Chapter 11

"We shouldn't be doing this," I tell Quincy as he uses his blow torch to melt the lock on the door to Kyan's secret lair. "What if he has cameras installed too?"

Quincy pauses to lift his mask. "Well, then his cameras would've caught us installing our cameras, and you probably would've heard about it by now."

"Fair point."

It still feels wrong. Ever since we cuddled, I've been plagued with guilt about my role in this bullshit scheme. For what, so Elaine can continue murdering ex-cons? If Burton was the one to arrest them, they probably weren't even guilty of the crimes they were charged with. Why am I doing this? Am I as evil as she is?

The melted remains of the lock fall to the cement floor with a clatter.

"Ah, got it."

I take another look around the parking garage, making sure there's no one around. "Okay, let's make this fast."

Quincy tosses the broken lock in the trash bin by the door, and I step ahead of him to whip it open. What we find inside is...an office. A plain-looking office with three desks in it. One desk has large double monitors, a keyboard, and a mug filled with pens. There are no posters on the walls. There's a water cooler next to a fake plant, a table covered in snacks, and a blue couch that looks like it spent months on the side of the road with a free sign on it. But that's it. There's nothing else here. No dimly lit corridors, chains on the walls, Batmobile-like cars, or young children sewing clothes together in poorly ventilated rooms––nothing I expected to find in Kyan's basement.

I swallow the lump in my throat. "You've got to be kidding me."

Is this really all there is? Offices that he's trying to rent out, just like he said.

"Maybe there's more to it," Quincy notes as we step inside.

Before I reach the desk, I hear a flush coming from the door directly behind it, and a white guy wearing a heather gray hoodie and black track pants steps out. He's wearing headphones, but I can hear the death metal blasting into his ears from where I stand.

When he notices us, he looks alarmed and pulls his headphones down around his neck. "Who are you?"

"Uh…" I mutter. Shit, why can't I think of something? I thought I'd get this door open and find prisoners in horrific conditions, not a thin white guy who looks like he plays video games for a living.

My disappointment consumes me. Thinking I'd find something awful behind his door is the main reason I haven't abandoned this scheme. No matter how much closer I've gotten to Kyan, in the back of my mind, I was sure his attractive qualities would be obliterated when I finally got inside this room. Then I wouldn't feel any remorse for reporting my findings to Elaine, who would then tell Officer Burton, leading to Kyan's arrest. But it's just a boring office.

"We're with maintenance," Quincy says, taking the lead. Thank Lillith he's here. "Someone called us about a heating issue."

I doubt he's going to buy it. I'm wearing a peacoat over a bright green cable-knit sweater, skinny black chinos, and black oxfords. Nothing about my appearance shouts maintenance worker.

Headphones Guy shakes his head. "There's no heating issue."

"Hm, maybe we got the wrong office," I add, looking at Quincy as if I'm truly confused by this turn of events.

Headphones narrows his gaze as he grabs his phone off his desk. "Who called you?"

In the few seconds Quincy and I exchange a worried glance, Headphones calls our bluff.

"No one is supposed to enter these rooms. I need to check with my boss before I let you in here. One moment."

Before he can make the call, I use my speed to race to his side, snatching the phone from his hand and slamming it on the corner of the desk, creating several spiderweb cracks on the screen. I regret it immediately.

"What the fuck?" Headphones shouts.

Quincy grabs Headphones by the shoulders and forces him to meet Quincy's gaze. Then he softens his voice as he says, "You broke your phone. It's okay, you dropped it. These things happen."

He can glamour people? Why didn't I know about this?

"No one entered this office while you were here," Quincy continues. "The lock was destroyed, but you have no idea how that happened, isn't that right?"

Headphones nods, looking dazed. "Right. I have no idea."

"We're going to leave now, and you never saw us."

"I never saw you."

"When you hear the door close, you'll snap out of this, and you'll be overcome with frustration that you broke your phone."

"Yes, I broke my phone."

Quincy pats him on the arm and backs up toward the doorway. I slip out first, so as not to get in his way and break the trance early. I don't breathe or speak until we're back in the parking garage and a safe distance from the door. Then I turn to Quincy with an accusing glare. "You can glamour people? Since when?"

He smirks. "For a long time, but it's a power I don't like to use. It feels icky."

"Quincy, you could just walk into a bank and demand they give you enough cash for your lab. Why haven't you done that?"

"That would be a prime example of ick, Naomi. Nah, I don't want to do it like that."

Such a saint. Well, as much as an immortal vampire could be. "How does one get the power to glamour?" I ask, realizing that I've never wondered this before. "Only some vampires seem to have it."

We make it to my dead station wagon, and Quincy leans against the side. "It's like getting into a country club. You need three vampires to sponsor you before you're accepted."

"So this was a power you sought out? I thought you didn't like to use it."

He gazes at something off in the distance with a haunted expression. "My maker was involved with the mob, so I got into some dark shit when I was first turned."

Wow, Quincy just got a thousand times more interesting. "I can't believe we've never talked about this." When we've discussed our pasts in previous conversations, he kept his story vague. The only thing I knew was that he ended up with a large group of vampires, but there was never any mention of the mob. "Now I want to hear everything."

He chuckles. "That was another life. I'm not that guy anymore."

The sound of a car meets my ears, and I spot Kyan's headlights about to turn toward us. "Hide!"

Quincy ducks behind my car as I attempt a confident, unbothered stride toward Kyan.

His face lights up when he sees me, and he hurries to park in the spot closest to the elevator. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Quincy scurry to the other side of my car and duck down. Relief washes over me knowing Kyan won't be able to spot him from here.

"Naomi," Kyan says in a husky rasp as he climbs out of his car, looking dapper as ever. "I wasn't expecting to see you here." He pulls me into his arms, and I breathe in his subtle but glorious scent: fresh laundry and sandalwood, which I assume are from the dryer sheets he uses and his deodorant, respectively. It's not overpowering, but still manly and clean. If my heart could still thump wildly inside my chest, it would.

When he lets go, his brow is furrowed. "Why are you here on a weekend? You realize I don't pay you overtime, yes?"

"Oh, I, um, I thought I left my favorite sweater in my car," I lie. "But it's not in there, so it must be under my bed or something."

He sighs as he glances at my car, and I cross my fingers and toes that Quincy doesn't move from his hiding place. "It might be time to say goodbye to that heap of metal. Let me have it towed for you." A wholesome level of hope brightens his eyes. "Then I could drive you every day."

It probably wouldn't be the best idea in terms of optics, but I would much rather ride in his beautiful car than run to and from Sudbury, especially with winter quickly approaching. Plus, more time with him is exactly what I want.

"Yeah, I'd like that."

"Do you have time to come upstairs with me? It won't take long; I just need to review a contract that a client just signed."

"Sure," I reply, hoping he doesn't decide to check in with Headphones Guy for any reason before we leave. As far as I know, when you glamour a human to forget your face, it sticks, but what if seeing me again so soon jogs his memory? I can't have that. We need to get in and out of this building as fast as possible. "Then do you want to come back to my place?" I ask, hoping my tone sounds seductive.

The early afternoon sun casts a warm glow into the garage, landing perfectly on Kyan's sharp cheekbones as he smiles. "I'd like that."

My entire body flushes as I continue gawking at him. Only an alien could contain that much beauty in one large, chiseled package.

The silence is heavy in the elevator as it takes us to the top. At one point, he adjusts the computer bag on his shoulder and his knuckles brush against mine. I freeze in place, desperate to reach for his hand but too nervous to make the move, like I'm back in high school.

Once we reach the top floor, we shift into work mode. I fire up my computer and start checking emails as he goes into his office and gets settled. At one point, he calls me into his office with a deep holler instead of the usual DM over the staff chat window. I don't mind this way. Hearing his low rumble as he says my name leaves me clenching my thighs. Hardly appropriate during actual business hours though.

"You rang, boss?" I ask, leaning against the door frame.

"Did you see that Thea has me double booked for Wednesday at three? What is all this shit?"

I come around the desk and lean over his shoulder as I look at the calendar. "Oh, she must've made a mistake. Here, let me take a look." He moves his hands out of the way, and I take over on the keyboard, opening the meeting invites to see the notes. "Hm. There isn't even a subject listed in here."

"Why did she mark it as urgent?" he asks.

I open the second meeting invite and find the notes in the tiny box labeled ‘additional information.' "Ah, see?" I point to the notes she left. "It looks like it's a prep meeting for an upcoming demo with a prospect. She put the notes in the wrong section, and sometimes when you put them in here, it creates a duplicate invite. A glitch in the system or something." I delete the empty duplicate, pleased I was able to provide some insight.

I go to head back to my desk, but Kyan grabs my wrist, spinning me around until my hands are on his wide, muscular shoulders, and I'm standing between his long legs. He's so tall I don't even have to look down. Even with him seated, we're at eye level, and his eyes are heavy lidded and swirling with heat.

He closes the distance between us so fast I barely register what's happening before his lips are pressed against mine. The kiss is soft, at first, much more tender than I'd expect from a Crankenstein like Kyan. But then his lips move against mine as he nips at my bottom lip, and his big hands get lost in my hair, gripping the back of my head like he'll never let me go.

I moan into him as I trace his bottom lip with my tongue, and he lets me in, sending a lightning bolt straight to my core as he explores the depths of my mouth.

I've never been kissed like this before.

His chest vibrates with a deep rumble as his hand travels down my back and his fingers squeeze my left cheek. I whimper as my legs start to buckle, but he's there, holding me securely in his muscled arms. The kiss turns frantic and hungry as we paw at each other, and he lifts me onto his desk, pushing my knees apart so he can fit between them. The shift in position exacerbates our height difference, but he doesn't seem to mind as he bends down to drink from my lips once again.

Suddenly, he breaks the kiss and presses his forehead against mine. "Tell me you want this like I do," he says, panting.

His hands gently cup my cheeks as he waits for my answer. I'm surprised to see uncertainty in his expression. My arrogant boss actually looks nervous that I might reject him. I nod as I grip the collar of his crisp white button-up and pull him closer, wanting him everywhere. He growls at that, low and deep, and the walls of my pussy clench around nothing.

I feel him reach for the hem of my sweater, and I lift my arms as he tugs it over my head. He sucks in a breath at the sight of me in my lacy purple bralette.

For a fraction of a second, I grow self-conscious because my breasts are pretty small. I've never needed an overly supportive bra because my tits just don't bounce around that much. But when Kyan traces the line of where the fabric meets my skin, I shiver, and when he dips his chin and sucks my nipple through the thin fabric, the room fades away. I arch against him, feeding him more of my breast as he uses his hand to squeeze and pinch the other.

"Oh god," I moan, my nails biting into the magnificently carved marble that is his bicep.

He stops and shoots me a heated, predatory glance as his mouth hovers just above my nipple. "God isn't here, sweetheart. But I am, and I'm going to make you come until you cry."

Fucking hell. I almost come right then and there.

I expect him to continue his oral assault on my breasts, but he straightens to his full height, and the cool air against the wet fabric provides such a delicious sensation that I'm practically writhing on the edge of his desk.

With deft fingers, he unbuttons my pants and shoves his hand inside. I let out a gasp as he slips a finger in easily. He adds a second as his mouth covers mine, trapping my muffled cries.

"Tell me what you like," he whispers against my lips. "I want to learn your body."

I feel like it should be obvious that I love everything he's doing, given the obscene wet sounds filling the room as he thrusts his thick fingers inside me, but I love his eagerness to get it right.

His palm presses against my clit, but the touch is too direct. It feels good, so good it borders on painful. It's not what I need. "The s-sides," I say through short, rapid breaths. "Rub the sides of my clit."

Kyan follows my directions, pulling his fingers out and focusing entirely on the swollen nub. His touch is relentless as it circles and flicks and brushes my clit from side to side. Need begins to build at the base of my spine, slowly pushing me higher and higher.

"Yes," I cry out. "Like that."

My whole body trembles as I buck against his hand. When he dips his head and bites my nipple, I explode, my arms and legs quaking in ecstasy. That doesn't stop him though. His hands and mouth continue to work my body as I come down, drawing out my orgasm as long as possible.

His kisses are light as they run along the length of my neck, and I know if he wasn't holding me up, I'd collapse in a puddle all over his keyboard. When he pulls out, I ache at the loss of his touch. Holding up his glistening fingers, his gaze locks onto mine, and he licks them clean, groaning at the taste of me. The sight is so obscene and hot, I swear I fall a little bit in love with him.

"I wondered what this would be like," he says with a smirk. "Your taste. With no scent, I worried I wouldn't be able to taste you either. I've never been happier to be wrong. Mm." He sucks on his fingers once more. "Even better than your cupcakes."

Something buzzes, and Kyan pulls his phone out of his pocket.

The name Yvonne is all I see. Another text from the mystery woman. My stomach drops.

He mumbles a curse, and I can already tell I'm about to get mad.

"Who's that?" I ask, trying but failing to mask my annoyance.

"Work."

"Work?" I repeat. "Who is it, Thea?" I know it isn't, but he needs to climb his way out of this hole, because whoever the fuck Yvonne is just ruined a perfect moment.

"No, it's…" he starts. "It's a little side hustle I'm working on."

Side hustle? Is he referring to Headphones in the basement? Or is Yvonne actually booty call number two? "Tell me about it."

"I will. Another time." He puts his phone back in his pocket and pulls me in for another deep, toe-curling kiss. Then he presses his forehead to mine. "The last thing I want to do right now is leave you. I promise you that."

"Agreed," I say with a pout. "You didn't even get a turn."

Another kiss, but this is more of a smacking peck. "Watching you unravel like that was more than enough, Naomi. I've never seen a more beautiful sight."

Well, I can hardly stay mad now.

He lets go and straightens his clothes. "I can drive you home first, if you'd like."

"No, it's okay," I tell him. "I'll run or take an Uber."

"Pick you up on Monday? Around nine?"

I nod as I pull my sweater back on. "See you then."

There's clearly still something that he's hiding, but what? And now that my body is addicted to his touch, do I even want to know what it is?