Gentlemen Prefer Succubi

CHAPTER TWELVE

A short time later, I was fiddling with the knobs of the A/C in Remy’s BMW and scowled at her. “I can’t believe we’re going out dressed like this.”

“Believe it, girlfriend. What’s wrong with what you’re wearing? You look like a woman out to get a man, which is precisely our goal.”

“I look like a streetwalker.”

“Well, as long as you don’t look like a librarian.”

I was pretty sure that was a jab at my museum job, but I decided to take the high road and say nothing. I didn’t want Remy to bail on me and leave me heading to the vampire club alone.

Remy sped down the expressway, bobbing her head in time to an old Duran Duran song. It was blissfully quiet for all of two minutes. Then she glanced over at me. “You weren’t going to snag anyone’s attention in your old getup.”

She just couldn’t let it drop, could she? I didn’t care if she was right or not. I slouched lower in my seat, staring out the window. “Whatever.” I tugged at the hem of my skirt as she crossed three lanes and exited. The corset wasn’t so bad, but the skirt was really bugging me. “I think you can see my underwear when I sit down in this thing.”

“You’re wearing underwear? Who told you to do that?”

I smacked her arm. “Very funny.”

“Hey,” she protested. “Trying to turn into the parking lot here.” She pointed at the long trail of cars streaming outside what looked to be a busy nightclub. There was a line outside the door that wrapped around the building, and I could hear the thumping bass from inside the car with the windows rolled up.

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” I’m not much of a club goer, and the thought of having to do some Scooby-Doo-style sleuthing in a club full of vampires scared the crap out of me.

“No, this is a terrible idea.” Remy screeched to a halt in front of the valet parking. “But you started it, so we need to finish it.”

“Great,” I said, getting out of the car. “Next time I try to do the right thing, smack me in the head, will you?”

“I can do that.” Remy grinned and slammed her door shut. She held the keys aloft and jiggled them to the waiting parking attendants. “Who wants to take extraspecial care of my car for me?”

I watched in amazement as three guys leapt to take the keys from her. Remy smiled wickedly and held them out to a thin, slightly nerdish man with thick glasses. He gave her an adoring look. “We’ll take great care of it, Miss Summore.”

Either Remy was more famous than I thought, or she was on a familiar basis with the club employees. It bugged me either way. I trotted up to her and grabbed her arm. “I thought you said you didn’t associate with vampires?”

“I try not to, but it still happens.” She gave a tiny shrug. “Hazard of the business. It’s not working with them that’s a problem. It’s the whole ‘double-agent’ thing you’re trying to pull.” She put her hand through the crook of my arm and strolled to the door, past the line of people waiting to get in. “Now, do me a favor and keep quiet while we’re in here. Let me do the talking, all right?”

“Got it.” I glanced back at the line and wondered how long they’d been waiting. If I had been in that line and someone pushed to the front, I’d have raised hell. As it was, the women shot us dirty looks, but the men … well, they didn’t seem to mind at all. I caught one checking out my ass in my short skirt and I gave it another tug with my free hand, positive that my thong was showing under the hem.

The bouncer was a giant of a man, his shaven head covered in complex barbed-wire tattoos. Earrings studded his ear all the way up; he wore an old Metallica T-shirt and the biggest pair of boots this side of Kentucky. He was easily a foot taller than me, and I was no shrimp at 5 foot 7.

He also lit up like a Christmas tree as soon as he set eyes on Remy. “Miss Summore,” he said, awed. “What an unexpected treat. How are you?”

Remy walked up to the giant and patted him on the cheek. “Couldn’t be better, Dingo. It’s sweet of you to ask about me.” She flashed him her best sultry gaze, laying the charm on thick.

Dingo unchained the velvet rope blocking off the door and blushed crimson. “I could never forget you, Miss Summore. Do come in.”

“Cover charge?” She tilted her head and looked at him expectantly.

“None for you. Never for you.” His voice was openly worshipful. “Stamp?” He held up a stamp pad.

Remy nodded. “Tonight’s one of those nights, I think. Stamp me and my friend here.” She gestured to me.

I seemed to register on Dingo’s radar for the first time, and his gaze darkened. “Miss Remy, she’s not on the list. I can’t stamp her without approv-”

“Dingo, darling,” Remy chided. “She’s an out-of-towner and a close friend of you-know-who’s. Be a dear and let her in. I assure you, everything will be fine.” She placed her hand on his arm in entreaty. “She’s a good friend of mine. Isn’t she pretty?”

I supposed that was my cue to turn on the charm. I smiled, thinking I probably looked more like a deer in headlights than a seductive babe. “Hi, Dingo,” I squeaked. “I hate to impose-”

My words cut off in a yelp as Remy’s heel stomped down on the toe of my shoe. Okay, bad route to go. I could see Dingo’s eyes darkening even more, and he was starting to look like a rabid dog. A really huge one. I changed tactics. “I promise I won’t leave Remy’s side all night. Though I wouldn’t mind getting to know you better, if you had a few minutes for me.” I winked, laying it on thick, too.

Both Remy and Dingo looked at me in surprise, and I wondered if I’d said something wrong.

“Any friend of Miss Summore’s is a friend of mine,” Dingo said at last, unable to take his eyes off me. I was a little unnerved at that. Yeah, I’d probably gone and said the wrong thing again. I held out my hand for the stamp and tried to look confident.

The stamper pressed against the back of both of our hands, but nothing showed up on my skin when I looked at it. Remy winked at Dingo and wiggled her fingers at him. “See you later, darling, and thank you.”

He nodded and bowed. “Of course, Miss Remy. You and your lovely friend have a good evening, and come out and see Dingo if you get bored.” Lust-filled eyes followed me in the club.

I tugged at my skirt hem again as I followed Remy through the double doors and into the antechamber where coats were checked and people came out to lounge. Another bouncer stood at the door before us, and the music was even louder.

As soon as the door behind us slammed shut, I leaned in to Remy. “What did I say back there?”

She burst into laughter. “Usually when a girl offers to spend some solo time with a bouncer, it’s a blowjob to get into the club.”

My eyes nearly bugged out of my face.

“Midnight’s a very exclusive club.” She giggled. “And since you’re already in the door, he must assume that you really like him.”

I resisted the urge to punch her. “You should have told me. And what’s with the name Dingo, anyway?”

She shrugged. “I never bothered to ask. Some things you just don’t want to know.”

Amen to that.

Remy led me past the second bouncer without stopping and then we were enveloped in the smoky, throbbing atmosphere of the club. Her hand grasped mine and she leaned in to shout in my ear, “Stick close to me. We’re not staying in here.”

“Sounds good to me.” I had always found clubs obnoxious and overly boisterous, and Midnight was no exception. Tables were crammed into every dark corner of the room; the outskirts of the dance floor were cluttered with chairs and people drinking and talking. The dance floor was lit up with a multitude of colored lights, and bodies pulsed and writhed before the DJ booth, pressed against each other in a frenzied crush. The scent of sweat in the air touched my nostrils, and as I watched moist skin pressed against skin, I felt the kiss on my forehead flare.

Remy headed straight for the bar, which suited me just fine since I could use a drink or three, and dragged me to the last two bar stools. Two men sat in the seats already, but that didn’t deter her in the slightest. She leaned in and tapped the man closest to her on the shoulder. “Excuse me.”

The man turned, an ugly look on his face as if he was about to tear whoever it was behind him a new one for disturbing him. His expression changed the moment he laid eyes on Remy, clad in her leather bodysuit, her silky black hair tied into a waist-length ponytail. “Hey, gorgeous,” he breathed. “What can I do you for?”

She rewarded him with a catlike smile. “You and your friend can give us your seats at the bar. We’ll talk about … favors … later.”

His eyes slid over to me and bugged out. I’m sure we were quite a sight-two super babes slumming in a trashy bar, dressed like we were on the prowl. His gaze looked me up and down and then focused on my boobs, most likely due to the fact that the corset hiked them up to my chin. “Your friend is nice,” he said to Remy, unable to look beyond my torso.

“Her friend has a face,” I snapped.

Remy squeezed my hand painfully, reminding me that we were supposed to infiltrate the crowd. I forced a tight smile and managed a strangled “Cutie” at the end of my sentence.

By now we had his friend’s interest, and he was as scary as the first guy. Both looked like they could bench press a bus.

“Are you sure this is a good idea, Remy?” I leaned close so the men couldn’t hear our conversation. “I mean, they could be serial killers looking to pick up their newest victims. Or what if they’re rapists? They could tackle us, drag us into an alley, and have their way with us, and you’re flirting with them!”

Remy eyed the two men in a decidedly lascivious fashion. “It might suck, but it wouldn’t be rape. You’d be willing after about one second.”

I gasped, affronted. “Oh my God! You are such a bitch someti-”

She grabbed my face and planted her lips onto mine.

I heard the men around us suck in their breaths moments before my hormones kicked into overtime.

It was weird, having a woman kiss me. I mean, Remy was a great kisser, but the entire thing was just … odd compared to a guy. Her lips were soft, her kiss more delicate than other ones I received. I could feel the Itch starting to blast through my body. My forehead blazed for a moment with a painfully bright flare, and then just like that, the Itch disappeared.

Pleased beyond words with that result, I was still speechless when Remy broke off the kiss and smiled to the two men. “So, what do you say? Can we have the seats or not?”

I’ve never seen men stumble out of their chairs so fast. One bar stool was knocked over in their haste and quickly straightened again.

Remy smiled at the two men, looking pleased as could be. “Thanks, boys.” She put her hand around my waist and steered me toward the chair.

I sat, my forehead still throbbing. “What did you do that for?” I scowled and tugged at my skirt.

“For starters, it got the desired result, didn’t it?” Remy looked unconcerned as she flagged down the bartender. “And it shut you up, which was an added bonus.”

“You’re a sick woman, you know that?”

“What’s the old saying? Takes one to know one?”

She had me there. I decided to change the subject. “So aren’t we supposed to be finding some vampires around here?”

Remy shot me a look that could kill. “Don’t make me kiss you again.”

I clamped my jaw shut and crossed my arms over my chest, doing my best to ignore the two creeps loitering behind us, waiting for either me or Remy to turn around.

The bartender came over, his face getting the same glazed look on it the moment he laid eyes on her. I’ll say one thing for being a succubus: sex will get you everywhere.

“What can I get for you, miss?” He shot a look at me as well, his eyes resting on-you guessed it-my cleavage.

I sighed. I’d never thought the day would come when I hoped for a guy who didn’t think I was sexy.

“A Bloody Mary for myself and my friend here.” Remy smiled at the bartender and placed her hand on my arm.

Ugh. “Remy, I hate tomato juice-”

She gave me another dirty look. “Two Bloody Marys.”

The bartender asked, “Got a stamp?”

Remy held the back of her hand out to him. “Of course.”

To my surprise, he took her hand in his own and sniffed her skin gently, then released it. I wondered what they’d stamped us with. It seemed that I’d almost fucked up the super-secret code, but how was I supposed to know? I held my hand out as well. “Me, too.”

He gave my hand a sniff, then nodded. “Be right back.” The bartender walked to the far end of the bar, motioning over another bouncer and talking to him.

Remy turned in her bar stool and faced me. “You really suck at hints, you know that? Do me a favor and keep your mouth shut for five minutes, all right?”

Feeling rather sulky, I made a face at her. “Fine. I won’t say anything at all.”

Relief splashed across her face. “Perfect.”

Oh, I was so going back to my apartment after this.

The bartender returned after a moment and placed two drinks before us. “As requested, your drinks.” He cast a meaningful look at Remy, then walked away.

That was weird. I picked up my drink and sniffed it. It smelled like tomato juice. I hoped I wasn’t supposed to drink it as part of the signal.

Behind me, someone tapped my shoulder. I turned around just as a large hand clamped over my bare shoulder. It was yet another bouncer, if the black T-shirt and huge arms were any indication. He had a unibrow that would have made a mobster jealous and shoulders that you could probably build a house on. “Come with me, ladies.”

This whole process was starting to scare me. I gave Remy an uncertain look so she would know how nervous I was. She looked as cool as a cucumber.

“Of course,” she said, and downed her drink in one long gulp. I heard a collective intake of breath behind her from the men.

I took her lead and choked mine down as well, gagging on the taste. “Ready here.”

The bouncer escorted us through the crowd to the far end of the bar, where a door marked “Emergency Exit” was covered in bathroom graffiti. “Through here.”

Since I’d been pushed to the front of our little pack, I opened the door and stepped into darkness.

I heard the door slam behind me, and the sound of the music was immediately muffled into a low throbbing. I felt Remy move next to me and I reached for her hand. She gave my fingers a reassuring squeeze and didn’t move, so I stood still as well, my heart hammering in my throat.

A tiny flame lit up the room, and the end of a cigarette flared into life, bright orange in the choking darkness. “What brings you two ladies to Midnight?”

The voice was masculine, with an inflection that I couldn’t put a name to. Urbane and smooth, it rolled across the darkness, and I felt the angel mark flare on my forehead again. Jeezus, he must have a really nice voice.

“We’re interior decorators, looking for a few good contacts, and we were told this was the place to come.” Remy’s voice slid through the darkness.

“Sure you are, Remy,” he said, his voice marginally closer than before. I heard the sound of a long pull on the cigarette and boots thumping on the floor as he walked. “Who’s your friend?”

“Her name is Jackie.”

“She doesn’t have a tongue in her mouth?” The man’s voice sounded amused. “That must be how she’s managed to stay friends with you for so long.”

I snorted. He seemed to know Remy and her bossy tendencies pretty well. Remy squeezed my hand again, and I remained quiet.

“I see,” the man said, his voice thoughtful. “And the fact that she smells like one of your kind should be a hint as well. Should I tell Nitocris you’re here, I wonder?”

“Zane,” Remy said, her voice taking on a pleading edge. “If you tell her I’m here, she’ll make both of our lives a living hell.”

Whoa. I didn’t know which was scarier-that Remy was afraid of this Nitocris person, or that she was reduced to pleading with this guy. I shivered in my platform heels and wondered if I was up to this.

My ears detected the sound of Zane taking another drag from the cigarette. “So what do you give me if I decide not to tell her that the resident succubus of New City has deigned to gift us with her presence again? Or that she has a friend in tow?”

“What do you want?” Remy’s voice was resigned.

“It’s not you, my dear. A trip on the town bicycle isn’t nearly as fun when everyone’s already run it roughshod.”

I heard Remy’s swift intake of breath and her hand clenched mine painfully. “You’re such an asshole.”

“Of course I am. Comes with the territory.” The end of the cigarette brightened for a moment and swung toward me. “Your little friend here, though … what’s her name? Colette?”

“Jackie,” Remy reminded him, her voice grating as if butter wouldn’t melt in her mouth.

“She’s got quite the figure. Nice red hair, too.”

I thought that was a pretty neat trick, seeing as it was pitch-black in the room. Something told me that this guy was dangerous. It practically seeped into the air around us.

The cigarette flickered into darkness. “Well, Remy, since your being here makes me rather curious, I don’t think I’ll say anything to the others. I do, of course, have to give you the standard pat-down to make sure you’re not coming in to cause trouble. No crucifixes, holy water, things like that.”

“Of course.” Remy’s voice returned to a more neutral tone, and my heart stopped hammering in my throat. “I’ll owe you one for this, Zane.”

“I know you will.” He sounded amused by her promise. “Now, if both of you would be so kind as to put your hands into the air?”

I obediently raised my arms in the darkness, feeling somewhat silly. “Is this really necessary?”

Two warm hands were suddenly resting on my breasts, kneading them. “Ah. She speaks.” A quick brush of the fingertips across my hardening nipples, and I felt the kiss flare on my forehead as sensation rushed over my body in response. The stranger chuckled near my ear. His thumbs flicked over my breasts again, deliberately. “Nice rack.”

The kiss flared, saving me from jumping the asshole’s bones, and I slapped his hands away. “Forget it. I’m done here. Screw you, buddy.”

“Jackie,” Remy’s voice warned me from a few steps away. “Don’t mess this up.”

“Do you know where this fucktard has his hands?” I felt them reach for my behind and sidestepped to the left. “I agreed to come here. I didn’t agree to be grabbed like some two-bit hooker.”

“That’s right. You girls are so much classier than that, aren’t you?” Zane’s smooth voice rolled across the room again, and I felt his hands encircle my waist.

I could hear Remy sigh. “Don’t be such a prick, Zane. You’ve got us in a bind, and she’s new, all right? Cut her some slack.”

His hands stiffened on my waist and then pulled away. “New?” There was a pause, then a chuckle. “Interesting. Not the place I’d think you’d bring a baby Suck to, but then again, I’m not you.”

“No, you’re not.” Remy’s voice sounded strained. “So can we go in or not?”

“Depends. Who’s her daddy?”

“I beg your pardon,” I said, outraged.

“He means your master, Jackie. He’s just being a jerk-”

“Oh. I don’t know who-”

“And you don’t have to tell him anything,” Remy warned, cutting me off before I had a chance to spill everything. “Got it? You’re not obligated to tell him squat, and Zane knows it’s impolite to ask. He’s trying to slip one past you because you’re new.”

Oh. Whoops. “Gotcha.”

I felt Zane’s breath against my ear as he chuckled. “That new, eh? Your secret is safe with me, Princess.”

I shoved him away again, thankful that the kiss was on my forehead. It burned into my flesh, reminding me of the uncomfortable situation we were in. “You’re a real prick. Can we go in or not?”

The door behind us swung open, casting light inside and letting me see Zane’s face for the first time.

Dark, dangerous eyes glinted at me. Slashes of black eyebrow arched in my direction, curving upward in amusement. There was a shadow of stubble across his strong, crisp jaw, and it accentuated the most perfect, most sardonic mouth I’d ever seen. His hair was short, just brushing his ears, and cut in a fashion that I’d come to associate with Ivy League lawyers if not for the floppy lock that hung over his forehead, making him look as if he’d just rolled out of bed. He looked familiar, but I couldn’t place him. Perhaps it was the familiarity that comes with being breathtakingly gorgeous, with a face that every sane woman would want on the pillow next to hers.

Sans fangs, of course.

His eyes swung up and down over my figure, assessing me, and came to rest on my face. “I do hope we’ll be seeing each other again, Colette.” He held the door open and gestured for me to walk through.

“It’s Jackie,” I reminded him, brushing past and noticing he was dressed entirely in black leather with lots of buckles and straps. Sure, it was a cliché, but it worked for him. He looked like a dark, scary cousin of James Dean.

I was fascinated despite myself.

He just gave me another lopsided smile. Remy gave me a shove in the back, hurrying me through the door and away from Zane.

As I stepped into the “vampires only” part of Midnight, I noticed three things. One, that it was decidedly less crowded than upstairs, and two, that you could barely hear the music. And three, it was filled entirely with men.

All of which, I was pretty sure, were of the fanged persuasion.

The bar itself was more ordinary than the one upstairs. Polished wood, clean bar stools-the place looked like a snappier version of Cheers. It was downright weird, given the fact that the occupants were rather intimidating. To a one, they were pale-skinned, on the intimidating side, and completely riveted by the two of us.

The heat of a hundred pairs of eyes on me was an uncomfortable feeling, and I shoved Remy ahead of me. “You go first.”

She rolled her eyes at my sudden cowardice. “Don’t be such a chicken. Nobody knows who you are here, got that?”

“But that Zane guy-”

Remy shook her head and leaned close to me. For a moment I thought she was going to plant one on me again. I moved back instinctively. “No, silly.” She gestured for me to lean in, and I did so. “They won’t figure out that you’re a succubus unless you offer it up. Zane’s an exception to the rule-he was the second to fall, and so he’s got edgier senses. If anyone else asks, you’re wearing my clothes, and they won’t be able to tell the difference in the smell. Now find what you need and let’s get out of here, okay?” She pushed away from me and headed toward the bar.

“Wait,” I said, following after her like a lost puppy.

Remy shot me a look that could have pinned me to the wall from ten feet away. “You’re making a spectacle of yourself,” she hissed. “Girls come down here to hook up with dates, if you get my drift. Go find yourself a date and I’ll find me one-got it?”

Ick. Most of these men were creeping me out, not turning me on. I glanced around as I stood near the doorway, uncertain.

Behind me, Zane chuckled. “Something I can help you with, Colette? Or could it be that you’re attracted to my charm?” His eyes slid to my breasts again, and he gave me a knowing smile. “At least parts of you are.”

Bastard. I ignored the flaring of the kiss on my forehead and scowled at him. Like I’d let him know that he turned me on. I crossed my arms over my chest and stalked away, trailing Remy again. She’d seated herself at the far end of the bar, away from the other patrons. I’d have bet money that she wouldn’t be alone for long though, judging by the way they eyed her. “Remy,” I whined.

She put her hands over her face, and I thought I heard her mutter something in a foreign language. “What? What now?”

I slid in close to her and spoke low so nobody could hear-especially not that Zane, who still watched the two of us with amused eyes. “How am I supposed to get this information I’m looking for?”

Remy pinched the bridge of her nose, stemming off a headache from my ineptness. “You could put your date to sleep, for starters. Then you read his head.”

I frowned. “Read his head?”

“Didn’t I tell you about that?” Remy shooed away the bartender when he came over, then turned to face me fully. “That’s part of your powers. You can read dreams and stuff-just don’t go crazy with it. The vamps are a bit sensitive when it comes to us mucking around, since we’re supposed to be neutral. If you get caught, it’s very bad news.”

Right. I remembered something about that from my conversation with Uriel. “Don’t get caught. Got it.” I glanced around, then whispered, “So how do I put them to sleep?”

Remy shrugged. “Touch him, kiss him-it’s hormone induced. You’ll figure it out-I don’t know the exact mechanics. I just think it, and boom, it happens. The kind of sleep we induce is not the same as regular sleep. He won’t remember any of it, if it makes you feel any better.”

I frowned. As answers went, that kinda sucked. “And I’m supposed to get jiggy with someone in the middle of a vamp bar?” I turned to look at Zane, and sure enough, he was still watching me. I made a rude gesture and he took the hint, laughing and wandering off. “Remy, they look at us like we’re appetizers.”

“Darling,” Remy said, patting my arm. “We are.”

“Oh great. I feel so much better now. Thanks so much.”

She winked at me and then gave me the same shooing motion as the bartender. “Off you go, then.”

Off I go. I turned away from the bar, since that was Remy’s territory. Zane was loitering by a pool table, his eyes focused on me. Definitely not heading over there.

A few booths lined the back of the dimly lit room, and only one was occupied. The two men watched me with hawklike interest as I wandered in their direction. One was blond, the other one dark-headed.

“Time to take the bull by the horns,” I said to myself, reminded of the angel kiss on my forehead that still burned. I strode forward, sliding my hands down my skirt and tugging at the hemline as I approached the table. “Hi, boys,” I said brightly, forgetting for the moment that I had to be seductive. “Want some company?”

My boobs were about eye level with the men, a fact that was lost on none of us. The blond stared at them in fascination, his bottle of beer poised halfway to his mouth. His mouth opened a bit and I could make out the tips of a pair of gleaming fangs. I wondered how long it’d take before they heard my knees start to knock together.

Blondie slid over in the booth. “Have a seat.”

I contemplated it and glanced over at his dark-headed companion. He had horrible red eyes, a scarred upper lip, and a look on his face that only Charles Manson would understand. I quickly sat with Blondie, forcing my chipper smile back on my face. “Hi,” I repeated, feeling like the lamest succubus ever. “I’m um, Colette.” I figured since I was doing super-spy stuff, I might as well have a super-spy name.

“Well, Colette,” the scary vampire across from me drawled. “Are you a natural redhead? Because that’s an impressive color. Don’t suppose you’d let me check the undercarriage, would you?” He leered at me.

It was on the tip of my tongue to tell him to get lost, then I remembered where I was. “Sorry,” I said, trying to remain perky and not burst into frightened tears. “The undercarriage is off limits.” I glanced over at his blond friend, who was sucking down his beer, his eyes still on my boobs.

“Then why are you here?” His red eyes bored into me and I began to feel alarmed. Time for a little action.

I looped my arm around Blondie’s neck, my breasts nearly falling out of my corset, and gave Ugly what I hoped was a confident smile. “Because I thought your friend here was cute. Would you mind giving us some alone-time?”

Silence descended over the three of us, and I waited for someone to respond. Kick me out, buy me a drink, kill me, whatever.

I felt a hand slide up my thigh under the table, testing the waters. I shifted, resisting the urge to sigh in delight at the sensations the simple touch sent scattering across my flesh. “Why don’t you leave the two of us for a bit, Joel?” Blondie said to his friend, and his hand slid higher up my skirt, closer to my eagerly awaiting loins.

Success. I gave Blondie a faint smile and slid closer, practically shoving my cleavage under his nose. “What’s your name, sweetheart?”

“Adam,” Blondie said as his friend got up and stalked away from our shadowy corner. His voice was slightly hoarse, his eyes darkened to a reddish shade, and his fangs had grown longer. Part of me wanted to run away screaming, and part of me was turned on by the power I had over him. I liked that I could make him lose control.

“What brings you here tonight, Colette?” I felt his hand slide up my skirt even farther and felt the Itch begin to stir. Uncomfortable as I was at the situation, the Itch didn’t give a rat’s ass.

I thought about his question for a moment, then leaned in. “Boredom?” It seemed a good enough answer as any. “It’s been a dull week. I needed a rush. My friend suggested we come here.”

“She suggested right,” he whispered against my neck. He looked like he was about to fling me down onto the table and have at me in front of all these people. He inhaled sharply, and then stiffened. “You smell like-” His eyes widened, flaring to full-blown red.

My heart hammered as I put a finger to his lips. “Shhh. Didn’t I tell you who my friend is? She let me borrow her clothes.” I put my fingers under his chin and tilted his gaze toward the bar, where Remy sat, surrounded by vampire admirers.

“Ah.” He inhaled deeply against my neck again, licking at my skin. “You smell amazing.” He sniffed again, and I remembered. Like catnip to their kind, I had joked, and it certainly seemed to be true. He’d forgotten all about his beer, and the friend who he’d pissed off. “Why don’t you sit in my lap?”

The Itch was turning into a full-on throb despite the sizzling on my forehead, and I obligingly slid onto his lap, straddling him and pressing my breasts against his chest. I could feel the hardness in his pants against the junction of my legs under my skirt, and the realization made me smile with arch delight. “How’s that?” I let my long curtain of hair fall over his face, shielding the two of us from any onlookers.

“Perfect,” he said, his voice hoarse. His hands gripped my hips and ground them against his cock. “You’re a smokin’ little number, Colette.”

“I like to think so,” I bragged, and the angel kiss flared again, instantly quelling any desire my charged hormones felt for this guy. Instead, I was reminded that I was grinding down on an oversexed vampire in a public bar full of the type. And I needed to pick his brain.

He ground my hips down on his again and I took that moment to kiss him, hoping I could avoid fangs. Sleep, I thought, and a weird sensation flooded through me, my nerves tingling.

It worked almost too well. Adam became instantly limp, and I had to close my lips over his again to muffle a snore. Well, that was a neat trick, but now what? It wasn’t like I could go up and ask Remy what to do. If someone found out what I was up to, I’d be toast. Going on instinct, I pressed my forehead to his and tried to see what was going on in there.

I was immediately thrust into a series of images in his mind, some cloudy, some distinct and fully formed. It was like wandering into someone’s cluttered bedroom, seeing all their stuff spread out over their furniture. Everything I needed and more was here, if I knew where to look.

I was temporarily distracted when I noticed my dream-self straddling Adam’s dream-self on the dreambed. My head was thrown back and he was grabbing my hair like I was the pony and he was my rider. Dream-Adam was pumping into me as hard and fast as he could, and Dream-me was squealing like a stuck pig.

Real-me made a face and hands went to my hips. “Oh, that is so typical.”

Dream-Adam opened his eyes and looked over at Real-me, standing in the middle of his psychic bedroom. Every thought he’d had this evening was scattered in random fashion around the messy bedroom-I guess Adam still hadn’t grown up. Girly mags were strewn in one corner, a video game system in the far end of the room, and bouncing, red-haired succubus in the middle. Confusion settled over his lust-smeared face. “Two of you?”

Suddenly a second Dream-me popped into the room and started mauling down on him, licking his jawline.

“Oh, ew. If I sit on your face in this dream, you are in so much trouble.” I made a face and began to pick my way into the room, looking at the objects there for hints. I passed a half-eaten container of chicken wings and hoped that didn’t have any hidden meanings.

“What are you doing here?” He was coherent enough to ask that between moaning and slurping noises, and I tried not to look over there.

“Nothing. Go back to boinking the two of me. I’m just shopping around.” I picked through a stack of magazines slopped onto the floor, wondering what I was looking for.

“You’re so hot,” he moaned, sounding like a brain-dead surfer, and I looked over to see Me-Two jerk his head backward and stick her tongue down his throat.

Ugh. I moved over to Adam and pushed one of the slut-puppy versions of me out of the way. “Hey, I’ll turn this into a group effort if you share a little something with me.”

His eyes bugged out. “Oh yeah.”

I felt bad for about a nanosecond, then realized he was doing lewd and disgusting things with me in his dreams. “What’s your little gang of friends up to lately that would make the angels nervous?”

“Hmm?”

I had to pry Me-Two off him again. Damn, that bitch had a tongue like a heat-seeking missile. “You guys are up to something, and it’s making the other guys-you know, the ones with wings-a bit antsy.”

“I’m not doing anything,” Adam said, giving me a lazy smile. “You can climb on top now.”

A halo flickered into existence over his head, and I flicked his nose with my fingernail. “You’re a bad liar.”

“Ow!”

“I’m serious here,” I said, getting irritated with this man’s dream. “Are you guys plotting to take over the world? Stealing something? Burning down a church?”

He rubbed his nose and glared at me. “You’re mean.”

Maybe I was going about this the wrong way. I trailed my finger over his lips and played with his fangs, and his eyes nearly rolled back in his head at the pleasure of it. “Why don’t you just tell me what sort of super-spy stuff you’re up to and I’ll let you go back to playtime, hmm?”

“Ex-ex-expedishn,” he said around my finger, sucking on the tip of it like some gigantic leech.

“Expi-what?” I pulled my finger out of his mouth and resisted the urge to wipe it on my dream-skirt.

“Expedition. Queen wants the halo.”

Huh. I’d thought he was just trying to be clever with the halo gimmick. “Got anything more than that?” I trailed my finger across his chin, staring at the glowing circle over his head. It looked … like a plain old halo. “Any other tidbits to tell me?”

“I love you,” he said, a dreamy look on his face as he stared up at my breasts.

Just then my corset top vanished, and I cursed as my breasts nearly bounced into his face. I’d be willing to guess that I was just about to lose control of this dream, and I jerked myself free.

I shivered back into my body, feeling the way a wet dog does when he shakes his coat free of water, and found myself straddling a horny, snoring vampire. Drool slithered down one of his cheeks and I backed away, slowly extricating myself from his lap and hoping no one noticed what we were up to.

A quick glance around the room showed that I was safe. Remy’s crowd of paramours at the bar hadn’t budged an inch, but I noticed her flick a look over at me. I got the hint and slid back down in my seat, trying to push my skirt back down. I poked Adam in the side, trying to look casual. “Wake up. You’re drooling all over the table.”

He didn’t wake up.

I poked him again, harder. The first stirrings of fear swirled in my mind and I pinched his side. Adam smacked his lips, smiled, and slumped against me. A snore erupted from his mouth and I froze, hoping nobody else heard it.

But not two seconds passed before Mr. Hideous Joel was back, scowling at me with suspicious eyes.

I tried to deflect him by cuddling up against Adam’s side and looking like the happy couple. “Mind leaving us for a bit? We’re just getting cozy.”

Another snore punctured the silence, and my lie burst like a bubble right in my face. Damn. I forced myself to keep the fake smile pasted on.

A hand snarled in my hair and dragged me out of the booth and across the floor. The room had become deathly silent, except for the sounds of my panicked breathing and the soft snores coming from Adam. My head was a mass of pain, my eyes squeezed shut to try to take the edge off it.

“Hey,” I protested, my hands clamping around his wrist to relieve the agonizing pressure on my scalp. It was a wonder my hair hadn’t ripped out of my head. “What’s the big idea?”

Joel hauled me to my feet and stared me in the eye. “Is there something you want to tell us, missy?”

I winced and tried to disentangle his fingers from my hair with my own. “Um, I’m a Scorpio and I like long walks on the beach?”

The next moment, I was kissing floor as my face slammed into the marble tile. It took me a moment to recover my breath, and I rolled over slowly, turning to find myself eye to heel with Remy’s stilettos. I followed the shoe upward and found her staring down at me, a chagrined look on her face. Two overly muscled vampires had her by the arms.

Joel hauled me up again by the hair, and I screamed in protest. “Ow! Lay off of the hair pulling! What did I do to you?”

I struggled to pull myself free without much luck. Succubi got the short end of the stick when it came to supernatural strength, and the vamps got it all.

Joel held me pinned against him, his lip pulled up in a snarl. “What did you do to Adam?” He shot a look over at Remy. “Did you have anything to do with this?”

Remy put her hands in the air, denying his words. “We just came down here to get a drink. You’re getting carried away. Is all this really necessary?”

He tilted my head back, exposing my neck, and pure panic shot through me. “Can’t we talk about this?” When I saw his head disappear under my chin, I squeaked in a last-ditch effort, “I’m positive for hepatitis, you know.” My eyes squeezed shut, waiting for the worst.

The feel of a warm, slimy tongue rasped against my neck and I shuddered with distaste. “I thought so,” Joel rumbled, then dumped me to the floor at Remy’s feet.

I rubbed my scalp, staring up at the people surrounding me, my panic threatening to turn into full-on crisis. “Thought what?”

“You’re like her.” He scowled at the circle of vampires standing a little too close for my comfort. “Colette here’s a succubus.”

“Colette?” The rich, coffee-smooth voice rolled over me and I got to my feet as the crowd parted, letting Zane in. “My my,” he said, looking me over like a buffet. “This just gets more and more interesting, doesn’t it? I had no idea that you were a succubus. What brings you to our little club?” The twinkle in his dark black eyes was amused. He was having fun at my expense; he knew darn good and well who and what I was.

Before I could protest, Joel broke in again. “She’s put Adam to sleep,” he said, the look on his face grave.

My stomach fluttered when I noticed Zane’s smile fade as he turned back to me. One dark eyebrow arched. “You put him to sleep?” He flipped out his cell phone and started dialing. “Wake him up, will you? The queen’s going to be mighty pissed when she hears about this.”

Remy paled and struggled in the arms of her guards. “Do you really think that’s necessary? We’ll leave immediately.”

Zane looked me up and down, his dark eyes unreadable. “No can do, my dears. The queen would have my head if I didn’t let her know you two were here, nosing around. Rather poor taste, don’t you think, Remy?” He gave her a half smile and walked away, sliding the cell phone to his ear. “This is Zane. Is the queen awake?”

Remy struggled forward and grabbed my arm, leaning in to hiss into my ear, “Are you crazy?”

I scowled at her panicked face. “I don’t know. I’m in the basement of a club with a porn star and a bazillion vampires, and we’re waiting for their queen. You tell me if I’m crazy.”

She forced me to step into the corner of the room. Our new friends followed us, naturally, not saying a word. The silence was more disturbing than anything they could have said. I heard the soft mumble of Zane’s voice in the background as he discussed our appearance at the nightclub with someone.

“Do you realize how much shit we’re in?” Remy asked.

I rubbed my forehead, glancing over at the happily sleeping Adam. “No, but I’m sure you’ll tell me.”

Remy made a sound of frustration, then I heard her exhale as she tried to calm herself. She whispered, “All I can tell you is to play it cool with the queen and try to avoid eye contact. Okay?”

Well, that sounded scary as all hell. “Got it,” I said, hating the quaver in my voice.

Zane returned, flipping his phone shut with a click. “I’m afraid that the queen is on her way, ladies, and she has requested your presence.” He smiled over at me, all charm and ease again. “It seems you’ll be our guests for a bit longer, yes?”

Remy crossed her arms over her chest and tossed her ponytail. “I wasn’t aware that we had a choice, Zane.”

His dark eyes fixed on me. “You don’t.”

I was silent. Hell, I’d already ruined the evening. I didn’t need to say anything else.

Zane glanced over at Adam, who was still asleep in the booth. He stilled, turning to fix his gaze on me, and his fangs extended a bit in a veiled threat. “Didn’t I tell you to wake him up?”

“You did,” I agreed, putting my hands on my hips.

“Well?”

I raked a strand of hair off my forehead in a nervous reaction. “Teeny problem.”

He crossed his arms over his chest. A rather broad, leather-covered, delicious chest. “And what’s that?”

“Well, I don’t know how to wake him up.” I gave him my brightest smile. “New girl on the block and all.”

Zane swore.