“Are you going to spank me if I don’t follow the rules?”
“That’s a possibility.”
Ivy smiled wryly. “Okay. I’ll play your little game. For now.”
Holt nodded once, and then opened the stall door to look out.
Ivy waited while he checked the scene. She’d play this through and see where it got her. If she shuffled her cards right, maybe he would finally agree to take her out to the boat. She knew he had connections with Bloody Hell.
What kind of connections, she was no longer sure.
She’d have to wait and see.
Chapter Six
Holt opened the door of the suite and moved Ivy inside. Colin and Rogue were watching TV. Both looked up.
“Hello boys,” Ivy said, walking into the room as if she owned the place.
Holt closed the door. He reached into his pants pocket and got out the keys for the cuffs. “Come here,” he said.
Ivy sidled up to him, her eyes flashing. She looked exactly what she was … a very tempting imp.
“Turn around,” Holt instructed her. She turned, putting her back to him. Holt unlocked the cuffs and slid them from her wrists. She stepped away quickly and faced him, rubbing at her wrists.
“You’ve got some explaining to do,” she said, her eyes narrowed. “You can’t just kidnap somebody.”
Holt tossed the cuffs and the keys to Rogue. “In the bedroom,” he said. He crossed the room and entered the bedroom, sure that she would follow.
She did. Ivy passed him and plopped down on the edge of one of the beds, bouncing. “Nice room.”
Holt shoved his hands in his pockets, then took them back out. He ran a hand over his hair.
Ivy tilted her petite chin. “Nervous?”
Holt let out a breath. What the heck was he going to do with her? “No. I’m not nervous.”
“Then what’s the problem?”
“Look,” he said, starting his pacing again. “You can’t go aboard Bloody Hell.”
Her brows drew together. “And why the hell not?”
“Because … because I said so.”
Ivy shot up from the bed. She grabbed a handful of his T-shirt. “Not good enough. You’re not my daddy and you’re not my husband. You couldn’t tell me what to do even if you were. So, let’s get whatever it is out in the open and you tell me exactly why you don’t want me on that boat.”
Holt felt an urge to kiss her come over him. She was full of fire and spark. And mad as a wet hen. “You wouldn’t believe me.”
“Try me.” She let go of his shirt and perched on the edge of the bed.
He had to keep his distance from her. She was too much of a temptation if she was close. All he wanted to do whenever she was near was strip her naked and have at her. Holt moved to the other bed and sat down on the edge.
“Okay. The people on that boat,” he began, “are not what you think.”
Ivy turned herself to face him, directly across from him on the other bed. She raised an eyebrow.
Holt groaned. “They are blood drinkers.”
Ivy shrugged nonchalantly.
She acted as if she didn’t take him seriously. Now he wanted to shake her. “Ivy … they are not Sanguinarian. Not like you think they are. Whoever they take blood from doesn’t survive the feeding.”
She frowned. “What do you mean?”
Here goes, he thought. After telling her this, she wasn’t going to be able to leave this room. Not until they had destroyed the Clutch and it was safe to let her roam around on her own. Holt leaned forward and looked directly in her eyes. “When the people on that boat take blood, they kill their donors. Those people are true vampires.”
Ivy’s eyes widened. Her mouth opened then closed. Then … she laughed. “Oh my God, you’re crazy.” She shot up and started for the door.
Holt cut her off, blocking her. “You’re not leaving.”
She pushed against him, and tried to wriggle by him. “Let. Me. Through.”
Holt locked his arms around her, threw her over his shoulder and kicked the door closed. He threw her on the bed. She bounced, just as she did last night, but this time she didn’t laugh.
“You can’t keep me here against my will,” she said, struggling to sit up.
“Watch me.” Holt cracked open the door. “Rogue, I need those cuffs.”
A hand reached through the door, handcuffs dangling from it. “You want we should leave while you and her…?” Rogue asked from the other side of the door.
Holt took the cuffs. “I’ll be right out. Don’t leave.”
Ivy sat on her knees in the middle of the bed. “Stay away from me,” she growled.
Holt shut the door and did exactly the opposite. He started for the bed.
Ivy sprang from the bed and ducked, trying to get around him yet again. With one arm, Holt snared her and pulled her back.
“Dammit, let me go,” she said, beating him with her fists.
“Stop it. You’re acting like a little girl,” Holt said. With a grunt, he trapped her against the bed and bent her over. He pinned her with his legs against her bottom then tried to grab her arms.
“You are a fighter, I’ll give you that,” he said, finally getting a hold on one of her arms. He snapped the cuff on. “If you don’t stop fighting me, you’re going to get hurt.”
“Argh!” Ivy dropped her head to the bed, breathing hard.
Quickly, Holt cuffed her other wrist. Her hands were now secured behind her back. The sight of her lying prone on the bed, immobilized by the cuffs, sent a shock through him. His cock jerked. He’d like to strip her oh-so-tight pants from that gorgeous little ass of hers and take her from behind.
Holt stepped away from the tempting position and caught his breath.
“Now what are you going to do with me?” Ivy asked, her voice muffled by the bedspread.
“Good question,” he said. What was he going to do with her? It would be another couple of hours before they would hit the bars, looking for the Clutch. “Are you hungry?” he asked.
She dropped down off the bed onto the floor, sitting with her back against the bed, arms locked behind her. “This is very uncomfortable and yes, I’m hungry. I haven’t eaten since I woke up alone this morning,” she said.
“What do you want to eat?”
Ivy cocked her head. “You buying?”
Holt pressed his lips together and glared at her. “Of course.”
She grinned. “Vegetarian Lasagna.”
Holt was surprised. He figured her for hamburger and fries. “I’ll see if I can get you some.” He started for the door.
“I’ll need my backpack too,” Ivy said.
“All right. I’ll bring it when I bring your dinner.” He left the room, closing the door behind him.
He leaned against the door, his mind whirring with the circumstances.
“You gonna keep her locked up all night?” Rogue asked.
“Do you have any other solution?” Holt shoved away from the door. He went to the table and picked up the Hotel booklet that lay there. Tough luck Ivy, he thought, snapping the book closed. There was no vegetarian lasagna on the menu and he wasn’t going out to find a restaurant. She was going to have to pick something that could be delivered to the room from room service.
“Locking Ivy up in the room while we hunt may cause more trouble than we can deal with, Holt,” Colin said. He stood, stretching.
“How so?”
Colin placed his hands on his hips and bent side to side. “We may end up talking to the police—or worse.”
Holt felt himself growing angrier by the second. First, he had to intercept Ivy before she got herself killed or worse by the vampires and now, Colin was talking in riddles. “Colin, would you just spit it out? What are you trying to tell me here?”
Colin stopped his exercise routine. “This is an upscale hotel for this area. They probably wouldn’t take kindly to one of the guests making enough noise to disturb other hotel guests. Since
there would be no one here to answer the door when management arrives to inquire about the noise, Ivy being locked in the bedroom, they would therefore either a: enter the room, or b: call the authorities.” Colin put a finger to his temple and nodded. “My guess would be that management would call the authorities. The police arrive. Still no one answers the door even though the noise continues. The police tell the management representative to use the passkey. They enter,” Colin made a wide gesture, “and voila, they find a woman, handcuffed and very upset.”
Holt shook his head. “Colin—you’re not in a courtroom making a statement in front of a judge. What the hell are you trying to say?”
Rogue looked up at him from the couch. “What he’s saying is that if you leave her locked up in there—there is no way little Miss Poison Ivy is going to stay quiet. She’ll bring the cops down on us.”
That got Holt’s attention. His brother Drake had ended up in jail in Kentucky not that long ago, charged with multiple murders. Colin, being the legal representative, had gone to Kentucky to straighten things out. After all, Drake had been charged with the ‘murder’ of three vampires. It was Holt’s opinion that you couldn’t kill something that was already dead. “I see your point,” he said to Colin. “I guess I’ll just have to gag her.”
*
Ivy lay on the bedroom floor, trying to move her arms to the front by stretching them around her butt. She could do it. But now wasn’t the time. She’d wait until the three men left the room to go to the boat. Then, she’d figure a way out. Maybe Holt would take pity on her and cuff her hands in front. Hopefully he would at least uncuff her so she could eat.
The thought of food made her stomach growl. It seemed like she hadn’t eaten in days.
Ivy settled on her side, drawing her knees up toward her stomach. She scolded herself for sliding to the floor. She should have stayed on the bed. The floor was as hard as a rock. Already her right shoulder and hip felt bruised but she didn’t have the energy to wiggle around so she could move to the softness of the mattress.
Holt opened the door and came in. “What are you doing lying there in the floor?” He moved toward her, tossing a book of some sort on the bed.
“Because this is where you left me, remember?”
Holt bent down and lifted her up. “Are you ever in a good mood?” He placed her on the bed.
Ivy sat up, dangling her legs over the edge. “If you were handcuffed and being held against your will, would you be all happy-go-lucky?”
Holt didn’t answer. Instead, he leaned over and picked up the book from the bed. Ivy inhaled, breathing him in. Just the scent of him—so male—made her tingle even though she was madder than hell at him. He sat down beside her and opened the book.
“You’ll have to choose from the room service menu. They don’t have what you asked for.”
“Room service, huh?” She leaned closer, brushing against his thick bicep. Ivy felt gooseflesh rise on her skin from his close proximity. She hoped he didn’t notice. If he realized how turned on she was right now, her angry act would be ripped to shreds. “Um, I’ll have the vegetarian plate,” she said.
“I’ll call it in.” His eyes met hers.
Ivy swore she saw a flash of heat in the dark depths of Holt’s eyes. She bit her lip, wondering if he was turned on too.
She found out a few seconds later when Holt tossed the book on the floor and smothered her with a kiss. Ivy almost fainted from the power of it. Holt had hold of her head between his hands and his mouth made love to hers. Holt groaned against her lips just before his tongue penetrated her mouth. Ivy tried to suck in her breath. He tasted delicious. She wanted to bury her hands in his hair, pull him ever closer, but she was trapped. She strained against the handcuffs. The feel of the cold steel surrounding her wrists, coupled with the fact that Holt could do whatever he wanted to her, only served to heighten her arousal.
Holt gently leaned her back on the bed. With one hand, he pushed her blouse up, baring the fact that she wore no bra. He moved from her lips and down her neck tracing a wet trail with his tongue.
Ivy panted, her chest heaving. Oh God how she wanted him. Wanted him to leave the cuffs on and enslave her.
His tongue brushed her breast with heat. Ivy arched up, the cuffs tightening. Holt drew her peaked nipple into the warmth of his mouth and suckled, tongue flicking.
“Gawd,” Ivy choked out. She trembled, writhing, wanting to get closer to that wondrous, dangerous mouth of his.
Holt nipped, his sharp fangs scraping against her skin.
Ivy almost came. She’d never known that a bit of pain could also be pleasure if it was administered in the right way.
Holt rose above her, releasing her swollen nipple. Ivy watched his face through lowered lashes. He was so much what she wanted in a lover. Dark, dangerous—mysterious as hell. Taboo.
Then he did something that she wasn’t expecting.
He reached up and pulled her blouse down, covering her. Then, he got up from the bed.
Ivy frowned and cleared her throat. “You’re leaving me like this? What? You’re torturing me now?”
Holt ran one hand down the front of his pants and repositioned his hard-on, which was very obvious. Ivy could see the full outline of his cock. Oh yeah, he wanted her all right. Now, why was he backing off?
“I’ll order dinner,” he said, his voice a low rumble. He turned and walked out the door.
“God Dammit!” Ivy screamed, thrashing her head.
He was going to pay. Oh boy was he going to pay.
* * * *
Ramsey went below to see if the women were awake.
The sun was setting. If they weren’t awake yet, they would be soon. He had cleaned up their mess from last night as best he could but since Catharine wanted to stay moored here, he couldn’t dispose of the bodies until full dark. They would go over the side, weighted to stay down until after they were gone. Ramsey shook his head as he walked around the room making sure everything had been wiped clean. Those women were ravenous. They’d drained three bodies in one sitting. If Catharine decided to turn the new girl, Heather, it would only get worse. Ramsey knew from experience that newborn vampires had an unquenchable thirst. It wouldn’t be long that, if their little family kept growing, they would need a bigger boat.
Ramsey grinned at that thought. He would love it if Catharine would give him the go-ahead to go shopping for a bigger yacht. Love it.
Catharine appeared in the doorway, one arm around Elizabeth’s shoulder.
“Hey girls,” Ramsey said, “Sleep well?”
“Yes,” Catharine answered. “We had a very pleasant night last night.”
Ramsey grew hard as he watched Catharine’s hand slip down to Elizabeth’s breast, then pinch and twist her nipple through the sheer fabric of her nightgown. Elizabeth’s mouth opened, revealing her fangs. Man, he liked watching them together. Two women having sex with each other was the biggest turn-on he knew.
“Will you be going out tonight?” Ramsey asked, hoping that they would stay in, since they fed so fully last night. It had been a while since he’d had both of them to play with at the same time and it looked like the prospect might arise.
Peg and Junie came in, rubbing their eyes like two toddlers. “I’m hungry,” Peg said.
Heather peeked around the doorway. She started to turn back but Catharine beckoned to her. “Come here, my pet.”
All of the women moved to the center of the room, directly in front of Ramsey. Catharine took Heather by the hand and pulled her to her. Ramsey watched with interest as Catharine slid her hand to the nape of Heather’s neck, and then kissed her passionately on the mouth. Heather didn’t resist. Instead, she twined her arms around Catharine’s neck and pressed against her. Ramsey smiled, realizing the girl’s training had begun. Catharine broke the kiss and stroked Heather’s blushing cheek. “So sweet,” she crooned.
Catharine shot Elizabeth a look out of the corner of her eye. Elizabeth nodded and smiled.
“Ramsey,” Catharine said, reaching for him while releasing Heather.
Ramsey wrapped his arms around her waist and waited.
“I believe that Elizabeth and I will be staying in tonight, along with Heather of course. Would you join us?” Catharine’s eyes sparkled devilishly, their irises only pin points in the dim light of the room.
“Have I ever denied you?” he asked. He wondered if Catharine would allow him to try Heather on for size.
Catharine winked. She turned to the others. “Junie and Peg, I want you to go out and bring home our feast. Make sure you bring enough for everyone. Including Heather.”
Ramsey’s heart quickened. Yes! They were going to turn the girl. His eyes shot to Heather.
She stood looking from face to face, eyes like a frightened doe.
Catharine shoved Ramsey’s chest and spun away twirling. “Tonight we shall have the ceremony.” She came to a dead stop in front of Heather. “And you, my pet, will then belong to us.”
* * * *
Holt did his best not to get close to Ivy.
Room service came, delivering their dinner and Holt had allowed Ivy to be uncuffed while he watched her. She ate with tiny bird bites, constantly pushing her food around on her plate. It was hypnotizing to watch each morsel of food enter her pert mouth, especially when the pink tip of her tongue peeked out to swipe her rosy lips.
That’s why he couldn’t get close to her. He had to keep his distance. She was like a drug to him. If he spent his golden years with her, one thing was certain: he’d never have a use for Viagra.
He’d managed to keep his dick in his pants long enough to get through dinner but now the sun was setting and it was time that Holt did what he had come her to do.
Kill vampires.
“Ivy, I’ve got to leave,” he said, picking up the cuffs from the nightstand between the beds.
“Can I go to the bathroom first?” Her eyes were innocent.
Holt sighed. “Make it quick. And don’t try anything.”
Ivy stood and raised her hands. “You just don’t trust me.”
“I have good reason.”
Holt the Interceptor Page 8