Sensual Magic (2 page)

CHAPTER TWO

W
illiam Emery walked through the club,
his
club. The rip in the upholstery of one of the VIP booths had been repaired nicely and the tabletop scarring had been polished out.

He liked when his orders were followed. It made everything much easier.

“I'll be in my office,” he called to the floor manager who'd been speaking with Roseanne, his lead dancer. The Dollhouse was a burlesque club. While in the over two years since he'd opened, several others had cropped up in Vegas, the Dollhouse still reigned. It was his club people waited in line to get into. His club whose bottle service tables were booked up to six months in advance. His club the young, rich and hip had made their living room while in Las Vegas.

And to think he'd nearly opened a dance club in Boston. Another techno club with overpriced drinks. He'd have made it a success, it was who he was. But if that faithless bitch hadn't tried to con his mother, he'd have never made this dream come true.

A steaming mug of tea waited for him on his desk as he let the leather of his chair embrace his body. His kingdom.
William had learned the hard way just how closed off you had to be, just how distrustful, to hold on to what was important.

A knock on his door sounded and he didn't bother to look up from his computer screen, instead, just waving whoever it was into the room.

And when he looked up, everything stopped for long moments.

She was long and lean. The short cap of pale blond curls should have made her girlish, but William wagered there wasn't much girlish about the woman standing in his doorway.

Stylistically, she wasn't a woman he'd normally have looked at twice. Faded jeans and a button-down shortsleeved shirt, cowboy boots. In Las Vegas. In August? Not much makeup and her nails were bare, no polish. And yet, whatever it was she exuded was pure sex.

“Can I help you?” He hoped she was there to apply to be a dancer. She had that certain something he knew would amplify up on stage.

“William Emery?”

Her voice was whisky-rough, smoky. Christ.

“Yes. You know, we don't have any positions open right now, but I'd love to see you audition. Did you bring your clothes with you or is that your costume?”

Blinking slowly, she stilled a moment before she laughed. Deep and velvet seduction. Her laugh brought his already interested cock to full attention.

With a sigh, she dropped gracefully into the chair across from his desk without invitation and pulled a notepad from her bag. When she looked back up at him again he caught bright green eyes and cinnamon lashes.

“Such a kidder. I'm Nell Hunter. I work for Owen Group
International and I'm looking for this woman.” She slid a photograph across his desk and his enchantment with her ended when he saw who it was.

Well, that was unexpected. At the sight of Leah's face, his cock lost all interest. “What do you want her for? Why are you here? I haven't seen Leah in three years.”

“She's here in Las Vegas. You haven't heard from her?” One of her eyebrows rose slowly, as if taunting him.

“I just said that, didn't I?” Why did this woman have to be so tantalizing?

“You did. Can you tell me about the last time you saw her?”

“No. I think you're going to do some telling just now. Why the hell are you in my office, in my club, asking me about a woman I broke up with three years ago? What did she do?” he asked, suspicious.

“Why do you care? Are you protecting her?” Her lazy manner only barely hid the sharp attentiveness just beneath the surface.

He leaned back once he knew she was as much a shark as he was. William knew how to play this game. This Nell Hunter amused him, fascinated him even. Why not fence a bit with her?

“You know, pretty won't get you everything, Ms. Hunter. You're going to have to work for it. Now, I believe I asked who you were and why you were here.”

He didn't mistake the glimmer of a smile at the edge of her mouth. Her mouth, God. What would she taste like?

“I'm chief of security for my employer. Your fiancée worked for a company we've done business with for eight years. Through this company and her position in it, Leah Mathers is believed to have embezzled one hundred thousand
dollars from the Owen Group. Naturally we want our property back. You were engaged to marry the woman. She's suddenly in the same city you are when we're very close to finding her. You can see how this might be just a few too many coincidences for us to let pass without some questions.”

She sat back in her chair and he caught the smattering of freckles across the bridge of her nose.

“How do you know she's here?”

“Mr. Emery, I'd like to repeat to you your wise words of just moments ago. Pretty won't get you everything. I gave you some, now it's your turn. Or, don't you believe in equal gratification?”

Was the lovely Ms. Hunter flirting with him? Even Leah's apparent dedication to her life of graft couldn't sour his enjoyment of Nell Hunter.

“As I said, I haven't seen Leah in three years. I kicked her out of my house. The last time I saw her was at a court hearing when she attempted to wring money from me for breaking off our engagement. After that, I had my attorneys file for a restraining order. I received it and I never laid eyes on the traitorous bitch again.” The humiliation at least had been burned out by his rage at her gall.

“Did she steal from you?”

He clenched his jaw. Time had healed the romantic hurts, but it hadn't fully assuaged the humiliation Leah had brought into his life. “No. But I have no problem believing she'd steal a hundred grand from your boss, either.” He hesitated a moment and then shrugged. “She attempted to extort money from my mother.”

Both of her brows rose this time as she shook her head
and clucked her tongue. “My goodness. Well, then, she's an idiot. Do you have any idea where she could be here in Las Vegas? Any family or friends?”

“Did you just compliment me, Ms. Hunter?” He smiled at her, feeling like the cat who ate the canary. She may have been long and lean, but her tits were gorgeously lush. A brief mental picture of her long, pale legs wrapped around his waist slid through his head.

“You're very sure of yourself, aren't you?” She stood and he did, as well. A business card landed on his desk. “If you can think of anyone or any other details, please let me know. I'll let you get back to—” she looked at the large framed photographs of his dancers on his wall “—work.”

He watched her walk from his office doorway and listened to the click of her heels as she headed out of the club.

“Oh, yes. I am sure.” Smiling, he sat back in his chair and turned her card over between his fingers.

* * *

Two nights later, William sat surrounded by women as he watched the action onstage. For a brief moment, he wished a blonde with short hair and wild curls worked for him. Wished he could see her every day, get to know her.

Nell Hunter had been living in his head since the moment he'd met her. In every woman's walk, he looked for her, compared, found them all wanting. In every woman's eyes he searched for green, intelligent depths and got brown or blue.

She'd imprinted him in some way. Laid her existence on his skin until it fit him. The feeling was stifling and exhilarating all at once. To feel such an intense draw to another
person with a sort of longing was an entirely unfamiliar thing to William. He'd felt lust, desire, even love, but not whatever it was plaguing him right then.

She returned to his thoughts like a song he couldn't get enough of. And like that experience he kept waiting for the annoyance to set in, for his subconscious to move on to another, new shiny thing. But it had not happened. Instead, the longing spread, deepened.

He toyed with it, with thinking about it even though it made him wary. He approached thoughts of Nell Hunter and the way she made him feel, knowing aversion was better. He thought on it anyway.

In truth, the depth of whatever they'd shared in his office scared him right down to his Prada loafers. He loved women. Loved them in volume, the more the better he'd always felt. He'd settled in with Leah because she'd interested him, matched him in bed well enough and seemed to share his passions about business. And she'd ripped him apart by attempting to destabilize the one unshakable foundation in his life—his family.

Since the day he'd listened to his mother tell him about Leah's blackmail attempt and then Leah herself on the tape, he'd always had a yawning distance between his emotions and anyone else. Even his younger brother, Nash, had trouble getting past his defenses and Nash was the closest confidant William had.

No one would ever have that kind of power over him again. The power to lay him low. Love wasn't important enough to him to risk that sort of exposure.

In truth, he continued thinking while the woman next to him stroked long nails over his trousers and alert cock, the
more he thought about Nell Hunter, the more she seemed to have wormed her way under his skin.

Which could not happen.

No. The woman was way off his to-do list. Pretty, sexy, definitely smart, but not for him and that was all there was to it. He would help her find Leah if he could because Leah was an infectious disease and needed to be removed from humanity before she brought any more destruction. But there would be no fucking of the aforementioned Nell Hunter with her long legs and high, delicious breasts. No matter what color her nipples were. No matter how much his mouth watered as he imagined the taste of her neck just below her ear. He really wouldn't think about what it would feel like to sink his cock deep into her cunt. He shivered for a moment and nearly groaned at the phantom, wet squeeze of her pussy as he slid into her.

Wrenching his attention away, he sent a subtle rise of his chin to the brunette next to him. All he needed was to get laid and Nell Hunter would be out of his head.

CHAPTER THREE

N
ell walked past the shimmery doormen and through the club's doors. Immediately the magic of the space responded, closed around her and allowed her to pass.

Darkness was a bar, a dance club, a place to hang out for the paranormal population in and around Las Vegas. Its location was cloaked by a fairly powerful spell the local Clan laid over it.

It seemed a small thing, a bar. Nothing so lofty really. But it was a safe haven. Like hallowed ground. No fights were allowed and the demons who watched the doors would take care of anyone who broke the space's neutrality. Having to hide one's otherness in everyday life became burdensome at times so places like Darkness were a welcome reprieve. Several such clubs/gathering places existed throughout the world.

“Nell! I'm pleased to see you,” Alex Sampson, a member of the Lee Clan, the witches who held Las Vegas, hailed from a nearby table.

She grinned as he pulled her into a hug before they sat. Alex had a platinum-blond mohawk and pale blue eyes. During the time when he wasn't on official Clan business, he worked at a tattoo parlor near Freemont Street with
several other witches. He was a picture of total rebel cool sitting there in his faded jeans and tight black T-shirt.

“Lovin' the hair, my man. So, tell me, any word on the woman?”

“You're not even going to flirt with me first? Come on, now, Nell. You know I like it when you're flirty.” He flashed a smile.

“This woman makes me very unhappy. I want her to go away and I want to bag these mages and get this done with. I'm remodeling my kitchen and if I'm not there to guard the contractors, my dad comes by and tries to help. Now that my mom has retired from hunting she's glad to foist him off on me to get him out of her hair.” She bracketed the word
help
with finger quotes. Her dad was an astrophysicist, but he could not deal with hammering and basic stuff like that. Which drove him nuts, so he routinely took classes and harassed all manner of handymen and woodworkers to let him help.

Alex snorted and sipped from his glass. “Mango smoothie. Want one?”

She nodded and after a briefinterchange with the server, a tall glass of frothy orangey-yellow goodness appeared before her. “Holy crap, that's good,” she moaned. “It's, like, eight hundred degrees outside today. What
is
with the heat? It's still, like, a hundred at 2:00 a.m. I live in Seattle to avoid the heat.”

“Pussy.” He pushed a file toward her. “Here. One of my people saw your little friend out with some of the high rollers over at Mandalay Bay. Don't know if she's working them or if she's just on holiday.”

Nell rifled through the pictures and the attached notes.
“This is excellent work. Why Lucas doesn't have you working for him anymore, I don't know.”

“Puhleeze. Lucas's current paramour is not okay with our past history. She's jealous. So he's pretending and keeping all manner of temptation away.”

“Well, that's a very pretty picture. And you are very tempting.” Nell took another drink of the smoothie and let herself imagine Lucas's long dreadlocks trailing over Alex's tatted belly. “Sorry, I was in my happy place for a moment. But I don't believe it. You two have been friends since your breakup.” A breakup she couldn't really understand because they'd always seemed good together.

Alex shrugged. “Moving along. You want to come back to my place? If I remember,” he leaned forward and drew two fingers down her thigh, “you like it in the middle of the day.”

“Tempting. Truly. But Galen is expecting me for a conference call to the full council in less than half an hour. If I recall correctly, you like to take your time.” Alex was a very inventive guy between the sheets. Still, despite her general sexual frustratedness, and hello, Las Vegas was filled with pretty, nearly naked people, she sensed Alex was looking for something to fill the emptiness hinting at the corner of his smile. A lovely afternoon fucking wasn't going to do it.

“You know my number if you change your mind. You can bring Galen.” He winked.

“Ha.” She stood and tossed down some money. Holding up the file a moment, she hugged Alex briefly. “Thank you for this. You should come visit. I keep telling you, you need to see Seattle. My friend Meriel is single, you know.”

“I've heard all about Meriel Owen. And the last thing I
need is that kind of business. I keep my partners away from full council, remember? Too complicated otherwise.”

He walked her out and they separated at the crosswalk. “Say hello to Lucas.” She waved and jogged across Las Vegas Boulevard toward the Liege on the other side where she'd meet up with Galen.

They would catch Leah Mathers or someone would die trying.

* * *

During the phone conference, or rather as they waited for what felt like years to be heard by the full council, Nell thought about William Emery.

How could she not?

He got to her and she liked it. What was it about a cocky, arrogant and slightly cold man that made her all sweaty? In William's case, she didn't sense his coldness as something natural, but more of a defensive behavior.

She didn't need to have special gifts to have felt the pain radiating from him when the subject of Leah Mathers came up. Nell saw the shock on his face when she handed him the picture of his ex-fiancée, heard the slight hesitation in his voice and then the anger that flattened out the upperclass Boston accent he'd had only moments before. But he'd recovered quickly, his cocky veneer sliding back into place. She liked that sort of resilience.

Still waiting, she returned to musing over his mouth. The man had a very nice mouth. He tried to be hard, but his mouth said otherwise. His mouth said he could kiss a woman for hours until she was drunk with his lips, until his taste led her into all sorts of delicious trouble.

Galen caught her eye and raised a brow in her direction. She
shrugged with a smile. He'd caught her, no use denying it. She'd tell him later—he'd pester her until she did anyway, so it was useless to resist him when he wanted to know something.

Finally they were able to report on the status of the investigation and ring off. Nell hated the politics of the job, hated having to think about every word and movement, always being careful about who you addressed when. Witches had crazy hierarchy and if you didn't follow it, people got miffed.

Now that they'd finished up and had disconnected, Galen turned to her and simply made a
get on with it
motion with his hand.

“We're walking and talking. I need to squeeze into some ridiculous dress for the club Alex's spotter saw Leah in. You need a tie. Hmm. Suddenly I'm feeling better. Knowing you'll be as uncomfortable as me makes me happy. I'm petty that way.”

He grumbled as they headed toward their bedrooms from the main area where they'd been on the phone call.

She left the door open as she dressed and called out to Galen. Somehow telling him about her crush on William Emery was easier that way.

“Hang on,” he said as he entered the room, already dressed and looking handsome. “Just as I thought. You're hopeless, Nell.”

He reached into the neckline of her dress and adjusted her bra.

“Hey!”

“You have nice breasts, use them. We're going into this club filled with singles and you need to sex it up a bit. You're wearing makeup, right?”

“What? Why? Come on, my boobs are hanging out and
everyone's gonna stare at them as it is. What difference does lipstick make?”

He just stared at her until she sighed and pointed toward her overnight bag.

“This stuff is still in the original packaging.” Galen struggled to open up the plastic.

“Yeah, Meriel gave it to me before I left. She's always on me to girl up a little.” It partly amused, but also rankled. She wasn't horrible to look at just because she didn't have her best friend's elegant beauty and perfect hair. It wasn't that she never ever wore makeup or dressed up, but when she was in the field or doing research she didn't have much call to get dolled up.

She sat still while Galen primped, brushed, lined and generally worked some everyday cosmetic magic on her face.

When he finished she opened her eyes and inspected his work. She couldn't help but smile at her reflection. “Nice work. I suppose it's a testament to how many women you bed when you can turn a pumpkin into the princess's carriage.”

“Why, yes, I've learned much from the lovely women I encounter. Also doesn't hurt when your mom did theater for thirty-five years. But cut the crap. You're a naturally beautiful woman, Nell.” Galen looked into her face as he inspected his work. “All I did was shine you up a bit. Meriel thinks so, too. She just likes to give you things.”

She stood and kissed his cheek, careful not to smear. “Thank you. Goodness, you look pretty delish.” She looked him up and down as they headed out to the hall and toward the elevators. “It's a shame you're practically my brother or I'd jump on you every chance I got.”