Coreena was about to answer with something snappy when the door opened, and Phil came into the office with the espresso and scotch for her client and cappuccino for Coreena. After she had placed the silver tray on the table she disappeared again and Coreena looked at her new client sternly.
“Mr. Custos, I can do this job for you, but, on principle, I never go out with a client.”
Volcan smiled. His eyes gazed into hers, and she suddenly felt light-headed. Her heart was racing and her breathing became heavy and irregular. Those eyes. They seemed to look right into the depths of her soul. He reached out for his scotch and leant back casually into the leather armchair, without taking his eyes off her. The amused twitching at the corner of his mouth irritated her. He clearly was not really taking her seriously.
“How is he supposed to take you seriously when you’ve conducted yourself so clumsily?” her inner voice pointed out. “That was anything but professional.”
“Miss Tanner, are you afraid that you might end up in bed with me?” he asked, in a voice that only made her think of one thing – bed!
Coreena gasped for air. This man really was outrageously bold. And far too erotic. The smile playing around his sensual lips caused her lower regions to tingle expectantly, and made her nipples become hard. If there were a man that deserved the title ‘Sexiest Man Alive’, then it was this one. She could well imagine that women fell for him one after the other – but this did not mean that she was considering joining this group of women.
“I’m not afraid of you,” she said, trying hard to make her voice sound calm. “It’s just that I’m notthat sort of woman.”
“I didn’t mean to give you the impression that I considered you to be an easy woman. I just wanted to say that you were perhaps reading more into this invitation to dinner. I assure you that it is purely business. So? Do we have a date?”
“Business?” she asked suspiciously.
He nodded and took a sip of his whisky.
“OK, when and where?”
“Eight o’clock at Luigi’s. Do you know where that is?”
“Yes, I know the restaurant. I’ll be there.”
Volcan got up from his seat and took Coreena’s hand. Like a gentleman of the old school, he kissed the back of her hand again and looked right into her eyes whilst doing so. As before, the gentle touch caused a tingling sensation inside her, and she was glad that she was sitting down. Her knees would definitely have given way beneath her if she had been standing.
“Eight o’clock?” he asked.
“Yes… yes, of course.”
Coreena felt like a complete idiot. She was actually a self-assured, intelligent, young woman. When her parents were killed in a car accident two years earlier, Coreena had taken over her father’s advertising agency at just nineteen years of age. Although, at first, people were predicting the speedy demise of the business on account of her youth, just one year later they were celebrating her as the most successful young enterpriser. She quickly acquired the reputation of not only being particularly creative, but also of being particularly stubborn. As she had explained to Volcan, when she took on a job, she was then the boss. She made the decisions about the campaign and did not allow anyone to interfere. Her clients accepted that because her campaigns were always successful.
“I look forward to this evening,” murmured Volcan, and he looked at her so ardently that she suddenly became much too hot in the well air-conditioned office. “I’ll find my own way out. Until this evening, Coreena.”
Not until he had closed the door behind him did Coreena fall back into the armchair, breathing a sigh of relief. Her heart was still beating irregularly and she closed her eyes. What had this man done to her? She had been close to begging him to take her right then in her office. Never before had a simple touch of the hand ever put her into such a state of longing. And the way he had pronounced her name, with a rolling ‘R’ – she had immediately realised from his accent that he was not an American – Scottish maybe.
The body of a Greek god, the face of an arch angel and the voice of sin itself. Could a woman possibly keep her head straight? The answer was simple – no!
The telephone rang and pulled Coreena out of her daydreams and into reality. Sighing, she got up and went back to her desk. She drew a deep breath and picked up the receiver.
“Yes?”
“Mrs.Blackpool on line two,” said her secretary.
“Thank you, Phil,” said Coreena with a sigh, and she took the call. “Coreena here. How are you, Claire? … No, I told you that the campaign will be ready by Monday. … Of course you can get a campaign completed within twenty four hours somewhere else. Listen, Claire, if other agents wish to work under the motto ‘Quantity instead of Quality’, that’s their business, and, likewise, if customers wish to go with that. However, that is not my style, and I work in the way that I consider to be correct. The results of my campaigns show that I am right. … That’s your decision. But you will still have to pay for the costs incurred and for my time, and if you give the contract to someone else today, you will still not have the result before Monday. It’s Friday afternoon. … As you wish, Claire. My secretary will issue you with the invoice today. Have a lovely weekend!”
Coreena slammed the receiver down. Some people really made her livid. Most of her clients appreciated her professional work, but now and then she came across people like Mrs.Blackpool. Coreena did not mourn the loss of the contract, and the good lady would have to pay for any work already completed anyway. It just made her angry that some people could not see the difference between a well thought out campaign and rubbish.
Her thoughts wandered to her new client. This Mr. Custos seemed to her to be the type of person who valued quality. Did he not say himself, that he wants the very best? He was a man who appreciated the good things in life. A man who almost certainly, when it came to matters of sex…
‘Damn it!’ Why did her thoughts about this man always wander in the direction of the bedroom? He was not the sort of man to stay with a woman for long – she was prepared to bet on that. After her disappointment with Jason she was not going to get involved with any other man in a hurry, and Volcan, Mr. Custos, was definitely not the marrying sort.
Chapter 2
Volcan hung his coat on the hall-stand and slipped out of his shoes. Then he made his way into the lounge and helped himself to a large glass of scotch. With the whisky in his hand, he went to the glass facade of his penthouse suite, that stretched down the whole length of the room, and from floor to ceiling. He had a wonderful view of New York’s streets and houses. The penthouse suite was on the twenty eighth floor – not the highest building here, but it had a fantastic view.
He pushed open the patio door and stepped out onto the roof garden. It was almost as big as his apartment and was decked out with a lot of large plant pots. The scent of flowers hung in the air. If he had to live in town, then he at least wanted to enjoy a bit of home. Most of the plants on his patio were from Ignigena. Their scent was much more intense than the flowers that grew in this world.
The evening was cool, but the cold did not bother him. He loved the view from up here. Especially when it was dark, as it was now, and he was surrounded by a sea of lights. He imagined seducing Coreena here on this balcony, and he immediately became hard. His little princess had really grown into a beauty. And she was intelligent. He liked that. He had not seen her for the last five years. It was part of the regulations that, as of her sixteenth birthday, another element should take over her protection. In this case it was Naios, the Guardian of Water, who had taken on this task, whilst Volcan watched over Naios’ intended partner. Now the time had come when each had to win the heart of their partner.
Naios and Volcan had met up two weeks earlier to exchange the necessary information, and to put one another in the picture regarding the last five years, with respect to each partner. Volcan knew that Coreena had been in an unhappy relationship and that she had not had another date sinc
e then. He also knew that both Mendax the Lier and Exesor the Destroyer had been near her recently. The evil powers had no specific human form, so Volcan did not know in what guise they were currently posing, but if he were to get close to them, he would sense their presence. They did not usually appear as themselves, but used weak and evil people to manipulate for their purposes. There was no point in worrying now about when and how they were going to strike. First and foremost he had to win Coreena for himself.
Volcan sat down on a rattan lounger and lit the garden torches with one sweep of his hand. In a second the patio was bathed in a romantic light. He sipped on his drink and let his thoughts drift back to his queen. What a queen she would be! His people would love her, he was certain of that. He liked being here in the human world, but he longed to be back in Ignigena.
The moon was half hidden by a cloud. Volcan tipped his head back and stared at the night sky. Suddenly the wind became fresh and the flames began to flicker. Volcan ordered the flames to be still, and the flickering stopped. Then he felt the presence of a friend. Seconds later Aerios, the Guardian of Air, materialised in the armchair beside him.
“Hiya, mate! How are you doing? Shall we go out tonight?”
Aerios clicked his fingers and a glass of scotch appeared in his hand. He took a long swig and his blue eyes flashed mischievously at Volcan.
Volcan snorted disapprovingly.
“Do you have nothing but partying on the brain?”
“What else?” answered Aerios, and shrugged his shoulders. “What’s wrong with you? You’ve never been one to turn down pleasure. I hope you’re not intending to sit here alone and get drunk.”
“I’ve got a date tonight – with my chosen one.”
“Oh! Wow! Are you already at that stage? I envy you and Naios. Humos and I have to wait another year.” Aerios leant forward a little and winked conspiratorially. “I can tell you – Humos’ girl is something else. Wow! She’ll give him the run-around! She’s got a black belt in karate. Two days ago she smashed a bloke’s face in because he was messing about with her on her way home. I didn’t need to get involved at all. Boy …,” he shook his head, his blond, shoulder-length hair flying around, “… she really has no need of a protector.”
Volcan laughed. Humos was the quietest of the four guardians of the elements. As the guardian of the element earth, he was grounded and it was hard to unsettle him. It would be interesting to see how he would deal with a spirited woman.
“So, what’s she like?” asked Aerios, and he emptied his glass without taking his eyes off his friend.
“What’s who like?”
Aerios rolled his eyes.
“Who do you think? Your chosen one, of course!”
Volcan filled his own glass, hardly moving his hand, and he took a swig. He closed his eyes and, with a sigh, slowly let the whisky slip down his throat. Whisky was definitely one of the things that he loved about the human world.
“She’s absolutely beautiful, intelligent and ambitious,” he finally answered, in raptures.
“Carry on! By the elements! – Do I have to drag every detail out of you? What’s her figure like? Hair colour? Eyes? Does she have big…?”
Volcan silenced Aerios with a murderous look.
“I can’t see why you’d be interested in the size of her… her…”
“Tits?” Aerios helped him along, teasing him, and he ducked as a jet of fire shot from Volcan’s eyes.
“Hey! Are you crazy? I want to pull today. If you mess up my face, I’ll have to wait a whole day to regenerate!”
“It wouldn’t hurt you to have a day of abstinence once in a while!” groaned Volcan.
“Abstinence?” gasped Aerios, feigning horror. “Do you want to kill me? If I don’t pick up a girl, my dick will explode.”
Volcan made a disparaging sound.
Aerios refilled his glass with a click of his fingers and put his feet up on the table. He drank in small sips and looked up at the night sky.
“Have you already worked out your tactics?” he asked, without looking away from the sky.
“What sort of tactics?”
“How you’re going to bring her round. By the elements! You’re a bit slow on the uptake these days!”
“Watch what you’re saying! I may be a bit slow at thinking but when it comes to a fight I’ll soon sort you out!”
“Oh yeah? Do you really want to sort it that way?” challenged Aerios.
“I’ve got no problem with burning your silly hairstyle off your head,” hissed Volcan.
Aerios ran his fingers through his hair.
“You shouldn’t take things to heart so quickly,” he pouted. “What’s your problem with my hairstyle? Women like it like this.”
“Man, I hope your partner has a black belt, too,” said Volcan, irritated. “It’s about time a woman gave you the orders.”
“OK! OK! I’d rather leave and find myself some more pleasant company. I can forget Naios, too, now. He won’t go out on the town with me now, either. So I’ll just go alone.”
“Don’t turn on the tears like that. You’ll be on your own for ten minutes maximum, then you’ll have a girl hanging on each arm.”
Aerios grinned.
“So I’m a ladies’ man. I can’t help it! Women are disappointed if I say ‘no’.”
“So, go! I need to get going soon anyway. I’m meeting Coreena at eight at Luigi’s.”
“Soooo. The little one’s called Coreena? And she’s pretty, yeah?”
“You keep away from her, understand?” hissed Volcan threateningly.
“Do you think I’m such an ass that I’d chat up my friend’s bride?” asked Aerios, insulted.
“Do you want an honest answer? You can never keep your hands to yourself.”
“As if you’re better! I remember the evening when a certain man went home with three girls! Wasn’t that you?”
Volcan grinned.
“They were triplets. How was I supposed to pick one of them?”
“Man, I was so envious of you!” said Aerios laughing. “Right, now I’m off!”
Aerios got up from the armchair and grinned at his friend.
“Have fun on your date, mate!” he wished Volcan, and was gone.
A strong gust of wind blew out all of the torches, and Volcan cursed.
“You damn asshole!” he shouted, looking into the night sky.
Laughter resounded through the night, then the wind calmed down, but Volcan did not attempt to relight the torches. It was time to get to know his chosen one a little better.
Chapter 3
Coreena’s heart was beating furiously as she entered Luigi’s. It had been ages since she had felt so nervous. She had changed her clothes four times and was still not sure that she had chosen the right outfit. She did not know why, but for some reason she wanted to make the best possible impression on Volcan Custos. She had not done that with any other client. She had not been affected by male charm since her ex had messed her around. Never again did she want to get so badly hurt and she felt strongly that you should not mix your professional life with your private life. So what was she doing here? How had Mr. Custos managed to get her to do what no other client had managed? ‘But then no other client had looked as sexy as this Volcan,’ her inner voice pointed out. ‘This man gave credit to his name. He is so hot that I would not be surprised if the bed caught fire during sex.’
Of course she did not intend to get involved with this man. It was only too obvious where that would lead. He would break her heart. If she even had it in her to enter into another relationship, then it had to be with a grounded man and not one who oozed sex out of every pore. For the moment, however, she was completely happy with her single existence.
‘Lier!’
A waiter in a white apron approached her, smiling, and interrupted her thoughts.
“Can I help you, Signorina?”
“I’m… meeting someone. Uuh… Mr. Custos,” stammered Coreena.
/> “Along here. Mr. Custos is already waiting,” said the waiter kindly, not giving away the fact that he may have noticed her awkwardness.
He led her through the elegant restaurant, with its mahogany tables decked in white, passed the bar with the little dance floor, and Coreena followed him with an army of butterflies in her belly. Most of all she would have liked to turn on her heels and leave. Maybe it had not been such a good idea to accept this invitation. She had to be honest – this meeting was not necessary for the job. A short briefing in her office would have sufficed. She could not explain why she had given in. It was sure to cause problems.
Then she saw him. This time he was wearing a black suit and he was engrossed in a pile of documents. Coreena’s heart leapt violently as she approached his table. She wished that a huge hole would appear for her to jump into. How had she ever agreed to this meeting?
“Mr. Custos?” said the waiter. “Your date.”
Volcan looked up from the documents and gave Coreena a fantastic smile. His green eyes shone and heat flooded her cheeks.
‘My goodness, if I don’t watch out, then I’m going to end up in his bed tonight,’ she thought, in a panic. ‘And would that be so bad?’ asked another voice within her. ‘There are sure to be more unpleasant things than burning with ecstasy in this man’s arms.’
Volcan stood up and put out his hand to Coreena. Hesitantly, she gave him her hand. The touch sent small, tingling shock waves through her body. Her knees trembled. With all the will in the world she could not explain why she was reacting to him like this. This was not normal. It was just a simple handshake, and yet, to her, it felt like intimate contact.
“Miss Tanner, how good to see you again,” said Volcan in a husky voice that went right through her. “Please, do sit down.”
Volcan's Fire (Guardians of The Elements #1) Page 2
