Desires Unleashed (24 page)

“Yes, I'm aware of Annette's attraction to me,” Xavier said. “She's a wonderful woman and very friendly, lively. She's also my employee. I only wanted to give her my well wishes for a speedy recovery,” he stated. He noticed Natasha shaking her head and continued. “My interest in you is sincere, the interest of a man for an intriguing woman. I hope I'm not being too presumptuous but, are you dating anyone currently?”

Natasha shook her head. “So, here you are, in my hospital room while I have nothing on but this thin gown and you're telling me you're attracted to me? I bet you say that to all the girls you find in hospitals,” she laughed nervously. It was his turn to laugh now. And he did, throwing his head back and belting out a deep throaty laugh. He made Natasha squirm on the inside. He was so manly, so sexy, two of her weaknesses when it came down to the characteristics she looked for in a man. She loved a man who looked masculine, who acted like a man not a wimpy women's lib victim. One who could take care of things aggressively, like a man. If she went on a date and the man ordered a salad and nothing else or some kind of vegetarian meal, he became less than a man in her eyes.
Real men don't eat tofu as a meat substitute.

“Well, unfortunately, a hospital...” he made a wide wave of his arm around the room for emphasis, “is where I first saw you, so I must work within the limits.” He smiled at her again, turning on the charm full force. He took her hand to lead her to the bed. He picked her up with ease, causing her to yelp in surprise. She had never been swept off of her feet literally and carried anywhere. He held her in his arms effortlessly, as if she had the weight of a feather. Her arms locked around his strong neck as she gazed into his lovely, soft gray eyes. She liked how the light danced around his pupils, never getting caught in them. He placed her on the bed gently. She smiled at him, feeling her heart pitter pat inside her chest. She was being swept away, she thought he must be straight out of a fairy tale,
men like this just didn't exist.
She had almost forgotten he was a vampire.

She had never imagined her first official meeting with a vampire would be like this. She felt an attraction toward him. Even though he was a vampire, he looked to be a human man. She was beginning to wonder what kind of relationship they could have. She wondered if his body functioned like that of a mortal man's. She decided she'd let curiosity kill the cat. If she was going to consider allowing this vampire in her life, she wanted to know if they could be compatible.

“Can you, you know, do you...um...Does your. ..okay, there's no polite way to ask this of you.” She took a moment to contemplate the best way to form the question while causing the least embarrassment.

“Yes, I can. I can 'do it' just like a human man, even better,” he smiled. “Years of experience. I can last hours longer...if need be,” he said, taking the pressure off of her. He didn't need to read her mind to know what she was thinking. It was the same thing he would have thought in her place. He smiled at the expression of shock she couldn't hide. He could tell by her expression that her mind was probably playing out an erotic scene this instant. He turned and sat down in the small, uncomfortable, cloth-covered chair beside her bed. He stretched out his long legs, hands resting on the armrest. He looked questioningly at her.

“What are you thinking? I can see the gears turning in your head. Knowing you women, it's something lewd,” he joked.

She looked at him, her eyes widening. “Knowing us women! Thinking something lewd! Naw baby, that's how you men think. Your minds are always in the gutter. Women are sensible. I don't know what the hell is wrong with you men. Right now, I bet you're looking at me and I no longer have on this hospital gown, you have already mentally undressed me,” she said matter-of-factly. Xavier was caught off guard and it showed, making him laugh outright again. He would have to tell Darian about this beautiful, exciting woman. He definitely wanted to get better acquainted with her.

“It seems you do have a pretty good understanding of men. I did mentally undress you, about twenty minutes ago. But that doesn't mean you weren't having lewd thoughts just now,” he said, knowingly.

She conceded his point and laughed. “Yes, so what of it!” They both laughed. Xavier settled himself again, and studied her.

“So what do you like to do?” he asked.

“Well, I like to go to the movies. I like to eat out in restaurants, I love seafood, and no, I don't mean I love whatever food I see, either,” she joked. Xavier flashed her a smile, then shrugged innocently. She smirked, then continued. “I'm the kind of girl that will go on a date and order food to fill me up, not to impress. So I will order a ten ounce or twenty ounce steak, eat half and take the rest home for later. I'll order appetizers and desserts. A lot of men I've gone out with in the past think that entitles them access to my after hours lounge, but that's not happening.”

Xavier laughed at her choice of words for intercourse. The more she revealed, the more he found himself enchanted by her. It was easy for a vampire to become enthralled with a human. It was how humans became vampires in the first place. He gestured for her to continue.

“Well, I just got a job with the
Chicago Word
and that was what I was trying to celebrate last night, before I started to feel sick.”

“Sick, why? What happened?” he asked, concerned.

“Well, Annette wanted to celebrate with me and she said that I needed to get drunk, or at least have a real drink for the first time in my life.”

“Not much of a drinker are you?” It was more of a statement, than a question.

She shook her head. “No, I'm not. I suppose I shouldn't have ordered the Long Island Iced Tea,” she said in retrospect.

Xavier whistled. “Nope, wasn't the best drink to start off with if you're a lightweight. So you got sick?” he asked, encouraging her to continue.

“Well, I didn't throw up or anything like that, I just felt like I wanted to. That's why we left the club. But enough about last night. How old are you...your real age?”

He smiled. “How old do you think I am?” he asked.

She shrugged, “I don't know. It's hard to tell. It still freaks me out that you guys exist-let alone live forever. So I'll guess one hundred years old?”

He raised both eyebrows. He knew she was guessing but it was a damn good guess. “Well, you're pretty damn close. I'm a hundred and four years old,” he said, then watched the shock spread across her face.

“Oh my god I can't believe you're that old, you look so young!!!” she exclaimed, surprised. Her roommate, who had long since gone to sleep, let out a long, loud snore that startled her. Xavier had looked up as well, he had almost forgotten what a snore sounded like. He no longer snored when he slept, or even breathed. His body rested, lifelessly, during the sunlit hours, as all vampires did during the day with the exception of the ancient ones.

“Well, I was very young when I was made a vampire.” He looked at his watch. Then drew up his legs and rose from his seat. Natasha could tell he was getting ready to leave and she felt a sadness come over her, the most unexpected sadness. She felt they got along very well, and was calm around him. He wasn't what she expected a vampire to be. She reasoned,
you really can't judge a book by its cover.

“Are you leaving?” she asked disappointedly.

He nodded. “Yes, I have to go to the club. You know our assistant manager is out of commission, so I have to pick up the slack. And besides, you need your rest.” He noted her disappointment “Is it alright if I visit you tomorrow night? We can talk some more.” He walked over to her and leaned forward. She could smell his sexy cologne as he kissed the soft, caramel colored skin of her forehead. He looked down at her and smiled. The kiss was a bold move, he knew, but he couldn't resist.

“So, I'll see you then?” he asked. She nodded. “Good, until tomorrow, goodnight,” he said as he left her room, closing the door silently behind him.

Natasha stared at the closed door, still wondering what had just transpired between them. She lay in her bed, thinking about everything that had happened in the last twenty-four hours. She began to feel tired. She allowed the exhaustion to relax her body, delivering her to a blissfully deep sleep.

CHAPTER
14

E
lise sat in her room, her mind racing with thoughts of both Darian and Sergio. She cared for Sergio, not only because he was part of her Pride, but Darian was the one for her. She just had to figure out a way to bring Darian closer to her. She didn't mind the fact she would have to share Darian with Xavier. She did hope that after being with her, he would see no need to have Xavier, she could satisfy his every desire. She wondered what she could do to seduce him into taking their relationship more seriously.

Deciding to take a bath, she turned on the spigots, adjusting the temperature to make sure there was just enough heat to make steam, but not so hot that it caused discomfort. It would take some pretty extreme temperatures to effect a shape-shifter, but she didn't want to take any chances. Once the tub was filled, she slid a pink satin bathrobe with cashmere cuffs off of her smooth, creamy shoulders. She tied her long, thick, brown, curling locks into a bun so her hair wouldn't get wet. She reached into her cabinet and removed the little bottle of bath oil that she'd had imported from Egypt. It was designed to moisturize the skin, making it baby soft. From what she could tell, as she ran her fingers over her silky skin, the oil did the job effectively.

Elise poured a few drops into her heated bath water and put the bottle back. She put one foot then the other into the deep porcelain tub. She adored deep tubs, the kind with the four legs for support. As she settled into the tub, the water rose until it was touching her chin. Resting her head on the bath pillow, she closed her eyes, thinking about Sergio-naked, changing in front of her. In the past that had never bothered her. But since his relentless pursuit of her, she had been forced to take notice of his qualities. He was, without a doubt, the most handsome male in the Pride, truly worthy of kingship. She had heard the other females praise his bedroom skills after they had mated with him. But she never had. She wondered if that aspect alone might be the cause for why she had his affections. She wasn't sure if it was because he wanted her for companionship or that they had not mated yet. She knew she would be in heat soon, would need to mate. In the past, she had only allowed him to touch her, but never enter her. It had frustrated her as much as him. Still, she wasn't ready to claim a mate. That was before Darian. Now, she could fulfill her need without the threat of pregnancy or having to share control of the Pride. She wasn't ready to bear a princess. To bear a daughter would be to secure another queen's role within the Pride. The sole provider was a hierarchy. She liked being the Queen and wasn't ready to prepare someone else to take her role.

She knew she'd have to soon. She was over two-hundred years old. The oldest known shape-shifter who had ever lived, was a natural born that had lived to be five-hundred and fifty years old before dying of old age. She had aged over the past two centuries. She picked up the hand mirror from the side of the vanity next to her bathtub and inspected her skin in the little round polished tortoise shell mirror. She could see the little fine lines that were beginning to appear on her face. She hated the telltale signs of age. She focused on the small lines at the corners of her mouth and eyes. Elise had been born an aristocrat, had married a Duke, thereby becoming a French Duchess. Men had fallen at her feet. She had once had the great, self proclaimed Emperor in her bed. He had been most taken by her beauty, and had promised her diamonds, pearls, all the riches of the world. He had promised her what all men promise her. And she expected no less. Now as she looked at her reflection she wondered what the future had in store. She wished for just an instant, that aging could be frozen for her like it remained for vampires.

Shape-shifters had prolonged life, but not life everlasting. There was always a grey shade to every rainbow. She placed her mirror on the vanity to pick up her loofa sponge. She soaked it in the fragrant water, then ran the sponge over the surface of her soft skin.

She liked fragrances, though strong scents affected her senses. She could tolerate, even enjoy some scents if they were soft, light such as jasmine. However, anything stronger would cause a headache, as it would with all shape-shifters.

Finished with bathing, she rinsed off the soapy oil and climbed out of the bathtub, water dripped off her body onto the fluffy, pink bath mat. She loved the way the rug felt on the soles of her feet. If there was one thing she required, it was comfort. She grabbed one of the double thick, fluffy, pink towels from the towel rack and patted her body dry.

She walked out of the bathroom with the towel wrapped around her torso. Standing in front of her open closet, she searched for a cool, sheer outfit for the nights festivities. This night would see the appointment of a new King of the Pride. The Pride had not had a king in over ten years. The last king had been her mate. He had ruled the Pride with an iron fist, making her only the Matron of the Pride. She had wanted more. When he died of old age, she took over completely and didn't want to have to relinquish her hold over the Pride. But Sergio had been right, a Pride without a Protector, a male protector, was considered weak and would be a target for other Prides who would want their territory. Chicago was prime real estate for any supernatural. She didn't know any of the other supernaturals in the city besides Darian, and those few of his coven. Knowing Darian had helped when one of their Pride members was arrested for hunting on non-sanctioned grounds. The government had a zero tolerance for such things. One of her leopards would have been executed had she not sought Darian's help. Sergio had hated the outside help, didn't want it. He wanted to rescue their Pride member himself, by any means necessary. Elise didn't want to cause a scene which would attract government attention. She was comfortable in the city and did not want government harassment. Sergio was a strong male presence, a natural born shifter, he understood the role of Protector. She had no doubt that he would help keep the Pride under control. They could not afford another incident.