BLOODLUST AND TEMPEST
BLOODLUST AND TEMPEST
The heady scent of sex combined with the sweet aroma of the flowers and fruit on the nightstand filled the air. Remembered pleasure made me squirm in my seat. The air conditioner’s low hum was the only sound in the room. Head in my palms, I resisted the urge to scream. This wasn’t part of the plan. Isaac Jameson had surprised me in more ways than one. He was proving to be a formidable adversary to my self-control.
The moment he turned those golden—yes, golden—eyes on me and flashed that bright white smile I had been a simpering sack of woman. That was less than two weeks ago and I had already dropped my panties.
Flawless caramel skin, dark curly hair, a football player’s physique, and brilliant golden eyes…beautiful was too tame of a word. Exquisite fit perfectly. Even now, in his sleep, he exuded raw sexuality.
Leaping from my seat by the bed, I ran into the en suite. I closed the door and turned on the light, expecting to see a different woman in the mirror. Nope, it was just me. Erica Vargas. Though, there were some slight differences. My light café au lait skin was flushed along every crevice of my short curvaceous body. My blood red hair was mussed, giving me a just fucked look. My eyes…well my eyes were the most telling. They held the look of a woman who had just experienced true passion for the first time. Even the muted recessed lighting couldn’t hide that.
Shaking my head, I tried to snap myself out of it. I jumped in the shower and prayed that the scalding water would clear my head. “Stupid woman, catching feelings for this man after one screw. Foolish!” Was it love? Or was it Oxytocin running through my body that had me feeling this way? Whatever it was it was fucking with my mind in the worst way. I wished I could talk to my sister, Envy, but she was preoccupied with crazy ex-husband and mysterious new boyfriend drama. I snatched my clothes off the bathroom floor and quickly dressed.
Black tank top, black leather jacket, black mini skirt, black fishnets, and black stilettos, I was starting to come back to myself. Stepping back into the room, I glanced quickly at the bed. Isaac was still in a post-climatic slumber. I took my seat at his bedside. He looked peaceful. If only he knew.
If only he knew that our meeting two weeks ago was anything but an accident. If only he knew that I had stalked him with the stealth of cheetah preying on an antelope. Getting into his bed was a forgone conclusion. I knew that before I met him. In fact, I knew everything about this man before I ever set eyes on him. The fact that he was good looking made my job easier. If only he knew my job was to silence him forever.
Isaac Jameson had been a very talkative boy. That didn’t bode well for the men I worked for. Isaac—with his Ivy League education—thought he could outsmart some heavy hitters on the black market. He thought he could come in and make some cash—which he did. However, when one of his deals went south he decided to cut a deal with the Feds. That couldn’t happen. There were a lot of lives and money at stake. That was the thing about corrupt powerful men—crime lords, government officials, and entrepreneurs—they didn’t mind paying top dollar for my services and I didn’t come cheap.
But…here I was, gazing at a snitch with confused wonder in my eyes. What was it about this man that made the ice around my heart begin to thaw? Was it even Isaac or was it time for a break? I had been going from assignment to assignment for the last four years without so much as a day off. My safe and offshore accounts were full of cash. I had a nice house and car—nothing flashy so it wouldn’t alert the IRS.
Professionally my life was in order but personally I was a mess. My volatile emotions and insecurities were right beneath the surface, hidden by a sensual veneer that distracted my targets. I was a beautiful shell. Did Isaac see through what I presented to the world or was I projecting my feelings on to him? I groaned softly in confusion.
Was it fear? I had always been afraid of failing. That was partly the reason I stayed in this profession—such as it was—I knew I could succeed at this. Personal relationships though? I had no clue how those worked. In my past, love was deadly, elusive, and destructive at best.
A soft moan broke my reverie. I watched as Isaac reached out for me and grunted when he realized I was missing. Long lashes fluttered over chiseled cheekbones before revealing brilliant golden eyes that bored into me. Adrenaline pumped through my veins and my heart thundered in my chest. Did I ever stand a chance? Was there ever really a choice?
“Hey,” he whispered. His voice roughened from sleep.
“Hey.”
“Why are sitting over there? Why are you dressed?”
I shrugged. “I was trying to figure out if I should stay or go.”
He rolled over on his side, giving me his full attention. Apprehension filled his eyes. “Have you decided?” A sensual smile lit up my face and he breathed a sigh of relief. I slipped off my heels and climbed onto the bed, straddling him. Long fingers caressed me from knee to the top of my thigh high stockings. My body shivered in response. My back arched and blood red hair cascaded down my back.
` Reaching over towards the nightstand, I grabbed a four pieces of fruit and fed him one berry at a time. “You are so bad for me,” I mumbled.
He shook his head while swallowing the bittersweet fruit. “Naw baby, I’m the man you’ve been looking for.”
“If only you knew, honey,” I chuckled.
My body gyrated against his without conscious thought. It was always like this for me. The dominance was more arousing than anything in the world. I could lose myself in the moment. I could forget about my insecurities, fears, and doubts and revel in the fact that I could make a man—this man—writhe beneath me like a bitch. That was intoxicating.
I watched as his eyes became large and round and his breathing become shallow. My nipples puckered in response. It was almost time. I bit his earlobe and his body slightly shook. Sweat beaded on his forehead and chest.
“Flora,” he whispered desperately. I raised my brow in confusion before remembering he knew me by my alias: Flora Sanchez. “Please.”
His begging brought me back to the present. It was time. “Isaac, my love, you’ve been a bad boy and you must be punished.” His blinked rapidly as I pulled out a sheathed knife from my garters. I removed it from its protective cover and eyed him as he looked wildly around. “Poor baby. Can’t move?” I laughed at him. “You were so eager to swallow any and everything I gave you. Those berries are a delicacy—a special hybrid of a few of my favorite flowers, plants, and berries. I cultivated this particular berry to cause fast muscular paralysis. Don’t worry, it’s only temporary.”
Relief filled his eyes along with lingering traces of weariness. I put a few pillows behind his head, allowing the saliva gathering in his mouth to drain from the corners. I didn’t want him to choke and die on me. “I want to tell you a secret, Isaac. My name isn’t Flora. I lied. In fact everything I ever told you was a lie. I’m sure you’re beginning to figure that out. Like I said, you’ve been a bad boy—cheating a lot of powerful men out of their money. They sent me here.” Again, fear filled his gaze. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to stab you death. You’ve made me feel things that I had never felt about any man. So, I’m going to cut you a break.”
I took my knife and ran the blade over the tip of my tongue. A shiver ran down my spine. Leaning towards him, I stroked his face with my free hand before kissing him deeply. I snagged his limp tongue with my teeth and pulled until it was hanging out of his mouth. Out the corner of my eye I saw his finger twitch. It was time to haul ass before he fully recovered.
Taking my knife, I begin sawing his tongue. Tears filled his eyes and his two of his fingers began moving. “No, I’m not going to kill you but I will teach you a lesson.”
Blood poured from his mouth and spilled on the crisp white sheets that held the scent of him and me and us. Forty-five seconds later I was finished. I reached in my bag and pulled out a sandwich bag and placed Isaac’s now severed tongue inside. I hopped off of him and I saw that his toes were now curling. I strolled into the bathroom and washed my hands. Staring back at me in the mirror was the Erica I knew. Good, I missed her. Yes, I loved this feeling. How could I have ever believed that a man would make me want to give this up?
Returning to the bedside, I leaned down to Isaac. “See, I kept my promise. I didn’t stab you to death. You should take that as a compliment. I like you but I was paid to teach you a lesson. However, I think you’ve learned two. One: snitching gets you nothing but a severed tongue. Two: just like certain fruit, deadly women come in beautiful, unassuming packages.”
Picking up my belongings, I walked out of Isaac’s home and took the service elevator and the back hallways until I was outside in the sticky Miami heat. I got into my car and shook my head. “What a waste,” I muttered to myself. Isaac was smart, gorgeous, and a good screw but his greed and his arrogance got the best of him. Now, he was laid up in his penthouse with no tongue, temporarily paralyzed, and possibly dying. Even if he did recover from the berries he’d more than likely bleed out before reaching help.
Driving through the streets, I couldn’t help but wonder if my fear, insecurities, doubts, and greed would come after me. With all the deep underworld shit I was mixed up in I wouldn’t be surprised if it did. It was time for a change.
Three hours later, I was once again on the road. I had dropped off Isaac’s tongue to my client, packed a few bags, and hit the highway. With any luck I’d come back to Miami a changed woman—if I came back at all. Right now, I needed to figure out who I was, what I wanted, and how to walk away from this lifestyle. There was only one place to do that.
“Hey, it’s me,” I spoke into my Bluetooth. “I’m coming to see you.”
Hanging up, I sped through the darkened streets. A slow smile spread across my face. Next stop: Chicago. It was time to go home, check on my sister, and see what the hell she was up to with her new boyfriend, Tyler Carver, and his friends, the Birds.
