“You should lose the panties, too, if you’re uncomfortable wearing things that are too damp.”
She was mesmerized by the comment, and his touch. Too paralyzed to move she just stared at him, wide-eyed.
Garen laughed. The look in his eyes was playful as he squatted down before her and slid both hands under her skirt. He gripped the narrow, silky elastic that crossed each hip and tugged. She was too surprised and aroused to even react, only managing to raise each foot at his urging so he could remove her panties completely. Something in the way he moved, with such confidence and grace for a man so big, made her stomach flutter. He looked at her as though he saw some indefinable quality normal men couldn’t—like he knew her deepest secrets without her having to speak them aloud. It made her trust him implicitly, but it also turned her on like she couldn’t believe.
Garen stood again with the light-blue silk clutched in his palm. He raised the fabric to his nose and inhaled. The gesture left her breathless, her pussy clenching and pulsing with the need to be touched again, to be filled with whatever frighteningly large tool he had threatening to rip through the front of his trousers.
“You look lightheaded, are you all right?”
“Wh-why …?” was all she could get out.
“Just consider it a phased interview. I’m here to assess your qualifications. If I approve, then I’ll take you to meet Skye to see if you’ll be a compatible … employee. Don’t worry, Melody, you’re doing just fine so far. Spectacular, as a matter of fact.”
This was part of the interview? She blinked in confusion and struggled not to stammer out the next words. “What’s the job description exactly?” Yet that deep fluttering sensation inside her grew to a low vibration of pure understanding. This was what she was meant for—the “higher place” Nancy had told her about, she was sure of it.
“Actually, it’s a position Kol and Skye created specifically for you. We really do value every employee, you know. Kol saw potential in you. And if you do your job well, it could lead to a pretty incredible promotion. We’ll have a detailed employment contract ready for you. If you pass this interview, you can read the rest. Just follow my commands and you’ll be fine.”
“Follow your commands?” she whispered, trying to wrap her head around the simplicity of it and remembering the conversation she’d had with Kol the week before. How much of that had he shared with Garen and this Skye person? And did following orders mean what she thought it did?
“Precisely. I’d like you to turn around and place your hands on the desk,” Garen said evenly.
Melody stared up at him, wide-eyed. He raised one eyebrow as if questioning whether she’d understood his very clear, precise command. This was so out of the bounds of her duties for her regular job, but Kol had said he planned to call someone who would help her realize her potential more than he could. If that was somehow tied to the secrets she’d told him—that she wanted to be possessed and commanded—her core ached with the unmistakable need to comply.
She abruptly tore her eyes from Garen’s and turned, bent at the waist and placed her palms flat against the cool composite surface of the desk. The insides of her thighs felt slick from her arousal now that she’d given up the sparse protection of her panties.
He rested one warm palm in the center of her back and rubbed in a slow circle. “Before I go further, you need to understand that the outcome of this interview is entirely up to you. You’re under no obligation to do everything I ask, but my one request is that we at least discuss any objections you have and try to come to a compromise. Your employment will work the same, once Skye approves hiring you.”
“I understand,” Melody said, acutely conscious of the proximity of his hand to the top of her ass crack through the fabric of her dress.
The gentle stroking stopped and his hand moved away.
“Spread your legs a little wider,” he commanded, so she did. She turned her head to try to see him, but could only make out the movement of one jacket-clad arm.
Cool air hit her ass when he lifted the hem of her skirt and draped it high across her hips. With both hands, he cupped her ass cheeks and squeezed.
“How many sexual partners have you had?” he asked.
“Um … I’m not sure. Maybe six?” Not counting Kol. Could she even count him if they hadn’t actually fucked? Shit, she could probably just count the man’s tongue all by itself.
Garen’s warm fingertips caressed her backside, moving distractingly closer to her center. She had the distinct impression that he was evaluating her like someone might examine livestock, except he was so exceedingly gentle, and every time she let out a soft sigh of pleasure, he’d pause and then repeat the touch that had elicited her reaction.
“Do you prefer to come while being fucked, or is simple oral stimulation enough?”
Melody bit her lip and let out a soft whimper, pushing back into the probing fingers that were slowly teasing their way into her aching depths.
“I love … ah … that. I mean, everything feels good.” And honestly, everything he did sent her into a whirlwind of pleasure every bit as mind-altering as her experience with Kol.
Garen’s fingers stroked her hot channel slowly, the sweet friction sending zings of pleasure through her body. God, he was good. She clenched her eyes shut and moaned.
“Have you ever been with two partners at once?” He slid his fingers out of her pussy, trailing upward until they pressed wetly at the tight pucker of her asshole. His other hand took over the gentle finger fucking he’d been giving her while he traced tiny circles around her asshole with the juices clinging to his fingertips.
She began to shake from the effort of supporting herself and the unbearable need to come. She was so close already.
“Not like that, if that’s what you mean,” she managed to answer while silently begging that he shove those wet fingers into her ass so she could have the release she needed so much.
“What do you think I mean?” Garen pressed one fingertip a little harder. She tried to answer but only stuttered out a few unintelligible syllables. “Do you think I mean taking two cocks at once? One in your pussy—” He let a third finger join the first two in fucking her, “—and one in your pretty little rosy ass?” He pushed his other finger just far enough into her to make her cry out. So fucking close, if he’d only just ….
“Yes, like that. Oh God, please fuck me.”
“Have you ever been fucked in the ass before, Melody?”
“No, but if you want to, you can.” Now, please.
“Is that what you would like me to do?”
She let out a frustrated moan and tried to press back further into him, but he didn’t budge. “I’d like you to do whatever you want to me, Garen. Please. Let me come.”
“What I want is irrelevant,” he said. His touch disappeared, followed by a gentle tug to the hem of her dress, pulling it back to cover her bottom again. “I think you’re ready to meet Skye. You may turn around.”
Disconcerted by the overwhelming arousal that raged within her, she only stared blindly at her hands. Her fingers curled, nails digging into the surface of the desk. Comprehension of the last few minutes escaped her.
“But …” she began, her mind tumbling over all the words of protest. He’d said she could object and they could compromise, right? “I object,” she said, at a loss for any other words.
“Oh?”
“You said I could object. I object to you stopping.”
“Ah. Turn around, Melody.”
“Not until you fuck me properly. Even if you use that inhuman tongue of yours and not your cock.” She snapped her eyes shut, instantly mortified. Garen had never used his tongue, so she had no way of knowing if his was as talented as Kol’s. But his voice and touch sent the same delicious chills through her, and his pale eyes seemed to glow the way Kol’s did when he looked at her.
“What did you say?” Garen whispered.
She turned to face him and braced herself, clutching the desk behind her. He looked worried, his brows clenched and his eyes opened a little wider than they’d been when he had started teasing her. For a split second she felt bad about her outburst. He’d sent her so close to the edge of oblivion she was still teetering and trying to regain some balance.
“You aren’t quite human, are you?”
He blanched. “Why would you say that?” His reaction made her even more certain her intuition about him—and about Kol—was correct.
“Why would a corporate transfer interview involve you working me up to madness and then not getting me off?”
“Because Skye is particular about doing the honors himself. I work for him. And my explicit instructions are to arouse you and nothing more.”
His voice sounded strained. A wisp of his pale hair had fallen farther down his forehead, almost obscuring one eye. She wanted to reach up and push it back, to see both eyes clearly. To try to understand him better, at least.
“Well, you’ve done your job. Is there a rule against telling me why?” She hadn’t intended the bitter note in her voice, but it was too late when she realized how she’d sounded.
Garen sighed and looked at the ground. He seemed to be contemplating his answer very deliberately. His fists clenched and he raised his head to look at her. “I’m not quite human, but I can’t tell you more than that. My mother was human, but my father wasn’t. None of that is relevant. What I am is a man who needs you to do what I tell you to do. For both our sakes.”
She held his gaze in silence for a moment, trying to sense any hint of deception. In the back of her mind she frantically tried to process the rest of his confession. In the end it made too much sense to argue with. He seemed honest, at least, and after the strange conviction that Kol was somehow very different than normal human men, she was inclined to believe Garen’s vague statement about his origins. She wanted to ask more, of course, but in spite of him leaving her hanging so horrendously, she sensed an ally in him and decided she would respect the boundary he had set.
For the first time since that encounter with the red-haired woman on the plane, she thought of her long absent father and wondered what he would think of Garen. She thought they might like each other.
“My dad left when I was five. Mom was devastated. They were never even married but his leaving is part of what defines me, so for me it is very relevant.”
That drew out a smile, and oh what a beautiful smile. The first genuine reaction she’d seen from him.
“Perhaps that’s true, but our parents don’t define us completely,” he said. “It’s hard to get over their influence though. Mine are dead … I regret that in some ways. Sometimes I wish I could talk to them again.”
“I still miss my dad, but his leaving … what it did to my mom … That kind of loss isn’t worth it.”
“Most of us …” He paused and seemed to think hard for a second before continuing. “Most of my kind, I mean, don’t get to know our parents that well. You had five good years, and you still have your mother. We don’t always have good memories of them.”
“Do you have good memories?”
“I do, yes, but I don’t think Skye has good memories of his parents.” The second he said the words he cringed. “Don’t tell him I said that to you.”
“You’re close to Skye, aren’t you? But you seem scared of him. Why is that?” she asked.
Garen chuckled. “Not really. He’s a good person once you get to know him. He’s just very efficient when it comes to getting what he needs and isn’t afraid of making demands if necessary. That shouldn’t trouble you. If you work for him, you won’t be disappointed.”
“All right then …” Melody took a deep breath and buttoned up her dress, smoothed her hair again, and looked at him with an even sweeter smile than she’d originally greeted him with. “How do I look?”
His gaze skimmed over her, assessing. He blinked twice and Melody was positive his eyes changed colors in between. Then he stepped forward to smooth a hand over her hair.
“You look even more lovely than you did when I got here,” he whispered. His palm rested on her shoulder, the heat of him sinking into her skin. His face hovered over hers, his gaze flicking between her mouth and her eyes. “Skye is going to love you,” he said as he bent and pressed his lips to hers.
The kiss was warm, sweet, and ended too quickly. It left her head swimming and her heart racing even more than all his other attentions combined.
But what about you? she asked herself, not quite sure where the question came from, or the sudden need for his approval that accompanied it.
Chapter Eight
The kiss was too sweet. The energy of Melody’s arousal crackled against Garen’s lips, enticing him to fulfill her need for release. He could bend her over again and fuck her. Give her what she’d asked for even though it would leave him even more frustrated than he already was just being in her presence.
He stared down at her, focused on the glistening wetness that lingered on her lower lip from their kiss. It begged for another to follow. Her blue eyes begged even more, yet she held her tongue. Behind that desire that burned in her gaze lay something deeper that he wished he had time to explore. The dossier he had read of her history had intrigued him enough to agree to this arrangement with Skye, and now seeing her in the flesh incited fresh curiosity. Her flavor still tingled on his taste buds from when he’d sampled her juices, and he almost laughed out loud when the image of his “inhuman tongue” lapping at her wet cunt barreled through his mind. The undulating waves of her aura overwhelmed him, yet he cast his gaze aside and pulled away.
Even if by some miracle he could find his Nirvana with his cock buried inside her, she wasn’t for him. She was for Skye. A sheaf of paper and a freshly enchanted medallion waited for her in the Magnus Tower in downtown LA. If the interview went well and the contract was executed, she’d be his charge for the near future, too.
Skye had been skeptical even after Garen described what he’d interpreted from her dossier. As much as he hated the idea of letting his friend go, Skye’s need for a female mate took precedence over Garen’s desires. The final piece of Skye’s inheritance hung in the balance. Whatever it was that tiny box contained—a key perhaps—depended on Skye’s mother’s magic accepting Melody. Having been acquainted with the Golden dragon Mora, Garen believed it was possible Melody, with her bright aura and shining hair, would be ideal to satisfy the elder dragon’s sensibilities for her son.
Now, all that remained was to test the theory.
He resisted the urge to take her hand to lead her out to the car that waited for them. Irrationally, he wished he’d driven Dove down to LA for this meeting. Having his own vehicle helped him relax and unwind after a day filled with frustrations like this. Instead, he would be trapped inside the back of a limousine with Melody and her arousal. The glowing golden bubble that surrounded her now was the least of it. Her delicious aroma was just as distracting.
“Will I have to move, if Skye hires me?” Melody asked, speeding up to walk beside Garen as they navigated their way through the library’s tall shelves.
“He runs the Northern California offices of Magnus, in San Francisco. So, yes, you will need to relocate. Don’t worry about that, though. All your expenses will be taken care of.”
They passed through the library’s exit, into the bright, hot, afternoon. The heat enfolded Garen in a comforting embrace that almost succeeded in burning away his lust.
Beside him, Melody groaned. “Is it as hot in San Francisco in September as it is here?”
Garen glanced down at her, amused by the squinting grimace she shot back at him as she fanned her face with the book she carried. Her cheeks were flushed pink, but her arousal had diminished somewhat, so it had to be the heat. He chuckled. �
�Not as hot as this, and Skye prefers cooler temperatures so we keep the air conditioner on a low setting at the penthouse. That’s where you’ll live after today.”
“If he hires me, you mean,” she said in a cautious tone, but her aura brightened again at his words.
“After I make my recommendation and he has a taste of you, I have no doubt in my mind.”
With that, he did grab her hand and lead her across the bricked walkway in front of the library to the limo waiting at the curb.
Chapter Nine
Melody couldn’t stop looking at Garen after the kiss. Her lips still tingled from the intimate contact. Kol had never kissed her, and though she’d craved every kind of contact from him, that one kiss from Garen had obliterated every wish she’d had for Kol’s attention.
On the way down the walkway to the limo, Garen’s skin caught the sunlight once and he seemed positively angelic. The light shimmered on his pristine skin in odd, uniform patterns, almost like feathers, or scales. A play of light? Or a sign of his true origins? She could almost imagine a pair of white wings attached to his thick shoulders. It wasn’t until they were secured in the shadows of a sleek limousine that she could see him as somewhat human again.
“Can you at least tell me what to expect when I meet Skye?” she asked.
Garen smiled. “He’ll pleasure you well. He has a knack for it, I promise.”
She was having trouble wrapping her mind around the idea of this interview. “Jesus. I don’t even know this guy and you’re already sure he’ll know just what to do?”
“I’ll tell him some of what I learned today, of course. But he’s intuitive and very talented.”
Melody stilled. “What exactly will you tell him?”
“If he asks, I will tell him that when you are exceedingly aroused he won’t be able to make you orgasm until he touches your clit. But if he plays with your ass a bit, he could find the same results. Am I wrong?”
Dragon's Melody Page 7
