The Seduction of Gretchen: Paranormal Erotic Romance (Anam Céile Chronicles)

by Scarlett, Rosalind

  Expecting her to ask such a question, I laughed. “That is Vincenzo.”

  “Vincenzo,” she said, savouring the sound upon her tongue as would a naïve girl in love for the first time. “How long has he been here?”

  Oh no. I knew right then she was headed for trouble. I needed to take this girl under my wing or she would lose herself all too rapidly. The reality of this place would eat her alive! I had seen it happen before.

  “I am not sure. He was already here whenever I arrived several years past,” I answered, unable to keep the concern from bleeding into my tone. I was quick to add, “Giuliana, be careful. Sanguelascivia is not the place for love. Love is something best forgotten while you are serving as a courtesan. It will surely bring only heartache.”

  “Oh, I am not looking for love,” she rebuffed, smiling defensively. But she did not fool me one bit. “He is just quite a handsome man, is he not?”

  “Indeed, he is, amongst other things.” I smiled at her nodding my head in agreement. How could I not. He had introduced me to my sexual awakening, after all. And a damn impressive first, he had been. But I was not about to tell her all of that.

  As though she had read my thoughts, I perceived a hint of jealousy coming from her.

  After dinner, Giuliana and I leisurely walked back over to the courtesan’s lounge to see if the list has been posted for the night’s performances. I knew she was only anxious to see if she had been paired with Vincenzo. I hoped for her sake that she had not. If he were the first man she had here, she may not be able to get over it… But if she were to have someone else, however, it may just be enough to distract her from fixating upon Vincenzo.

  I resolved right then to speak to Lucia about keeping them apart for as long as possible, if Giuliana was going to have any chance of keeping her head on straight and make it there as a performer, for which she definitely had the potential, if only she could fortify her heart a bit.

  Three weeks had now passed with no sign of him. The one whose name I did not yet know. The one whose face was imprinted upon my memory.

  I cursed this spell, wishing I could shake it, never think of him again, forget ever I saw his face, and those eyes…

  Those eyes! Oh! God, he has such a hold upon me.

  Now fearing he was never to return, that he had finally returned from whence he had come, leaving me alone to nurse my wounds, I strove once more to block him from my thoughts. Trudging through each day, I scolded myself for ruminating over him no less than twenty times.

  And then all the things I forced my mind to suppress burst through into my dreams, attacking me where I was rendered helpless. My mind had remembered him perfectly as it presented him to me in all his glory, those eyes of his communicating directly with my soul, though no idea did I have what it was they said. It was as though they spoke a language of their own— which I did not— yet the universal message was unambiguous.

  Connection.

  Yes, that was the best way to describe it. I felt a connection to him which I never had before— with anyone, with anything.

  It was simultaneously unnerving and exhilarating.

  Chapter Four

  I was on stage performing with Sven, a tall, boyishly handsome Swedish man. I always enjoyed my shows with him. As was typical of his style, he was making love to me slow and sensuous, which was a refreshing change from the way most of the male performers just fucked the life right out of me.

  Suddenly, I had the overwhelming sense of being stared at. That is, it superseded the fact that every member of the audience was already staring at me. Still, I rarely looked out at the audience. I tried my best to pretend they were not even there, preferring rather to let myself become absorbed in my erotic activity. After all, that was why I had chosen to work here. Being drooled over by Vampires certainly was never the motivating factor.

  Disregarding all that, I let my head fall to the side, and looked out directly into the audience. And, as though by magnetic force, instantly my eyes were drawn straight to the mesmerizing eyes which had occupied every moment of my thoughts for the past month.

  It is him! But am I merely dreaming?

  At once disremembering everything I had previously endeavoured to achieve, my heart leapt with excitement, as I gazed deeply into his eyes again. To my delight, he gazed right back into mine, just as evocatively he had the other times. Never before had I known a Vampire to exhibit so much of themselves as he did. He seemed nearly human.

  He could not have been here this entire time. Surely I would have felt it earlier. I am certain of it! He must have just arrived.

  As I maintained contact with him, the pleasure within my body rapidly mounted and although Sven was devotedly pumping me in the beautiful rhythm he had settled into, I knew it was not his efforts which stirred me so. The mounting pleasure in my body was evident in my eyes as I gazed at my fantasy man. It fell effortlessly into place, swiftly travelling through me, preparing to ignite me. At last, the orgasm washed over me like a tidal wave, saturating my insides with intense passion… passion for him.

  As I held my gaze on those enchanting blue eyes of his, I endeavoured to convey how I felt for him… I made love to him… I moaned for him… I writhed for him.

  It was all for him.

  But then, the force of the ecstasy was so that my eyes were affected to shut. I hated severing my only contact with him, even if just for a few moments. Still, I feared that when I opened my eyes to look in his direction again, he would only be gone as he had before. I was elated to discover that he was indeed still there, gazing at me, a clear sense of intrigue embedded there in his eyes. I exhaled in relief.

  The already present elation in me grew stronger yet as Sven too finished, signaling the end of the performance. Which meant I was about to have my chance with him, a chance I was not about to let slip away this time!

  The gentleman he was, Sven helped me to my feet. My heart pounded as I looked into his eyes one last time before turning to exit the stage.

  Not having sufficient time to go all the way back to my own chamber before selection time, I cleansed myself meticulously in the performers’ lounge.

  Just before I was to step up to the platform for my mandatory parade before my potential customers, Lucia pulled me aside.

  “No need for that, Signorina Gretchen,” she told me pragmatically. I looked to her questioningly.

  “Your services have already been reserved by a Monsieur Lucius La Croix. He is already waiting for you in room five-hundred twenty-two.”

  My heart nearly stopped.

  Strange. Never have I heard of someone circumventing the compulsory selection process. Could that be him? Monsieur Lucius La Croix… A French name… yes, I could certainly see him being French.

  Part of me hoped it would be, while the other part feared the same.

  If he has managed to have so profound an effect on me from a distance, than being in his presence has the potential to literally ruin me! What if I never desire another man again, even become physically repulsed by them and am left unable to perform forcing me to take to the streets?

  Worse yet, what if he is not satisfied with me, becoming disenchanted with me, never to return! I will be shattered!

  Considering all of the possibilities had my stomach working its way into knots.

  I could hardly believe I was finally going to be able to service him! Then for a moment, I decided I must be dreaming, which would have been a rather disappointing realisation, indeed.

  Well, I suppose I shall know soon enough if it is a dream or not.

  My nerves were really beginning to become agitated as I made my way up the several flights of stairs to the fifth floor.

  It is a good thing I am in shape!

  All too soon— or not soon enough, I am not sure which— I was standing before the room in which she had told me he was waiting for me. As my hand moved to the lever on the door, I drew in a deep breath. A moment of fear shot through me.

  What if it is
not him, after all? I don’t know if I can stand to be disappointed again. No, but it has to be him, I just know it is!

  Turning down the lever, I pushed the door open. “Hello? Bonjour?”

  At first, I did not see anyone. Thinking perhaps I had the wrong room, I stepped back to glance at the number beside the door.

  Five-hundred, twenty-two.

  “Please, come in,” came the voice, low and commanding yet smooth. Something about the sound of it told me it was him. It was the most perfect voice I had ever heard.

  I stepped all the way inside the small room, shutting the door behind me. There to the far left side of the red velvet settee, sat the man whom had occupied every waking— as well as non-waking— moment of my existence in the past month.

  My heart stopped within my chest.

  He was dressed rather elegantly in a suit of ivory satin which seemed to blend seamlessly with his smooth as alabaster skin. The suit was trimmed in baby blue velvet, accentuating his eyes which were penetrating me in the same mesmerizing manner as they had the other times I had seen him. His soft waves of pale blonde hair grazed his shoulders and shone like silk, framing his perfectly structured face.

  For all of my relentless fantasizing, I now saw that I had failed severely in doing him proper justice. He was absolutely beautiful, if one could call a man that, in which case he would definitely be the prime definition.

  He is a God!

  I realised that never had I been this close to him before. It was humbling. The nervousness which had been dancing about my stomach now flared up fully. I feared I would choke and not be able to speak, ruining my chance to make a positive impression upon him.

  Somehow, surprising myself, I managed.

  “Monsieur La Croix?” I confirmed almost inaudibly in an attempt to smooth over my shaky voice, which I consequently failed miserably. Never had any man had this effect upon me. I felt so silly!

  The corners of his mouth curled up to form a confident smile. Having not the opportunity to see his smile before, I became further enthralled. It was indeed something to behold!

  “Oui, I am Monsieur La Croix,” he answered. “But please, call me Lucius.”

  “Lucius,” I repeated, savouring the sound of his name upon my tongue. Out of fear at appearing daft, I quickly checked myself. If he knew the powerful effect he had upon me, how I had fantasized of him every day, every night…

  Then realising I was indeed behaving precisely as a foolish girl, I had yet to even properly introduce myself. No wonder he stared at me so strangely. “Forgive me my pause. I am Gretchen.”

  “Gretchen,” he repeated sensually, as though caressing my name with his tongue. “A beautiful name. What a pleasure it is to finally meet you.”

  “I agree, Monsieur… Lucius,” I promptly corrected myself.

  He merely continued smiling at me, turning my knees to jelly. Though his demeanour was one of refinement, I could also immediately sense something else lurking just below the surface, though exactly what it was, I did not know.

  “Won’t you please have a seat?” he suggested, placing his hand upon the cushion beside him.

  I swallowed, the thought of being even closer to him nearly too much to handle. Regardless, I knew that if I wanted even more from him, I had better gain control of myself. Taking another deep breath, my hands went to the sash at my waist which held my robe closed and began to loosen it.

  Much too courteously, Lucius held up his hand to stop me. “That will not be necessary, Gretchen,” he stated rather abruptly. Then smoothing over his tone once more, he continued, “Let us become better acquainted, shall we?”

  I was puzzled. After all the lust filled gazes we had exchanged, he did not want me nude? Brushing it aside for the moment, I walked towards him and sat upon the settee beside him.

  Oh God, how can I possibly be this close to him and not want more from him?

  “So then, you are French?” I enquired for want of something, anything to begin the requisite conversation, my voice shakier than I had hoped it would be.

  “Oui. I live just outside Paris,” he replied proudly. “Have you been there?”

  “No, I have not. But I hope to one day.”

  “And perhaps one day you shall,” he remarked rather cryptically.

  What does he mean by that?

  My heart began racing as I considered the possible scenarios. In attempt to disguise my nervousness, I grinned at him, which I realised came out far more profound than I had intended.

  “There is no need for anxiousness, Gretchen,” he stated calmly, placing his hand over mine. I shivered at his touch, but not because of the coolness of it.

  Is he able to read my mind, as well?

  I chuckled. “Oh, I am not anxious,” I fibbed.

  Raising his brow, Lucius just tilted his head and stared at me as a father who had just caught a child in a lie.

  “Well, maybe just a little,” I corrected, a coy smile touching my lips. “To be quite honest, I have waited a long time to finally meet you, Lucius.”

  He remained silent for a long moment, leaving me to wonder what he must be thinking.

  At last, Lucius spoke. “Yes, and I, as well. Although I promised myself I would not.”

  His words caused the knots in my stomach to tighten.

  “Would not what?” I enquired, a bit confused.

  Sighing, he replied, “Succumb to my desire to be closer to you.”

  Oh!

  Well, that was certainly something to take in!

  “But you are here now…” I validated.

  “Oui,” Lucius confirmed in defeat. “I never said I was a strong man. Clearly, I was unable to resist my desire to know you any longer.”

  What in the world am I supposed to say to a declaration like that?

  “Well then, I must confess, I am glad you are not a strong man.” I smiled at him mischievously.

  “I just had to give myself a chance to spend some time with you, Gretchen,” Lucius expanded. “My curiosity got the better of me.”

  “And?” I prodded, my hand caressing his leg. I was not about to let him leave me hanging like that!

  Lucius looked back at me curiously for a moment before placing his hand over mine firmly, hindering my ascent up his thigh. “You are most certainly a tempting woman, Gretchen,” he said. And then so quietly that I was not sure if he had actually meant for me to hear it, he added, “Tempting, indeed…”

  That is all he has to say? What am I supposed to make of that?!

  “However, I believe it is time for me to go now,” he declared suddenly, rising to his feet.

  I did not understand. It just did not fit everything I had imagined our first encounter to be. I wanted to give him everything of myself, wanted him to taste every part of me and here he had taken nothing from me.

  “Already?” I questioned him, intensely disappointed. “But you have not even tasted me.” I sputtered hastily. Then, realising how that must have sounded, I quickly added, my face flushing, “I mean my blood…”

  “That is not why I came here, why I requested you, Gretchen. I do not typically make a habit of feeding from random humans.”

  So, he regards me as no more than a random human?

  “Oh, I see,” I replied, the disappointment stinging me deeper.

  My soaring heart plummeted.

  It seems he wants nothing from me when all I wanted was to give him everything.

  Noticing my injured reaction, a sympathetic smile touched upon his lips. “On second thought, what kind of gentleman would refuse such an enticing offer?” His smile transformed into one slightly more lascivious as he moved closer. “Close your eyes, Gretchen,” he whispered into my ear.

  I did, my pulse already quickening for him. My heart leapt with joy as I felt him move in closer to me, wrapping his arms about my body. I felt the prominence of his hand upon my face, gently tilting my head back. His hands were cool, but for once I did not care, for his mere presence had ignited m
y insides! I leaned my head back further to allow him unencumbered access to me.

  Scarcely a second after I perceived the smoothness of his face against my neck, I felt his teeth pierce into me, causing me to sigh into his ear. Never before had being bitten by a Vampire instigated so much desire in me. All at once it seemed to flood my body, even as my blood simultaneously flowed out of it.

  In that moment, I was elated to be serving him, that he was taking my blood into him, that I was the one to nourish his need for subsistence.

  Somewhere during this— without my sanctioning of it— my lust for him metamorphosed into something else. It was as I presumed it must be with a mother nursing her newborn babe. I wanted to be the one to fulfill all of his needs, wanted him to seek it out from me… only me.

  In response to the feel of his strong arms around me, his soft hair brushing my cheek, his full lips upon my neck, his teeth nursing from my vein, my resulting pleasure swiftly began gathering within my core.

  I did not even realise I had begun moaning so heavily.

  “Oh yes, my Lucius,” I crooned involuntarily as the heat of my pleasure ascended in me.

  And then rather abruptly, he released me, pulling his mouth from my neck. So caught up in the experience was I, my head so light, that I stumbled.

  “I must go,” he declared almost severely.

  At first, I could not decipher the meaning of his words. My head was in a fog, whether from the pleasure of what I had been experiencing or from the lack of blood.

  “No…” I whimpered, distressed at the thought of being without him. “Will I see you again?” I requested with a pout, immediately hoping I had not come off as desperate.

  “Perhaps…” he said as he reached the door, roving his eyes over me hungrily one last time as he opened it.

  And with that Lucius turned away and went through the door, shutting it behind him before I had the chance to say another word.

  Stunned, I dropped down upon the settee.

  How could he just and leave me so abruptly like that? I mean, certainly lots of other Vampires have acted that way as soon as they have been satisfied, but it did not matter to me. I was always relieved to be rid of them. Besides, he had acted as though he did not even want that. And I was sure he was different…