by Myles, Jill
Slave To Her Desires
By Jill Myles
Smashwords Edition Copyright © 2011 by Jill Myles
Smashwords Edition, License Notes
All rights reserved. This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
* * *
Chapter One
They say that desperate times called for desperate measures.
I say they haven’t seen desperate until they’ve been a vampire’s slave for a century or so.
Still, all desperation aside, I wasn’t going to let little things like memories of my master ruin my day. Or the fact that my thong was currently crawling up my ass. Or the fact that my shoes hurt my feet. Today was going to be a good day, dammit.
Because today, I was going to take control of my own freedom, once and for all.
With that thought in my mind, I pushed open the glass door of the enormous office building and entered the lobby of Gideon Enterprises. I approached the receptionist, who was less than thrilled to see me. She stared at my outlandish clothing, blinked a few times, and then had to think for a long moment before she put on a fake smile and spoke. "Can I...help you?”
"Hi there," I said in a cheerful manner as her gaze moved down my outfit once more. "May I see Noah Gideon? It's kind of an emergency.”
She looked at me with an arch expression and did not even bother to give her screen a cursory glance. "Mr. Gideon is unavailable.”
Well now, that was irritating. “I see. Can I just wait for him?”
“I’m sorry. He’ll be unavailable all day.” She gave me a pointed look.
“Of course,” I agreed. “He’s a busy man.” With that, I gave her a polite, understanding nod, then leaned over and brushed my fingers across her forehead, putting her to sleep. Sometimes it was good to be a succubus.
The receptionist slumped forward in her chair, her head tilted to the side. A faint snore escaped her mouth. I leaned over and propped her against the edge of the desk, her cheek cradled on her keyboard. I could have rifled through her memories to find where Noah's office was, but it was just as easy to reach over the desk and jerk the phone toward me, looking at the extension list attached to it. Room 501 - Company President. That would be Noah Gideon.
Pleased with my discovery, I grabbed a visitor's pass off the front desk and headed for the elevator.
Luckily the elevator was empty. I didn’t have to field comments about my choice of clothing – small blessing. The elevator dinged on the fifth floor and I got out, my stilettos clacking on the marble floor. I stood in a wide hallway, decorated in corporate motivational posters and muted lighting. Two doors were at the end of the hall, along with another desk – that would be Mr. Gideon’s assistant, if I had to guess. Arming myself mentally, I approached the desk.
This time, a man got up from his desk to stop me. He gave me a startled look and shook his head. "I'm sorry, miss—“
“Oh, it’s no problem,” I assured him, and put him to sleep too. All it took was a touch of my hand. He fell to the ground in a heap and curled up on his side, his face smoothing as he napped. I stepped over him and eyed my choices of doors. One was labeled ‘Sunrise Conference Room’. Cute, but not what I was looking for. I went through the other door instead.
Noah Gideon sat at a large antique oak desk, a laptop open in front of him. On the wall across the room, a flat screen TV was turned to a financial channel, and the electronic tickertape rolled across the bottom of the screen with the day's stock prices. The large office windows were open behind him, letting in the sunshine and giving a beautiful view of New City in summer.
The sight of the windows open brightened my mood - I loved the sunshine, even more since I'd been deprived of it for so long. Mr. Gideon looked just as I suspected he would - a very large, beautiful man with shoulder-length blond hair and a very neat, very expensive gray suit.
He glanced up as I entered, frowning. His eyes were light blue - not a good sign for me. That meant that the Serim curse would hit very shortly, and I needed to be far away.
I had a reason to be edgy around immortals that needed to slake their needs, after all.Noah’s eyes focused on my clothing, and his handsome features slid into a frown. "Is this a joke? Did Remy send you?”
“I don’t know who Remy is,” I said, smoothing my skirts. “And I’m not wearing this because I like it.”
He raised an eyebrow but said nothing.
I crossed my arms over my chest. “Really?” The man had little faith in women if he thought I had sauntered into his office wearing a French Maid outfit on purpose. The skirt was very short and crispy - a bit like a ruffled, sexy tutu. The top was little more than a skintight black baby tee with a deep vee that practically went to my belly-button, made questionably decent by a teeny tiny white apron. I even wore the jaunty hat that went with the get-up and black platform heels and fishnets. Man, I hated fishnets. Two of my toes had slipped through the holes in the netting and had lost circulation hours ago.
I looked like a hooker. The irony made my mouth twist. "Sorry, no one sent me here to service anyone. I came to talk to you." At his skeptical look, I continued. "I'm Olivia Rhodes. A friend told me that if I needed to find an immortal, I needed to come find you. I'm looking for David Thornton. They said you knew where to find him.”
The frown disappeared, replaced by mild confusion and a bit of curiosity. He moved past me, shutting the office door behind us. "Sounds like we need to speak privately.”
"Oh, it's pretty private at the moment," I said cheerfully. "I put your receptionist and your assistant to sleep.”
His frown returned.
"Sorry about that," I offered, though I really wasn't that sorry. They’d stood in the way of progress. I’d have cheerfully dumped them over the side of the building if they’d have stood in my way. "I'll wake them up when I leave. So do you know where I can find David?"
My hands twisted in my stupid little apron anxiously. What if this was a wild goose chase and he didn't know where David was after all? I desperately needed to find David - my own eyes were turning a dark shade of blue. Because I was a succubus, I needed to have sex every two days in order to maintain my immortality. The bluer my eyes were, the closer I was to needing my 'Itch' scratched. And I needed it scratched in about eight hours.
Which was why I desperately needed David. Another delay would screw me. Literally. If I didn’t have sex soon, I’d start to crave it like a junkie, and my body would slowly starve away if I didn’t feed it what it needed.
Noah turned and moved back to his desk, leaning against the edge of it. Not quite sitting, but his pose was casual enough to put me a bit more at ease. I hated dealing with Serim almost as much as I hated dealing with vampires. Any immortals, really. But I was desperate to find David, have my Itch scratched, and get out of these idiotic fishnet tights – not necessarily in that order.
Noah gestured for me to sit.
I did so, sensing immediately that it was a mistake. The chairs were plush and low to the ground. I was almost six feet tall without heels on - David had joked once, many years ago, that I was like the Amazons of lore, tall and strong. When I sat down, the skirt exposed way too much of my legs and thighs. I clamped my knees together and crossed my ankles to keep from showing him something he didn’t want to see.
Noah was a gentleman, at least, and didn't even look at what I was presenting. "I have not heard
anyone ask about David Thornton in many, many years.”
My heart locked in my throat. Oh no. Was he...was he dead? Would I know it if he was? Wouldn’t I have felt…something? “I take it he’s not attending the annual Serim Company Picnic and Barbecue? I can’t imagine.”
Actually, I could imagine, since David was private, the type that kept to himself.
“There is no annual Serim company picnic, as I’m sure you know.” Noah’s eyes narrowed at me. “And why are you searching for David?”
"He's my sire. My Serim master.”
Noah's gaze pinned me in my chair, and I knew he was trying to read me. Figure me out. I didn't blame him. I’d shown up in a goofy outfit, barged my way in, and demanded to see a man that I’d heard was in hiding. Noah had a right to be suspicious of me.
Especially since I’d just told him that I was a succubus. Many Serim viewed us to be more trouble than we were worth, and I couldn’t really blame them. Noah definitely seemed like the type to be in the ‘too much trouble’ camp.
So I waited, patiently, as Noah came up to me and tilted my chin up, studying my eyes.
I slapped his hand away and glared at him. “You don’t get to touch me.”
He looked taken aback at my vehement response, and pulled his hand away. “My apologies. I didn’t mean to offend.” He took a step backward and continued to study me. “Your eyes are blue, but that doesn’t tell me much. How old are you?”
“One hundred forty,” I replied. “I was born in 1868 and became a succubus in 1889, at the age of 21.”
He grunted, and I guessed I had passed that pop quiz with flying colors. “So you’ve come to seek out David? After all this time?”
I gave him a wary look. “No time like the present.”
Noah’s mouth lifted in a slight smile, though it did not reach his eyes. He was still studying me, trying to figure me out. “And so you’ve decided that you’ve missed him and wanted to declare undying love to him?”
“Undying love? Something like that,” I said in a thoughtful voice. “I confess that I do find my need for David a bit overwhelming.”
The fact that I needed him? That was the truth. The rest of it? Pure bullshit. Love David? I wanted to rip his eyes out and stuff them down his arrogant throat. I hated him – he was the one that had trapped me into being a vampire’s slave for the past hundred and ten years.
Love David? Hell no. I’d bring popcorn if he burned at the stake.
Noah watched me carefully. “And who’s your other sire – your vampire one?”
Every succubus had two masters – a fallen angel and a vampire. I’d tried not to think about my vampire master, but I supposed discussing him was inevitable. The taste of bile filled my mouth, and I forced myself to keep the cheerful note in my voice. “Aloysius, may he die a slow and painful death.”
Noah’s eyes widened, just slightly. “Oh…you’re that Olivia.”
“My reputation precedes me, I see,” I replied, tugging the French maid skirt further down on my thighs – as if it helped any. “Isn’t that nice.”
“I haven’t seen you anywhere,” he said bluntly. Noah clasped his hands behind his back and began to pace, never looking over at me or my tightly-clamped legs. “You’ve been so far off the map that no one knew you existed, except in rumor. So what brings Aloysius’s favorite pawn to my corner of the world?”
That stung, even though I’d been prepared for such an attack. Pawn indeed. “You misjudge me. I am anything but his pawn.”
“Oh? I’d heard that Aloysius kept you somewhere in a cage and only let you out for play…”
My polite expression grew tight, old unwelcome memories surging forward. Noah Gideon was just trying to ruin my day, wasn’t he?
Noah must have realized that he’d gone far over the line of good manners. He coughed into his hand and cleared his throat. “My apologies. I should not have been so rude. Not all the rumors are true, I imagine.”
Well, that particular rumor had been true once upon a time. I didn’t correct him though. “It’s okay. I managed to escape Aloysius ten years ago. I’ve been on the run ever since.”
Ten glorious, glorious years. I’d known it would eventually catch up to me, but I was still unprepared to return to Aloysius after all this time. If anything, those ten years had given me a taste of freedom and I wanted more. I’d never go back to him – even if it meant my death.
He glanced over at me, his eyes resting on the ruffled cleavage of my French maid costume, and a faint frown of disapproval curved his mouth down. “Clearly.”
“I’m not dressing like this because I want to,” I retorted, irritated at his manner. “I don’t have a choice. Aloysius called my cell and issued the command for me to wear this.” Since he was my master, I had to obey his every command – a succubus could never contradict the vampire or Serim that had created her. “Trust me, if I could change into something more normal, I would. Right now a potato sack sounds far more comfortable.”
His brow wrinkled as he regarded me. “I thought you said you escaped your master ten years ago?”
“I did. But I can’t seem to escape him entirely.” I put my hands on my knees and shifted in the too-low seat. “No matter where I go or what name I assume, Aloysius always seems to find me. He hasn’t come to collect me yet – I think it amuses him to feel that he still has the control even though I’m not under his roof any longer. It’s a game to him – a new and exciting game with a bigger game board.”
And it made me sick to my stomach that I was still his pawn.
Noah sat behind his desk once more, the lines on his face grim. He gave me a slight hand-wave, indicating that I should continue my story as he searched through his desk for something.
“We’ve been playing this cat and mouse game for several years,” I said. “I can live with the stupid costumes or the time he called me and instructed me to walk backward for a week. But he’s grown tired of our game. He wants me to return to him, so he’s forcing my hand, and I have no options left.”
“How so?”
A wave of memories rushed through me, and I clamped them down, forcing myself to remain calm and steady. “I’d recently taken up with a human lover to kill the Itch. Nice guy, even if he watched too much football. But Aloysius must have heard about it – he killed my human lover and left me another surprise phone call.”
Noah raised an eyebrow. “Phone call?”
I nodded. My hands twisted together in my lap and I clenched them hard, thinking about Aloysius. Hatred for him bubbled up inside of me, but I forced my voice to remain calm, flat. “He calls from different numbers every time, just to throw me off. Not to force me home, just to mess with me. Giving me small ridiculous commands to ruin my day and remind me that he was the one in control. I changed my number over and over, and when that didn’t work, I stopped using phones because it got too obnoxious. I think he did something to Jorge’s phone, so when I found Jorge – my human – dead on the floor, I tried to call 911. It called Aloysius instead. He could have just commanded me to come to him directly, but then that’s not as much fun, you see.” I gave a light, nervous laugh, even though it wasn’t funny. Not funny at all. Poor Jorge.
“I see,” said Noah in a soft voice.
“I have to come groveling to Aloysius of my own free will,” I said, my voice bitter and mocking. “If he catches me, that’s no fun. But if I have to crawl back to him? That breaks my spirit. Reminds me that I’m his and not my own. He likes that, and it’s far too easy for him to just show up and grab me. So instead, Aloysius let me call him. And when he picked up, he commanded that I could touch no man but my master. Him. And since I have to have sex every two days to survive, things are going to get tricky in, say…” I leaned over his desk and checked the time on his computer. “Eight hours or so. Which is why I need to find David. He’s my other master.”
It was either that, starve, or return to Aloysius. Right now, starving was looking like a pretty tempting alternati
ve.
“When was the last time you saw David? I’m curious,” said Noah, pulling out another desk drawer and glancing through a stack of folders.
“The night before I turned into a succubus,” I said. “1889.”
“Well, I imagine you’ll be happy to see him, then,” Noah said, his voice still guarded.
Not in the slightest. But I didn’t want to tell him that, since Mr. Noah Gideon seemed to be David’s gatekeeper. So I just said, “Oh, I can’t wait to see him again.”
Sure hoped I didn’t give in to the urge to punch in his face when I saw him, either.
After all, I’d written letters to David, begging him to save me from Aloysius, and he’d never even had the courtesy to respond. He was the only one that could have saved me from a hundred years of hell, and he’d abandoned me without a second thought. He’d never returned to see if I was all right, or if I’d lived, or if I suffered under Aloysius’s hands. He’d simply lost interest the moment I’d been turned and left London, never to be seen again.
No, I couldn’t say that I was thrilled at the prospect of seeking out David to have sex with him. But I’d slept with people I’d loathed more – Aloysius, for example – and I’d probably do so again at some point, so it wasn’t the end of the world. I was a pragmatic sort, and if it involved keeping myself alive? I’d do it, no matter what it was.
Noah pulled a set of nondescript keys from the bottom of the desk drawer and held it up. “I’ll take you to David, then, but I have to warn you, he might not be as useful to you as you think.”
I got up from the chair, wincing when the lacy thong of the outfit rode up my backside. “I’ll take my chances on that.”
* * *
We left the building after pausing to wake up both of Mr. Gideon’s employees. I’d taken the bus, but Noah insisted that we take his car this time. I got into Noah’s car with him, even though any sane woman would think twice about that sort of thing. Of course, I was long past sanity and running low on options, and I didn’t have many people left to trust. I needed to trust someone, or I was doomed.
