Chapter Seven

Melody took the next week off, but found it difficult to relax in the heat. Kol hadn’t precisely snubbed her. He’d been sweet, and that hadn’t helped a bit to distract her from thoughts of him. Who in the world could help her realize her potential? What potential did he mean, anyway? During the next few nights she dreamed about his dark eyes, such a deep blue that they seemed almost black, like the night sky. Stars seemed to travel around his pupils like tiny satellites being gradually sucked into a black hole. In her dream he darted out a tongue that swelled and grew into something inhuman, but that she craved to have between her thighs again. And he complied, sinking the agile length of it into her wet pussy.

She awoke writhing with the pleasure of her orgasm and drenched in sweat. Once the delirium of the dream faded, she went to the bathroom, filled the tub, and sank down into the deliciously cool water. Her body temperature settled, but her mind ran rampant. The sensation of the tongue in her dream was precisely what she’d felt that day in the plane with Kol.

The tongue he’d shoved into her couldn’t have been human. He couldn’t be human.

She grasped the medallion at her throat and it burned against her palm, the heat of it only reminding her what she would do for him, if he’d only ask. While she held the pendant, she pressed her fingers against her clit and rubbed the tight little bundle rapidly. It took only a few seconds before she was thrashing in the water and crying out, her entire body quivering with her orgasm.

* * *

The summons didn’t come for several days. She spent as much time as possible outside her stifling apartment, sitting in the library or any other local public spot that had air conditioning. She kept her phone handy wherever she went, looking at it periodically like an overeager lover.

She was sitting in the darkest, coolest corner of the library reading when an impossibly handsome man in a sharp suit found her.

“Melody Proust?”

She hesitated until she spied the emblem pinned to the man’s silk tie. It looked similar to the one strung around her neck, only with a blue inlay rather than black.

“I’m Melody …”

“Mr. Magnus would like to speak with you.”

Her skin tingled at the mention of him. She stood, smoothing down her sundress and then the silken waves of her hair. “Do I look okay?” she asked.

He was beautiful beyond belief, so tall she had to crane her neck to see his face, with broad shoulders and perfectly proportioned features. His hair was trimmed above his collar and draped in a soft, pale blond cowlick high over his forehead, and his cheeks looked smoother than a baby’s bottom. His gaze was all over her, the palest of blue eyes glowing inhumanly for a moment the way Kol’s tended to in rare moments when she caught him studying her. The effect startled her, inciting her curiosity in him even more. So far he was the fourth person she’d encountered in her entire life that could do that. It couldn’t be a coincidence, could it? Either way, she was immediately eager to find out more.

“You look gorgeous,” he said. His gaze turned hungry as it passed down her body, the glow in his eyes flickering brighter for a second. The way he lingered at her hips made her acutely aware of the press of her thighs against the desk she was leaning on and of every other point of contact below her waist.

As if his rapt expression wasn’t enough, he was obviously sporting a spectacular erection inside his trousers and not the least bit embarrassed about it, either.

That realization sent Melody into a spin. After more than a month of craving a man who repeatedly ignored her, now here was another, every bit as attractive, who clearly ~did~ want her.

Throwing caution to the wind, Melody took a deep breath, unbuttoned the first few buttons of her dress and let the sheer fabric fall open. She hadn’t worn a bra, foregoing the irritating garment due to the heat. Her breasts pressed heavily against the bodice of her dress, her cleavage bright and creamy and glistening with perspiration in spite of the cool air in the dark corner cubicle where she’d chosen to hide. It only briefly occurred to her to wonder how he’d found her there without calling first.

“Gorgeous enough for Mr. Magnus’ approval?” she asked, hoping her question would invite his gaze to sweep over her again. The only thing she’d like more would be for him to actually touch her. She only abstractly wondered why she was so lit up by his mere presence. If she didn’t know better, she’d think he’d drugged her.

“Even better,” he said, “but it isn’t Kol you need to impress today. It’s me, and then my boss.”

“What’s your name?” she asked, sliding her legs together and enjoying the way his gaze fixated on the bare skin of her thighs just below the short hem of her dress. His hands clenched at his sides and his tongue darted out to sweep along his bottom lip. He seemed almost as mesmerized by her as she was by him.

“Garen.” He seemed disinclined to raise his eyes back to hers, but did, his posture relaxing again when he met her gaze.

“Who do you work for, if it isn’t Kol?”

Garen stepped closer to her. “His name is Skye,” he said in an almost off-handed tone. With the most delicate touch he brushed her hair back, hooking it behind her ear. The fingertip continued in a light trail down the side of her neck and his eyes followed, leaving a delicious tingle in their wake that spread through her like wildfire until the flesh between her thighs ached with arousal.

“Tell me, Melody, do you always go braless like this?” His touch continued across her collarbone to the tiny dip at the base of her throat, then headed south, down her sternum, his eyes following the path just as slowly.

The combination of his electric fingertips and the path his eyes took made her wish for a bolder touch, but she was paralyzed to react. She merely said, “Only in the heat. The dampness gets uncomfortable.”

“Oh?” His gaze rose to meet hers, but his hand kept moving southward.

Melody gasped when his other hand brushed up her inner thigh. She’d wished for bold, and it didn’t get bolder than a finger tugging her panties aside and giving her slick pussy a stroke, inciting a shuddering sigh from the exquisite contact. He dipped a little deeper into the wet heat that had nothing to do with the weather and everything to do with his proximity. Retrieving his finger, he raised his hand to his mouth, slid the glistening digit between his lips, and sucked with no more fanfare than if he’d been testing the flavor of a sauce on the stove.

“You should lose the panties, too, if you’re uncomfortable wearing things that are too damp.”

She was mesmerized by the comment, and his touch. Too paralyzed to move she just stared at him, wide-eyed.

Garen laughed. The look in his eyes was playful as he squatted down before her and slid both hands under her skirt. He gripped the narrow, silky elastic that crossed each hip and tugged. She was too surprised and aroused to even react, only managing to raise each foot at his urging so he could remove her panties completely. Something in the way he moved, with such confidence and grace for a man so big, made her stomach flutter. He looked at her as though he saw some indefinable quality normal men couldn’t—like he knew her deepest secrets without her having to speak them aloud. It made her trust him implicitly, but it also turned her on like she couldn’t believe.

Garen stood again with the light-blue silk clutched in his palm. He raised the fabric to his nose and inhaled. The gesture left her breathless, her pussy clenching and pulsing with the need to be touched again, to be filled with whatever frighteningly large tool he had threatening to rip through the front of his trousers.

“You look lightheaded. Are you all right?”

“Wh-why …?” was all she could get out.

“Just consider it a phased interview. I’m here to assess your qualifications. If I approve, then I’ll take you to meet Skye to see if you’ll be a compatible … employee. Don’t worry, Melody, you’re doing just fine so far. Spectacular, as a matter of fact.”

This was part of the ~interview~? She blinked in confusion and struggled not to stammer out the next words. “What’s the job description exactly?” Yet that deep fluttering sensation inside her grew to a low vibration of pure understanding. This was what she was meant for—the “higher place” Nancy had told her about. She was sure of it.

“Actually, it’s a position Kol and Skye created specifically for you. We really do value every employee, you know. Kol saw potential in you. And if you do your job well, it could lead to a pretty incredible promotion. We’ll have a detailed employment contract ready for you. If you pass this interview, you can read the rest. Just follow my commands and you’ll be fine.”

“Follow your commands?” she whispered, trying to wrap her head around the simplicity of it and remembering the conversation she’d had with Kol the week before. How much of that had he shared with Garen and this ~Skye~ person? And did following orders mean what she thought it did?

“Precisely. I’d like you to turn around and place your hands on the desk,” Garen said evenly.

Melody stared up at him, wide-eyed. He raised one eyebrow as if questioning whether she’d understood his very clear, precise command. This was so out of the bounds of her duties for her regular job, but Kol had said he planned to call someone who would help her realize her potential more than he could. If that was somehow tied to the secrets she’d told him—that she wanted to be possessed and commanded—her core ached with the unmistakable need to comply.

She abruptly tore her eyes from Garen’s and turned, bent at the waist and placed her palms flat against the cool composite surface of the desk. The insides of her thighs felt slick from her arousal now that she’d given up the sparse protection of her panties.

He rested one warm palm in the center of her back and rubbed in a slow circle. “Before I go further, you need to understand that the outcome of this interview is entirely up to you. You’re under no obligation to do everything I ask, but my one request is that we at least discuss any objections you have and try to come to a compromise. Your employment will work the same, once Skye approves hiring you.”

“I understand,” Melody said, acutely conscious of the proximity of his hand to the top of her ass crack through the fabric of her dress.

The gentle stroking stopped and Garen moved his hand away.

“Spread your legs a little wider,” he commanded, so she did. She turned her head to try to see him, but could only make out the movement of one jacket-clad arm.

Cool air hit her ass when he lifted the hem of her skirt and draped it high across her hips. With both hands, he cupped her ass cheeks and squeezed.

“How many sexual partners have you had?” he asked.

“Um … I’m not sure. Maybe six?” ~Not counting Kol.~ Could she even count him if they hadn’t actually fucked? Shit, she could probably just count the man’s tongue all by itself.

Garen’s warm fingertips caressed her backside, moving distractingly closer to her center. She had the distinct impression that he was evaluating her like someone might examine livestock, except he was so exceedingly gentle, and every time she let out a soft sigh of pleasure, he’d pause and then repeat the touch that had elicited her reaction.

“Do you prefer to come while being fucked, or is simple oral stimulation enough?”

Melody bit her lip and let out a soft whimper, pushing back into the probing fingers that were slowly teasing their way into her aching depths.

“I love … ah … that. I mean, everything feels good.” And honestly, everything he did sent her into a whirlwind of pleasure every bit as mind-altering as her experience with Kol.

Garen’s fingers stroked her hot channel slowly, the sweet friction sending zings of pleasure through her body. God, he was good. She clenched her eyes shut and moaned.

“Have you ever been with two partners at once?” He slid his fingers out of her pussy, trailing upward until they pressed wetly at the tight pucker of her asshole. His other hand took over the gentle finger-fucking he’d been giving her while he traced tiny circles around her opening with the juices clinging to his fingertips.

She began to shake from the effort of supporting herself and the unbearable need to come. She was so close already.

“Not like that, if that’s what you mean,” she managed to answer while silently begging that he shove those wet fingers into her ass so she could have the release she needed so much.

“What do you think I mean?” Garen pressed one fingertip a little harder. She tried to answer but only stuttered out a few unintelligible syllables. “Do you think I mean taking two cocks at once? One in your pussy—” He let a third finger join the first two in fucking her, “—and one in your pretty, rosy ass?” He pushed his other finger just far enough into her to make her cry out. So fucking close, if he’d only just …

“Yes, like that. Oh God, please fuck me.”

“Have you ever been fucked in the ass before, Melody?”

“No, but if you want to, you can.” ~Now, please.~

“Is that what you would like me to do?”

She let out a frustrated moan and tried to press back further into him, but he didn’t budge. “I’d like you to do whatever you want to me, Garen. Please. Let me come.”

“What I want is irrelevant,” he said. His touch disappeared, followed by a gentle tug to the hem of her dress, pulling it back to cover her bottom again. “I think you’re ready to meet Skye. You may turn around.”

Arousal raged within her, but Melody could only stare blankly at her hands. Her fingers curled, nails digging into the surface of the desk. Comprehension of the last few minutes escaped her.

“But …” she began, her mind tumbling over all the words of protest. He’d said she could object and they could compromise, right? “I object,” she said, at a loss for any other words.

“Oh?”

“You said I could object. I object to you stopping.”

“Ah. Turn around, Melody.”

“Not until you fuck me ~properly~. Even if you use that inhuman tongue of yours and not your cock.” She snapped her eyes shut, instantly mortified. Garen had never used his tongue, so she had no way of knowing if his was as talented as Kol’s. But his voice and touch sent the same delicious chills through her, and his pale eyes seemed to glow the way Kol’s did when he looked at her.

“What did you say?” Garen whispered.

She turned to face him and braced herself, clutching the desk behind her. He looked worried, his brows clenched and his eyes opened a little wider than they’d been when he had started teasing her. For a split second she felt bad about her outburst. He’d sent her so close to the edge of oblivion she was still teetering and trying to regain some balance.

“You aren’t quite human, are you?”

He blanched. “Why would you say that?” His reaction made her even more certain her intuition about him—and about Kol—was correct.

“Why would a corporate transfer interview involve you working me up to madness and then not getting me off?”

“Because Skye is particular about doing the honors himself. I work for him. And my explicit instructions are to arouse you and nothing more.”

His voice sounded strained. A wisp of his pale hair had fallen farther down his forehead, almost obscuring one eye. She wanted to reach up and push it back, to see both eyes clearly. To try to understand him better, at least.

“Well, you’ve done your job. Is there a rule against telling me why?” She hadn’t intended the bitter note in her voice, but it was too late when she realized how she’d sounded.

Garen sighed and looked at the ground. He seemed to be contemplating his answer very deliberately. He clenched his hands and raised his head to look at her. “I’m not quite human, but I can’t tell you more than that. My mother was human, but my father wasn’t. None of that is relevant. What I am is a man who needs you to do what I tell you to do. For both our sakes.”

Melody held his gaze in silence for a moment, trying to sense any hint of deception. In the back of her mind she frantically tried to process the rest of his confession. In the end it made too much sense to argue with. He seemed honest, at least, and after the strange conviction that Kol was somehow very different than normal human men, she was inclined to believe Garen’s vague statement about his origins. She wanted to ask more, of course, but in spite of him leaving her hanging so horrendously, she sensed an ally in him and decided she would respect the boundary he had set.

For the first time since that encounter with the red-haired woman on the plane, she thought of her long-absent father and wondered what he would think of Garen. She thought they might like each other.

“My dad left when I was five. Mom was devastated. They were never even married but his leaving is part of what defines me, so for me it is very relevant.”

That drew out a smile, and oh, what a beautiful smile it was. The first genuine reaction she’d seen from him.

“Perhaps that’s true, but our parents don’t define us completely,” he said. “It’s hard to get over their influence, though. Mine are dead … I regret that in some ways. Sometimes, I wish I could talk to them again.”

“I still miss my dad, but his leaving … what it did to my mom … That kind of loss isn’t worth it.”

“Most of us …” He paused and seemed to think hard for a second before continuing. “Most of my kind, I mean, don’t get to know our parents that well. You had five good years, and you still have your mother. We don’t always have good memories of them.”

“Do you have good memories?”

“I do, yes, but I don’t think Skye has good memories of his parents.” The second he said the words, he cringed. “Don’t tell him I said that to you.”

“You’re close to Skye, aren’t you? But you seem scared of him. Why is that?” she asked.

Garen chuckled. “Not really. He’s a good person once you get to know him. He’s just very efficient when it comes to getting what he needs and isn’t afraid of making demands if necessary. That shouldn’t trouble you. If you work for him, you won’t be disappointed.”

“All right, then …” Melody took a deep breath and buttoned up her dress, smoothed her hair again, and looked at Garen with an even sweeter smile than she’d originally greeted him with. “How do I look?”

His gaze skimmed over her, assessing. He blinked twice and Melody was positive his eyes changed colors in between. Then he stepped forward to smooth a hand over her hair.

“You look even more lovely than you did when I got here,” he whispered. His palm rested on her shoulder, the heat of him sinking into her skin. His face hovered over hers, his gaze flicking between her mouth and her eyes. “Skye is going to love you,” he said as he bent and pressed his lips to hers.

The kiss was warm, sweet, and ended too quickly. It left her head swimming and her heart racing even more than all his other attentions combined.

~But what about you?~ she asked herself, not quite sure where the question came from, or the sudden need for his approval that accompanied it.