by CJ Ellisson
“Don’t worry,” the other man chimed in, rising to his feet as they were surrounded by cars. A small woman got out of the first one and headed toward them. At her barked orders, armed groups swarmed around them and through the doors into the building. She tried not to notice that they were armed with an eclectic mix of swords and modern firearms. “Iliona’s here, with the cavalry. He can’t hurt you now.”
People swarmed around them, but cuddled up in Baron’s lap, she didn’t care. He lifted a hand to smooth her hair back from her face. “He’ll never hurt you again, I promise.”
She nodded, hearing the determination in his words and leaned in to place a gentle kiss on his lips. “So…Iliona. Your boss?”
“Yup, she’s the one who sent Duke…” He nodded to the man who’d come to help her, now a few paces off, talking to one of the men she remembered from the house. “And I undercover at your place. No one was supposed to know about Duke. Our ‘ace in the hole’ so to speak. How’d you guess?”
“Doesn’t matter.” Everything fell into place, her last doubts eased as she settled more comfortably into his arms. She looked up at him, an imp of mischief making her bat her eyelids. “So, a dragon, huh?”
“Uh-huh.”
“So, does this mean you’ll sweep me off to your lair and have your wicked way with me?”
He smiled, his lips curving under hers as she went in for another, quick kiss. “Just say the word, sweets, and I’ll sweep you away right now. Just be warned, now I’ve got my treasure, I don’t plan on letting you go. Ever.”
Pulling back, she winked at him, euphoria at escaping death overruling her tiredness. “Good, then make with the wings, dragon-boy and let’s get on with the ravishing.”
“Your word is my command, my love. Now and forever.”
About the Author
Mina was born and raised in the East Farthing of Middle Earth (otherwise known as the Midlands, England) and spend her childhood learning all the sorts of things generally required of a professional adventurer. Able to ride, box, shoot, make and read maps, make chainmail and use a broadsword (with varying degrees of efficiency) she was disgusted to find that adventuring is not considered a suitable occupation these days.
So, instead of slaying dragons and hunting vampires and the like, Mina spends her days writing about hot shifters, government conspiracies and vampire lords with more than their fair share of RAWR. Turns out wanna-be adventurers have quite the turn of imagination after all... (But she keeps that sword sharp, just in case the writing career is just a dream and she really *is* an adventurer.)
The boring part: A full time author, cover artist, and photographer, Mina can usually be found hunched over a keyboard or graphics tablet, frantically trying to get the images and words in her head out and onto the screen before they drive her mad. She's addicted to coffee and would like to be addicted to chocolate, but unfortunately chocolate dislikes her.
Website: www.mina-carter.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mina.carter
Twitter: @minacarter
Other Titles by Mina Carter
Now Available in eBook:
Blood Mate
Wolf-Bond
Melody’s Wolf
Seducing the Sergeant
Hedging his Bets (with Celia Kyle)
Reaper
Perfect Mate
Close Protection (Paranormal Protection Agency)
Now Available in Print:
End of Days (anthology)
Halloween Heat (anthology)
Perfect Mate
Prince’s Courtesan
Moonlight & Magic Series
Kyn Series
For a full backlist, please visit http://mina-carter.com/bookshelf/
Playing the Odds by S.A. Price
Take a Gamble: Book One
Copyright © 2013, S.A. Price– All Rights Reserved.
All Rights Reserved. This book contains material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is strictly prohibited. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission from the author/publisher.
Sydney Skye is a Jenai, a race of female Genies who bring luck to the men in their lives. Hiding in plain sight as she dances in a dive off the Vegas strip. Life is predictable and hassle free, at least until she meets Jace. He's been looking for the right woman for a long time, and this woman is literally about to make all his wishes come true. A man with a few tricks of his own, Jace is swarthy, sexy and the deepest, darkest fantasy Sydney's ever had, his constant visits to watch her dance leaving her needy and wanting after every set. When Sydney agrees to help Jace win a high stakes poker tourney, All bets are off, especially when fate makes the attraction between them something more than either imagined.
Chapter One
Sydney walked off stage and shook her head, looking in the mirror above her dressing table. A fifteen-minute set shouldn't wear on a dancer so hard, but the lights were a bitch. Her makeup was cakey, her eyeliner and mascara were running. Waterproof my ass, she thought as she cleaned up the runs and reapplied. At that point she was thankful to get out of the close scrutiny she endured while on the stage, especially from the side corner table.
He was here again, watching her, and this time, the thoughts didn't bode well. Was he stalking her? Did he know who and what she really was? Possibilities swam through her head as she got ready to go back out, applying fresh makeup and looking for her blue, tie-dyed micro mini and tube top. She was stacked, and perfect physically, and she used her body to her monetary advantage. She found the costume she wanted, and her mind flittered back to her admirer.
At first, she had enjoyed it, him coming in every night for her sets, watching her as she worked the floor, just sitting and never asking for anything, never speaking to her. For a long time she wished he would, instead of merely staring at her with his intense blue eyes. But that would ruin the fantasy.
Sydney was not a woman to take work home with her, but in the early daylight hours she would think about him, while in the shower, or her lonely bed, wondering about him, feeling like he was there with her. The highly erotic fantasy sessions would always end the same, her vibrator smoking from overuse, her body panting and sated as she settled for the second best thing, and would continue to do so as she was not in the habit of dating the guys that came in to watch her jiggle her tits for cash.
She never saw him enter or leave the club, but each night he'd be sitting there, at his same shadowed table. She'd walk by when she was working the floor, wink, linger, wait for him to ask for a dance, leer, or make a lewd comment like the rest of the patrons at the club, but he just sat back and watched her. It was getting on her last nerve.
Tonight she was going to end it, break the silence in which her watcher was indeed comfortable. He was fantastically sexy—the bright eyes, short sandy colored hair, scruffy stubble perpetually there every time she saw him. He had taste, too. It was a shame she hadn't met him someplace else, her fantasies were getting rather old. She was almost at the point of breaking her personal rule and hitting on him, taking him home, and riding him till dawn.
As she walked the floor, the catcalls began. Men offered up anything for her to sit on their laps and do a slow grind, but she was polite, making small talk and promising she would be back around, her sights still on the hottie in the corner.
"So, baby? I wanna watch your ass shake." The guy next to her said as he ran his hand down her arm.
Fucking asshole, she thought as she put on her best smile and turned to him. "Now, sugah, no touching remember? I'll be back soon, and you'll get your dance, but I have an appointment to keep. Don't you go anywhere." She winked at him. The man momentarily cowed she sauntered over to the side table, her target sitting back, one arm thrown over the chair back, t
he other’s fingers around his drink stirrer, twirling it through the brown liquid. She stopped just in his line of sight and cocked her hip, her hands resting just under her waist.
"Now I know you like what you see, or else you wouldn't be watching me every night. So tell me, what I can do for you?" Her words were brazen, and bold, straight and to the point, but she figured if this was going to go anywhere, she would have to be.
He smiled at her and licked his lips, lips that were full and inviting, lips she dreamed about searing her skin every night, but didn't say anything. His silence irritated her. "Cat got your tongue?"
"Cat?" He shook his head and clinked the ice cubes in his rocks glass, taking a healthy swig, "No cat here that I'm aware of, unless you're changing your stage name... Sydney."
His voice was like crushed velvet, and her body reacted in a most provocative way. She cocked her hip and smiled. "No stage name here. I don't believe in hiding. You, on the other hand, seem to. So, let's not beat around the bush, shall we? Why the hell do you insist on watching me every night?"
He shook his head. "I enjoy the show. I know you enjoy my presence here. I would have left if I weren’t welcome."
That was interesting. "Do you now? Any reason why you choose to remain thoroughly ensconced in this shady corner and not bother to ask for a dance?"
"I don't believe in paying for something that should be given freely." He grinned. "And paying for something that I can get for free is against my principals. As for my choice of location, it's the best seat in the house."
She frowned. "And just what do you think you can get for free?" She asked the question while licking her lips.
"Peaches, you can get anything for free… if you know how." the guy smiled, kicking out the chair opposite to him and motioning for her to sit.
Sydney smirked. The guy had balls, and seeing as he wasn't trying to touch her or do anything funny, she figured it was quite harmless. After all, his arrogance amused her and his voice set her body on fire. She wasn't leaving him if she could help it, so she sat, crossed her legs, and leaned forward.
He stayed where he was, his gaze, never leaving her face. "So why here? What is it about this place that takes you up on stage every night? It sure ain't the crowd." His eyes flickered briefly behind her to the prick she'd promised a dance.
He was candid, asking an honest question and not doing it while she was grinding on his lap. She looked him over again: well worn jeans, just tight enough, fitted T-shirt with some obscure reference to someplace back east that looked completely fetching on him, just giving the outline of a well-kept torso, the leather jacket draped just behind his chair. The man was seriously sexy and he knew it.
She smiled at him. "Now, I don't answer questions like that unless I know a man's name. You got a name, sport?"
"Suppose it's only fair, me knowing yours and all. Call me Jace."
"Jace, eh? That a real name, or the guy you play on TV?" she asked and leaned back. If he wasn't going to be real with her, well turn about was fair play.
"Oh, it's all me, I promise you." He tipped his drink again. "I have no reason to lie to you."
"True. Well to answer your question, I like Glitter. It's one of the only joints on the strip where I don't have to turn tricks."
He nodded, seemingly accepting the answer. "Then why do this? You have so much more potential. You could do great things. Unless you like getting felt up, by down on their luck bums?"
It was an argument she had with herself on a regular basis. Hearing someone else voice her deepest, darkest dislikes about the job was not something she cared to do, but to humor the hottie sitting across from her, she decided to play along. "It's the only drawback. I like dancing. I like to be up there knowing eyes are watching me, only me, even for a short time." She grinned. "And I like to know one of those pairs of eyes are yours. So I deal with the pawing. It beats backroom prostitution."
"I don't have much experience with back room prostitution, so I'll take your word for it. As for my eyes, you don't have to sleaze yourself up there for them. Peaches, you can have them on you anytime you want." He finished his rocks glass, setting it down.
"Everyone else's? That might take some doing, but I'm sure we could work something out to accommodate that," he told her, shrugging and sitting forward. "Personally, I think you're just in this for the thrill of it all. With your looks and talent, you could snag yourself any rich old bastard in this town."
She laughed. "What fun is a rich old bastard?"
"Exactly my point. Baby, you need something with a bit of life. Trust me, once you get outside this rat pit and into the real world, you'll discover that this place is deader than Elvis...and that's pretty damn dead. This is a place folks come to bury themselves, and you're far from dead. You're wasted here on these freaks.” He shook his head.
“All they wanna do here is fuck you dry, and I'm sure you'll agree that that is a waste of your true abilities." He smiled, his eyes flashing with amusement and heat. "Not that it wouldn't be a ride to die for."
His voice, again, set her body to feel things she didn't know she could. Coils of lust slipped around her limbs and nestled low in her belly. "And just what are you suggesting? I give up my livelihood? Start hooking? 'Cause this place might be a pit, but at least it's honest. I'm not playing the virgin and fucking like a whore behind the scenes."
He raised an eyebrow and his next words came out in a whisper. "There are many ways to earn an honest living that don't involve this. Then again, anything that involves risk taking is far from honest. That is what you crave, isn't it? The thrill? The do-or-die moments that make everything better? Heightens all your senses to the point of ecstasy?” Jace looked her over and gave her a very knowing smile.
“Makes everything feel more real as your heart pounds in your chest so loudly you think everyone else can hear it. When every move you make determines whether you live or die, fly or fall. Peaches, I can take you to places that you were born to be in, environments that you'd not only live comfortably in but thrive on. You can live that high all day and all night and never have one of these low life scum grope you again."
Mesmerized, she licked her lips and looked at him. "And just how do you plan on doing that?"
"Well, first we need to get out of this place. There's nothing but deadbeats here. We can't fly with the eagles if we're surrounded by turkeys, if you know what I mean."
She gave a small grin that stretched into a full smile. "I do. My shift isn't over for another half hour," she said, curious as to what he was offering, but not ready to give up her job and safety net.
"Fair enough, then. Go back and jiggle for that loser over there, then come back to me. I'll give you a taste of what I'm promising once you finish and if, by morning, you're not convinced, then you'll never have to see me again."
She stood and smoothed down her outfit, looking him over again. She then glanced back to the fuck head who'd groped her, then back at Jace. Seeing the sexy man in front of her as the lesser of two evils, even if he was a deranged killer, she quickly made her decision. "On second thought, how do you propose getting me out of here without that dipshit approaching me again?"
He smiled coolly, sitting back from her and eyeing the guy. "Simple." He patted his lap for her to sit.
Ah, so it did come down to his hands on her. She realized that it didn't bother her really. Hell, Jace could fuck her right there and as long as he was speaking to her, she wouldn't give a rat's ass. Not that she was against sex in public places, but here...
Ah, fuck it. Looking over her shoulder one last time at the waste of skin sitting at the bar, she took the three steps to his waiting lap and grinned as she straddled him, her short skirt riding up. "This okay?"
"It'll do for now." He placed his hands on her waist, pulling her towards him so his lips hovered inches from hers. She could feel his heat seeping into her. "Now, close your eyes."
She shivered, his hands sending heat through her skin, and closed her ey
es like he asked.
His soft lips touched her own as he kissed her gently. He deepened the kiss, using the gasp it drew from her to slide his tongue into her mouth. His body felt good against hers, hard and soft. She suddenly felt the cool night air on her face, she opened her eyes and he moved back from her, steadying her as she stood in the shaded alley way next to the club.
She looked about cautiously. "How the hell?" She looked back at him and touched her lips, still on fire from the kiss. "Just what in the ten hells are you?" she asked and backed up towards the alley's mouth.
"Nothing dangerous, or I'd have walked you clean out of there instead of that." He told her breathlessly, resting against the wall.
"Nothing dangerous? You just teleported me out of a fucking building. So spill it, or this little seduction ends now," she said with her hands on her hips, her nipples puckered and peaking through the flimsy material of her top.
"Show me yours and I'll show you mine." He winked, lighting a cigarette.
She looked down at her body and cocked her head, smiling. "Um...I would say I'm showing you a hell of a lot right now, Jace."
"I agree, but shadow walking more than myself any distance is tricky, so you'll have to let me catch my breath first."
She gasped. Shadow walking? Can't be. "Shadow walker? You're a Demon? Shit, only royals can do that, can't they?" She moved closer. "And that statement wasn't an invitation."
He slumped further down the wall, taking a shaky draw. "I'm in no condition to be taking advantage of any invitation just yet. I'm not a royal demon, but I'm powerful enough. And if you look at the building, I only moved us through the wall."
She noticed he was right, but it was still damn impressive. "Okay, well Jace, what do we do now? Do you have a car? Or do we take mine? 'Cause I gotta tell ya, you look like shit."