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Orendain plopped himself, or at least part of himself, on one corner of Alex’s desk. “What did you think?”
Alex shrugged, trying to appear noncommittal. “About the woman? She was rather … unique. We spent some time—”
“Cut the bullshit. We both know you’ve been visiting some of our hot spots even though you were supposed to be on modified assignment.”
Alex couldn’t argue so he cut to the chase. “Just keeping my cover intact in case you decide to let me go back undercover, Chief.”
His boss considered him through narrowed eyes, his head tilted to the side, clearly attempting to discern if the subservient pose was a ruse. When his chief’s eyes widened with surprise and undisguised glee, Orendain said, “This is a change, Garcia.”
Definitely, he thought. In the past they had always been at odds because of Orendain’s nature and his own. Their last big battle had been about Alex’s agreeing to the undercover assignment up in New York. His boss had warned him about the mission, and in a way, Orendain had been right.
The assignment had chewed him up and spit him up into pieces he was still trying to put back together.
“I learned a thing or two in New York,” Alex admitted with another nonchalant shrug as he looked down at the papers on his desk.
A bigger man might have held back, but Orendain was big only in terms of muscle. “Hate to say I told you so, but—”
“You were right that the assignment would show me what I was made of,” he said, not that his chief would take that statement in a positive light. He kept to himself that the mission had also proved to him that he was a man who held others above himself. A man who accepted the pain of losing someone he loved. Twice, because he knew that someone else could make her happier.
“Damn straight,” his boss replied with some relish and jerked his finger in the direction of the reports on the club. “I know the doctors cleared you for duty, but are you ready for an undercover assignment?”
Alex nodded, picked up the papers on his desk and held them up in the air. “There’s a lot going on at this club. It would be quite a coup for you if we found a way to shut it down or brought in some of the bigger dealers.”
“You finally understand, Garcia,” Orendain said with a smug smile. “See what else you can find out. See if we have enough for you to investigate it further,” his boss added, rising from his desk and swaggering away.
As he watched him go, Alex thought, I do understand. If finding Dan’s daughter meant sucking up to Orendain, he was willing to go along with it.
Others above self, he thought, opening the file and turning toward his computer. If he was going to convince Orendain that he should investigate what was happening at the club, he would need a lot more than Dan’s missing daughter to do it.
Stacia roused in the late afternoon with an odd sense of lethargy.
She wrote it off to being unable to feed last night thanks to her meeting with Alex Garcia.
Alex had certainly been looking far better than he had the first time she had run into him. Then again, he had been on death’s door, bleeding from a couple of gunshot wounds and barely conscious.
She was surprised that he had remembered seeing her.
She had assumed that he had been too far gone to recall their encounter, but he had apparently remembered quite a bit about that meeting. And he had clearly seen her demon face. But from their talk last night, it was obvious that he still doubted his recollections even though she had made no bones about confirming his suspicions.
Of course, seeing was believing, only …
His audacity was enticing. It had been some time since anyone had actually dared to fight back against her power. And his attraction to her was unmistakable, despite his trying to deny it.
Real human attraction, she acknowledged, untainted by the thrall of vampire power.
For the first time in a long time, she could see a temporary respite from her ennui by spending some time with the good-looking law-enforcement officer. She could even picture herself sharing a pleasant interlude with Alex. After all, he was quite handsome in that Latin kind of way with his dark hair, olive skin and amazingly green eyes.
As for his body …
They hadn’t had much of a chance to dance last night, but she suspected he would be able to easily handle carrying her with those broad shoulders. Build her passion with those mobile hips and bring her pleasure with that engaging mouth while that intense gaze absorbed every last little detail.
But just to make sure she was not wrong about all that he could provide …
She had decided to put Alex to the test tonight. Push him to the limit and see how he would respond. She had no hesitation as to where to find him—she was certain he would be back in the club tonight. He had said as much last night when he had dropped her off at her door, ever the gentleman until she had grabbed hold of his shirt and hauled him close for a hard, demanding kiss. They had both been shaking by the time he had pulled away, and for a moment, she had considered using her elder power to bring him under control, but only for a moment. For the first time in centuries, she wanted to explore the attraction between them, free and clear of the vampire’s stain.
First, however, she had to feed. But the blood-bank bags she had in the minifridge would do little to satisfy the hunger she had worked up by skipping last night’s meal.
With the worst of the afternoon sun gone, she could venture outside where there would be dozens of humans walking around. A forceful mental suggestion and a darkened corner somewhere would provide her the vamp equivalent of fast food.
Needing that sustenance, she dressed as if for a jog and made her way to the lobby. One attractive young woman, similarly dressed, was exiting the hotel via a side door.
Stacia recalled that there was a small building that housed a gym at the back of the hotel grounds. Following the female, she confirmed that the runner was going to the gym.
Stacia followed.
The young woman entered the building with Stacia just a few steps behind her. The gym was empty of people. Only a few pieces of equipment and a television were in the room. Immediately the woman took a spot on the treadmill, but before she could push a button, Stacia was sending the runner a message.
Come with me, Stacia commanded and held out her hand.
The woman had little willpower. She faced Stacia like a lamb to slaughter and then stepped off the treadmill. She wasn’t as young as she first appeared, Stacia realized now that the woman was closer. In her mid-thirties if Stacia had to guess, not that she was all that good at estimating mortal ages. After nearly two thousand years of immortal life, humans in the twenty-to-forty category all seemed to blur together.
But the woman was fit and fairly attractive.
Her body had the long lean, lines of a runner, with B-cup breasts that were so far defying gravity beneath the confines of the sports bra she wore.
Come, Stacia urged again and increased the force of her elder power until a semiglazed look slipped onto the woman’s face.
“That’s it,” Stacia nearly purred, and the woman eased her hand into Stacia’s.
With a gentle tug, Stacia urged her toward the back of the gym and away from the glass doors facing the hotel’s gardens. There was an odd jag in the wall there, hiding the entrance to a supply room. Stacia urged the woman into that hidey-hole and pressed her against the door of the supply room. Raising her hand, she caressed the smooth line of the woman’s jaw.
“Who are you?” the woman managed to ask despite Stacia’s control.
Stacia leaned close, brushed a kiss across the women’s lips and said, “Someone who can give you great pleasure.”
With those words, she unleashed even more of her elder power and the woman gasped, her body caught up in the ardor that Stacia called forth in her. As Stacia examined the woman’s body, she saw that her nipples had gone hard and the aroma of the arousal brought on by the surge of vampire rule perfumed the air.
“Enjoy,” she said, cupping the woman’s chin with her thumb and forefinger to expose her neck.
“Touch yourself,” Stacia whispered against the shell of her captive’s ear and the woman complied, reaching up to caress her own breasts.
Poor thing might as well get some enjoyment from this, Stacia thought. Besides, a little sexual stimulation always gave the blood a nice flavor, she thought as she inched up on tiptoe and allowed the demon to emerge.
A tremor of need slinked across Stacia’s body as her fangs burst forth and the world around her exploded into almost painful brilliance.
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