Her laughter faded when she looked at me, and I watched as her eyes traveled down to the obvious bulge in my jeans. She hadn’t put a bra on after our lovemaking, and I could see her hardened nipples pressed against the fabric of her tank top. I was dying to suckle those nipples.
The buzzing of Melina’s phone, which was sitting on the breakfast bar, made me groan because something told me I wasn’t going to get to use the condom in my pocket anytime soon.
“Ignore it,” I told her, and she looked like she was seriously considering it.
“I really need to see who’s calling,” she finally said, with obvious regret. “I promised the director I’d be available if anything came up tonight.”
I nodded, doing my best to get my dick to listen to reason. He didn’t understand why we weren’t fucking Melina. He didn’t understand that her job mattered.
“What is it?” she snapped into the phone, and I saw her jaw clench as she listened to the person on the other end of the line. “Fine. I’ll be there in an hour to come up with a work around for the scenes we need to film tonight.” She let out an annoyed snort at whatever the person calling had said. “Yes, you were interrupting something important, and before you ask, it’s none of your damn business. There had better be chocolate for me when I get there, or I will seriously lose my shit.”
Melina slammed the phone down on the counter so hard, I was surprised it didn’t break. At least, I could take comfort in the fact that she was obviously as frustrated as I was.
Chapter Thirty-One
Melina
“Damn Lindsey!” I growled when I ended the call. Being horny with no relief in sight had a way of souring my mood. I knew I should be more than sated, but I wasn’t. I needed more of Trevor, and his crazy ex was preventing that from happening. It was tempting to suggest a quickie before I headed out. I figured with as turned on as I was, it wouldn’t take long to get to the big O. Unfortunately, I had no idea how long it was going to take to rewrite the scene we were shooting tonight and get the actors up to speed. With the most recent rewrites having already thrown us off schedule, we couldn’t afford to miss a night of filming, which Lindsey had known.
“What happened with Lindsey?” Trevor sounded cautious, probably worried I’d blame him for what had happened. Even though he didn’t know exact details, he knew his ex was creating problems for me.
“It would seem she is so upset about you turning her down that she’s decided not to show up for filming,” I explained. “At least, that’s what everyone is assuming. She’s also sending her calls to voicemail and ignoring email. The director wanted to know if he should send someone over to her house.”
Trevor cringed. “I’m sorry, honey.”
I waved off his apology. “It’s not your fault she’s crazy enough to risk throwing away her career. I honestly never expected anything like this to happen.” Then a sudden thought occurred to me. “You don’t think something happened to her, do you? I mean, the human police seem convinced that Amber’s murder had nothing to do with the show, and they found the guy who killed her.”
Most of my information had come from the news. The police had arrested Amber’s ex-boyfriend, who had recently been paroled after serving time for trying to beat a woman to death. Amber hadn’t been that woman, but her testimony had helped put him away. When the police had gone to question him, they found enough evidence to prove he was planning to kill Amber, along with the body of another woman who hadn’t been identified yet. I was hoping the bastard spent the rest of his life in prison.
“I’m sure Lindsey’s fine,” Trevor assured me. “She’s probably gone on an extended shopping trip to lick her wounds.”
“This might not be such a big deal if we hadn’t given her a bigger role this season,” I explained. “I can’t believe she’d pull something like this. Lindsey started on the show a few months ago, and she’s worked hard to prove herself. That’s why she was given a bigger role this season.”
“Are you sure she’s not just running late?” Trevor asked.
I sighed. “It’s not likely. Lindsey’s known for her punctuality. I’m going to find a way to rewrite the scene for tonight without taking too much away from her in case she has a good reason for not showing up. Do you think she’d screw over the show because she’s pissed?”
Trevor sighed. “During the short time we dated, if she was mad at me, she’d disappear and refuse to answer her phone. The first time, I was worried something had happened to her, but I soon realized it was a game she played to punish me for not giving her what she wanted. She might think not showing up will cripple the show. With as crazy as she was acting last night, it’s possible she thinks you need her more than she needs you.”
“She is going to be in for a nasty surprise if she believes that,” I told him. I started toward the bedroom to put on a bra and shoes. While I didn’t mind going casual at work, this might be a little too casual. “We could fire her for not showing up since it’s a breach of contract without a very good reason, and being pissed at me isn’t a good reason. If I can help it, we won’t fire her. I get that she’s not quite right in the head, and I don’t want to see her career ruined over this.” I could not believe I was defending Trevor’s crazy ex. Granted, I worked with a lot of artistic people, so I was more tolerant of crazy than I’d been when I’d written the pilot episode of Night High.
Trevor grinned. “You aren’t all that tough, are you?”
I snorted. “Tell that to the people who have to put up with me tonight.”
“Did you want me to come with you?” Trevor asked, looking hopeful.
The honest answer was that yes I did want him to come with me, but that would make it hard to get things done, considering I was still having trouble convincing myself a quickie was a bad idea. “I need to focus on work tonight,” I answered, going up on tiptoes to kiss his chin since he was too busy preening to bend down and kiss me.
“Afraid I’ll be too much of a distraction?”
“I wouldn’t say I’m afraid of you distracting me,” I told him. “More like, I’d be looking forward to you distracting me.”
His hands slid around my lower back, and I could feel his erection pressed against my belly. “Can I bring you dinner?” Since we’d just eaten dinner, we both knew he wasn’t offering to bring food.
I laughed. “We both know that’s code for can you fuck me on my desk, and the answer is, not tonight. I really am going to be too busy cleaning up this mess.”
Trevor released me and nodded. “Promise you’ll call me if you change your mind about me coming by.”
“Promise you’ll come if I call you,” I shot back playfully.
“Oh, we’ll both come if you call me,” was Trevor’s sexy promise, and it was a real struggle to walk out the door.
“You are such a pervert,” I accused.
“And you fucking love it,” he shot back.
I couldn’t deny it; I loved the fact that Trevor was a pervert.
Chapter Thirty-Two
The Lover
I watched the stupid slut scurry out of Trevor’s house, like I’d known she would. Glancing over at Zahrel, I was tempted to send him back to his prison and kill Trevor’s demon whore tonight. I only hesitated because the last time I’d acted hastily, I’d missed my chance to get Trevor. If I sent Zahrel back and failed to kill the whore, I might be forced to summon a different demon and start from scratch. I didn’t know the names of any other imprisoned demons.
At least, I could be satisfied with the fact that the bitch wouldn’t be anywhere near my Trevor tonight. She’d be too busy scrambling to try to fix the mess I’d created.
“I should take Trevor tonight,” I mused.
“How do you plan to do that?” Zahrel asked with a wheezing laugh. I looked over to see the sooty outline of his form.
“I’ll go into his house and knock him out. Then we can load him into the trunk of my car and leave,” I explained. It would be simple enough. While h
e might be annoyed at me for showing up at his house like this, he wouldn’t turn me away. It would be easy to get to him.
Zahrel said nothing, and I was furious to realize he was probably silently laughing at me. Trevor would have wards on his house to protect him, and I had no clue what they were, since that was a detail he’d never shared with me.
“It bothers you that you can’t kill her,” Zahrel stated. “Would it help if we tortured the next kill a little tonight?” he asked, fading in more so I could see his black lips curl into a smile.
I hesitated because I’d never expected to feel my panties getting wet from thoughts of torture. It seemed wrong, something only a truly sick person would enjoy. The kills were necessary, a way to get to Trevor. I’d be lying if I didn’t admit to loving every second of my first kill and anticipating my second, but it was okay to enjoy something I had to do. Torture? That was something I couldn’t justify, no matter how tempting it was.
The wheezing laugh floated through the car, settling around me like a blanket, as I felt the evil enticing me. My breathing grew shallower, and I was aroused to the point of pain, not from sex, but from the sheer power of holding someone’s life in my hands.
“Why are you trying to deny yourself the pleasure?” His voice flowed along my skin.
“Torture seems like too much,” I explained, shivering from excitement rather than nerves or fear. I wanted him to convince me it was okay.
“What if I told you torture will make the death of our sacrifice more potent?” he asked.
“More potent?” I wondered if he was lying. “Is that true?”
“Does it matter? I’ll tell you it does if that will ease your conscience, but we both know you’ll regret not doing this,” he pushed.
He was right. I needed someone to punish. If I couldn’t punish Trevor or his slut, our next sacrifice would have to pay for their sins.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Melina
I was ready to drop by the time I finished the rewrites and walking everyone through the scenes involving Lindsey. In that time, my anger at Lindsey had shifted to concern. There was no denying she was a crazy bitch who’d probably wished I’d die on the spot when she’d seen me with Trevor, and I could definitely see her entertaining some nasty revenge schemes. Still, I was having a hard time imagining her blowing off the show and jeopardizing her career over Trevor, no matter how obsessed she was with him. That would take a special kind of crazy. I’d been there the day Lindsey had auditioned for the show, and I’d heard her speech to our casting director, so I knew how much she wanted to be a successful actress. Working on Night High wasn’t her dream job—a fact she’d been very upfront about. Lindsey wanted to be in movies, and she figured this was a good place to start. Then, I got to wondering if maybe I’d been wrong about her devotion to the show. It was possible she figured she’d gotten what she needed out of Night High and could easily blow us off now.
“Tasha!” I called out to one of the witch actresses who’d seemed to be good friends with Lindsey.
“Hey, Mel!” she greeted me with a warm smile. Tasha was the only witch actress who didn’t talk about me behind my back, to the best of my knowledge. She had told me I was being mean a couple of times, and she’d been right both times. I couldn’t complain since she’d brought chocolate for her confrontation. Natasha Spelling, known to me as Tasha, was friendly and sweet with everyone. Best of all, she thought my portrayal of witches on the show was funny as hell. She reminded me a lot of my sisters, and I kind of hated her for being pretty, talented, intelligent, and incredibly nice. The witch seriously needed a flaw.
“Can I talk to you about Lindsey?” I asked her.
“Sure,” she replied. “I’m still having trouble believing she disappeared like this when she knew how big her role was tonight.”
“Did she say anything to lead you to believe she was quitting the show?” I asked. “I mean, after she had her melt down over me being with Trevor?”
Tasha considered her answer before shaking her head. “She was seriously pissed about Trevor turning her down, and she went on some long rant about finding another job. Still, I seriously doubt she’d walk off the show. I know for a fact she couldn’t have gotten a new job this soon. Then again, she’s been totally obsessed with Trevor lately. The way she was talking last week, I thought they were getting back together. She even told us that if she didn’t show up again, it would mean Trevor had whisked her away for a romantic getaway. Those were her words, not mine.”
That was creepy, and it had me wondering if I’d been wrong in thinking Lindsey valued her career as an actress. Maybe she’d gone off the deep end where Trevor was concerned, which still had me concerned. That kind of obsession could easily become dangerous.
“Have you talked to her since last night?” I asked.
She shook her head. “Lindsey only talks to us here. I don’t even have her number.”
“You never spent any time together outside of work?” I asked, surprised to hear that Lindsey didn’t hang out with the other witch actresses. It seemed like a good way to network and make more connections. Some of them had actually been in movies, and Tasha had an uncle who was a famous producer.
Tasha shook her head. “I hope you don’t think less of me for admitting this, but I try to avoid her,” she admitted, a blush staining her cheeks. “She can be really mean sometimes.”
I almost laughed at the way Tasha was apologizing for not wanting to hang out with Lindsey, as if she had to be friends with everyone. Even my sisters weren’t that nice.
“Do you know if she has any friends from the show? Is there anyone she spends time with outside of work?” I asked, because I wanted to find out what was up with Lindsey. I was beginning to wonder if it had been a mistake to keep her lines for next week’s filming.
“No one,” Tasha replied. “You have to understand that Lindsey is from a much higher-ranking family than any of us. Also, most of us live in this area, while Lindsey lives up north, closer to you.” After letting out a sigh, Tasha continued. “She’s also very unpleasant with most of us, so no one wants to hang out with her.”
I nodded. “Would you do me a favor and let me know if you hear from her? I know it’s unlikely with what you’ve said, but I’m kind of worried something might have happened to her. After talking to you, I’m willing to admit that she might have decided to flake on tonight, but I’m still worried.”
“You’re so sweet, Mel,” she cooed. “That’s why we all love you so much.”
I snorted. “I know I’m a bitch, so you don’t need to pretend you all love me.”
Tasha giggled. “We all know you act tough, but in the end you look out for all of us, even when you’re having an extra mean day. That’s why everyone is always going to you with their problems. Even though you might grumble and complain about us bugging you, you still help us.”
On those words, Tasha walked away, and I headed out to the parking lot with some of the actors. The vampires had already left, so it was me, four witches, and three werewolves. When we got to the parking lot, the werewolves started scenting the air. I’d spent enough time around werewolves to know not to ask what they were doing. Trust me when I say that you don’t want to know what a werewolf smells most of the time.
One of the werewolves growled and looked around. “There’s someone watching us.”
The other werewolves nodded their agreement. Looking around, I saw that there were plenty of humans in the parking lot already, along with two demon security guards, so there were definitely people watching us.
“There are several people around,” I reminded them, trying not to sound condescending. It was best to avoid challenging any werewolf’s dominance. The werewolves on the show knew I outranked them when we were on the set, but they had trouble accepting my dominance outside. When it came to magic, I was stronger, but I had nothing on them physically.
None of the werewolves seemed satisfied with my answer, so I decided to
remind them of the importance of getting home. “Don’t you have a pack meeting tonight? If so, we should leave, so you can get some rest before then.”
They all nodded and hurried to their cars. The wolves shouldn’t have had to work this late before a pack meeting. With any luck, they’d go home and get some sleep. Otherwise, we’d hear from their pack leader. It was a pain in the ass employing werewolves because you also had to negotiate with their pack, but we refused to turn away good actors and crew members simply because they came with an added complication. We could legally get away with it. Unlike humans, the preternatural community didn’t have any laws in place to prevent discrimination, but the network still avoided it.
Sliding behind the wheel, I wished for a spell to make my car drive itself home. I hurried out of the lot before Claude figured out I’d left. He’d stayed behind to talk about some edits he wanted made to the filming tonight, and I’d gotten the impression he wanted me to stay as well. At this point, nothing could keep me from sliding into bed for a few hours of sleep before my morning meeting with the other writers. I’d already messaged them to let them know we were meeting in the San Francisco office. I’d been the one up late cleaning up this mess, so they could come to me. It was a good thing I loved my job, or I might be tempted to hunt Lindsey down and kick her ass. She’d better have a damn good reason for making me come in tonight.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Trevor
It had been nearly four in the morning when Melina collapsed into bed beside me, grumbling about driving to her own home before remembering she was staying with me. The fact that she’d driven all the way over here after making that realization still made me smile, because it meant she wanted to be with me, and not just for the sex. After falling into bed with me, still wearing most of her clothing, she’d been asleep in less than a minute.
I was winning her over, and it wasn’t taking nearly as long as I’d expected it to.
Shamelessly Spellbound (Spells That Bind Book 2) Page 14