I straddled him as we sat half-naked on the concrete in the back lot of the Raven, moonlight and shadows spilling over us like a second skin.
We both panted, staring at each other with our mouths open but unable to form coherent words. His sharp chin, a couple of his pointed teeth and the greenish hue of his skin were exaggerated by the moonlight.
He was a fascinating, gorgeous creature.
He studied me back with those curious eyes but neither of us spoke a word, caught in a muggy haze of sex, sweat and the faint scent of cigarette smoke.
With one finger, he plucked my red-and-black striped panties from the ground and offered them up. “You seem to have misplaced these.”
I got off him and snatched my underwear from his hands. One of those huge, goofy grins threatened to break free. I tugged my pants on, feeling utterly sated. Turns out my hellish day had a pretty wonderful ending.
When I turned around, he’d already finished dressing and lit up a cigarette as he leaned against the brick wall. The scrapes along my back sent a fluttering excitement through me, evoking the thrill I felt as he’d entered me. I jammed my hands in my pockets and stared up at the star-studded sky. The cool wind swept by, drying and chilling the beads of sweat along my neck and arms.
“So can I buy you a drink?” he asked after letting loose a stream of smoke. A smirk played on his lips.
“I think you’ve got that backward.” I grabbed the cigarette from his hands and took a drag. The nicotine flooded through me. “It’s okay, though, I know you strange folks don’t get humans all too well.”
“Hence the drink. I’d like to discuss a job opportunity with you.” He snagged his cigarette back.
I crossed my arms over my chest. The universe had a fucking funny sense of humor. Annoyance boiled inside me. Was that what this had been? The exact thing I’d refused to do that cost me my last job? “Sorry, bucko, I don’t accept handouts.”
He raised an eyebrow and glanced at me, to the wall and then the ground. The light bulb clicked on in his eyes. “Not like that. I’m talking about the discussion before our lovely detour. You’ve got a unique ability and we could use a booking manager—one who knows the exact places with the least amount of our kind. One who can handle the day-to-day with humans without leaving them heartsick and hazed-over. Or worse, draining them dry.”
He glared at the building. I suppose one of them got a little trigger-happy at times. My bet would be on the sultry-voiced fae.
I stared at him in silent disbelief. After spending most of my life around people who either believed I was crazy or who I had to lie to, the idea of joining the supernaturals never occurred to me. It’s not like I’d had the opportunity.
The adage about one door closing and another opening couldn’t get more true, could it? Yes, the fan orgy was a bit much, but he wasn’t asking me to be a groupie or attend the shows. He was asking me to deal with fae, who had no effect on me, making them as harmful as any other human. I couldn’t help it—I burst out laughing.
“You know, when someone offers you a job, laughter isn’t the most reassuring response,” he said, still calm and cool as ever. He ground out his cigarette under his boot and shrugged. “Any thoughts? The boys would be happy. We’ve been looking for a solution since our last booking manager kept stealing humans and getting us banned from cities. You’d be the perfect fit.”
I rifled a hand through my hair, trying to smooth the sweaty, tangled strands. Disbelief coursed through me. In terms of weirdness, this day topped the charts. Lost a job, got blue-balled at a concert, broke my dry spell and got a new job offer.
I was used to hopping towns and nothing tied me to Jefferson City. He watched me, still waiting for my answer. The glint in his eyes made my heart jump, not in any hearts-and-flowers sense, but that giddy leap of excitement when adventure promises to be at every turn.
“I’m down for discussion,” I said, offering the first genuine smile I’d had in a while. No lies, no secrets—it might be nice. “So why don’t we go get that drink you offered.”
He returned my grin and extended his arm like a gentleman. We walked arm in arm back inside the Raven to discuss an interesting future.
About the Alexandra Martin
Alexandra Martin is an author of steampunk adventure, dark comedy, urban fantasy and paranormal romance stories. She splits her time writing and working the day job, but as for creative pursuits, she’s dabbled in a little bit of everything. A modern day Renaissance-woman, she’s learned soap making, beer brewing, tea blending and most recently roasting coffee. The one constant from a very young age was her passion for reading and writing.
Alexandra welcomes comments from readers. You can find her email address on her author bio page at www.ellorascave.com.
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Siren’s Call
ISBN 9781419991356
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Siren’s Call Copyright © 2014 Alexandra Martin
Edited by Julie Naughton
Cover design by Allyse Leodra
Electronic book publication April 2014
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