by Ivy Banks
Feeling relieved, Tara quickly got dressed, and headed out the door with her laptop in her bag. She needed to search for a job and planned to spend the day at a new coffee place that opened in the Upper West End off Broadway.
The aroma from the vanilla almond milk latte warmed her body before she’d even taken a sip. Settling down at an empty table, Tara reached for her laptop to get started searching for a job. A shadow passed over her table, causing her to look up.
Standing at her table was one of the most handsome men she had ever seen. The man looked to be about thirty years old, give or take a year. Wavy brown hair crowned his head and his brown eyes sparkled like a steaming cup of hot cocoa.
“May I sit here? All the other tables are full.”
“Of course,” answered Tara, motioning with her hand for him to take a seat.
“My name is Augustus.”
The name sounded familiar, and his face also looked familiar, but Tara couldn’t place where she knew him from.
“I’m Tara.”
Instead of searching for a job, Tara spent three hours in deep conversation with the handsome stranger across the table. Tara was in awe of his stories. He had traveled the world, was highly educated, well read, and had a deep understanding of history, almost as if he had lived through it. Not only was Tara attracted to his body, but his mind made her want him even more.
Before he stood to leave, he said, “I have an event I have to go to tonight, and silly me, I forgot to find a date. Would you care to join me?”
Without hesitating, Tara answered, “Yes, I’d love to.” A wide smile lit up her face.
After he added her contact information to his phone, he turned to leave after saying farewell.
She had no idea what type of event they were going to, so as he walked toward the exit, she called out, “What do I wear?”
Augustus flashed her a grin. “Something sexy.”
After putting the finishing touches on her hair and makeup, Tara was almost ready to go. She slipped on a black, A-line dress that hugged her small waist and fell mere inches below her bottom. After grabbing a matching pair of black panties, Tara decided to throw them into her purse and go bare-bottomed. She didn’t know where her wild streak was coming from, but she wanted to try something new. Something about Augustus Hanover made her want to experience the unknown. She placed her perfectly manicured feet into her black stilettos and waited for her date.
Almost as if he knew the second she was ready, a knock sounded on the door.
Tara opened the door, and Augustus’ waiting smile turned to amazement.
“Wow.”
Tara shared the same sentiment. Augustus was dressed in a black designer tuxedo that made him look as striking as a model and as distinguished as royalty. Oh how she wished she could see what was beneath his clothes.
He took her arm in his and walked with her to the elevator. After walking through the lobby, they arrived at the waiting car. The town car headed to a swanky hotel downtown where the event was taking place.
After arriving, Tara quickly noticed how people reacted to Augustus. Men were vying for his attention to discuss business, and women practically fell at his feet. He didn’t give anyone a second glance. His attention was focused fully on Tara.
Tara sensed that he was a powerful figure and wanted to know why. “What do you do for a living? It looks like everyone wants to be a part of what you’re doing.”
“I own Hanover Technologies. Have you heard of it?” he said with a coy smile.
“The name sounds familiar, but I can’t place it.” Tara looked up, trying to remember where she had heard the name before.
Suddenly, her memory came back. Pamela. Their sexual encounter. Fangs. Vampires erasing her memory. A look of terror fell over her face.
Augustus looked at her inquisitively. “Is everything all right? You’re as white as a sheet.”
“I remember everything. I remember what you wanted me to forget. How could you do that to me?”
“That’s impossible. You can’t possibly—” said Augustus.
“I do. I remember working for you. I remember having sex with you.”
“So then, you know my secret.” It was a statement, not a question.
“Yes,” she whispered.
“And?” was all he said.
Several moments of silence passed between them, both sizing up the other. His unwavering confidence slowly wore at her. He wasn’t threatening. Tara’s head was spinning, and she overwhelmed by all the emotions she was feeling. Finally she relented and spoke.
“It’s not my secret to tell, so it’s safe with me. But why? Why would you make me forget and then find me the next day?”
“Because I want you, Tara. I just didn’t want you to remember my secret.”
“Maybe it’s better if you take me home,” Tara said, unsure of what to do.
Augustus didn’t respond for what seemed like an eternity.
“Dance with me.”
“Are you going to kill me?” asked Tara, not wanting to make him mad.
“Dance and kill are two very different verbs. I believe I asked you to dance.”
“Are… are you going to hurt me?” She needed to know.
He didn’t answer, but instead placed his hand on her lower back guiding her to the dance floor. He whipped her around to face him and wrapped his arm around her lower back to draw her in closer. The earthy scent of sandalwood and citrus filled her nose. He smelled wonderful.
The dance floor was just dark and crowded enough to make it feel like they were undetectable. As they danced, his strong arms guided Tara’s every move. He pulled her in closer, causing her mound to grind against him. She felt him grow, and Tara’s body reacted with chills racing through her body. Feeling his erection against her sex with only thin black fabric separating their naked bodies turned her on. Oh god, she wanted him.
How is he doing this to me? What kind of hold does he have on me?
Within seconds, he whirled her around so her rear was grinding up against his cock. Slowly, he slid his hand down her thigh and then back up, massaging her bare ass. He slid his hand down to her sex, which was smooth as silk.
“No panties? Was that for me?” he asked.
She nodded.
Her dress covered his hand so the people around them didn’t know what they were up to. The thrill of getting caught amplified her arousal.
With dozens of people surrounding them on the dance floor, he continued to caress her, making her weak at the knees. He supported her with strong arms as she moved her hips to the rhythm of the music, pressing harder against his hand.
“Let’s go,” he whispered, playfully biting her earlobe.
She obeyed his command and let him lead her off the dance floor and out a door that led to a dark hallway. He pushed open another service door that led to the alleyway.
The chill of the night air made Tara shiver. Augustus removed his jacket and placed it over her shoulders. She slid her arms through the large sleeves. His thoughtfulness made her smile.
Unaware of his plan, Tara held his hand and followed him blindly. The alley was dark, with only one light illuminating the isolated passageway between the buildings.
Augustus turned to Tara and asked, “May I taste you?”
Tara was confused. He had tasted her when he kissed her in that most sensitive area between her legs during their first encounter in his office. “You already have…”
He smirked and lifted her finger to his mouth. He bared his fangs and pricked her finger with his razor-sharp canines. A bead of blood pooled on her fingertip.
“I want to taste this,” he said, looking to her finger and then to her eyes.
Tara’s heart beat faster. It seemed her senses were always in a constant battle of fear and arousal when in his presence. He slowly licked the blood from her finger, never breaking eye contact with her.
“Tara, I promise that I will never hurt you. I have wanted to get to know you si
nce you walked through the doors of Hanover Technologies for you first interview. I told human resources to hire you before you were even called into the office. Since then, I’ve watched you. I know your brains rival your beauty. I also see how your presence lights up a room. I’m smitten. I’ve watched you for months and I must have you.”
Tara was shocked. His words warmed her heart.
“I want to be with you, Tara.”
She moved towards him and pushed her caramel locks away from her neck, baring her smooth, creamy skin. She leaned her head to the side giving him the approval to drink from her.
He wrapped his arms around her waist. She raised herself on her tippy toes as he leaned down and pierced her skin with his fangs. A growl erupted from deep within his throat as he suckled on her neck.
Within seconds, the sharp pain of the puncture was replaced by a warm, euphoric sensation as the blood flowed from her neck. The euphoria traveled down her body until it rested between her legs. Her decision to forgo panties meant that her wetness slowly trickled down her inner thigh.
Augustus removed a hand from around her waist and brought it to the center of her femininity. He began to stroke her gently, matching the movements of his mouth as he continued to drink her blood.
The world around her seemed to illuminate with bright shimmering light, despite the fact that they were still in a dark alley. Once again, he wrapped his arms around her waist as he lifted Tara up to his hips, his mouth still on her neck. She wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck, running her fingers through his soft, brown locks. She felt light as feather in his arms as he didn’t struggle to hold the weight of her petite frame.
He carried her to the wall and rested her back against the brick surface. The coolness of the stone passed through his jacket that she still wore and onto her skin. Augustus fumbled with the buttons of his pants and freed his erection, brushing it once against her clit before lowering her and entering her with a hard thrust.
Moaning loudly, the pleasure intensified each time he plunged in and out of her.
“Augustus, oh, Augustus. Don’t ever stop fucking me.”
His length filled her over and over, bucking his hips up slightly with each push to stimulate every single nerve ending in her clit with his pelvic bone.
She could hardly breathe as he ravaged her. On the verge of climax, her body began to tremble. Between the blissful sensation of him drinking from her, paired with their intense lovemaking, the world came to a stop and her body was sent over the edge in violent, animalistic pleasure. She cried out, unable to contain her voice as heavenly waves passed throughout her body in a chorus of perfection.
Augustus removed his lips from her neck, and with one final thrust, filled her with liquid pearls.
Augustus held her as they relished in the aftermath of their erotic encounter. He bit the tip of his own finger, and rubbed his blood over the fresh holes in her neck.
“What are you doing?” Tara asked.
“Healing you,” he replied, and then gently brushed his lips against hers.
He removed a pocket square from the jacket that Tara still wore and rubbed it across her neck, removing the blood. He then folded it and wiped it between her legs before setting her back down on the ground.
“Shall we go back inside, or do you want to go back to my place.”
“Definitely your place,” she answered as he squeezed her hand.
“Me, too,” he said with a smile, pulling out his phone.
He gave curt instructions to the person on the receiving end of the call. Within minutes a blacked-out SUV pulled up and Augustus opened the door and helped Tara inside. When he sat down beside her, he indicated for the driver to raise the partition window to give them privacy.
“Did you mean what you said, Augustus? That you want to be with me…”
“I meant every word, Tara,” Augustus answered looking into her sparkling eyes as he traced the outline of her lips with his thumb. “I can’t promise we’ll be together forever. I will outlive you by an eternity. However, I can promise you that I want to get to know you better. Not only your body, but also your mind. I want to know what interests you, makes you happy, and… what turns you on,” he said as he ran the finger down her neck and then over her cleavage.
With that, he crushed his lips against hers and the SUV drove off, starting their exciting new adventure together.
THE END
Cowboy Crush
Some encounters end up being more than just a little roll in the hay…
Royal Vampire Kingdom Prologue
Many eons ago, the first vampire came into existence when a great warrior named Atticus was given the gift of immortality from an almighty warlock. But with the gift of eternal life came great responsibility. As Atticus developed a thirst for blood, he knew he had to leverage his powers wisely.
Over time, immortality became lonely, and Atticus embarked on a quest to form his own family. Choosing his “children” based on strength of character, fortitude and the ability to navigate an ever changing world for millennia upon millennia, Atticus created a clan that would be able to rule over all other vampires, creating order and hierarchy among them.
The Vampire King gave sixteen worthy humans the gift of everlasting life. The chosen soon became the fifteen princes and sole princess of the vampire world. Together they became the Hanover family.
From these original sixteen individuals, all vampires in the world were created. Though vampires now cover the Earth as rampantly as man and beast, the original Hanover clan remains the most powerful among them.
This is the love story of Brooks Hanover.
Chapter 1
Violet turned down the bumpy dirt road, which seemed to lead nowhere. She thought she knew this area like the back of her hand, but had never driven down this deserted part of town, far away from any other houses. Just when she was about to turn around and give up, she drove up a small hill that revealed an enormous house about a mile up ahead.
She grew up in Greenbrook, Nebraska, and knew everybody in town. In fact, she was related to a lot of them. How was it possible that she didn’t know the town’s only multi-millionaire? At least, from the size of his house, she had to assume he had a lot of money in the bank.
I can’t believe Daddy sent me to deliver this contract to a stranger, especially with all the unexplained murders these past few months.
A shudder passed down Violet’s spine.
Why am I feeling anxious? This man has been one of Daddy’s best clients lately, and if Daddy trusts him, then I’m sure he’s okay.
The brick house was larger than any other house in the area and it was nestled on a beautiful piece of land, sprawling with lush green grass, mature oak trees, and colorful wildflowers as far as she could see.
As she pulled up the long, winding driveway to the house, she noticed a shirtless man wearing weathered jeans and a brown cowboy hat unloading a bag of feed from the back of his black pick-up truck. With each twist and turn, she watched his muscles ripple majestically as though his body represented the perfect male cowboy form.
She parked her small, ten-year-old blue sedan next to his truck and grabbed the envelope from the front seat of her car. She watched him lift another heavy sack out of the truck bed.
Nerves took over her body. No one would ever accuse her of being shy, but something about this man’s sweaty, sculpted presence threw her off her game. She sat in the seat fidgeting with the envelope while she unsuccessfully tried to come up with something witty to say to him.
Come here often? No… that sounds ridiculous. What’s your sign? Ugh… that’s even worse!
Taking a deep breath, she decided to deliver the note her daddy had given her and just wait for him to speak first. Yep, it was an awkward plan, but she was going to go with it. After exiting her car, she walked over to him and held out the envelope. It contained the signed contract from her daddy’s flooring business and she figured he was expecting it.
“Hey there. You must be Randy’s daughter.” He removed his hat and bowed his head slightly. “I’m Brooks. He said you’d be stopping by with the contract.”
Even his voice was sexy.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Violet.” The response wasn’t witty at all, but at least she wasn’t stumbling over her words.
“Well, isn’t that a pretty name. Fitting too… your eyes are the most brilliant hue I’ve ever seen.” He reached out and retrieved the envelope that hung between them, though he never broke eye contact.
Violet immediately looked down, suddenly aware that he was looking at her eyes so intently.
In a hushed tone she told the same story she’d repeated her entire life when someone commented on her purple eyes. “Thank you. When I was born, the nurses all said they’d never seen a baby born with violet eyes, so my daddy insisted on naming me Violet.”
“And I bet you’ve had him wrapped around your little finger since the moment he laid eyes on you.”
She giggled. “That’s what my mama says.”
Violet mustered up the courage to raise her eyes to meet his. His face was just as perfect as his body. Thick brown hair was a tousled mess on top of his head and the scruffy five o’clock shadow gave a rugged edge to his otherwise beautiful face. His emerald eyes were kind and looked wise beyond his years. He couldn’t have been more than twenty-five, she guessed.
Curious as to why she’d never met him, Violet asked, “Did you just move here? Does your family live in town?”
“Currently, I don’t have any family here. I inherited this land and decided to move here on my own. I’ve been building this house for the past year, but only just moved in last week.”
A strong wind blew through Violet’s hair and the temperature instantly dropped a few degrees.