The Dark-Hunters (585 page)

She smiled at him. “Don’t make me wait too long.”

He nodded as he left her to dress.

Tory pulled her clothes on before she went outside again to find Justina and Katherine back at their chairs. Heat rushed over her cheeks until she remembered that the room was completely insulated from noise. “Can I borrow your cell phone?”

Justina pulled it out and handed it to her.

She called Pam. “Hey, sweetie … no, I’m fine. I’m at the Sanctuary Bar over on Ursulines. Any chance I can get you two over here?”

“Sure. We’ll be right there.”

Tory hung up the phone and returned it to Justina. “Just FYI, I’m going to head out for a few minutes, but I’ll be right back.”

Katherine’s expression turned stern and immovable. “You’re not going anywhere without us. We’re under strictest orders to keep you safe at all costs.”

Ash … she could almost beat him for it, but then again that protectiveness was part of what she adored about him the most. At least sometimes.

Unwilling to fight, Tory held her hands up. “Fine. Just don’t tell Ash. We’ll slip out and be back before he finishes the next set.”

Katherine didn’t look convinced. “I’m not so sure about this.”

“Oh, come on. It’s just around the block a bit. We’ll be fine. Besides, forewarned is forearmed. We know to watch for them.”

Katherine was still resisting.

“I trust her,” Justina said. “She’s stubborn, but not stupid. Tory wouldn’t do this if she really thought there was a problem.”

Katherine finally relented. “All right. So where are we going?”

Tory grinned. “It’s a surprise.”

*   *   *

Tory hesitated in the doorway of the overly bright store. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all … She looked over her shoulder at Pam, who was proudly sporting her most prized possession, her vintage 1984 Duran Duran tour T-shirt.

“I don’t know about this place. Isn’t there another, less … um, extreme place to shop?”

Pam pushed her forward, into the store. “Oh, shush, get inside. This is one of my favorite places and it’s perfect for what you want.”

Which didn’t really endear it to Tory since Pam’s fashion sense was the polar opposite of her own. While she was sedate, Pam was outrageous.

Kim pushed her from behind while Justina and Katherine opted to stay outside on Bourbon Street. “Come on, people, we’re blocking the exit. Fire hazard here.”

Tory’s eyes widened as she went deeper into Pandora’s Box, which was covered with spiked black leather corsets and teddies. All kinds of sex toys and pasties.
Oh my word!
She might be adventurous, but really, some of this stuff was just too much for her … like the men’s bikini briefs that held an elephant’s trunk where a certain piece of male anatomy would be. “I thought we were going to the little lingerie store on the corner.”

“This is so much better.” Pam pulled her to a display of edible panties.

Tory cringed at the thought of putting something like that on—would Ash even like it? “I’m not ready for all of this. Can’t we ease me in slowly?”

Pam scoffed. “You’re such a prude! How can a woman who lives to base jump cringe over edible panties?”

“’Cause no one sees my panties when I base jump and they certainly don’t eat them off me.”

Pam gave an evil laugh. “Believe me, the panties are a lot more fun than base jumping. And given Ash’s height, think of it more like pole vaulting.” She wagged her eyebrows playfully.

Tory rolled her eyes.

“How about this?” Kim held up a pair of pink fuzzy handcuffs. “These could be fun … ooo, and look at the sex dice. You get to roll for positions and acts.”

“Hi, can I help you guys?”

Tory turned around to find a woman not much shorter than her with long auburn hair and a very round, pregnant body. Dressed all in black, she had a spiked purple collar that was decorated with chains and amethysts. She smiled as Pam turned to greet her. “Hey, girl, how did those whips work out for you?”

Pam beamed with pride. “Like a charm, until we broke up. Men suck.”

The woman winked evilly. “Yes, but that’s when we love them best.”

Pam laughed. “Tabitha Magnus, meet my best friend, Tory Kafieri.”

Tabitha sucked her breath in sharply as she wrinkled her face up and waved her hand in a kill gesture at her throat. “Ex-nay on the Greek ame-nay. Hubby’s in the backroom doing taxes and he has a mental problem with all things Greek.”

Kim looked shocked. “Really? I thought he was Italian.”

“He is. It’s that whole Rome versus Greece thing that he never really got over. He’s a nutcase, but I love him.”

Pam gestured to Tabitha’s belly. “Obviously, and considering your condition and the store you own, I’d say you love him often.”

Tabitha laughed insidiously as she placed a protective hand over her distended belly. “Honey, if you ever saw that man naked, you would, too.” She grinned. “So what can I do for you guys?”

“Tory is planning on having sex.”

“Pam!” Tory would have crawled under the nearest rack except for the fact it contained sex swings and other items she didn’t want to think about.

Pam gave her an innocent blink. “Well, you are, aren’t you? It’s not like Tabby can’t tell from the mere fact that we’re here. Not to mention you can see that she’s had some herself.” She pointed to Tabitha’s stomach again.

Tory growled at her as she shook her head, then spoke to Tabitha. “I apologize for Pam. I accidentally hit her in the head with a baseball when we were in fifth grade and knocked her out cold. She’s never been right since.”

Tabitha laughed. “You can’t embarrass me. Believe me. Pam and I are cut from the same cloth. So tell me a little bit about this guy and I’ll find you the perfect thing for him.”

Tory smiled at the mere thought of Ash. She didn’t know why but it made her giddy and warm. “Well, he’s tall and dark-haired.”

“Tall, please,” Pam scoffed while Kim laughed. “The man is a giant. She found the only six-foot-eight guy I’ve ever seen. Ooo, and Tab, you ought to meet him. He’s Goth and gorgeous.”

“And Greek,” Kim whispered.

Tabitha frowned as she looked at them suspiciously. “Really? He sounds just like a friend of mine…” Wrinkling her nose, she shook her head. “But no, it couldn’t be him.”

“Him who?” Tory asked.

“Ash Parthenopaeus.”

Tory’s eyes widened.

Then so did Tabitha’s. “NO!” she breathed in total disbelief. “You’re getting a piece of Ash? Oh my God, girl, you go!” Tabitha started waving her hands and cackling excitedly. “If you want to make some real money, make pictures. I know women the world over who would pay big to see him naked, myself included!”

Pam high-fived her.

Tory buried her face against Kim’s shoulder while Kim patted her on the head. “There, there, baby. We’ll hide her body in the trunk later.”

Tabitha began running around the store, pulling things down from racks and shelves. “Ash definitely requires something black … no, wait. Red.
Racy
red.” She held a red furry teddy up, made a face and shook her head before Tory could even comment. “Not really your color. Oh, wait!” She ran to the back room, then came out with a sheer black babydoll that had small skulls and crossbones with tiny pink bows on their heads. “Perfect for Ash. He’ll love it.”

Tory had to agree. But it made her wonder just how well Tabitha knew him. “Tabitha, have you and Ash ever…?”

“Please, no. Don’t I wish.” She leaned over to whisper in Tory’s ear. “And don’t tell my hubby I said that ’cause it would just make him mental. But before I met my baby, I dreamed many a dream of taking a bite out of that man if you know what I mean and since you’re here I know that you do.”

Tabitha went to a bookshelf at the back of the store and grabbed two books down. “You’ll want these too.”

Tory frowned at the one on top that featured a woman in a corset holding a cucumber.
“How To Tickle His Pickle?”

Tabitha nodded proudly. “My personal fave. It’s all you’ll ever need to know to make a man go crazy.”

The next book was even stranger. This one was even shrink-wrapped. Tory looked at it suspiciously. “
Manga Sutra?
”

“Ash loves manga.” Tabitha patted the book and grinned. “He’ll be very interested in that one, not that I think he doesn’t know everything in it. But … could come in handy.” Tabitha went to the front of the store and opened the glass cabinet near the register before she started pulling other things out.

Tory’s face flamed at the items Tabitha piled on the counter. “They make flavored nipple cream?”

“Oh, yeah, great stuff. It’s not only flavored, but tinted to make you a bit rosier
and
best of all, it has a dab of menthol to make your nipples really hard so they’re extra sensitive and men go wild for it. They just love stiffened nipples.”

Kim and Pam laughed.

Tory covered her face with her hands and wanted to die of embarrassment. It was bad enough to have this stuff, but the fact that Tabitha knew Ash just made it all the more horrifying.

She was sure he’d be mortified to know that a friend of his had helped her pick this stuff out. And by the time she was being rung up, Tory was almost too embarrassed to go back to Sanctuary and face him.

As she dug out her credit card to pay for it, a tall extremely good-looking man came out of the back room. Dressed in a black turtleneck and slacks, he frowned at Tabitha, who was still chattering away with Pam.

“You okay, baby?” he asked Tabitha, his eyes dark with concern as he came up to place a hand against her cheek. “You’re extremely flushed.”

Tabitha turned to him with an impish squeal. “Oh, brace yourself, Val. Ash is getting laid tonight!” She pointed with both hands at Tory, who wanted to crawl inside her purse and hide until old age claimed her.

To Val’s credit, he didn’t so much as blink. He offered Tory a commiserating smile. “It helps if you don’t react to her comments. Tabitha lives to get a rise out of people. Just go with it and don’t encourage her.”

Tabitha snorted. “Be that way.” She handed Tory the bag and thanked her.

“Thank you,” Tory said.

“Good luck, hon, and remember … pictures!” Tabitha waited until they were gone before she whirled on Valerius. “Can you believe our Ash is getting laid?”

Val snorted. “Call me provincial, but I don’t really consider him mine. And yes, I can believe the man has sex. What I find surprising is that this is the first time we’ve met the woman involved.” He reached for his phone. “Maybe I should call and warn him.”

“Oh, put that away.” She pushed it toward his pocket. “Our baby is growing up. I’m so proud!”

*   *   *

Tory had barely put the bag in the room before the band took another break. She’d just lain back down in bed when Ash opened the door with a tray in his hands.

“What’s that?”

“I thought you might be hungry. I ran the options past Kim and she picked out what you should be eating.” He set it down on the table beside her.

Tory smiled at his thoughtfulness.
“Efharisto.”

“Parakalo.”

She melted at his unique accent as he said “You’re welcome” in Greek. “I love the way you speak. I could listen to your Greek all day long.”

He handed her another bottle of apple juice while he took a swig of his beer. “Are you completely bored?”

She reached up and pulled his sunglasses off so she could see his eyes. “Not entirely. How’s the set going?”

“It’s all right. I could kill Colt for hurting his hand. I don’t really like playing in public.”

“But you play so well.”

“Yeah, but I’d rather play with myself.” There was an evil glint in his eyes at the double entendre.

Laughing, Tory shook her head at him. “You and Pam, always trying to embarrass me.”

“In my defense, it’s because you’re adorable when you blush.”

She wrinkled her nose at him as she swallowed her bite of applesauce. “You want some?”

“Ochi.” No,
in Greek.

“You sure?” She tried to tempt him again.

“Positive.” Ash remembered the last time he’d eaten an apple. It’d been that day in the orchard with Ryssa when he’d begged his father not to send him back to Atlantis. Ever since then, he’d despised the fruit. The mere thought of it turned his stomach.

“So how many more sets do you have to play?”

“One more.”

She bit her lip in a way that made him harden for want of her. “Then I get to play with you…”

His cock jerked, ready for action even while his brain knew better. “You should reconsider.”

She reached out and took his hand in hers. Her thumb swept against his palm in the gentlest of caresses. “When was the last time you made love to someone, Ash?”

Ash looked away as painful memories surged. Honestly, he couldn’t remember. Had he ever really made love to Artemis? Maybe in the very beginning. But it was so long ago and it hadn’t lasted.

All he could remember was the pain of her criticisms. The sheer agony of being nothing more than her boy-toy, there only to please her while he wasn’t allowed to have any feelings or opinions of his own. Only she could show her pain and displeasure while he was permitted nothing. Not even his dignity.

What they had was sex. Basic and primitive. There was no emotion involved really, unless it was anger.

Like all the others before her, she hated the fact that she craved him and she sought to punish him for the fact that she slept with him. They merely used each other. If there had ever been any real tender feelings, they’d been shredded centuries ago. Nothing was left now except tattered remains of a yesterday neither could recapture.

“Can’t you remember?” Tory asked.

“Not really,” he answered truthfully.

Tory’s heart tugged at the way he said those words. She touched his whiskered chin and turned his head until he was looking at her. “I’m going to make love to you, Ash. Tonight, I will rock your world.”

Ash pressed her hand to his lips and nibbled her fingertips as fear and trepidation filled him. This night would cost him dearly.

No one should pay for love with blood and bone.