“They knew when I hired them that this was a private masquerade.” He put his phone back. “Of course, they don’t have a clue that my costume is real.”
She spread her napkin across her lap. The caterers didn’t know, but she certainly did.
He reached for a bottle of cabernet sauvignon that was already on the table and poured it into their glasses. “This is from the year you were born.”
She took a sip. “To reinforce how fragile my mortality is?”
“Actually it’s just a nice vintage. But if you want to equate it with your fragility, who am I to argue?” He tasted his wine and offered her a slice of bread. It, too, was already on the table. “You look dazzling, by the way. I like that you chose the blue dress. It matches your eyes.”
She thanked him for the bread and the compliment. “All of the gowns were beautiful, but this was my favorite. I never imagined myself in anything so glamorous.”
“Tonight you’re Beauty locked in Beast’s castle.” Noah glanced around. “It’s impressive, isn’t it?”
“Extremely.” She studied him from beneath the chandelier. He was as impressive as the surroundings.
He gazed at her, too, and while they continued to look at each other, a tuxedoed waiter entered the ballroom with shrimp cocktail as their first course.
After he departed, they ate silently.
The next course was a wild greens salad, and the third was lemon sorbet to cleanse their palates.
A short while later, the main entrée arrived: beef tenderloin stuffed with mushrooms, and baby red potatoes seasoned with rosemary and carved into hearts.
Jenny waited until the waiter was gone before she said, “Heart-shaped potatoes?”
“It wasn’t my idea.”
“But you approved the menu ahead of time, didn’t you?”
“It seemed to fit with the fairy-tale setting.” He sliced into one of the potatoes in question, breaking it in half. “Besides, mountain lions eat the hearts from their prey. You provided me with that information yourself.”
She pretended to shrug off his comment, even if it made her uncomfortable. She didn’t want to think about him devouring her heart, not literally or figuratively, and especially not after he’d warned her not to fall in love with him.
“You know what I just realized?” He topped off her wine. “You know more about me than I know about you.”
“How do you figure?”
“I told you about my family history, but you haven’t told me about yours.”
“You know about my grandfather.”
“Yes, but what about your parents? Who are they?”
“I never met my father. He left before I was born.” She cut into her tenderloin, but she didn’t take a bite. “My mother died when I was five, so I barely knew her, either. She had a brain aneurysm. It happened really suddenly. We were already living with my grandfather, so I stayed there and he raised me.”
He frowned. “Maybe I should be trying to save you. Your story sounds more tragic than mine.”
“I don’t think so. I had a good life with Grandpa.” She considered the circumstances. “And now I’m running the rescue he founded. The place I would’ve lost if it hadn’t been for you and your money. In that sense, you already did save me.”
“For a sexual price,” he reminded her.
She ate the beef she’d gently knifed. “You still did it.”
“Only because I’m a rich beast who wanted to fuck you. Do you know how I amassed my fortune?”
She shook her head. She’d never thought to inquire.
“By investing in gold.”
“That was a smart thing to do.”
“Being immortal has its perks. Is it any wonder I intend to stay this way?”
She struggled to level the playing field. “It’s a long time to be alone, Noah.”
“So we’re back to
forever
and how long it is?”
Yes, they were back to that. “How have you managed to fit into society for all this time? Don’t the people you’re around start to notice that you don’t age?”
“I don’t stay in one place long enough for them to notice. I move. I change my identity. I go into seclusion and come back when enough time has passed.”
“Is Aeonian the first business you’ve ever owned?”
He nodded. “Other supernaturals have run clubs before. Speakeasies, discos, whatever was in vogue. But my club is the first one where we could hide in plain sight. Eventually I’ll have to sell it, though, and move on. Or close it down or whatever. Eventually it will be time to disappear again.”
She couldn’t seem to stop herself from asking, “How would you have lived out your life if you hadn’t been attacked and could’ve gone back to Indian Territory? Do you think you would’ve gotten married and had a family of your own?”
“That’s a pointless question.”
“I think it’s relevant.”
“To what? Me being mortal again? That isn’t going to happen, and what I would’ve done all those years ago has no bearing on my existence now.” He motioned to her food. “Why haven’t you touched your potatoes?”
The quick change of topic rattled her. “I haven’t gotten around to them yet.”
“I thought maybe you didn’t want to destroy them.” He made her aware of his plate, where they were all chopped up. “The way I did.”
She refused to cringe at the hearts he’d mangled. She even went ahead and stabbed one of hers. Noah watched her, as if he were expecting it to bleed.
Before things got too awkward, she summoned her composure. “What are the caterers going to serve for dessert?”
“Chocolate torte wrapped in chocolate ribbons. It’s their specialty.”
“That sounds wonderful.”
“Glad you think so. Because afterward, we’re going to go to my suite and you’re going to get on your knees for me.” He tipped his glass to her. “Does that sound wonderful, too?”
She went warm and instantly wet. Chocolate with an oral sex chaser. Something sweet. Something salty. “Will I be removing my dress before I do it?”
He nodded.
“What about my undergarments?”
“You’ll be keeping those on.”
She envisioned herself in corset and petticoat, crawling on the floor between his legs. “Are you going to give me instructions?”
“Yes, I am. But you know what’s even better than that? I have a camera in my room so I can record it, and when we’re done, we can watch it.”
Her breath rushed out, nearly dislodging the bodice-trapped rose. He went back to his meal, and she sat there, her mind in a whir.
Beauty was going to make a sex tape with Beast.
After dessert, Noah’s eagerness mounted. He took Jenny to his suite, and now she stood beside the bed in her silk-and-velvet dress, waiting for him to set up the camera equipment and tell her what to do.
Once it was operable and the video was running, he said, “Take off your dress.”
She did as she was told. First she removed the flower, then fumbled with the tiny hooks on the bodice. He wasn’t about to rush her. Part of the allure was her inexperience, and the cumbersome garment wasn’t helping. Neither was her awareness of the camera.
It took a while, but she stepped out of the gown. She looked around for somewhere to put it, then placed it on the bed. He wouldn’t have cared if she’d left it on the floor. But the fact that she’d taken such special care of it only heightened the moment. Her underwear wasn’t going to receive the same kind of gentle treatment, at least not by him. Eventually he intended to claw them off her.
“Should I get on my knees now?”
“Not yet.” He wanted more time to touch her. He traced the lines of the corset. “I used to be fascinated by these because Seminole women didn’t wear them. The first one I saw was on a white woman. She was blond, like you.” He took the comb out of her hair and tossed it aside.
“Who was she?”
“A whore.”
“You slept with prostitutes?”
“They were the only white women willing to be with me then.”
“I would’ve been with you.”
They gazed at each other for a soundless moment. Confused by the way she was making him feel, he said, “For the record, I was planning on getting married when I was mortal.”
Her voice jumped. “You were? To who?”
“No one in particular. I just assumed I’d have a wife someday.”
“My grandpa always told me that I’d have a husband someday. Someone who shares my love of big cats.”
“As opposed to someone who’s half-cat?”
“That isn’t what I meant. Besides, you told me I’m not allowed to care about you.”
“But that’s not going to stop you from trying to save me, is it?”
“I can’t help it. It just feels like it’s something I should do.”
Noah looked into her eyes. By now she seemed unaware of the camera and completely focused on him. If they’d hailed from the same era, would he have chosen her for his bride?
Troubled by the thought, he went back to talking about the whore. “The blonde in the corset gave me my first blow job.”
“What if I don’t please you the way she did?”
“You’ll be better than she was.” Without thinking, he leaned in to kiss her, and their tongues met and mated. She tasted like chocolate, but he supposed that he did, too.
Half-hard and ready for more, he ended the kiss. “You can get on your knees now.”
She lowered herself to the floor, the petticoat making a half-moon behind her. The flouncy garment was a profusion of lace and ribbons, the exact opposite of his masculine attire.
He ditched his jacket and tie, unbuttoned his shirt, and opened his pants. “I changed my mind about giving you instructions. I’m going to let you figure it out on your own.”
“But I’m not good at it. I need you to guide me through it. Or else I won’t be better at it than she was.”
“Who told you that you weren’t good?”
“No one. I just know that I’m not.”
“You’re going to do just fine.” Noah freed his cock and moved closer to her face.
She looked up at him. “Can I use my hands first? Can I do that for a while?”
“You can do whatever comes natural.”
She explored him gently, stroking him from shaft to tip. Her touch was tentative, and it aroused him beyond reason. None of the whores had ever handled him this way, and neither did the groupies at the club. He’d forgotten what it was like to be with a woman whose sexual confidence wavered. When she cupped his balls, he sucked in his breath.
Sweet sin. Could she be any more perfect?
She moistened her lips and kissed each testicle. She rubbed her cheek against his cock, too, teasing him with the softness of her skin. Everything she did was an aphrodisiac.
Tonight, she’d stepped out of the pages of a fairy tale, and so had he. Beauty and the Beast. She had her instincts, and he had his. He was looking forward to ripping her corset and petticoat to shreds before the night was through.
He delved into her upswept hair, unearthing bobby pins. Waves tumbled and fell, framing her face. She was still nuzzling his cock, and the camera was still rolling, capturing every nuance.
While she tongued the tip of him, Noah wanted to end the madness and shove his cock down her throat. But he reined himself back.
She finally wrapped her mouth around him, and it was the best fucking feeling in the world.
All he could think about was coming.
She made naughty little sounds, and he continued to ravage her hair, making a glorious mess out of it.
As she sucked, she gripped the base of his shaft. Crazy with need, he rocked forward, thrusting deeper. She wasn’t able to swallow him all the way, but she seemed to be doing her best, and it was plenty good.
More than good.
Noah couldn’t take his eyes off her, but she wasn’t looking at him. She had her eyes closed, concentrating on his pleasure.
Wicked innocence at its finest.
He fought for control, but she was his undoing, his lust, his hunger. Pressure built in his loins, and adrenaline skyrocketed through his veins.
With a pounding heart, he tugged viciously on her hair and growled, alerting her that he was going to come.
Her eyes shot open, and they stared at each other. In the next dirty-sweet instant, she tipped back her head so he could watch himself spill into her mouth
Ending it with a hot-blooded bang.
Ten
A
fter Noah fastened his pants and turned off the camera, Jenny got up off her knees, righting her petticoat.
He went over to the wet bar and returned with a drink for her. “It’s ginger ale.”
“Thank you.” She sipped the soda.
“Do you want to watch the video?”
“Now?” She hadn’t forgotten that they’d been making a sex tape, but now that it was over, she needed a moment to process what she’d done.
“Better now than later. Because later I plan on getting a second wind and fucking you until you scream.”
Her heart lurched beneath her corset. “You’re not going to record that, too, are you?”
“I think one dirty tape is enough. Don’t you?”
She nodded. More than enough.
While she finished the ginger ale, he sat at a rolltop desk and transferred the file from his camera onto his laptop. He then copied it onto a CD.
He turned to face her. “Do you know why I chose this suite for Beast’s room?”
She shook her head.
“Because of the iron posts on the bed. They’re perfect for bondage.”
Her heart lurched again. Her dress was still draped across the bed. To keep herself busy, she hung it in the closet. “Are you going to tie me up while you’re making me scream?”
“Yes, I am. But first let’s watch the show.”
He put the CD in the built-in player on the TV, and Jenny battled a wave of self-consciousness. “Can’t we watch it on your laptop instead?”
“This is better. Bigger.”
Too big, she thought. The screen was probably fifty inches.