I took a deep breath and crossed the street to the club. If I thought the outside was unappealing, I was not prepared for the inside of the joint. It was a small step up from the dive bar in Chinatown, but not by much. The air was thick with smoke. Resisting the urge to cough, I made my way across the darkly lit establishment to the bar, side stepping a drunken fool who decided his best move was to fall on top of me. I couldn’t help the smile that lifted the corner of my lips as he landed flat on his face on the red, sticky, and thinly carpeted floor. Served him right for assuming every woman who walked into a bar was free game. With a roll of my eyes, I made it to the bartender safely, and flashed a smile.
“You must be in the wrong place, sweetheart.” The muscled man grinned as he wiped down the wooden bar space in front of me.
Count to ten, I told myself. Most men, and plenty of women, saw my small stature as a hindrance. They underestimated me. They didn’t know I’d been trained in the martial arts since I was eight. They had no idea I could carry my own in a fight and I liked it that way. I was my own secret weapon.
“I’m here to see Mistress Veronika,” I told him firmly.
He looked me up and down in silence. I stood there, painfully enduring his slow, greedy gaze from head to foot. The gruelingly slow pace he used to peruse my body made my fingers itch to punch him, but I stood my ground. If I was accepted as a courtesan, I’d have to endure far more distasteful looks. I was relieved when he finally chuckled. “I still think you’re in the wrong place, but she’s over in the booth, auditioning dancers.” He pointed towards the stage.
I was so focused on getting to the meeting, I hadn’t seen the half-naked dancers on stage, gyrating their bodies to the music. One had to give them credit, they were good, sexy. I could never work my body that way. Too many years of precision training made my fluidity a problem, unless I was fighting. That was my dance. Unfortunately, no man had ever said fighting was sexy, especially when it was my feet or fists pummeling him.
“Mistress Veronika?” I asked in a shaky voice when I reached her table. I cleared my throat to keep it from cracking again. This was not the time to show weakness.
She didn’t even have the courtesy to look in my direction. “If you’re here to audition as a dancer, you’re late. I don’t accept tardiness.”
“No, I’m not--”
“More wine, Ronnie?” The enchanting, dark-haired man at her side offered.
“I’m actually--”
“No, I’m fine. Please escort our late guest to the door.” She glanced at one of her bodyguards.
The brute of a man grabbed my arm and started pulling me toward the exit. I dug my heels into the beat-up carpeting which caused quite a bit of friction. I twisted out of his hold and punched him in the nose. “I don’t like being manhandled.” His nose began to bleed, which grabbed the attention of everyone in the room. The dancers on stage froze, the music stopped, and all eyes turned toward Veronika to see what she was going to do. I smoothed down my dress and went back to her table.
“As I was saying, I’m not here to be a--”
The bodyguard that I attacked charged me, but at the last minute I moved out of his way and he ran straight into the Mistress’s table. Wine and food flew up in the air. I looked up as a blob of some sort of fancy spaghetti dish splattered onto my face. “Oh shit!” It was too late to move, even with lightening reflexes. I wiped the food from my eyes and stood back to take notice of my mess. Mistress Veronika was pushing the table off of her, but the bodyguard was slammed against it, effectively trapping her and her date. Globs of food and splatters of wine were everywhere. It was one of those moments you could hear a pin drop in a room full of people. No one made a sound, except the imaginary crickets.
A slow clap started from behind me. I turned to look, grateful for the red sauce on my face, which hid my embarrassment, and made me further unrecognizable. My heart stopped beating when I laid eyes on the most gorgeous man I’ve ever seen. His dark hair was long and wavy, ending an inch above his large and in charge shoulders. His chest followed suit in the massive department, and I could only imagine the muscles under his grey cashmere sweater. As my eyes traveled the length of him, it was easy to note his slender waist and thick thighs. The man was no stranger to a workout. He was a walking wet dream. Perfect in every way, except that he was perpetuating my embarrassing moment with such glee. I pushed down the desire to wipe the smug grin off his face. I’d already made a terrible impression and needed to find a way to do some damage control.
“Instead of being a rude asshole, do you think you could lend us a hand?” I turned back to Mistress Veronika and her companion. Ignoring the asshat that was chuckling mercilessly. I reached down to help the bodyguard up. He slapped my hand away, and moved with a speed I was not comfortable with. Someone else helped me move the table that was trapping the woman I hoped would become my new boss.
She was elegant, despite being covered in food and wine. Her black, sequined dress hugged curves and long lines. She accepted my napkin offering with a glare that would stop a stampede in its tracks. “I’m sorry,” I said.
“You sure know how to make an entrance, don’t you, Miss…?”
“Piper. Piper Mason.”
“Piper? Why does that name sound familiar?” Veronika looked at her companion, who was miraculously no worse for the wear.
“She has an appointment with you in a few minutes,” the date responded.
“Well, this should be interesting.” Mistress Veronika took a cold, hard look, her gaze traveling up and down my body, and then headed to the back room. “Follow me, Piper.”
Chapter Four
Sebastian
WATCHING THE INTRIGUING PIPER MASON make her way back to Veronika’s office was just as interesting as watching her tear apart the nightclub. I had never seen a woman cause so much commotion in so little time. I had to admit, the girl had moxie. The way she handled herself with Jorge was impressive too. He was still licking his wounds from being bested by the petite woman. “What is the meeting about, Mac?” I asked Veronika’s assistant. There was something very familiar about the painted-up warrior woman.
Mac reset the table and smiled. “Are you a glutton for punishment, Bastian?”
I resisted the urge to wipe the smug smile from the man’s face. He was always so cordial, despite being pissed on at every turn. How he managed to keep his composure was a skill that irritated me because I knew it was fake. One of these days he’d fall out of favor with Veronika, and on that day, his perfect features would meet my fist. I crossed my arms over my chest, raised an eyebrow, and waited for him to answer the question.
“She is here to interview to be a courtesan,” he finally answered. Neither one of us liked the other, and that made things difficult.
“Is she now?” How interesting. I hadn’t taken company with a courtesan for a couple of months. I might have to reconsider that decision to meet the intriguing Piper.
“She is, but I have a feeling she’s not going to pass the interview process.” Mac laughed, enjoying the situation more than I was comfortable with.
“Don’t be so sure.” I knew Veronika liked her girls to have spice, and her clients liked them too. What I didn’t understand was why a woman like her would engage in the courtesan society. She didn’t seem the type.
“Care to put your blood where your mouth is?” Mac took a seat and crossed his ankle over his knee.
“I’m not a betting man.” He knew that. I’d seen too many vampires and humans brought down by the addiction. Besides, betting blood was never a safe venture. You had no idea where the source came from or what you’d be getting.
Mac chuckled with a wicked glint in his eyes. “I have no idea how you and your family have survived all these centuries.” He straightened his jacket collar and sleeves, and turned his attention to the women on the stage. They had resumed dancing. “Denying your true nature as a vampire can be deadly.”
I rolled my eyes. “I think we’
re done here.” Mac was dangerously close to violating the council’s code of conduct, and I was not in the mood to place him under vampire arrest. He was always one that walked the tightrope and threatened to jump to either side. His need to test the waters would get him killed one day. I just hoped he wouldn’t bring Veronika down with him.
Besides, I had more pressing matters like finding a rogue gargoyle on the loose, and the human that escaped its massacre. Talking to Mac was a complete waste of time. The beautiful Piper Mason passed through my mind again, like an apparition walking over a grave. She piqued my interest. It wasn’t just that her scent and face seemed familiar, it was something deeper. There was a connection there and I intended to discover what it was, when this case was solved. I’d have time when the impending danger was taken care of, and the streets were safe for both vampires and humans.
*****
Piper
Mistress Veronika’s office was far more elegant than the nightclub. Satin curtains adorned the large bay windows behind her mahogany desk. The dark marble flooring showed she spared no expense for her sanctuary from the seedy club outside. Even the classical music she had playing in the background was far more sophisticated than the bump and grind gyrating beat that was piped through the speakers of the club. It made sense she created a refuge in the midst of the dark underbelly of her world. A place to escape. I would too, if I dealt in sex, wine, and blood.
“So, tell me why you want to be a courtesan?” Veronika asked as she cleaned her face in the bathroom connected to her office.
I used the paper towels she offered to clean myself as best I could. Unfortunately, the red sauce was a little stubborn, and had already started to harden against my skin. Water and soap was the only thing that would ensure I would get clean. Sitting through an interview looking like I’d been bathed in blood wasn’t necessarily a good thing, but it might help when the interviewer was a vampire. “I’m looking to change careers and thought I’d give this a try.”
“You thought you’d sell your body and blood to vampires as a new career?” The Mistress raised a copper-red eyebrow, and sent a half frown in my direction. She obviously didn’t believe me. I needed to do a better job of selling my story.
“Well,” it sounded better in my head, “I like sex.” I shrugged. “I don’t mind vampires.” Lord knows I’ve seen my share of the supernatural as a private investigator. “And I thought, why not?” Because I need protection from the monsters that are hunting me, and vampires seemed like they were strong enough to fight off other demons.
She frowned fully this time as she examined me. “You’re pretty enough, despite your affinity for clumsiness, but I’m curious as to why you really want to try this career.”
I bit my lower lip. “It pays well.”
“It pays better than well, Piper. My clients pay handsomely to do whatever they want to my girls, with the exception of killing them. We haven’t had an accidental death in over ten years.”
I gulped at that. There were a lot of other painful things that could be done to someone besides killing them.
“Some of my clients enjoy giving pain, others like to receive it.” She eyed me carefully.
“I prefer to dole out pain instead of getting it,” I admitted. It was the first full truth I’d spoken this entire interview.
She laughed. “Most of us do.”
“No, not really.” I’d seen all kinds of sexual gratification fetishes as a private investigator. Nothing she could tell me was going to be a shocker.
“So you’re a dominatrix?”
“I prefer it.” Maybe this was turning out better than I expected. If I could be a dominatrix I’d be in a better position to make strong friends who could help me, hopefully.
“How many years of experience do you have inflicting pain and torture on others?” She slipped off her soiled dress. She was wearing a black lace corset with matching panties which accentuated her curvy body. My mind went in all sorts of directions. Did she expect to test out the merchandise before she represented them? “Do you prefer men or women?” She asked as she sauntered behind a dressing shield in the corner.
“Men.” I answered faster than necessary. “And as far as years of inflicting pain, I’d say at least five, but no professional experience.” I was always taught to CYA, cover your ass when interviewing. If I couldn’t produce references, it would be important to differentiate from professional and personal experience. This also made it clear I liked inflicting pain, even though it wasn’t my first choice in actuality. Sex should be a pleasurable experience for both parties, but this was not a typical sexual encounter for most people, at least not for me. I liked picking my partners.
She poked her head out from behind the oriental design room divider. “But you can inflict pain on anyone, right?”
“Of course.” With the exception of innocents and children. If an adult, male or female preferred the fetish, I could handle the task.
She went back to changing her clothes. “It is obvious you’re tough enough to be a dominatrix, but I’m not in the market for a new one. I am willing to give you a try as a courtesan, and I can keep you on my backup list for domme appointments. Are you still interested in the position?”
I took a deep breath, not really, but I had little choice in the matter. This was the only way I could see escaping the monster that was tracking me. “Sure.”
Veronika Larouche smiled. “Good. I’ll set you up with one of my regulars, and if you please him, we’ll talk more.”
“Okay, sounds good. When?”
Her voice was muffled from behind the changing screen. “Leave your number on my desk and I’ll call you when he is ready to meet.”
Chapter Five
Sebastian
I SLAMMED THE LAST FILE down on my desk. The intel from the council had been useless. There was nothing on this rogue gargoyle, or even any gargoyle in the city for the last ten years, not even a blink on their radar. A rogue with no connection to allies, or affiliations with any supernatural group was far more dangerous than one on the loose. I was precariously close to having to call Viktor for help. His price was always high, but he always delivered. In this case, he would be my last resort. Our family already owed a terrible debt to the man.
Marshall was still working on getting release papers for the dagger and other personal effects found at the scene. Once those were sent over I could use psychometry to view the massacre again, maybe get some new clue from the mess.
The gargoyle connection was the most disconcerting of all. The last time I dealt with gargoyles was a little over a century ago, and that ended terribly. We were at war, the vampires and gargoyles. They were protectors of the humans, and the vampires’ lust and greedy need to feed and kill only fueled their fire against us. The gargoyle king, Jonathan, declared war on the vampires, and his elite guard attacked and killed every chance they got. This created a sandstorm within the vampire community. For the first time ever, the houses united against a common enemy. It was a bloody war, and many lives on both sides were lost. Finally, the vampires found a way to capture Jonathan and his guard, and entomb them in the earth. There, they were left to suffer painful deaths of starvation over and over again. Gargoyles are immortal and just as difficult to kill as vampires. Starvation would cause them to feel the pain of death only to be revived by their immortality and die again. It was a dark and heinous punishment, one I thought was far too extreme.
Oddly enough, the war changed the elders’ minds on how we lived, and new laws were put into place to protect the humans. It made sense to keep the food source alive and well. If we’d continued on our path of destruction our food source would’ve been decimated decades ago, and we’d have been relegated to feeding on pigs and cows.
The remaining gargoyles, those not loyal to Jonathan, were sent into hiding, and we hadn’t heard from them for countless years. It seemed strange one would appear out of nowhere without warning, for no real reason, and start killing vampires, even the
humans in their path. The very idea that a gargoyle would kill a human left more questions unanswered. It was against their very genetic code.
None of this made a damn bit of sense. I pressed the base of my palm against my eyes to revive them from the sleep that was beginning to take over my body. Dawn was approaching. Tomorrow night, I’d hit the ground running again on this case. There were a few contacts I needed to call, people I hadn’t spoken to in decades, they might have some insight into what was happening. Until then, sleep would be my refuge. It would give me the opportunity to clear my mind. I headed to my room.
Chapter Six
Piper
I SIGHED HEAVILY AS I looked at my appearance in the full-length mirror. It had been a long time since I’d been fixed up to look like a brunette Barbie doll. I could go another twenty years before I had the urge to wear clothes like the curve hugging chiffon dress, or the over exaggerated eye lashes and popping fire engine red lipstick again. Fortunately, the alien appearance staring back at me in the mirror made what I was about to do tonight almost bearable. Almost.
If it was just blood, that would be an easy exchange, but sex with a stranger? On paper, logically, my decision to do this made sense. I’ve hooked up with guys in bars and had a few one night stands over the years. A girl had to take care of her needs sometimes, and my old pal, Oscar, got boring on occasion when I pulled him out of the drawer and revived those batteries.
Being a private investigator made relationships hard, so one night stands fit the bill from time to time. Only, this was different. These were vampires, deadly demons that could just as easily kill me as the monster that was chasing and taunting me. It was like I was playing a dangerous game of Russian roulette. I’d heard many of them had voracious appetites, not just for blood, and Mistress Veronika made it clear, some enjoyed inflicting pain. I didn’t have the luxury of going into a place and choosing the person I was going to get pleasure from. That wasn’t an option here. Veronika made the deals, and sent me on the errands.
Cursed: A Vampire Blood Courtesans Romance Page 2