I pressed my knees together and crossed my ankles. I raised my chin a bit and took a slow breath.
“You said you wanted to discuss the complicated situation you’re in?” I swallowed again and brought the wine to my lips.
“I’m not with Kendra, Autumn.” He sighed, with his lovely face stoic. Liar!
“So, that night I saw you at her apartment door in nothing but tights, shoes and a jacket you were just… helping her practice technique? Technique that, m-might I add, sounded a lot like you...” —don’t say it, be a Lady— “fucking her.”
“You’re being loud,” He breathed before he took a sip of the blood. He’s right, you are being loud. “Sip your wine, and calm down.” His voice was soft and soothing. “After we had our date, I was called in to meet with Elizabeta. Tristan made a flippant comment in passing about Kendra’s dancing and jokingly suggested Elizabeta order me to sleep with Kendra to clear the tension. Unfortunately, this comment was made in front of the wrong people.” He sneered a little and sipped more of that dark red blood. His eyes darted to my wine glass and I brought it to my lips and nursed it tentatively. “Things, however, are finally starting to calm back down.”
“So, a sire can just order one of their…sired into someone else’s bed?”
“The word is Progeny and yes—with a handful of exceptions. If you were my official servant, she couldn’t have.”
“Official servant?” I raised a brow and set the wine back down. I could already feel the slight lightheadedness. He’s trying to get you drunk again.
“Yes, it’s a human who binds themselves to a vampire. It’s the only marriage between a vampire and a human that isn’t an absolute joke. Servants used to be necessary tools, but with the invention of the umbrella, sunblock and UVB blocking sunglasses every vampire can go out in the day now.”
“O-oh.” I returned to nursing the wine. “How did you know I liked blush wine?”
“Kendra .”
“Oh. Is it… officially o-over between you two?”
“As much as it possibly can be at the moment.” He smirked and sat up straighter, his eyes dancing over me. “Did you enjoy your reading?” For such an absolutely benign sentence his tone was pure and tangible sex. I blushed heavily and swallowed setting my wine down. Say something intelligent and Ladylike.
“Yes, it was v-very… enlightening.” Now was that so hard? I flashed him a nervous smile and passed my hands over my dress to smooth the creases.
“How enlightening was it, Autumn Darling?” His eyes darted back to my glass and I finished the last few sips.
“The material was very…t-titillating and… intriguing,” I swallowed and traced my fingers over my hair line. He reclined in the chair.
“Go on.” He stood and walked over to the bar, retrieving a bottle of wine in a champagne bucket. He set the bucket on the table and poured me another glass.
“You were right—when you suggested The C-claiming of Sleeping Beauty. I enjoyed it th-the most.” I stammered out as he lingered behind me.
“What about it did you like?” He whispered, tugging on that red ribbon in my hair. My black tresses cascaded down my back, and I trembled violently. He made a small, smug, triumphant noise as those white fingers traced across my shoulders. That simple, innocuous touch made me press my knees together and my toes curl.
“I liked…” —A Lady wouldn’t share—“ I liked… all of it.” I confessed with a shiver as I chewed relentlessly on my bottom lip . Stop chewing on your bottom lip, it’s unladylike! I stopped.
“Oh, A utumn, that is hardly an answer.” He sucked his teeth at me and stepped from behind me to take his place across the table. “How about this… what didn’t you like?”
“The i -idea of being sh-shared.” I swallowed, my mouth was suddenly dry. I reached for the wine, but again, he guided my actions with a glance and I let my hand fall back to the
“You said you wanted to discuss the complicated situation you’re in?” I swallowed again and brought the wine to my lips.
“I’m not with Kendra, Autumn.” He sighed, with his lovely face stoic. Liar!
“So, that night I saw you at her apartment door in nothing but tights, shoes and a jacket you were just… helping her practice technique? Technique that, m-might I add, sounded a lot like you...” —don’t say it, be a Lady— “fucking her.”
“You’re being loud,” He breathed before he took a sip of the blood. He’s right, you are being loud. “Sip your wine, and calm down.” His voice was soft and soothing. “After we had our date, I was called in to meet with Elizabeta. Tristan made a flippant comment in passing about Kendra’s dancing and jokingly suggested Elizabeta order me to sleep with Kendra to clear the tension. Unfortunately, this comment was made in front of the wrong people.” He sneered a little and sipped more of that dark red blood. His eyes darted to my wine glass and I brought it to my lips and nursed it tentatively. “Things, however, are finally starting to calm back down.”
“So, a sire can just order one of their…sired into someone else’s bed?”
“The word is Progeny and yes—with a handful of exceptions. If you were my official servant, she couldn’t have.”
“Official servant?” I raised a brow and set the wine back down. I could already feel the slight lightheadedness. He’s trying to get you drunk again.
“Yes, it’s a human who binds themselves to a vampire. It’s the only marriage between a vampire and a human that isn’t an absolute joke. Servants used to be necessary tools, but with the invention of the umbrella, sunblock and UVB blocking sunglasses every vampire can go out in the day now.”
“O-oh.” I returned to nursing the wine. “How did you know I liked blush wine?”
“Kendra .”
“Oh. Is it… officially o-over between you two?”
“As much as it possibly can be at the moment.” He smirked and sat up straighter, his eyes dancing over me. “Did you enjoy your reading?” For such an absolutely benign sentence his tone was pure and tangible sex. I blushed heavily and swallowed setting my wine down. Say something intelligent and Ladylike.
“Yes, it was v-very… enlightening.” Now was that so hard? I flashed him a nervous smile and passed my hands over my dress to smooth the creases.
“How enlightening was it, Autumn Darling?” His eyes darted back to my glass and I finished the last few sips.
“The material was very…t-titillating and… intriguing,” I swallowed and traced my fingers over my hair line. He reclined in the chair.
“Go on.” He stood and walked over to the bar, retrieving a bottle of wine in a champagne bucket. He set the bucket on the table and poured me another glass.
“You were right—when you suggested The C-claiming of Sleeping Beauty. I enjoyed it th-the most.” I stammered out as he lingered behind me.
“What about it did you like?” He whispered, tugging on that red ribbon in my hair. My black tresses cascaded down my back, and I trembled violently. He made a small, smug, triumphant noise as those white fingers traced across my shoulders. That simple, innocuous touch made me press my knees together and my toes curl.
“I liked…” —A Lady wouldn’t share—“ I liked… all of it.” I confessed with a shiver as I chewed relentlessly on my bottom lip . Stop chewing on your bottom lip, it’s unladylike! I stopped.
“Oh, A utumn, that is hardly an answer.” He sucked his teeth at me and stepped from behind me to take his place across the table. “How about this… what didn’t you like?”
“The i -idea of being sh-shared.” I swallowed, my mouth was suddenly dry. I reached for the wine, but again, he guided my actions with a glance and I let my hand fall back to the
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