“She was exonerated?”
“Yes. They hung the guilty woman the next day, just after sunset, as the ‘angel’ ordered. No way was I missing that one. Before they hung her, she actually confessed to several murders that others had already been brought to justice for. She wanted to ‘cleanse her soul.’” I take another sip of blood. “In that case, as you can imagine, I did thoroughly relish that justice was truly served.”
“Oh. That’s…I probably would have done the same thing.” She takes another bite of her dinner. “Did you ever torture anyone? Like, I mean, the bad kind of torture. Not BDSM.”
“Only someone deserving. And perhaps a handful of times. I don’t have a stomach for that kind of sadism, ironically enough. It’s something my sire used to berate me for, that I didn’t have bloodlust within me beyond sating my basic hunger. Brutality for brutality’s sake. Merely to sweeten the blood. If it wasn’t enjoyable to the person I was feeding from, I certainly couldn’t enjoy partaking of it when I fed from them. Unless, of course, they were cruel, and I was their retribution.”
“Doesn’t exactly sound like a bad thing.”
“I’d like to think it’s not.” I smile and touch a finger to my lips. “Shh. Don’t tell anyone I’m a big softy.”
She giggles. The sound makes me happily sigh. As I take another drink of blood, I realize I have now become a willing pet vampire to a very unusual human.
I hope she’s ready to learn what it’s like to be the focus of loving obsession.
* * *
Once we finish eating around eleven, I help her clean up the dishes and carry everything downstairs to the small kitchen they have on-site. They only serve things like appetizers, bar snacks—nothing complicated.
Augustus had been hovering around the back hallway near the door to the stairs. She whispers in his ear and then flashes me another smile.
The club is busy. Now that we’re down here and I’m paying attention, I realize how busy it is. I’m about to suggest we return to the office where it’s quieter, private, and we don’t have to raise our voices to have what I hope will be an intimate conversation, when she darts away and onto the crowded dance floor.
Apparently, her actions take Augustus by surprise because he blurs after her. As if by magick, the crowd parts, and there’s my blue-haired goddess with a male vampire face down on the dance floor, his right arm wrenched what looks painfully high, her knee planted in the small of his back, and…
Is that a pencil?
It’s in her other fist and looks like she’s about to jab him through the ribs with it and—
Oh, shit! I hurry over.
“Look, dirtbag,” she growls in his ear. “You were told last week that was your second strike. I come in here and see you trying it again? You’re done, Tonio.”
The vampire must be really young because he’s literally crying. “I’m sorry, Blue! I just wanted to—”
Lucius blurs out of nowhere, looking furious and dressed in his shirtsleeves, which I know is rare. “What happened? What’s going on?”
“Oh, you’re really in trouble now,” she tells the young vampire. “You pissed off the big guy.”
Tonio literally squeals in fear. “I’m sorry, Blue! I’m sorry!”
Theophilus, Augustus, and another of Lucius’ men grab the guy’s arms, and once Eilidh is safely back on her feet again, they roughly jerk the vampire upright.
“Take him upstairs,” Lucius coldly says. “Now.”
The vampire’s struggling, but Eilidh jogs ahead, opening the bottom door for them and bolting up the stairs to get the next one. I bring up the rear. As I’m pulling the bottom door shut behind me, Lucius turns and smiles.
“And how was dinner?”
“Excellent and amazing. I wasn’t expecting a floor show with it.”
His smile widens. “You haven’t seen anything yet, dear nephew. But you are about to.”
They drag the vampire into a small, bare office just down from the conference room we ate in. Lucius unbuttons his cuffs and starts slowly rolling up his sleeves.
Eilidh’s wearing a dark glare and stands with her arms crossed over her chest, the pencil still in her fist. “We told you that you’re not allowed down in the basement for a month because of your bullshit, Tonio,” she scolds. “Then I catch you trying to mojo one of our household humans out the fucking door? You’re done.”
“Yeeesss,” Lucius drawls. “That is rather bad form.” The young vampire yelps as Lucius grabs him by the jaw. “You interrupted Blue’s date night, young man. It is her night off, and yet still she must deal with the likes of you? Not to mention, I had to leave my own queen’s side, just as things were getting interesting. Do you have any idea the levels of utter hell I wish to unleash upon you in this moment?”
“I’m sorry, Sire! I didn’t mean to—OOOWWWWW!” He’s screaming because Lucius digs his fingers in around the guy’s lower jaw, piercing his cheeks with his nails on either side and squeezing with an audible crack of popping bone and teeth.
I mean, Tonio is a vampire. He will heal.
Unless Lucius rips his lower jaw right off him. He’ll still heal, but that won’t grow back.
Lucius, however, must be feeling generous. He releases the man’s jaw and wipes the blood off his hand onto the guy’s shirt.
“Despite my better instincts, I felt pity for you and I allowed you to settle in Tucson because you swore allegiance to me. That means abiding by my rules. If you think I will let infractions slide simply because you shed some tears, you are sadly mistaken. Blue, my dear, what do we do to people who refuse to honor their commitments to me?”
Me and Lucius’ three men all flinch when her hand snaps out, almost a blur, and she plunges the pencil into Tonio’s right chest, making him scream as she snaps it off about an inch from the eraser. “We don’t fricking like it, Mr. Frangelico. We attempt reasonable behavior modification first. We also take it personally when someone disrespects you by not fulfilling their basic obligations to you.”
“Yes, that’s exactly right, my dear.” He leans in toward the sobbing vampire, who’s likely upright only because of the men holding his arms. “Tonio, there are no other chances. You may remain in Tucson, but if you ever set foot inside this club again, it is your death sentence. If you feed from humans, you’d better master self-control quickly. If I hear of any humans coming to harm anywhere close to your proximity, it is a death sentence.”
He points to Blue. “Remember, she is human. If you don’t wish for the last sight you ever see to be her face as she gleefully drags you out of your crypt and into the sunlight, you’d do well to heed me more carefully this time.”
Lucius steps back. “Take him out the back way, bind and blindfold him, drop him somewhere inconvenient, and take his keys from him. Make him work to return to safety and perhaps he’ll appreciate it more once he achieves it. If he achieves it.”
The men hustle him out while Eilidh follows, but she turns and heads deeper into the office suite. I hear a sink running seconds later.
Lucius examines his hands. “Good thing he didn’t get his blood all over this shirt,” he muses. “It’s brand-new. Selene would eviscerate him.” He smiles, his voice dropping to a whisper. “So, how are you liking our sweet Blue?”
I’m too fucking turned on to lie. “I think I’m in love with her,” I breathe so only Lucius can hear me.
* * *
Once Lucius washes his hands, he leaves us alone in the office suite. Eilidh returns from the bathroom and looks a little abashed.
“Sorry,” she mumbles.
“Why are you apologizing? That was…I’ve never seen anything like that. That was incredible.”
Her tight, nervous smile makes me want to lean in and kiss her, but I resist. “Like I said, Mom was a badass.” She looks up at me through her lashes, the closest expression to vulnerability I think I’ve seen her show yet. “I didn’t…freak you out?”
I open my arms to her, offering
a hug and pleasantly surprised when she steps in and wraps her arms around me. I’m careful not to grind on her—you have no idea how difficult that restraint is—and gently close my embrace, letting her dictate how long.
Then she presses herself against me, her warmth along the length of my body, and I know she has to be feeling how aroused I am.
We stand there for a long moment, with me deeply inhaling her scent. She feels perfect pressed against me. Then she tips her head back, her gaze searching my face.
“No, I’m not freaked out.” I smile. “I’m turned on. As if you couldn’t tell.”
Her hesitant smile in return fills with confidence, but she doesn’t move to step away, so I hold still, drinking in her sweet warmth. When was the last time I really hugged someone?
I can’t even remember. “Do you have to intervene often?”
“Not like that. Not with vampires. Humans, yeah. When I’m handy, the guys will frequently let me throw a scare into the human instead of mojoing them, just to prove a point, and because it amuses them.”
She shrugs, like it’s no big deal that she literally took down a vampire, by herself. “Usually, the guys are on it when it comes to the vamps, but I just happened to see him and realized exactly what he was up to. Guy’s fucking dangerous. He’s not careful. He’s only been a vampire for a couple of years. Really poor impulse control.”
Fuck, I could stand here all night doing nothing but holding her like this, and it’d still rank up there in one of my top memories. “What happened to his sire? Nestmates?”
“Dead. Territory war this guy wasn’t a part of. Lucius felt sorry for him and let him pledge his loyalty.” She stares at her hands. “Bet he thinks twice before doing that again. If he even makes it back from the desert.”
“The pencil thing was brilliant.”
“Mini-stake. Has to be a real wooden pencil, though.” She grins. “First vampire I worked for taught me that. Guy owned a bar in Toronto. Told me to always keep at least one tucked behind my ear, or in my hair, a few in my apron, back pocket. No one notices them until it’s snapped off inside their chest. Right side to send a message, left to stake.” With her right index finger, she barely touches my chest. “Right there, or through the side, or back. Depending on the circumstance and what they’re wearing. In a pinch, through the neck to distract them, then a second to the left chest.”
“A vampire taught you that trick? Seriously?”
She shrugs, like it’s no big deal. “He was cool. He liked that I couldn’t be controlled. Put me in charge of afternoon and early evening shifts, so he could stay open longer.”
“Wow.” She’s a treasure of amazing experiences.
“Soooo.” She sucks air through her teeth as she plays with the buttons on my shirt. “How was that for a first date?”
Laughing feels so damned good. The things this woman does to me. “I think we’re still on it. I mean, I hope we are. And it’s been brilliant.”
“I wouldn’t mind talking some more. If you’d like to. Or, I’m open to suggestions.”
Of course, I won’t ask her to go downstairs to the dungeon, even though I really want to. I could tell from the way her scent changed earlier that my honesty about some of what I wanted to do to her aroused her. Notes of honey and apricot sprang up in her scent, strongly present in a way they usually aren’t.
I wonder if that’s the same luscious scent I would smell if I have my face buried between her gorgeous thighs while I lap up every drop of her juices.
It’s a question I can’t wait to answer for myself. Which is why I want her consent—so I know she’s really into it because she wants to be, not because I’ve forced her to.
This is the kind of hunt I truly enjoy—an honest pursuit, winning someone over, earning their trust. Any lazy asshole can compel someone to spread their legs.
I want to work for it. “Well, if we’re being completely honest, then I’m curious to know what it is you’d like to do right now.”
I love her adorable surprise at my answer. “Really?”
I nod. “Yes. Total freebie.”
“Anything I want?”
“Anything you want.”
“Okay.” She looks me in the eyes. “Let’s go cuddle,” she quietly says. “If I haven’t totally freaked you out and scared you off. I’ll set up my phone so we can watch a movie and cuddle. I have a couch by my desk.”
“You do?”
I allow her to step out of my embrace and she leads me back toward the main office entrance and around a divider. I realize this is her desk.
Her scent subtly floats in the air, notes of honey and apricot back again. Combined with the way her pulse races, I force myself not to grin. My balls might be unhappy with this choice, but she’s happy.
That’s what’s important. And, yes, she has a couch just behind her desk and against the wall.
I walk over and sit at the far end. “What movie would you like to watch?”
“Seriously?”
“Seriously. It’s what you asked for.” And while she may not realize it, this will be the toughest test of my self-control in my very long life.
“But…” She looks like she can’t believe I actually agreed to it. “No negotiation?”
“To watch a movie? I mean, all right.” I think about it. “I’m not really a Hallmark kind of guy. While I don’t mind foreign films, you might find it tedious to read the subtitles on a phone screen. I don’t enjoy gory horror movies, but I like old classic Hollywood monster movies.”
She bursts out laughing, and my cock surges, throbbing. I barely restrain myself from reaching down and adjusting myself. I love the sound of her laugh, and if I won’t get laid tonight, at least I will have this memory—of her laughter and her smile—to sustain me when I return to my hotel later and jerk off.
“How about Monty Python and the Holy Grail?”
My heart truly feels light for the first time since losing Robert. “Perfect.”
After digging out her phone, she sets it up in the charging cradle, so we can watch it. Then she settles next to me on the couch, and when I raise my arm so she can snuggle against me, she surprises me by curling up on her side with her head in my lap.
Okay, I’m not only hard, I’m hard in a way I didn’t think was possible to achieve. Painfully so.
There will be a very long masturbation session in my immediate future, or I’ll never get to sleep, dawn or not.
As the opening credits roll, she wiggles around a little, getting comfortable, and pulls my arm around her so she can hold my hand. Her flesh feels warm against me, and while I wish we were naked, this is an almost perfect moment. It’s the sweetest torture imaginable, and I don’t ever wish to escape it.
Then she looks up. “Thank you.”
She sounds relieved and lost…and like she’s feeling as terrified as I am. “No, thank you.”
13
Eilidh
I can imagine trying to tell someone this story, being asked about it.
You work at a nightclub with a secret BDSM club in the basement, surrounded by suit-clad hunks, and had dinner with yet another hunk who seems to be into you. That’s really neat, huh? So, what’d you do tonight?
Well, me and a very old, very rich, and very freaking handsome vampire cuddled on my office couch and watched Monty Python and the Holy Grail on my phone. That’s what we did.
And then we watched the first three episodes of Cowboy Bebop.
Yeah, I’m not even sure I believe it.
We cuddled, and we watched my phone, and not once did Dexter try to pressure me for more despite the scent of his arousal returning stronger than ever and me occasionally brushing up against what feels like a freaking telephone pole in his perfectly tailored slacks.
Okay, so yeah, I was a little mean and deliberately shifted positions a few times to gauge his interest.
Apparently, he’s very interested.
How much self-control he has was evident by how he didn’
t simply grab me and kiss me.
Although, by the time we knew he’d have to leave, I was really hoping he’d lean in and kiss me as I laid in his lap.
I get the impression his self-control is boss-level good, and it wasn’t abject terror from watching me snap a pencil off in that vamp’s chest, either.
He drove himself, and he has to leave before me. The nightclub is closed, even though I know from the faint sound of music in the basement that there are still some vamps down there.
I walk Dexter down to the door at the bottom of the stairs, where I hesitate. “About tomorrow night. I mean, tonight. I mean—”
“I know.” He smiles. “Tomorrow night, relatively speaking. The meeting.”
“Yeah.” I take a deep breath. “If you want to send your guy to pick me up at my place before dark and take me back to your hotel, then you and I can ride together to the meeting. We’ll figure it out from there, what to do…after. Maybe your guy can take me back to my place, once you go to bed.”
I like that he doesn’t make a joke about taking me himself and me inviting him in. He knows damned well he can’t enter if I don’t invite him.
“I like that plan very much, thank you. And if you wish to change it, I’m fine with that, too. I’d like to buy you dinner tomorrow, if you’d be comfortable with that. My hotel has an excellent restaurant. Or we can ask for room service.”
“Okay. Cool. We’ll decide that tomorrow night. Have him pick me up by five, please. That’ll give us plenty of time.”
“I will.”
We quickly exchange cell phone numbers. Then, nervous, I step close to him and drape my arms around his neck again.
Just a test, you know.
Um…research.
Yeah, that’s it.
Fuck, he’s tall. Six-three is taller than five-five, and he’s a very hunky six-three.
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