He swallowed, a flicker of light in his brown eyes. He wasn’t immune to her situation, but would it be enough? “What do you expect us to do? We give every girl a warning first. We don’t want to do this, but it’s not our fault if you ignore us.”
“Please,” she pleaded. “I’ll do anything.”
Her hands went to his trouser waistband, but he stepped back. “Don’t even think about it.”
Fuck, she was so desperate that she’d pull her dress off and bend over naked before him, but something about his hard expression told her he wouldn’t fall for that crap. As he swiped his phone, panic claimed her. “If you hand me over to James, one of your bosses is going to be pissed.”
That got his attention, but when he lifted his eyebrows, it was obvious he didn’t quite believe her. “Really?”
“Yes. I’m friends with one of the club owners.”
“So was every other girl we sent over to James. Only their claims didn’t stand up to scrutiny.”
“You can ask him. His name is…Blade.”
BLADE SAT IN HIS OFFICE at the rear of the complex, going over the accounts. The place was doing damn well. The lounges were full most nights with customers who wanted to indulge in nothing more than dinners and drinks, and the pleasure zones—well, their income was hitting the roof. But the biggest profit increase for the last month was registered against Oasis. Damn, he was proud of that. If all went well, they could go for that hotel deal on the other side of the river, as well as adding another zone to Eclipse. Leke wanted the Blood Zone, the area where blood-suckers and humans mingled, to be expanded. The vampires paid for blood, and the club made a commission from each sale. But some humans didn’t charge, because they got off on having a vampire’s fangs inside them—in which case, they paid. But either way, someone paid.
Another dance zone would be a huge expense, but seeing as Oasis had shown the fastest growth, perhaps it wouldn’t be a bad idea. The idea took root, exciting him. They would need planning permission, but that was why his kind spent so long keeping powerful humans sweet. For starters, James had all the right contacts in his pockets, and if he agreed to help, then the expansion wouldn’t be a huge deal. And damn, James and Drake owed them after the diligence they were putting into catching their girls. Shit. That reminded him of the women they’d sent to James.
Why the hell did those females come to Manhattan without even checking what they were getting into? He got it, that need to escape a situation that was so shit, you didn’t think you could encounter anything worse. Or didn’t even think of what you might encounter. What was it to him, anyway? It was the women’s choice, just as it was their decision to come back to the club after receiving a warning about what would happen to them if they did. The business was going damn well, and he would make sure it didn’t go through any shit, not over a few hookers who couldn’t understand danger when it stared them in the face.
When he received the call, he was tempted to ignore it, wanting to consider the plans for the second dance zone. If he worked through the night, he’d have a proposal to present to his partners by tomorrow. But when Junaid’s name flashed on the mobile screen, he picked up the call. Had there been more problems?
“One of James’ girls is with me,” said the lion shifter. And he was calling him…because? “She pulled one of our customers from the Oasis queue and took him to an alley next to the wall. When I found them, she was on her knees, ready to blow him.”
“You’ve scanned her?”
“Yes. She’s already been warned.”
Irritation shot through Blade. Then why the hell was the shifter calling him? He knew what to do—unless he’d suddenly developed a damn conscience over the matter. That was something he didn’t need right now. “I don’t get it, Junaid. Why are you calling me?”
“She says she knows you.”
“Knows me? How?”
“I’ll send you her picture and details.” There was the sound of rustling and then a beep as an image came through. Even before he opened it, Blade knew who it would be. Her face stared back at him, her hair just as ratty in the photo. Alyssa. That was her name? “Blade? What do you want me to do with her?”
Send her to James.
That should have been his answer. But his mind jumped to the cigarette marks on her arms, the ones she’d pathetically tried to pass off as mosquito bites. And what about those bruises? Had the mob boss done that to her? Or one of her other clients? Regardless of who had, she would go through worse if she was reported. Much worse. Damn it, he was the one who had pushed for this. He should report her if he wanted to do the right thing by his partners and the staff he’d put onto this dirty job…but what would James do to her?
“I’m in my office, Junaid. Bring her here.”
There was a pause. “Sure. We’ll be there soon.”
Even as he placed his mobile on the desk, he knew it was a shit decision.
CHAPTER FIVE
* * *
ALYSSA. THE ONLY THOUGHT THAT ran through his mind after that call. He could not focus on the damn accounts…and that proposal for the new dance zone? It would have to wait. Impatience rose inside him—to see her? To think he’d been the one who told the wolf shifter Shaun that he was making a mistake putting a woman before business. What the hell was he doing now? This wasn’t anything short of stupidity. He was about to call Junaid and tell him he’d changed his mind, when there was a knock at the door. Too late. When he checked the monitor above his desk, Junaid was outside.
There was only one way to deal with this. He’d explain to her how serious the situation was and make sure she didn’t turn up here again. If she had any sense in that tiny head, she’d listen. But even if after knowing the risks, she still turned up at Eclipse or any other supernatural enterprises, then it was her own bloody problem. There wasn’t much he could do if she didn’t value her own life, was there?
As his fingers hovered over the switch on the desk, the one that would release the door, his eyes were on the monitor. Alyssa came into the frame, and for a few moments, he paused in whatever he was about to do. Gone was that little floral dress from the other night, and in its place, was a hot red number that finished just below her ass. She’d gone all posh and sexy tonight, and damn if it didn’t make his horns stand on edge. He released the lock, and they entered the room.
If the shifter was surprised that Blade had asked him to bring Alyssa here, he didn’t show it. “Anything else, Blade?”
“No. You get back to monitoring the Oasis entrance.” Junaid was much better than this shitty job—hell, he’d run the dance zone single handedly since he took over, but it wouldn’t be long before the girls got the message. He fucking hoped so, anyway.
“I’ll get going, then.” Junaid left, closing the door behind him.
Alyssa’s eyes were bright. “Thank you, Blade. I—”
“You were warned not to come back.”
“Yes, I was.” She glanced around his office, taking in the customized furniture, expensive gadgets and a security system that could log into any area of Eclipse. “But I need to work, Blade.”
Work. Of course. That was why she’d turned up dressed like this. Her breath quickened as he ran his gaze over her; the hair looked more presentable today, making him wonder how much work had gone into it. Made-up eyes, glossy lips. A dress that exposed just the right amount of cleavage, with a hem that would be indecent if she sat down. And then his eyes landed on her knees, and he drew a sharp breath at the fucking dirt on them.
She was on her knees before the guy, about to suck him off.
He clenched his fists, as an image of her doing the deed flashed through his head. He was ready to go into a fucking rage. Kill someone. Even better, tell Junaid to get whoever she had been with in the alley, so Blade could hammer his fists into him. The guy wouldn’t think of getting blown for months. He turned away from her, inhaling deep to regain his calm. Why the hell did she affect him like this? Whatever this shit was, he needed
to get it out of his system.
But then images played with his head. Alyssa in the position she was days ago, straddling him, lowering down to suck his cock…but the flashback changed so there was a faceless man underneath her—a stranger who pounded into her. That rage returned, reaching deep inside his chest and squeezing at something unfamiliar. This is what she does. Every single night. Deal with it. He’d never felt possessive over a female before…and this woman? She was one who would go with anyone for the right amount. Damn stupid of him to get involved.
“Don’t come back here,” he told her. “I can’t help you again.”
Those large eyes dropped from his face to his chest and then lowered, resting on his trouser waistband. He wanted to ignore her, but heat surged through his blood at the memory of what they’d done the other night. Him pulsing inside her as she released those delicious sounds, urging him on, wanting him to…damn, the release he’d had that night was unlike anything he’d experienced.
Her gaze returned to his face, but it didn’t reduce his discomfort. In fact, those green eyes were unsettling, as if they bored into his very soul. “I need to work, Blade.”
“That’s what James is for…to put you to work.”
When her face turned a shade paler, he wanted to take her in his arms and protect her from the mob boss, keep her here with him. Nobody had to know…but again, one hell of a stupid idea. “You know what he’s like, don’t you?” When he didn’t answer, “Of course you do. The whole of Manhattan knows what he’s into.” She held her arms out. “In case you need reminding.” The marks were fading, but at the sight of them, an ache shot through him. Yet that pain was nothing compared to what she’d been put through…no, he needed to back off, because it had been her choice to get involved with someone like James and enter this line of work. She wasn’t his problem, and he wasn’t going to make her one. “I need to make money, demon. So I can get away from him.”
A crazy idea came to his head, of offering her a job. The words were on his lips when he pulled them back again. He needed to bloody think first. Yes, there were plenty of jobs behind the bar in the different zones, but he would need to clear it with James before offering any of his girls a job. The idea took root inside his head. How would the mob boss react if Blade offered one of his hookers a job? He wouldn’t be best pleased, but when was that asshole pleased with anything? Blade could always ask him, and make it clear that if he wasn’t up for it, it wasn’t going to happen. But he suspected that with the right amount of money, it would. Every fucker in this business had a price.
“You still want to work here?”
Her eyes lit up, making him think that, hell yes, he would pay what it took to keep that smile on her face. But then she frowned. What now? “When I came for a job, I was told I wasn’t up to standard.”
Why did her words make him feel like shit? It wasn’t his fault that humans and supernaturals had such a limited idea of what constituted beauty. “There are hundreds of other jobs you can do. Behind the bar, or perhaps you could train in something you want to do—” And to be honest, he wasn’t going to put her to work so she could fuck other guys under his roof. Not her. “What do you reckon?”
“I’ve always wanted to train in something.” The smile came back, big time. “I dreamed of getting an education, you know. Perhaps I could save money, go to college and—”
“I need to clear it with James first.”
And now that solemn expression was back. “He’ll never let me go.”
“He might do, for the right price.” That’s what it all came down to in the end, didn’t it? James, Alyssa and him—they all had a price. “But like I said, don’t get your hopes up.”
But it was too late. Her eyes were wide and bright, and that smile returned and got stuck on her face. Damn it, she really was gorgeous when that misery lifted from her, wasn’t she?
THE DEMON WAS RIGHT. SHE shouldn’t get her hopes up, but she couldn’t help it. Hope. It was what had kept her going over the years. As her dad bashed her around the head for taking too long in the shower or whatever had pissed him off, she had hoped to get away from him. She’d planned to work and save money to do what he’d never allowed her to—go to college. And when she got a job offer from Manhattan, one offering her work as a high class escort with promises of big money? Hope reared its head again. A year or so, and she’d save the money to pursue her dream. And then she’d come here to a life that was even shittier than the one she’d escaped. But that little thing called hope kept her going. There was something better coming; there had to be. Or else what was the point of going on? Through the degradation and torture, and as clients fucked her in the most vile ways, she clung to hope. It would not always be like this…
“Alyssa?” Blade’s voice brought her back to the office. “I can’t promise anything.”
But the idea of getting away from that sadist’s clutches, before he could punish her for what he considered a personal affront, had already taken root. Blade was powerful, wasn’t he? Perhaps James would listen to him. As far as she knew, they were associates of some sort. She could already see herself working behind the bar or maybe even in this little office. She’d done a few computer software classes, saving money from her job as a waitress in a dingy café and going to night classes without her dad finding out. Maybe she could get the cash together to leave Manhattan. Even better, do what she’d always wanted. Get an education and go for a better life…
“Until you speak to James, I need to make money,” she said. “Couldn’t your guys make an exception and allow me to work here? I promise to be discreet, and I won’t take work away from any of your girls.” She rubbed her knee behind her leg, trying to get rid of the dirt. “It’s not as if the people who are interested in your girls would even look at me, anyway.”
“You know I can’t let you do that.” Before she could protest, “But I’ll give you money to keep you going.”
She stepped toward him, but stopped with a distance still between them when he tensed. “I promise I’ll work it off.” Her words hung between them, and a red rim surrounded the black iris of his eyes, the way it had that night. Blade still wanted her.
“You don’t have to.”
“But I don’t want any favors.” The truth was, she wanted him. When she was around him, she forgot who she was…
He approached, standing close enough so that the heat from his body touched her. His jaw tightened as his eyes roamed over her. “Leave.”
She moved closer, but he didn’t pull back. She placed her hands on his shoulders and went on tiptoe so her breasts pressed against his chest. His nostrils flared and eyes flickered. When she licked his lower lip, a soft moan left his mouth, barely audible. And then his arms went around her waist as he pulled her up against him. He could deny his need for her all he wanted, but his body told another story. The demon was rock hard. He moved one hand to her ass, lifting her so she ground against his erection, sending a painful ache through her. She breathed against his mouth, soft. “Demon.” Her voice was low, but it was not the one that the experienced prostitute in her used. Being near him had this effect on her. “Do you still want me to leave?”
His mouth tightened, and for a moment, it was as if he might still resist. But then his lips were on hers, hard and demanding. He turned with her so her backside was against the desk. Both his hands were on her backside now, as he pressed her up against him as if he wanted to make their bodies one. She was so turned on that she became dizzy. When she stumbled, he held her against his hard body with one hand, and with the other, he pushed things from the desk, stuff falling to the floor as he made room for her.
She registered her dress being pulled up around her waist before he sat her on the desk and pressed her thighs apart. And then he was between her legs, his tongue inside her mouth as he pulled her forward so her core was against his erection. She grabbed his shirt, pulling the buttons open, pretty sure some of them broke. And then her fingers found what they wer
e desperate for. His bare chest under her fingers. As her hands roamed over hard muscle, she wanted more. She needed to be naked with him. When she wrapped her legs around him and lifted her hips for closer contact, he groaned. “Fuck, Alyssa. I can’t wait.”
His hand went between them as their mouths stayed locked. She heard the sound of his trouser zip opening, and that sent more surges of heat through her. And then he pulled at her lace panties. Could anything be more erotic than that tearing sound?
He shoved into her, hard, pleasure pulsing through her body as he moved inside her with long strokes. “Blade…yes!”
At her words, he moved faster. His hand went to her breast, fondling it through the material. And then he moved his fingers inside the neckline. With each push of his cock, he thrust his tongue inside her mouth and twisted her nipple. She trembled under the pleasure, unable to take this assault on her senses. His movements became more frenzied, and he stopped working her nipple and grabbed her whole breast, his grip becoming tighter. His mouth left hers, and he twisted her hair around his fist, holding her head back so he could look down at her face as he fucked her hard.
“Alyssa—” He didn’t finish what he was about to say, because the whole of his face tightened, the black iris of his eyes expanding until it covered the white. She stared at him, wanting to take in every bit of tension on his face, wanting to remember what he looked like as he coated her insides with his cum, but—damn!—as he pushed his cock deeper, the pleasure was too much to bear. She closed her eyes, but he tugged at her hair. “Look at me!” he ordered.
Demon's Soul (Blood Moon Book 2) Page 7
