A Vampire's Touch (The Red Velvet Trilogy)

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Nickie Asher, you’ve been a mentor and a great friend through this entire process.  I wouldn’t be here today without your guidance.

Karli Rush, thank you so much for always believing in me and pushing me further than I ever thought I could go.

Thanks to my Beta Readers:  Karli Rush and Maira Holt

CHAPTER ONE

Sienna

I couldn’t believe my ears when Tarah told me she wanted to visit that freak vampire club. What the hell was she thinking?

“Come on, Sienna! It’ll be fun
,
” Tarah begged, her
pig
tails
jumping as she plopped on the couch next to me.  I had to admit Tarah had always loved anything vampire related.  She dressed and breathed the part. 

I took in her get up for the night, which was pretty insane.  Her skirt was almost showing a peak of her great ass and the corset a tad too small for my taste.  The black lipstick put her over the top but I would never criticize.  She was my best friend and I would do anything for her even though this was pushing it.  At the end, I always gave in.

“Is this okay?” I was referring to my clothes.  Thinking we were going to a regular club for the night, my jeans and lime green halter was it. 

She looked at me and nodded her head.  “Hell no!  I don’t think they’d let you in with jeans.  Not this place.  You may think it’s trashy but it’s not.”

I knew I was in trouble when she grabbed my hand and dragged me over to the closet.  No way in hell was I going to rub black lipstick on my lips.

Thirty minutes later I stood staring at myself in Tarah’s full length mirror with a worried frown.  Where the hell was the rest of my skirt? Bending over would definitely be a no go tonight.  That’s if I didn’t bust my ass with the platform boots she forced on me. When it came to the makeup I put my foot down.  Tarah scowled but knew she couldn’t cross me here. 

“Now for your hai
r
.
”

“I am not wearing pigtails or piling my hair up a foot tall
,
” I admonished.

She smirked at me, putting her hands on her lean hips.  I looked down at my curvy ones and groaned.  My body simply was not made for this type of clothes.

“Stop scowling.  You look fantastic
,
”
s
he quipped.

I rolled my eyes.  “You would say anything to get me out looking like this.”

Tarah smacked me. “For reals!  You don’t see the way men ogle you?  Your body rocks.”

“Yeah maybe if I lost fifteen pounds or so.”

“Not true.  I wish I had your curves, instead I’m stuck with this lanky form!”

I wanted to laugh.  Tarah was anything but lanky, more like leggy.  The woman had legs that went on forever.  At five ten she made my five six look like the little guys on
The Wizard of Oz.

“Lanky my ass,
” I murmured.

Her big blue eyes opened wide. “Exactly! I would give anything to have your ass.”

We both giggled and after she was done with my hair, which looked pretty damn hot in the pin straight style Tarah had managed, we hopped in her BMW and were on our way. 

My stomach started to roll the closer we got.  Looking down at my attire I felt like we were going to be working the corner instead of the club. 

All too quickly, we pulled up and I was apprehensive about this whole idea.  What the hell was I thinking? This was, hands down, the strangest thing Tarah had gotten me to do.  And being her friend came with strange stamped all over the place. 

The club’s exterior was black with big
‘
Got Fangs?
’
in neon red over the entrance
.
This was a relatively new place in this strip of clubs and still the line was around the block.  It had been a while since I’d hit this scene.

Tarah stopped right at the front doors and I jerked my head over to her.  What the hell?  She smiled, her dimples showing.  This meant something was up her fishnet sleeve.  Here goes.

“V.I.P baby. I have a special pass today.  It pays to have friends in high places.”

My jaw dropped. Fucking valet?  Great.
Now we could make a spectacle of ourselves.  I figured we would park around the back in a really dark spot and kind of walk in with another group of vampire lovers, have a few drinks and maybe hide in a coffin like alcove.  Didn’t seem to be the case, instead two hunky guys in black suits with red ties walked over and opened our doors.  I thought about how I was going to get out without showing my ass.  He held his hand out and smiled.  My breath caught at the sight of fangs under his generous lips.

Holy shit
! These people were not messing around.  Even the help was on stage.  Tarah was already out and standing in front of me laughing her head off.

“Come on Sienna. They won’t bite.”

I figured I had to get out at some point so I planted my four inch platform on the blacktop and left the rest in God’s hands. I was lifted as if I weighed nothing and stood looking at a very wide muscled chest.  My eyes came up and I thanked fang guy before following Tarah, who I was going to kill later, to the front of the line.

“Tarah, don’t we have to get in line?” I asked looking back at the gathering crowd.  Suddenly, I felt underdressed when I saw what the others were wearing.  That was a good sign.  My leather skirt wasn’t so bad after all.

“Not with these.”  Tarah waved two tickets in the air and as soon as the bouncer vamp at the door examined them, he called on his mic for someone to escort us in.  Two minutes later, a blond Adonis walked up and nodded in our direction.

Where the hell did they hire the people in this place?  Straight out of
GQ Magazine
? The men were all gorgeous as were the women. 

We were led to the second level which was roped off.  Our escort motioned for us to sit and a round of champagne waited. 

Tarah smiled as she sat down. “This rocks, doesn’t it
?
”
s
he said, slipping her coat off.

I looked around and sat slowly.  Reaching for the glass, I took a heavy gulp. Then I took another when I looked down on stage at the huge shirtless male gyrating against a chair. 
Holy cow!

“Is this a freaking strip club?”

Tarah slapped at my hands. “It’s a little bit of everything. They have both male and female strippers, escorts, companions…
.
”

She must have seen the look on my face because her mouth stopped moving.

“Come on, Sienna.  Live a little.  You are always working.”

I gaped at her.  “I don’t mind going out on the town but a vampire escort stripper club?”

Tarah looked a little anxious.  Her face dropped and she was fidgeting.  This worried me immensely.  Her dimples were usually a sign of some good clean fun but when she fidgeted within hours of the dimples, there was something to be very afraid of.

“Tarah Marie Clifton, what did you do?” I narrowed my eyes at her.  She looked past my shoulder and pasted a fake smile on her face.

I was seriously scared to look behind me. The delicious scent caught me first.  It was spicy and dark; a combination of danger and lust.  Strong hands settled on my shoulders pulling me back.

“Good
Evening
,
”
h
e
whispered in my ear.  I still couldn’t see who the heck he was but I did see a blond giant walking over to Tarah and hold his hand out.  She stood and left, disappearing behind the screen next to us. I sat frozen, waiting for the delectable voice behind me to make an appearance. 

I should have gotten out of there when I had the chance.  What came at me as he rounded my chair was something out of a fantasy.  Dark hair pulled back from a beautiful face and trailed down his back in a braid. His pinstriped suit fit to perfection over wide shoulders and a muscled chest.  A tattoo peaked out of his collar and crawled up a couple of inches on his neck, giving him a bad boy vibe. 

Man was I in big trouble. He smiled and I was shocked not to see the fangs everyone else was sporting.  His
teeth were straight
and very white.  Turning, he pulled a chair and sat right across from me.  His eyes were a magnificent amber yellow.  I didn’t think I had ever seen such a shade before.  I took another sip of my drink. 

“I’m Jax Sparks.  It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

I looked down at his hand then back up at his face. The electric shock that went up my arm when I put my hand in his was scary. 

“Sienna Forbes, a pleasure.”  What else could I say?  He was staring at me like a freaking predator.  I looked away and took another swig.  At this rate I would be slurring and sputtering like an idiot. 
Get a grip
. 

“First time here?”

I looked down at my cup. “Yeah.  I came with my girlfriend.”

“Not by choice.”

I glanced up and smiled. “That obvious?”

He chuckled.  “We have had plenty of business since the doors opened two months ago.  You would be amazed at the fetishes people have.”

Thank God it was dark because I was beat red. 
Fetishes
? 

He chuckled again and I was amazed I could hear him over the music.  True on this level the sound was somewhat muted but still.  I looked down toward the dance floor where people writhed as one, becoming a wave of movement. I had to admit the place was awesome, with three levels and several bars all done in black granite with neon lights. 

“I see I’ve thrown you off balance with my words.  Let’s say it’s more of a fantasy.”

I gazed at him and fell into those eyes of his.  They seemed to dilate and pull me in further.  Everything else fell away, the music, the people…
.

What the hell was happening to me? In seconds I was in his lap, strong arms wrapped around me. Now the music grew louder, thumping in rhythm with my heart.  The techno sounds were both sexy and alluring, making me want things I shouldn’t. His hand reached my throat and covered my pulse possessively.  My head fell back and I closed my eyes, allowing him to pet me all the way down to the opening of my one sleeved tank top where my breasts st
r
ained for freedom.

He stood abruptly, bringing my slumberous arousal to a crashing halt.  My eyes snapped open and stared into his once more.

“Such beautiful gray eyes
,
”
h
e
whispered, then his lips came down over mine, feather light. It was the most sensual kiss of my life.  Heat and fire coursed through my veins, igniting my passion yet again. 

He deepened the kiss. I felt possessed and out of control.  My hands slid up his hard chest and around his neck.   I couldn’t image anything deeper with this man.  I sure as hell wouldn’t survive it.