“Welcome.” Melanie went back to get more glasses to refill the shelves.
“So, did you and Celeste have fun?”
“I adore that girl.” He sat back and sighed.
“I could tell,” Jenna said.
“Okay, so I found out that the most popular of the fetish masters only work the nights when it’s a lot busier,” Louis said.
“It makes sense and would answer the question of why I only see certain ones at night.”
“Yeah, I guess so, but that means we have to wait till then to talk to anybody.”
“No problem. You ready to go? I need some sleep, and I figure we shouldn’t run into that thing again today, especially if it thinks we’re gonna be here.” Jenna stood.
Louis joined her, and they were headed out the front door when Marshall caught up with them. “Hey, I have two volunteers who are willing to hang out and keep an eye on you and your shop, Jenna.”
She watched as two big men walked up and flanked Marshall. “Oh.” Was all she could say. The sheer size of them was intimidating as hell.
“Holy shit, man, where did you find the Bruiser Twins” Louis looked on in awe.
“These are some friends of mine. Meet Brandon and Byron.”
Chapter Ten
“Some friends ya got there.” Jenna felt tiny compared to these guys, and that wasn’t something she felt very often.
“They’re going to be spending a lot of time with you for a while. I want to make sure Khobrel hasn’t targeted you for some reason,” Marshall explained.
“Gee, thanks. I’ve never had my own mountains of muscle.” She couldn’t help herself. “I’m sorry, guys. That was insensitive,” she said to them.
“No problem. We are rather… large. I’m Brandon.” He reached and shook her hand.
“And I’m Byron.” He shook her hand too.
“Well, okay then. I guess it’s safe to go home after all,” Louis said. “I’m pretty sure you guys better have your own vehicle. There is no way either of you will fit in her little Vette.”
“We have our own transportation,” Byron told him.
“Good. Let’s go,” Jenna said and led the way out the door. Her car was sitting close to the main door, and she had to wait on the twins to come around from the employee parking lot. They all headed back into the city with no sign of the truck from earlier.
She dropped Louis off at his house and went to her own little place. She opened the door and invited the two large men into her home. “It’s not much, guys, but it’s all mine. Either of you hungry?” She missed the devilish grins from the brothers.
“Yes, we are, but I’m not sure you’re up to it,” Brandon replied.
Jenna turned fast and caught the hungry looks on both men’s faces. She put her hands out in front of her. “I’m definitely not.” She needed to make sure they didn’t get any funny ideas about where this would be going. “Look. I am definitely flattered. It’s not every day that a fatty like myself gets an offer like that from men that are as beautiful as you two, but I’m just not into threesomes.”
“We get that. But we’re willing to go one at a time” Byron said.
“Uh, not tonight guys. Maybe another time.” Jenna didn’t know what else to say to the offer. While a huge part of her was tempted—after all, what normal, red-blooded girl wouldn’t be tempted by two gorgeous muscle-bound men—she had always held out hope for her one true love. “There are two guest rooms that way, and I’ll see you both later tonight.”
She leaned against the closed door and waited till she heard the other two shut. “Am I being stupid? I mean, damn, but these two would definitely rock my world and I haven’t had that done in a very long time.” She paused to remember the last time, but nothing came to mind. “Hell, I’ve never had it rocked. How sad.” The longer she stayed in place, the easier it was to say no. She finally went and took a very long, cold shower, then went to bed. Her dreams were filled with fantasies that started with the two muscle-bound twins but quickly turned to a one-on-one with Balan. She woke up needing another cold shower before she could function.
“Did you guys get any sleep?” Jenna asked when they both filed out of their rooms. She’d been up cooking a huge helping of eggs, bacon, and toast.
“Yeah, in shifts. We took turns to keep an eye on things,” Brandon said as he slid on to a barstool and filled his plate.
“That bed is lumpy though,” Byron said and filled his own. He hadn’t slept in the bed, since he’d been texting the unknown number most of the night. He was being offered everything he wanted in life, and all he had to do was obey. “Did you sleep well?”
After filling her own plate, she stood on the other side to eat. “Not very well, but I never need much sleep anyway.”
They ate and talked, then the twins did the dishes for her while she finished other chores. “Well, are you ready to go down to your shop, or do you want to go back to the club?” Byron asked.
“I need to go finish working in the store, but if you have someplace you need to be, don’t feel like I need that much babysitting.”
“Mr. Williams got us out to keep an eye on you, and we will do just that,” Brandon said.
“Yep, as long as he says we stay with you, we stay with you,” Bryon said.
“All righty then, let’s go.” She locked the house and waited while they got into their truck so they could follow her to the shop. I still need to figure out the name for this place. She ran numerous ideas through her head until she finally hit upon two to choose from. She got out of the car after the twins gave her the go-ahead, then unlocked the building. One of them went inside with her through the front to check things out and make sure no one was inside, and the other pulled up the rear to watch outside. “Everything okay so I can get to work?”
“Yes, ma’am,” they said in unison. “I’ll watch the front. You get the back,” Byron told his brother.
“I’ll be going from room to room to finish setting up, so holler if you see anything.”
He nodded and went back to watching out the front windows. Jenna headed into the back and saw Brandon standing with the door cracked open. She shook her head and thought to herself that she needed to install a security camera out there. On sudden impulse, she picked up her phone and found the number for the same security company JuliAnna had used a while back when she had a crazy stalker break in. “Hello. I’d like to schedule an appointment for tomorrow if possible. I need several outside cameras on the back of the building and on the front.” She gave the address and waited while they put her on hold to find a day and time. “That sounds good and thank you.” She wasn’t happy it would take another week for them to get to her, but there was nothing she could do.
She hung up and looked at Brandon, who nodded his approval. “I should have thought of that sooner.” After picking up a stack of boxes filled with a variety of chocolates, she carried them to the only adult-themed room in the store. She figured adding a room for adults only would bring in more business, so she themed one just toward that and had finally come up with the name for it. She was going to call it Sinsational Sweets. The candy inside was more grown up versions of the old stuff. She had penis-shaped suckers, handcuffs made from solid chocolate, and so much more. She blushed when she noticed Byron peeking into the room.
“Well, this is different,” he said.
Chapter Eleven
Jenna felt her cheeks warm, and instantly her mind went to Balan. I wonder where he is right now. “I thought the grownups needed a place of their own to shop for some sweets.”
“Um, yeah.” Byron went back to the front with a huge grin on his face. He was insanely attracted to the little shop owner, but he knew there was someone else who wanted her too.
“Okay, guys, I’m all done with this stock. Could I con you two into helping me move that table in front of the main window?”
They helped put it into place and waited while she quickly added the display items and the candy she would
be showcasing on opening day, then they locked up and headed to the club. She was anxious to see the others and find out if anything else had happened to any of them. She’d worried all day, but Marshall had promised to call her if it did, and she’d received no calls.
She made sure to drive the speed limit, figuring the twins and their giant truck wouldn’t be able to keep up with her sweet ride. It felt like it took forever to get there, but in reality, it had only been a few minutes longer than normal. She pulled in and parked out back. The place was hopping, and the parking lot was almost to capacity.
“Ma’am. We were told to have you pull around back to the employee parking lot,” Brandon called out to her, leaning out the truck. Then he watched as she got back in and followed them to the private area. They walked with her into the back entrance where the annex was connected via a long, covered walkway.
“Geesh, I feel like a rock star or something, being escorted around like this,” she said and laughed, trying to ease the increasing feelings of panic. She wasn’t sure where they were coming from, so she made sure to keep her eyes open for anything that might pop up.
“Enjoy it then,” Byron told her.
Marshall and Balan had just walked down the steps from the offices above. Her escorts stopped just behind her, and both nodded at their boss. “Can I see you two in my office for a moment?” Marshall asked, then turned to the man with him. “Do you mind hangin’ out with Jenna for a few? I need to update security on the new procedures.”
Balan had watched the byplay between the brothers—and how they’d looked at Jenna. His inner demon rose to the surface, but he was able to clamp it down before Marshall got a hint of the rage he felt. What the fuck is the matter with me? I don’t even know her, and all I can think about is having her naked and writhing underneath me. I just need to fuck her and get it out of my system, I guess. He gave her his best come-fuck-me smile.
“What’s that for?” asked Jenna.
“What?” He offered his arm and was disappointed when she didn’t take it.
“That grin you just gave me. Not sure what you’re thinking, but the answer is no.” Jenna turned and walked into the bar. It was full, so she had to wait to get close enough to call for a drink. She needed something a whole lot stronger than a mudslide this time. Why does his smile make me tingle? And what the hell is making me feel so panicky? She casually looked around to see if anything was out of the ordinary but saw nothing. She noticed Balan doing the same and figured he was keeping watch like the rest of the employees.
“Hey, when you get your drink, let’s go sit in the employee lounge.”
“Okay.” She wanted out of the noisy bar area as much as he did. Yeah, keep telling yourself that it’s the noise and not his hot bod. She grabbed it from Stephen, the other bartender, and they left the busy area for a much quieter one. “Oh Lord, at least now I can hear myself think.”
“It is busy as hell out there tonight.” He grabbed a beer from the minifridge, sat in one of the overstuffed chairs, and watched Jenna take another seat. He loved the way she leaned back and crossed her legs. He kept imagining them wrapped around his waist as he went deep. Or around my head as I dive into her face first.
“You have that weird look on your face again. What are you thinking about?”
“Do you really want to know?” He couldn’t resist flirting with her. Part of him hoped she said yes, and the other part he told to just shut up.
“Well, maybe not.” She blushed a deep red, but then, he had a way of making her do that effortlessly. “Since we don’t know each other and all.” It sounded lame, and she knew it.
“You’re right. We should go to dinner and get to know each other better. Or… you can arrange for a playdate.” He wasn’t sure which one he wanted her to choose.
“No on the playdate. And maybe on the real date.” She grinned and downed her drink. “Let’s go look around. I keep having these odd feelings and can’t shake them.”
“Odd how?” he asked as his interest had piqued.
“It’s like I’m waiting for something to happen.” She shrugged her shoulders. “Not sure how else to describe it.”
He sighed. “My spidey senses have been tingling all evening. The last time it happened was when Khobrel was here in the club, and I missed him.”
“Come on then. If we’re both feeling it, then we should go take a look around and make sure he’s not here again.”
He got up and held the door for her, hating that their little private break was over. But I know she’s at least slightly interested in a real date with me. Now I just need to convince her to go and then I can seduce her and have it all.
Chapter Twelve
They found some of the others in the lounge mingling and getting to know upcoming clients, and as the couple passed, they waved slightly or nodded. Neither stopped to chat, but they made a complete circuit around the first room and then moved to the bar area.
“Holy shit, it’s much stronger here,” Jenna said.
“Yeah, I feel it too.” He turned around to look everywhere and noticed she did the same. “See anything or anybody out of place?”
“Not yet. But he’s here.” She paused. “Or something is here, at any rate.”
Balan didn’t like the vibes he was getting, but he couldn’t pinpoint where they were coming from. He turned back toward the bar and Stephen, who was working behind it. “Hey, man, you seen anything strange in here tonight?”
He stopped for a second and looked out at the crowd, then laughed as if they were sharing a private joke so nothing looked amiss. “Yeah, sitting against the wall on the left side. Far corner. You can barely make him out, but I’ve had one of the waitresses complain about the way he’s been treating them.” I’ve been keeping an eye on him but not so he’d notice. I hope.”
“Okay, thanks. I’ll check him out.” He turned toward Jenna. “You stay here.”
She looked at him and blinked slowly. “Like hell.”
He wanted to argue with her, but he didn’t have time. He noticed the man in question was getting up and heading toward the door. He moved to intercept, with Jenna right on his heels. “Sir, may I have a word with you?”
The man looked directly at both and smiled, revealing a row of razor-sharp teeth. “I think not.” And he disappeared.
“Well, fuck!” Balan said. “We had him right here all along.” He took off for Marshall’s office at a fast pace. He didn’t bother looking to see if Jenna was behind him. He felt her there and realized he liked her with him. He barged into his boss’s office and found it empty. “Where the hell is he?”
Jenna investigated the other offices but didn’t see anybody. “Hell if I know. Come on, let’s go back downstairs and see if he’s in the lounge or the annex.”
They raced back down and made a quick circuit through the first building, then to the annex where they found everybody gathered in the auditorium, which was used for demonstrations.
“Where the hell have you two been?” Darrell asked as they ran in.
“What happened?” Jenna asked.
“We were looking for one of you,” Balan said as he looked around.
They were all standing in the remains of one of the rooms. It had been ripped to shreds. Pieces lay everywhere, even out into the hallway as if a child had had a temper tantrum.
Marshall looked up from where he was sorting through a pile of paperwork. “Why were you looking for us?”
“We had another run-in with Khobrel in the bar,” Jenna told them.
“What? Here in the club again?” Darrell asked. “Are you both sure it was him?”
“Yeah, I’m sure it was the same dickhead that attacked Louis and me in my shop,” Jenna replied.
They all started talking and asking questions at once. Finally, Marshall raised a hand and whistled loudly. “Enough. For starters, let’s get some of the cleaning crew in to take care of this mess after you two look for clues as to who did it.” He pointed at Chad and Juli
Anna, then turned toward Jenna and Balan. “And you two come with me. Let’s check out the video footage again. Everybody else, let’s get back to work, and please don’t let the clients know anything is amiss.”
The group went their separate ways with Jenna, Balan, and Darrell following Marshall to his office. “Have a seat. Anybody need a drink? I know I sure as hell do.” He poured shots for them all and took his seat behind the desk, pulling the laptop with the surveillance cameras out so everyone could see. He found the moment Jenna and Balan said they had confronted the stranger.
“What the actual hell?” Balan asked.
“Where is he?” Jenna looked from the camera to Balan as he might have the answer.
“And you’re both sure it was him?” asked Darrell.
“Hell yes,” they both said.
Four sets of eyes stared at the screen, where they could plainly see Balan and Jenna talking to someone. But there was no other person standing there. It looked like they were talking to an invisible man.
“Guys, I’m not doubting you. I’m just wondering what the hell this thing is, that he can do this. Normally it’s just vampires that can hide from the camera,” Marshall stated.
Jenna kept it to herself. She’d seen other entities who could hide from modern day cameras, but she had no intention of saying a word. Not yet at least. She wanted to keep her secrets for a while longer. She sat listening to the talk going on around her and let her thoughts wander until she was brought back by Darrell asking her a question. “I’m sorry. What did you say?”
“I asked you how your security detail worked today? Was everything all right with the twins around?”
“Yes, they were a big help at the shop too. I appreciate you both loaning them to me.”
“Those two were with her all day?” Balan couldn’t help himself.
“Yeah, we figured it might be a good idea to assign them as security since we don’t know who he’s targeting or why.”
JuliAnna and Chad walked into Marshall’s office with news. “We found a note of all things.” He handed it to Darrell. “Read this.”
Fireballs & Familiars Page 4