WiredinSin (4 page)

The box that Victoria sat staring at was very large and
gorgeously packaged. The royal-blue paper stretched tight around the present
was thick and heavy, almost cloth-like. Gold and silver ribbons accented the
deep color of the paper and brought the eye to the tiny, shimmering stars that
moved slowly over it. Magic. It coated the box, the wrappings, and hovered
around the present in a warm aura. The stars twinkled, mocking her with their
beauty. The price for that type of magic was steep and there were very few who
could bind it so closely to the wrappings. Her fingers caressed the velum note
again. The silky paper was almost sensual against her fingertips.

She couldn’t decide if the present was a cherished gift from
a male she’d pleased or the workings of an obsessed client whom she needed to
be wary of. She’d run her fingers over it, absorbing the faint traces of the
giver’s energy signature. It was from Nick. She hadn’t needed Gynger to tell
her that. She’d recognize his essence anywhere.

When she’d finally fallen asleep the night before she’d
dreamed of him, of his energy, of his lust. Dreams rarely woke her, but she’d
come awake moaning from an orgasm, coated in sweat and still shaking from the
release. She didn’t like admitting it, but she craved him and silently agreed
with her inner thoughts that perhaps he was someone she wanted to actually get
to know.

Reading the note again didn’t help her to decide what she
thought of the gift. Nick had obviously had it planned and had worked hard to get
it to her without anyone seeing him or who had delivered it to the building.

Victoria, Please accept this token of my appreciation and
affection. I hope you find it as beautiful and unique as I find you. All I ask
is that you don’t open it until Thursday evening before our next session. Yours
lovingly, Nick

She sighed. If she’d been human still she’d have been
terrified that the man was stalking her. In the supernatural world, though,
stalkers were rare. Beings who lived thousands of years were strange, bestowing
gifts and favors on others with no real comprehension of how it looked to a
former human. She couldn’t assume that the male who had sent the gift was doing
anything other than simply sending her a present. It wasn’t her first and
surely wouldn’t be her last. Many of her clients sent tokens of their affection
or thanks. The men she took as patrons were rich, some beyond even her
comprehension. Money to the supernatural community was a necessity, but more
often than not a joke. When you lived for centuries there was no limit to the
income you could make.

So why was she leery of this one? Why did she feel like
opening it would seal her fate? Fate. Fuck. Fate was one of those ideas thrown
around by everyone in hushed tones laced with respect and fear. If
supernaturals feared anything, it was fate and her unerring ability to screw up
everything. Humans discussed the idea of fate, but when you had a finite length
of time to live it couldn’t be influenced much by fate. Give beings an
eternity, inject the idea of uncontrolled occurrences, and watch them scatter
like cockroaches. No one liked control more than supers.

Victoria chuckled. If anyone liked control more than her,
she’d never met them. The strange sensation that she’d been feeling in her
chest was fear. She was scared of the changes she felt in herself. Terrified
that her life was about to be flipped upside down.

“So, are you going to open it or just stare at it like it’s
going to bite you?” Gynger’s laughter-filled voice pulled a growl from
Victoria’s chest.

“According to the note you delivered to me, I’m not supposed
to open it yet. He requested that I wait until Thursday.”

“Shit. Really? That’s almost a week away. I don’t want to
wait that long, do you?”

“If you haven’t noticed, Gyn, this is
my
gift. I’m
not sure I even want you to know what’s in it. You deserve to be eaten up by
curiosity just for the trouble you’ve caused me.”

Her friend huffed behind her. “But you love me, Vic. I’m
like a sister. You wouldn’t do that to me, would you?”

Victoria turned and grinned at her friend, smiling more
widely at the shock on Gynger’s face. “I would, and am definitely thinking
about it. You buried his information so deeply that no one can find it and are
refusing to tell me what you know. I’ve fired people for less.”

“You love me and you know it. I’m just trying to help you,
hon.” She leaned forward, red hair falling into her face, hiding her eyes from
Vic. “I love you like a sister and want to see you happy, and you haven’t been
in so long. I understand your fears but at some point you need to step out of
your personal prison. How long are you going to punish yourself for losing
control when you were first turned? Hmm? You didn’t have control. You aren’t at
fault. You do understand that right? You know that those deaths aren’t your
fault?”

Victoria cringed at the concern in her friend’s voice. Yes,
she believed those men’s deaths were on her hands. She was the one who had
killed them. She knew, intellectually, that they weren’t truly her fault. She’d
woken as a new thing, a changed being. But that didn’t absolve her guilt about
what she’d done to them.

To bury those feelings so the others couldn’t sense them
she’d had to learn to cover them up, shove them far inside. True, she hadn’t
been outwardly jovial in a long time, but she wasn’t unhappy. Was she? She
sighed. She hadn’t felt anything in ages. Fear, irritation, concern—those were
the first things she’d felt in so long that she couldn’t truly be angry with
Gynger. She turned back to the present and scowled. Would it hurt to open it
early? What could be important enough to have it delivered now but not important
enough to open as soon as it arrived? Or was the male playing a game with her?

“I want to open it now.” She didn’t realize she’d said it
out loud until Gynger laughed behind her.

“Do it. I want to see what he sent you.”

A foreign feeling skated over her nerves just before she
giggled. She slapped a hand over her mouth to stifle the noise. Had she really
giggled? Her? Victoria didn’t giggle, chuckle, laugh or anything else of the
sort. What in the name of all that was hellish was happening to her?

She reached for the package and noted that her fingers shook
slightly as they touched the magic surrounding the box. It moved over her arms
and goose bumps erupted along her skin. Cool waves of energy tickled across her
hand and she stifled another round of grinning.

“It’s coated in magic. Do you think he did something so he’d
know when I open it?” Vic pulled her hand back, nervous. She truly didn’t know
this male. Could he have added a spell to bind her or harm her?

“It’s possible, but I know he would never try to hurt you,
so the magic is harmless,” Gynger answered.

Vic thought about that for a moment then couldn’t contain
her curiosity any longer. With quick movements she unwrapped the ribbons,
stroking them lightly between her fingers. Even they were made of expensive
silk, beautiful and soft against her hand. She didn’t want to damage the
wrappings and refused to look at that conviction too closely. She would normally
have ripped into the package, discarded the paper to get into the box. This
time she took her time, folding the silk ribbons and placing them lightly next
to her before carefully unfolding the paper from around the present.

Once she’d smoothed the wrapping paper out and folded it she
stared at the cream-colored cardboard box. She wondered what Nick had sent her
and hoped that it wasn’t lingerie or jewelry. She wanted him to think of her
beyond sex, and how crazy was that? But from the size of the box and the
pulsing magic coming off it in waves she doubted it was either of those things.
Shaking her head helped her to dispel the asinine desire for this one male to
think of her as a real woman instead of his sexual outlet.

“You going to open it? Come on, Vic. I’m dying here.”

With a glance over her shoulder she noted Gynger’s curiosity
and swallowed another laugh. “I could ask you to leave.”

“Please? I want to see what he sent.”

With a flourish, she pulled the top off the box and peeked
inside. She thought at first that she was staring at another box, but after a
moment she realized that it was a glass container. When she reached in and
stroked the cool box it left her fingers chilled. Gently coaxing it from the
outer box was made more difficult when her hands started to tremble. Inside a
large glass terrarium was an extremely rare and awesomely magical plant she’d
only seen in text books. A genuine
Bridgetium azulerae
, more commonly
known as the Etraza tree.

“Oh my gods, Vic. Is that what I think it is?”

Victoria couldn’t even nod for fear of dropping the precious
plant. It pulsed with magic even as it remained dormant. She knew that it would
take a trigger to release the hibernation spell before it would fully become an
animated, living thing again. As it rested in its tiny environment she could
see the miniscule buds on the ends of each branch. The miniature tree was
perfect in its structure. Tiny branches spread off a thin trunk. Even though
her specimen wasn’t much taller than a book, it had to be hundreds of years
old. Once reanimated, the tree would experience all four seasons, cycling
through growth, sleep and rebirth each day.

Gently setting the glass case on her desk allowed her to
release the breath she’d been holding. It left her lips in a whooshing whisper.
“Wow.”

“Holy shit.” Gynger gasped behind her. They both stood there
staring, silent for a few moments. “Have you ever seen anything so awesome in
your life?”

Vic shook her head, still speechless from the enormity of
the gift. Nick had to have spent a million or more on that tree. How could he
so easily give it to her? She swallowed a few times to push down the lump in
her throat. Tears prickled behind her eyes, which dragged a hint of anger from
her addled brain.
You’ve fought all this time to not be affected emotionally
by anything and a gift sends you into tears? Wussy girl.
With the back of
her hand she scrubbed at the moisture clinging to her lashes. She wouldn’t give
in, wouldn’t allow herself to feel cherished or blessed by this gift. Nope,
wouldn’t give her heart permission to pitter-patter in her chest with the
blooming of warmth. Panic surged through her before she could scoff at her own
reaction.
Big, bad succubus is scared off by a gift? You’re a sad, sad
demon, Vic.

She finally noticed that Gynger was digging around the inside
of the cardboard box. At least one of them was still thinking and not
dissolving into an emotionally charged pile of girly goo. When the other female
came up with a small envelope clutched in her hand, Vic’s mind clicked back on.

“Is that the trigger?”

Gynger handed it over and shrugged. “Probably. Open it. I
want to see if this baby does what I’ve heard they’re capable of.”

Opening the envelope emitted a quick burst of energy. It
skittered cool and pleasant across her skin. She could see the magic as it
shimmered around them, like a mirage dancing in the air. Instantly the Etraza
tree responded with a soft glow.

The tiny buds that tipped each branch changed, becoming
green and plump. Between one heartbeat and the next they opened, unfurling
brilliant jade leaves so small that she wasn’t sure of their shape. Victoria
stood, mouth agape, as the leaves grew quickly. Hearts. The leaves were
perfectly formed hearts dripping from the branches, weighing them down with an
abundance of foliage. She gasped as she watched miniscule yellow flower buds
form. Sunshine-colored petals opened, shining enough that she thought perhaps
they actually gave off a soft glow. The light fragrance of honeysuckle and
lavender filled the air and Victoria sucked it into her lungs, savoring the
scent even as she blinked in astonishment.

“That is the coolest thing I have
ever
seen,” Gynger
whispered reverently.

“Who is he?” Vic whispered back. She needed to know who
would give her something so magically perfect. Who’d be willing to part with
something so unique? He was either super wealthy or crazy—either way a prized
possession such as that tree should never be given to a stranger.

“I can’t tell you yet, Vic.” Her friend sighed. “But he is
safe and would never harm you. You’ll let him call again on Thursday, right?”

Nodding numbly in answer, Victoria stared at the
ever-changing tree. She didn’t even balk at the quick hug Gynger bestowed on
her. Her friend said something before quietly leaving the office, but she
didn’t hear or comprehend. The enormity of the gift, now changing slowly to the
reds and golds of fall, seemed to stop time completely.
Now what?

Victoria found she’d been staring for the millionth time
into the terrarium that housed her Etraza tree. It was snowing lightly within
the glass container. Tiny snowflakes floated to the dirt and covered the
branches with a soft blanket of pure white. The snow was luminescent, glowing
enough to cast shadows on her desk. She knew within an hour it would be glowing
with sunshine blossoms again, but its serene coolness while in winter matched
her thoughts. She rested her fingertips against the glass and let the cold flow
over her skin. Even the magic felt glacial as it wrapped around her hand with a
frozen whisper.

She sighed. Her entire day had morphed into one emotional
hill after another. For someone who prided herself on not feeling anything, the
change was devastating. She wanted to backtrack a day and ignore Gynger’s
begging. If Vic hadn’t taken on Nick, or whatever his real name was, she’d be
plowing through her work without a single care. Instead she sat staring at the
ultimate gift, wondering what her heart was really doing thumping away in her
chest.

The sudden ringing of her desk phone made her jump and she
snickered at her own reaction.

“Yes, Tabitha?”

“Victoria, I’m sorry to disturb you, but there is a male on
the phone insisting on talking with you. He says he has an appointment with you
and won’t take no for an answer. He’s refused to tell me his name and is tying
up all my incoming lines with some form of spell that I can’t unravel.”
Tabitha’s normally calm-and-collected voice was ragged and tight. She was one
of the highest trained techno-psychics in the nation. For her to be this
harried meant she’d spent some time trying to solve the problem already.

“What does he want?” Anger spiked and Victoria swallowed a
growl. Would it never end? People couldn’t just leave her and her company
alone.

“He wants to speak to you specifically. He’s been nothing
but cordial while being shuffled from agent to agent, but he’s refusing to
release the spell or chat with anyone else.”

Silence hung heavy between them. This wasn’t the first
insane, over-testosteroned male who had gotten it into his head that he could
somehow force information from her or the company. Those asses were the reason
she had the tightest security money could buy.

“Put him through. But Tab? Find out
who
he is and how
he’s able to do what he’s doing. I want to know ASAP.” She sighed. A boss’s job
was never done, especially when dealing with the supernatural public. “I don’t
like knowing someone can cripple us so easily.”

“Yes, Victoria. Thank you.”

Two clicks and a slight pause gave her enough time to take a
deep breath and prepare to tear down the asshat who thought he could play some
joke on
her
and her company. She’d find out who this male was and have a
few of her security trolls go and pay him a visit. Perhaps she’d send him
flowers while he recuperated in the hospital. A grin, fully sanctioned by her
demon side, spread across her lips.

“You opened your gift early.”

All her intentions fled with the first word uttered in that
voice, smooth and amused, on the other end of the line. A flash of feminine
heat shot through her body. Instead of dressing down the troublemaker, she
wanted to undress for him. She swallowed a moan as it fought to leave her
throat. She’d lied to herself about the impact the male had on her. Now she sat
panting at her desk, willing him to speak more so she could feel the heat build
in her body.

“I did, thank you. The tree is a very generous present,
Nick.”

“I wanted you to have something special from me. Something
you’d see every minute you sat near it.”

“Well I’ve definitely been watching it. I think I’ve stared
at the tree more than I have anything else today.” She tried not to grin, but
felt her lips quirk at the corners. “So you put a spell on the wrappings so
you’d know when I opened it?”

He cleared his throat and she could feel his slight
embarrassment through his pause. “I just wanted to know if you’d wait as
instructed or if you’d be one of those impatient women.”

“Hmmm, I am definitely impatient when it comes to presents.
But I have to say that I am so thrilled that I opened it today.” She waited for
a moment then decided she’d better get her thoughts out there. “Nick, I really
think that sending me an Etraza tree is just too much. I love it, don’t get me
wrong, but I know what it must have taken to get one. Something so precious
shouldn’t be given to someone like me.”

Dominick hated that she spoke of herself that way. Like she
wasn’t worthy of every single thing he could give her. He swallowed the growl
that threatened to spill from his lips. She didn’t know that she had a mate, so
he couldn’t expect her to accept his presents with ease. It still made him
angry with anyone who had given her the idea that she wasn’t worthy. Perhaps it
was her succubus nature that caused her heartache.

“Victoria, you are a lovely woman who absolutely deserves to
receive gifts, and you’d better get used to it, missy. I have more things
planned for you in the coming days.” Thick silence hung between them. Before
she could turn him down, he plowed forward. “We’ve met before, you know. You
stole my breath even then. Let me woo you a little, please.”

Her sigh was loud. “I can’t let you get attached to me. What
we have isn’t real and you know that, right? I appreciate the gift more than
you can know, but pretending that I mean something to you is wrong.”

“How about, just for right now, we pretend we could be
friends? Talk to me for ten minutes, that’s all I’m asking for.”

He waited, fingers crossed. Would she give him that little
bit of time? Once again he wished he were something more powerful than a
wizard. If he were a demon or something stronger he could’ve stormed the castle
and thrown her over his shoulder. Being nothing more than a glorified human
meant he couldn’t overpower her, couldn’t force her to see what they were to
each other. The lack of control made him twitch.

He was pulled from his thoughts by the most beautiful words
he’d ever heard. Victoria’s soft voice was music to his ears as she whispered,
“I’d like that.”

The constriction around his chest loosened, allowing his
first deep breath in days. He settled down into his chair and smiled. What to
talk about? “Tell me what the tree is doing now.”

“The buds are just starting to open. I love watching the
leaves slowly unfurl—it’s like watching a miracle occur.” Her breathy sigh was
tinged with amusement. “My favorite part of spring is coming though. The smell
of honeysuckle makes my heart warm and I can breathe easier.”

“Tell me what you were thinking the minute you realized what
I’d sent.”

“Hmm… I was thinking that you were crazy to send something
so unique and expensive. But, then I thought that I was glad you had.” Her
chuckle was like a fire burning through his body. “It truly is the most amazing
gift anyone has ever given me.”

“I’m so happy you are enjoying it. Are you in your office
now? Is it sitting on your desk?”

“Will your next question be about what I’m wearing?”

He laughed. “No, but if you want to tell me I’ll definitely
take the information for future use.”

The sound of her low, sensual chuckle had his cock hard in a
moment. He swallowed a groan. He wanted to hear that sound as she slid down his
body. The thought of her licking a path to his engorged dick while he watched
had him squirming in his chair.

“Oh, you’re a bad boy. I can hear your breathing change.
What are you thinking? Hmm? Were you thinking about last night and how I felt
under you? Or how you made me come? It felt so good too.” Victoria’s voice had
taken on a silky smoothness that had his hard-on deflating. This was her work
voice and not the one he wanted to hear.

He sighed. “Please don’t do that. I want to talk to you—the
real
you. I don’t expect anything from you right now other than a few minutes of
talking. Be you, Victoria, just you.”

Stunned. That was the only word that could come close to how
Vic was feeling after the heartfelt plea from Nick. She’d felt the icy grip of
irritation flow over her when she’d heard his breathing change. She’d been with
enough men to know what that meant. He was turned-on and had been thinking
about her. Old habits kicked in, sending her mind to someplace safer, away from
the feeling of loss. To hear him nearly beg for her,
her
and not the
sexy persona she used for work, was dumbfounding. When was the last time she’d
spoken to a male and he’d actually wanted to talk to her?

She cleared her throat and felt a slight blush creep across
her cheeks. “All right, Nick. I’m sorry. I thought that’s what you wanted. I
mean, you sent me a present and then called. I just assumed you wanted a
freebie before Thursday.”

“You know what they say about assuming anything, right?”

She could hear the smile in his voice and felt better for
bringing his mood back to playful. Grinning, she answered him. “Yes, and I’m
sorry I implied you were an ass. So you asked where I have the Etraza tree,
right? I have it sitting on my desk right now. I’ve been staring at it instead
of the spreadsheets that I currently have open on my computer. But I’ll be
taking it to my room with me tonight so I can look at it before I go to bed.”

He chuckled again and she swallowed a sigh. For the first
time ever, she really wanted to know who she was talking to. Would he tell her?

Before she could ask, he spoke again. His next thought
stumped her. “Tell me something about your office that no one else would know.”

“Huh. Something about my office? I keep an emergency stash
of chocolate behind a set of books on my shelf.” She grinned.

“Chocolate? Really, that’s the best you could do? Why do you
hide it?”

“Because Gynger can sniff out candy from down the hall. If I
want to have any for those moments that will be fixed either with chocolate or someone’s
death…well, you get the idea. I try not to dirty my office with bodies if I can
help it.”

“Oh well, then. Chocolate is a must in your office.” He
laughed and she felt it burn a path from her ear to her toes. His amusement was
lethal. “What’s your favorite type of chocolate?”

“Hmm. Honestly I’m not picky. I love Godiva dark chocolate,
but in a crisis any will do. How about you? Do you have any secret stashes in
your office?” She twirled an errant curl around her finger while spinning in
her Italian leather computer chair. She stopped mid-spin when she realized what
she was doing. Grinning? Chuckling? Spinning in her chair?
What the hell is
wrong with you?
She cleared her throat. “You know what, Nick? I have to go.
We’ll have to pick this up some other time. Thank you again for the present. I
really do appreciate it. Bye.”

She hung up before he could respond. Her heart rate was
higher than normal and her palms were sweating.
Clearly you’re experiencing
fear. Interesting.
She swiped the dampness on her pants and tried to forget
the last few moments. She couldn’t become attached, for more than one reason,
but the most important reason was her heart. If she gave in and cared, it’d rip
her apart when he decided he’d gotten whatever it was he was after.

Renewing her self-imposed iciness was more difficult than
she thought it would be. With the soft glow of spring shining from the Etraza
tree and the light scent of honeysuckle in the air, she couldn’t just banish
the thought of him. With a shake of her head, she focused on the accounting for
the week. Nothing could come of being friendly with Nick, unless she wanted
heartache and hurt feelings. Keeping her mind on business was the best thing
she could do. He’d soon be bored with trying to woo her, and she’d have her
normal life back.

The small voice that whispered quietly in the back of her
mind wasn’t so sure.
You know he isn’t one of those other men. Give him a
chance.
Fuck. Even her own subconscious was working against her.