Wicked Nights

by Nina Bangs

  Asima did the equivalent of a cat shrug. “Should I care?”

  Sighing, Donna dropped a piece of steak to her. “After the power you demonstrated last night, it seems to me you can get your meals anywhere you want. Why’re you hitting on my steak?”

  “Because I can.” Asima waited expectantly for the next offering to drop her way. “It’s that delicious feeling I get when I’ve successfully manipulated someone. No offense, but you’re easy.”

  Donna narrowed her eyes and considered cutting off Asima’s steak supply. “I got the feeling at the opera that Sparkle and you knew each other.”

  “Yes.” She sat staring up at Donna until she got another piece of meat. “She’s a bitch.”

  “And?” At the rate Donna was dragging info from Asima, the cat would have plenty of time to finish off her steak.

  Asima looked thoughtful. Probably deciding how much to tell Donna. “We met a long time ago. Things happened.”

  “Uh-huh. How long ago? What things? And why’d she call you a gofer?” Resigned to the loss of her steak, Donna dropped another meaty bribe.

  Asima delicately chewed the steak as she considered her answer. “Oh, about two hundred years ago. She interfered in one of my assignments. I was molding this virginal young innocent into the perfect bride. Sparkle went behind my back, undermining everything I was doing. By the time the girl got to her marriage bed, she was a flaming tart.” Asima looked puzzled. “I can’t say that her husband minded—men are so clueless—but it was the principle of the thing.”

  Two hundred years? “What about the gofer thing?” Donna had to put down her fork until her hands stopped shaking. She’d thought the portal to hell was underneath the castle. Wrong. It evidently extended as far as the Sweet Indulgence candy store.

  Asima slid avaricious eyes toward the couple at another table. They’d ordered salmon. “I’m the messenger of a goddess. I’m not at liberty to say her name, but trust me, she’s a biggie.”

  She stood, stretched, and then started to pad away. But she paused to glance back at Donna. “Normally, I wouldn’t have told you about Sparkle. All immortals, no matter how lacking in dignity, should be able to depend on their fellow immortals to guard their secrets from humans. But Sparkle distracted me from my opera. No one messes with my music.”

  Even though Donna intended to confront Sparkle with lots of shouting and hand waving, she felt the need to defend her on one front. “Lacking in dignity?” She smiled at Asima. “So let me get this straight. Calling someone a slut queen is a dignified immortal put-down? Maybe it’s just me, but it seems like Sparkle and you are alike in one major way. You both like to manipulate.”

  Asima offered Donna an irritated hiss before winding her way out of the restaurant followed by the puzzled stares of the other diners. She must’ve been too ticked off to care who saw her.

  Donna finished off what remained of her meal and then tried to decide what to do. Choices. Walk over to Sweet Indulgence and kick some immortal butt? After all, Sparkle had let Donna think she was just an ordinary human who was obsessed with sexing up other people’s lives. Shop? Go back to her room and watch Eric sleep? Watching Eric sleep won hands down. Amazing, since usually when shopping was in the mix, there was no contest.

  But as she opened her door, Donna realized Eric was no longer sleeping. He was propped up against the headboard with his muscular arms folded over his broad bare chest. At least he’d kept the sheet draped across his hips. His dark scowl hinted that he hadn’t been wakened gently.

  Impervious to his scowl, Lola hovered at the foot of the bed, carefully laying out a row of . . . Donna moved closer so she could see.

  “Come right in, dearie, and make yourself comfortable. Eric will need your expert advice on this.” She glanced over her shoulder and beckoned to Donna. “Be honest. Which will look better on your man, boxers or briefs?”

  No opinion came to mind as Donna stared blankly at the row of men’s underwear lined up across the foot of the bed.

  Lola smiled her sweet grandmotherly smile. “I understand. It’s a difficult decision. But I can’t make it for you. You’re the one who’ll be stripping these babies off your vampire’s superbly muscled and breathtakingly sensual buttocks. So make sure you choose wisely.”

  Eric made a rude noise. “I tried throwing her out, but she just popped back in.”

  Lola ignored him. “Let’s look at the possibilities. These red briefs would be perfect for him. Red, the color of passion. I love the symbolism. Briefs would hug his round firm cheeks while cupping his large and impressive sexual equipment.”

  “What do you know about his sexual equipment?” Her sudden surge of possessiveness shocked Donna.

  Lola blinked at her. “I was simply assuming, dearie. Am I mistaken?”

  “You don’t have to answer that.” For the first time humor curved Eric’s lips. “It’ll be our little secret.”

  The remembrance of exactly how well she knew the generous dimensions of his “equipment” made Donna shift her gaze to Sweetie Pie and Jessica. Their leaves were riveted to the discussion. Hothouse hussies.

  Lola didn’t seem to notice that Donna hadn’t answered her question. “How about these white boxers with red lips all over them? Boxers are loose and comfortable. They give a man’s cock and balls room to expand.”

  Donna made a strangled noise. Eric didn’t make any noise at all.

  “The red lips are a very sensual touch. Eric can walk around all day with a reminder of your mouth on his body.” Lola seemed pleased with her insight.

  Since Eric didn’t look like he was about to make a choice anytime soon, Donna would do it. Fast. Before Lola had time to go on to the next one. The one with the . . . No, Lola definitely couldn’t get to that one. “Eric will take these first two.”

  Lola beamed. “One of each. Excellent choices. You’ll enjoy the briefs. When your man is fully aroused, you can drive him wild by tracing the outline of his erection through the stretchy material with your tongue. Very erotic.”

  Eric’s interest had picked up.

  “Yes, well . . .” There were no words for this situation.

  “But boxers have their advantages, too. When you’re cuddled up on the couch with your man, and you feel the irresistible urge to arouse him instantly, you simply slip your hand—”

  “Got it. I can fill in the blanks.” What would get Lola out of the room? “You know, if you’d pack up your stuff and bop on out of here, I could get started on the arousing.” If the possibility of Donna having sex with Eric didn’t motivate Lola to leave, then she was out of ideas.

  “Well, in that case, let me just disappear.” Which she did. Instantly.

  Donna took a deep breath. She never got used to that. “When I walked in, I could tell you were steamed. How did she wake you up?”

  Eric’s scowl returned. “I was already awake when she showed up, and I wasn’t steamed at her.”

  Oh boy. Gee, Donna wondered who could’ve ticked him off. Since she was the only one sharing the room with him, it was a good guess the lucky person was—drumroll, please—her.

  “I woke up thinking about chocolate-covered cherries and you.” His scowl deepened. “The cherries were here. You weren’t.”

  She wouldn’t feel guilty. Wistful over what might have been, perhaps, but not guilty. “Unlike you, I can’t go for two weeks without eating. I went down to the restaurant.” He needed to know about Brynn. “Brynn sat with me for a few minutes. He got into my mind while I was thinking about bringing Taurin back here. He doesn’t know who helped me, though.”

  “He’ll have a good idea.” Flinging the sheet aside, Eric swung his feet to the floor. “Even when he finds where I’ve put Taurin, he won’t be able to get through my shield.” Eric decided he’d better talk to Brynn as soon as possible. Brynn wouldn’t understand why Eric helped save Taurin. Hell, Eric wasn’t sure he understood, either.

  As he headed for the shower, he could feel Donna’s gaze trailing dow
n his back and over his bare buttocks. It felt good. So good that he decided to shuck all underwear wherever there was a chance he might get naked with her. Which was just about everywhere.

  But not for long. It was Friday. Unless he thought of a way to keep her here, she’d be on a plane back to New York tomorrow. He didn’t want her to leave. Standing under the warm spray, he tried to come up with a plan.

  As he emerged from the bathroom, he could hear angry voices from the hall. The door was open, and he didn’t have any trouble identifying Donna and Brynn’s voice. Great. Now he’d have to deal with Brynn and then go into Taurin’s room and deal with him. The fun never ended.

  Ignoring the red briefs and lip-imprinted boxers, Eric dragged on his jeans, pulled a T-shirt over his head, and rushed into the hall before Donna and Brynn knocked each other out.

  Brynn turned blazing eyes toward him. “If you don’t have the balls to destroy Taurin, remove the shield and let me do it.” He speared Donna with a withering glance. “I think I miss the old days when women had a lot less to say.”

  “Hah!” Her expression said no demon was going to make her back down. “I haven’t had a chance to say squat because you won’t shut your mouth long enough to listen.” Exasperated, she turned to Eric. “Explain to the demon of destruction here why we brought Taurin back.”

  Eric stared blankly at her. He’d forgotten. He’d known last night, but right now he couldn’t think of one reason why his deadliest enemy was laying in a nice soft bed, in a nice secure room, in his castle. Go figure.

  Donna threw up her hands. “Okay, I’ll explain. We decided that being fried by the morning sun wasn’t the best way to die. If we brought him here, maybe someone could talk some sense into his brain, whatever small part isn’t stuffed full of plans for vengeance.” She swept back strands of her hair that had fallen across her face during her vehement discussion with Brynn, and then directed a salvo at Eric. “Don’t you guys have some kind of vampire prison?”

  “Vampire prison?” Eric and Brynn spoke in unison.

  Brynn shook his head and turned toward the stairs. “Eliminate Taurin, Eric, because if you don’t, I will.”

  Eric watched Brynn until he was gone, and then turned back to Donna. “Sorry. No vampire prisons.” He removed the shield in front of the door. “Stay out here while I go in. He’ll sleep until tomorrow at least, but I want to check on things.”

  She nodded as he opened the door and then closed it behind him. Taurin was still deep in a healing sleep, but his burns were almost gone. Eric frowned. He couldn’t postpone a decision on Taurin forever, but if he had to destroy the vampire, he hoped Donna was back in New York when it happened.

  Thinking about Donna’s imminent departure, Eric decided he wouldn’t be in a mood to take any crap from Taurin tomorrow, even though the vampire would still be too weak to pose a physical threat. Taurin would need to feed to regain all of his strength. Assuming Donna left on schedule, he’d be feeling vicious enough to finish off Taurin if the vampire tried to attack him. For Taurin’s sake, he’d better place a shield around the bed. That way the vampire couldn’t move from his bed until Eric let him.

  Eric had taken care of the shield and started toward the door when an idea hit him. Smiling, he opened the door, stepped into the hall, and after closing the door behind him, renewed the shield. Then he turned to Donna.

  “After tonight you don’t have another show until Monday. Why not stay here for the weekend?” Did he sound casual enough, or had some of his hunger seeped through?

  “I don’t know. My flight’s already booked. And I wanted to visit with my family before going back to work Monday night.”

  Maybe it was wishful thinking on his part, but she didn’t sound convinced she wanted to go. “Too bad. Taurin won’t be awake until tomorrow at sunset. He might listen to you better than me. And if he doesn’t listen to someone . . .” He shrugged, letting the unspoken threat to Taurin’s existence hang between them.

  “He’ll die.” She bit her bottom lip in indecision.

  “You’ve had a hard week. If you stay, you can relax during the day and then come to the Vampire Ball at night.” If his two enticements didn’t work, he wasn’t sure what he’d do. Amazing how important her staying had become.

  “Vampire Ball?” She allowed him a small smile.

  He guided her back into their room—when had “their” crept in—and only hoped she didn’t hear the growl of his sexual hunger trying to claw its way out.

  “Yeah. We have one every Saturday night. We go formal that night. Tuxes, a small band, and lots of atmosphere.” Eric moved into her space, crowding her with his presence, his need. All the while knowing that the decision to stay would have to be hers. There’d be no compulsions, no mind manipulating, even though both were easy to use on humans who had no guards against them. But it was exactly for that reason he wouldn’t use them. He wanted her to stay because it was her choice.

  Leaning close, he touched the base of her neck with his lips, whispered against her skin. “Come to the Vampire Ball and dance the night away with creatures of the darkness. Although I wouldn’t be surprised if one particular creature claimed you for his own.” He felt a surge of triumph when she didn’t shudder or put her hand over her neck.

  “Let me think about it.” She picked up her purse, and then met his gaze squarely. “I need to get away for a while. I’m going out to play the tourist and pick up some souvenirs for my family. Then maybe I’ll go down to the beach for a few hours.” She smiled up at him, but he could feel her tension. “I’ll be back before my show.”

  “Sure, have fun.” It wasn’t often that he regretted the loss of the daylight, but now was one. He couldn’t go shopping for souvenirs with her or lay on the beach soaking up the sun beside her. He couldn’t smooth suntan lotion over those long beautiful legs and . . .

  It suddenly hit him how much he wanted to go to the beach with her. It would have to be on a moonlit night, and he wouldn’t be able to do the suntan thing, but he wanted it with an intensity that scared him. He’d need a lot more than a weekend to do all the things he wanted with Donna Nolan.

  He watched her leave the room and then glanced at Sweetie Pie and Jessica. “Think we’ll ever get a chance to use those cherries, ladies?”

  Donna had spent her free hours in a frenzy of having “fun.” Translation: trying to drive last night’s horror and her conflicted feelings for Eric from her mind. She bought tacky souvenirs and lay around on the beach until it was almost completely dark. But somehow the whole thing lacked a certain degree of yippee and wow. What it lacked was a dark, dangerous, and gorgeous vampire by her side.

  Narrowing her eyes, she decided she’d have some more “fun” without him. She wasn’t like Trish. She didn’t think that every man she was attracted to had to be her forever love. Sure she thought Eric Mackenzie was sexy as hell. Sure she intended to use those cherries before she left. But it didn’t mean anything.

  As she caught a quick shower before going out again, she also admitted that she’d decided to stay the weekend. Just to prove that it didn’t mean anything.

  She put on a pair of shorts and the skimpiest top she’d brought—maximum bare skin to catch any errant breezes—slipped into a pair of sandals, and left the room. Then she paused in the hallway trying to decide where to go in search of her elusive fun. The castle fantasies were beginning. She could sit in the gallery and watch. But then Eric would think she was watching him. Which she would be, so watching the fantasies was out.

  “Sexy but tasteful shorts and top. Definitely not from the Sparkle Stardust line of crass clothing. And I love the sandals. So where’re we going to have fun?” Asima rubbed her furry self against Donna’s leg and looked up with excitement gleaming in her feline eyes. “Take me with you. Please?”

  Donna sighed. She’d wished for someone to share her fun with, but she’d been thinking more along the lines of big and gorgeous, not small and furry. The old adage about being careful
what you wished for was true. “Sure, tag along. I’m not sure where I want to go, though.” She brightened. “When I was a kid, I wanted to be a pirate. Let’s walk over to the pirate ship.”

  Asima didn’t say anything until they were outside the castle. “I think the best fantasies are the ones that aren’t planned. What do you think? Oh, and would you pick me up, please?”

  Donna stopped to look down at the cat. “Would I what?

  “Pick me up. The ground is still too hot for my paws.” Asima stared up at Donna, obviously waiting to be picked up.

  Did Donna believe that? No. She thought about arguing, but it didn’t seem worth the effort. She bent down and lifted Asima’s lazy little self into her arms. “Unplanned? Are you telling me I shouldn’t go on the pirate fantasy?”

  “It’s your choice, but it’ll never live up to your secret fantasy. Everything’s pretty structured. Not much chance to think creatively. And no one on that ship will live up to Eric. Believe me, I’ve checked.”

  “Uh-huh. And I just bet you have an exciting alternative.” After her trip to the opera wearing a living neck wrap, Donna looked with suspicion on any of Asima’s ideas.

  “I always have alternative ideas. Look across the lake. Do you see that tangle of fake vines along the shore?”

  Donna nodded.

  “They keep an extra pirate ship anchored over there in a small inlet just in case the one they’re using needs repairs. The vines hide it. It’s dark back there, but the moon is full tonight. You’ll be able to snoop around and imagine your own fantasy.” She turned gleaming eyes toward Donna. “Let’s do it.”

  Donna had some doubts about Asima’s big plan. “Sounds like trespassing to me. What if I’m caught? And how exciting can walking around on a ship by yourself be?”

  “Can we say cluck cluck?” Asima’s eyes mocked her. “You’ve lived for a week with vampires, demons, ghosts, and moi. So what’s the big deal about climbing onto an old ship? Come on, Donna. It’ll be fun.” Her gaze turned sly. “I guarantee that anywhere you go with me will be exciting. Besides, if you’re bored, all you do is get off and stand in line for the ship with the phony pirates.”