by Karen Kelley
Her body ached.
She clasped his arm, squeezing.
“Let yourself go,” he murmured close to her ear.
She bit her bottom lip.
“Feel me fucking you.”
“Yes,” she moaned.
“I’m going harder, deeper.”
“Yes. Don’t stop.”
He massaged, then slipped his fingers inside her body faster and faster.
The room swirled around her, lights danced in front of her eyes. Heat swept over her in waves as she climaxed. She bit her bottom lip and pressed herself tighter against him as her body throbbed.
Chance held her tight, his tongue delving inside her ear.
Her thighs clenched and unclenched, pressing against his muscled thigh.
A tear slipped from the corner of her eye as weakness settled over her. She clung to him, unable to move, barely able to breathe.
Destiny vaguely knew when Chance led her back to one of the booths rather than the barstool. She slumped down, resting her elbows on the scarred surface, her head in her hands. Moving wasn’t an option. If someone claimed this booth, they could roll her onto the floor and everyone could step over her. She closed her eyes and concentrated on breathing in, then breathing out, and letting the world around her catch up.
The next thing she knew, a waitress was setting a beer in front of her. She so needed a cold beer right now. Destiny dragged her eyelids open and looked up.
“The cute cowboy said you might be wantin’ a beer.” She smacked her gum and rolled her eyes. “Lucky you, he’s some kind of hot.”
Destiny looked around, her heart sinking to her feet. “Where’d he go?”
“Said he had to be somewhere.” The waitress danced off when someone called to her.
“Well, hell.” He did it to her again. Left her feeling like a limp dishcloth.
But a very satisfied dishcloth.
Chance would be back. Destiny smiled right before she tilted the bottle and swallowed down a third of the beer. Her body felt like mush—but in a really good, relaxed way.
Next time, she wasn’t about to let Chance get away. He had no idea what it would be like fucking a she-devil. His lust would drive him insane with desire. He’d burn for her before she was finished. Oh yeah, his soul was already hers for the taking.
Then why did she feel just a little niggle of alarm? A little voice whispering in her ear saying she wasn’t even close to stealing Chance’s soul. He played her all the way.
Who the hell was this guy?
She took another long drink, then came to her feet. Her purse was lying on the counter at the end of the bar. Amazing. What was this world coming to when no one bothered to steal someone’s belongings? She slipped the strap over her shoulder and left the bar.
It was still hot outside. Figured. Hell was cooler than Texas. The sooner she left the better. Next time Chance showed up, Destiny would be prepared. She was positive there’d be a next time, too.
A smile tugged at her lips. Her passion might be spent, but Chance left her with a warm glow that made her feel more alive since way before she died. It was almost as if Chance had a few special powers of his own.
“Hey, lady, spare some change for a vet? I haven’t eaten in over a week.”
The voice was male, deep and gravely. She spotted him just inside the dark alley. Big and burly, the bum wore filthy army fatigues and hadn’t shaven in weeks. She didn’t even want to know what kind of bugs were making their home in his beard.
The slight breeze changed direction. Her nose wrinkled and her eyes burned. She took a step back.
Oh crap! Which was an apt enough description of the smell. What dumpster had he crawled out of? The guy had a distinct odor that drifted over to her like a black, rotting cloud.
“Please, lady. Spare a war veteran a few dollars for a hot meal?”
Oh, what the hell. She was feeling generous. She dug some money out of her purse and handed the bills toward him.
One of her foster dads was a vet. Charlie was an okay kind of guy. He drank a little too much, and couldn’t hold down a job for more than a few months, but he never slapped her around like some of the others.
The guy reached out to take her money, but instead grabbed her arm and pulled her into the alley. “Thanks, lady.” He grinned and raised a gun. “Now we’ll have us a good time. You ain’t never been fucked the way I’m gonna fuck you.”
That’s what she got for trying to do a good deed. It was the story of her life. Someone always wanted to screw her over.
She sighed. This wasn’t going to be pretty.
Chapter 4
“You really don’t want to mess with me.” Destiny didn’t even try to struggle or break the mugger’s hold.
“Yeah, and why’s that?” He grinned as he shoved her against the side of the brick building, his forearm against her throat. His face was only inches from hers. If he didn’t move, she was going to puke. His fetid breath became a putrid fog surrounding her.
She pushed against his arm enough so that she could talk. This guy was starting to piss her off. “Because I can get real ugly.”
“Not a babe as hot as you.” He sucked in air on a whistle as his slimy gaze slid down her body then returned to her face. “Sweetheart, I’m gonna make you scream.”
“How about if I make you scream?”
He was momentarily startled, then he smiled, showing yellowed teeth. “I like that even better. I bet you make men scream all the time.”
“You tell me.” She drew in a deep breath and transformed into his worst nightmare.
He screamed, immediately loosening his hold. His feet moved backward at a speed not known to mortal man—well, until he ran into the side of the other building. His body began to shake as bad as an unlevel washer on the spin cycle, then he took off running in the opposite direction with a disjointed gait.
“I guess I was right. I did make him scream.” She straightened. “Veteran my ass,” she muttered, changing back into her human form. She smoothed her hands down the sides of her dress and turned to leave.
Destiny stopped short. The same bum from the first day she arrived was staring at her. His slack jaw and wide-as-saucers eyes told her that he’d witnessed her transformation into a monster, followed by the panic-stricken vet bolting down the alleyway. His hands shook as he raised his bottle to his mouth and guzzled the liquid as if he could somehow block out the hallucinations that were plaguing him of late.
Rather than drown his problems in alcohol, the bum should try changing his ways. No one ever did. People never learned. Not that she’d been any different.
She shook her head and aimed toward her apartment. The night was still young, but she was in no mood to hunt for some poor bastard she could drag back to Hell with her.
Nope, she wanted Chance and she was more determined than ever to have him. It was a matter of pride now. And she would have him. She only needed a better plan. Leaving her seduction in fate’s hands certainly didn’t work. No, as soon as she returned to the apartment, she would map out a foolproof strategy.
She liked the sound of that—her apartment. She never really had a home. Well, not one all to herself, and this one was only temporary.
Her mood began to lift. She rather liked the place where she was staying. A nice couple loaned her their apartment for the week—after she did a little trickery. They won an all-expense paid trip to Hawaii—lucky them.
Destiny was apartment sitting. So far, rummaging through their stuff only produced a lot of unpaid bills. It was a good thing she came along or it looked as though it would have been years before they could afford to take a vacation.
She could have drained their brains and left them wandering under one of the bridges. Kind of like zombies. They would’ve been homeless of course, until she was ready to return to Hell. That is, if she put everything back the way it had been.
They seemed nice though, and she had to admit, she was feeling sentimental at the time. Not a
good thing when she was so close to getting demon status. And when she did, her life would finally be everything she wanted it to be, at least, as close to perfect as it would ever get.
Before she went up to the apartment, she stopped in the convenience store across the street and grabbed some magazines, a bottle of wine, and a tub of ice cream—double chocolate brownie. Damn, she was born in the wrong time period! Brownie and chocolate ice cream, a win-win combination.
She looped the plastic bag over her arm, which was so much better than lugging a paper bag all the way back, and thumbed through one of the magazines as she strolled down the street. Hmm, it didn’t look as though much had changed since the fifties. The kitchens just got bigger. She dropped it into the bag and pulled out another magazine and slowly fanned the pages.
Starving models draped their bodies in designer clothes and expensive jewelry. Nice stuff. The sequins were a little too sparkly for her taste, but she could see herself wearing some of the outfits.
“Hi, aren’t you staying in Max and Jennifer’s apartment?” The voice was soft and feminine.
Destiny glanced up from the magazine as she strolled down the sidewalk. The girl was cute, not as young as she sounded. Maybe twenty-six, the age Destiny was when she died.
“I’m sorry, what did you ask?”
The girl smiled, showing pretty, white teeth. “I asked if you were staying in Max and Jennifer’s apartment. The Dunlops. I thought I saw you leaving earlier, but just missed saying hi.”
Max and Jennifer? Dunlops? Of course, the young couple. “Yes, apartment sitting while they’re in Hawaii.”
The girl’s expression turned dreamy. “I’d love to go to Hawaii. I’m happy for them. They’ve really had a hard time of it lately.” She blushed. “I’m LeAnn West.”
“Destiny.” Starting conversations with mortals wasn’t good. They always wanted more than she was prepared to give. It was the same thing when the recently dead came through the sorting station. They always wanted to get to know her better. Knowing people only made things worse. When she was alive, she’d start to like someone and the next thing she knew, they would start taking and taking.
Destiny mentally shook her head to clear it. The life she once had was over and done, and she was glad of it. No one would ever hurt her again, she wouldn’t let them. She focused instead on what LeAnn was telling her.
“I’m going to be a singer.” She wryly grinned. “If I can save enough money to go to Nashville, that is. I kind of made it this far, then had to get a job.”
“Well, good luck.” Destiny stepped inside the elevator.
The young woman laughed. “Going up?” She stepped into the elevator. “I usually take the stairs but I’m feeling lucky tonight.” Her chuckle echoed inside the enclosed space after the doors scraped closed.
Great. Destiny punched the number three button and attempted to bury herself in the magazine. Hopefully, LeAnn would take the hint that they would never be friends.
“Oh, clothes. I love clothes!” The woman leaned over and looked as Destiny turned the page. She sighed. “Someday I’m going to wear an outfit just like that on stage.”
So much for escaping LeAnn. But Destiny couldn’t help glancing at the model wearing a pair of black jeans and a fitted black jacket. On the lapels were sparkly, black gems. The shirt beneath looked like any ordinary black knit. But the necklace caught her eye. The beads were a muted pink surrounded by clear pink crystals. Dangling from the end was a prism in the shape of a pink heart that captured the light and sent out brilliant shades of pink and gold.
It sparkled. A lot.
“A suit like this could make someone feel like a star. Sweet bling-bling, too.”
“Bling-bling?” The woman was talking in a foreign language.
“Yeah, the necklace. Bling-bling.”
Bling-bling. Okay, Destiny would admit the necklace was nice. She’d never had bling-bling.
The elevator suddenly jerked.
They both grabbed the dubious metal railing. One thing Destiny totally agreed with LeAnn about was the state of the elevator. It banged and clanked its way to the third floor before coming to a jarring stop. If she wasn’t already dead, Destiny would have been afraid for her life. LeAnn was either courageous or really stupid for even stepping into the death box.
As soon as the elevator door opened on Destiny’s floor, she hurried off. “Good luck with the singing,” she tossed over her shoulder.
Once Destiny was safely inside the apartment, she breathed a sigh of relief. LeAnn wasn’t that bad, but Destiny never had a girlfriend and she didn’t want one now. Man, she would be in trouble with the demons if she did!
She dropped her magazines on the coffee table and carried the bag into the kitchen. After taking the wine and ice cream out of the bag, she eyed her purchases.
Decisions, decisions, decisions.
She put the wine in the cabinet and grabbed a spoon out of the drawer. The wine would come later.
When she was comfortably ensconced on the sofa, she began flipping through another magazine. Her third choice looked a lot more interesting than the other two. Not that she was against all the recipes in the first one. She loved to eat. But she was not a cook, and never planned to be a cook. Sandwiches were good enough, or sweet talking some guy into buying her a meal worked just as well, although someone coming through the sorting station mentioned women’s lib and fast food. She was all for equal pay and not having to cook. It was about time women wised up.
Not that women having power helped her situation. Chance took control of each encounter. She was doing something wrong. Women with opinions had probably changed things in the bedroom, too. Not having sex since before she died put Destiny at a disadvantage. She could be doing everything totally wrong. A dark thought hovered over her. Maybe Chance had only felt sorry for her. She certainly didn’t want to become a pity fuck.
No! She would not let her thoughts move in that direction. No fucking way was she a pity fuck. She’d checked herself out in the mirror and she was pretty damn hot. The world hadn’t changed that much! Any man would give up his soul to have sex with her.
Her forehead puckered.
Except Chance. So maybe she was doing something wrong, but she planned to change all that. Her next moves would be the right ones.
She flipped to the next page.
Destiny choked on the ice cream she’d scooped into her mouth as she stared at the page and tried to get her breath back. When she was capable of breathing without snorting ice cream through her nose, she set the carton on the coffee table and brought the magazine closer.
Sex toys?
Sex toys!
Damn, they actually advertised sex toys in a women’s magazine. She was definitely born in the wrong time period. She quickly scanned through what they had listed. Vibrators, breast massagers, bondage kits and—oh, wow—a glow-in-the-dark dick. She could wake up in the middle of the night and there would be her dick, glowing like a beacon of light.
She stared off into space, picturing the fluorescent green dick glowing on her bedside table, gently vibrating like a pet waiting to be loved.
There was a sudden thud against her door. Destiny jumped, pulled out of her fantasy. What the hell was that?
She uncurled from the sofa and went to the door. When she looked through the peep hole, she had her answer. Not what, but who. Great, Little Bo Peep. Or as she’d called herself, LeAnn.
Destiny could pretend she wasn’t home. Maybe LeAnn would go away. She held her breath.
The doorbell rang this time. Three short jabs.
This lady was quickly becoming a pain in the ass. She would find out what she wanted, then get rid of her.
“Did you need something?” Destiny asked after opening the door.
LeAnn raised a casserole dish that she held securely with two potholders. “I had Lasagna heating, but I hate eating alone. I thought we could share.” She wiggled around Destiny and hurried toward the kitchen. “I’v
e been here before so I know where Jennifer keeps everything.” She glanced over her shoulder. “I kicked my foot against your door, but I guess you didn’t hear me until I rang the bell.”
“What the fuck,” Destiny muttered. But as she followed, her nose caught the aroma of the food and she realized she was hungry for more than ice cream. But she wouldn’t be making a habit of having the girl over.
“Sorry to shove my way inside, but the potholders were getting a little too warm.” She smiled her perky little smile. “You haven’t eaten, have you?”
“No.”
“Great.” She peeled back the foil. On top of the lasagna were slices of garlic bread. She went to the cabinet and grabbed two plates, then scooted right down to one of the drawers and got utensils. When she had everything arranged, she looked at Destiny. “I guess we’ll have to drink water.”
“I bought a bottle of wine.” She pointed toward the cabinet. Not that she really wanted to share. She’d planned on getting drunk later—all by herself.
“Perfect!” LeAnn proceeded to get the bottle and unscrew the cap.
The woman was moving in.
“Oh, did I see an ice cream carton in the living room? We better put that in the freezer before it melts.” Zip, she was out of the room.
She was like a freaking bee that overdosed on speed.
“Sit down,” LeAnn said as she came back into the kitchen.
Destiny still wasn’t sure, but she took a seat. LeAnn joined her. The next thing Destiny knew, there was food on her plate. She took a tentative bite. It was good, she conceded, then looked across the table. “Not bad.”
“Thanks.” LeAnn beamed as if Destiny had told her she won a Country Music Award. “I’m just glad we met. It gets kind of lonely in the city.”
Well, they weren’t about to become best buds! Not in this lifetime. Her forehead wrinkled. Not that she was alive. Besides, LeAnn was too sweet. Not her type.
They ate for a few minutes in silence. The lasagna was pretty good. LeAnn was a regular little homemaker.
“Why Ft. Worth?” Destiny finally asked when the silence started to get to her, but as soon as the words left her mouth she wanted to call them back. She was breaking her cardinal rule not to make friends, but then they weren’t actually friends. They were only sharing a meal. As soon as it was over, bye-bye.