by Paige Patton
“I’ve come to assist you, Master.”
“What makes you think I need assistance?”
Ivy almost laughed aloud, but she was there to help him, not to piss him off; he hadn’t dated in centuries, of course, he needed help.
“Please! With all due respect, you need all the help you can get.”
He did not argue with that. It was true. He didn’t have a clue. “Okay, speak.”
“The poor woman is in heat, master. Sitting in the same room with you is torturing her.”
Roman could feel Desiree’s sexual tension, but she was strong. She was not giving in no matter how badly she wanted him. This was strange and annoying. By now, most women would have bared themselves to him and would have begged to be fucked.
“If she is in heat, as you say, she is hiding it well.”
“Then look into her soul. Get to know her. Know who and what she is then give her a gentle nudge to make her want you.”
A gentle nudge, Roman thought. This one he just might have to push.
“Compliment her- Lots of compliments. Tell her how beautiful she is. They tend to like that sort of thing. Use your charm and finesse to win her over. Leave your condescending, arrogant domineering demeanor at the door.”
Roman almost felt insulted by her characterization attack. Since it was mostly all true, how could he? He did have an overly exaggerated sense of himself and his abilities. He was a vampire with god-like powers. Try not being arrogant when you were as powerful as he was. Domineering was a side dish to being arrogant and powerful. As far as being condescending, well, he was superior so that one was a given.
“Of course that is with all due respect, Master. Perhaps you should remain silent, or say as little as possible. Let her do most of the talking.”
“I detest idle chit chat.” He scoffed.
“Yes, I know, but human women love to talk, especially about themselves. Try it. Listen to her. At least pretend that you are interested in what she has to say, and I promise, you’ll have her standing in front of the alter giving herself to you in no time.”
Ivy disappeared just as the bathroom door opened. Roman could not take his eye off of her as she stepped out. Even with no makeup, wet hair and wearing sweatpants and a tee shirt, she was stunningly beautiful.
“Thanks for the dry clothes. I hope your girlfriend doesn’t mind?”
“If that’s your way of asking if I’m in a relationship, Miss Chase, why not simply ask?” He said as his eyes followed her as she moved over to the window to look out at the storm he kept brewing. She was beautiful, he thought as he watched her like a lion watching its prey. He could not wait to own her.
“That would mean I cared which I don’t.” She said curtly.
“Why lie about your feelings?”
Desiree’s head snapped around so fast it startled him. “I have no feelings for you.”
“It’s important that we’re always honest with one another, Desiree. Especially when entering into a relationship. There should never be a need for lies. Wouldn’t you agree?”
Desiree couldn’t imagine being in a serious relationship with a man like Roman. He had too much testosterone running through his veins. He was one hundred percent, raw man. Men like that scared her. They were all insensitive control freaks. She was too much of a diva to be controlled.
“I totally agree, but here’s a news flash for you. We are not, nor will ever be entering into a relationship.”
He crossed over to where she stood by the window and perched himself on the armrest of the couch facing her. Gazing into her eyes, he did as Ivy suggested. He peered deep into the depths of her soul to find the real Desiree Chase. What he saw he loved. Buried under her tough girl attitude was a woman who craved the touch and needed the strength of a dominate man.
Roman knew that he would have to work extra as her master. He knew it would take some time to learn her idiosyncrasies. It would take time to recognize her body language to sense her feelings and her fears. He was up for the job and ready for the challenge. He was eager to show her his way of life and to help her live her truth.
Desiree tried to swallow, but her mouth was dry. She was finding hard to blink or to take a deep breath. Now would have been the perfect time for the diva to make a grand appearance, but he was too close. He had a way of scaring her into keeping her mouth shut. On top of that she was getting that funny feeling in the pit of her stomach that always ended up making her weak. Her heart leaped when he reached around her waist and gently pulled her into him.
“We will be soon. Communication will be vital.” He said as pulled her in even closer by the hips letting his hands rest there. “Everything will be based on trust.”
Desiree was slowly coming apart as she looked into his eyes. The tranquility of his voice put her into a twilight state of helplessness.
“I want to teach you things, Desiree. Show you things you have never seen before. Make you feel feeling you have never felt. But you must first learn to be honest with me.” He said as he dug his fingers into her hips and pulled her in even closer; her hand now resting on his shoulders.
Her mouth was so close to his she could feel his breath on her lips. Kiss me, please kiss me, Desiree pleaded as she stared into his eyes. She wanted nothing more than to fall into his arms and give herself to him, to make wild, passionate love for hours or days- Whatever he wanted.
“If you are incapable of being completely honest it’s fine for now. It gives us something to work on. Total honesty is a difficult task for any woman.”
“I can be just as honest as the next man. And just so you know, reverse psychology doesn’t work with me. I may not be a professor, but I’m still too smart for that trick.” She said, pulling free of his hold.
Roman looked forward to seeing just how smart she was. Only time would tell and if he did not have anything, he had time. He stood and headed into the kitchen.
The second he was out of her sight Desiree wanted him back. A sudden need to have him near hit her hard causing tears to fall from her eyes. She quickly wiped them away thinking how utterly insane she was for feeling this way, but she could do nothing to stop the depression that claimed her simply because he was no longer there. She wanted him back in the room sitting next to her. Even though she took offense to mostly everything he said, she loved it when he spoke and felt better when he was close by. She longed for him to return, needing him as she needed to breathe.
Was she going crazy, she wondered? How could she have such strong feelings for a man she didn’t know? Who was he, or better yet, what was he, a god, a mythological creature, a fantasy that had mysteriously come to life? She had to find out. Men like Roman DePaul did not exist in the real world, he had to be a fairy tale she concluded. What other explanation could there be?
She had to find the underlying cause of this. She would investigate- do some digging. Become a hard-nosed journalist until she got the right answers.
“Are you from California?” She started. It would make things a lot easier for her if he was. She would go and check out his neighborhood and talk to his neighbors. It may not tell her everything she needed to know about him, but it would be a good start.
“I’m from many places.” He spoke out from the kitchen.
Just the sound of his voice eased the longing she felt for him. “Spoken like a man with something to hide.”
“I have nothing to hide. I am being honest. There are not many places I have not lived.”
He was either an arrogant snob or a man well-traveled. Desiree was about to put him to the test to find out which.
“So you’ve lived in Russia?”
“Moscow. Three years as a matter of fact.” He stated nonchalantly.
“Australia?”
“Canberra for five years before I moved to Sydney.”
“What about Scotland?”
Roman returned from the kitchen carrying a cheese platter with an assorted arrangement of cheeses, meats, crackers, and fruit. H
e sat it down on the coffee table and took a seat across from the couch.
“I have a home there. It’s nothing like Edinburgh, but it suits my needs.”
“China?” Desiree asked taking a seat on the couch tucking her legs under herself. She reached over, picked up a strawberry, and bit into it.
“Yes, Miss Chase. China, Japan, Africa, France, you name it I have lived there. We could go on for hours if you like.” He said watching as juice from the strawberry ran down her finger. His heart quickened, and his cock jerked. He knew what was coming next; she was going to lick it away. When she did, he fought hard to contain the animal side of himself but he made a mental note to have plenty of strawberries on hand always, when they were a couple.
Roman looked away before the beast did something stupid. He quickly made a bargain with the animal asking it to stay calm until she belonged to them. Once she was theirs, he would give the beast all the time he needed to enjoy her.
“Now I have a question for you, Desiree. Why were you questioning my students about the women in my class?”
How did he know about that? It hadn’t even been an hour since she spoke to the girl about the women in his class liking him. Desiree was taken off guard with this question. She couldn’t tell him that she was trying to dip into his business. Shit, now, what; She had to lie. There was no other choice.
“I did no such thing.”
“Again with the lies?”
“I’m not lying.” That was her lie, and she was sticking to it.
“Please, Desiree. We both know very well that you did.”
What was it with this man? He had a way of knowing shit and an annoying way of making her want to come clean.
“Okay! I did, but I was only doing my job. I have to ask questions like that, so there’s no need for you to start growing a big head.” She reached over and picked up another strawberry.
“I already have a big head, Miss Chase. It keeps growing larger and harder every time we meet.”
She bit into the strawberry but let it hang there as his words formed a clear picture in her mind. As hard, as she tried to stay focused on his face, her eyes could not help but scroll down to his zipper where his hand rested on his manhood. Thank God, he was dressed casually in loose fitting jeans and a shirt so that she was unable to see anything clearly. Otherwise, she would have fainted.
“But you can help me, Desiree.” He said calmly.
“I can?” She asked her voice barely a whisper, her heart thumping in her chest and her eyes caught in his gaze. She was completely mesmerized, trapped; all inhibitions weakened. Oh, God, help me, she pleaded because right now she would do anything he asked. Anything!
“How?”
Roman knew he already had her. He could feel the hold that kept her tightly linked to him. It was mind compulsion 101 without trying. She was already his because her mother gave her to him. She just had to let go and accept him as her master.
“By agreeing to marry me...”
Thank God, the diva stepped in because Desiree was ready to say I do.
“Are you fucking kidding me?”
Her foul language was beginning to annoy him. He wanted to drag her into the bathroom and wash her mouth out with soap and hot water. It would certainly be on his list of thing to do the moment they said their vows.
Roman took a deep breath and pushed down the urge. “How much time do you require?”
“For what?” She asked, brusquely.
“For courting? How much time do you need?”
“First of all, it’s no longer called courting. I believe dating is the word you’re looking for. Secondly, I barely know you and even if I did I would never date, much less marry a man who thinks that spanking a woman was an acceptable way to resolve a conflict.”
“Why not, you enjoyed it.”
“I did not!”
Roman raised an eyebrow to her. “The truth for once, Desiree; or can you not help yourself? Tell me that you did not receive any pleasure from me spanking you. Try to be honest. Please.”
Her initial thought was to lie. God help her, the truth came rolling out. “Okay! I did! So what- Don’t think for one minute that it’s a free pass for your brutal attack on me and it certainly doesn’t take the place of a formal apology.”
“Brutal?” He snapped back. “I barely touched your ass. I would gladly demonstrate brutal if you’d like. And why should I apologize. You just said you enjoyed it.”
“I never said that.”
“Then I’ll say it for you because I know what you felt.”
“Whatever, Mr. DePaul- You should still apologize. Do you know how demeaning it was for me to be treated like a child? Until you do the right thing, we have nothing more to say to each other.”
“Fine,” He said. He preferred it quiet anyway.
Desiree tried to look away from him, but the sight of him sitting there leaning back in his chair with his leg gapped open took her breath away and caused her heart to race. “You’re nothing but a monster treating a person that way.” She said.
It was true. He would never deny the fact that he was a monster. “Okay.” He said owning it with a devilish grin on his face as he stared back at her.
The man was a natural born brute, she concluded, the type of man who enjoyed inflicting pain on helpless women. She knew what he was trying to do, but she was not going to let him intimidate her. When in her life had she ever been timid? She wasn’t about to cowered away like a spineless jellyfish, not now, or ever- But Lord! If he would just look the other way, it would help her out big time!
“A little pain is good sometimes, Desiree; if done the right way.”
Desiree thought she would go mad as she imagine the type of pain he had in mind. She felt a sense of perverted joy. Right now, she would welcome any pain he wanted to inflict on her.
What was wrong with her she thought as she closed her eyes and rested her head in the palm of her hand? She had to pull herself together and keep her mind clear, but that was impossible to do around him. She felt powerful, yet powerless. It was such a strange, subtle alchemy, but it was there.
“You practically begged for that spanking. You earned it.”
He was trying to get her worked up. She was not going to let him take her there. Who did he think he was, she thought, acting all high and mighty like he was the shit? Okay, he was the shit. But, damn, would it kill him just to shut the fuck up? Couldn’t he see that he was driving her insane?
“I thought we weren’t talking, Professor DePaul? And what are you, a sadist? I bet you are only happy when you’re doling out pain. Do you get pleasure from acting like a heathen?”
“Yes, as a matter of fact, I do. So, that must make you, what, a masochist because you enjoyed it?”
To say simply that she enjoyed it was a gross understatement. She was crippled by the pleasure of his actions. Just thinking about it made her wet. Now her heart was doing that that crazy tap dance it did whenever he was around. Butterflies began fluttering around in her stomach, and all she could think about now was screwing him silly.
She would never admit the truth to him. Not in a million years would she ever tell him just how much she enjoyed his touch and how much she craved more. She could lie to him, but she certainly could not lie to herself. Pleading no contest seemed to be the sensible thing to do. She said nothing.
“There are lots of women who like being punished, Miss Chase. It’s nothing to be ashamed of.”
Desiree drew back with a huff. “You didn’t punish me.” She said as if his remark was an insult, but damn, the man was good. He was making every effort in trying to make her angry. Or was he simply trying to arouse her? “I hope you don’t think you’re getting to me. Better men have tried and better men have failed.”
Again, she was lying. He was getting to her. He could see it in her eyes as they sparkled with excitement. He could smell the heat of her desire; hear the increased blood flow gushing through her veins. No, he was not getting to
her. He had already taken her. He could practically see her nipples hardening as she started breathing harder and faster. She was to the gasping. Her eyes now had that glazed over look, and her pupils widened. She tried pretending to be a hardened, tough girl from the streets; he knew that she was anything but.
She was right about one thing though. Roman was a dominating creature by nature, a pedantic sir, a tyrannical master, but not a sadist, not really. Soon she would come to know all of his traits- The good, the bad, and the beast.
Once bonded theirs would be a lifestyles typical for his race; permanently linked for life, never able to take another partner. Roman was already feeling the pull of the bonding. In so many ways, she was already his.
Desiree struggled to keep her eyes opened, but the sound of rain rattling against the windowpanes along with intermittent flashes of lightning and rumbling clashes of thunder, it was like a lullaby rocking her to sleep. Unable to keep her eyes open any longer, she fell into a deep sleep.
****
Delilah’s voice called out to him in his head. Roman flashed himself into a room where three of her handmaidens surrounded her. She made a gesture with her hand and like flies, they scattered leaving them alone.
“Is there a problem?” Roman asked with a hint of irritation in his voice.
“Kourosh.” Was all she said as she stood, materialized a robe covering her naked body before flashing them both into the room that held the eye of Horus. Waving a hand over the oracle it began to move around until an image appeared on the wall before them.
“He has stepped up his game. He is now sending his army from town to town to terrorize those who will not help him in his quest to find the woman that he seeks.”
Roman watched as the demons annihilated a small town leaving hundreds of bodies in the wake.
“Two hundred of your followers have been brutally murdered. Fifty of your men lie in the hospital weakened by him. Your doctor can only do so much at this point. You must get Desiree to submit to you before Kourosh kills them all.”
