WiredinSin (5 page)

Another sigh left her lips and she grimaced at her own
melancholy.
You have it bad over a stranger.
Annoying but true. She’d
spent the entire weekend jumping each time the phone rang, hoping it’d be Nick
then admonishing herself over the stupidity of pining after a client. It was a
rookie mistake, one she’d warned every single one of her employees about. Don’t
become attached. That was the mantra, drilled into their heads from the moment
they signed their paperwork. Now she found herself doing exactly that, and
wasn’t that a sad state of affairs?

“What are you laughing at?”

The silky tones of Gynger’s voice dragged Victoria from her
thoughts. She’d ranted and raved at her friend in an attempt to get Nick’s real
name. In the end she’d hidden in her apartment to save them both from her
anger. Now it seemed that her friend wanted to take her life in her hands.
Spinning in her desk chair, she pinned Gynger with a scowl.

“I’m not laughing at anything. Knock much? Do you often just
wander into someone’s apartment without the decency of ringing their doorbell?”

“Don’t get all haughty with me, Vic. I did ring, and I
knocked. You’ve been sitting there for over five minutes staring into nothing.
I was going to throw something at you but thought better of it.” Vic watched a
shadow of concern move across her friend’s face. “Come on, you have to stop
this. He’s not going to hurt you, but you can’t know who he is yet. You’d eat
him alive and spit out his bones before giving him a chance.”

“Really…you think I’m mad at you because of
him
? Oh,
Gyn, you don’t know me very well do you?”

“Victoria. I’ve known you for fifty years. I can tell you
that you bite the corner of your left pinky nail when you’re nervous. You roll
your eyes every time someone calls you ‘baby’. You have a bad habit of mumbling
nonsense in your sleep,
and
I know you’re running scared from your
feelings about this male. I know you, hon. I know you’ve kept yourself frozen
behind your walls of indifference. Come out, even if it’s for a little bit.
Vic, I’ve missed you. The girls miss you. Hiding from everyone isn’t going to
make your life better.”

Victoria wanted to argue that she wasn’t hiding, but she
knew that would be a lie. She’d been hiding for most of her succubus existence,
and not only from the men she serviced. That didn’t mean that she’d be crawling
into bed with another man though. She’d made sure that she would never have to
do that again. Her demon side could now feed in the comfort of her apartment
without all the messy attachment that came from real sex. Why would she give
that up? The anonymous donors of their lustful energy never wanted anything
else from her.
But you never get anything extra from them either
.
She sighed and wanted to bury the little voice that was becoming louder with
each passing day.

“I know I’ve been a bear the last few years. I never meant
for it to affect our friendship.” She sighed and ran her hands through her
hair, pulling slightly to focus her thoughts. “I’m sorry. Look, I just don’t
want to get my hopes up over some guy who doesn’t even know me.”

“But he wants to, Vic. Really, he wants to know you, and not
just in the sexual stuff.”

“Sure he does, just like all the other clients I have. Don’t
you ever get sick of being someone else, Gyn? Doesn’t it get to you that they
don’t really make love to you? They don’t crave you. They crave whatever female
they have in their heads. I don’t even know if I’m actually seeing myself
anymore when I look in the mirror. I become so many other females each night.”
Victoria couldn’t hide the pain in her voice. She knew she was admitting to far
more than she wanted to, but perhaps it was time to face her fears and her hatred
of what they did.

“It doesn’t bother me, hon, because I’ve been a succubus my
entire life. I knew what I’d be doing each night from the time I could form
memories. And you know what? I know that someplace in this big world is my
mate. I’m biding my time, learning new techniques and new fantasies for when I
give it up for my mate.” Her eyes shone with unshed tears. “Don’t you want to
eventually have someone who loves you? I think someone is trying, Vic. I think
that Nick is truly interested in
you
, but you have to give him a
chance.”

Desperation piled on her shoulders, bowing them until she
was nearly doubled over. The whisper left her lips before she could stop it.
“What if I can’t be loved?”

“Oh, hon.” Warm arms wrapped around her shoulders, helping to
carry some of the weight. “You, more than anyone else I know, deserve some
love. You’ve spent years and years making it all better for us. It’s your turn
now. Give him a chance. Let him see you for who you really are. He’ll accept
you and your demon side, and if he doesn’t at least you will have tried.”

A shudder shook through Vic’s body. Could she open herself
up to someone? She was lonely, and not just for friendship. Would Nick want to
actually see her and not just whatever female she could portray? There was no
way that thinking about it more would answer the question. Steeling her spine
and taking a deep breath helped.
Take the step, girly—give your heart a
chance to find something other than more iciness.

“Do you know how I can call him before Thursday?”

The squeal that reverberated through her office nearly
deafened her. Gynger’s shrill screech was enough to wake the dead. “Oh my gods!
I knew you’d break down and call him.”

Victoria sat back and watched her friend dance around her
office like a little girl. She couldn’t help the smile that graced her lips.
When Gynger decided to spin around in a messy version of a few ballet moves,
Vic figured she’d better get the other woman to stop. “Okay, you got your
celebratory jig in. Now. Are you going to help me?”

Pulling a small piece of paper from her pocket, Gynger
grinned, flashing impish dimples in both cheeks. “Here are his numbers, both
home and office. Use your office phone so he’ll recognize that it’s you
calling.” She squealed again. “I’m so happy for you. There’s nothing like
finding your—”

The silence sitting heavily between them was telling. Vic
swallowed the growl that threatened to vibrate from her chest. “Finding my
what, Gyn? My mate? Is that what you were going to say?”

Anger bled through her veins, burning off the hope and
amusement that had been there moments before. Manipulation was nothing new to
her. She did it often to others, but having her friend do it to her was not
something she’d expected. They just couldn’t leave her alone, could they?

“Yes. Victoria. Your mate. And, you know what? I know you’re
pissed. So be it. I’m sick of watching you limp through life being a ghost. You
don’t connect with anyone, ever. Not me, not the girls. For once someone will
be able to shake up your little world and hopefully pull you from it.” She took
a deep breath and scowled when Victoria started to say something. “I’m not
done. Is he your mate? I have no idea, but I do know that he wants you and no
one else. He spent thousands of dollars getting us to move him through the ranks
to get
one
night with you. Do you hear me? He bribed, promised, begged
all of us to get him to you for
one
chance of talking to you. He
wants
you
, and I won’t stand here and watch you throw this opportunity away
without a fight.”

Watching Gynger spew her thoughts had thrown Victoria and
her anger into a tailspin. Was she reacting in anger because of fear? Had she
really been that hard to live with? Been a ghost?
Yes, and you know it.
She sighed. “Fine. I agree that I’ve been a harsh bitch lately. I’m not saying
he’s my mate. I refuse to admit to something like that, but I do enjoy talking
with him. Give me the paper.”

Gynger extended her hand with the paper nestled in her palm.
“Promise you’ll give him a chance, please?”

“Fine.” Vic touched the paper as if it were going to bite
her. “I’ll give him a chance, but if he fucks with my heart I’m eating him.”

Ginger laughed. A flicker of something flashed in her eyes
before she spoke. “Fair enough. Oh, and I cleaned out a few slots on Thursday
if you want to give me a few of your clients.”

“I don’t need to do that.”

“I know. But you also don’t need to feed as deeply after
Nick.” She snorted at Victoria’s undignified sputtering. “No, don’t deny it. I
saw you running the stairs, offloading energy last week, and I know you haven’t
actually fed from any other men since that night. He juiced you good, so why
not give me some of your clients and you can spend more time with him this week?”

The idea of actually relaxing and not messing with time, not
hopping from one male to another, was too tempting. Victoria nodded. “Fine. But
just for this week.”

“Good. I’ve gotta run and get ready for my night.” As quick
as lightning, the other woman wrapped her arms around Vic’s waist. The
impromptu bear hug squeezed the air from Vic’s lungs. Gynger whispered, “I’m so
happy for you, and please be nice to him. He really likes you.”

Before she could respond to her friend’s statement, Gynger
was off and running down the hallway. Her giggles could be heard throughout the
floor. Vic tried to stop the grin but couldn’t. She hadn’t seen her friend so
happy in years. Guilt oozed into her heart. Had she locked herself down so much
that it was affecting others?

Glancing at the small piece of paper still grasped in her
hand gave her a little jolt. She could call him, chat for a few minutes and get
that same contented feeling she’d had on Friday.
Yes.
No. She’d call
him, but not so soon after getting his information. Gyn was sure to tell him
about the conversation, and she couldn’t look desperate. She could wait a day
or two, let him know that she wasn’t totally into him before calling. The dull
ache in her chest mocked her. She’d wait because her head said that was the
best move, but her heart knew that she should have picked the phone up already.

“Matthew, you are an ass. There is no way I’m allowing you
or any of your brothers to take any piece of my business.” Icy anger flowed
through her words and Victoria drummed her fingers on her desk. “You have no
say in what Sin does. I hired all of you. You’re still my employees. You’d
better talk to your siblings. If I hear again that you’ve been trying to
convince some of my incubi to leave me I’ll challenge you, rip you to shreds
and eat your still-beating heart from my manicured hand. Do you hear me?”

Whatever the male started to say was silenced as she hung up
the phone. She growled.
Fuck
.
It never ended in the business side
of her life. If it wasn’t office drama and missing toilet paper it was
paranormal, supernatural fuckheads. She’d found out about the plan for a bunch
of the incubi to leave and start their own company earlier in the day. “Pissed
off” was a mild term for how she was feeling, but she wasn’t going to beg them
to stay. That wasn’t the topper for her cake of shit though. Once one of them
had let slip that they were trying to pirate technology through her
techno-wizards, she’d blown a gasket. No one stole from her, ever.

The knock on her office door was unexpected but not
ill-timed. She needed to get her mind off the Ratton brothers or she’d end up
shifting. Her demon would wreck her office, destroy her suit—again—and she’d be
even more irritated. She turned to the door before calling out. “Come on in,
but be warned, I’m in a pissy mood.”

The mousy hair of her secretary came into view before the
female’s large, owlish brown eyes. A navy pantsuit highlighted the boyish
figure of the best administrative assistant Victoria had ever had. Tabatha was
a psychic who hated her talents almost as much as Victoria hated hers. She’d
worked for Sin from the day it opened and become indispensable within days of
being hired. The woman was a multitasking wonder and knew exactly how to keep
everyone from bothering Vic. “Sorry to interrupt, but there’s a package out
here for you. Are you up for presents?”

“Might be exactly what I need to get my mind off the Ratton
boys.” Vic took a deep breath and smiled. “Chocolate, dark if my nose knows.
Who’s it from, like I even have to ask?”

“There wasn’t a name on it, so I had to run it through the
scanners before bringing it to you, but we’re guessing the same person, right?
Nick is sending you chocolate? Is he trying to be cute or does he know your
weakness for the stuff?”

Victoria couldn’t help the smile. “I did say something to
him about my addiction, but I didn’t realize that meant I’d get a shipment of
the good stuff.”

She motioned her assistant to bring the box to her desk,
deftly opening it with a fingernail. The smell of fine dark Belgian chocolate
filled the office, coaxing a chuckle from her. She breathed in deeply and let
the sinful smell of expensive cocoa beans and sea salt stroke her senses. “Oh,
he went all out, didn’t he?”

Inside the brown cardboard was a smaller, beautifully
wrapped box. The deepest purple paper she’d ever seen covered the present.
Shimmering silver ribbons crisscrossed across the gift and partially hid a
small envelope. Magic warped the air around the box and tingled across her
skin. She reached inside and lightly stroked the wrapping then picked the envelope
out of the box. The vellum paper was soft against her fingertips as she opened
the note. The sensual play of Nick’s essence caressing her hand and arm pulled
a gasp from her lips. The stroke of magic intensified until the hairs on the
back of her neck stood and a shiver raced down her spine.

“Was that what I think it was? A notification spell? On your
gift? Wow, Vic, he’s either really loaded or really strong. I mean, that’s a
lot of energy to expend for some chocolate.”

Victoria couldn’t disagree. She’d started wondering about
his magical connections as well, but it didn’t change anything. She answered
absently as she carefully opened the note. “He likes to know when I open his
gifts. Oh, here’s the note.
Dearest Victoria, After learning of your addiction
to fine chocolate I thought sending you a sample would keep me in your mind.
Think of me when you nibble on these dark temptations. I will be envisioning
your lips and tongue on these sweets. Until we talk again, Nick.
”

“Oh, he’s smooth, isn’t he?” Tabatha chuckled. The sound
sped the spread of red across Vic’s cheeks. “Are you going to share the ‘dark
temptations’ or are you going to keep them all to yourself?”

She hadn’t blushed in a long time and to do so in front of
her friend was too much. With a wave she sent the other woman from her office.
“Go on. I’m not sharing and it seems I have someone to call.”

Just before her office door closed, Tabatha stopped and
turned. “I’m so happy to see you smiling again. He’s good for you, Vic.”

Wanting to stick her tongue out at her friend was such an uncharacteristic,
silly compulsion that she burst out laughing. Seemed Nick hadn’t just cracked
her icy shell, he’d blasted it to smithereens. She spun in her office chair
until nearly dizzy. After a few additional rotations and a slight queasy
feeling in her belly, she stilled the chair and stared at the box.
Stop
procrastinating
, she chided herself with a shake of her head then reached
for the package. She could at least open the present before calling him.

Careful to not wreck the ribbons, she untied them, letting
the cloth slip between her fingers. An image of Nick sliding the ribbons over
her naked skin made her gasp. She rubbed her thighs together to stem the sudden
throbbing of her clit. A sharp pinch in her mind let her know that her succubus
side was waking and interested in her thoughts.
Interesting that it took a
gift to spark you, my demon friend.
She heard the grumble in her mind and
smiled. Although she wouldn’t admit it to anyone, she’d missed her demon side
just a little over the past couple of days.

The rest of the wrappings came off easily. With a quick peek
she saw that there were about ten bars of expensive dark chocolate from her
favorite vendors in Belgium. She shook her head at the amount it would have
cost him to overnight the sweets in time to have them delivered to her. She
closed her eyes and allowed the smell of refined cocoa and sea salt to swamp
her senses. Rich, warm, sensual. Those were the first three words that came to
mind when she tried to decipher the scents. Nothing smelled like good
chocolate, especially imported Belgian chocolate.
To you, addict.
She
laughed at her thoughts. It still smelled heavenly, slightly earthy with a hint
of sweetness. The promise of orgasmic-level pleasure with just a small piece of
silkiness melting in her mouth caused a rumble in her chest.

She needed to call and thank Nick. She knew that sitting
there breathing into the box was only another procrastination technique, but
the thought of calling him gave her belly fluttering tremors. The number came
easily to her fingers. She’d dialed it a million times over the days. Hanging
up or disconnecting just before the calls connected had become an insane game
for her. How many times had his phone rung once only to have no one there?
Perhaps she was doing a little stalking of her own now.

“Just do it, you wimp. Call him.” Her whispers sounded loud
and harsh in the quiet of her office.

Shaking fingers pushed the buttons and she held her breath.
What if he didn’t answer? Should she leave a message? What could she say that
didn’t sound breathy and silly? Her hand moved to hover over the End button.
What if he didn’t want to talk to her?

The soft click of the call connecting sounded so loud in her
ear. The first ring had her shaking.
Get it together. Gods, woman…it’s only
a phone call.
A giggle escaped just as the ringing stopped.

“Hello, Victoria.”

She silently groaned. His voice was so deep. It flowed over
her senses like a warm wave, buckling her spine. She sagged slightly and blew
out the breath she’d been holding. “Hi, Nick.”

“How are you, love?”

Stop being so girly.
She mentally pulled up her big-girl
panties, cleared her throat and sat up straighter. “I’m really good. Thank you
so much for the chocolates. I could smell them right through the box. It’s
really kind of you not only to remember but to send me another gift.”

He chuckled and a flame started heating her pussy. A flush burned
her cheeks when she felt a warm rush of liquid between her thighs. Gods, she
was getting turned-on by just his voice.

“I heard that hitch in your throat.” He whispered the words
right into her ear. She closed her eyes and could almost feel his breath skate
across her cheek. “Do something for me, Victoria. Get one of the bars of candy
from that box. I want you to eat it while on the phone with me.”

She nodded then voiced a small affirmative noise before
leaning toward the box. She didn’t even look at which bar she chose—it didn’t
matter to her. She had an idea of where this was going to go and she was all
for it. “Okay. I’ve got one. Do you want me to undress it?”

“Hmm, now you’re catching on. Are you in your office? Can
you lock the door?”

With a grin, she walked to the door and pushed the button in
the knob. Not that doing sexual things, especially phone sex, was anything new
to her, but the fact that he wanted her to secure her door made her stifle a
laugh. It also brought her mind back to reality. She was a succubus. There
wasn’t any reason for her to be acting like a virginal girl. Sex was food. With
a better handle on her emotions and voice, she spoke up. “I’m all locked in.
Now, what would you like me to do with this bar of fabulous chocolate?”

The groan that came through the phone was enough to weaken
her knees. Knowing that he was affected by the idea of doing something totally
naughty with the confection had her panties wet.

“Gods. I want to lick it off your pussy. It would melt
against your heat and combine with your honey. So sweet and bitter, silky on my
tongue. Would it drip down your legs? Are you wet enough for that yet?”

Nick’s voice had deepened and was so quiet that it was
barely above a whisper. The image he was building in her head had a fresh bloom
of liquid heat pooling between her thighs. She was melting just as surely as the
chocolate he was whispering about. Shaky legs barely carried her back to her
chair.

Before she could try to bring her imagination back from the
brink of insanity, he continued in that sinful voice. “Do you know what I want
you to do with that chocolate, Victoria? I want you to break off one square,
place it on your tongue and tell me what you taste, smell, feel. I want all of
it. Hold nothing back from me.”

She did as bidden just so he’d continue talking to her that
way. She’d shared intimacies with thousands of males, but none had pulled her
into the moment like he was doing. None had captivated her mind and body so
easily with a few words. She wanted to strip off her pants and masturbate to
his voice. He could read the weather report, anything, as long as she could
bury her fingers in her dripping cunt and bring herself to orgasm. Even that
image had her empty channel clenching and releasing a burst of lust so strong
she nearly blacked out.

“Nick, love. I’ll do as you wish but while I describe the
treat I’m about to wrap my lips around I want you to wrap your hand around that
hard cock of yours. I know I’m going to be fully satisfied from this little
snack. I want you to be as well.” The hitch in his breathing told her that she’d
surprised him. The following moan had her eyes closing as she imagined him
freeing his cock and giving it a stroke or two. She couldn’t help pushing him
just a little further. “Mmm, that feels better doesn’t it? Tell me, are you
hard for me? Do you have pearls of pre-cum forming for me?”

“Vic, gods, I’m so hard. I’ve been hard since I saw the
caller ID flash with your name. If I close my eyes I can see you on a bed,
spread wide and dripping for me. Now take that piece of chocolate and let it
melt on your tongue. Tell me what you taste, what you feel.”

She did as directed with one hand, breaking off a small
piece of chocolate so dark that it looked black against her desk. Sliding it
into her mouth was a sensual torture. She held the phone close to her lips,
knowing he could hear ever slick sound. A small moan slid between her lips as
the first taste hit her tongue. Smooth, silky perfection melted instantly in
the heat of her mouth.

“Oh, Nick. This is wonderful. It’s already melting, coating
the inside of my mouth” She snaked her tongue out to lick the remnants of
chocolate from her lips, smiling at the groan coming through the line. It truly
was a decadent pleasure to taste such perfection and torture a male at the same
time.

With her other hand she unbuttoned her slacks. She stood
quickly and let them fall to the floor in a pool of cool cloth around her
ankles. When she stepped from the puddle of material and sat back on her chair,
she squeaked at the cold leather against her heated legs.

“Naughty girl. Was that the sound of naked thighs landing in
your chair? I thought I heard your pants hit the floor. Are you going to touch
yourself? Thought to bury your fingers in your cunt while I talk to you, hmm?”
The amusement in his voice stoked her burning need more. The fact that they
were acting like teenagers had her swallowing a giggle. His next words had her
swallowing a moan instead. “Spread your legs for me, love. Hook them over the
arms of your chair so you can feel the cool air on your hot pussy.”

She did as instructed. Air caressed her thighs, goose bumps
rose along her legs and the cooling moisture on her pussy let her know just how
wet she was. She answered with a whisper. “Okay, I’m ready.”

“Oh, you think you are, but we’ll see. Take one hand and
touch the outside of your pussy, stroke just the lips with feather touches.
Close your eyes and feel the heat from your hand, but imagine it’s me. Don’t
dip into your honeyed cunt yet. Tease yourself first. Soft sweeps of your
fingers tickling the hairs. Mmm, I can just imagine the rasp of your curly
hairs against your hand.”