by Tawny Taylor
“Fine.”
Mandy drove them back to the office. They went inside, locking themselves in and setting the alarm. Mandy went to her office, hooked up her camera, and waited for the pictures to download. Meanwhile, Sarah slumped into one of the chairs and stared at the ceiling.
“I want to get laid,” Sarah announced. “Watching those two made me horny. I don’t have a man. And you aren’t going to become a lesbian now that you’ve worked things out with Zane. What am I supposed to do?”
“I’m sorry, hon.”
“Let’s go to Twilight.”
“There’s no penetration. You can’t get laid there.”
“In the main dungeon. Anything goes in the private suites.” Sarah waggled her eyebrows. “I’m thinking a couple of hot young submissives might take my mind off of Whatshisname.”
“A couple, eh?” Mandy maneuvered her mouse, clicking on one of the shots to check the resolution.
“Yeah. Two’s better than one. Most definitely.”
“Why’s that?” Mandy asked, scrutinizing the picture.
“You don’t know what full is until you’ve been double penetrated. Let me tell you, it’s divine.”
Mandy wasn’t sure divine was the right adjective.
The disk drive stopped. A little notification popped up on her screen.
She hit the button, and the disk she’d burned the pictures onto slid out. She checked the clock. It was after ten P.M. Probably too late to go to the Clarks’. “I need to put this somewhere for safekeeping until tomorrow morning. Bank’s closed.”
“You can lock it up in my apartment. We can run over there and change before we head to Twilight. I need something sexier. You can borrow something, too.”
“I don’t know ...”
“Hey.” Sarah grabbed Mandy’s left hand, lifting it. “Do I see a ring on this finger?”
“No, but—”
“Has he said anything about a commitment yet?”
“No.”
“You’re a free woman. Have some fun. Besides, if you stick with the main dungeon, there isn’t any penetration. You said so yourself.”
“If I go with you, I’m not going to scene with anyone. I’m good with Zane. He’s the only dom for me.”
“Ah, it must be true love.” Sarah patted Mandy’s cheek. “There’s a bar on the main level. And a restaurant. If we take separate cars, you can leave if you get bored.”
That was the first suggestion that made sense. “Okay. Fine. I’ll go.”
They rolled into Twilight’s parking lot a little before eleven. Sporting a miniskirt that barely covered her ass, Sarah walked with a sway-hipped swagger into the club. Mandy felt a little plain standing beside her at the check-in desk. Wearing a simple black dress and cute high heels, she was dressed for a nice dinner, not a bondage club. The guy at the counter wished them a good evening and buzzed the locked door behind him to let them in.
Sarah led the way, grabbing Mandy’s hand and dragging her through the doorway. “There’s a bar down here, too, serving nonalcoholic drinks. Can’t drink and play here.”
“That’s a good rule.”
“Yeah. Alcohol and bondage gear don’t mix.” Sarah made a beeline for the juice bar. She ordered some guava berry concoction that smelled good. Mandy decided she’d try one, too. Sarah handed Mandy hers and ordered a second one from the bartender for herself.
Sipping, they turned to watch the action going on in the main dungeon.
Mandy grimaced. “This stuff tastes awful. Salty. Nothing like what I thought. What’s in it?”
“I don’t know. A bunch of herbs that are supposed to be healthy. Oh, and some pheromones. You know, to heighten your pleasure.”
“Pheromones, you say?” Mandy took another taste. The second wasn’t quite as bad as the first. “Do you see any promising submissives yet?”
“No. I’ll give it another ten minutes, and then if nothing shakes out, we can go up to the bar.” Something caught Sarah’s eye.
Mandy looked. Zane.
Her heart jumped.
“Hi, Zane,” Sarah said.
“Hello, Sarah, Amanda.” He had a wicked look in his eye as he leaned into Mandy. “What are you drinking?” he asked, reaching for her glass. “Is it alcohol?”
“No, it’s not.” She handed him the glass.
He sniffed, smiled, and returned it to her. “Excellent. Come with me.”
Mandy glanced at Sarah.
Sarah shooed her away. “Go, have fun. I’ll be fine. I think I may call it a night. Nothing’s doing it for me tonight.”
“Call me tomorrow.”
“Will do.” Sarah waved.
Mandy slid her hand into Zane’s, following his lead around the perimeter of the dungeon. “Where are we headed?”
“To my private suite. There’s someone I want you to meet.”
“Oh.” Clearly, he didn’t have what she’d assumed in mind—a cozy scene with just the two of them. She didn’t want to let on that she was disappointed, so she pasted on a smile. “Who is this person?”
“You’ll find out soon enough.” Zane walked the rest of the way in silence. He was playing the mysterious dom card. Mandy kind of liked it. She was intrigued. He opened the very last door and motioned Mandy into the suite, closing the door behind them.
As Mandy had become accustomed to seeing, there was a nude man kneeling in the middle of the room. And, as usual, he was beautiful, with a body that would make any girl breathe a little fast and heavy.
“Amanda, this is Bruce. I don’t know if you recognize him, but he is the one I was fucking the day you surprised me at my house.”
“Oh.” That day, she hadn’t gotten a good look at Zane’s partner’s face. In fact, she hadn’t gotten a good look at much of any of him. She had to say, Zane had excellent taste in men. This one could inspire some serious wet dreams.
Bruce stood and extended a hand, his gaze meeting Mandy’s. Oh, yes, wet dreams. Most definitely. “Hello, Amanda. It’s nice to meet you at last.”
Not sure how to respond, Mandy shook his hand. “Nice to meet you, too.” When he released her hand, Mandy took a step backward, bumping into Zane. Why’d he bring her back here? What was he up to? She glanced over her shoulder.
“Do you remember what I told you about our relationship—Bruce’s and mine?” Zane set his hands on Mandy’s shoulders.
“I remember the basics.” She recalled him telling her they’d been together a long time. And it had something to do with his being a vampire. Feeding.
“We’ve been talking and we’ve had a thought.”
“What thought?” Her gaze ping-ponged back and forth between Zane and Bruce. She was feeling cornered. It wasn’t a pleasant feeling.
“Bruce has had some trouble finding another situation. And because I’ve been feeding from him for so long, he’s become dependent upon my venom. It’s not common—”
“Addicted to vampire venom?” she echoed.
“You could say that.” Zane nodded. He eased Mandy around to face him. “I need you to understand how dangerous this is for him. If he doesn’t have a regular dose, he’ll die.”
Mandy knew Zane wanted her to take this situation seriously, but it was so over-the-top melodramatic that she was having a very hard time. “He’ll die?”
“Yes. And he’s discovered that it isn’t good enough if he finds a new ... partner. Our venom is unique to each individual. I knew this. What I didn’t know is that the substance he’s addicted to within my venom isn’t common to other Dejenen’s venom. In other words, another’s venom won’t stop his withdrawal.”
“What about medicine? Can’t he take something? Like methadone?”
“There is no medicine. I wish that was an option.”
Ugh. “So there’s no getting around it. You’ll have to fuck him indefinitely, right? That’s what this is leading to.”
“No, I won’t have to fuck him.” Zane smiled, and a few parts of her body got warm and t
ingly. Here they were, talking about Zane screwing someone else, a guy, and she was getting hot. “I can let someone else do that for me.”
“Okay.” Mandy tried to imagine how that would work. She pictured Bruce bent over, some man fucking his ass while Zane chomped on his neck. It wasn’t a totally off-putting image. In fact, it was quite pleasant. “So ... where is this leading?”
“I was thinking, because I need to feed two to three times per week, that I’d like to offer you the chance to be a part of the process.”
Was he asking what she thought he was asking? Was he asking her to be the third of his kinky vampire-feeding trio?
“Um ...” She swallowed a huge lump. What exactly was she feeling about this? Zane was doing what she’d asked him to do. He was opening up, letting her see all the secret sides of himself. Wouldn’t she be a bitch if she freaked out about this now? He might shut down. She might never earn his trust again.
Oh, shit, but he was asking her to be part of a threesome. Much more shocking, he was asking her to watch him drink a man’s blood. She hadn’t seen that coming. Maybe she should have, but she hadn’t. When she’d asked him to open up, let her see who he truly was, she was thinking he might tell her some more stories about the past, about what it felt like to be a vampire.
Zane motioned Bruce away and took Mandy’s upper arms in his hands. His expression was darker than she’d ever seen it. “Amanda, I won’t be upset if you’re not ready for this.”
“It is a bit much,” she admitted. Zane nodded. “But we just talked about how I wanted to know you, to understand you. If I don’t—”
“You’re afraid I’ll be upset,” he finished for her.
“Of course.”
“Don’t let that pressure you into making a decision you’ll regret. When I told you I love you, I meant it. And loving you means I’ll do anything for your sake. It also means I cannot allow you to do anything you’ll regret. Do you understand?”
“Sure. What you’re saying is I’ve got to go into this full steam ahead, ready, willing, and able, with a huge smile on my face. Or I need to reconsider sharing a future with you.”
“I’m not saying that.”
“No, you’re not. But that’s the bottom line.”
“You need time to sort this out.”
“Yes. I think I do.” Mandy glanced at Bruce, who was silently waiting at the far end of the room. He’d pulled on a robe and was sitting on the couch, acting like he wasn’t listening. Of course, Mandy knew he was. At the door, Mandy gnawed on her lip as she looked into Zane’s eyes. He was the most amazing man she’d ever met. And she couldn’t stop thinking about him. But was that enough? Or would they both be better off if she walked away? Was their relationship destined to fail because they were so different? “Dammit, Zane.” She palmed his cheek. His stubble scratched. Her fingertip traced the graceful curve of his jaw. “Why do things with you have to be so freaking complicated?”
“I’m sorry, Amanda. I tried.”
“You did more than try, Zane. I guess I just wasn’t prepared for reality. It’s me who’s sorry.”
He placed his hand over hers and blinked. His eyes glistened. Tears? “Call me when you’re ready to talk. I won’t pressure you.”
“Okay.”
“In the meantime, I’ll ask an associate to keep an eye on you. We still don’t know who wants you dead or why.”
“Thank you.” Swallowing a sob, Mandy let her hand drop to her side. She felt Zane’s gaze on her until she reached the end of the corridor. The hollow echo of a door closing behind her sounded just as she turned the corner.
Feeling like crap, certainly not in the mood to party anymore, Mandy headed out to the main dungeon. Assuming Sarah’d gone home, Mandy headed out to her car.
In the dark parking lot, two sets of footsteps click-clacked in the quiet. Mandy’s. And someone else’s. Not sure if that someone else was Zane’s hired help or another hit man or just someone leaving the dungeon, Mandy spun around to take a look.
25
At the rear of the parking lot, Sarah stepped out from behind an SUV, beaming. “Well, this is a pleasant surprise. What happened with Zane?”
“Long story.” Feeling worn out, both physically and emotionally, Mandy kicked off her shoes and barefooted it the rest of the way to her car.
“Want to talk about it?” Sarah asked as Mandy slumped into the driver’s seat.
Mandy powered down the window.
Sarah peered through the opening. “Hmmm, you don’t look so good. Are you okay?”
Mandy shoved the key into the ignition. “Yeah. I’m fine. I’m just worn out. I need to get home and go to bed. I think I could sleep for days.”
“I hear that. Okay, I’ll let you get going.” Sarah smacked the car door.
“Thanks. I’ll call you tomorrow. What’re you doing here anyway? I thought you left.”
“I ran into an old friend and we were talking.”
“That’s good.” Instead of pulling out of the parking spot, Mandy let her head fall back against the headrest. She was starting to feel a little woozy. Could be exhaustion. She hoped she wasn’t coming down with something. The flu, maybe.
“Yeah, it was nice to see him again.” Sarah shooed her. “Anyway, we can talk about it tomorrow. After you’ve had some sleep.”
Mandy’s head swam when she nodded. “Okay. G’night.” She shifted her car into reverse and twisted to look over her shoulder. The world tipped back and forth, like she was sitting on a ship, rolling over a huge wave. “Shit.” Holding her head very still, she maneuvered her car out of the parking spot. Once again, the world swooped when she turned around to face forward. She’d never been so dizzy. She shifted into drive and inched her car to the road. She tried looking for traffic, but this time when she turned her head, little stars flickered over her vision, obscuring it. She shoved the gear shift into park and started digging blindly through her purse.
Someone knocked.
She blinked, trying to clear her vision. “Sorry, I’m not feeling well.”
“It’s me, Sarah. What’s wrong?”
“I don’t know. I feel like ...” She broke out in a head-to-toe sweat. “I think I’m going to ...” Her vision dimmed.
“Mandy! What’s wrong?” Sarah said, sounding far away.
Silence.
Mandy couldn’t move her arms. She strained to open her eyes. Her eyelids were so freaking heavy. It took herculean effort to lift them at all. When she managed, she saw she was lying on a bed in a bedroom she didn’t recognize. She was on her side, facing a wall covered with tattered 1980s blue and yellow flowered wallpaper. She tried moving her arms again. They were secured behind her back.
Sarah scurried into the room and, seeming unaware that Mandy was awake, started digging through the contents of Mandy’s purse.
“Sarah?” Mandy said. Her voice was raspy, her throat dry.
“Oh!” Sarah jerked her head up. “You’re awake?”
“What’s going on?”
“You’re sick.”
“Where are we?”
“At a friend’s house. Where’s your phone?”
“I don’t know.” Mandy tugged on her arms. “Why am I tied up?”
“Oh, um, well, when you were asleep, you were thrashing around. I was afraid you’d hurt yourself.”
Even though her brain was in a thick fog, Mandy wasn’t buying Sarah’s explanation. “I’m awake now. You can untie me.”
“I’ll get to it in a minute. I need to find your phone first.”
“Why?”
“Because ... I need to look up a phone number.”
“Whose?”
“You’re not feeling well. Why don’t you close your eyes and go back to sleep?” What Sarah had probably intended to be a reassuring smile came off as an empty one.
What the hell was going on?
A distant knock echoed through the house.
Sarah jerked upright. “Be right back.”
> “Sarah, what’s going on?”
“I’ll explain everything in a minute.” Sarah rushed out of the room, pulling the door closed behind her.
Mandy tried to think. She couldn’t. Her brain wasn’t working. She wormed and wriggled until she was sitting upright. Everything threatened to go black again. She waited out the spell, wishing she knew what was happening. Once her vision cleared somewhat, she slowly eased to her feet. The floor beneath her pitched back and forth as she staggered to the door. Turning her back to it, she twisted the knob and pulled. The hinges groaned as the door slowly swung open. Mandy headed into a narrow, dim hallway that led to a steep staircase. She gripped the railing with both hands, leaned into the wall, and prayed she’d make it down the staircase without falling.
She was lucky. She had a couple of close calls and once had to sit down and rest, but she made it to the foot of the stairs without breaking her neck. She followed the sound of voices, coming from around the corner.
“I don’t care,” Sarah said. “You have to do it now. Today. I need her dead within the hour.” Dead? Who? What the hell?
“This is all fucked up,” a man said.
Mandy couldn’t see him. Who was he? What was going on?
“You shouldn’t have brought her here,” he said.
Please tell me I’m not the “her” they’re talking about.
“Make it work. It’s the best I could do under the circumstances,” Sarah snapped. “I couldn’t very well take her home. And I didn’t think taking her to my place was a good idea either.”
“What happened to our original plans?” the man asked.
“I couldn’t get her out of the bar earlier. Dammit, you’re wasting time. The drugs are already wearing off.”
Holy shit, they are talking about me.
Drugs. That was why she was feeling so fucked up.
Sarah wanted her dead? Dead! Her best friend? Why?
Mandy leaned back against the wall and tried to think. What should she do? Where could she go? She had no idea where she was. She was still very unsteady on her feet. She’d kill herself if she tried to run.
“Lady, if you want the bitch dead, you’re gonna hafta do it yourself. Take her the hell out of here. I don’t want no part of this.”
