Page 14 of The Vampire’s Prey

“I’ll handle her. I have more than enough tools in my arsenal to make her talk.” Pausing, I raise my voice to mortal hearing. “Tiberius, can you give us a minute alone?” I walk over to Evangeline. “Ready to go my darling?” I swear, if it were just us two, she’d be sticking her tongue out at me. Her pouty face is adorable, and I can’t wait to put those lips to good use.

“Always dear.”

I lean in and nuzzle her ear with my nose. She tenses and tries to pull away; however, she’s a mortal, and I’m a vampire. There’s no escaping my clutches. “Careful love. Your face will freeze that way.”

She actually sticks out her tongue at me. The audacity of this woman. I throw my head back and laugh. Oh, tonight is definitely going to be a night to remember. I press forward until her back is against the door to the dungeon. Her hands press against my chest in a feeble attempt to push me off of her. “No, no sweething. You had your chance to back away. Now, you’re at my mercy. And you better pray to whatever higher power you have that I’ll actually let you go.”

“You liar.” She spits out, anger blazing in her eyes. “You already said that this is a one and done. So, you will be letting me go as soon as I fulfill my duty.”

My head cocks to the side. “You’re duty? Are you truly telling me you don’t want to know what’s down here? Can you really be so bold as to lie to my face and tell me you have no attraction to me?”

Her arms cross in between us, giving her just a fraction of space. I’ll allow it. For now. I have no problem letting her think she has the upper hand at the moment. Maybe if she feels safe, she’ll let her walls down enough that I can figure out what makes her tick.

What I do know is that there’s at least some measure of her that enjoys my dominance. I’m not crazy. Her arousal flooded my senses from the moment I laid my hand on her neck.

“Honestly, at this point, it really doesn’t matter what you want now does it?” Her eyes widen as I lean in closer to her. “Here’s where we stand, Rapunzle. You were most definitely caught snooping around here. Why? I don’t know. Frankly, I don’t care. That’s not what interests me at the moment. What does interest me is that we are at a crossroads. The way I see it, you have a choice to make. You can choose me, or you can get fired. I’ve known Tiberius for a good minute, and I know for a fact he was one breath away from tossing you on your ass.”

I lean back to give her some room. I don’t want physical domination to be the reason she chooses me; though granted, either way, she doesn’t really have a choice. Oh, how delicious. Her pulse quickens, but other than that, I can’t get a read off of her. What is she thinking? The wheels are clearly turning. She seems so torn, so unsure. Just how I like my prey.

“You don’t know I’ll be fired.”

Ahh. So that’s where she’s going with this. I can call her bluff and match it. “You know, you’re right. I obviously don’t. Why don’t we go back out there, and you can ask him yourself? Or, if you’d rather, we can just ask the owner what he thinks about employees who snoop about and act suspicious. I’m pretty sure once trust is lost, it will be hard-pressed to be regained.”

Silence. She stands there, pondering my words, but everything is taking way too long. I reach out and grab her arm, prepared to take her back into the club.

“No. No, it’s okay. I’ll stay with you.”

A huge grin spreads across my face. “Final answer?”

She hesitates. “Yes. Final answer.”

Finally, I can feel something off of her; however, it’s not at all what I want. Terror rolls off of her for a few moments then just stops. I’m puzzled. Why is she so afraid? I reach out to stroke her hair, and she flinches back from me. This is not good. Growling, I pin her to the door with my hand at her throat. She goes a little limp in my arms. Bingo.

“Is this what you want, little girl?” I tighten my grip. She’s silent, and yet, I feel the tremors of her whimpers through her delicate neck. Power and arousal flow through me. “You want me to have my way with you? To take it from you? Leave you with no choice but to quiver in need beneath me?”

Her eyes open. Need, more powerful than I’ve ever felt before comes pouring out of her. That’s it. She can’t let go. Well, I’ve got the perfect remedy for that. I pull her away from the door, my hand shifting to grab the back of her neck. “While we are down there, I’m in charge. You will obey me the moment I give you a command. Fail to do so, and you will be punished.” I feel her tense up. “Don’t worry my pet. I’m sure you’ll like the varied and delicious ways I can punish you. Just be forewarned, not all punishments are physical.”

She tries to turn her neck in my grip. Releasing slightly, I let her turn her face to meet mine. Her brows are drawn up. Clearly, she’s trying to puzzle through my words. Smiling, I run my palm up the back of her skull, navigating my fingers under her braid until I start applying a slight pressure.

“For instance,” I tighten my grip. “I can refuse to allow you to orgasm.” The moment my hand palms her scalp, her eyes close. However, they fly open at my words. “What? You don’t like that idea?” She just watches me and remains silent. “Well? Answer me.”

She looks down, her voice soft. “No. I don’t think I like that idea.” Squirming, she tries to pull away from my hand. I merely tighten my grip.

“Then I suggest you be a good girl and obey me. First rule of business. As stated before. You obey me the minute I give you a command. Hesitation counts as disobedience. You are not to think, just act. If you do not understand a command, say so. I am not a tyrant. I may be demanding, but I am also reasonable. Second, from this moment out, you are to address me as sir. Any other response results in instant punishment. I fully expect you to test these rules, and I cannot wait to deliver your punishment.”

I feel her squirm beneath my hand. Leaning down, I smile at her. This isn’t some sweet, sappy smile. This is predatory. She knows it. I can see it in her eyes, in her body. From what I can gather, I’m walking that fine line between fear and exhilaration. Good. Let her be afraid of me. I am every inch the monster her mother warned her about.

In a matter of moments, I pull my hand from her hair and grab her throat again. She squirms against me. “Quit moving,” I growl, tightening my grip. My free hand slides down into my jacket pocket. I smile as I remove a small hank of rope. “I’m going to release you now. Stay put. Do you understand?” She nods. “Use your words pet.”

“Yes. I understand.”

I cannot keep the wide grin off of my face. In fact, it’s so large, my jaw muscles twinge just a touch. “Tsk tsk. Is that how you’re supposed to answer me?”

Her eyes widen. “Sir! Oh, yes, sir!”

“Too late dearest. That one is going to cost you.” My cock strains against the front of my pants as I watch the shifting emotions play over her face. She bites down on her lip, and a hint of fear wafts under my nose. Poor thing. Not really, but some part of me feels sorry for her. No. Actually. Not really. I gave her the perfect out to all of this. She chose to be here with me. Now, is it really fair to hold one’s employment in the balance? Well, no one has ever accused me of being fair.

But either way, this has to stop. I don’t want her fear tainting my dinner. That, and there’s no way in hell I’m bringing a fearful female down into Lucius’ dungeon. He’d have my head for sure. I step back, giving both Evangeline and I some breathing room while I uncoil the length of rope in my hands.