“Sage Hawthorn, lookin’ good, baby.” His eyes seemed to smolder as they trailed over her body. “You gonna save me a dance tonight?”
“It’s possible.” There was a playful ring to her tone. “But it really depends on whether you let my friends in. You know how I hate to party alone.”
His eyes shifted from Sage to me, skipping over Dex. I wondered what type of demons they were. Neither of them was cocky enough to be an incubus.
“You three are in. Go,” the second demon said. The level of strict professionalism about him surprised me. I watched as he tucked his clipboard beneath his arm and cupped his hands around his mouth. “Last wolf of the night.”
Groans from those behind us met my ears. I glanced over my shoulder and noticed four or five people with the signature golden aura I associated with werewolves walking back through the parking lot.
Dex tugged me gently, and the three of us started up the steps behind the bouncers. Sage flashed me a wild grin and moved to the other side of Dex to loop her arm through his, same as mine was.
“Thanks, guys.” She waved at the bouncers as we passed behind them.
The one who had been ogling Sage licked his lips as I locked eyes with him. “Don’t forget, you owe me a dance, sweetness.” He shifted to glance at Sage’s backside.
“I won’t, Cliff.” Her tone was a little stiff. “But you’ll have to come find me.”
“Oh, you know I will.” He winked.
“What were they?” The question slipped past my lips sounding incredibly judgmental.
“Demons,” Sage insisted. “Wasn’t that obvious to you?”
Her tone was a little bitchier than I liked, and I wondered if it was because Cliff had been checking me out. Should I tell her he wasn’t my type? That I didn’t go for the meathead guys? Would that seem offensive to her?
“No, I mean what type of demons were they?” I clarified, choosing to drop the other issue completely.
“Erebus,” Dex answered. “They’re Erebus demons, which are pretty popular for bouncer positions, considerin’ gaurdin’ things is what they do best.”
“Oh.” I’d never heard of them before. There seemed to be too many different types of demons. Why didn’t any of them have a telltale aura color besides a succubus? What was so special about us?
The double doors at the top of the stairs opened by themselves. Two beautiful ladies dressed in black silk dresses, which cascaded to the floor, were revealed on either side of the hallway. Each had a midnight blue aura, unlike the bouncers, and I wondered if Randal split up his staff purposefully. Was that something all supernatural clubs did? I had never paid much attention in the past, but I was sure I would now.
“Welcome to Red River,” the women said in unison. Their eyes were outlined in heavy black eyeliner and trained on us. For a moment, I felt as though I was walking through the gates of hell.
CHAPTER NINE
Pulsating music filled my ears, vibrating away all the unease from the awkward welcome in seconds. Sage shrugged off Dex’s arm and reached for my hand before I could take much in.
“Come on. This place is awesome!” She tugged me down the dark hallway. People dancing, shifting lights, and thick fog waited for us at the end.
I glanced over my shoulder at Dex. He smiled while taking wide steps to catch up. The energy of the place hit me full-force the second Sage jerked me out of the hall and into the main room.
From floor to ceiling, Red River was amazing.
Cream-colored couches lifted off the slick concrete floors by platforms were the first thing to catch my attention, quickly followed by how they seemed to make a circular formation around a dance floor resting in the middle. Massive lampshades, the exact color of the couches, hung along the high, open-beamed ceiling. Every so often there were thick draperies strung from the ceiling that cascaded to the floor, giving sections of the large room a sense of separation.
Sage pulled me through a wide walkway between two of the couch platforms. We made our way through the throng of people dancing in the center, only stopping once we reached the circular bar top that reminded me of a merry-go-round. Three women stood behind the bar making drinks. Their midnight blue auras were there. I could faintly make them out. However, the colored lights shining on the bar made it difficult to see them clearly.
“What can I get you three?” the bartender closest to us asked.
“She’ll have a Kiss of Death bomber, and I’ll take one Bloody Mary,” Sage answered. These were our standard drinks when we went out.“And then whatever he’s having.” She pointed to Dex.
“I’ll stick with the theme and go with a Wolves Bane tonic.” Dex pushed his way between Sage and me. “I’m also buyin’.” He dug in his back pocket for his wallet.
“No, you don’t have to buy mine,” I protested.
He held up a hand. “No biggie. Seriously.”
“All right, that’ll be seventy-five even.” The bartender slipped her eyes over each of us, most likely wondering who was actually paying.
My heart nearly stopped at the cost. It had been so long since I’d had a Kiss of Death bomber I’d forgotten how expensive they were. Thank goodness they were worth the price.
“Ready for some fun, ladies?” Dex slipped a card across the bar top and flashed us both a dimple-ridden smile.
“Absolutely.” Anticipation crawled along my insides. I couldn’t wait to get my hands on that drink.
Dex laughed. “Damn right.”
As the bartender set our order in front of us, her violet eyes locked with mine for a moment. “I hope it tastes all right. I haven’t had to make one of these since…well, ever,” she admitted with a shrug. “I’m new to the whole bartender thing.”
“It’s okay. I’m sure it will be fine. Thanks,” I assured her, remembering how nerve-racking being new to the job could be.
I picked up the drink and put it to my lips but paused before taking a sip to smell it. It smelled faintly of vanilla and sugar—super sweet, and heavenly. Tipping the concoction back, I downed it. The moment the warm liquid touched my tongue, I felt my temperature rise as a heady awareness swept through me. In seconds, I was enveloped by a weightless sensation that was reminiscent of feeding from someone with an aura the brightest shade of yellow imaginable.
“Wow.” The word pushed its way past my lips. “That never gets old.”
“I couldn’t agree more.” Sage slurped the remnants of her drink before setting it down.
The song changed to something a little more upbeat, and I began dancing where I stood. Dex slammed his finished glass on the bar top and placed his hands on my hips as he mimicked my quick movements, dancing with me.
I chuckled and pressed against him, enjoying the buzzing liveliness coursing through me. Sage giggled at us.
“Come on, Sage.” Dex held out a hand to her. “I’ve got two hands. I can dance with both of you.” He flashed her a sexy grin, igniting his dimples.
She rolled her eyes, but her smile never wavered, and she placed her hand in his. “I don’t normally dance in threesomes.”
“Most generally don’t.” Dex winked. “But there’s a first time for everythin’, sweetheart.”
The bass from the music pulsated through every fiber of my being as I listened to the two of them go back and forth in their comical banter. The beat vibrated through me, intensifying the drunken sensation from my beverage. The energy of a lustful male slithered through me, warming me from the inside out. I lifted my hands over my head and then smoothed them down my body in a seductive way, allowing myself to become as lost in the moment as I could. This was what I needed, a chance to let loose and be free. To have fun.
Sage and Dex were still flirting with one another, but I couldn’t stand to the side any longer. I wanted to be in the thick of the music and the people, the soul of the club. Grabbing hold of Dex’s shirt, I leaned toward Sage and gripped her hand in mine. I pulled them to the dance floor, ready to ease some of the energy build
ing inside of me before I exploded.
“There we go,” Dex egged me on. “Don’t either of you ladies be shy with me tonight, not after that drink.”
I laughed at his words and moved my hips to the beat of the song. The pleasurable sensation of seduction I’d felt swimming through my veins reverted to the heady giddiness I’d been consumed by moments before. Sage pressed her back against my front and danced against me. From the look in the eyes of those around us, I could tell the gesture was turning some of them on. I could see the want written all over their faces. The funny thing was it wasn’t just the men around us that harbored this look of pure desire; it rested in some of the women’s stares as well.
A shift took place within me again, and I was plunged back into the deep waters of seduction and erotic needs. As I skimmed my hands down the sides of Sage’s body, fueling the sensations coursing through me even more, I marveled at the tether ball magic the drink possessed. How had anyone ever created such a concoction? It was nothing short of a magic potion, if you asked me.
* * * *
Hours passed. I was still locked in the strange back and forth pull of the drink and couldn’t care less. It could last for eternity, and I would be perfectly content.
Sage draped an arm over my shoulder as we paused in our hip movement while another song came on. “Aren’t you having a blast?” she yelled.
Another wave of giddiness crashed through me. “I am!”
She started to say something else, but a large hand wrapped around her middle section from behind and pulled her away from me. It was Cliff. His lips twisted into a devious grin as he ran a hand down the side of her body until it reached the hem of her dress. His fingers slipped beneath it and stroked along her inner thigh.
“Told you I would come find you.” His voice was deep and low, but it somehow still managed to carry over the loud music easily. “Ready to make good on your promise and dance with me? My shift at the door ended a while ago.”
Reality crashed into me. If his shift ended a while ago, how long had we been here? I fished out my cell from inside my wrist purse and illuminated the screen to check the time. It was nearly five in the morning!
No matter how many times I drank a Kiss of Death bomber, the sense of time mind-fuck that always came with it surprised me. It had been close to four when we arrived at Red River, which meant we’d only been here for technically an hour and a half, but because of the drink it felt like four hours had passed.
The second I started thinking all of this, the sensations from the drink started to taper off. I zipped my purse up and glanced around for Sage. She was nowhere to be found. Obviously she’d slipped off with Cliff. I needed to get home. I needed some sleep. This had been fun, but it was time for me to get going.
Dex wrapped his arms around my waist. “Hey.” His lips brushed against my ear as he talked. “What’s the matter? You comin’ down already?”
“It’s getting late. I need to get home. Do you know where Sage went?”
“She’s over there.” He leaned into me and pointed to an area at my left. I followed his finger and spotted her tucked into Cliff’s arms. There was a large smile on her face as she grinded her ass against his groin. “She’s enjoyin’ herself still, which is what you should be doin’. Relax. Let the drink back in control.”
I shook my head. “No. I think I should head home. I have to work tonight. We. We have to work tonight.” I motioned to Sage and myself.
Dex nodded. His lips twisted into a sly, tranquil grin that made him look younger. “I know. But so what? Enjoy yourself. Everyone needs to let loose sometime, sweetheart.”
Gripping my hips as the music changed to something with bass, Dex moved me with the music. His head came down and nuzzled into the crook of my neck, and I felt little flickers of warmth spark underneath my skin from the gesture. The drink was kicking in again. Plus, I couldn’t deny that I enjoyed his closeness and his touch, even if all I wanted from him was friendship.
“There you go,” Dex muttered. His hot breath tickled my ear. “Let the drink have control again, sweetheart.”
Closing my eyes, I did just that.
I opened myself up to the flickers of sensation teasing beneath the surface of my skin, and I felt the erotic pull of blissful lust capture me again.
CHAPTER TEN
Six songs later, my legs felt as though they would buckle beneath me. I’d lost track of Sage, but Dex was still holding tight to me. I wondered if those around us thought we were together. I guess that canceled out my hope for finding someone to date in the mix of supernaturals surrounding me tonight. Who was I kidding? I hadn’t even been trying.
I pressed my lips to Dex’s ear. “I think I’m ready to sit for a while.”
He nodded. “Sounds good. Let’s find us a table.”
As we left the dance floor, I searched for Sage, wondering where she had disappeared to. My eyes traveled over the couches perched on the platforms, but I didn’t see her. What I did see was something straight out of a kinky porn movie though. A small group of men and women, ranging from my age to the elderly, lounged on two of the couches in various stages of tugging at one another’s clothes while heavily making out and groping each other. A handful of red auras in the mix captured my attention once I got past everyone’s level of undress and ease. My jaw slacked. This was how other succubi behaved? Jesus. They were practically causing an orgy in the middle of the club.
“The adage ‘age is but a number’ definitely rings true with that group, huh?” Dex chuckled against my ear as we passed by them.
I nodded. “For sure.”
Once we had made our way toward the back of the club in our search for an unoccupied table, I realized Red River was larger than I had thought. There were actually cutouts that formed cave-like lounge rooms along the outer walls. The first one we spotted held a mixture of witches and fairies talking and dancing among themselves. The signature pink of the fairy aura mingled with the trademark green of the witches, creating a strange glow in the dimly lit room. Sage was nowhere to be seen in the mix, and while there were a few seats available, I didn’t feel comfortable barging into their seemingly private party.
Dex wrapped his arm around my waist. “Let’s find one with a little less fairy in the mix. They enjoy prankin’ people when they’re drunk, which would be a real buzz kill right about now.” He steered me around a couple of women talking.
“Agreed.”
The next area was filled with demons and billows of smoke stemming from numerous cigarettes being puffed. Sage was still nowhere to be seen so we continued on. When we reached a room tucked away behind the bar, I spotted a single café-style table off to the side that was unoccupied. Without glancing in at the hodge-podge of people occupying the room, I walked over and sat. Dex was shaking his head and grinning from ear-to-ear when he scooted the chair opposite mine out.
“What?” I slipped off one of my heels and rubbed along the bottom of my foot while flexing my toes. “I can’t stand anymore. These shoes are killing my feet. Our search for Sage will have to wait a minute.”
My drink was wearing off again, this time for real. While I still felt the lingering touches of desire and giddiness sweeping through me from time to time, it was nowhere near enough to keep me on my feet anymore. Or to keep my temper at bay.
“Nothing.” He sat. “I just find it amusin’ that you chose this table out of all the ones we’ve passed is all.”
My eyebrows pulled together. “Why?”
“You didn’t even check to see who was occupyin’ the room first, did you?”
I had seen a free table and decided it was mine. That was all there was to it. Did I want to know now that he had mentioned something? I wasn’t so sure. I closed my eyes and sank my teeth into my bottom lip. If there was some sick orgy happening, I was out of here. Screw Sage. Calling a taxi wouldn’t be too expensive.
Curiosity got the best of me, and I decided to give the room a quick sweep. I realized right a
way that this room was not like the others. Not only was it larger than the rest—expanding to nearly the size of the main room of the club—but it also held a different color theme. The entire room was done in black, eggplant purple, and a dark shade of gray. Benches upholstered in a swirling pattern of all three colors lined the walls. There were four or five café-style tables placed at the entrance to the room, one of which Dex and I were seated at, but it was what rested in the center of the space that caught my attention and held it.
Four tall pillars created the illusion of separation and privacy from the rest of us. A massive crystal chandelier hung above twin U-shaped couches facing one another gave the room a sophisticated look. My breath caught the second my eyes slipped over the couch farthest from me.
Sitting in the center, facing me, was Randal.
My eyes fixed on him, drinking in every inch of his beautiful self. Dark glossy hair, alabaster skin, and the most chiseled, masculine facial features I’d seen on any male.
“Oh my God, is that Randal?” The words left me in the form of a hushed whisper because I was afraid he would hear me say his name even through the loudness of the place.
He was dressed in a charcoal suit with a black silk shirt beneath. I watched him closely as he sipped from a champagne flute filled with red liquid. He seemed to be listening to the stunning woman beside him talk with a level of disinterest I almost found funny.
“Yup, that would be him.” Dex leaned forward, resting his elbows against the little table between us. “The owner of this place, and the guy you stared at nearly our entire date last night. Remember him?”
How could I forget? An air of authority and complexity surrounding him made it difficult. I glanced at those sitting closest to him. Each person looked more animated than the next, seeming overexcited to be in his presence.
When I brought my stare back to him, he was looking at me.
My heart thundered in my chest. Unblinking I continued to hold his stare, wondering if I should smile or look away. The longer we gazed at one another, the more distant his stare began to seem. While I had expected him to look away or for his eyes to smolder with sexiness and lure me in, that wasn’t what happened. Instead, it was almost as though I could sense a certain level of sadness buried deep within him, as if his emotions were wrapping around me, cloaking me in their darkness.
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