by Sedona Venez
That's what I was afraid of, losing all my control to him. The last man on earth that I should. I was speechless when Knox fisted my hair with one hand, kissing me roughly. My legs fell wide open as he worked his fingers in and out of my wet sex with his other hand. I was so lost in his touch that I didn't realize the stage had turned until I heard the thump.
Embarrassed, I pushed at Knox. “Stop. I can't.”
He growled. “I'll allow you to run this time. But after tonight, there’s nothing to stop me but one word. Do we understand each other?”
I nodded because I did. We didn't talk about my safe word, but that's exactly what he was referring to. The only word that would stop him from going full-throttle on my ass.
CHAPTER 5
I quickly grabbed my cell, not recognizing the number. “Yes?” I asked impatiently, pacing back and forth across the bamboo floors of my apartment.
“Hello, Stormy.”
Immediately, I recognized the husky voice. “Hello, Harper. How are you?”
She laughed. “Frankly, very irritated by having to make this damn call.” She sighed heavily. “But such is the life of a well-paid personal manager to a pain-in-the-ass rock star.”
My back straightened. What the hell? He didn't even have the respect to call me himself. “Okay, Harper, no offense to you, but I'm not doing this, all right? Tell him to pick up the damn cell and call me himself.” Ugh, I wanted to smack him in face for the balls on him… Stick a finger in me at dinner and I wasn't even worth a call the next day?
“Please, no drama. It's too early.” She sighed. “Believe me, he would’ve called, but he's doing a live interview as we speak. Hence the call from his blond and simply gorgeous minion.”
I tapped my bare foot. “Okay, so what does he want now? A pint of blood? The promise of my firstborn?”
“Not today, love. Maybe tomorrow. He's sending over a dress he wants you to wear to Ryker's charity foundation gala. The rock god said, and I quote, 'your sweet ass is his and prepare to spend the weekend on your knees,' end quote.” She growled huskily. “If you ask me, it sounds like a damn hot weekend.” She purred dramatically. “Can I join?”
I banged my head against the window. Damn, I hate him. “How about you take my place? I don't relish being on my knees for hours. Not that I object to doling out a good blow job, but I don't think I have the knee or jaw stamina to handle it.”
Harper giggled. “You're too funny. God, I hope he has the smarts to keep you.”
I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, that's me, a regular comedian.”
“Knox mentioned that you're a dancer.”
I interrupted her. “Former, amateur dancer.”
“Same thing. All I'm saying is that you better do some leg and mouth stretches because it's going to be a long but enjoyable weekend.”
I whirled my finger in the air. “Yippee. I'm really feeling the excitement.”
“I would gladly join you on the journey if you were remotely interested in women. Truth be told, that would be the only way I could stomach being around a bare-ass Knox.” She shivered loudly.
I laughed. I liked her and hoped that after the Knox fling, she and I could remain friends. Goodness knows that having Harper as a friend would make life entertaining. “Well, I think that you’re the only woman on the face of the earth who would say that. Thanks for your willingness to sacrifice yourself for the cause, but again, as gorgeous as you are, I'm still not interested in women.”
“Damn, that's a shame.” She paused, jostling her cell. “Okay, I have to hurry before Knox finishes his interview. He can be an ass if I'm not standing around at his beck and call. One more thing before I go, you do know about what goes on at Ryker's charity galas?”
I swallowed hard. Everyone knew about what went on. That's why getting an invite was like winning the lottery… impossible. It was one of the hottest invites in the human and Other social circles. He only invited his wealthy associates who were more than willing to give very generously to his charitable foundation. All for the privilege of taking part in an event notoriously known as an indulgence in freaky, sensual escapades. Each year, the event was bigger than the year before. He was also such an arrogant ass that he notoriously was good for leaving guests wondering if he would even show up to his own event. Nine times out of ten… he didn't.
“Unfortunately, I do. I'll be there with one caveat. Accommodations must be provided for my cousin and business partner, Light Credence.” If I had to suffer through this, she was going to watch. Well, not literally.
“Done,” Harper responded. “I've got to run. I hear Knox bellowing like some sort of caveman. See you tonight, Stormy.”
I needed coffee to process this disaster. Walking into the serving pantry off the reception area, I quickly prepared an espresso before roaming back into the luminous office that overlooked the atrium and gardens beyond. I didn't move when I heard the elevator door open. There was no point. She was coming in and there was no stopping the tornado of chaos. I continued to sip my coffee, staring through the wall-to-wall windows.
“That bad, huh?” Light asked.
I turned around to see her tapping her foot impatiently. I sighed heavily before responding. “I just got off the phone with Harper.” Light arched a brow in question. “Knox's manager. And I've been summoned by King Knox to play mistress for an entire weekend at Ryker's charity event.”
Light clapped her hands with delight. “That's super hot. I wish I was going.” She sat down on the couch, pulling her knees up to her chest as she balanced her coffee mug on her knees.
I plopped down beside her. “You are. Pack for the weekend, sweet cheeks.” I pinched her cheek, earning a sharp smack on the hand.
She rolled her eyes. “What's the big deal? I get to enjoy a weekend filled with my three favorite things. Alcohol, sex, and men.” She rubbed her hands together excitedly. “Now tell me what happened last night.”
“Put it this way. Last night, I witnessed an act so hot that I was practically climbing Knox like a tree.”
“Sounds about right. Redemption is the hottest sex-capade in town.” She scooted down and rested her head against the fluffy pillow. “Go on, and don't leave out a thing.”
“Picture it. I'm not going into details.”
“And why the hell not? When I was Light the sexy witch on the prowl, I gave you blow-by-blow details on my yummy sex adventures.”
I made gagging sounds. “Uh yeah, but I begged you not to. I still can't get the image of you spread eagle on my desk having sex out of my mind. I was sanitizing it for weeks.”
Light stared into space with a smile on her face. “Oh yeah, those were good times. Lots of sex everywhere. Oh how I miss sex, glorious sex.”
“You can still have sex, Light. You didn't make a vow of chastity.”
She pursed her lips. “Believe me, I would if I could. But just like Demi predicted, the blackout spells only got worse. Sadly, I'm on a no-sex lockdown.”
Sensing her mounting anxiety, I lifted her legs on my lap. “You do know that her premonition that your empath gift will balance with a ‘Bringer of Death’ is total bullshit, right?” Even though I loved Demi, the daughter of Mom's best friend and Coven High Priestess, I was not a hundred percent believer in all of her visions, which were sketchy at best.
“That's what I said before my empath issues started getting worse. She specifically said I was destined to beat this empath crap if I just kept my legs closed while waiting for the ‘Bringer of Death.’” She scoffed. “And what did I do? I thumbed my nose at the ridiculousness of her prediction. And guess what happened?” Her fingers trembled. “The more men I slept with, the worse my empath issues got. Look at me. I'm a damn emotional mess. And the alcohol? You can forget that shit. It's not buffering the onslaught of human emotions like it used to. There's nothing worse than being drunk and assaulted by whiny humans and their emotional angst.” She snorted. “As much as it pains me to do it… my legs will remain shut until I figure
this crap out.”
I gave her a skeptical look. “Uh-huh. So in the meantime, my sex life is your porno fix?”
“Hell yeah! Do you know how depressing it is to live my sex life vicariously through you?”
“Excuse me?” I shoved her legs off my lap. “I've had plenty of hot sex before Knox.”
“Jeezus, how many times do I have to say that toys don't count?” She waved at me impatiently. “Can you please move on with the details from last night?”
I shrugged. “Ryker was on stage, wielding a paddle.”
Light perked up. “Holy shit! With his submissive?”
“Nope. Harper. But the scene was the prelude.” I looked at her from the side of my eye. “The finale was Knox getting me off so hard that I swore I saw stars.”
She clapped. “Good for you, girl. You needed it.”
“Did you even hear what I said? At the table—finger in me—followed by his tongue down my throat with some heavy tongue action.” I puckered my lips. “The strange thing was he abruptly called his driver to escort me out of the restaurant without even an it was great fingering you wave farewell.”
Light frowned. “And what would be the point of that? By the time he was done getting you off, he knew you’d be so riddled with buyer’s remorse that you were ready to fuck up a good thing by belittling the whole beautiful experience. No, he did the right thing by hustling your tight little ass out of there—priming you for round two.” She wagged her eyebrows suggestively.
My mouth flopped open because she was right. “Why do I constantly underestimate your cunning wisdom when it comes to all things pertaining to men?”
She shrugged. “Don't know. I'm brilliant when it comes to three things—shopping, sex, and hot men.”
I curled my legs under me. “Talking about men… How did the Liam escapade go?”
“Gawd… boring. I caught myself nodding off twice. All he talked about was his music and money. If that wasn't bad enough, he started coming on real strong like I was going to pull off my thong right there at the table and let him have at it. As if—he was aiming way too high.” She snorted. “No avoidance, back to more interesting stuff. Like how long do you think it will be before you give it up to Knox?”
My shoulders slumped with defeat. “I’ll be on my knees by the end of the night.”
“He's that good? One night and you've been converted?”
“Nope, I'm just realistic about my sticky predicament.” My cell buzzed. Lifting a finger, I said, “Hold on a sec. Let me take this.” I clicked answer. “Stormy Credence.”
“Hello, Ms. Credence. I'm Detective Burrows,” a man responded curtly. “I'm calling because unfortunately we have some bad news. Your employee Celina Rouse was found dead last night.”
The room whirled around me. “What? I mean how?” I croaked.
“We know there was foul play, but the case is still under investigation.”
My heart raced as I scrambled to pull myself together. “Has her family been notified? Because we—”
“We called them.” He snorted. “Pardon my language, ma'am, but I don't think they give a shit. But strangely, they were eerily silent when I asked about her employment. Thank goodness Jeff Hunter came forward with her employment information.”
“Jeff Hunter?”
Light perked up, motioning to me frantically.
“He's a reporter. He said that he was doing some expose on Ms. Rouse.”
There was a long pause so I pressed forward. “Expose?”
“Let me be blunt. Mr. Hunter claims that you're running some sort of escort business, Ms. Credence. Is there any truth to that accusation?”
“None,” I responded curtly. “I'm not sure who this Jeff Hunter is, but I can assure you that Credence O. is not involved in anything of the sort. And if Mr. Hunter goes down this road, I will be forced to get my lawyer involved.” I calmed my racing heart. “Now, I think there are bigger issues here, like finding out what happened to Celina. Is there anything else, detective?”
“No, Ms. Credence. That will be all… for now,” he responded curtly before hanging up.
Light was looking at me nervously. “Celina's dead?”
“Yes! And the reporter is talking to the police.”
“Why didn't her family call us?” Light asked bitterly.
I looked at her tiredly. “They didn't give a shit about her when she was alive. Why the hell do you think they’d give a shit about her death?” My eyes filled with tears from anger. “Bastards are probably dividing up her assets as we speak.” That was the problem with most of our escorts. They had no family. Or if they did, they were estranged from them.
“Do you want to call our moms?” Light asked.
“What would be the point? They’re not going to answer their cells. I'll call Reason and ask her to do some poking around.” I sighed. “The best thing we can do right now is act normal and not raise any red flags. As far as we know, we could be under some investigation. Something that we just don't need.”
* * *
The car horns of the busy Manhattan street honked in annoying rhythm. Trying not to fidget in the seat, I peered through the window at the city scene. I crossed my legs as uncertainty crept up on me. This would be the first time in my life that I gave in to impulsiveness. A thought that sent terrified chills down my spine.
Was I really going to do this? Finally feeling those blunt-fingered hands position me. His tattooed arms encircling me as he pushed into me from behind. Would I be able to separate business from personal? Compartmentalize my feelings, keeping them tucked away from being infiltrated by lust and desire?
These were all issues I never had to worry about with any other man because no man was ever close to getting into the dark recesses of my heart. But this time, there was nowhere to hide. Not that I was ready to admit it aloud, but I wanted this—no, I needed this. And if I could keep this fling with him firmly in the temporary category, then there would be no fear of the Credence Curse rearing its ugly head.
Light fidgeted with her hair. “As much as I hate to say this, I really think we should try and get in touch with our mothers. There's just something about this whole reporter situation that's not sitting well with me.”
I continued to look through the window. “Please, Light, not now. Believe me, it’s not pride that keeps me from calling them. It's self-preservation. If they find out how bad we messed this up, they’ll kill us. Let's give it some time to work itself out before panicking.”
Rubbing the invitation printed on expensive ivory paper pensively, she responded, “Hmmm, I'm working with you, sweetie. But I'm out of my depth right now. After this weekend, things better improve or I'm flying up to Hawaii and dragging their asses back here myself.”
I remained silent as the driver stopped at the long private-gated entry that led to a circular drive and entrance to the residence through a private courtyard with a fountain. After pulling up to the front of Ryker's palatial mansion, he stepped out and opened the SUV's door grandly.
The crowd was diverse. Young. Old. Some women wore expensive black capes covering them from the neck to their ankles. Some were scantily dressed, leaving nothing to the imagination. But one thing was for sure: I could smell the money in the air as I stood on the sidewalk, trying not to fidget as the impatient pedestrians pushed past us.
Literally, I was paralyzed with apprehension as I caught my reflection in the glass façade, assessing how the see-through panels of the black gown hugged my curves like a glove. The sleeveless bodice pushed my full breasts up sexily. The hem swirled around my ankles as my stilettos clicked against the pavement. I felt and looked sexy. It was daring, seductive, feminine, and something I would’ve never picked out for myself. Something that Knox knew.
Bones stalked over, looking like a model who just stepped off a photo shoot. He gave me a wink before letting his eyes wander up and down Light's curvy body encased in an ornate crème lace gown, a perfect foil for her glowing skin.
“I'm appreciating the view.” His eyes sparkled. “Lightning?”
Light ignored him. “Storm? Really? I have to put up with him all weekend?” She pushed past him. “You owe me big time,” she mumbled under her breath.
I winked at him. “Okay, that's not a good first impression, Bones. And for the record, it's impolite to leer at a woman's breasts before you acknowledge that she actually has a face.” I pushed past him, suppressing my laughter as I walked up the stairs. Not having to wait, Bones’s long strides easily caught up to me.
“Is she seeing someone? Because she sure doesn't smell mate-claimed,” Bones asked in a low voice. He nodded toward the two men, who promptly pushed open the doors with flourish.
Stepping into the grand entrance foyer, I was thoroughly impressed by the tall ceilings and stone flooring with cherry accents. I weaved through the glittering women and cigar-smoking men sizing each other up. My eyes swept through the large room before I responded. “Bones, let me give you some advice. If you want a chance with Light, no crowding her space. She'll run the other way. Trust me on this. Credence women have a thing about aggressive men. We're allergic to the testosterone. It makes us crazed.”
He smiled widely. “So you must be having a hell of time with Knox, then.”
“Yep. But he's like a tiger who's chased me around the Serengeti and this zebra is tired. And resigned to the fact that she will be eaten… literally.” I winked at him saucily.
Bones laughed heartily. “Why do Ryker and Knox get all the hot, feisty ones?”
I liked Bones, so I looped my arm through his leanly muscled arm. “Have no fear, shifter. There's a Credence running around here unfettered and wild. Let's see if I can help you catch her.” The party was in full swing as we blended smoothly into the crowd of businessmen, models, and music artists. The high-octane mixture of new and old money was intoxicating.
