“Good girl,” he murmured, into the dewy skin behind her ear. “Such a good girl, taking your punishment like that. I almost wish I could reward you.”
She tensed. “What?—”
Stepping back, he sharply adjusted his wrinkled tuxedo as he watched her spin around to pin him with just the kind of furious, aroused look that promised to make her so very fun.
They did a funny little dance when he moved leave. She darted toward him, her hands curled into needy claws, and he offered her a wicked smile as he effortlessly evaded her. “No orgasms for you. Not until I win the Games.”
He watched, fascinated, as panic finally registered in her face. “Wait, that’s not what I?—”
He didn’t stay to hear the rest. He had one hundred thousand dollars to burn — and a prize to win.
FIVE
It didn’t bode wellthat Francesca was already sick to death of vampires. Maxine, as always, was the exception.
“A man was in your room?” her friend demanded in that cool, husky voice that Francesca imagined worked great in a courtroom.
A man,she inwardly scoffed.More like a damn calamity.
How had she ever thought that he saw her as anything other than just another arrant to snack on? It took him all of three seconds to start ordering her around, and only a little longer than that to try buying her off.
She’d known he wouldn’t approve of her volunteering for the Games, but that… Well, she hadn’t expected how badly that would hurt.
It was a stroke of madness that compelled her to allow him to touch her in the way that she had. In the moment, when he was consuming her senses and she was just soangryshe wanted to claw at him, it all made perfect sense. It was the logical conclusion, and there was a blissful sort of relief in the way her mind emptied when her body was under his command.
But her mind certainly wasn’t empty now.
Now,Francesca had to waddle after her friend in sky-high heels pretending like her cunt wasn’t hot and pulsing with discomfort — and no small amount of unfulfilled arousal. She’d scrubbed herself raw in the bathroom, terrified of keen vampire noses smelling the humiliating evidence of what they’d done, but she swore she could still feel his hands on her.
Grabbing a fistful of her gown so she didn’t trip on the too-long hem, she allowed Maxine to guide her by the other arm through the dark hallway at a swift clip. “Yes,” she answered, breathing hard. Her legs were a lot shorter than her friend’s. “He said he was looking for Easton.”
“Everyone’s looking for my stupid cousin,” Maxine growled.
“Yeah, but he said he’s here to collect a debt.”
Her friend spat, “Him and half of United Washington! Did he say his name?”
“Um, no,” she hedged. It wasn’tuntrue.
“Probably doesn’t even matter,” Maxine replied. “Easton’s list of enemies is long enough that it could be fucking anyone.”
Francesca didn’t know much about Easton. They’d only met a week prior, when he happened to show up at Maxine’s brownstone while she was visiting. In the few months that she’d been in United Washington, she’d learned to make herself scarce when vampire business was going on — even when it involved her friend. She would’ve avoided Easton the same way she avoided most of her house cleaning clients if he hadn’t come barging in like he had.
Things were a bit of a blur after that. Easton, like Maxine, had a gift for persuasion. He’d taken one sniff of her and started the smooth pitch before Maxine even entered the room.
He had some bad luck with a few business deals, he said, but that was all going to change. He just needed a business partner to do an event with, and it had to be someone willing to part with a little bit of blood. No biggie.
By the time Francesca realized exactly what she was signing up for, he’d already given her a ballpark figure that made her palms sweat.
And that was before they did the blood test. Things got a lot more complicated after that.
“Listen, Frankie,” Maxine began in that same authoritative voice, “all you need to do is stand there and look pretty. Don’t talk to anyone. Don’t answer any questions about my cousin. You are here for one thing and one thing only: to be valued. You are the one in control. You are the prize they all want. Don’t forget that.”
They stopped in front of a side door to what Francesca had been told was a ballroom, where she’d be presented to the entrants and they could decide if her blood was worth the mind-bending fee Easton asked for. Her shaking fingers found Maxine’s gloved hand and squeezed.
“Thank you,” she whispered, throat tight. “I know you think this is a terrible idea, but?—”
Maxine’s pale face, as round and lovely as a full moon, seemed to glow in the dim hallway. She was a good lawyer. Her poker face was impeccable, but for her few close friends, she let the real Max shine through.