“If you are going to help your brother and his wife then you can have no more doubt. It’s a serious matter to tangle with a demon. They can really fuck with your mind,” Burnu said. “Plus, it’s a real long shot. Even if you do find one, they aren’t known for their cooperative nature. Why don’t your relatives just adopt?”
Stephen sighed. He’d had similar thoughts himself, many times about the patients that walked through his doors, but he also understood their longing to have children of their own. They all wore the same desperate look in their eyes and his brother and sister-in-law had been no different. “I have to at least try this one last thing,” he said.
Burnu’s dark gaze scrutinized his face. “Alright. Then I’ll tell you what I know.” He scooped some egg into his mouth with is fork and chewed for minute. “They are powerfully seductive demons, Stephen,” he finally said. “And when you are dealing with demons you cannot let them find your weakness. They are manipulative and will turn it against you. That is why it is absolutely essential that your faith is strong. Not just in your ability to cast spells but in your own power as a shaman.”
Stephen nodded. It made sense. “I understand.” He fingered the handle of his fork for a minute as he processed it. “Look, I know this is a long shot, but do you think that an incubus might be the key?”
“I think it’s dangerous but I also think you might be on to something. No one has ever tried it before. I suppose it’s because they are so elusive. Very little is known about their power.” Burnu shook his head, his expression serious. “But I do know this, the incubus is the male demon. They are not fertile. Although they have the power to seduce the seed they share is not their own. They obtain it from another demon that collects the seed, their female counterpart, the succubus. That is the one you must find.”
Their eyes locked and Stephen could tell he was serious. “How do you know all that?”
“I knew a succubus, briefly, a long time ago. She explained it to me and allowed me to witness the exchange. From what I observed, her essence was transferred to the seed before she gave it to the incubus. I was able to detect that much because I was in a trance.”
“Do you still know her? Or where I can find one?”
Burnu slowly shook his head. “No. That’s all I know. I haven’t seen one in over fifteen years. Like I said, they’re elusive. I’ve never even found their spirit world in all my journeys.”
Damn. “Well, I suppose that this will be a test for me then won’t it?”
Chapter 4
Stephen wiped the sweat from his brow and sipped his beer as he surveyed the people at the pool. He hadn’t been prepared for the dramatic change in temperature. Back home it was the middle of winter. It was the third day in a row he’d hung out at the Marquee Dayclub and, so far, no succubus.
After speaking with Burnu he’d researched succubi and discovered that they often took the form of beautiful young women and would haunt men while they slept, which had sparked the memory of his conversation with Mike. “…I’ve been having dreams about her. Vivid dreams. It’s like she comes to me every night,” he’d said. So, he’d called Mike and casually probed for anything that would help him locate her. She had auburn hair, green eyes and the body of a swimsuit model, Mike had said. Exaggerated was more like it. Still it shouldn’t be too hard to spot someone like that. Auburn was a rare hair color.
Five days later he’d boarded his flight on Quantas to go to Las Vegas so he could follow up on the one slim lead he had. It was the earliest he’d been able to have his schedule rearranged so he could get the time off. Now he wished he’d simply called in sick and taken off. If Burnu hadn’t seen one in over fifteen years then this might be his only chance. He just hoped she hadn’t moved on yet.
He sighed and shifted his stance where he was leaning against the bar. The reality was that he was pretty much out of time. He wished now that he hadn’t called his brother before he’d left.
“I’m heading out this weekend to look into something for you guys,” he’d told Sean. “I don’t want you to get excited, okay? I’m just looking into it.”
“Yeah, yeah. No worries. We’re just grateful you found something to check out,” Sean had said.
But Stephen had heard the brightening in his voice. The lighter tone of excitement people got when they were hopeful.He could almost already feel their disappointment when he let them down.
“All right. I’ll call you when I get back.”
“Okay, great. We’ll wait to hear from you. And Stephen? Thanks.”
Thanks, his brother had said. That single word had speared right through his heart. As a result he’d spent the past couple of days doggedly scanning the crowd for any hint of reddish hair, determined not to let them down. He’d even gone to a couple of nightclubs to search as well, just in case. But he’d been hard pressed to even find the few girls with red hair that he had found. They’d all turned out to be dead ends.
His plane was leaving in the morning to take him back to Sydney and his hope continued to decrease with every passing minute. It was already late in the afternoon. He shook his head. It had been a crazy idea from the get go and he knew it.
He signaled the bartender and ordered a Vodka Collins. “Make it a double.”
He would still keep an eye out for her, he decided, but may as well enjoy himself in the time he had left. At least then he wouldn’t have flown all this way completely for nothing.
***
Geneva eased her way through the crowd to the bar, glad to be back in her own territory. The bartender recognized her and, in an instant, her favorite drink was in front of her. For free, of course. She gave him a bright smile and lifted the Cherry Cosmo to her lips, then turned to survey the people that remained. It was late in the day and people had thinned out but she hadn’t been able to resist coming by to see what her prospects were for the night. The last two days hadn’t brought much luck.
Feeling restless, she’d gone south to check out Lake Havasu in Arizona for a few days but it hadn’t held much appeal. Although it had been easy to flirt her way onto various boats and there’d been plenty of men, they were the kind that sported tattoos and beer bellies. Definitely not her type. So she’d packed up and returned to Las Vegas.
Perhaps in a few weeks she would head back to Europe again, or maybe Los Angeles. She wasn’t sure yet. It just had never suited her to linger very long in one place when there was so much to see. Plus she’d also always had this strange nagging feeling that she was missing something and she was determined to find out what it was.
Her wandering steps took her up the ramp to the tables along the side where the row of cold water jacuzzis were. One of them had several people were hanging out in the water, talking. She stopped and sat at the edge, putting her feet in the water on the first step, and set her drink next to her. She leaned back on her hands to better display her body and the royal blue bikini she wore, with its gold metal accents.
Within seconds two of the men came closer to chat with her, their eyes sliding up her legs over her body and finally onto her face. She gave them a slow smile and eased her sunglasses to the top of her head. The sun was heading down and the tall buildings of the hotels cast their shadow over the club.
“Hi, I’m Justin. What’s your name?” said the tall, tan one with black hair. He was very muscular but also wore a gold chain around his neck and on his wrist. Other than a watch, she’d never really liked jewelry on men. His accent had New Jersey written all over it.
“Geneva,” she said, politely shaking his extended hand. Then she turned to his companion, who was much more to her taste. He was of medium build with a gorgeous light gold tan and beautiful hazel eyes. “And who are you?”
“Stephen,” he said.
His light brown hair had just the right sexy rumpled look to it and she immediately detected a delightful Australian accent in the one word. “How do you guys know each other?” she asked.
“Oh, we just met a little while ago
,” Stephen said. “But we’re mates now.”
“Whoa, whoa,” Justin said, “You’re in America now. I hope no one heard you say that.” He jokingly craned his neck and looked over his shoulder at the group behind him. Stephen smiled, flushing slightly, and Geneva laughed.
“He’s right you know. They don’t really say that here,” she said.
“I’ll try to keep that in mind,” Stephen said, his gold and green gaze skimmed over her face. “But how would you know that? You don’t sound like you’re from around here either.” His hands lightly skimmed the water and he shifted his stance, wavering the slightest bit. Barely enough that anyone would notice but she knew from that telltale sign that he was tipsy. Perfect.
“A girl like you is definitely not from around here,” Justin agreed.
Geneva shifted over to the side of the steps to make room as the rest of the people in the jacuzzi began to make their way out.
Justin turned to Stephen, “Look bro, it was great meeting you but we’re going to head back and get ready to go out tonight. You’re welcome to meet us out later if you want.”
“Thanks I just might do that. Think I’ll hang out here for a bit longer.” He eased himself out of the water and sat next to her on the deck.
She had a much better view of him now. Before, half of him had been submerged. His sleek, roped muscles and trim waist reminded her of water polo players and her lips curved with pleasure.
Justin gave Geneva a knowing wink. “Take good care of my friend here. He said he’d never had a Long Island Iced Tea before so we hooked him up. It was nice meeting you.”
With that the group departed and she was alone with Stephen, which was exactly what she wanted.
***
It had been a very long time since Stephen had had a drink. Once he’d gotten control of his power and his life he’d found that he much preferred to stay in his right mind. But for the first time in a long time he thought he might actually be drunk. What the hell did they put in those Long Islands anyway?
The beautiful woman beside him was smiling at him, her emerald green eyes glinting mischievously, and he suddenly felt like a gangly teenager. She was smoking hot. Long, lean legs and delicate, creamy skin. He imagined what it would feel like to slide his hands up her thighs to her tiny waist and encircle it with the span of his fingers just before pulling her closer...
“So…ah. You were going to tell me where you were from,” he finally said, cutting himself off from the thought.
“Everywhere,” she said.
Her accent was very mild and he found he couldn’t place it. In some of the words he could detect some of the more romantic sounds found in French and Spanish but then in others were the more guttural tones of South Africa or Slovakia even. All together it had a charming and hypnotic rhythm to it.
He laughed. “That’s a lot of places. Any one in particular you call home?”
She shrugged. “Not yet. I have to see everything first before I decide.”
Her eyes drifted down to his torso and then back to his face and he found himself hoping she liked what she saw.
“What part of Australia are you from?” she asked.
“Sydney. You ever been?”
“Not yet.” She lazily swirled her feet in the water her calf brushing his.
His senses instantly honed in on the contact. He could feel her warmth seep into him under his skin. She scooted the tiniest bit closer, their thighs now only a millimeter apart, hers smooth and slender and his muscular and tan. He forced his gaze back up. She was watching him, completely relaxed, her full lips gently curved in a slight smile.
What had they been talking about? Oh, right. “You would like Sydney. I can tell.” He wasn’t even really sure of what he was saying. His mind seemed more muddled now than it had been a few minutes before. Could the alcohol still be catching up with him? Either that or his mind was being turned to mush by the sight of her.
“Really? What else can you tell about me?” she said in a playful tone.
Her eyes widened just the tiniest bit. Beautiful long lashes framed them. The long strands of her hair brushed cheeks that had a perfect sun kissed flush to them. He wondered what it would feel like to run his fingers down her cheek to her ripe lips. Did she even know the effect she was having on him? She was still waiting for an answer. He decided to state the obvious. “I can tell that you are way out of my league.”
A perfect, white smile lit up her face and laughter danced in her eyes. “You’re cute,” she said, and then in a low voice, “I like you.”
She leaned close and kissed him just to the side of his mouth, making his pulse race, and gently ruffled the short strands of his hair with the fingers of her right hand. The light contact sent an unexpected and sensuous jolt of energy straight to his groin. He clenched his fingers on the deck to keep from grabbing her.
“That was nice,” he said in a low voice, as nonchalantly as possible, which was difficult considering how turned on he was but he didn’t want to appear completely witless.
“You want me to do it again?” she teased.
Magnetized by her proximity, he nodded, unable to take his eyes from her face. She leaned forward slowly to kiss the other side, her eyes flickering lightly his eyes and then mouth as she drew nearer.
He couldn’t resist.
He turned his head and closed the tiny space between them, pressing his lips to hers. They were just as soft and sumptuous as he had imagined and more. He felt the sharp spark of passion ignite between them.
She pulled back after a few seconds feigning surprise.
Her playfulness made him grin.
And then the look in her eyes changed to one of passion. “Mmm,” she murmured running her hand up his arm, her fingers skimming lightly over his bicep and then shoulder, eyes watching him.
His nipples hardened along with his gut against the thousands of feelings jolting awake inside him, trying to contain the long suppressed desires that were springing to life and clamoring for satisfaction. He didn’t even really know her, just that he wanted to touch her. She obviously wanted the same.
He pulled her towards him and took her mouth again. Her breasts brushed his chest and her arms twined about his neck and there was no force on earth that could have stopped the deep plunge of his tongue to her depths. She was sweet, and silky, and she responded to him fully. Her tongue pressed and slid against his in gentle exploration.
His arousal grew stronger. He twined his fingers in the hair at the base of her skull wishing he could lay her on a bed and kiss every fragrant inch of her.
She pulled away from him, and took his hand. “Come with me.”
He could see the desire he felt mirrored in her eyes. She stood, pulling him along with her and led him away from the jacuzzi. He could feel the full extent of his intoxication now that he was out of the water and it was all he could do to make his feet follow steadily behind her. He followed blindly, mesmerized by the sight of the long hair swaying against her back above her round derriere. She pulled out a key card from somewhere to unlock a gate.
As she stepped through, one of the last remaining shafts of direct sunlight peeking between the buildings caught her hair revealing glints of red in the tresses he’d previously thought were brown. They were reddish-brown in fact.
Auburn.
But he had no time to process the full implications of his finding. She pulled him through the gate and pushed him against a wall, pressing the full length of her body against him and pulling his head down to hers for another kiss. The feel of her slim hips pressed against his erection wiped his mind clean of all thought as sensations bombarded him.
***
Geneva gloried in Stephen’s delicious response to her and the firm muscles beneath her fingers. His fingers and palms were sliding over her back and hips and she allowed more of her power to seep through to him as he probed. She knew it was what he wanted, she could feel it. His hands stroked her faster and more firmly.
She kissed him for a few moments. Running her hands down his torso and hooking her fingers into the waistband of his swim shorts she pulled him inside the bungalow.
It was time for more.
She’d been inside this particular bungalow with another encounter the week before and had liked it. It was luxurious with its marble floors and white furnishings on all three levels. The bottom floor was the media lounge with a bar, in the middle was the master bedroom and bathroom and the third level was a terrace with jacuzzi and another bar that overlooked the club.
She led him up both flights of stairs to the third level where she turned on the jets to the jacuzzi and directed him in. When they were both standing in the cool water she reached up to run her hands through his hair. His strong arms wrapped around her in response. She could tell by the look on his face and his energy that he was completely under her spell, putty in her hands.
Physically he looked young but she could tell by his eyes that he was probably older. She placed a teasing kiss on his mouth and then trailed her lips across his cheek, down his neck and to the thick muscles of his shoulder. Her hands slid down to cup his butt and pull him firmly against her. He was fully erect and his hardness pleased her.
He gave a low groan. His eyes were mostly closed, head leaning off to the side, as she touched him. She kissed the planes of his chest, running her tongue over one of his nipples in her journey.
His fingers pressed more firmly into her back and then one ran down to grasp her hip. She gently pressed him back to sit down on the step beneath the water and his eyes opened.
It was becoming dim as the sun vanished over the horizon but the light of the hot tub illuminated his face just enough. She always enjoyed watching emotions play across men’s faces as she took them. She put each of her knees on either side of his legs and straddled his lap. Reaching behind her she untied her top, pulled it over her head, and dropped it to the side on the floor.
His eyes blazed gold as they smoldered with lust. His hands slid up her waist to her rib cage. He pulled her close to take one of her breasts into his mouth and cupped the other in his hand.
Sinsperationally Yours Page 12
