Carlos’s lips twitched as he watched. She was both irritated and confused by her unexplained state, but of course, he knew the reason behind her loss of composure. His senses keyed, pulsating with her effort to maintain control. Her natural reaction to fight his glamour intrigued him. This was the second time she hadn’t succumbed immediately, and it amazed him more now than when she witnessed the incident with the young bloods. She was an anomaly. He studied her, wondering what her genuine response would be to him as a just man.
As he released her, Trina relaxed, her breathing grew more even, and her pulse beat in a steadier rhythm. He allowed her to pull her hand away from his and smiled. “But my dear, you haven’t brought me my drink yet, and I asked for it neat…no ice remember?”
Trina cleared her throat and shook her head slightly. “I’m so sorry, sir…” Flustered and embarrassed, she bent to pick up her tray and the spilled glasses. “I’m not really sure what just happened. You’ll have to excuse me and please accept my apologies.”
His eyes held hers, and for a moment time seemed to stop. “Don’t worry,” he assured with a wave of his hand. “It’s nothing, and please, my name is Carlos.”
Confused, Trina’s brow furrowed. “Okay then,” she mumbled, avoiding his eyes. “I’ll just go get you your drink.” Resting the tray on her hip, she turned, giving him a nervous glance as she headed back toward the bar.
***
The club was at full capacity, packed with people, and Trina worked up a sweat clearing her tables and carrying trays of drinks back and forth from the bar. She did her best, but by the look of things a half dozen servers wouldn’t have been enough.
“Have you worked here for very long?” Carlos asked as she refreshed his drink.
“A few months. The hours fit my schedule right now and the money’s decent. I’m still trying to finish school,” she said with a shrug. “I’m going for a master’s degree in psychology.”
“Why do you sound so halfhearted? An education is a noble thing to want to attain.”
“I know. It’s just taking a lot longer than I expected, plus I’m already older than the average graduate student.”
“Ahh, so it was your bones I heard creaking then, huh?” he added wryly, sliding his eyes to her as he took a sip of his drink.
Smirking, she laughed. “I’m twenty-six. That’s old to still be in school, not old in general, smart aleck. Thankfully I’ll be graduating soon, as long as this job doesn’t cripple me first.”
Bracing her tray against her hip, Trina sighed and rolled her shoulders. Her feet and her lower back ached from her spiked heels and her head throbbed from the music. “Thank God I’m off tomorrow. I don’t think my back could take another night in these shoes.”
“Then why don’t you sit for a moment?” he suggested, patting the soft velvet next to him.
She smiled, but shook her head. “Thanks, but I can’t. House rules.”
With a dismissive wave, he pulled her down to sit beside him. “That’s ridiculous.”
“No!” she said, her voice low but sharp. “I don’t know you and besides, you’ll get me into trouble.”
Her eyes flew open as he picked up her hand and kissed it. “Nonsense. You can take a moment to sit with me. Trust me, señorita, no one will even notice.”
His touch was unbelievable and his eyes so compelling, it made the simple gesture seem erotic. It was nothing more than a mere whisper of a kiss, yet it was so sensual. Trina swallowed, her heart skittering a few beats.
Butterflies exploded in her stomach. She let the air out of her lungs slowly, conscious of the fact she was front and center with her nerves and her libido surging irrationally. She pulled her hand from his, willing herself not to yank it from his grip. It felt tingly, like she had held one of those handheld personal massagers for too long. Forcing herself to focus, she stared at the floor.
With her hands locked in her lap, Trina sucked in a breath and looked up. “Carlos, I’m here to do a job, and while I don’t mind the small talk, I’m not here for anyone’s personal entertainment. I have to stay mindful of anything that could be misconstrued. In this kind of work, you have to draw the line somewhere, or the lines get blurred. I hope you understand. I get a little touchy when things get, well…touchy.”
Carlos just raised one eyebrow in surprise. With even less of a suggestion, any other woman would be giving him a lap dance by now.
“You seem like a nice enough guy, and while I appreciate the gesture, I think it would be better all the way around if we kept things professional, okay?”
She waited for him to say something, anything, but Carlos didn’t say a word. Uneasy, she pushed herself up from the couch and stood with her tray on her hip. She sighed, with just a hint of regret lacing her tone and tucked her hair behind her ear. “Well, I’d better get back to work.” Looking around at her other tables, she hesitated. “Again, I’m sorry. I’ll check in to see how you’re doing with your drink a little later.
***
As the night progressed, Carlos couldn’t tear his eyes from Trina. Three times, she had fought his glamour, each time regaining her composure more quickly than the time before. He searched his memory and his senses for an explanation, but couldn’t find one that sufficed, and his interest moved beyond mere curiosity.
Her presence played on every predatory instinct he possessed. He watched her as she moved from table to table, and it was all he could do not to spell her into leaving with him immediately—not that it would work. He focused his senses and tried to read her but couldn’t. Instead, all he could hear were his own racing thoughts.
The way his body had reacted, coupled with her resistance, had left him struggling with himself. He fought an almost overwhelming urge to dominate, to make her his, to have her body and soul. In the back of his mind, a warning voice urged him to leave before he did something he’d regret. But he couldn’t. He was obsessed. Again, he would watch and wait.
On the far side of the bar, he watched her take another order from the bartender. She headed over to a group of guys who sat not far from him and she gave him a quick smile as she passed, her tray filled with bottles of Corona.
The youths had caught his attention earlier. They had been drinking for a while, and with each round had gotten louder and more vocal with the women that passed their table. Their thoughts broadcast their intentions loud and clear, but after dealing with the two young bloods, Carlos was in no mood for more disrespect in his territory—vampire or human. He’d turn the tables on them before he’d allow that to happen, and save some unlucky girl a regrettable mistake in the process.
From their accent, it was obvious they were from out of town. Carlos watched as Trina put their drinks down, her body graceful and sexy with each subtle movement. He caught an unspoken exchange between two of the young men and tensed, his body coiled in anticipation.
“Hey baby, why don’t you let us buy you a drink?” One of the guys drawled as Trina handed him a beer, his eyes traveling the length of her body.
Trina just smiled professionally. “Sorry guys, can’t,” she answered politely only to have one of his friends put his leg up on the chair behind her, in effect blocking her exit.
Carlos watched as she closed her eyes and exhaled in annoyance. He was sure she’d dealt with drunks before and could probably deal with this, but tonight he was on a hair trigger, with absolutely no patience for bullshit.
“Come on baby, wanna have some fun? How ’bout you show us a good time. We’ll make it worth your while, sugar, what do you say?” another said while his friends laughed, egging him on.
Trina’s eyes narrowed and her smile fled. “Let me pass.” Her voice was low but severe.
The first guy got up and took hold of Trina’s arm. “Don’t be that way, sweet thing, we ain’t gonna bite,” he said, running his hand suggestively up her arm and grazing her breast with his thumb.
Carlos felt a snarl rumble low in the back of his throat. His eyes flashed red
and he was about to strike, when without missing a beat, Trina reached over and grabbed the guy’s wrist. She spun him around so fast that his arm was completely twisted and yanked backwards.
Pushing on the guy’s elbow, she forced his arm even further up his back. “Ow! You’re breakin’ my arm, bitch!” he yelled as Trina shoved him up against one of the mirrored walls, his cheek pressed hard into the glass.
Trina got right up behind his ear and shouted, “Is that the way your mama taught you to treat a lady?” she mimicked, pushing painfully on his elbow. He yelped even louder. Lowering her voice, she added, “If you or any of your friends ever put your hands on me again it’ll be the last thing you ever touch. Got it?” Her voice was no more than a whisper, but her meaning was loud and clear.
At this point the boy just whimpered, all his previous bravado gone. His friends scrambled to get their jackets as Trina’s boss and a couple of very large bouncers approached to escort them from the premises.
Carlos’s body was still tense and poised to attack, but as he watched the events unfold, he was curiously proud of the way Trina handled herself.
He inhaled deeply. Her heart raced with adrenaline as underlying anger and fear poured into her blood stream, scenting it with a metallic tang. Bouncers escorted the boys from the premises, and Carlos had to stifle the urge to follow and rip their throats out. He clenched his fists against a sudden wave of possessiveness, hardening himself as it crashed over and then receded.
After that, Trina was gone for a while, and he found himself growing edgier by the minute waiting for her to return. When she finally came out on the floor, he called her over. “Are you all right?” he asked, allowing only a hint of concern into his voice.
Trina shrugged. “Yeah, I’m fine. I’ve had to deal with situations like that plenty of times, but it never gets any easier. Alcohol just brings out the worst in some people, I guess.”
Carlos knew the threat was much more real than she let on, and he knew that deep down Trina knew it too. “Please, sit down,” he insisted. “I think you need a moment just to breathe. Besides, we never got to finish our conversation, and I think after what you’ve just been through you deserve a little break, no?”
Trina sat down without hesitation this time, and he handed her his glass. “To steady your nerves.”
She smiled and took the glass from him. “Thanks,” she said, and glanced down at the dark liquid. Raising the tumbler, she murmured, “Salud,” and took a sip. Swallowing hard, she coughed as she put the glass down on the paper coaster.
“Would you like something else instead?” Carlos asked. “I can get you something from the bar, a soft drink, perhaps?”
Trina put her hand on his. “No, I’m fine, thanks. I like rum. It’s just I haven’t really eaten anything tonight and drinking it straight like that probably isn’t such a good idea. I still have to work, you know. My shift isn’t over.”
She looked down at both their hands. “I guess I didn’t give you a fair chance before, Carlos. I’m sorry. I was just trying to be professional. I’m usually a pretty good judge of character,” she added, a little embarrassed. “I’m just not myself tonight. I guess I need to work on my people skills.”
He picked up her hand and kissed it again, holding it while his other hand trailed lightly over her forearm. “Oh, it looks to me like your people skills are pretty well honed. I’m impressed. Where did you learn to move like that?”
Trina blushed. “Martial arts. I hold a second-degree black belt in traditional Japanese karate with a strong emphasis on self-defense and jiu-jitsu.”
Carlos was pensive for a moment. He thought about the girl Sandro’s boys had lured to the back and wondered how she would have fared if she’d had the same training and presence of mind. “I think that’s commendable. Most women would have found themselves at a loss and probably would have panicked.”
Trina shrugged. “Maybe. Adrenaline plays a big part in it too.”
They were quiet for a moment. Trina picked up Carlos’s glass and took another sip.
“What are you doing tomorrow night? I thought since you said you weren’t going to be working that maybe you’d like to spend it together.”
Trina choked a bit, but not from the rum. “I’m sorry?”
Carlos smiled. “I asked if you’d like to get together tomorrow evening.”
She looked at Carlos for a moment, and a little smile spread across her mouth. “I’d love to. I’m ashamed to admit the thought crossed my mind too, regardless of my little speech earlier.”
“Ahh,” Carlos said, running his finger along the side of her cheek and down toward her neck. He felt her shiver slightly and the corner of his mouth twitched. This was an entirely new experience for him. Very human. Leaning over, he kissed her softly.
He heard her breath catch in her throat, but she put her hands on his chest and gently pushed him back. “Carlos, please don’t. You’ll get me fired. I shouldn’t even be sitting with you. It’s against the rules of the club to fraternize with the patrons.”
He took in her profile and the soft curve of her face and neck as she spoke. Her slight agitation had caused her color to rise, and his hands itched to feel the satin of her skin and the thrum of her pulse under his fingers. “I told you no one will bother us, trust me.” Trailing kisses along her shoulder to the spot where her pulse beat beneath her skin, he let the tips of his fangs elongate and gently grazed her neck. Not enough to break the skin, but enough to make his mouth water with expectation.
He cupped her face and kissed her lips again, savoring her sweet taste as he teased her mouth with his tongue. Trina kissed him back tentatively, as his hands caressed her shoulders and back while his lips captured every part of her mouth. She sighed and opened to him, kissing him back without reservation.
Carlos wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her against him, his hand sliding over the curve of her hip to cup the weight of her full breast. As his thumb grazed the sensitive edge of her nipple, it hardened in response beneath the thin satin of her vest. Trina threw her head back, arching into his hand, her hair falling like a curtain of silk behind her, exposing her throat.
Carlos pulled back, his fangs descending fully. Her kiss was heady, and his body was hard with need. He growled low and caressed the tender skin beneath her jaw line with his lips, his breath ragged against her skin. Her pulse beat erratically, and its pull pushed him to the edge. He slid his razor-sharp fangs into the blue vein that throbbed deliciously beneath them.
Her blood filled his mouth, and the moment its taste hit his tongue he knew. Stunned, his head shot up in disbelief and he looked at her. “Isabel,” he whispered.
He could hardly breathe—not that he actually needed air or that his lung functions were anything more than rote muscle memory, but his breath literally caught in his throat.
He sat speechless for a moment and licked her blood from his lips. Its taste was incomprehensible, steeped with Isabel’s essence. This felt like a dream, or maybe some kind of nightmare. Even if she had lived to a ripe old age, his Isabel had died over two centuries before. But this girl, this woman—there had to be a connection, but he couldn’t see how. Souls, even reincarnated ones, didn’t carry the same blood signature from one lifetime to another.
A small trail of blood trickled its way down between Trina’s breasts. With a groan, Carlos licked it clean, and then sank his teeth once more into the existing wound. He groaned again as the taste of her filled him, flooding his senses with images from the past as well as the present.
He took more, pulling deeply at her vein and trying to find an answer in the hot, coppery liquid. Trina gasped and arched her body even further. Electricity tingled beneath his hands as if her skin coursed with lightning.
She shivered in his arms, the heat from her arousal sizzling against his lips. With his hands, he followed its warmth down across her breasts and past her belly until her wet climax exploded against his palm.
Carlos’s min
d reeled. Her blood was potent and exhilarating and he moaned with the visceral pleasure of it. Her climax startled him with its force and his body urged him to take more. He hadn’t fed in weeks and knew if he didn’t stop now he’d end up taking her life.
He withdrew from her, and clenching his jaw, willed his need to subside. He had almost lost control, something he hadn’t done in nearly two hundred years and he refused to do so now.
With a quick swipe of his tongue he sealed the marks on her neck, watching them heal instantly. Kissing her deeply once again, he gently released her.
Trina sat back. She was breathless, flushed and clearly a little embarrassed. “I’m sorry. I…I don’t usually...” she stammered, folding her hands in her lap and looking down at them. She took a deep breath to steady herself, and then looked up, meeting his eyes. “This isn’t like me,” she whispered.
“Shhh…There is nothing for you to be ashamed of,” Carlos murmured, taking her face in his hands and kissing her gently. His want still throbbed in his head as well as in his groin, and the pull of her blood was strong, almost beyond reason.
Trina blanched. It was obvious she hadn’t a clue he had sampled her blood, yet her eyes read both pleasure and pain, registering the danger and ecstasy inherent in a vampire’s kiss. She put her hands on his shoulders and gently eased herself back, “I’m sorry, but I think it’s best if I get back to work.” As if heeding some internal warning bell, she took an uneven breath and pushed herself up from the couch, her hands shaking a bit. “Thanks for the drink.”
Carlos watched her smooth her skirt before walking back toward the bar. “Same here,” he murmured, and poured himself another shot. Trina wasn’t the only one shaken by the encounter.
Chapter Four
Trina slid behind the bar and grabbed a towel. Glancing over to where Rick counted out part of the night’s receipts, she mumbled an apology for being gone from the floor for so long. Truth was she didn’t know how long she’d sat with Carlos, and Rick’s grunt didn’t offer much of an answer either. It seemed like only minutes, but who connects on that kind of level in just minutes?
The Cursed by Blood Saga Page 51
