by CoraLee June
I blushed. My girl crush was in full swing. “Do so you!” I rushed out. Shit. Diego chuckled beside me.
No need to be flustered, dear.
I looked around the table with a polite smile that dipped to a frown the moment my eyes landed on Graham. The moment our eyes collided, he stood up, chalice in hand. “Can I have everyone’s attention, please?” Diego stiffened beside me. I reached under the table to grab his hand. “It seems celebrations are in order. Our modest king has been keeping a very important and exciting secret from you all.”
His voice boomed over the room as he spoke. I had a sinking feeling in my gut that I knew where this conversation was headed. “His new courtship is more important than he originally led on. It appears our society has the first formal fated mate in half a century.”
Some people gasped. I sunk lower in my seat, embarrassed about the various pairs of eyes now fixed on me. Diego stood up. “Drew and I have been exploring our new connection. We are excited to share this news with all of you. Thank you, Graham for announcing it so eloquently. I’ve never felt more enthralled,” Diego continued while looking at me. He then snapped his head back to Graham. “Or more powerful. I believe our fated union will serve this coven for centuries to come.”
Graham looked pissed but still raised his glass. “Long live the eternal king, and long live his fated mate.”
Everyone in the room mimicked his movements, but the tables were silent. This was not on the agenda tonight. Graham wanted to make a statement by outing us to the coven, but I didn’t know what that statement was.
As soon as Graham and Diego were both seated, whispers broke out among the tables.
She’s just a fledgling.
She’s weak. I bet Diego is miserable with her.
She’s not even that pretty.
Diego caught my eye and smiled, but I could tell it was forced. I felt like I was back in high school, wondering if the popular girls were whispering about me in the hallways. I scanned the room and saw Betty making a rude gesture to someone at another table, and I wanted to hug her for it.
She’s not worthy enough to be a vampire, let alone a queen.
Gross. I wouldn’t be with her even if we were fated.
Tears started to form in my eyes, but I forced myself to be strong. “May I please have your attention,” Claire said. I hadn’t even noticed that she had stood up. Once all eyes were on her, she looked over at me and Diego, a warm smile on her face. “I wanted to congratulate the two of you on your official courtship. I have never seen Diego so happy.”
She shifted so that her full attention was on me. “Drew, you have been a breath of fresh air. I absolutely adore you, and I am excited for a future with your paired leadership. I know that you are not only destined for each other but also for great things. Otherwise the fates wouldn’t have chosen you.” Claire raised her goblet, and the rest of the coven did as well. “To Diego and Drew, long live the king and queen.” She sipped her wine and took her seat again. The coven members did the same and followed with genuine applause. Claire was a god.
I mouthed thank you to Claire, and she winked at me before getting sucked into a conversation with Asher. The room soon filled with casual conversation, and Graham went back to looking like someone stole his favorite toy.
Drew
“Everyone hates me,” I pouted. I wasn’t usually someone that gave a flying fang about what others thought, but this was different. It made me feel inadequate. Diego held my hand as we walked to my apartment, and at my words, he squeezed me tight. “They’ll grow to accept you. They’ll see how incredible you are, just like I do.”
We stopped at my door, and Diego shuffled from side to side, looking like an anxious kid wanting to ask his mother for some candy at the store. “You want to come inside?” I asked, and his face lit up like a Christmas tree.
“Yeah. I’d—uh—I’d love to.”
I unlocked the door and looked over my shoulder at Rocky, who was standing down the hallway, giving us the illusion of privacy while still watching over us. “I think we’re good, big guy. Why don’t you go visit Betty? She was bummed you couldn’t meet up.”
Rocky cleared his throat, and Diego smiled. “Go. I’ll call if I need anything.” The love-struck guard nodded and sprinted down the hallway as we shut the door. “Betty!?” Diego asked the moment the door shut. “As in Bitchy Betty?”
“The same one,” I said with a smile while placing my hand on his shoulder to stabilize myself as I took off my shoe. Pussy was lounging on the couch and greeted us with a hiss and a look of complete annoyance.
“Good for them,” Diego murmured.
“Mm-hmm,” I replied. I took off the other shoe and started rolling my neck.
“Are you okay?”
Letting out a huff of air, I started walking to my bedroom, with Diego hot on my heels. I knew he could feel what I was feeling and appreciated him for having the decency to ask. “I’m sad,” I admitted. “I haven’t had time to process losing my job. I’m kind of avoiding it all together right now.”
“I imagine it’s really difficult for you,” Diego replied. I stood in front of my gold full-length mirror and lowered the zipper to my dress. Once the fabric hit the floor, Diego gasped.
“It was my whole life. Hell, the day I was turned, I escaped for a product pitch. I feel betrayed. And it’s not like there are prejudice laws in place for vampires. She fired me because of what I am now. It sucks. I feel lost. It’s another thing stripped from me.”
Diego sat on the edge of my bed and loosened his tie, his hungry eyes on me. He got points for still listening to me, despite practically throwing my half-naked body at him. “Were you serious about starting your own company?”
“I think so. I keep coming up with names.”
He smirked as I let down my hair. This domestic strip tease was making me flush. “Oh? What names have you come up with?”
“Diddle Me This.”
Diego blinked twice. “Clever.”
“I was also thinking Splash Zone, Tunnel of Love, or The Spot.”
Clearing his throat, Diego responded after a long stare. Oh. Did I mention I stripped out of my pinching strapless bra? My boobs were on full display. “I personally like the name Lickity Spit.”
“Good one!” I replied before moving to straddle him. Diego’s eyes were wide. His lips parted as I threaded my fingers through his hair. “You know what’s crazy, though?”
“How insanely fucking hot you are?” Diego answered before reaching out to drag his sensitive fangs across my skin. I shivered.
“No,” I rasped. “What’s crazy is how I’m not scared.” Diego stopped teasing me to look me in the eye. “I’ve spent most of my life working multiple jobs and bouncing from house to house. I learned that I could only rely on myself, you know? But even if this coven thinks I’m a dweeb, I still have you. I still have this community. I’ve never had someone I could rely on before, aside from Ryan and Yaz, and this mate thing makes me feel really secure even though life feels hella uncertain right now.”
The love in Diego’s gaze couldn’t be faked, and I didn’t mind how he looked up at me with adoration or how his mind link leaked affectionate words.
So beautiful. So perfect. She will always be mine. I will always be there for her.
Diego brushed back a few strands of my hair, tucking them behind my ear before threading his fingers through the rest of it at the nape of my neck. He pulled my head down, guiding my mouth to his, until our lips met. His kiss started slow and sweet, but as I began grinding on his cock over his pants like a horny teenager, his kiss deepened, becoming needy and primal.
I reached down and tugged the hem of his shirt. I pushed it up and over his head and tossed it on the floor. The sight of Diego half-naked and bucking underneath me sent a fresh wave of heat between my thighs. If I didn’t know he was a vampire, I would think he was a god.
His muscles were sculpted to perfection, like he was carved by an extremel
y talented artist. I don’t think I’d ever seen him go to the gym. Did he have to work out to maintain his Herculean figure, or do you have the same body as when you were turned forever? Could I eat as much cake as I wanted without gaining a pound? I moaned with excitement at the prospect of guilt free carbs for the rest of eternity.
“You sound so hot riding my cock,” Diego moaned back to me.
Oh shit. Dirty talk. Don’t say cake.
“Mmmm, you feel so good. I want to make you come so hard.” I was a pro at dirty talk.
Diego stopped kissing me and looked me in the eye. Why’d he stop? Maybe I wasn’t that good at dirty talk…
“Drew?”
I swallowed. His tone was serious. Could he tell I was thinking about cake? I wasn’t sure where this was going. “Yeah?”
“Do you want me? Do you want this? You have all the control right now, baby.”
Oh man. There was something so sucking sexy about a man seeking consent. It made me feel heard, and more importantly, it made me feel safe with him. Even if he had some vampire voodoo capable of making my hormones go haywire, this felt genuine. He cared about me. My needs were more important than our fated situation.
I kissed Diego hard and fast. It was a vicious sort of kiss that practically screamed how badly I wanted him. “Yeah. Take your clothes off, Diego. I want to ride your cock.”
Within seconds, he was lifting me off his lap and slamming me into the mattress. Clawing at his clothes like a maniac, I watched the expensive dress pants rip from his body and fall to the ground. His rock-hard member sprang free as Diego released it from its boxer brief prison.
“I want to feel your sweet pussy clenching around my dick,” Diego rasped, climbing into the bed and resting his weight on top of me. He slid his fingers down my body, giving my nipple a quick pinch before following my curves to the apex of my thighs.
“But first, these have to go,” he said, tracing the outline of my lacy panties with his finger. He slipped his fingers under the waistband and was met with smooth, freshly shaved skin. Score for the new bikini wax kit I bought three days ago. Diego ran his fingers over my slit, and my muscles tightened in anticipation of his skilled fingers dipping inside me. I moaned my appreciation when they met my slick, wet heat and moved inside expertly.
“Diego. Now.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said, ripping my panties off and flipping me over so that I was on top of him again. “Slide on me, beautiful.”
I braced my hands on his chest and lifted. He fisted his cock to help guide it into me.
Fuck, he was big. I moved teasingly slow as I lowered, moaning at the sight of Diego’s body. He was barely hanging on, melting at the feel of my tight pussy wrapping around him. The moment I had fully settled onto him, I sat there for a moment, looking Diego in the eye while feeling the fullness of him.
“Perfect fit,” I whispered before winking. My breathy voice filled the room.
“Fucking perfect,” was all Diego could choke out.
I rode him hard. My breasts bounced with every stroke. I put all those Kegel exercises to work.
“I need more,” Diego grunted while grabbing my breasts. “You ready to fuck like a vampire, beautiful?”
His words intrigued me. I slowed my movements to bend down and tug on his lip with my sharp teeth, the points puncturing his skin. I sucked a bit on the drops of blood collecting in his mouth, savoring his taste. “I’m ready for you to fuck me hard, Diego.”
That was all the encouragement he needed. Diego used his super speed to pick me up off the bed, zoom across the room, and slam us against the wall, all while keeping inside of me. “What the—” My voice was cut off as his fangs slid into my neck. He wrapped my legs around his waist while fucking me like a mad man.
Pleasure unlike anything I’d ever experienced flooded me. The hard wall at my back provided necessary support. My framed painting of Chris Hemsworth crashed to the ground from the force of his thrusts. I didn’t even care.
I couldn’t think. My hips moved on their own, reacting to Diego’s thrusts. I dug my nails deep into his back, the tension in my body building and begging for release. I gasped, “I’m so close.”
Diego drove me harder into the wall, pinning me in place. His fangs slid into my neck, and he began to drink at the same moment as my release. I gave my body completely over to Diego and got lost in the bliss. “You’re so fucking hot when you come,” Diego whispered, slowing his movements long enough to let me recover from my orgasm.
I let out a long breath that I didn’t even realize I had been holding. When I could feel my legs again, I wrapped them tighter around Diego and started to grind, letting him know I was ready to return the favor.
His thrusts became faster, full of power and need. This time, I dipped my fangs into his neck and drank. The floral aroma of his blood, mixed with the scent of our sex, brought me back to the brink of pleasure and made me hungry for more.
I matched the force of his thrusts with my own frenzied movements. I couldn’t get enough of Diego, I felt wild with need. This time, when the orgasm took over my body, Diego threw his head back and made a low guttural sound, thick with pleasure as he exploded inside of me.
Mine.
Mine.
Mine.
I wasn’t sure whose thought was whose. The carnal, mutual ownership was so satisfying and fulfilling. Diego and I were one in every sense of the word, and when we came down from the high of being together, I looked him in the eye and saw his soul.
“I guess that was okay,” I breathed out while keeping my expression neutral. Even though the declarations our bodies and minds made were beautiful, I wasn’t ready to say the words out loud.
“Wh-what? Okay?” Diego sputtered. “Just okay?”
“I mean. I think you need some practice, Diego.” I couldn’t stop the smile that formed on my face.
He caught on to my teasing and flashed his fangs. “Well, beautiful. There’s something you should know about vampires that you won’t find in the pamphlet.”
“What’s that?” I asked with a grin.
“We heal fast. We recover fast. If you want practice, my dear, then I suppose we could go all night.”
My eyes widened. A man that didn’t need rest was impressive.
“Let’s see if you can beat my record for consecutive orgasms in one night, Diego,” I replied with a wink.
Diego started thrusting again. I was so fucking sensitive. He hadn’t even pulled out and he was already going for round two? Sucking bliss. “And what would that record be?”
I grinned while gripping his back. “When I was a product tester for the Demon Hunter 3000, I came thirteen times in one night,” I replied proudly, though my voice was choppy from his hard thrusts.
Diego licked his fangs and paused his movements to reply. “Challenge accepted.”
Drew
“So, you really want to run this sex toy company with me, Betty?” I asked. When I approached Betty about starting my own business, I thought she would laugh it off. Instead, she started spouting off ideas, one after the other, faster than I could keep up. And they were sucking good ideas. I impulsively asked her if she wanted to be my partner, and she accepted right away. Which made me suspicious since Betty and I had a love-hate relationship at best.
“Hell yes, I do. You may not be my first choice in a business partner, but I like the concept, and I love the idea of empowering women through sexuality. So you’ll have to do.” Ah. There’s the Bitchy Betty I’ve come to know and love. Love might be a strong word, but I kind of like her sometimes. “Hopefully, since we will be spending so much time together, my fashion sense will rub off on you, and you will start making better choices. Especially if I’m going to have to look at you every day.”
Suck it, Betty.
“Well, we can’t all be as glamorous as you,” I said dryly. We were sitting on my well-loved pink couch, formulating a business plan, going over unique product ideas and coming up with ways to m
arket them.
“The elderly community is a seriously overlooked group when it comes to marketing sexual pleasure. Which is a damn shame since everyone in assisted living fucks like bunnies every chance they get. I want to start there. We can design a line of toys, enhancers, and lubes specifically for the over seventy community.”
“That’s a really good idea,” I said while writing a note on my iPad. “What sort of products do you think are needed in that market?”
“Gallon sized lube,” she replied dryly. “Once you go through menopause, it’s like the Sahara Desert down there.”
“Okay, we could definitely focus on that,” I replied while somehow managing to maintain a straight face.
“What else do you suggest?”
“Minimum effort sex swings. My knees aren’t what they used to be. I want something that can be easily installed in my bedroom that doesn’t look like it belongs at a sex club. Something ergonomic that takes some of the weight off our replaced hips. We have arthritis, you know. But we still want to be able to do fun positions.”
I swallowed. “Okay. I think we could bring up these points to a designer. Maybe find a chiropractor available to consult?”
“Brilliant,” Betty replied.
“Are you all talking about Lickity Spit?” Diego asked while walking through the front door. It had been two weeks of bliss. He spent more nights at my apartment than at his own, and Pussy only occasionally hissed at him.
“Betty is giving me product ideas,” I replied while smiling up at him. Diego bent down and kissed me on the cheek in greeting. His mind link blared in my mind.
You’re wearing my favorite stained pajamas again. You know what that does to me.
“Hello, Diego,” Betty interrupted. “Will you be present for our pitch tomorrow?”
Diego managed to get us a meeting with Claire to go over our new company. The coven had more money than God, and sometimes they invested in coven members’ business ventures.
“No, I would love to, but unfortunately, I have a prior commitment,” he said, his voice tinged with disappointment.
