“Shit.”
“Why do you look so depressed? There’s a bunch of new females out there. You might get lucky. Hurry, before Petrus sends Tycho back to kick your ass for messing up the intro.”
Taking a deep breath, Caelius grabbed the fireman’s hat and stalked out onto the stage. Smoke-scented desire immediately slammed into his face. How appropriate. Damn. They were amped up tonight. The entire edge of the stage was packed, with more jostling for position. Ignoring the potent energy trying to seep into his body, he moved with practiced ease to the center of the stage.
Caelius allowed his mind to go on autopilot as he plastered a smile on his face and began the steps he knew like the back of his hand. Fling the jacket to the side at the sound of sirens, remove the hat and release his hair when the lights flickered, swing the ax and flex his biceps at the sound of explosions, rip the Velcro open on the pants when whistles blew, and saunter to the front of the stage when Lexus came to drag the uniform and ax away.
Dropping to one knee, Caelius began the hand reach, neck stroke, smile, undulation, money collection, sexy wink, and flexing moves he was steadily getting sick of performing. He shifted down to the next eager face as if he was a robot. At least this was his last set, and it would be over soon. He planned to hide backstage until someone forced him to come out and mingle with the crowd.
Reaching forward, he connected with another anonymous neck, felt the pulse of the female, pulled his hand back, and promptly lost his breath. His necklace had shot a dart of fire across his left nipple, vibrated, and then stilled. What the fuck?
Looking down with clear eyes this time, Caelius stared at the young woman bouncing and screaming in front of him. She had large blue eyes, stick-straight brown hair, and a huge grin on her pretty face. He pushed his hip forward and allowed her to stuff a few dollars in his G. Confused as to whether this was the one he’d just touched, he reached out and clasped her wrist. Again, the necklace lashed out and zapped him hard. Shocked, he leaned forward and shouted next to her ear.
“What is your name?” He had a hard time hearing her over the crowd.
“Ashley. Hey, Mr. Fireman, I got a dollar stuck between my boobs. Come get it.” She licked his ear, and he pulled away.
“Listen. Go to the bar and wait for me. Don’t leave.”
Caelius nearly fell off the stage when she grabbed the back of his head and smashed her lips onto his. Turning his head at the sting to his nipple, he grabbed the edge and shoved himself backward. He was unsure if it had been the necklace reacting or if she’d tweaked it in her zealousness. Pointing to the bar, he shouted above the loud music.
“Bar. Don’t leave.”
Nodding vigorously, she said something into the ear of the girls to either side of her, raised her arms high, and screamed in delight all the way through the packed crowd. She acted like she’d just won a game show prize.
Caelius barely remembered the rest of the set. He touched no other necks, and barely made it into the back before he dropped to his knees.
“Son of a bitch!”
Nikos squatted next to him.
“What the hell, Caelius? You’re starting to freak me out. What now?”
“My necklace bit. Well, it sort of bit. Nothing like I was expecting. The damn thing is still cold but it zapped me.”
“Well, shit.”
“I know.”
“Where’s the female?”
“I sent her to the bar.”
“What are you going to do?”
“Fuck if I know. It was nothing as the others have described. Maybe it was a fluke?”
“Well, hell. You won’t know unless you go out there and speak with her. Tell Petrus and he’ll let you leave. Take her to the coffee shop. That’s what I’ve always planned to do. Lucky bastard. At least they didn’t have to drag you off the stage. Go get your female.”
“She’s not my female.”
“Why?”
“Because I don’t want her to be.”
“What?”
“Nothing. Fuck it. I’ll see you later.”
Rising from the floor, Caelius jumped into the shower to wash the sweat and club smells from his skin. He felt dirty and couldn’t scrub his flesh clean enough.
Braiding his hair, he tried not to look at his face in the mirror. He knew what he’d find. The possibility that the female sitting at the bar could be his mate left him bereft. It wasn’t Rhia. She would never be Rhia. How could he possibly get through this?
Dressed and hovering by the backstage door, Caelius clasped the necklace and reminded himself it was as cold as it had been the morning he’d left Rhia’s house. He would never have believed he’d ever feel happy that it continued to remain that way.
Shoving through the door, he walked steadily toward the girl bouncing on her seat and waving furiously in his direction. She wasn’t a woman, but a silly little girl in a fully formed female body. Fuck me.
Chapter 10
Car backed up against the fence and assured she had masked herself in shadows, Rhia turned off the ignition. She stared at the back of Heat Seekers Male Revue and released her breath. The parking lot was packed with cars, so she’d barely found this spot way at the back. Chastising herself for being fifteen levels of stupid, she reached forward to slide the key back into the ignition then jerked her hand back. No, damn it! She’d already driven herself crazy waiting for closing so she could haul ass over here. She needed to find out why Caelius hadn’t shown up for class today. He’d never missed a session before and she knew it wasn’t a coincidence that it occurred right after they’d slept together.
Despite her internal battles to leave well enough alone and let him do as he pleased, she needed him to know that she would honor his decision and it shouldn’t impact his class. She knew he enjoyed cooking, and she certainly didn’t want to be the cause for him not returning. It might be extremely awkward at first, but she could weather it out if he could. Snorting, she shook her head. Who the hell was she kidding? This situation was fucked from every angle. Determined to forge on anyway, she ran through all the things she’d wanted to say. Short, simple, and friendly. Check.
Rhia knew he was dancing tonight. She’d called earlier and they’d assured her that he was in the lineup. She debated whether to go inside and hunt him down or just wait for him to come outside when they closed. Damn. Stalker much, Rhia? Fuck!
Figuring it was best to go inside rather than pounce on him at his car, Rhia opened her door. Seconds later, she was back inside and breathing heavily. Crap! He was rounding the corner of the building. She reached for the ignition so she could catch him before he got away. Her fingers froze on the key.
The curiosity as to why he was heading out before closing came to a screeching halt when she spotted the little “chippy” bouncing along behind him. She was exactly as Rhia had envisioned for that big, beautiful warrior of a man. Tall, slender, stick-straight hair flowing down to her tiny waist, short skirt just barely covering her ass cheeks, perky breasts threatening to bounce from her shirt, and oh so very young.
Rhia watched Caelius point to his right. The young girl immediately gestured to a red, newer-model Mustang GT. Caelius nodded and got inside his car. The youngster teetered on four-inch stilettos that she’d yet to master and jumped into her sports car. The grin on her face told Rhia everything she needed to know. The girl was going to follow him somewhere.
Something snapped inside Rhia’s chest. She knew she needed to see this. Whatever this was, it had to be driven hard into her heart so she could move on with her life. She wanted a different memory than the one he’d left her with at her home. If she ever had any hope of getting over him, this would be the time. There’s nothing better than a dose of reality to snap you out of a line of bullshit, Rhia. Turning the ignition, she followed them both from the parking lot.
* * * *
Caelius glanced back up to the rearview mirror and couldn’t believe the Mustang was still behind him. Despite his invitation t
o have a cup of coffee, he’d driven his car like a bat out of hell in hopes he’d lose her somewhere along the way. If it hadn’t been for the red lights that thwarted his every move, he would have made a clean getaway.
Shaking his head, he released a frustrated breath. He’d known five minutes into the parking lot walk that he didn’t care if his necklace zapped his gods damn balls off. He’d never mate with that female. He was second-guessing his gentlemanly need to see this catastrophe to the bitter end.
He’d met up with her at the bar and they’d shouted back and forth over the loud music until she’d finally understood that he wanted her to have coffee with him. She’d bobbed her head up and down, clapped her hands, and promptly fell off the stool when her heel caught on the bottom rung of the chair.
Scrambling to her feet, she’d grabbed him around the waist, squashed her hard breasts against his side, and pretended an injury so he’d have to help her from the club. Two steps outside and she’d suddenly recovered. Taking a fast clip around the side of the building to the back lot, he’d listened to the clack of her heels as she’d tried to keep up. Caelius smirked and remembered wondering how she’d react if he just took off at a dead run and leapt the fence.
Pointing out the direction he’d take from the parking lot, she’d gestured back to her car and said she’d be right behind him. It was the first full string of words from her mouth that he could finally hear. They’d run up his spine like barbed wire. Nasally and whiny were the two words he’d immediately associated to the sound.
Her voice wasn’t the only thing he found lacking. She was extremely pretty, but was entirely too skinny. The poor girl appeared to be starving herself to death. He couldn’t comprehend it. Perhaps he could coax her into eating a meal while they had coffee. He quickly nixed that idea. It would require him to spend more time with her.
Pissed at the hard left his life had taken over the last several days, Caelius flew up into the parking lot of Charlie’s Coffee House, parked, and jumped out of his car. She pulled in next to him on the passenger side.
Caelius stood back and watched in confusion as she flipped on the interior light of the car and proceeded to reapply her makeup. What the fuck?
Rounding the back of the Jaguar to try and coax her from the car, he halted when she flung her door open and promptly dinged the side of his Jag. Maxim’s face flashed inside his head, and he immediately burst out laughing. It was karma, plain and simple. It had come full circle and completely bit him on the ass. He composed himself when he saw a long, skinny leg exit the vehicle.
Ashley completed her awkward crawl out of the Mustang, slammed her door, and started to giggle.
“Oops. Sorry about that.” She lifted her index finger and gestured for him to come closer. “Let me make it up to you.”
Shaking his head, Caelius glanced around the lot and was disappointed that no one else was around. He suddenly felt exposed and alone. He pleaded with her.
“Come on, Ashley. Let’s go inside. I really need to speak with you. It’s getting late.”
Teetering over on her lethal heels, Ashley gave him her best seductive smile and began running her hands along the side of his arms. He shuddered at the unexpected contact.
“Oh, come on now. I was hoping you’d at least give me a kiss before we went inside.” She leaned forward, and he quickly backed up.
“Not right now. Let’s go inside and talk. I’d like to get to know you first.” He cringed at her high-pitched laughter.
“I’d like to get to know you, too.” She cupped his crotch, and he instantly caught her wrist.
Grimacing when the necklace stung his nipple again, he pushed her arm away. Caelius fought the overwhelming urge to snatch the damn tooth from his neck and throw it as far as he could. Knowing that he’d get his ass handed to him by the emperor if he left it for the humans to find helped him push aside the insane thought. He held up his palm when she made another attempt at his cock.
“Don’t do this, Ashley. It’s very unbecoming.” His mouth dropped open when she immediately fell to her knees and grabbed the front of his jeans. She had his belt undone, button popped, zipper down, and his dick in her hand before he could collect his wits. She purred out her intent as he struggled with her surprisingly strong grip.
“I’m going to get to know you very well…OMG you’re huge, and you’re not even hard yet! What was your name again? Caleb? I’m going to blow your mind real quick, Caleb.” She giggled and opened her mouth wide.
Caelius felt his patience shatter into shards of brittle glass. Growling his discontent, he clamped down on her wrist, necklace be damned, peeled her fingers gently from his cock, and held her at arm’s length while he tried to tuck himself back into his jeans. Yanking her up from the ground, he gently placed her against the Mustang, and backed away.
“Stay right there. Don’t move.”
Pants adjusted, Caelius stomped back to her and pointed his finger in her face.
“What the hell is wrong with you? Don’t you have any respect for yourself? You are not a worthy female.” He felt the blood leave his face when she burst out crying.
Instinctively reaching out to comfort her, he halted and readjusted his thinking when her faked injury at the club flashed through his mind. This could be another ploy. Dropping his chin to his chest, Caelius shook his head and glanced back up.
“Look. This has gotten out of hand. Please stop crying. I’m not mad at you.” He raised a brow when the waterworks ceased immediately. She gave him a shy smile and twisted her fingers together. Her attempt at innocence was incredible.
“Would it be better if we weren’t out in the open? You can follow me back to my apartment. My roommate won’t be back for hours.”
Caelius just stared at her for a few beats, unable to form words that would make this female understand the level of his disgust. He opted for another tactic. Taking a deep breath and releasing it on a rush of air, he tried to make his voice as calm as possible. Small words would probably help, too.
“Look. You’re a lovely girl, Ashley. I made a mistake. I’m more tired than I had first thought. I’m going to leave now. Please drive carefully, and whatever you do, don’t follow me. Take care.”
Turning on his heel, Caelius made quick work of getting in his car and locking the door. Looking over to ensure she hadn’t moved, he threw her a wave and punched the gas. He couldn’t get away from the parking lot fast enough. He felt as if he was losing his mind. The entire time he’d fought Ashley’s advances, he’d thought he’d smelled jasmine mixing with the night air. Anger had entered his thoughts when Ashley’s smoke-scented lust overwhelmed the intoxicating smell. The memory of a pair of beautiful gray eyes and a lilting husky voice kept him sane as he drove himself home.
* * * *
Clamping a hand over her mouth, Rhia fought the laughter threatening to expose her prime hiding spot next to a set of thick shrubs. She watched with schoolgirl glee as Ashley stomped her heels and crossed her arms as Caelius’s taillights quickly disappeared down the exit ramp. The man acted like he’d been called to a fire. After squealing a round of expletives worthy enough to make a sailor proud, Ashley jumped into her car and peeled out of the parking lot. Rhia was relieved when the Mustang headed in the opposite direction from Caelius.
Walking back to her car with a much lighter step than she’d left it, Rhia crawled inside and sat back in the seat to catch her breath. Patting the steering wheel, she cooed her thanks to the piece of junk for keeping up with the duo. She trembled to think that she’d almost driven off when the girl had dropped to her knees and snatched Caelius’s cock out of his jeans. She would have missed the pleasure of listening to his disgust at the girl’s behavior. Had she left, she would’ve conjured all sorts of images of them together until she clawed her brain out to stop the torment. Anger continued to boil in her gut just knowing that the idiot had already touched him so intimately.
Even with the welcomed outcome, Rhia still felt ambivalent. H
e’d invited the girl to coffee, after all. Quickly shaking her head to stop that dangerous mind-walk to further angst, Rhia willed herself not to conjure perceived scenarios. It might have been very innocent. He’d repeatedly told the girl he’d wanted to talk. All she really needed to know was that Caelius had vehemently rebuffed Ashley’s advances. That was satisfaction enough.
Glancing over to the flower vase buckled into her passenger seat, Rhia reached out and stroked the waxy green leaves. She bent and inhaled the fragrant aroma of the star-shaped white flowers of the jasmine bouquet. Running her finger over the small card bearing his name, she couldn’t help but smile. This sweet gesture spoke volumes. Caelius may have walked away, but he was still thinking of her.
* * * *
Leaning his elbows on the bar, Caelius waited for Petrus to finish giving Ferox a large stack of dollar bills to stuff in the cash register. He smirked. All change, no matter the size of the currency handed over for a drink order, was provided back in crisp dollar bills. The more the females had clutched in their hand, the more likely they’d approach the stage, hand them over, get their neck touched, and on and on it went.
Deciding that he was too exposed where he was standing, he plopped onto a stool at the furthest end of the bar. Caelius pressed his back against the cool tiled wall and made sure he stayed out of reach of the females. The fun had gone out of this job, and he wasn’t going to kid himself about it any longer. He had one set left and was very happy it was just to assist Lexus on the intro. It was a simple one. He’d only have to be up there for half a song then Lexus would continue from there.
Still a little shaken by the incident with Ashley last night, Caelius kept a steady vigil of scanning the room. She’d come in an hour earlier, but appeared to be focused on the new warriors that arrived early this morning to replace the ones sent on the mission to find Emperor Lucien. He was extremely happy that she’d kept herself busy. He’d made sure to keep his face averted whenever she glanced his way.
Fueled by Lust: Caelius (Siren Publishing Classic) Page 9
