Party Vamps

by Jennifer North

  “Good morning, princess.” He spoke into the side of her neck, reveling in her sleepy warmth and her sexily ripe scent. Her hands clenched his shoulders as he moved his mouth down to suckle a nipple, his hand down to stroke her pussy. More warm sweetness. Tantalizingly moist.

  He moved over her, parting her thighs with his knees. Her eyes were half open now, their golden warmth glowing with sleepy arousal. She reached down for his cock and guided it between her legs, sighing as he pressed into her.

  “Good morning…” Her husky words ended on a moan as he began to slowly stroke. Shifting angles, he worked the hard globe of his cock head against the upper walls of her sex, so in tune with her response he knew exactly which places to hit and when. His hands sought hers, twining their fingers so they rested on either side of her head. When he bent down to kiss her mouth, stroking his tongue against hers to match each languid stroke of his cock, she clenched his legs more tightly with her own and he quickened his pace. As he moved his lips to her throat, she arched her neck and he couldn’t resist a small bite.

  She groaned and shook as he lapped up her sweetness and then sealed it with a kiss.

  Shit…they were coming again.

  Mm…let’s do this forever.

  He’d lost staying power without a condom but the added sensation made up for it. He felt the walls of her pussy contract and watched her face as she scrunched her eyes shut and bit her lip. Laughing softly, he reveled in her expression of sheer pleasure.

  “Does that feel good, sweetheart?”

  “God, yes. Yes, yes, yes…”

  She convulsively clenched her fingers against his and he shuddered as he emptied into her, coming hard and long in a soul-deep, shared orgasm that was only possible with her, his beautiful, mortal bloodmate.

  As he placed tiny, gratified kisses along the ridge of her nose, she tickled his bottom. Laughing, he eased himself off her before collapsing onto his back and nestling her into his side. He sighed, feeling the very essence of replete.

  “Now that’s the way to wake up in the morning.”

  “Is it morning?” she asked. The shades and drapes had been pulled tightly closed for hours.

  “Mm. Does it matter?” He stroked her back, twining his fingers into her tangled curls.

  She sighed. “I’m afraid I’m going to have to break the spell by finding out what time it is. If it’s Thursday—and I have a feeling it is—I have clients to meet, errands to run.” She sat up and ran her hand through her tangles. He winced when he saw her fingers snag on a bird’s-nest-sized snarl.

  “Sorry,” he said.

  She smiled. “Don’t be. It was worth it.” She leaned down to stroke a strand of his hair over his ear. “And you’re probably just as bad.”

  He smiled. “Shall we shower again?” They’d shared a shower about eight hours ago—it had been particularly memorable.

  “Sure.”

  He followed her into the bathroom.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Despite the fact that she and Alex had done their very best to wear each other out, Caro felt surprisingly perky. After their pre-dawn shower, they’d fallen back into bed for some much-needed sleep. She woke again at seven, extracted herself from the warm cocoon of his arms and got up to peek out the window. It was drizzling. The trees lining the street looked soft and sleepy.

  Alex rolled over onto his stomach with a groan. He was definitely settling in for some more sleep. Caro stepped quietly from the room and slipped into workout clothes. If she was fast she could jog to the yoga center by her office for a seven-thirty class. Down in the kitchen she made coffee and set the timer to brew in two hours. She pulled all the shades, wrote Alex a quick note and slid a warm-up jacket over her yoga gear before heading out the door.

  Two hours later, feeling relaxed but definitely sore in places, she rounded the corner to an old Victorian that had been converted to offices and headed up to the Party Mavens’ second-floor suite. A plan was unfurling in her mind and she did her best thinking at her desk.

  Things were quiet in the tidy exterior office. Their part-time secretary worked afternoons. She was a total gem, a gregarious neat freak who took pride in being as highly organized as her bosses. Her desk was perked up by a large gerbera daisy plant in full bloom.

  Caro walked back into the large office that she and Len shared and sat down at her desk. Len’s desk was a techie’s dream from IKEA, hers was a battered but highly polished old, stainless-steel job. Both were tidy but liberally covered with various sample books and file folders. She checked her message box and snorted when she noted that there were three new ones from Mrs. McCarthy.

  Well, she’d give her a call but first she was going to call Len. She looked at her desk clock. Ten a.m.—if he wasn’t awake by now, he should be. She propped her feet on the radiator adjacent to her desk and dialed his cell.

  He answered on the third ring. There was laughter in his voice. “I’m surprised it took you this long to call.”

  “Mm. I’ve been…busy.”

  He guffawed. “That’s one way to describe it, I’m sure. So the bloodmates are back together?”

  “Maybe.”

  “Maybe?”

  “If he passes my test.”

  “Ah. The test. Come up with something good?”

  “Yeah. It’s a little off the wall. And it involves work, so I wanted to get your permission first.”

  “I’m intrigued.”

  “I know he loves me, Lenny. I know he wants to commit. I know he’ll try hard to make it work this time. But his high-and-mighty-vampire pride always got in the way in the past. So I’m gonna to test that vamp pride. See how willing he is to work on my terms every now and then. Forego a few of the old, nasty-vamp customs.”

  “Well, I hope you’re gonna keep the nasty customs that have to do with gnarly sex.”

  “Of course,” she laughed.

  “Okay, doll face. Run it by me.”

  She leaned back in her chair and outlined her plan.

  Lenny laughed his ass off and agreed it was brilliant.

  Caro hung up with him, got out her wedding files and then set up an appointment with Lenny’s least-favorite client, the biggest nightmare mother of bridezilla they’d ever worked with, Edie McCarthy.

  * * * * *

  “Yeah, well, you can tell them to get fucked. We paid for the incident, as the lawyers like to call it, and I’m not going to the Council with my tail between my legs to apologize. There are some things I just won’t stoop to.”

  Alex heard the door open and smiled when Caro came in. “Fine. Whatever. They can make all the rules they want for faeries, satyrs and other woodland creatures. I didn’t vote to join the Council. You did.” He shut his phone with a disgusted snort.

  Caro hung her jacket in the closet and kicked off her wet running shoes. She looked fresh, happy and sexy in body-skimming workout clothes and her damp hair pulled back in a ponytail.

  He shut off ESPN and patted the couch next to him. “I missed you. Come give me a kiss.”

  When she smiled and came to sit down he pulled her onto his lap and gave her a thorough welcome-home kiss. They were both breathing hard by the time he was through.

  “Mm. You taste delicious. Coffee. Fresh air. Sex.” He slipped his fingers under the strap of her tank top.

  “Uh-uh.” She shook her head and grabbed his hand. “I wanna do that too, but first we need to talk.”

  “Damn. And here I thought we’d truly entered paradise and we were never gonna have to rehash the past or worry about the future.” He started kissing her neck. She smelled so damn good…he’d been about to make something to eat but she was way more appetizing then anything he’d found in her fridge.

  She scrunched her shoulder up to her ear, trying to keep his lips from all the best spots. “Will you come to dinner with me tonight? And also…” He could feel her sudden case of nerves, see them as she bit down on her full lower lip. He nudged her thoughts with his and she shook her
head. Smiled. “No. I’m okay. I just have something important I want to ask you.”

  “Ask me now.”

  “Nope. Later. I need time to perfect my proposal.”

  His heart misfired. “Proposal?”

  She wrapped her arms around his neck and laughed his favorite laugh. A husky half-giggle reminiscent of happy, fulfilling sex. “Whatsamatter big guy? Does a little tiny word strike fear in your cold vamp heart?”

  He laughed back. “My heart ain’t cold, princess. You’ve got it all fired up. And it’s an eternal flame. It won’t go out no matter how many scary words you throw at me.”

  Her smile was mysterious. “We’ll see. In the meantime, you’re gonna make me some lunch, right?”

  “Right. Right after I have a teenie little appetizer…” He licked her collarbone and she let her head fall back, her sigh the sweet sound of satisfied acquiescence.

  * * * * *

  Lunch got put off. Way, way off. When they finally sat down to sandwiches in the kitchen, Caro’s phone rang. It was the call she’d been waiting for. She waved at Alex to keep eating and conferred with Mrs. McCarthy on the back porch.

  When she came back inside, Alex was on his second sandwich. “Sorry,” she said. “Important wedding client.”

  He smiled around a big bite of sandwich. “Weddings. Ugh. Do you still hate them as much as you used to?”

  She nodded.

  “Bet you’re glad you have Lenny around to handle that stuff, huh?”

  Caro tilted her head and looked Alex up and down. He was lounging in one of the dinette chairs, his bare feet propped up on the table. He wore an ancient Aerosmith concert T-shirt and jeans so faded they were nearly see-through at the crotch. He licked a blob of mayonnaise from the corner of his mouth. “What?” he asked. “I was planning on changing for our date tonight.”

  “I’m canceling our date. Work takes precedence.”

  A vampire pouting was a sorry sight, indeed. “C’mon, Caro. What about the proposal you teased me with? I was kinda warming up to that idea.”

  “Good. Because you’re about to hear it.”

  He put his feet on the floor, wiped his mouth with his napkin and thumped his heart with his fist, smiling a big, semi-smug grin. “Lay it on me.”

  She took a deep breath and blurted, “Would you come work for me at Party Mavens? I want you to be my new wedding planner.”

  His face went blank and she had to laugh.

  “Um… What?”

  “Since Lenny’s tied up in Chicago dealing with the Stoked fiasco, I’m in serious need of some help. I’m not so good at handling needy women. So…”

  He was raising those arrogant eyebrows now, giving her a “you’ve got to be kidding me” look.

  “Because you went on a rampage that probably means you’ll never work in the city of Chicago again, and because Stoked is reexamining your contract with them because of said rampage, I know you’re looking for a job. I’m offering you one that’s right up your alley. Planning big, expensive parties for people who will fall at your feet. Edie McCarthy, a very important suburban socialite who wants to put on the wedding of the decade, will be your first client. I just spoke with her. She wants to meet you tonight.”

  Alex gave a hoot of laughter and applauded. “Bravo. You really had me going there.”

  “I’m not joking, Alex.” She stepped over to the table, took his hand and looked into his eyes, trying to show him with her touch and her expression how serious she was. “Here’s my proposal. If you take this job and give it your best shot for six months, work hard to please me and my clients—then I’ll come back to you completely. As your bloodmate, life mate, soul mate…however you want me. If not, I’m moving to Australia…or somewhere else far away. With lots of sunshine.”

  He held on to her hand, absently rubbing her knuckles with his thumb. “Jesus, Caro. You’re serious aren’t you?”

  She nodded. “I love you but I need to know you can be steady for me, Alex. I need to know you’re willing to sacrifice some of your pride. The volatile vamp who destroys anyone who messes with me, the half-cocked cocksman who has to live up to his royal legend—I can’t live with those guys.”

  He dropped her hand and sat back in his chair. As he pushed his fingers into his hair and expelled a low whistle of disbelief, the overhead light glinted off the huge ruby on his finger and shadowed the planes of his cheekbones, emphasizing his stark physical beauty.

  A sick feeling scrunched up Caro’s stomach. Oh God. She’d just asked a vampire prince—the son of the most powerful immortal business magnate in the world, the holder of nine advanced degrees, the owner of priceless works of art and a Carpathian chateau—to plan weddings for Cleveland suburbanites.

  What if he said no? What if he didn’t love her enough to sacrifice part of his ego? Or maybe she was asking too much, maybe she’d insulted him and now he would be the one to do the leaving…

  She was completely mortified to feel tears fill her eyes.

  He stood up, drew himself up to his full height, inhaled a breath that made muscles ripple beneath his shirt and said, “Okay.”

  “Real-ly?” Her voice clogged in her throat.

  “Yeah, really.” He drew her into his arms and squeezed her tight, kissing the top of her head. “But I can’t do it for six months, princess. No way. I love my business too. And I’ve made commitments to my employees and friends in Manhattan. I want you to share my life. And sharing means spending some time in my world too.”

  She pulled back. “Three months?”

  She thought she saw his eyes twinkle but then his professional mask came down. “Ten days.”

  “Hey! What kind of negotiating is that?”

  “Princely.”

  She snorted, raising an eyebrow. “We’ll see how negotiating progresses later tonight.”

  “What happens then?” He folded his arms.

  “We’ll be in bed…you’ll be all hot and bothered…and I’ll have certain skills to barter with.”

  He laughed. “Cool.”

  She squeezed the tight muscles of his ass. “Go get dressed. Wear something good. We’re meeting the McCarthy’s at their country club.”

  “Oh Jesus God. What have I done?”

  * * * * *

  As they tooled down the highway in Alex’s Porsche, easily navigating the early evening traffic, Caro couldn’t keep her eyes off him. The tight jeans remained but he’d traded the T-shirt for an open-throat emerald silk shirt. His sports coat was cut fashionably tight, the fabric a rich, black velvet. His bare feet were encased in butter-soft black leather Prada’s.

  He reached out for her hand, kissed her palm and brought it down to his thigh. “You’re sure they’ll let me into the country club like this? I could go back and change into a more conservative suit…”

  “No, no. It’s perfect. Mrs. McCarthy will love you.” She looked down at herself and felt rather brown in her staid tweed pantsuit. “Except now I know what the female peacock must feel like when she looks at her mate. I’ll look like a boring old stump next to you.”

  Alex laughed, the green of his shirt making his eyes gleam sexily, his leanly muscled body the perfect form for the elegantly foppish clothes.

  “Caro, you could never, ever look like a boring old stump.”

  “Yeah, well. Don’t tell Len that you saw me in this suit. I promised him I’d throw it away. But then, he was the one who taught me that one of the first rules of working with finicky female clients is to never out-dress them.”

  “Hmm, you look kinda horse-womanish. Do you have a riding crop stashed in those pockets?”

  “No, but one might come in handy for Mrs. M.”

  “If she needs a hot stud, I’m already taken for the week but I am a very good tease…”

  “I know you are. And you’ll make her drool just because you’re part vamp.”

  “She’s into the immortal thing, huh?”

  “Yeah, she thinks an immortal planner will give he
r the edge on all her friends’ daughters’ weddings. She was overjoyed with Lenny because he was satyr and gay.” She imitated Mrs. McCarthy’s breathy voice. “Because gay males have an affinity for this type of thing, don’t you know. And we only want the very latest, the very best for our darling daughter.”

  “Her words?”

  “Yep.”

  “Hmm. So you want me to act like your new assistant, who just happens to be a femme vampire?” He waggled his eyebrows.

  Caro giggled. “No.” She stifled her laughter and sighed. “What I’d like to do is teach Mrs. McCarthy a much-needed lesson, but that’s really not my place. Obviously, sexuality should have no bearing on her precious daughter’s wedding.”

  “Her daughter and her fiancé might disagree. Don’t worry. You just leave it up to me.”

  “Okay, but you can’t be too naughty. Len and I have been tempted to go that route. But then we remember that our reputations are just as dependent upon this event as the weddings we’ve done for truly nice people.”

  “Now, Caro, you know I am never too naughty.” He winked and moved her hand farther up his thigh.

  Caro felt a jolt of nerves as they zoomed into the brightly lit parking lot of the exclusive suburban country club and careened into a parking place by the door. She noted the wicked little smile that was playing around the corners of his mouth.

  “This is going to be fun.” He grinned over at her. “I haven’t been in a place that looked like this since my cousin’s wedding when I was fourteen. As I recall, it was a very memorable affair.”

  He started to take her hand as they walked up the winding path that led to the huge Tudor structure that was the clubhouse and she quickly brushed it away. “Sorry. Habit,” he said as he put his hand in his coat pocket.

  “What did you do?”

  “What?”

  “What mischief did you get into at your cousin’s wedding?”

  He laughed. “First, Juna and I made liberal use of the champagne fountain and then we went on a frog-catching expedition on the golf course. The frogs came in very handy for a variety of uses.”