Sacred Desires (Samuel #1)

by Joanna Mazurkiewicz

  "Hello, Gorgeous Red. We meet again."

  The familiar voice startles me out of nowhere and I look up from my coffee cup to see Samuel Jackson standing in front of me. Rhonda mentioned that they have their own way to find humans. As I expected, he looks good in his grey suit and sparkling beautiful eyes. He is going to pretend this is a coincidence, that he didn’t even expect to see me here.

  Samuel hesitates for a brief moment before he sits down in the chair next to me. I had one peaceful hour to myself, trying to understand the past events and just forget about my last encounter with the Fallen Angel. I had dreams about him, but no one needs to know, especially not Rhonda.

  I thought that I could carry on enjoying my day, but now that Samuel is here I need to get to work.

  I’m completely unprepared for seeing him here but I have been taking the black pill every six hours just in case. I wonder if he followed me. Rhonda was right again and now I have an advantage because he can’t read me. He obviously didn’t like that I turned down the date with him the other day.

  "Oh, it’s you again. Are you stalking me now?" I ask, frowning, not impressed that he showed up uninvited. “I’m not surprised if you were.”

  “Would you believe it if I tell you that I had a business meeting around here? You didn’t give me your name the last time and I couldn’t sleep thinking about your beautiful eyes.”

  He is trying to be charming, but these cheesy lines aren’t great. On top of that, he is lying. Samuel used whatever abilities he has to track me down here.

  “I told you I’m not interested,” I say, running my finger over the edge of the cup. “I guess you already had me checked me out, so you know that my name is Poppy Kowalsky.”

  He stares at me for a long moment, probably surprised that I know his own game.

  “I think we started off on the wrong foot, Poppy, but the truth is that I couldn’t take me eyes off you in the restaurant. Then I saw you from the street sitting alone in this coffee shop and I couldn’t miss another opportunity to speak to you. That’s rather one freaky coincidence, right?”

  I sigh, going straight to the point. He needs to know that I’m not like other women. “I don’t date and I don’t think I’ll change my mind because of you.”

  Something is telling me this guy is persistent and he won’t stop until he gets what he wants. I cross my legs and drink some of my coffee. Then, I feel it: intense, hot and sticky lust moving its way down my thighs. Fuck, I need to pull myself together. He is using his supernatural energy to influence me.

  “Okay,” he says, “let’s forget about the date then for now. I’ll pick you up tonight and we’ll hang out together, so we can get to know each other better.”

  “You don’t take no for an answer, do you?”

  He laughs loudly. “I don’t like using the word no. Yes sounds so much better.”

  “So how is that different from a date?”

  “It’s just a casual meeting between two acquaintances, that’s all. No pressure,” he adds, flashing me a smile. He is so sure of himself.

  “Fine, I will go out with you, but it’s not a date. At this present moment I'm not interested in random one-night stands or even in a serious relationship.”

  "Bad experiences?" he asks, staring down at my boobs.

  "Maybe, but that is none of your business."

  “Well then, Poppy, in that case I’ll pick you up tonight at eight. Is it all right for me to take your address?" he asks, making me feel hot and bothered again. My heart pounds in my chest.

  I wipe the sweat off my forehead and write my address on the napkin. My hand trembles and he can see it. He doesn’t remind me of Dimitrious at all, who has a dark, gloomy aura surrounding him, the hanging on of a deep raw past.

  "Thank you, Poppy. I'm looking forward to tonight."

  When he finally leaves the coffee shop I collapse back on the chair, feeling like my lungs are on fire. I’m so glad when he is finally gone. I glance back outside, watching as he jumps straight into a black Porsche parked on the side of the road and drives off. My breaths are uneven and shallow. Shortly after Samuel’s departure, I finish my coffee and settle the bill.

  Outside, I call Rhonda, and even though I don’t want to hear her pathetic voice, I have to report what’s happened. At the end of the day I’m working for Dimitrious, who needs to see that I’m cooperating.

  Rhonda gets straight to the point, telling me not to sleep with Samuel on the first day; otherwise, I’ll be one of the other women that he used and tossed away. She also reminds me to take the black pill at least every six hours. This whole thing might go very wrong if I expose my thoughts or emotions to him. I tell her that I’m already on it, so I don’t need to listen to her pointless ranting.

  “Make sure that everything goes smoothly. Dimitrious doesn’t want any screw-ups this time around,” she adds before she hangs up.

  My stomach rolls with nervous cramps when I get home. I shouldn’t be worried. I’m beautiful, have a good background story, and I know what to do. Everything should go according to plan. Samuel is confident that he can get me into bed. It’s just a case of getting control of all my emotions. He is going to use his magical abilities to lure me to him and I have to be ready.

  I take out my best dresses and look through the shoes that I have. I don't eat anything, making sure that I have good appetite later on. I remind myself that Dimitrious has a duty to protect me. If I'm in danger, he will save me.

  Around seven thirty I sit on my shitty couch, dressed to impress, and wait for my ride. I took my pill five minutes ago to make sure that I wouldn’t forget it. My heart skips a beat when I hear the car outside. A few minutes later, I hear sounds downstairs. Samuel is early, so it looks like he is eager to see me.

  I look good despite my red hair, wearing a low-cut cream dress that shows my cleavage. He is driving a Porsche and seeing him outside my apartment startles me to death, but hey, I agreed to this and, no, I can’t back down.

  Deep breaths aren’t really helping me with my nerves, but I get downstairs. His eyes automatically go over me, weakening my knees and increasing my heartbeat. Lust, angelic and deep, sends a thrill down my spine. The bastard is doing it again, using his energy to make me horny. He is not my type—Dimitrious is more attractive—but my acting skills are good.

  "Hello, Gorgeous Red," he greets me with a diabolic gleam in his eyes. "Ready to have the best time of your life?"

  “Let's see if you can impress me, darling," I tell him, sliding into his fabulous car. His eyes move over my perfect legs and he licks his lips.

  Inside his car is as nice as the outside. The interior is leather and it looks like Samuel likes all the latest gadgets, but I need to look like I’m bored already. Showing off doesn’t impress me, but his cologne is nice. Somehow it reminds me a little of John.

  "We're going out for dinner. I hope you're hungry."

  "Do you normally do that? Ask random women to dinner?" I ask.

  "No, you're the first. I want to show you that underneath I'm a very sensitive guy."

  I laugh as he swings through the traffic in London, probably breaking every speed restriction. Half of the time he isn’t even looking at the road.

  "Samuel, judging from your car and expensive suit, you're quite successful. What’s the nature of your business?"

  “Import, export and a few other business ventures. I can’t deny it, I have plenty of money and I like to spend it on beautiful women like you."

  "Charming, but I won’t date you knowing that there are other women, and I'm not interested in a one-night stand if that’s what you're after.”

  It seems that he doesn’t like what he is hearing, narrowing his eyes on me. "Okay, maybe that was inappropriate. As long as I'm seeing you, there won’t be any other women."

  “Well, you have this one evening to impress me and shift my perspective about men like you. I wasn’t planning to date for a while."

  "Do you hate men? What? The sex wasn�
��t satisfying?"

  He probably expects me to blush, but I'm used to alpha males like him. "It was always satisfying, but I get bored easily," I whisper back, leaning over.

  He laughs loudly and cheerfully. Then we talk a little bit more about my work and the fact that I don’t have any family left. Thank God for the black pill. I don’t want him to read me as well as Dimitrious. He doesn’t touch me, but he is flirting with me like crazy. Samuel tells me that he is twenty-nine and has been running the business for over six years. He studied economics at Oxford and I see that as a Fallen, he has everything pretty much figured out. He doesn’t seem bad and I wonder if Rhonda was just trying to scare me.

  He drives around London for another twenty minutes before we reach what looks like an airport. Panic strikes me and I begin to wonder if Rhonda or Dimitrious is keeping an eye on me.

  "Where are we going?" I ask, trying not to let him know that I'm worried, but my voice is an easy giveaway.

  He flashes me a grin, moving his eyes to my breasts. It's obvious that he wants me and he is not doing much to hide it. The guy is confident. I have to give it to him.

  “Don't worry, Gorgeous Red. I want to make it special."

  His voice is making me all flushed, but he doesn’t do anything else. Instead he jumps out of the car and greets the guy behind the gate. Soon after that, we are driving through. I relax when I finally understand that we are not going into the plane, but what looks like a brand-spanking-new helicopter.

  Samuel gives me an “I just want you in my bed” look and says, "Come on, my darling, it's time for this non-date to really begin."

  Giggles escape me before I can stop it. He takes my hand and helps me get inside. I have to put on a headset that is going to mess my hair. My heart pounds behind my ribcage. Fuck, my other husbands had money, but this is completely unexpected and bloody hot. My panties are soaked right through.

  The machine starts and soon we go up. This would have been over the top if Samuel had been the pilot, but he is sitting next to me, smiling because he knows that he has already impressed me.

  In my head I have to constantly remind myself that he is Fallen, a creature that Dimitrious is going to kill. He does this to any woman that he wants to fuck and I'm not an exception.

  The view outside is mesmerising as we fly over London. The noise is horrendous and I'm scared for my life, but hell yeah, I deserve to have fun after what I’ve been through. Samuel is watching me from the corner of his eyes. My mind is racing and I'm just getting more excited and aroused by the minute.

  Half an hour later we land. We must be still in the United Kingdom, as our trip wasn’t long. It's cold outside, and I smooth my hair for a bit. I smell a salty breeze and realise that we are on the roof of a building somewhere by the sea. Samuel takes my hand and we head towards the door. There is a smiling waiter in a black suit who lets us through the door.

  Down the stairs, we enter a stylish dining room. It's a penthouse with an open-plan living room. Right, I have to play this right, so I can’t look too impressed, but warmth spreads through my heart when I see a table set for two.

  "Mr. Jackson, this is unexpected," I say.

  He clears his throat, pointing at the table. "Please, my chef prepared something very special for this evening."

  Samuel tells the waiter to start with the drinks and we sit down.

  "So where are we? Somewhere by the sea?" I ask, a little curious and a little anxious. I don’t think Dimitrious anticipated this move.

  Samuel places a cloth on his knees and winks at me as the waiter pours some champagne into my glass.

  "We are in my penthouse in Brighton. I thought that after dinner we could relax a little."

  "We’ll see how you're going to behave throughout dinner, Mr. Jackson." I chuckle, giving him something to think about. He drinks a bit of his champagne, then asks to bring out the starter. #

  As the time passes, I discover that my Fallen is not only confidently cocky but he is also fond of art and winter sports. He makes it obvious that he has never been married and he hasn’t got any kids. I laugh, smile, and let him think that he has to work a little harder to make me believe that he is genuinely interested in seeing me, not just fucking. The food is delicious: the desserts follow the best filet steak that I ever tasted. He keeps topping up my glass with red wine. Our conversation flows nicely and I feel more relaxed in his company, not thinking much about Dimitrious. During the dessert he insists on feeding me. I don't know what is going on with me, but I obey. He must have put something in this food, because his seductive game seems to be working.

  My mind seems clouded. I should be sharp and not moved by what he does, but he is luring me to believe that I'm desired and beautiful.

  "Come on, Gorgeous Red, let’s relax on the sofa."

  Then I know that I’m in big trouble.

  Nine

  He takes my hand, pinning me down with his heavy beautiful eyes, and I melt as the sweat drips down my back. I feel like someone has given me a happy potion, where my life is free from problems and worries. This is not going the way it is supposed to. Then somewhere in the back of my mind a thought comes back to me. The pill. I have to take another pill; otherwise, he will discover all my secrets, read my false emotions.

  "I'm just going to pop in to the bathroom for a moment," I say, getting up awkwardly.

  "Of course, darling. Just follow the corridor to your right."

  Heat rises and I feel like Samuel is purposely trying to push me to lose control. The surrounding white walls are spinning in front of my eyes, but I get to the bathroom a minute later. I lean over the sink and look at my reflection in the mirror, barely recognising myself. My face is flushed and the colour of my eyes seems more intense, like it’s not me that I’m looking at but another person I don’t recognise. Something isn’t right here and I hope that I will be less affected by his abilities after I take another pill. I take a few deep breaths to calm down. Rhonda was right all along. It kills me to admit to it, but, yeah, Samuel wants me badly and he is using trance to get what he wants from me, which is probably sex.

  I run the water and splash some on my face to cool down. This helps a little, but now my makeup is messed up. I take the pill and close my eyes, remembering what Dimitrious told me earlier on. I'm in control, so I swallow it, reapplying a bit of makeup. Everything has to stay perfect.

  When I come back I feel much better. Samuel is sitting on the sofa, drinking what looks to me like whiskey. On the other side of the window on the wall, he has an impressive collection of modern art and a sword that looks familiar. My eyes are drawn to it. The heavy weapon shines, reflecting the lights in the room. I move closer, admiring the carved feathers in the handle. Dimitrious has his own, so this one must belong to Samuel. I wonder why it is on the wall. Does this mean that he doesn’t think he will need it anymore, that he is done being a Fallen? I wonder what kind of angel he was in the past. I wonder if he killed many humans.

  "Do you like it, Poppy?" he asks, all of a sudden materialising in front of me. The smell of his cologne hits me hard, weakening my knees. "Come on, touch it. Swords like that need to be admired."

  I look at him and smile lightly, not wanting to show him that I don’t want to go anywhere near it. I feel the pull towards this magnificent weapon. It seems like it speaks to me, wants me to run my finger over the shiny blade. Samuel’s hand is on my thigh and I suck in a breath, feeling the rising heat between my legs.

  I lift my hand and trace the blade, barely touching it. Before I know what is happening, the room spins and I lose consciousness.

  When I open my eyes, I'm in a room full of people, all dressed in suits and banquet dresses. I don’t recognise this space; it’s some sort of gallery with large portraits of women and men from the twelfth century. I glance around, disorientated, and walk towards the waitress, wanting to ask her where I am and what is going on, but she passes by, ignoring me. A lot of women and men are laughing, holding champagne glasses; o
thers are admiring the art. Panic strikes me and I wonder if Samuel brought me here because he discovered my secret.

  In the far corner of the room I spot a familiar face and my heart starts to beat faster than it should. It’s Dimitrious, in his true Watcher form. His snowy white wings are folded behind him, the sword is by his side, and he is dressed in white. His dark mesmerising eyes follow the people around the room. Is this a dream? Is he trying to show me something?

  I walk up to a woman in a black shiny dress.

  "Excuse me ..."

  She ignores me and walks away, smiling at the blond man in a silver suit. The waiter approaches and the man takes a glass of champagne from his tray. I exhale, knowing that this must be some kind of dream or a vision. Whatever the hell this is, I think I should talk to Dimitrious. My mouth goes dry and my stomach flips as I walk towards my formal employer, wondering if I screwed up again. He doesn’t even notice me as I stand in front of him. His eyes are focused on someone else. I frown, getting tired of all these stupid games, and follow his gaze. Dimitrious is staring at a human woman in the crowd. She is blond with curly hair, a small stature, and wearing a long fitted dress that exposes her slender back. I guess she is beautiful, but I know that I was better-looking than her in my old life. I look back at my boss, trying to get his attention.

  "What is going on? What am I doing here?"

  Nothing. No response or even a blink. It seems that he can’t see me. I'm here now, so I need to figure out what I am doing here. Dimitrious’s emotionless expression turns and his eyes flicker with gentleness. His pupils go vertical, growing with passion and heat. I recognise this look straight away. John used to look at me like that after we made love. Dimitrious parts his lips and tenses his shoulder. That gentleness is gone before I know it.