to look good today,” he called back to Ryoko. “I have a business meeting.”
Ryoko brought him upstairs and had him sit on his bed while she searched through his closet. She pulled out a suit that he hadn’t known had been there. He frowned as she spread it out across his bed and then began pulling Jack’s T-shirt up and over his head.
“I can dress myself, you know,” he said.
“I don’t mind, sir,” said Ryoko. She set a hand on his thigh and started unzipping Jack’s jeans. He flinched backward, wondering if Ryoko understood the way that he’d react to such a gesture.
“It’s okay,” said Jack. “Why don’t I give it a try myself, and then you can fix whatever I do wrong?”
“Sure,” she said.
Ryoko waited in the hallway while Jack pulled on the navy-blue slacks, white dress shirt, and blazer. It all fit surprisingly well. He chanced a glance in his full-length mirror and was shocked at the person he saw staring back at him. Other than his unruly hair, he cleaned up well. For the first time since he’d first gotten his inheritance, he could actually see himself as the type of person who lived in a mansion and had both a maid and a decent amount of money.
Ryoko’s eyes widened slightly when she saw him, and she had a smile on her face. She straightened his jacket, brushed off the shoulders, and did a slow circle around him.
“It fits perfectly,” says Jack. “It almost feels like it’s been tailored for me.”
“It has been,” said Ryoko. “I had to guess at your measurements, but it seems it turned out alright. It was your grandfather’s suit.”
“Well, he certainly took care of it,” said Jack.
Ryoko’s face was more serious when she came back around to the front.
“Why do you need to wear a suit for today?” she asked.
The question didn’t catch him off-guard, but Jack still wasn’t exactly sure how to answer it. Ryoko was so timid and selfless that he suspected if he admitted he was following up on the people who hurt her, she’d beg him to stop and leave the matter be. But he also hated the idea of lying to her.
“I have a meeting that I need to look good for,” said Jack. “It’s no big deal.”
That seemed to satisfy her. She bowed again and then licked her lips. The tension between them skyrocketed in an instant as they both silently looked at each other. Jack had to clear his throat and look away first.
“Has Katie said anything to you about the private jet?” asked Jack.
“She called this morning to tell me to have the girls ready tonight,” said Ryoko.
“Good,” said Jack. “It’s probably best if we get them on their way home as soon as we can.”
Ryoko nodded. “It’ll just be the two of us in the mansion again, after that.”
“Yeah,” said Jack. “It will be.”
That tension. It was enough to force Jack to take a slow, calming breath. His heart pounded in his chest incessantly, like a rickety train with a broken accelerator. Had she always made him feel so nervous with those lingering glances?
He said goodbye to Ryoko, and then the girls, and then took the mansion’s car out from the garage. The weather had finally turned nice again, but as much as Jack would have enjoyed the walk, driving seemed to fit better with the role he intended for himself to play.
People were out on the street in droves, jogging, riding bikes, even just standing on the corner and enjoying the day. Jack drove slowly, glancing from building to building as he approached his destination. The address Martine had given him was to one of the nicest office buildings in town, and Jack found a parking spot on the street outside of it.
He fixed his suit jacket as he got out of the car, feeling a little anxious. The building’s lobby was empty, and a directory by the elevator listed a business called “Heaven’s Match,” which was what he was looking for. His plan involved having Martine introduce him to her boss as an interested client, as a way of getting Jack in close enough to get more information.
He took the elevator up to the top floor, unsure of what he’d find, and more importantly, what he’d do. It was during the day, and with the sun back out, he was basically a regular human. He’d have to play the situation very carefully to get what he wanted.
The elevator doors opened. Jack stared into a clean waiting room with expensive furniture, elegant artwork on the walls, and an attractive blonde receptionist sitting behind a desk.
“Uh, hello,” said Jack. “I’m Jack Masterson. I have a ten o’clock appointment with Mr. Jacques.”
“Of course.” The receptionist beamed at him and nodded her head. “If you’ll take a seat, I’m sure he’ll be ready for you shortly.”
She had blue eyes, and the white blouse she had on was open just enough to reveal a hint of her cleavage underneath. Jack found himself wondering how much she knew, and if he could just enthrall her instead of having to go through with the long con. He banished the thought, realizing that it was exactly the type of thing Mira would have done.
He took a seat and crossed his legs. The magazines on the waiting room table seemed to have been curated for an audience that Jack had nothing in common with. They were all about expensive vacations and investing, except for one, which was an instructional pamphlet about the health benefits of owning a yacht.
The door to the inner office opened, and a handsome man in a black suit stepped out, grinning as he saw Jack. He wasn’t that old, probably mid to late forties, but his hair had gone prematurely grey. He had perfect teeth, and there was something about his body language that made Jack sure that he was far more dangerous than he looked.
“Jack Masterson,” said the man. “I’m Emanuel Jacques. It is quite the pleasure to make your acquaintance. “
Emanuel had a European accent that Jack couldn’t quite shake. He nodded as he shook his hand, noting the other man’s firm, but not forceful grip.
“Likewise,” said Jack.
“Please, come into my office,” said Emanuel. “Can I have Rebecca get you anything? Coffee? Something stronger, if you prefer?”
“I’m fine, thanks,” said Jack.
A single glance at Emanuel’s office told Jack that he was most definitely the one who’d picked out the magazines in the waiting room. A photo of Emanuel on a yacht, holding up a large, recently caught fish and grinning hung triumphantly from one wall. Other photos of Emanuel with various attractive women, too many to be wives or daughters, were arrayed across his desk.
Emanuel gestured for Jack to take a seat in the chair in front of the desk, and he did. Emanuel cleared his throat and steepled his fingers as Rebecca, the secretary, closed the door behind them.
“So,” said Emanuel. “Martine explained your situation to me over the phone.”
“She did,” Jack said, more as a question, than a statement.
“Of course, I already knew about you and your inheritance,” said Emanuel. “It’s been the talk of the island for the past few days. I wasn’t surprised to hear that you were interested in my company’s services. Anyone in your circumstances would be.”
“Of course,” said Jack, nodding along. “So, uh, what options would I have, here?”
“Straight to the point!” Emanuel picked up a pen and clicked the button on the back. “I like it. Let’s talk about what my company can do for you.”
He reached into his desk and pulled out a small pamphlet, which he passed across to Jack. The title across the top read “Heaven’s Match: Servants, Companions, and Partners.” Most of the front was otherwise devoted to pictures of attractive women in various states of undress.
It looked legitimate, which surprised Jack a little. He’d been expecting the charade to drop at some point, but as he considered what lay behind the scenes, it made sense. Emanuel probably did run a basic migrant employment program and potentially a ma
il-order bride service. It was the perfect cover for a human trafficking operation. He could just claim that the women who disappeared had found a job as a servant or married someone for citizenship and that they’d cut off ties with their old life in the process.
“My company is a simple matchmaking service,” said Emanuel. “We specialize in placing each and every person who goes through our program into the right home based on your needs and their skills.”
“And you have plenty of women with a wide range of skills?” asked Jack. He had to work to keep his voice level. All he could think of was Ryoko, in the backroom of the pizzeria, in her underwear. And Kia and the other girls, locked in the storage unit under putrid conditions.
“Be honest with me, Jack,” said Emanuel. “Are you looking for love, or help around your mansion?”
Jack managed a carefree smile and shrug.
“Can’t it be both?” he said.
Emanuel let out a raucous, albeit slightly forced, laugh. He slapped his hand down on his desk and reached for the first drawer. After fishing around for a few seconds inside of it, he frowned and stood up.
“Let me grab one of the papers for a new application from my secretary,” said Emanuel. “We can talk about a few girls in particular as we do it. I’ll show you some pictures and give you a sense of what their specialties are.”
Jack nodded, keeping a calm expression on his face as Emanuel stood up and headed for the door. The second he disappeared out into the waiting room, Jack was moving. He slipped around to the other side of the desk and started pulling open drawers, searching for anything out of place.
Emanuel’s desk was relatively neat and well-stocked with office supplies. The first drawer was devoted entirely to pencils, a stapler, a roll of tape, and an overly large bottle of white-out. The second drawer was filled with brochures of the same variety Emanuel had offered Jack.
The third drawer looked like it belonged to another person entirely. Newspaper clip-outs mingled amongst Polaroid photos of naked and nearly naked women, some of them obviously taken whilst the women were unaware. Jack frowned as he scanned over the mess, noticing one photo that stood out from the rest. It was of a nondescript warehouse, with several moving vans parked outside.
Shadow Form (Dark Impulse Book 2) Page 12