Authors: Tina Christopher
His smile lit up the room and more than one customer, male
and female, stood a little straighter with his attention centered on them. His
tall, muscular body was clothed in a tight white shirt and black pants, which
followed every line of his powerful body. He made her mouth water. She wished
Indulgence was a little less classy and had him only wear his pants and maybe a
vest, something that would show his naked torso.
His movements were lithe and fluid as he prepared and poured
drinks. His martial arts expertise gave him the grace, but at the same time
kept everything tight and precise.
He threw his head back and laughed at something a customer
said. His fangs flashed, reminding Adira the strong and sexy man before her was
a Vampire. Parvati’s Vampire population was small, same as in all the other
postings Adira had. Sentinels patrolled in human areas, Guards looked after
Naemas and the Vampire Council’s agents controlled the Vampires.
And none of the law enforcement agencies ever worked
together.
She’d seen members of the Guard when high-ranking Naemas
came to visit, but the Vampires worked completely in the shadows. If a Vampire
needed to be taken out it was done quickly and discreetly, usually leaving the
Vampire’s body outside the closest Sentinel office with no hint of who was
responsible.
No, she didn’t know a lot about Vampires. But she wouldn’t
mind learning more if Mal was the teacher.
He disappeared into the stock room and came back out
followed by a bot. The bot took orders and Mal walked around the counter to sit
beside her.
“I’ll take my break now.” He set another glass of Classic
down before her and a Fizz before himself.
“Thank you.” She played with the condensation dripping down
her glass, painfully aware of his scent surrounding her, of the feel of his
knee bumping hers below the counter. Adira hadn’t been this connected to a man
in years…no, ever. She had no idea why he made her heart race and her pussy
moisten.
In the beginning she would have shot him down like any other
male, but by now he had to know she would welcome his pursuit. Didn’t he?
She froze. Maybe her signals were as mixed as his. Jade,
maybe they’d both been waiting.
Mal turned so he sat facing her, his side leaning against
the tall back of the chair. “Will you tell me what happened?”
She frowned and tried to push her horrible realization
aside. “What do you mean?”
“You’ve walked in here with a cloud of doom hanging over
your head. Is it work?”
Adira wasn’t certain how she felt about Mal being able to
read her, but a part deep inside her, the part that wished for a partner who
understood and cherished her, was happy about it.
She exhaled. “I can’t tell you details as it’s an ongoing
investigation, but I’ve been chasing leads, asking questions and making people
uncomfortable. No one cares about the victims I am trying to get justice for as
they are part of Parvati’s fringes.”
He nodded. “But you don’t care that they don’t have money or
can’t do anything to advance your career, being the exact opposite to the
majority of Sentinels in the city.”
She shrugged. “I don’t see the difference. The daughter of a
CEO has the same need for help as the daughter of a transient worker.”
He put his arm around her shoulders and hugged her against
his broad chest. “You are amazing, Adira. And an exception to the rule. Well
done for keeping at it. Are you getting any closer to closing the case?”
“No.” For a moment she leaned into him and inhaled his clean
vanilla scent, soaked in his heat. “I’m banging my head against a synth-steel
wall.” She pulled back. “Not everyone in those fringe groups trusts me or wants
to talk. And now I’ll have to let it go.”
Mal narrowed his gaze. “Why?”
The force of the question surprised her. “I’m being
transferred to Hadamard. I have to report for duty the day after tomorrow.”
He pushed back and stood. “You can’t be serious! And you
didn’t think it was something you needed to share with me as soon as you came
in?”
Adira frowned. “What? It’s not as if you could make any kind
of difference.” She shrugged. “It’s shitty, but it’s part of being a Sentinel.
I have to go where I’m sent.”
He seemed to grow even bigger as tension bulged his muscles.
“And I wasn’t even in the thought process, was I?”
She narrowed her gaze. “Mal, we’re friends. We can stay in
touch and if I’m back in the area I’ll visit. It isn’t as if we’re in a
relationship.”
“What do you think I’ve been working toward?” He towered
over her. “I knew you’d cut me off at the knees if I showed you my intentions.
Instead I worked at becoming your friend. I thought I was finally making
progress.”
Her jaw dropped. “Progress to what? Getting me into the
sack? Is that your big goal? To fuck me?” She slipped off her chair and pushed
him back. Or tried to. He didn’t move, but leaned even closer. Despite her
height he still loomed over her.
“Maybe a good fucking would pull that stick out of your ass
and make you more of a human being.”
She stilled. His words hit her sensitive inner core and
smashed the seedling of trust that had blossomed for him to pieces.
He must have realized, because he pulled back and gave her a
little bit of space. “I’m sorry. That was uncalled for. Finding out you’re
heading off planet was a shock, but what I said was out of line. I’m sorr—”
She raised her hand and stopped his words. She didn’t meet his
gaze, uncertain if she could control the hurt he’d inflicted. “Don’t apologize,
you were just being honest. I appreciate honesty. It was nice knowing you, Mal.
I hope things work out for you here.”
In a daze she turned her back on him and walked away, her
insides in turmoil. Mal grasped her wrist to stop her, but she twisted it and
pulled through the weak spot where thumb and finger met. He could have
tightened his grip but he didn’t.
“Adira, please don’t walk away. Let me explain.”
She turned back. “There’s nothing to explain. You pretended
to be my friend in order to get me into bed. Now I know the truth. The chances
you’ll ever be in my bed are zero to none. We have nothing else to talk about.”
He opened his mouth but before he could speak the com at his
belt went off. “Fuck! I have to take this. Adira, please give me just a moment
to explain.”
“Sure.”
He studied her with a narrowed gaze, but the alarm
continued. His fight between wanting to explain and needing to answer the com
flared in his expressive eyes. “I’ll be right back.”
She gave him a false smile and thrust her hands into her
pockets.
He threw her one last look before whirling around and
heading for the bar. As soon as he was behind the counter and checking on the
bot, Adira turned around and walked to the beautiful wooden door at the side of
the bar. A small bronze plaque read Lust.
Lust was the sex club attached to Indulgence. Adira had
never been nor had she ever planned to go. But finding out Mal was just like
all the other scecxis in her life she needed to do something different.
Something not her.
Visiting a sex club was about as far from being her as
letting a man be important enough to hurt her. She pulled open the door and
stepped through, cautiously entering the shadowed entranceway. A bot stood
behind a high marble counter. “Good evening, Sentinel Kapur. Welcome to Lust.
Please choose a colored wristband.”
She stared at the bands. “What do the colors mean?”
“White means you are up for any type of interaction, with
both male and female partners. Green means you are only interested in one
member of the opposite sex. Red means you wish multiple partners of the
opposite sex. Black means you have no interest in any interactions. You are
only in the club to watch, not to participate.”
Heat shot through Adira’s body when she imagined watching
other people give in to their fantasies and have sex in front of her. “Black.”
The word escaped her before she could even mull over the other options.
The bot handed her a black wristband. As soon as it touched
her skin the soft mimetic material shrank to fit her wrist. She shook it just
to make sure it didn’t come off. Adira took off her bag and handed it to the
bot. “Can you look after this?”
“Certainly, Sentinel.” It wheeled to the empty wall behind
the counter, which opened at its approach. Adira caught a quick glimpse of
other coats and bags before the wall closed up again. “It will wait for your
return.”
“Thank you.” She looked at the dimly lit corridor before
her.
“Sentinel, as this is your first visit to Lust, may I
familiarize you with the rules and protocols?”
She exhaled a sigh of relief. “Yes, please.”
“Do you prefer verbal transfer or would you like me to
upload the details to your internal comp?”
Adira didn’t like anyone outside a small group of people
making direct contact with her internal processor. “Verbal.”
“Absolutely. You have chosen a color for your wristband. If
you would like to change your choice you only have to touch the band and state
the intended color. All interactions have to be consensual. If at any time you
find yourself in a situation outside of your control, please punch or kick the
wall or any other immobile surface in the club. Assistance will come to you.
“The serving men and women are clearly identifiable through
their black uniform. They are not part of the entertainment, but only here to
deliver food and drink as and when required.” It pointed along the corridor.
“Each room has a different theme. You are welcome to enter any room with a
green light at the door. Red lights mean the room is in private use. Please do
not attempt to join or participate in any of the performances unless you have
been invited. Any questions?”
Adira shook her head. It all sounded pretty straightforward.
And utterly and completely outside her comfort zone. She
exhaled, cursing her temper and Mal’s words. This was not how she had thought
the evening would go.
She rubbed her chest, the ache inside it unfamiliar and a
little surprising, and nodded her thanks to the bot. She followed the corridor
until she reached the first door with a green light. She swallowed and opened
it.
Chapter Two
Mal’s jaw dropped when he saw Adira enter Lust.
What the
Jade is she doing? Does she think she can replace me with some nitwit in the
club?
The thought turned his vision red. No way in hell would he let her
go, and not just because she was his potential lifemate. Her energy,
stubbornness and sheer personality didn’t allow him to let her slip through his
fingers.
He wanted to kick himself for his stupidity. Adira’s news
had hit him totally by surprise. He’d never imagined she’d leave before he
could bridge the distance between them. His fear of losing her had exploded.
He hurt her and that turned his stomach. He knew underneath
her tough shell was a sensitive and vulnerable woman. Mal still couldn’t
believe he’d trampled all over her. He needed to make her understand he didn’t
mean it.
Hopefully she’ll give me another chance.
He looked around. He was here to keep the girls safe. To
ensure no one else was taken. Jackson, the owner and manager of Indulgence and
its attached clubs, had hired him and his team to prove Jackson wasn’t
kidnapping girls from his own club. So far they’d not had any kidnap attempts,
only a couple instances of men trying to spike drinks or not taking no for an
answer.
His eyes landed back at Lust’s door. He never wavered in his
duty, especially if innocents were at risk. But he also had his heart, his
future, to consider.
Duty or love?
Mal looked around. Everything appeared in order. After Adira
trampled all over his ego Jim had disappeared in a huff.
Mal stared at the black door again.
Finally he made a decision and contacted Ethan, his
second-in-command, through his internal comp. “I need you to take over.”
Ethan asked no questions. “I’ll be there in twenty.”
Mal signed off and tapped his fingers against the
countertop. He kept himself busy with filling orders, checking the door every
two seconds. Finally Ethan walked through. The bulky Vampire stepped behind the
counter in his typical silent manner and took drink orders. Mal nodded his
thanks and strode over to Lust.
Now he just had to find a way to garner Adira’s forgiveness
for his stupid words. Talk about an epic battle.
He opened the door and stepped inside.
* * * * *
A large room extended before Adira. One look at the stage
showed a typical male fantasy with one man and four beautiful women. She had
enough of frustrating jackasses in her real life, Adira didn’t want to see them
in her fantasies. She turned away and looked for the next scenario.
She found it in the second room and once again opened the
door to a wide-open space.
The first third was in shadow. A dim light-sphere appeared
by her head as she walked inside, guiding the way to an area filled with large
chairs, a number of them occupied. She found one away from the other observers
and sat. The chair immediately adapted to her size and expanded into a
comfortable lounger.
The room was set up like an arena with the shadowed entrance
slightly higher than the lit stage at the other end of the room. Between the
seating area and the stage area was a gap. Adira assumed it marked the
separation between watchers and performers.
She exhaled, leaned back and finally let her eyes settle on
the performance.
Sumptuous fabric in dark reds covered the back wall. A
beautifully decorated red-and-gold daybed held a woman dressed only in sheer,
gauzy material, more like a decoration than a cover. Luscious pillows and gold
trimmings covered the floor and the rest of the stage area. It was as if she
floated in a lake of allure.
Four men in loincloths stood at the foot of the bed, their
heads bowed. They all had a distinct look, even if they were all the same type.
Young, between six and six-three, around one-ninety, and a body to die for.
Adira cataloged their physical descriptions within seconds. None of them had
any body hair and all four wore leather collars.
They were all enticing and a joy to look at, but another
man’s body continued to flash before her eyes. Taller, more thickly muscled and
surrounded by a dark energy that drew her in, made her want to break her rules
and for once take a risk.
And she’d blown her chance by responding so emotionally.
Yes, Mal’s jab had hit a bull’s eye, but she’d said plenty of things in the
heat of the moment and regretted it later. In a queer sort of way him hurting
her meant he knew her.
Adira rubbed her face.
Bloody hell, you’re one step away
from going around the bend.
She settled back into her chair and tapped her fingers on
the armrest, waiting for the scene to begin. A small screen popped up. Adira
touched it and images of the performers appeared. The presentation was called
Celestial
Love
. The woman represented the sun, and the four men moon, storm, stars
and comet.
For a moment she wondered about the anonymous bodies before
her. What route had they taken to end up on stage in a sex club? Adira shook
her head. All of the performers were healthy and fit. She saw no signs of abuse
or the body language of victims.
They wanted to entertain her and entertain her they would.
The female, long blonde hair, golden skin and big golden
eyes, waved two men over. The first had tousled blond hair, a small tattoo on
his shoulder and wore a white loincloth. The second had brown hair with blond
streaks and a deep-brown loincloth. The two men knelt beside the bed and
gently, carefully stroked their lips across the woman’s body, moving the silky
material against smooth skin. She raised her arms above her head, stretching
her body sinuously.
Heat gathered in Adira’s core, far more than she would have
expected from the little she’d seen so far. She’d watched the odd porn flick,
but observing real people live was a whole different game.
The scene captured her. Adira wanted to step closer, not to
participate but to see better. It was as if a whole new world opened up before
her.
Over the next few minutes the two men undressed the woman,
only touching her with their lips and tongues.
The fire raged hotter inside Adira. Two men, totally and
utterly focused on one woman.
The heat inside her spread across her body.
The woman moaned a word Adira didn’t catch and the two men
beside her stopped touching and instead knelt with their heads bowed. She waved
at a third man with white-blond hair in a silver loincloth. He went to his
knees and crawled toward her. He stopped at the foot of the bed and kissed her
feet. He licked and sucked on her toes, pulling them deep into his mouth.
Adira frowned. Her toes quivered at the thought of a certain
dark-haired male sucking them, but there was a submissive energy around these
men that kept pulling her out of the enjoyment of the scene.
The female gestured at the two men beside her. They rose
from their knees and leaned over her chest again, this time using their hands
to massage and tweak her breasts. She opened her legs and Silver Loincloth
rained kisses up her thighs on his way to the ultimate goal.
The two at her chest raised her breasts to their mouths and
sucked her nipples deep into the moist heat. Watching the group before her make
love was highly stimulating. Adira definitely enjoyed being a voyeur to this
scenario, something she’d never imagined, but the men’s attitude continued to
stop the fire from flaring out of control.
The brunet man moved across the woman’s body, laving the
same nipple as the one in the white loincloth. At the same time.
A lightning strike shot through Adira as the two men’s lips
and tongues met. Her breath stopped for a second. They moaned and kissed,
rising up and concentrating more on themselves than the woman between them. She
was not pleased and barked an order. Slowly, oh so slowly, the men separated.
Lava practically streamed off the two of them. That one move captivated Adira.
She leaned forward, her breathing uneven.
The woman rose to her elbows and picked up a narrow rod laid
out at her head. She smacked it across the kissing men’s backs.
They hissed in pain and jumped farther apart, bowing their
heads and moving to stand beside the last man, who had not yet moved. The
female performer gestured him over, but Adira couldn’t take her eyes off the
two men whose kiss had made her wet.
The moans of the observers around Adira increased in noise
level. Out of the corner of her eye she saw movement and clothes flung across
chairs. When she looked over two women, both wearing white wristbands, shared a
passionate embrace. The one on top tore off the other woman’s clothes and sank
between her legs.
Adira turned back to the scene on display. When she realized
the honest, sexy passion between the women next to her stimulated her more than
the dominant woman with her four sex slaves, Adira rose from her chair, her
eyes still on the two men at the foot the bed. Both had removed their
loincloths and watched the trio while rubbing their hard dicks, but their focus
was no longer on each other.
“Does it turn you on to watch the bitch being pleasured by
her slaves? I could do so much more for you than any of them.”
Adira froze. She recognized the voice and responded without
turning around. “Seriously, don’t you have anything better to do than get
smacked around by a woman double your height?”
Jim growled. Her reflexes, honed by training, helped her to
catch his hand in a crushing grip before it even got close to her face. She
turned. He was bulky and had some skeletory enhancements, but he didn’t have
her practice.
He ripped his hand out of hers and she let him. The light
sphere hadn’t come on, so Adira switched to night vision. “Why are you so
determined to piss me off?”
“I like tall, loud-mouthed bitches I can show their place.”
“It’ll be a cold day in hell before I let you touch me.” She
looked him up and down, raised her brow and showed him how unimpressed she was.
Adira had no idea if he could see her, but there was just something about him
that drove her to be the ultimate bitch. “Although you could be good for oral.
You wouldn’t even have to bend your knees to eat me out.” She shrugged. “Nah,
not working for me.”
The heat level in his upper body and head increased, his
augmentations powering up. Her comp picked up a pulsing at his temple, probably
a vein. His shoulders grew wider as he clenched his fists.
“You think you can speak to me like that, you bitch? You
won’t dare to do so after I’m done.”
Adira nearly rolled her eyes at his cliché, but flexed her
fingers. Her enhancements tingled to life. She and Jim stood just inside the
doorway, steps away from the seating area, steps away from the wall and door.
They were in a kind of no-man’s land. Going by the moans and groans coming from
the stage area as well as the chairs, attention wasn’t exactly directed their
way.
She could take him, but why take the risk? “I have no idea
what your problem is, but all I have to do is jump and punch these walls. We’ll
be swamped with security. Looking to take you out. Get over yourself and work
on your approach.”
He froze, but the red in her vision showed he hadn’t powered
down. “Stupid whore,” he growled under his breath, but she picked it up. He
stepped to the side to let her pass.
As if she would turn her back on him. “After you.”
Adira watched him whirl around and stomp off. Her gut told
her she’d have to watch out for Jim. There was something off about the way he
looked at women. Men tended to be jerks, but usually they went the route of
least resistance. Getting smacked down repeatedly by the same woman told her something
else was up.
She made a note to run a background check and see what else
Jim had been up to.
Then she remembered.
Parvati was no longer her territory and none of her esteemed
colleagues would give a flying fuck about her gut.
Adira cracked her knuckles. That wasn’t really fair. There
were a number of good cops at the station. She’d run the check and pass it on
to one of the few who actually cared about the people he was supposed to
protect. He would keep an eye on Jimbo, even if it was just based on a hunch.
She hovered near the entrance, giving Jim opportunity to
move away. Wouldn’t help if they bumped into each other again. On stage the
performance had reached its final phase, the woman moaning, her nails digging
into the backs of the men bowed over her breasts.
Moisture gathered in Adira’s pussy. The sole goal of all
four men was to heap pleasure on the woman and it was highly erotic. The
undertone of abject obedience still gave her a few chills, but the picture
before her sank into her fantasies.
She wanted this. She wanted to be the center of a man’s
consideration, have him focused on her every move, her every response.
Mal’s image jumped into her mind.
He’d know what to do, how to drown her in pleasure, drive
her to the brink and thrust her over it.
But she’d told him to fuck off.
Adira sighed and rubbed her suddenly tired eyes. She never
responded this emotionally, always kept her cool. She’d spent too much time in
the Good Old Boys’ club to be hurt by slander against her femininity. But Mal’s
words had struck her right at the core.
She exhaled.
The woman sobbed in the throes of her climax, the four men
around her doing everything in their power to drive her higher.
Adira shuddered. She had to swallow a couple of times to
gather moisture in her dry mouth. Jade, what a show. She might prefer her men
more alpha, but her panties grew soaked and her nipples didn’t seem to want to
relax again.
She exhaled and moved on slightly unsteady legs.
Adira wanted more. Wanted to see and experience more.
She strode through the door.