Scarlet Masquerade

by Jett Abbott

  A smile lingered on Clarissa’s lips as she welcomed A.J. into her body. Quickly and without effort Clarissa slipped from under A.J. as she languished in the aftermath of an orgasm. Lowering herself, she rubbed her hard body against A.J.’s own lean form. Slowly, deliberately she slid A.J.’s sweat pants down her long legs. As she crawled up A.J.’s body, she once again rubbed against soft skin of her lover. A.J’s tight ass tucked neatly against her front. She licked up the exposed back, sliding her hand into A.J.’s long dark locks. A.J. felt her head gently pulled back and a whisper in her ear.

  “Your turn,” Clarissa purred. A tongue swiped across the two puncture marks in A.J.’s neck causing a tingle to roll through her body. A.J. lay pinned underneath Clarissa. As she tried to roll Clarissa, A.J. was surprised by her strength. “Whoa there, Sweetheart. Where do you think you’re going?” The cocky tone was followed by the gentle rocking of Clarissa’s hips against A.J.’s ass. This was a side A.J. had never experienced with her lover and she was pleasantly surprised by her body’s reaction to the dominance. A.J. dominated other women, she was never dominated, but now she found the idea of this new Clarissa had promise.

  Feigning surrender she smiled and flicked a tongue against a fang. “What did you have in mind?”

  “Hmm,” Clarissa murmured against A.J.’s neck, “It’s been a long, long time since I’ve been this excited. I’d hate to waste it. Wouldn’t you?” Her hand raked down A.J.’s back leaving four bloody scratches. A.J. felt herself respond to the pain, writhing under the quick path Clarissa had taken to her wetness from behind. The growl buried deep in her throat was unleashed as Clarissa stroked her further.

  “Turn over. I want to watch you.” Clarissa lifted her body off and waited until A.J. lay facing her on the couch.

  A.J. once again complied with the simple command. The need to please was too great to protest against. A.J. felt Clarissa deliberately flick her hard clit back and forth before squeezing it. Another growl, this time from Clarissa, hummed in A.J.’s ear followed by a swipe of a tongue rounding her ear lobe before it was nipped by her fangs. The bite produced a drop of blood that was quickly licked away as the stroking continued.

  The pain fueled A.J.’s need and she knew it wouldn’t take much to send her over the edge, if she was lucky. The room swirled as A.J. tried to focus on Clarissa’s hand. She felt as if she had been on a two day binge, the taste of human blood was like a recovering alcoholic having their first drink in years. She wanted more, more Clarissa, more sex and more pain, but probably not in that order. Her energy spiked and her skin pricked when Clarissa slapped at her wetness. The smell of blood with raw sex saturated the air in the room. Taking a deep breath, A.J. tried to outlast the orgasm that was about to roll through her body, but it only gave her a brief reprieve. Why she was denying herself this last euphoric moment was beyond A.J.’s reasoning. She knew that once she had shared Clarissa’s blood they would be tied beyond mere thoughts and words. The love they shared would bind them for life. The bite would heal their fragile relationship and each time they shared blood, their bond would strengthen. They would be bonded at their souls and yet she tried to stave off the inevitable a moment longer. Waiting a few minutes more for a moment she never thought she would have was torture she would enjoy. Their first time together would always be this night, this moment, this very essence and she wanted it to last, forever.

  Hard, short strokes brought A.J. to the edge. She felt Clarissa move down her body, spreading her legs wider. A warm tongue lapped at her wetness, almost sending her over the edge. Her tenuous hold was slowly slipping from her grasp. With each stoke of Clarissa’s tongue against her clit, she felt her muscles tighten around strong, commanding fingers. An orgasm started to build, her skin forming goose bumps as the orgasm spread throughout her body, and then an explosion of colors blinded her. Clarissa moved up the tight body, her lips sliding easily against sweaty skin. Small tiny nips against her skin kept A.J. wound tighter and tighter. Face to face now, A.J. could still see the unmistakable gaze of lust in her lover’s eyes. Her heart beat echoed in her ears and A.J. felt the onslaught of another orgasm take control of her body. Lips pressed against hers and she welcomed the tongue that pressed further. Grabbing Clarissa’s head she kissed harder. Her body arched into the rough strokes, her muscles not quite able to capture the fingers that pushed her into the black abyss of her mind. Holding Clarissa’s fingers to her, she felt her body finally clinch them and hold their further progress. She couldn’t pull herself from the darkness that had enveloped her yet. She wrapped her mind in it, like a warm cocoon that sheltered her from the outside. To end their love making would bring her back to a reality she wasn’t sure she was ready to face, so she lay there, Clarissa nestle on her breast, Clarissa’s hand buried in her wetness and blackness surrounding her. Her mind was blank, knowing that whatever she felt or thought Clarissa would also.

  “What are you thinking?” Clarissa pulled her hand from A.J. and licked a tip of a finger.

  “Nothing,” A.J. answered honestly.

  “I know. But why?” Clarissa rested her chin on A.J.’s chest and watched her.

  “It’s easier to think of nothing than to think about what’s just happened.”

  “I don’t understand. Are you sorry for what just happened?” A.J. could feel Clarissa’s anger start to surface.

  “No, not at all. I’m just trying to enjoy it, feel it, not analyze it. Does that make sense?” A.J. pulled Clarissa’s body tighter against her own. Turning so Clarissa’s back was against the couch, she stroked her lover’s face and lay a gently kiss on her lips. “I want to feel this moment, immerse myself in it and make sure I have it tucked securely in my heart.” Her thumb stroked down Clarissa’s lips, followed by another kiss before she spoke again. “We are bonded, you and I. Our souls, our blood and our lives are one. I belong to you and you to me. As vampires, we share a connection no other has with us. You didn’t have that with De Marcus, did you?”

  Clarissa’s dropped her eyes. “No, what I had with De Marcus I never want with anyone.”

  A.J. raised Clarissa’s face, staring into the soft green she had seen earlier. Her heart ached for the pain she saw there. She wouldn’t push Clarissa tonight, but some day Clarissa would share her past with A.J., and she already had an idea of what would be said.

  “I love you.”

  ###

  Selene would have killed De Marcus and been done with, but it wasn’t her call and A.J. hadn’t said she could. Lucky for him the police arrived in time to save his sorry ass. She rubbed her arm where he had bit her and grimaced. He had a debt to pay and she hoped A.J. would give her the opportunity to collect. She had left her sword buried in his shoulder with strict instructions that it shouldn’t be taken out for at least a few days. The pure silver blade had been a gift, a gift she wished she could have kept, but it was more useful at the moment buried in the vampire than hanging on her office wall. While Sgt. Gilmore wasn’t one of them, he was sympathetic to a fatter paycheck. Selene gave very detailed instructions on how De Marcus should be handled, explaining that as long as he left the sword buried in De Marcus’s shoulder he wouldn’t be a problem. The leg irons and hand cuffs were for Sgt. Gilmore’s protection and if they were removed…well she had done her due diligence in alerting the officer.

  Selene wished she could relax, but she knew well enough that De Marcus would eventually escape his confines. It was only a matter of time. Hopefully, it would give A.J. the time she needed. Selene rubbed her arm again as the bite throbbed with each beat of her heart. The rush she felt was starting to wear off and she was feeling hung-over. A flick of her hand opened her cell phone and she hit speed dial.

  “Hey. We need to talk.” Selene rolled her neck and felt a kink work its way out with a pop. “Yeah, I’ll see you in about an hour. I need to stop home and take a quick shower and grab something to eat.” She paused, listening to the voice on the other end. “Fine, I’ll see you in the morning.” Looking do
wn at her watch, she saw that dawn would come in about four hours. Enough time to catch a quick cat nap or maybe a little entertainment, if she was lucky. Closing the phone she looked around at the partygoers who were starting to leave.

  I haven’t seen that much brocade in a long time. She shuddered as a rotund man jiggled past her. Yuk!

  Chapter Thirty Seven

  A.J. tossed the cell phone on the bar and walked over to the huge windows that looked over the city. Bracing her arm against the cold glass, she welcomed the cool sensation as it stroked her body. Looking out without really seeing, she tried to weave each thread of the night’s events back into a fabric she could understand. In only a matter of hours she had gone from elation to devastation and back to elation. No, elation wasn’t the right word, as she looked for a word that would describe what had just happened between her and Clarissa. She played out the events of the night in her mind. She remembered the look on Clarissa’s face when she revealed herself. Fear, no anger. At least that’s how A.J. felt. It wasn’t exactly the homecoming she had hoped for. Then she thought about how devastated she was when Clarissa had accused her of killing her family. How could Clarissa even think she would do something so vile, so spiteful? Whatever A.J. had been through in the past century was nothing compared to what Clarissa had gone through. A.J. had made her peace with Clarissa’s death, coming to terms with the fact that she would never have another meaningful relationship, ever. She wouldn’t put herself through that pain again. But Clarissa had carried the pain of her family’s death with her every minute of every day, and she had blamed A.J. The fact that De Marcus had planted such a poisonous seed in Clarissa showed how evil he was. He knew she would never seek A.J. out, ever. His secrets would be safe and A.J. would never know Clarissa was still alive. But he had planned for even that possibility by planting Kevin within her organization. He had thought of almost everything. Now, she needed to be just as vengeful. A.J. knew what she had to do with Kevin and if she was lucky he would lead her right to De Marcus. Death was too good for De Marcus, she reasoned. She wished she could make him suffer the way he had made Clarissa suffer all these decades.

  Walking back into her bedroom, she leaned against the door jam and watched Clarissa sleep. She smiled at the vision before her. She felt like she should be pinching herself to make sure it was real. A.J. had lost hope of ever finding love again. Not only had she found love, but she had found it with the one woman in the world who had set the sun for her so many centuries ago. Clarissa stirred. A.J. knew she would wake soon so she climbed in beside her and snuggled against the warm back.

  “You have a heated blanket, too,” Clarissa murmured as she turned into A.J.

  “Uh huh,” A.J. whispered into the head that lay on her breast. “You, too?”

  “Yep. I love it.” Clarissa said, looking up. “So what now?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well…” looking sheepishly at A.J., Clarissa caressed the warming body beneath her. “Where do we go from here?”

  A.J. hesitated, rolled Clarissa on her back and kissed her lover before she answered. “Where do you want to go from here?”

  “Honestly?”

  “Yes, honestly.” A.J. felt her heartbeat speed up at the answer she knew was coming. She steeled her body from reacting as she watched Clarissa fidget with her bottom lip.

  “I need to take care of my cat, Nefertiti.” Clarissa smiled at A.J.’s surprised look.

  “You need to take care of your cat?”

  Cocking her head to the side she smirked, “What did you think I was going to say?”

  “Well,” A.J. smiled, relieved that she hadn’t heard something that would damn her soul to an eternity of hell. “Honesty again, right?”Clarissa nodded. “I thought you might run. I thought you would still blame me for the death of your family.”

  A.J. watched as Clarissa closed her eyes and laid her head on A.J.’s breast. A.J.’s fear was palpable and she knew it. But they had to address the issues at hand, otherwise they would either be working at cross purposes or they would continue a circular conversation. Forward was the only direction they could take at this point.

  Running her fingers through the soft locks of hair, A.J. tried to relax as she thought about the conversation they needed to have. The intimacy that they were sharing was hopefully laying the foundation for what would be the start of their relationship. What she now had with Clarissa she would never have with anyone else, ever, and she didn’t want there to be any secrets between them. Pulling Clarissa tighter to her, she cleared her throat and started what A.J. hoped would be a clearing of the air between them.

  “Clarissa, I hope you believe me when I say I didn’t kill your family?”

  Clarissa nodded her head, but didn’t look up.

  “Look at me and say that. Please.”

  Clarissa rose from A.J. and sat crossed legged in front of her. Pulling a blanket around her nakedness, Clarissa kept her eyes down as she picked at something on the blanket.

  “If you can’t look at me and tell me you believe me…then we can’t be together.” A.J. threw the half-hearted ultimatum out. Sitting up, she faced Clarissa not bothering to cover her own nakedness. Waiting, she stopped Clarissa’s fidgeting by placing her hand over Clarissa’s.

  “It’s not that at all, Alexandra. I’m ashamed of myself. I’m ashamed to say that I believed a man who beat me, betrayed me and then left me to survive on my own. I carried his lie closer to my heart than your love for me. I’m ashamed to say that I survived not by being mad at him, but by thinking of revenge on you.” Grabbing A.J.’s hands, Clarissa continued her explanation, “How can I look at you now and not hate myself for what I knew was a lie, even then?”

  “Please, my love, don’t let this tear at your heart.” A.J. wiped a tear from Clarissa’s face that had started what would be a journey for many more. “It’s in the past, and we should leave it there.”

  Grabbing A.J.’s hand, Clarissa placed a kiss on the palm then turned it over and placed kisses on the back before placing it on her chest, over her heart. A.J got up and wrapped herself around her lover, pulling her onto her lap.

  “We’ll work through this, but only if you choose to be with me. Otherwise—”

  Clarissa placed a finger on A.J.’s lips, stopping her from continuing.

  “We are bonded together, our souls are one now. To lose you would be like losing my arm. While I could live without it, it would be difficult and I don’t plan on living like that. Do you?”

  A.J. pulled Clarissa closer, and whispered, “No. You have filled my heart beyond words.”

  A.J. hoped that when she told Clarissa what she had to do next, it wouldn’t change her mind about her. They would never be free if she didn’t take care of her business with Kevin and De Marcus and time wasn’t their friend. The sooner she did it the quicker they could get on with their lives. But before she did that, she needed a few things settled between them.

  “Clarissa, I have business I need to take care of and I want to be honest with you. Kevin has betrayed me and I need to handle it.” A.J. continued to caress Clarissa’s back as she spoke. “I’m not sure what will happen, but I won’t lie and say there isn’t a possibility that he could die today. It’s up to him.”

  Looking down into Clarissa’s eyes she didn’t see fear or judgment, only sadness. If there was a different path, A.J. would be the first one to take it. However, Kevin had made his choice and set his path when he decided to work for De Marcus. It was set and it left A.J. with few options. Her reputation in the Coven would be compromised if she didn’t make him pay for his actions. As for De Marcus, his path was set the minute he changed Clarissa. His future only held death, his own.

  “Selene will be here in the morning. I think we should talk about what will happen in the then. Don’t you?”

  A soft caress told A.J. that whatever happened, their future was cemented together. A.J. explained the twisted path her life had taken since she had seen Claris
sa in the bar weeks ago. Telling the story only made A.J. madder as she pieced together all the deceit that had taken place right under nose. Kevin had played on her trust and made himself invaluable. A slow process to be sure, but to a vampire who had forever, it was just a grain of sand in the large hour glass. A.J. explained that Kevin was being held at Knight-Pharmaceutical. She was sure by now he had an idea of what was happening, but in a few hours he would know his fate. Watchful eyes held A.J.’s as she explained what she had to do next.

  “I hope you’ll understand why I have to do this.” A.J. looked down at their hands hoping Clarissa would never have blood on hers.

  “Alexandra, I spent a century judging you only to find out I was wrong. I have to trust your judgment on this. If it wasn’t for you I wouldn’t be alive right now.” Clarissa kissed A.J. again, but this time she lingered hoping they could have a few more hours together as they waited for Selene. “Have I told you how beautiful you still are? I’m so glad you haven’t changed. I often dreamed about you.” A finger trailed down A.J.’s arm, reignited the smoldering fire that had been banked. “Your soft skin, that sexy smile you have when you look at me.” A.J. couldn’t help herself but smile as she looked at Clarissa. “That one, that sexy pout you have when you’re trying to be tough.”

  Fingertips grazed across A.J.’s bare breast and her nipples puckered immediately. A tingle shot through her body as she tried to control her breathing. Closing her eyes, A.J. felt her lover palm her breasts as nipples hardened with the lingering touch. Pulling Clarissa on top of her, A.J. laid back down on the bed. Clarissa’s body easily slid against her own taunt muscles, the movement so sensual. A.J. ran her hands over the soft curves of her lover’s body, memorizing them again for the second time that night. She wanted to explore every inch of Clarissa’s body like a sculptor memorizes their work of art. Slowly, deliberately, she felt each contour, every muscle as it tightened with pleasure. She continued to follow every curve as it led to the next sensual spot. Clarissa rubbed herself against A.J.’s body, the way water flows around a reed, gently bending around the reed as it makes it journey.