Your Treat or Mine (2 page)

It looked a thousand times more
ominous than it had the one time she’d ventured to it. She’d gone to see the
plot approximately six months after she discovered JAK, Inc.’s major secret.
She’d felt obligated then. Apparently, it was good form to visit the graves of
those who had started the company, especially since many of the founding
vampires hibernated on the plot. Though it had been a hot, summer day, the
sight of the burial ground with its large tombs, artistic sculptures and
mausoleums had chilled her to the bone.

 
“Damn,” she whispered savagely, as she reversed
her car. It had occurred to her that parking right in front of the graveyard
was not a good idea as it might alert people to the fact that she was inside.

Amelia placed the car in park and
breathed deeply, trying to calm her nerves. Think, think, she whispered to
herself as she felt the beginnings of a panic attack tighten her muscles.

“All you have to do is find the
Wolf’s Cock and the Tiger’s Phallus,” she breathed out through shaky lips. The
only thing keeping Amelia from putting her car in drive and bolting was that,
according to the note, neither the cock nor phallus “lay with the dead”. Which
meant that Amelia didn’t have to search any of the burial plots for them.

Amelia pictured her goal—corner
office with her name, an impressive title on the door and the chance to
restructure the company’s marketing program.

After taking a final deep breath
she unlocked the door and stepped out. She almost immediately regretted her
determination. The autumn night was unseasonably cold and she was sorely
undressed.

“Son of a…” she cursed as she ran
across the street to the burial ground’s gate. The outfit that had lay in the
white box the Council gave her had consisted of little more than a few scraps
of red fabric and a pair of strappy, red platforms. Once she was dressed,
Amelia realised she looked like a very carnal depiction of Little Red Riding
Hood, complete with a basket filled with sexual goodies.

She might have bitten off more
than she could chew.

As Amelia strode towards the
gate, she silently uttered prayers that the outfit was more for show than
anything else. If she was supposed to get some guy hot and bothered, she was
screwed.

Five foot two, overweight, and
plain, Amelia had never been the kind to turn on the opposite sex. All of her
thoroughly disappointing sexual experiences had been the result of years of friendship
that eventually went nowhere.

“Please let the phalluses be made
of plastic, or wood, or iron…just not flesh,” she whispered as she fished out
the key that had been among the basket’s goodies. After a few seconds she had
the graveyard gate open.

Amelia discovered she was a lot
more religious than she’d previously thought. As she prowled through the
graveyard searching for anything remotely like a cock, she sent constant
prayers to God.

“Halt!”

She froze at the sound of the
loud, irritated masculine voice. Her body broke out into a quiver when the
shout was followed by the heavy thud of footsteps. She panicked and took off,
running as quickly as possible in her four-inch platforms.

Amelia hadn’t considered there
might be security guards at the burial ground. When the head priestess had told
her she was to inform anyone she ran across that she sought the Wolf’s Cock and
Tiger’s Phallus, she hadn’t actually believed she would meet anyone at the
grave.

For God’s sake it was a burial
site for shifters and a home for hibernating vampires. Who the hell would have
thought they needed guards?

The
founding families
,
she thought as she ran around a grotesque sculpture. Or at least the closest
she could come to a running in her stupid heels.

Abort.
Abort
, the more
intelligent portion of her mind screamed, but she ignored it. If she took off
and left the graveyard she would be leaving behind all chances of a promotion.
Instead of running, Amelia dashed behind a large sculpture of a winged angel
and held her breath.

Her thundering heartbeat counted
the seconds until the sounds of the guard’s footsteps receded. When she could
hear him no longer she crawled forward, headed across a small open field in the
opposite direction of his receding steps. Amelia hadn’t taken two steps when
she came face to knees with the guard.

She lurched back, but it was too
late. He moved quickly, grasped her arms and gingerly lifted until she was
staring right into his dark eyes.

“Oh my God,” she gasped.

He grinned at her obvious fright.
“I’ve been called worse before,” he said and threw her over his shoulder.

*
 
*
 
*
 
*

Riley
Christensen stood in the shadows at the far end of the mausoleum that housed
his great grandfather’s body, all his senses—paranormal and normal – were open
to the damp autumn air. The wind shifted. It was just the slightest change in
the atmosphere, but it brought Riley’s inner beast clawing to get to the
surface. The hair on his nape stirred then. His beast was wild, determined to
be set free. Riley glanced at the full moon and wondered for the millionth time
what was the connection between the wolf that lived inside of him and full
moons. Contrary to the occult legends humans told about his kind, werewolves
could control themselves when the full moon was out. He’d yet to involuntary
morph into his bestial form during the full moon phase, but that didn’t mean he
didn’t feel connected to it, didn’t feel its pull.

Moments earlier
Vittorio had left the quiet sanctuary of the room they spent eight hours a night
in five days a week. Something had stirred in the graveyard and Vittorio had
gone to check things out. It had been the first indication that something was
wrong.

Probably
another teenager. They’d been climbing over the ground’s large fence all night.
It was, after all, Halloween, and nothing attracted teenagers quite like a
burial ground on Halloween when there was a full moon out.

The perfect
setting for a scary movie, he thought with a grimace.

Today was not a
good day. He couldn’t explain the feeling. Riley had woken with the feeling
that today was going to change his life. He immediately hated the feeling.
Unlike many of his kind, Riley didn’t believe in fate. He was too calculating
to hold stock in something so fickle.

Definitely not a good night.

The cool air
wasn’t doing enough to calm Riley’s irritation. He moved from the banister he’d
been leaning on and rolled his shoulders. A growl of distaste rumbled through
the air. It wasn’t until he heard the sound that Riley realised it had come
from him.

He ran a rough
palm down his chest and felt the coarseness of the cotton shirt. At that hour
and with the full moon in the sky Riley felt the undeniable desire to strip and
let his beast run free.

It was either
that or get naked with some gorgeous woman.

He eyed the
graveyard and wondered how angry Vittorio would get if he shifted.

He would
probably blow a gasket. Unlike him, Vittorio tended to follow the rules. Riley
preferred to make up his own as he went along. Yet over the years, he and
straight laced Vittorio had come to be best friends.

Unlike most of
the Christensens and Bonacellis that made up the JAK, Inc. corporation, Riley
and Vittorio actually got along.

Riley turned,
intending to go back to the quiet, boring security room when he felt the change
in the atmosphere. He took a deep breath and drank in Vittorio’s scent. The
were-tiger was returning.

With a human.

A female human.

Riley whipped
around and glanced at the deserted landscape before him. Even with his preternatural
sight, he couldn’t see Vittorio, but he could scent him and the female.

A low growl was
torn from Riley’s throat. His wolf liked the woman’s scent and was irritated
that he had to wait to drink more of it.

“Relax,” Riley
breathed out.

After what felt
like an eternity Vittorio and the woman appeared. Riley couldn’t help the smile
that flashed across his face when he saw the female was thrown across Vittorio’s
shoulder. And by the looks of it she was angry.

With purposeful
strides, Vittorio reached the large mausoleum, fuming woman over his brawny
shoulder.

“What have we
got here?” Riley asked as Vittorio placed the human on the steps. She staggered
for a moment. Riley and Vittorio automatically held out their hands to help her
out. She flinched as though she’d been struck.

“Do you have
any idea how much trouble you’re in?” Vittorio growled out.

Blue eyes
lifted to stare at Vittorio before turning to him. “I have an idea,” she
murmured as her gaze landed back on Vittorio.

Reluctantly,
Riley felt a little admiration for the human woman. He could scent her fear. It
clung to every inch of her voluptuous frame, but it wasn’t apparent she was
frightened from the calm look on her face.

“What exactly
are you doing here?” Riley asked the woman. The way she was dressed was
definitely something new. She looked like the world’s smuttiest, sexiest Little
Red Riding Hood. Her hair was pulled from her face by her simple red headband.
Her lips were painted the same colour. Her eyes were blue, lined with thick
darkened lashes.

Somehow she
managed to look both innocent and wicked. Riley’s gaze lowered. She was
probably able to accomplish such a feat thanks to her outfit and simple makeup.

She wore a
corset that pushed up her bountiful breasts and cinched her waist, a tiny scrap
of fabric that at best could be called a skirt, with black fishnets and red platforms.
The outfit was complete with a small cape and picnic basket.

She opened her
mouth, closed it, and then opened it again. The second time words came out
although Riley was sure he misheard her.

“I’m looking
for the Wolf’s Cock and the Tiger’s Phallus.”

Riley stared at
the buxom beauty before him, wondering if she’d lost her mind. Because the
words she was uttering didn't make any sense. Not unless he took them to
mean...

Riley shook
aside the carnal images that had risen at that train of thought. Feeling
thoroughly lost, he darted a glance at the man across from him. Vittorio looked
as stunned as he felt.

Apparently he
had not misheard the woman.

Still he needed
to make sure he and his partner's ears were not playing a trick on him. Riley
asked the woman to repeat herself. She peered at both men, hunched her
shoulders in defence, and clear as day she said, “I’m here to obtain the Tiger’s
Phallus and the Wolf’s Cock.”

Nope. They’d
heard her right the first time.

Though both men
had heard her say what she was looking for the first time, hearing it spoken so
loudly with so much conviction went through them like lightning. Riley saw
Vittorio stiffen.

For several
heart pounding moments neither man moved. Riley knew he didn’t move because he didn’t
know how to react or respond to the woman’s statement. He was pretty sure his
friend was in the same boat.

Damn! Something
occurred to him.

He whipped the
woman around and glared down at her in irritation. He was ticked off by her
presence, because it meant a night filled with more than the simple work
required to keep teenagers looking for an exciting Halloween out at the burial
ground.

Now because of
her he was going to have to contact headquarters, and let his older brother
know all was not well. He hated doing the simple act because it made him feel
look like a screw up and he was trying very hard to prove he was ready to take
on more responsibility at JAK, Inc.

Double damn!

He grabbed her
arm and tugged her behind him as he strode into the portion of the mausoleum
that housed the security room. He heard Vittorio following in their wake. Once
Vittorio closed and locked the door, Riley released the female.

“What is your
name?” he barked out.

She glared at
him, no doubt imagining all the things she would do to him if she had something
sharp in her hands. “Amelia,” she muttered after several tense movements of
holding his stare.

He took a step
forward. She instinctively took two back. Riley glanced at her feet
automatically as a smile spread across his face. He lifted one eyebrow in
silent inquiry at the bright red platform heels she wore. His allowed his gaze
to move higher, taking in every inch of the woman in front of him. One thing
was sure. She was dressed enticingly enough to capture his cock’s attention.

Riley’s eyes
finally reached her face to find dark blue eyes, bright with surprise, staring
up at him.

Riley couldn't
help himself. He took another step forward. As expected, the diminutive woman
moved backwards. Her plump backside bumped right into the desk he’d occupied
earlier, preventing her from going anywhere.

Riley felt his
smile get wider as he took another step. This one brought him right to her. He
was so close he could feel the change in her body heat as her flight or fight
instincts kicked in. He heard her take in a deep breath before tamping down the
need to take flight.