Jose leaned back with a shrug. “I’m just saying you need to make sure you do exactly as he says. Those bad boys don’t mess around.”
They all fell into a tense silence. Andrea pushed her food around with a fork. One of the instructors came by. He was tall and thin with a face that reminded her of a hatchet. He wore a long black robe that dragged on the floor as he walked. He paused by Andrea’s table.
“Is there something wrong with your food, young lady?” he asked her.
“No, my Lord. I…um…just got my first referral and I’m a little too excited to eat.”
The instructor smiled flashing long, sharp, white teeth. “May I see it?”
Andrea gingerly picked up the paperwork and handed it over. The instructor read quickly then folded it back up and handed it to her. “You’re a very lucky girl. An overlord is quite prestigious for your first.”
“I know, my Lord. I’m grateful to the Council for granting me such an honor.”
“Have you met your seducer yet?” the instructor asked.
“No sir.”
“Ah, then you are fortunate indeed. I just received word a few minutes ago that he has come early for you. He waits at the office to escort you home with him.”
Andrea’s mouth dropped open. She’d told herself she was ready, but the truth was, she certainly wasn’t. How bad can this be? He’s bound to be better than that fumbling idiot who took your virginity behind the school. Don’t be scared. He’s not allowed to damage you for your new master. He’s only supposed to give you a quick lesson on how to give and receive pleasure.
She could feel her friends staring at her. It felt like their eyes were boring tiny holes into her skin. She wished for a fleeting moment that she was any one of them and not herself.
“Are you ready?” the instructor asked. “All your things will be sent to the home of your new master, so you needn’t worry. When the overlord is done with you, he’ll send you to your new home.”
Andrea stood and her knees buckled slightly. She gripped the table to steady herself. “I’m ready and eager to serve, my Lord.” That was the right response. She wasn’t allowed to utter any other.
“Excellent. Come, I will take you there.”
The instructor took her hand in his cold, boney one and squeezed. She shivered at the contact. He leaned in close to her ear.
“Congratulations.”
Andrea forced a smile. “Thank you; you’re very kind.”
* * * *
Andrea walked down the hall to the office feeling like a rock had replaced the ice in her stomach. She was lost somewhere between slight happiness and total, all-out terror.
Not a fun place to be.
Mikel Hellborne didn’t look like she expected him to. Oh, he was tall and commanding like she thought he’d be but instead of the black clothes she expected, he wore a brown T-shirt, faded blue jeans and snakeskin boots. His face was long with hollow cheeks and full lips, and his eyes were a cold, steel blue. His well groomed dark hair was cut short around the collar but left long on top giving him a tousled ready-for-bed look. A hungry sexuality clung to him and made her sweat even before she met his penetrating gaze.
Andrea stopped in front of him feeling small and insignificant. “Hi. I’m Andrea and I’m ready.” The minute the words escaped her she wanted to slap herself in the head. Who says that, anyway? She prayed he wouldn’t say anything about the heat spreading across her cheeks
A slow, lazy smile spread across his lips. He held his hand out to her. “Hi. I’m Mikel. I presume you know why I’m here.”
Andrea’s heart was beating a hundred miles an hour. She nodded then blurted out, “Yeah.” It came out rushed and breathless like she’d just run up a flight of stairs. She wished she’d just shut up. She must sound like a complete idiot.
Without another word, Mikel turned and stalked out of the building. Andrea followed close behind. She jogged to catch up to his long strides. “Um…my Lord, sir?”
Mikel stopped. “You don’t have to call me that. Just use my name.”
“Oh, okay. Um…Mikel, I have a jacket and some personal items in my room I’d like to take with me.”
“I thought they told you about that. You don’t need to worry about anything. All your possessions will be taken to your new master’s house. When you and I are done, you’ll be taken there to begin your new life.”
“I’m just afraid they’ll miss something.”
“You need to relax. They won’t.”
Mikel went to his car which was parked down the road and opened the door for her. The car was a red mustang convertible with a black racing stripe down the middle. It was a really nice ride. Andrea obediently got in.
He drove the speed limit which surprised her. She’d expected him to be skidding around every corner.
“Are you nervous?” he asked.
“I’m really nervous, yeah.”
“I understood from your school records that you aren’t a virgin.”
An unpleasant memory tried to come into her head but she forced it back into its dark corner. “I’m not but that was the only time.” She watched the scenery as it passed by and wished she could spend the day shopping or sitting on the beach. The last thing she wanted was to be seduced by this man. “I don’t really like to talk about what happened much.”
“Was your experience painful?”
“Yes it was. And it was frightening.”
He glanced at her then returned his focus on the road. “I’m sorry. That shouldn’t have happened to you.”
“Don’t be sorry. It was a while ago. I don’t really think about it anymore.” She decided it was time to change the subject. “Have you seduced a lot of women?” He smiled and Andrea was suddenly struck by how very handsome he was.
“Quite a few. Yes.”
“Did you ever sleep with the same woman twice?”
“On occasion.”
She nodded. It was hard not to feel sorry for herself knowing she was one in a long line of meaningless sexual partners. It was silly to feel cheated but she did. Certainly there had to be more to one’s existence than just being a pleasure toy for some vampire overlord.
“Does that bother you?” he asked.
“It’s not really my place to say.” As soon as her words escaped her, she regretted them. Mikel pulled the car over. Oh crap, I’ve offended him.
Mikel turned to face her and she shrank back. She’d been slapped around before for speaking her mind too much. She sure hoped he just hit her once and got it over with.
“You can speak freely. Answer the question. Does it bother you?”
What the hell? She was probably going to get slapped around by him during sex anyway. She shrugged trying to play it off. “Yeah. I mean, it would be nice to have sex with someone who cared about me and didn’t just want to get off.” There, she’d said it.
His eyes studied her face. She tried to read his expression but it was impossible. He was the ultimate poker player.
“It won’t be like that, Andrea. I’ll make this enjoyable for you.”
She forced a smile and swallowed the lump forming in her throat. “That would be nice. Thanks.”
He seemed genuinely puzzled by her response.
Andrea took a deep breath and it lifted some of the tension. “Are you pissed at me?”
He pulled back onto the road. A muscle moved in his jaw. “No. I find you…different and interesting.”
Great. That probably means he’s going to beat my ass for talking like that as soon as we get to a private place. Good going, Andrea. What a wonderful way to start her new life outside of the camp. She wondered if she could make this first referral any better. Oh wait. I know. I’m sure he’ll love it when I can’t reach orgasm because I’m too nervous.
Chapter 3
Mikel’s condo was on the twenty-fifth floor of a modern high-rise. Floor-to-ceiling windows gave the impression that she was walking on air. The city lights stretched out as far as the e
ye could see. They twinkled and beckoned like distant stars promising limitless adventures.
The furniture was mostly white, sleek and modern. The walls were decorated with abstract art in tasteful hues of earthen browns, muted blues, and shocking reds. Andrea wasn’t much of an art lover but she liked them enough to stop and study the details of a few.
Mikel glided into the kitchen. It wasn’t a literal movement but rather the impression of effortless movement he gave off, like he was skating on ice. A lot of the vampires had that quality. Andrea had met dozens of vampires in her time but Mikel was an exception. He gave off a darker aura of power, both physical and psychic, that she had never quite experienced before. His cruel good looks invited more scrutiny. He appeared to get more and more handsome the more she stared at him.
“Can I get you something to drink?” he asked.
Such a cliché line but spoken by him it thrilled. The sound of his voice was heavy and smooth like a tiger’s pelt. Just the sound of it excited her blood like an injected narcotic. His voice rumbled its way into her blood and relaxed all the tension in her shoulders. She hated him for the influence it had on her.
“Do you have white wine?”
He opened a glossy white cabinet behind him and pulled out a bottle. Andrea walked along the tall windows staring down at the street below. She decided she would really hate living up this high. It gave her the creeps.
Mikel moved alongside her. His presence made her more aware of her body and a little heat rushed into her cheeks. He handed her a glass of wine. She was surprised to see he had one too and even more shocked when he took a sip.
She took the glass from him. “I didn’t think vampires drank white wine. In fact, I didn’t think they drank liquor at all.”
His blue gaze sliced into her like a razor blade. He could have commanded her to do anything and she wouldn’t have hesitated.
“Some do, some don’t.”
Andrea softened her tone. “I mean, I didn’t think they could.”
“I can.”
She sipped her wine hoping it would calm her nerves. “You have a nice place. I’ll bet there have been a lot of women up here.”
He tilted the glass back and drained half of it. “A fair amount, but probably not as many as you think.”
“Were they all here for their first referral?”
A small grin lifted the corner of his mouth. “Not all.”
Andrea nodded and tried to stop staring into his eyes. They were dangerous, mean eyes that reflected everything they saw. Looking away proved almost impossible. Finally she just gave up and took a few more big gulps of her wine. He refilled her glass almost immediately. “Tell me about your first time.”
Oh here we go. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. It was hard to remove the feelings of hurt that always came with the memories. “There’s nothing much to tell. He was a master vampire and one of my teachers. One day after class he asked me to stay behind and then…then he just did it…you know?”
“He hurt you.”
She angrily pushed away a stray tear. “Um…well, I liked him…I trusted him. I thought I was over it. I guess he hurt me worse than I realized.”
He stroked her hair and that made the lump in her throat worse. “I’m sorry he betrayed that trust.”
She shook her head trying to ward off the crying fit that was surely to come if they kept talking about this. “It’s over. I did my duty. I submitted. I did what was expected of me. I let him do as he wished so I guess I have no right to complain.”
Mikel took her drink and placed it on the table. He wrapped his arms around her and squeezed.
“I’m really sorry that happened to you, Andrea. It won’t be like that with me. I promise.”
“Okay. Thanks.” She let him hold her but his kindness didn’t touch the grief still pushing up from the depths of her heart. All she wanted was for him to have sex with her and get this over with. Then she could finally go to her new master and put all the memories of the camp behind her. She smoothed her hands up the muscled wall of his back and nuzzled him.
She heard a deep, menacing chuckle rumble from his chest. “What are you doing?”
Andrea stared into his eyes. He was just going through the motions of caring about her. All he wanted was to fuck her and get off. That’s all any of these mean-spirited vamps ever wanted. They wanted to use and be pleasured. To hell with what the human wanted. Maybe she could rush him along if she was submissive enough.
“Please kiss me,” she whispered.
He placed his hand against her cheek and traced her bottom lip with his thumb. “In time. Did you report the teacher for what he did?”
“No. What would have been the point of that? I’m here to serve.”
“You are not here to serve everyone at their whim, Andrea. The Council has strict rules about things like this.”
“What difference does it make if my virginity was taken by him or you? I’m a tool, right? My purpose in life is to be used by the vampire lords and ladies over me. I am a bringer of pleasure. My only desire is to serve.”
Mikel let her go and backed away. He sat in a sleek faux leather chair and stared at her for a long time. She was sure he was going to turn her away and send her back to the camps. Vampires hated it when humans didn’t do what was expected of them. They especially hated it when you talked too much.
He’s going to refuse to have sex with me and I’ll be sent back in disgrace. She’d seen what happened when people were sent back for annoying a master vamp. She’d be lucky if a stern beating was all she got. “I’m sorry,” she said hastily. “I shouldn’t have sputtered all that stuff. I’m just nervous about being with you.”
He interlaced his long fingers making a steeple out of them. “Tell me something, and I want the truth. If I wasn’t a vampire, just a man, and you met me in a bar, would you go home with me?”
Andrea thought. “You’re a very handsome man. Yeah, of course I would.”
“If we had been lovers for a few months, and I asked you to marry me, would you?”
Andrea blinked. This was a strange line of questioning. “I wouldn’t, no.”
His expression of mild amusement didn’t change. “Why not?”
“Because you’re the kind of man who would never be happy with one woman for very long. You’d take another woman before we’d been married a year.”
“Hmm…the truth. How refreshing. I wasn’t expecting that.”
“I’m sorry…I shouldn’t have―”
“Don’t be silly. You did exactly what I asked you to do. You told the truth. It’s just been so long since I met someone who spoke their mind. I guess I’d forgotten how freeing it is. I hate pretense.”
“You’re not mad?”
He gripped the armrests and she caught a glimpse of long, well-manicured nails.
“I read your entire profile. Would you like to know what the school administration had to say about you?”
She lowered herself to the couch but didn’t sit back. “I can only imagine.”
“There are over forty-five pages on your intelligence and exceptional reasoning skills. There are also psychiatric notes on why you should be destroyed. It appears they think you’re a danger to society.”
Andrea wrung her hands. No wonder they assigned her to this vampire assassin. They wanted him to kill her when he was done. At least it would be a quick death. Her throat went painfully dry. “I don’t know what to say. Please don’t kill me.”
He gave her a wicked smile. “I have no intention of killing you. I’m just going to give you a piece of advice, be careful what you say and who you say it to. You have a lot of powerful enemies keeping tabs on you, Andrea. They’re just looking for an excuse to remove you as a perceived threat. Do you understand what I mean?”
A tight bundle of nerves suddenly grew painful in her stomach. “Yes, I understand.”
“Now let’s forget all about that and get on to more pleasant stuff.” His smile br
oadened exposing his long, evil canines. “Tell me Andrea, have you ever masturbated?”
Chapter 4
Andrea debated lying but the vampire would be able to see right through it. “I have masturbated before but it’s been a while.”
“Did you orgasm?”
“I’m not really sure. I think so.”
A laugh tumbled from his chest. It was rich and decadent like espresso.
“If you had climaxed, you’d know it. Take off everything but your panties and lay down on the couch.”
Something about his eager expression and his tone aroused her. Her body warmed up, like someone had placed a velvety blanket around her. She wanted to give herself to him in any way he wanted even though she knew it was his vampire power seducing her. If it wasn’t him, it would be some other vampire. Andrea did as he asked and lay down. Her body quivered with a building energy she’d never experienced before. “Like this?”
“Yes, just like that. Now touch yourself in ways that please you.”
“Should I start at my breasts, or—”
“You’re thinking too much. Just let go and enjoy yourself.”
Andrea forced herself to relax and closed her eyes. She let her hands caress the swollen mounds of her breasts. At first it felt strange and awkward but soon she was able to coax out some sweet pleasures. Her fingers pinched and twisted the nipples making them as hard as marbles. Tension built in her extremities and an aching tightness lingered in her sex.
“Is this how you played before, Andrea?” Mikel asked.
“Yes, this was all I did. It’s simple and nice.”
“Nice.” He grinned enjoying a private joke. “Be bolder. Put your hands in your panties and touch your pussy.”
Andrea eased her hand down her belly and stopped at the border of her panties. Her heart sped up. She explored her sex with slow, halting caresses. Waves of fierce delight threatened to overwhelm her. She stopped.
“What’s wrong?” Mikel asked.
His voice was much closer now. She opened her eyes and he was standing over her naked. His body was tall and very muscular but pale from his need for blood.
ANDREA'S OVERLORD Page 2