“What?” he asked.
“Don’t even think about it.”
“About what?”
“You know exactly what. She’s too young for you,” I said.
“She’s… what? Eighteen?” he said.
“Look, that’s not even the point. The Phron sisters are trouble,” I replied. “So don’t get any ideas.”
“I’m not,” he murmured, looking away.
But, I knew Javich and for him, trouble was a challenge. Not a roadblock.
Chapter 27
Natalya
“So, what do you think?” Cleo asked as I studied my reflection in the mirror.
“I don’t know if I can wear this,” I answered. It was white with silver leaves that had been embroidered into the material and so small that it left little to the imagination. “There’s barely anything holding it together.”
“You’re holding it together,” she replied, smiling. “Believe me, your body was made for this dress. Who knew all of this was hiding under that ugly cloak.”
There was definitely a lot on display now.
“How did you manage to slip it into the Complex?” I asked, frowning when I saw that the sides of my breasts were exposed.
“I didn’t. I was given this as a gift from one of my clients,” she said. “He’s AS.”
“You really do have friends in high places.”
She grinned. “I told you.”
I tugged at the top, trying to cover more of my breasts, but it was pointless.
“Leave it,” she said, slapping my hand away. “You want to seduce him. Believe me, he’s going to give you anything you want when he sees you in this thing.”
“I don’t know. He was so angry with me. I don’t think sex is going to change his mind.”
“He’s a male. Sex is always something on their minds, Human or Meta. Believe me.”
I sighed. “I’m just so unsure about this. What if it doesn’t work?”
“It will.”
“I wish I had your confidence.”
“When you have a body like this, you don’t need it.”
I’d decided to offer myself to Brekkon completely. I would do anything and everything that he asked of me. Still, I didn’t know how he was going to react when I showed up at his doorstep. It was probably too soon, but time wasn’t on my side.
“Just remember that you’re doing this for Ria. If she doesn’t get that blood, you’re going to lose her,” she said softly.
Cleo was right and I couldn’t imagine a world without my little sister. I’d rather give up my own life than suffer that agony.
“Okay,” I said, taking a deep breath. “Wish me luck.”
“Luck? I know you’ve got this,” she said, our eyes meeting in the mirror.
I shivered.
At least someone did…
***
Ten minutes later, I was standing outside Brekkon’s apartment and was about to knock on the door, when it opened from the inside.
“Wow,” said Javich, staring down at me with a stunned look on his face. “You look… wow.”
Feeling very self-conscious, I resisted the strong urge to cover myself. “Is Brekkon around?”
Javich grinned. “Brekkon, you lucky bastard. You have a visitor,” he called out.
“Who is it?” Brekkon replied, sounding tired and grumpy.
“Come and see for yourself. Have a good night,” said Javich, walking out of the apartment and around me. Turning back, he gave me one more look and whistled.
I blushed and looked away, my heart beating a mile a minute. It took everything I had not to turn and run.
And then there he was. Staring down at me with shock and then anger. He crossed his arms over his chest, not saying anything.
Taking a deep breath I asked if we could talk.
“We could, but I’m not sure that I want to.”
“If you don’t want to talk to her,” said Javich, opening up his apartment door. “Send her over to me. I’m sure we can find something to talk about.”
The vein on Brekkon’s temple began to pulsate. Glaring at Javich, he stood back. “Come in,” he growled.
Trembling, I stepped inside and was about to start on my speech, when I heard the bathroom shower running.
“Is this a bad time?” I asked, confused.
Who in the hell was in his shower?
“Actually, yes,” he replied. “But since you’re here, what do you want?”
I heard the sound of singing and my stomach dropped.
“I’m sorry. I’ve made a mistake,” I said, feeling foolish and disgusted with myself. I’d been about to offer him sex and there was a woman singing in his shower.
“Why did you come here?” he asked, frowning.
“Just forget it.” I tried walking around him, but he blocked me from leaving.
“Natalya. Talk to me.”
My eyes filled with tears. “Please, just let me leave.”
He groaned in frustration. “What is it with you? You keep playing these games. Tell me what’s on your mind.”
“Nothing,” I answered, willing myself not to cry. I was mortified and needed to leave before the female in the shower appeared. “Get out of my way.”
He stared at me for a few seconds, his expression unreadable. “Fine. If that’s what you want.”
“It is,” I said stubbornly.
He grunted. “Do you ever tell the truth?”
Ignoring him, I rushed out and ran back to my apartment.
Chapter 28
Brekkon
It was obvious that Natalya had come back to try and make amends. As far as she knew, her sister still needed Dragon’s blood and my guess was that she’d offer me more money. I wasn’t about to make it easy for her, but seeing her in that dress had almost broken my resolve. If Ria hadn’t been in the shower, who knows what would have happened.
“Was someone here?” asked Ria, walking out of the bathroom. Her skin was still a little pink from the shower, but otherwise flawless and beautiful.
“Yes. It was your sister. She heard you singing in the bathroom and it set her off,” I said, remembering the look on Natalya’s face when she heard the singing. “She must not have recognized your voice.”
Her eyes widened. “Did you tell her that I’m cured?”
“No.”
“I should let her know I’m okay. She’ll be worried sick.”
“No,” I replied. “Remember, you agreed that we would wait.”
She sighed. “How? We see each other every day. It’s not like I can keep this from her.”
“Please, just try and avoid her for a couple of days. At the very least, for one.”
Ria frowned. “Do you really think this is necessary? Playing this game?”
“She started this with games. I’m going to finish it with one of my own. One that will teach her a lesson.”
Eyes narrowing, she pointed at me. “I’m going to tell you what I told her—lying isn’t going to solve anything. It’s going to cause more trouble.”
I smiled innocently. “I never said anything about lying.”
***
I walked Ria back to her apartment, and once she was safely inside, knocked on Natalya’s. When she opened up the door and saw me standing there, I half expected her to slam it back into my face. Surprisingly, she didn’t.
“Can I come in?” I asked, noticing that she still had the dress on. It was both irritating and fascinating at the same time. Although, I’d already seen Natalya partially naked, viewing her in the small piece of fabric was driving me insane.
“Sure,” she said, stepping back. “So, I take it the woman in your shower doesn’t know you’re here?”
“No, she doesn’t,” I replied, biting back a smile as I stepped into her apartment.
The look she gave me was something I recognized. Pure jealously. It surprised me. I decided to let her off the hook.
“The person in the shower was just a friend.”
She smirked. “Really? What was wrong with her shower?”
I scowled. “Quit trying to lay some kind of guilt trip on me, Natalya. I’ve done nothing to warrant this kind of attitude from you. If anyone should be pissed off, it’s me.”
She let out a long, ragged sigh. “You’re right. Please,” she waved her hand toward the sofa, “sit down.”
I did what she asked. Relaxing, Natalya sat down across from me.
“So, what did you want to talk about earlier?” I asked, trying not to stare at her thighs. The dress was so short that it rode up on her hips. I imagined them wrapped around me and knew that I was in trouble.
Chapter 29
Natalya
I took a deep breath. “First of all, I’m completely and utterly ashamed of the way I handled this situation. I didn’t mean for things to turn out the way they did.”
He crossed his arms over his chest. “Obviously not. You put Javich and myself in danger. Not to mention the fact that he caught a nasty disease from Cleo.”
“Honestly, I didn’t know she was going to have sex with him. I thought it would be a massage and that was it.”
“Why don’t you tell me exactly what you did know, and start from the beginning,” he replied.
And that’s what I did. I told him about Ria and how she’d been afflicted with the mysterious skin condition and how Cleo had offered to help us in exchange for getting her own disease cured. “It was never about selling your blood for profit, if that’s what you’re thinking. It was always about saving her.”
He didn’t say anything.
I frowned. “If you don’t believe me, I’ll ask my sister to come over and show you the scales. Her apartment is adjacent to mine”
“No,” he said, leaning back on the sofa. “I believe you, Natalya. Still, there is the matter with Talon. Now he knows how to find me. Do you have any idea how dangerous the situation is for us now?”
“I’m sorry. I know it’s not good enough, but… look, I’ll do anything to make it up to you. In fact, that’s why I wanted to talk you.”
He titled his head and gave me a curious look. “Go ahead. I’m listening.”
“I’m willing to offer you a better deal than before. This one includes…” I took a deep breath, “much, much more.”
“What kind of S-Co are we talking?” he asked, not understanding what I was getting at.
Relieved and a little surprised that he was being so agreeable, I decided to not humiliate myself with the offer of sex. From the sparkle in his eyes, money was the only thing that seemed to matter. Which I would gladly give up.
“Twenty-thousand,” I said.
He grunted. “That’s not enough.”
“Thirty?”
Brekkon stood up. “You know, I could sell my own blood and make a hell of a lot more than what you’re offering. Sorry, but I don’t think we’re going to be able to make a deal here.”
Panicking, I followed him to the door. “Wait, Brekkon. What if,” I swallowed, “I became your… personal servant?”
He stopped and turned around. “My personal servant?” he asked, with an amused expression on his face.
“Yes. I would do anything you wanted. Clean your apartment. Cook for you. Run errands. Basically, I would wait on you hand-and-foot, if that’s what it takes to make this deal.”
His lip twitched.
“And, I’d pay you the money, too. Forty-thousand S-Co.”
“You’re offering me something that I don’t really need. I’m very self-sufficient.”
I groaned inwardly. “Okay then.” I cleared my throat. “What about sex? What if I served you in that respect?”
The surprised look on his face was almost comical. “You’re kidding, right?”
“No,” I replied, holding my chin up even though I felt so undignified at the moment, I wanted to crawl under a rock. Not that I didn’t want him. I just wasn’t sure if he wanted me anymore, and if he declined, it would be humiliating. “My body would be yours to do with whatever you wish.”
From the look on his face, I could tell that he was intrigued with the offer.
“Brekkon?” I said softly, taking a step toward him. “What do you say?”
His eyes suddenly became stormy. “Sorry, no deal.”
Shocked and mortified that he’d turned me down, I watched as he walked out of my apartment.
Chapter 30
Brekkon
What she’d proposed would make most drop to their knees and thank the gods for such an offering. Especially from someone as beautiful and sexy as Natalya. It was quite a temptation, but I knew it would be wrong on so many levels to take her up on it. Especially now that Ria was healed.
“Brekkon.”
I turned around and there she was again, walking toward me in the hallway with a hard but determined look in her eyes. I decided to come clean so she wouldn’t have to degrade herself again. “Look, you don’t have to do this. In fact—“
She cut me off. “You’re a gambling man, right?”
I stared at her curiously. “Yes.”
“How about we settle this over a game of cards? If I win, you heal my sister. If you win, I’ll give you one-hundred thousand S-Co.”
The greedy side of me began to salivate. That kind of money was life-changing. I’d have close to one-hundred-and-fifty S-Co in my account, and that wasn’t chump change.
“How are you going to come up with that kind of money?” I replied, knowing that it would be like taking candy from a baby. A woman like Natalya wasn’t a gambler.
“Don’t worry about it.”
“You’d lose, you know. I’ve been gambling even before I was tall enough to see over a gambling table.”
“If you’re so good, why do you owe Talon so much money?”
Ouch. “Because greed clouded my head and I made some shitty choices.”
She smiled coldly. “That’s why you’re afraid to play me? You know you’d lose.”
I chuckled. “Oh really?”
“Yes and… the greed is still there,” she said, staring into my eyes. “I guess money really is the root of all evil.”
“Yeah, so? I’m greedy. At least I admit it. I do find it ironic how you lied and almost got me killed, and are now being so judgmental.”
She clenched her fists and glared at me. “I know you’re still angry with me, but don’t take it out on my sister. You were willing to make a deal before, and now you’re just being a stubborn asshole.”
***
Natalya
Brekkon shook his head and began walking away again.
“You’re nothing but a pathetic, selfish asshole,” I sputtered, knowing that I was losing this battle. “I hope karma comes knocking on your door, swallows you whole, and spits you back out. Then you’ll know how I feel.”
He turned around and stormed back over to me. “For your information, Javich and I already gave your sister the blood she needed. In fact, that’s who was in my shower earlier,” he said angrily. “So, get off your high-horse, lady!”
I stared at him in disbelief. “What?”
“Yes. Ria came to me directly and didn’t try to lie or manipulate me into anything. Unlike her ignorant sister,” he said angrily.
Although he was still obviously furious with me, joy filled my heart. “You’re serious?”
“Yes, I’m serious.”
“Did it work?” I asked, holding my breath.
“Why don’t you go and see for yourself.”
From his expression, I knew that it did. Ecstatic, I threw my arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. “Thank you,” I said, my eyes filling with tears. “You don’t know how much this means to me.”
He stiffened up.
“I owe you so much. You can’t imagine what it was like, worrying about her day and night,” I said, closing my eyes. “I made so many mistakes, but when you’re afraid of losing someone, it can make you crazy.”
With a ragged sigh, he relaxed
and slid his arms around my waist.
I pulled away slightly and looked up into his eyes through my blurry ones. “I’m sorry I misjudged you from the very beginning. I’m sorry I lied. And most of all, I’m sorry for being such a pain in your ass.”
He cracked a smile. “So, you’re a mind-reader, too?”
I laughed and then really started crying, so overwhelmed with emotions.
Sighing, he picked me up and carried me back to my apartment.
“Are you ever going to forgive me?” I asked when he set me down on the floor.
He wiped my cheeks with his thumb, his eyes surprisingly tender. “Why do you care so much? Your sister is healed,” he said softly. “You got what you wanted.”
“I got what she needed,” I replied. “But, if we’re being honest here, I wanted more from you than that.”
He gave me a puzzled look.
Now knowing that underneath his devil-may-care attitude was someone with a real heart, I leaned up and kissed him.
Brekkon pulled away slightly. “Hey, you don’t have to repay me like this,” he whispered, staring into my eyes.
“I know. This is for me,” I replied.
He stared back at me with smoldering eyes and then began kissing me.
Relieved and aching for his touch, I moaned as his hands began exploring my body again, igniting a fire deep inside of me. Soon his fingers were under my dress and I was trembling with desire. Panting, I slid my fingers under his pants and touched the smooth skin of his manhood for the very first time.
Brekkon gasped out loud in pleasure.
Excited, I began stroking him, which seemed to drive Brekkon even crazier with desire. After a few seconds, he pushed my hand away and picked me up, whispering how much he wanted me.
“I want you, too,” I murmured back, curling my fingers through his short, dark hair.
Blood of Brekkon (The Complex Book 0) Page 11