Royal Vampire Kingdom - The Complete Collection: Quick & Dirty Paranormal

by Ivy Banks

  Pearl stifled a sigh and shook her long, blonde curls, turning her dark blue eyes toward the handsome and charismatic billionaire.

  “No, I have not seen much of the house,” she conceded.

  “Well, we must rectify this at once. When the guests arrive, I may promote you from kitchen wench to hostess. You can do private tours.”

  Pearl smiled, removing the apron covering her stunning Vera Wang gown. “Let’s have a look,” she said.

  “A designer dress in the bowels of my kitchen,” Erik commented, linking his arm in Pearl’s. “I do not wish to see you back in here again for the rest of the night. If the tabloids get wind of this, I will never live it down.”

  “All right, Erik,” she agreed. “Point taken.”

  Laughing, the two continued into the stunning ranch-style mansion Erik had recently purchased in the San Francisco hills.

  In fact, the party was Erik’s housewarming, not that he needed to make excuses for his desire to spend money. The man was brimming with it and eager to show the world.

  “How do you feel about the move to San Francisco?” Pearl asked as he led the way through the house. “Are you missing Beverly Hills?”

  “Not in the least, and here is why,” he replied, opening the door to his two-thousand-square-foot master bedroom. The vast open space was punctuated by frosted doors on either side of the room, one leading to the marble-tiled bathroom, the other to the dressing room.

  All three exterior facing walls were solid glass. On the far side of the room a single glass door opened onto a sunken sun deck with jacuzzi and firepit.

  “Oh, Erik, this is breathtaking,” Pearl exclaimed.

  In every house her “brothers” owned, she was incessantly awed by the opulence and luxury in which they surrounded themselves. She had always been more sensible, living in a five-bedroom, three-bathroom beach house.

  She wondered if the others ever thought less of her due to simpler tastes. Maybe I never was cut out to be a Hanover, she thought, and not for the first time.

  They walked onto the cedar-stained patio and Pearl shook her head in wonder as they stared at the stunning views of San Francisco far below.

  “You should consider moving here too, Pearl. It would be nice to have the company of like-minded people,” he said.

  In a way, she had been relieved when Erik decided to buy a house in the hills of Northern California. It meant he would be less likely to constantly check in on her when he was “just in the neighborhood.” Her house in Southern California was hours away, even by helicopter.

  I have no illusions that the impromptu check-ins will end altogether, however, Pearl thought wryly, but it is a start. They cannot baby me for eternity…can they?

  “I am quite content in Venice, thank you,” she answered, smiling. “And you have made it quite clear I am cramping your style with the ladies as it is.”

  Erik guffawed and guided her back into the bedroom, past his custom-made double California king and down the steps toward the hallway. How could anyone need a bed that big, she thought –

  “I do love how you twist my words. You are the only woman I would want by me if given a choice,” Erik assured her. “The thought of commitment makes me cringe. I prefer to have a little fun, and then move on.”

  His inky black eyes narrowed suddenly and his head whipped around to stare at her. “What about you, Pearl? Have you anyone special in your life?”

  The question was laced with danger and Pearl knew the correct response without thinking.

  What a ridiculous question, Erik, she shot back silently, hoping he would read her thoughts before she spoke. We both know I have no privacy anywhere I go. Yet she sensed he did not delve into her mind. She tossed a careless smile over her slim shoulder.

  “Of course not,” she retorted, gliding down the floating center staircase. “Who would have me?”

  “No one better have you,” Erik muttered. “You are the last pure thing about the Hanover family, and I would hate for anyone to take advantage of your kind nature.”

  Pearl rolled her eyes where he could not see and the two filtered into the front room to wait for the guests.

  “Drink?” Erik offered, stepping toward the bar and nodding at the bartender.

  “Yes, a glass of red wine would be lovely,” Pearl answered.

  She was going to need all the extra courage she could muster to get through the night.

  Pearl had finally managed to escape Erik’s watchful eyes and made her way onto the glorious back deck, inhaling the cool night air. If not for the people in her midst, Pearl was sure she could actually be enjoying herself.

  The same boring conversations with the same insipid people, Pearl thought, looking about the room blankly. She wondered why she continued to attend Erik’s gatherings, other than her loyalty to him.

  She had her own small circle of friends, so she was not in need of the social interaction. While Pearl was wealthy in her own right, Erik was more so, thus his friends tended to be more snobbish, and far more condescending than any of Pearl’s cohorts.

  And yet, every time Erik invited her, Pearl could not say no. She worried that if she did not come, he would think something was amiss, and he and the others would then only intensify their overprotective ways, never giving her the space she so desperately craved.

  Damn you Atticus for making me the only woman. Would it have killed you to add one or two more into the mix to give me the occasional reprieve?

  “You seem to despise this event.”

  The statement shocked Pearl as she did not hear the speaker chance upon her.

  Her instincts were not as sharp as Erik’s, but she had a good sense for the proximity of others. Yet somehow, she had missed the man who approached her while she wallowed in mild self-pity.

  She whirled to look at him and her mouth fell slightly open as she gazed at the attractive stranger. There was something oddly familiar about him, but she reasoned she must have met him at another one of Erik’s functions.

  “Why do you say that?” she asked. “Was I scowling? Don’t read anything into that. I have been told that my face is not the most welcoming,” Pearl bantered.

  “I wouldn’t say that at all,” he said with some surprise. “I wouldn’t be here if I did not think you looked approachable.”

  Pearl’s eyebrow raised and she found herself looking over her shoulder to ensure that Erik was not in earshot.

  “Are you on the prowl for approachable women?” she asked, laughingly but also genuinely wanting to know.

  “Actually, I am hiding my approachable face,” he replied.

  She wondered what he meant, though she had to agree that he certainly had a face that any woman would want to approach.

  Despite her tall slender frame, he towered over her, his intense green eyes contrasting with his tan skin and dark hair. Her eyes drifted down to his lean toned body and were drawn to his tattooed forearm.

  “The infinity symbol,” She commented. “Interesting choice.”

  “I suppose everyone wants to be immortal,” he answered.

  Pearl felt her heart stop. She shifted her eyes downward guiltily.

  “My name is Lincoln Pembroke,” he offered, sticking out his free hand.

  “Pearl Hanover,” she replied, accepting his palm.

  Lincoln’s face lit up with recognition. “Ah! You’re Erik’s wife!” he exclaimed with an over-eagerness that betrayed his actual disappointment

  Pearl laughed and shook her head.

  “No, no. We are… family in an obscure sort of way,” she answered evasively. In fifty years, the question of their relationship had not grown easier to answer.

  One of these days, you will be a seasoned liar like Erik and the others, she promised herself but she hadn’t the faintest idea if that was true. She could only hope.

  “Oh,” he said, the disappointment suddenly gone. But before he could continue, two half-drunk girls stumbled up to them, giggling stupidly.

 
; “Hi Lincoln,” the taller brunette purred. “I just loved your latest album. Can I get your autograph?”

  Pearl glanced at him, surprised.

  His autograph – oh, how foolish of me. Of course. Lincoln Pembroke. I know who he is now. How could I have not recognized him? He must think I’m a moron.

  He was a world-famous rock star with platinum albums. While his music was not Pearl’s taste, she was surprised she did not recognize him immediately. She’d seen his face on television and magazines, and heard his voice on the radio, countless times.

  Perhaps I just never reconciled the two because I would never expect a rock star to seem so…approachable?

  “I’m sorry, ladies. I am here on a date,” Lincoln told the women. “It would be rude of me to take my attention away from this beautiful woman. I’m sure you understand.”

  The girls glanced at Pearl as if seeing her for the first time, their expressions an identical picture of furious envy.

  “Oh, I’m sure she doesn’t mind if we get one little autograph,” the shorter girl replied, sashaying closer to Lincoln, as if taking the words as a challenge.

  A spark of annoyance jolted through Pearl who looked at her new companion. His green irises were fixed on her, waiting to see what her next move would be.

  Pearl had never been one to stir the pot. She did not handle confrontation well, not even post-transition. Yet an uncharacteristic boldness fused into her spine, possibly because of the brazen nature of the two women, or maybe it was the fact that Lincoln Pembroke was watching her.

  He wants to see how I handle this, she understood and Pearl found that she wanted to prove herself to him.

  Show him you have a backbone, even if you don’t show it to Erik, Pearl told herself.

  “Oh, darling,” Pearl answered in a sugary sweet tone. “Give the little girls their scrap of paper. They will never be this close to you again, after all.”

  Pearl turned to the duo, her eyes wide with mock pleasantness and watched their faces grow angry.

  “You are so kind, Pearl,” Lincoln cried. “What kind of woman would not mind being interrupted by two insistent fans? This is why I adore you so much.”

  “I – I’m sorry we interrupted, Lincoln,” the tall brunette interjected, grabbing her small friend’s arm. “We can come back later.”

  “Oh, would you? I am sure you would be better received then,” he told them, winking at Pearl.

  They scattered like wounded hyenas, pausing to shoot Pearl scathing looks while Lincoln smothered a smile.

  “Sorry about that,” he told her. “Sometimes the nerve of these young girls floors me.”

  “No problem,” Pearl replied, smiling. “I think you handled that with a lot of class. That being said, I am sorry that I didn’t realize you were that Lincoln Pembroke. May I have your autograph?”

  He laughed loudly, flashing a sparkling array of ivory teeth and Pearl idly wondered if he tasted like mint.

  “Well, it is a common name,” he joked, as he took a sip of his drink. “And if you want an autograph, I fear that I am out of paper. I would have to do a skin signing.”

  Their gazes locked for a minute before Lincoln lowered his eyes toward her hand.

  “You need another drink,” he commented and Pearl found herself nodding.

  “I will join you.”

  Together, they walked toward the bar, but as Lincoln turned to the bartender, Pearl spotted Erik walk through the double doors of the back patio. He had not seen Pearl yet and from where she stood, he did not appear to be looking for her, but she had to make sure he did not see her talking to Lincoln.

  A glass of wine in hand, Lincoln tilted his head to stare at her.

  “I’m sorry – I guessed your taste. You seem like a dry red kind of woman. Am I right?”

  She smiled briefly and nodded.

  “Yes, thank you,” she answered, steering him away from the bar as Erik stopped to chat with a group on the other side of the room.

  Drinks in hand, she quickly led Lincoln out of the room. They stepped down toward the second level of the patio where, after a few paces into the darkness, they found themselves alone, surrounded only by the flickering lights of bamboo torches.

  It was a clear, moonless night, and even the bright city lights twinkling below could not drown out the stars shining above.

  “How do you know Erik?” Pearl asked as they perched hidden in the lower deck, outside the walk-out basement. Music flowed down to meet them in slow, rhythmic beats and for the first time since she had arrived at Erik’s house that day, Pearl found herself completely relaxed.

  If only it could always be like this, without me having to constantly worry the others will be checking in on me at any minute, Pearl thought, relishing the solitude of their hidden spot.

  “I don’t…well, not really,” Lincoln replied. “He’s a friend of my producer and we were just finishing up a meeting so he suggested I come along. Of course, everyone knows who Erik Hanover is, though, don’t they?”

  Pearl smiled faintly.

  “I imagine that is true,” she said lightly, sitting back against a wooden potter holding a mass of intricate bonsai trees.

  Lincoln leaned casually beside her, his arm brushing against hers as if by mistake, but Pearl could tell there was a design to his posture.

  “But I do not know much about his obscure family member, Pearl,” the musician continued.

  Pearl giggled nervously, suddenly unsure of how to act. It was obvious that Lincoln was hitting on her, but it had been so long since a man had been that close to her in a romantic way. Any hint of intimacy had been quickly sensed and quashed by Erik or one of the others. As a result, Pearl had learned to dismiss men as they approached, knowing it would only be a matter of time before they were run off.

  Tonight, I will allow myself to feel normal, she decided. Just this one time.

  “There is not much to tell,” she replied quickly, her eyes darting back as if she was afraid they would be seen, though they were perfectly shielded among the shrubbery.

  Did I plan it this way? Pearl wondered, blinking at the ingenuity of where they sat. She turned her attention back to Lincoln who continued to stare at her in rapt interest.

  “I am the owner of a software design company,” she told him quickly. “I live in Venice – California, not Italy.”

  “Impressive,” Lincoln smiled, “glad to hear its California and not Italy, makes it much easier for me to see you again after tonight.”

  She liked his sincerity and directness, but looked away, embarrassed, nonetheless. Unable to think of what to say in response, she looked back to him, and when their eyes met, she knew enough had been said: the inevitable was unstoppable.

  When Pearl tasted his lips on hers, she felt as if a soulful loneliness she had carried in her bones for half a century had suddenly evaporated into nothingness. She savored the salty but sweet flavor of his mouth on hers, closing her eyes.

  Is this what I have been looking for? Pearl wondered as Lincoln pulled her closer and the two continued to embrace with more daring.

  His tongue peeked through their joint lips, and she allowed him to explore as she wrapped her hands in his glorious dark mane of hair.

  Inhaling his spicy cologne, she sighed and Lincoln seized the opportunity to delve into the contours of her throat.

  His fingers traced the skin up her arms to her shoulders, and slowly slid the straps of her low-cut red dress down, exposing her full, heaving bosom. He leaned her back and began kissing from her clavicle down her chest until his lips reached her taut dark nipples. They grew even harder as he licked and kissed each of them, cupping the weight of her large breasts in his hands.

  The combination of his hot touch and steaming breath caused Pearl’s center to dampen.

  “You are so beautiful,” he murmured. “So soft and sexy.”

  With his mouth still teasing her erect nipples, he reached his right hand down to her inner thigh, and slowly slid it
towards her dripping middle. His finger caressed the delicate wet folds, exploring but not penetrating.

  Pearl closed her eyes. The hem of her dress was bunched together with the straps atop her tight stomach. She pressed herself back on her elbows as Lincoln’s face journeyed down to join his fingers.

  “Oh,” she breathed as his tongue pressed into her center, licking her gently. His hands gripped her waist, pulling her toward him as they fell in sync with gentle rocking. The fire of joy between her legs made her limbs go so weak she struggled to hold herself up.

  She moaned quietly, Lincoln’s tongue growing harder and faster, feeling her tense dramatically beneath him and almost without warning, she exploded in ribbons against his eager face while he lapped every drop.

  His head rose slowly and they stared at each other while Pearl shakily tried to compose herself.

  She wanted him inside her. Right now.

  Pearl reached to pull him toward her, hungrily reaching to unzip his pants . . . but suddenly there was a peal of raucous laughter and loud voices directly behind the bushes.

  “Larry, don’t!” a woman screamed followed by another round of obnoxious giggling.

  Quickly, Lincoln and Pearl assembled themselves, staying hidden from view, crouched against the square planters.

  “Next time,” he said reluctantly, leaning his forehead against hers, and then kissing her softly and slowly on the lips.

  You fool, she told herself. You almost gave up your virginity to a musician behind a planter at Erik’s house. Have you lost your mind? Do you know what would happen if Erik had caught you?

  Yet as Pearl returned his kisses, she knew that she would do it again if she had the chance. She knew she must never see Lincoln Pembroke again.

  Chapter 2

  He looked at the house and smiled.

  I would have known this was Pearl’s house even if I had to guess, he thought. Something about the four-million-dollar beach house did not fit in with the rest on the street. It had its own unique style and an almost antiquated feeling despite being built during the housing boom of the eighties.