Rivals: Episode One Page 2

  But the sun was starting to set and cast a deep orange glow on the cars that would not budge. A honk carried through the air behind me from a few cars down.

  “Not gonna help, buddy,” I said to no one in particular. I looked at the time again, as if that was going to help. It only made me even more anxious. I had about fifteen minutes to drop off the folder and get the fuck out of there before nightfall.

  “Shit, shit, shit.” I tapped at the steering wheel, wishing I could just pull a Moses and part the traffic like a raging ocean. I looked to my right and noticed a street branching off from the gridlocked main street.

  “Fuck it,” I peeled off to the right, not sure if I was going the right way or not but I needed to get back.

  And that was when my car crashed right into the back of a red Lamborghini.

  “Ah!” I yelled in surprise as my body jerked forward. My neck snapped back, my head pushing against the headrest as I was thrown back into my chair with the momentum. The hit wasn’t big enough to deploy the airbags, but it was enough to make my seatbelt burn against my clavicle.

  “God dammit, this is all I needed.” I unbuckled the seat belt and got out of the car, expecting mine to be totaled. To my immense relief, there was no smoke or flames shooting out of the engine. The hood was crumpled up a bit but it would still work. The Lamborghini was also pretty dinged up in the back, with the bumper scratched black.

  I have absolutely no time for this. Nor the money. Shit.

  I turned my attention to the driver, ready to give my information and go. We

  would have to deal with this later because the sun was already disappearing from the sky.

  And that’s when I saw him. He was burly, barrel-chested with a gait that said he worked outdoors and occasionally got grease on his thick fingers. Not the man I would have expected to be behind the steering wheel of such an expensive car. There was light brown stubble across his face that complimented the deep pools of amber that he had for eyes.

  Amber...

  He seemed to have noticed me too. But instead of walking towards me, he sort of just... well, he stopped walking. He stood there, feet away from me, and stared at me. It felt like the air had taken on a feeling of electricity between us. I felt my heart start fluttering as I realized he wasn’t really staring at me, but more like drinking me in with his gaze. His eyes raked over my body, my curves, my breasts.

  And I did the same. It was like I was frozen, and all I could do was look at him. The way his breaths lifted up his powerful chest underneath the navy blue shirt he was wearing. A tribal tattoo on his left arm crisscrossed along his bulging bicep and led down to his wrist. His dark jeans, although baggy, still made it seem like he was really packing.

  Oh God, Xavier!

  It was like the spell was lifted. This beautiful man needed to get my insurance information and I needed to get the hell out of there.

  “I’m, uh, so sorry,” I managed to say.

  He continued to take me in. I crossed my arms over my chest, starting to feel slightly uncomfortable. Yeah, the guy was incredibly hot, but I also wasn’t down for being openly gawked at either. I had confidence issues for pretty much my whole life, especially with the way my body looked, but it didn’t seem like this guy took any of that into consideration. Or he did take it into consideration and he was actually into it.

  Regardless, I needed to get the hell out of there.

  “Here’s my insurance info and my phone number is on the back,” I moved forward and held a copy of my insurance card out for him. He took it in his hands and shook his head, as if he was shaking off some sort of hypnotic trance.

  “Damn, sorry about that. Sometimes I zone out.” He looked at me with those deep amber eyes. “It happens more when I meet an absolutely stunning woman.”

  My head cocked with surprise. Never had I heard a man be so forward with me. And honestly? It immediately sent a tingle straight down the back of my spine.

  “Sorry, I’ve got an emergency right now. I need to go.”

  Part of me wanted to stay. That part wanted to find the smallest of excuses to ditch going back to Xavier’s. He would understand if I didn’t get everything done right on the first day. I was a brand new employee, I think that gave me a free pass to at least one mistake.

  But that part of me was silenced by the much bigger part of me, the sensible side that didn’t want to lose a job or provoke Xavier in any way.

  “Wait,” he called after me as I hurried back to my Toyota.

  “I swear I’ll pay for it somehow!” I called back, speed walking to my car now. “I really have to go.”

  “I’ll be seeing you again!”

  Shit, is he going to sue me?!

  “Sorry, I swear, insurance will handle it all!” I swung the car door open and fell into the driver’s seat. Whatever this man wanted to do, it was going to have to wait. I only had ten minutes at the most to get to Xavier’s. And so I slammed the car into gear and sped down the street, no doubt making the man think I was a crazy hit and run driver.

  I’m so getting sued for this.

  I managed to pull into his driveway just as the sky turned a dark navy blue, signaling that night was here. My sandals slapped against the cobbles as I ran up to the door and slipped the key in the lock with my shaky, sweaty hands. I gently pushed the door open and stepped inside, immediately blanketed by the silence. It was more unsettling than anything else. The fact that I was having trouble seeing now didn’t exactly comfort me either.

  I was able to make out the shape of the marble table. I hurried over as silently as I could and gently dropped the folder on the table. I turned an —”Fuck!”

  Standing there, outlined by the glow of a white light coming in through a window, was a man. He stood at, maybe, six foot six, with a muscular build that was obvious even in the scarce lighting. My eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness and made his shape even clearer. I was able to make out the button-up he was wearing, the collar tight around his solid neck.

  “I am soooo sorry, Mr. Thorn. I swear I tried to make it here on time, but I got stuck on the highway, someone got in an accident and the car had flipped and I —”

  “Enough.”

  “Oh, ok.”

  It was quick, cutting, sharp. He shut me up with one word.

  The outlines of his hands curled into tight fists. Then, in a blur of superspeed, Xavier was standing a couple of feet away from me. He looked down at me and I could now make out his every detail.

  And he was absolutely gorgeous.

  The man was sculpted out of the stuff of gods. His face had perfect angles, making him sophisticated with a deep edge. His icy cold blue eyes practically glowed in the dark as they penetrated through me. His lips were held tight as his jaw clenched.

  We held that powerful, pregnant moment for what felt like hours. Neither of us breaking the link, cutting off whatever was happening.

  And something was happening, I just wasn’t exactly sure what.

  “You’re Kimberly Nolan, are you not?”

  I nodded my head, unable to form words. Being so close to him, to such a powerful creature, it was setting me aflame. The fear was there, but—to my shock—it was being replaced by something else.

  Arousal. I was finding myself turned on by how powerful this man was. How he towered above me and held the power in his hands to crush me, but the look in his eyes told me he wanted something else.

  His brows furrowed. “How long have you been here?”

  “I just, uh, walked in,” I managed to say.

  “You’re scared.”

  “Yeah, I know.”

  I wanted to move, I needed to run out of there. But my muscles weren’t responding. As much as I willed it, I realized I actually wanted to stay. I wasn’t scared of Xavier. He was a billionaire tech god, he wouldn’t murder someone.

  Right?

  “I think it’s time you leave,” Xavier said, his jaw clenching.

  A pang of fear struck me, almost as
hard as the wave of arousal that was consuming me. I understood that I needed to leave, but I couldn’t move until I asked one last question.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  XAVIER

  “Will I be coming back tomorrow?” she asked.

  This was the worst case scenario. The one situation that would ultimately end in failure. And, on the same token, there was nothing I could do about it. The moment I had laid eyes on her, I linked. It was immediate. An instant lust spreading through my veins and straight to my cock. It was a sudden urge to bury myself inside of her, linking us together for eternity, creating the perfect bond. A bond that would consist of hours of fucking each other, getting lost in a tangle of lust and passion. There wasn’t an atom inside of me that desired anything else at that moment in time.

  It took my hundreds of years of meditation to restrain myself. The link was so strong between us, I had no doubt that I would have taken her right there and then.

  She had felt it too. I could smell it on her, the way her honeysuckle scent heightened the moment she laid eyes on my form. Instant arousal. That was because the link was mutual, it had to be.

  But it was never with a human. Or at least, it had never been with a human.

  And yet here we were. My cock immediately hardening at the sight of her, which I could easily make out in the darkness. She was beautiful, with long auburn hair falling down past her shoulder in waves. Her body was plumper than the girls I was accustomed to seeing plastered on billboards, and that made my cock immediately grow harder. I felt it strain against the fabric of my slacks, giving me a twang of pleasure every time it would throb.

  Fuck. I must have her.

  But I needed to control myself. I was close to losing it, especially the moment I reached for her elbow. The touch of her warm, soft skin immediately sent me into shocks of lust. But, I sped backwards and turned away from her. She needed to get out. I couldn’t take it, I couldn’t claim her.

  Not a human.

  And yet she wasn’t leaving. She stood there and I could smell her arousal growing. She wanted me.

  “Fuck,” I said into the night. I heard her whimper. She must have recognized

  the frustration in my voice. If I had sex with her, then the link would only be further strengthened. She must not have understood, but I did, and I needed her gone.

  Yet my cock throbbed in my slacks. I could feel my balls tighten with the seed I needed to unload.

  I walked towards her, stopping myself from speeding towards her. Her breath was rapid, putting her nerves on full display. Yet the closer I got, the stronger her scent was. It turned me on even more, bringing my cock to an almost painful level of hardness. She looked down and noticed my bulge for the first time, drawing a gasp from her lips.

  It only turned me on further.

  “Kimberly Nolan,” I said as she looked back up at me. “If you continue to work for me, your life will never be the same. Nothing will be the way you planned.”

  “I’m ok with that. I’m tired of my life, I need this. I want this.”

  Kim looked at me, her eyes squinting in the darkness in an effort to make out more of me. I could practically see the gears spinning in her head, mulling over the choices laid out before her. She could run or she could stay. Either choice had its benefits and drawbacks, but there was only one I wanted her to choose.

  “I think...” she bit her lower lip.

  And then, before she could solidify her answer, my front door burst open.

  “Xavier!” said the man standing in my doorway. He looked from me to an incredulous Kimberly and then looked back at me. “Fuck, Mr. Thorn, I didn’t know you were entertaining a guest.”

  I narrowed my eyes. It was Victor Petran, another vampire who occasionally worked for me on random projects. This time he was hired for some surveillance, and by the looks of his urgent entrance, he must have found something important. “Give us a moment, Victor.”

  “Right, sorry, Mr. Thorn.” He sped out, a blur leading back into the night outside.

  “I should go,” Kim said, putting her head down and walking past me in a hurry. It took everything I had to stop myself from reaching out for her as she brushed by. The scent of her arousal mixed with her floral perfume and carried over to me in a gust of air. I felt my boxers get wet with pre-come.

  “Kimberly,” I said, not turning to see her leave. I could hear she was just about to cross the threshold. Her heart sounded like a panic-inducing techno song with how fast it was beating. “Come back tomorrow.”

  And with that, she was gone.

  I took a moment to bring myself back down from the lust. But I couldn’t, my cock continued to throb against my slacks. My hands pushed against the bulging fabric and rubbed my cock from the outside, rubbing the thick shaft and seeing the dark stain of pre-come stain the front of my slacks. I unzipped the slacks and pushed down my underwear, my cock immediately springing free with a rope of clear, stringy pre-come dropping down on my hardwood floors.

  My fingers closed around my pulsing shaft, heat radiating off of it in waves. I clenched my fist and rubbed, from the glistening wet head down to the base of my thick shaft, lubing myself with my own pre-come.

  My movement became faster, beating my cock now. Tightening around the red shaft and increasing the pressure. I grabbed at my tight balls when I would reach the base and massage them up towards my dick.

  “Fuck,” I said into the air as I leaned back on the wall. I imagined Kimberly’s tight, soaking wet pussy wrapping around my cock. Her lips taking in my full size, slow at first as she accommodates to take me in. Then I would take her, dominating her, pushing her to her limits as I continued to fuck her. Her orgasms would be endless, as would mine. All I needed was to bury myself inside of her.

  I found myself imagining darker scenes. Scenes with ropes tying her wrists and ankles. Restraining her to the bed as she relinquished all control to me. As she allowed me to use her as I pleased, ultimately pleasing her even more.

  It was enough to send an electric pulse down towards the base of my cock. I felt it throb in my hands as I threw my head back and released an uncontrolled groan. Spurts of wet, white seed shot from my cock and landed with splats on the floor. Over and over, my cock twitched with my come dropping down onto the floor in thick drops.

  My thighs twitched uncontrollably as I let the feeling roll over my body, caressing my limbs. Even after a thousand years, coming still felt amazing. And with a link as stunning as Kimberly, I had fodder for my imagination to run wild.

  Now to figure out what Victor wanted to tell me. He better be here to say he killed the shifter.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  KIMBERLY

  “Oh my fucking god, oh my fucking god. What in the actual fuck was that,” I huffed and puffed as I leaned down on my knees and took a breath of air. I was in such a panic, I didn’t even realize I had run right past my car and down Xavier’s elaborate driveway, past the stupid dolphin fountain and reached the heavy black gates when I realized the gate key was in the dashboard of my car.

  Which I had previously run right past.

  “Shit, fuck.”

  Don’t judge—I transform into a trash-talker whenever I get panicked and scared.

  I pushed up off my knees and turned back around, the stylistic mansion now looming over me like a bad cartoon show villain, the glass windows looking more like menacing eyes than anything else. But I had no other choice. I gathered what little energy I had left and made a run back to my Toyota. There was no one in sight as I flung the door open and threw myself in, clicking the locks almost immediately.

  Hah, as if that’ll do anything.

  I practically drove right through the heavy iron gates, itching to get the fuck out of there. When they finally opened, I sped out, tires screeching on the driveway as they tried to grab some traction. My windows were rolled down which meant I was getting blasted by fresh Miami air. No matter how hot it was, it was still air and it felt soothing almost.

 
; What the fuck just happened back there?

  Rachel gawked at me, her hands holding the sides of her face. “I mean... do you want me to be honest?”

  “Not really,” I said, exhausted as I crashed face-down on Rachel’s bed. “I think you should have sort of... well fucked him.”

  “How did I know you were going to say that?”

  “Because I’m the more sexualized friend who wants to see her naive best friend finally blossom into a woman.”

  I looked over at her, almost unable to lift my head up from the pillow. “I already “blossomed” into a woman. I’ve had sex before, jeez, Rachel. If anyone were listening, they’d think I was the forty year old virgin.”

  She shrugged her shoulders. “I’m just saying. I mean, you know I was nervous about you and this job, but I talked to my sister who’s also working for a vampire. She sort of put me at ease with the whole thing, and I don’t know, now I kinda want to meet one. And the way you describe it makes it sound like he was absolutely thirsting for you.”

  “He was pretty persistent,” I said. Just remembering the way he looked at me, how his body tensed, and that bulge—holy hell the size of that thing. I had to bring my thoughts back to something less provocative as I felt my pussy moisten with just the thought of Xavier. “But I couldn’t imagine him having sex with me. He would tear me apart.”

  “I’m sure he’s into some kinky shit. You have to be after being alive for a thousand something years. He’s seen it all.”

  I shook my head. “I’m sure he tries to keep things fresh I guess. I don’t know, but I’m never going to find out.”

  Rachel scoffed. “Yeah, ok, and I’m going to somehow figure out how to clone Ryan Gosling and keep a copy for myself.” She fell back, her head landing on the pillow next to me. “Fact is, you work for him, Kim. You’re going to have to interact with him eventually, and if he reacted this strongly to you just off those first few minutes? I don’t think that’s going away anytime soon. And don’t even think about quitting. You’re getting paid way too much for what you actually do and you’re never going to find that anywhere else”