by Lauren Dane
Both of her brows rose this time as she shook her headand clucked her tongue. “My goodness. Well, then, she’s an idiot. Do you have any idea where she could be here in Las Vegas? Any family or friends?”
“Did you just compliment me, Ms. Hunter?” He smiled at her, feeling like the cat who ate the canary. She may have been long and lean, but her tits were gorgeously lush. A brief mental picture of her long, pale legs wrapped around his waist slid through his head.
“You’re very sure of yourself, aren’t you?” She stood and he did, as well. A business card landed on his desk. “If you can think of anyone or any other details, please let me know. I’ll let you get back to—” she looked at the large framed photographs of his dancers on his wall “—work.”
He watched her walk from his office doorway and listened to the click of her heels as she headed out of the club.
“Oh, yes. I am sure.” Smiling, he sat back in his chair and turned her card over between his fingers.
* * *
Two nights later, William sat surrounded by women as he watched the action onstage. For a brief moment, he wished a blonde with short hair and wild curls worked for him. Wished he could see her every day, get to know her.
Nell Hunter had been living in his head since the moment he’d met her. In every woman’s walk, he looked for her, compared, found them all wanting. In every woman’s eyes he searched for green, intelligent depths and got brown or blue.
She’d imprinted him in some way. Laid her existence on his skin until it fit him. The feeling was stifling and exhilarating all at once. To feel such an intense draw to anotherperson with a sort of longing was an entirely unfamiliar thing to William. He’d felt lust, desire, even love, but not whatever it was plaguing him right then.
She returned to his thoughts like a song he couldn’t get enough of. And like that experience he kept waiting for the annoyance to set in, for his subconscious to move on to another, new shiny thing. But it had not happened. Instead, the longing spread, deepened.
He toyed with it, with thinking about it even though it made him wary. He approached thoughts of Nell Hunter and the way she made him feel, knowing aversion was better. He thought on it anyway.
In truth, the depth of whatever they’d shared in his office scared him right down to his Prada loafers. He loved women. Loved them in volume, the more the better he’d always felt. He’d settled in with Leah because she’d interested him, matched him in bed well enough and seemed to share his passions about business. And she’d ripped him apart by attempting to destabilize the one unshakable foundation in his life—his family.
Since the day he’d listened to his mother tell him about Leah’s blackmail attempt and then Leah herself on the tape, he’d always had a yawning distance between his emotions and anyone else. Even his younger brother, Nash, had trouble getting past his defenses and Nash was the closest confidant William had.
No one would ever have that kind of power over him again. The power to lay him low. Love wasn’t important enough to him to risk that sort of exposure.
In truth, he continued thinking while the woman next to him stroked long nails over his trousers and alert cock, the more he thought about Nell Hunter, the more she seemed to have wormed her way under his skin.
Which could not happen.
No. The woman was way off his to-do list. Pretty, sexy, definitely smart, but not for him and that was all there was to it. He would help her find Leah if he could because Leah was an infectious disease and needed to be removed from humanity before she brought any more destruction. But there would be no fucking of the aforementioned Nell Hunter with her long legs and high, delicious breasts. No matter what color her nipples were. No matter how much his mouth watered as he imagined the taste of her neck just below her ear. He really wouldn’t think about what it would feel like to sink his cock deep into her cunt. He shivered for a moment and nearly groaned at the phantom, wet squeeze of her pussy as he slid into her.
Wrenching his attention away, he sent a subtle rise of his chin to the brunette next to him. All he needed was to get laid and Nell Hunter would be out of his head.
CHAPTER THREE
Nell walked past the shimmery doormen and through the club’s doors. Immediately the magic of the space responded, closed around her and allowed her to pass.
Darkness was a bar, a dance club, a place to hang out for the paranormal population in and around Las Vegas. Its location was cloaked by a fairly powerful spell the local Clan laid over it.
It seemed a small thing, a bar. Nothing so lofty really. But it was a safe haven. Like hallowed ground. No fights were allowed and the demons who watched the doors would take care of anyone who broke the space’s neutrality. Having to hide one’s otherness in everyday life became burdensome at times so places like Darkness were a welcome reprieve. Several such clubs/gathering places existed throughout the world.
“Nell! I’m pleased to see you,” Alex Sampson, a member of the Lee Clan, the witches who held Las Vegas, hailed from a nearby table.
She grinned as he pulled her into a hug before they sat. Alex had a platinum-blond mohawk and pale blue eyes. During the time when he wasn’t on official Clan business, he worked at a tattoo parlor near Freemont Street withseveral other witches. He was a picture of total rebel cool sitting there in his faded jeans and tight black T-shirt.
“Lovin’ the hair, my man. So, tell me, any word on the woman?”
“You’re not even going to flirt with me first? Come on, now, Nell. You know I like it when you’re flirty.” He flashed a smile.
“This woman makes me very unhappy. I want her to go away and I want to bag these mages and get this done with. I’m remodeling my kitchen and if I’m not there to guard the contractors, my dad comes by and tries to help. Now that my mom has retired from hunting she’s glad to foist him off on me to get him out of her hair.” She bracketed the word help with finger quotes. Her dad was an astrophysicist, but he could not deal with hammering and basic stuff like that. Which drove him nuts, so he routinely took classes and harassed all manner of handymen and woodworkers to let him help.
Alex snorted and sipped from his glass. “Mango smoothie. Want one?”
She nodded and after a briefinterchange with the server, a tall glass of frothy orangey-yellow goodness appeared before her. “Holy crap, that’s good,” she moaned. “It’s, like, eight hundred degrees outside today. What is with the heat? It’s still, like, a hundred at 2:00 a.m. I live in Seattle to avoid the heat.”
“Pussy.” He pushed a file toward her. “Here. One of my people saw your little friend out with some of the high rollers over at Mandalay Bay. Don’t know if she’s working them or if she’s just on holiday.”
Nell rifled through the pictures and the attached notes.“This is excellent work. Why Lucas doesn’t have you working for him anymore, I don’t know.”
“Puhleeze. Lucas’s current paramour is not okay with our past history. She’s jealous. So he’s pretending and keeping all manner of temptation away.”
“Well, that’s a very pretty picture. And you are very tempting.” Nell took another drink of the smoothie and let herself imagine Lucas’s long dreadlocks trailing over Alex’s tatted belly. “Sorry, I was in my happy place for a moment. But I don’t believe it. You two have been friends since your breakup.” A breakup she couldn’t really understand because they’d always seemed good together.
Alex shrugged. “Moving along. You want to come back to my place? If I remember,” he leaned forward and drew two fingers down her thigh, “you like it in the middle of the day.”
“Tempting. Truly. But Galen is expecting me for a conference call to the full council in less than half an hour. If I recall correctly, you like to take your time.” Alex was a very inventive guy between the sheets. Still, despite her general sexual frustratedness, and hello, Las Vegas was filled with pretty, nearly naked people, she sensed Alex was looking for something to fill the emptiness hinting at the corner of his smile. A love
ly afternoon fucking wasn’t going to do it.
“You know my number if you change your mind. You can bring Galen.” He winked.
“Ha.” She stood and tossed down some money. Holding up the file a moment, she hugged Alex briefly. “Thank you for this. You should come visit. I keep telling you, you need to see Seattle. My friend Meriel is single, you know.”
“I’ve heard all about Meriel Owen. And the last thing Ineed is that kind of business. I keep my partners away from full council, remember? Too complicated otherwise.”
He walked her out and they separated at the crosswalk. “Say hello to Lucas.” She waved and jogged across Las Vegas Boulevard toward the Liege on the other side where she’d meet up with Galen.
They would catch Leah Mathers or someone would die trying.
* * *
During the phone conference, or rather as they waited for what felt like years to be heard by the full council, Nell thought about William Emery.
How could she not?
He got to her and she liked it. What was it about a cocky, arrogant and slightly cold man that made her all sweaty? In William’s case, she didn’t sense his coldness as something natural, but more of a defensive behavior.
She didn’t need to have special gifts to have felt the pain radiating from him when the subject of Leah Mathers came up. Nell saw the shock on his face when she handed him the picture of his ex-fiancée, heard the slight hesitation in his voice and then the anger that flattened out the upperclass Boston accent he’d had only moments before. But he’d recovered quickly, his cocky veneer sliding back into place. She liked that sort of resilience.
Still waiting, she returned to musing over his mouth. The man had a very nice mouth. He tried to be hard, but his mouth said otherwise. His mouth said he could kiss a woman for hours until she was drunk with his lips, until his taste led her into all sorts of delicious trouble.
Galen caught her eye and raised a brow in her direction. Sheshrugged with a smile. He’d caught her, no use denying it. She’d tell him later—he’d pester her until she did anyway, so it was useless to resist him when he wanted to know something.
Finally they were able to report on the status of the investigation and ring off. Nell hated the politics of the job, hated having to think about every word and movement, always being careful about who you addressed when. Witches had crazy hierarchy and if you didn’t follow it, people got miffed.
Now that they’d finished up and had disconnected, Galen turned to her and simply made a get on with it motion with his hand.
“We’re walking and talking. I need to squeeze into some ridiculous dress for the club Alex’s spotter saw Leah in. You need a tie. Hmm. Suddenly I’m feeling better. Knowing you’ll be as uncomfortable as me makes me happy. I’m petty that way.”
He grumbled as they headed toward their bedrooms from the main area where they’d been on the phone call.
She left the door open as she dressed and called out to Galen. Somehow telling him about her crush on William Emery was easier that way.
“Hang on,” he said as he entered the room, already dressed and looking handsome. “Just as I thought. You’re hopeless, Nell.”
He reached into the neckline of her dress and adjusted her bra.
“Hey!”
“You have nice breasts, use them. We’re going into this club filled with singles and you need to sex it up a bit. You’re wearing makeup, right?”
“What? Why? Come on, my boobs are hanging out andeveryone’s gonna stare at them as it is. What difference does lipstick make?”
He just stared at her until she sighed and pointed toward her overnight bag.
“This stuff is still in the original packaging.” Galen struggled to open up the plastic.
“Yeah, Meriel gave it to me before I left. She’s always on me to girl up a little.” It partly amused, but also rankled. She wasn’t horrible to look at just because she didn’t have her best friend’s elegant beauty and perfect hair. It wasn’t that she never ever wore makeup or dressed up, but when she was in the field or doing research she didn’t have much call to get dolled up.
She sat still while Galen primped, brushed, lined and generally worked some everyday cosmetic magic on her face.
When he finished she opened her eyes and inspected his work. She couldn’t help but smile at her reflection. “Nice work. I suppose it’s a testament to how many women you bed when you can turn a pumpkin into the princess’s carriage.”
“Why, yes, I’ve learned much from the lovely women I encounter. Also doesn’t hurt when your mom did theater for thirty-five years. But cut the crap. You’re a naturally beautiful woman, Nell.” Galen looked into her face as he inspected his work. “All I did was shine you up a bit. Meriel thinks so, too. She just likes to give you things.”
She stood and kissed his cheek, careful not to smear. “Thank you. Goodness, you look pretty delish.” She looked him up and down as they headed out to the hall and toward the elevators. “It’s a shame you’re practically my brother or I’d jump on you every chance I got.”
CHAPTER FOUR
After a rather illuminating few hours at the nightclub Alex had sent them to, they’d headed straight to the Liege. They needed to stop by the Dollhouse to see if Emery was there.
“You know, I didn’t say much about it back in the room, but from what you said, this Emery guy is totally wrong for you. Which means you can’t get enough, I’m sure. Just watch yourself.” Galen said it without judgment, but it rankled that he was right anyway.
“I’m a big girl, thank you very much.” She paused and turned toward him. “This is just business. I need to follow up with Emery with what we learned at Club Indigo.”
They’d heard a few things from some of the staff at the nightclub and Nell thought it would be wise to see if William could add anything. It wasn’t that she wanted to see him or anything. Not like she’d been thinking of him pretty much nonstop in the two days since she’d seen him last. Not at all.
Light strobed from the entrance. There was a line of people, but Galen just rolled his eyes and she straightened her spine and thrust out her boobs. Together with a subtle persuasion spell and her cleavage, the doorman seemed to find a way to fit two more people inside and let them pass.
“You stay here. I’m going to talk to him alone.” The woman checking coats and bags informed her William was either in his office or at the VIP table.
Galen shrugged. “I’ve got your back. Be careful, Nell. Not just about this guy, but these mages are too serious to ignore.”
* * *
William looked around the lounge area. The dancers were between sets so the lights were up a bit and slow, throbbing electronica filled the air.
He missed a woman he’d met two days before and had been with for a grand total of perhaps half an hour.
His vision snagged on a pair of long-as-sin legs and his gaze traveled up lean thighs to the hem of a very short black dress. He took his time when he arrived at some stellar breasts, up the long line of exposed neck to a lovely face punctuated by glossy lips and big eyes. Looking right back at him.
One of her brows rose and he realized it was her. “Excuse me, everyone. I’ve got some business to attend to.” He stood and made his way toward Nell with every intention of killing anyone who got in his way.
Taking advantage of the noise, he leaned in close, placing his arm around her waist. “To what do I owe the honor of this visit?”
“I’m sorry to bother you at work, but I found out some things about Leah and I needed to see if you could help.”
Even though she was speaking about Leah, William’s body, his brain all thrilled to see Nell, hear her velvet voice.
“Come on back.” He kept a hand at her back to guide her through the crowd and down the back hall where his office was located.
Once he’d closed the door after them, his hearing took amoment to adjust. He motioned her to the chairs bracketing a small table in the corner.
&n
bsp; “Would you like a drink?” He sure needed one. Seeing her dressed up this way discomfited him. She was beautiful sitting there, poised but humming with energy. Still, oddly enough, while he couldn’t object to the amount of bare skin she showed, he apparently preferred her the way she’d been in his office before. Go figure.
“I’ve already had a few, but thanks. I’m not good with a lot of alcohol in me.”
He looked at her as he sat, sipping his Scotch and taking her measure. Bright green eyes met his, shooting right through him.
“Really now? Good for whom? Do you get wild and dance topless?” William really had no idea why he teased her—she was off his to-do list and everything.
She blushed, which, God help him, just made it worse. He hadn’t been around women who genuinely blushed in a long time. Unless you counted his sister-in-law who was one tough woman, despite those blushes she occasionally gave when Nash said something particularly racy.
“Stop that,” she said without any real heat. “You said before you didn’t know of any family Leah might have in the area. But how about friends named Jonah Cutler or Randy Bane?”
Right to the point. He sighed and thought. “I really don’t think so. Randy sounds sort of familiar, but not the last name. We’ve got a distributor here named Randy Johaness so I may be thinking about him. Why are you all dressed up?”
Her eyes widened a moment. “Is that your totally random question for the day or does it have a purpose?”
“I’m not trying to start a fight.” Although if she was mad she wouldn’t be so appealing maybe. Or at least she probably wouldn’t want to get naked with him. Which was a good thing. Absolutely. “It’s just you look so different tonight than you did the other day when you were here. Just curious. You look lovely.”
“So is patronizing your fallback personality? Can’t a woman dress up? The other day I was in the field, it would have been silly to wear something like this. But tonight I went out. It’s Las Vegas. I see women out there, including the one who was practically kissing your zipper, dressed in far less.”
