Page 7 of Big Bad Boss: Mated
“I think I can deal. I have more clothes now than I know what to do with.”
“You can always have more,” she speaks through a mouthful, holding a hand up in front of her face. I wave away her concern and let her eat. Shifter appetites are no joke. Their wolf makes their metabolism rev like crazy.
I wait until she’s polished off a sandwich to ask, “What can you tell me about vampires?”
She laughs. “This is about Thaddeus, right?”
“Yes,” I rise to check the door to make sure it’s locked. “Thaddeus, the vampire king of Manhattan.”
“He’s so pompous.” She rolls her eyes. “You gonna eat that?” She points to my baguette, and I slide it over to her.
“You seem a lot more relaxed talking about vampires than the others.”
“Thaddeus is much more charming to she-wolves than he-wolves.”
“Wait, you’ve met him?”
“Can you keep a secret?” she lowers her voice playfully. “I snuck out and visited Twilight once before I was mated.”
“So you’ve been to his club.”
“It’s something we shifters dare each other to do, like teenagers standing on railroad tracks when a train is coming. Stupid. A thrill.”
“What was it like?”
“Dark. Lots of red velvet and black leather. Hanging cages for dancers. Private rooms in the back for…play.”
“There’s something I don’t understand. Why does a vampire own a sex club?”
“It’s a vampire thing. From what I hear, drinking blood is incredibly erotic, especially for the victim.” She waggles her brows. “And some vampires like to toy with submissive partners, especially the masochists. It said that the pain releases endorphins and makes the blood sweeter.”
I narrow my eyes. “Because of the neurochemicals in the bloodstream?”
“Exactly.”
I’m starting to understand why dealing with a vampire is so complicated. There’s an air of mystery, a deadly allure.
“Did you ever… let him bite you?”
“No,” she wrinkles her nose, and I make a mental note: flirting with danger is fun, but actual power exchange isn’t appealing. “Oh, we flirted for a night. He knew who I was, instantly, but he was a perfect gentleman. He gave me a prime seat and put on the floor show himself.”
“What did he do?”
“Whipped a submissive until she orgasmed. While another one gave him head.” She says it so matter-of-factly I choke on my sparkling water.
“It was hot.” She unwraps dessert–a dark chocolate brownie with macadamia nuts–and devours it in one bite.
I pass her another brownie. I had my assistant order extra. “Apparently, Brick and I are supposed to be the floor show when we go.”
She dusts crumbs off her fingers, looking sober. “I heard that. You might get away with just showing off a little. Make it a spectacle.”
“A spectacle.”
“I don’t want to know the details,” she waves a hand. “I’d be happy to dish about sexy times, but not when it involves my brother.”
“I get it.” I smile to hide a pang of longing. I could talk to Aubrey about my sex life. It was practically required. But not when vampire kings and the fate of the city are involved.
“I will say this,” Ruby says. “Vampires are all about ceremony. Pomp and circumstance. They’re so powerful and old, they’ve seen it all. They’re bored. They long for something novel.”