"Yes," he said again.
Huh. I basically threw myself at him and petted his chest, so that was awkward.
And I barely believed he wanted me for sex but wasn’t about to talk him out of slumming it with my broke ass. Business, though? Why the hell would he need me for that? Suggestions for spending his money, sure, I could offer that. Not anything else.
Yet the more he stared at me blankly and the seconds ticked by in tense silence, it became clear. We really weren’t about to screw.
Out of other options, all I could do was deflect the blame.
“Okay, don’t act like this ismymistake. An incubus with your face and body gives me an urgent invite back to his place late at night so that we can be alone. What am I supposed to think?”
"That there’s privacy here," he stated without hesitation like he really shared no blame here and had no clue where my wires got crossed.
"Privacy for sex," I added. “That’s what everybody in the world means when they saylet’s go somewhere more private.They meanlet’s go have sex.Who needs privacy to talk?”
"Maybe an incubus from another clan and a man who just tried to steal from one clan’s den.” Allegedly! “Despite appearances, we’d never be truly alone at Bliss."
"But… but… you flirted with me!"
“That wasn’t flirting.” His fierce stare sent a shiver through me yet meant nothing since apparently heated bedroom eyes were just his normal eyes. "You challenged me."
“What are you, five? You can’t resist a challenge?” Okay, neither could I. “Never mind, don’t answer that or call the kettle Rob.”
…
Oh God. Getting caught with the cuffs—and my hands somewhere in the pink to reddish realm, if not totally red-handed—seemed like the low point of the night, but it kept getting worse.
The sexiest man alive brought me over here to get information without anybody listening in. Unfortunately, that made much more sense than him needing me for sex or actual business. I was so desperate for hot incubus sex with the hottest incubus ever that I totally made a giant fool of myself before thinking it through.
If only we were in the living room. Then I could smother myself with a pillow.
"Would you like a drink?"
The question turned out to be rhetorical. He decided himself to get us both drinks and left me alone in the study to get a break from all the humiliation.
I should leave with what little dignity I had left…
The dignity ship sailed a long time ago. And as I proved at that club, my magical stores were running dry. If my information were worth something and I could turn our business into a business opportunity, could I really pass that up?
When your only special skills were petty crime and magic that enabled petty crime, there weren’t many opportunities available when trying to give up illegal activities.
Orion returned with a crystal pitcher of a vivid yellow drink and some shot glasses. He glossed over me making a fool of myself so easily he deserved a damn medal. Hell, he was probably used to people throwing themselves at him. He spoke as he poured us both a glass.
“Sex demons have mutually beneficial relationships with the Aware community. Volunteers consent to being charmed and get the most incredible sex of their lives, sex demons get the sexual energy they need, and everybody wins. Trust and safety are key to this arrangement. Anything else isn’t an option.”
“Yeah, I understand. Consent good, the rest bad. What’s the problem?”
His hand tightened on the pitcher for a moment. “Three people recently visited our establishments and vanished shortly afterwards. All were found later, well, their bodies were found.”
Holy shit.
“Catching the responsible party and stopping the deaths is my top priority,” he continued. “Even if a sex demon or someone from my own den is responsible. They broke the law and our rules, putting us all at risk. That’s unacceptable.”
Holy shit. Holy double shit. What the hell was going on and why was he coming to me?
I definitely needed a drink to deal with mysterious disappearances and deaths, so I gulped down my shot of yellow mystery drink in one swallow. A pleasing lemon candy flavor filled my mouth before the high alcohol content totally surprised me, sending me coughing and sputtering.
"Ugh, what is this?” More coughing and wheezing followed. “1,000 proof?"
