Lick & Devour (Monster Novelette) (2 page)

Feeling not only violated by his stare and the low toned response that was assumingly supposed to be sexy, Eden knew it was time to get the hell out of dodge. Fuck the giant commission.

"Mr. Blake, I'm sorry, but I don’t think I’m the right agent for this particular job. It would be best to let Allison resume this deal when she gets back. Or we can have someone else..."

"You can call me, Ethan," he maintained that arrogant smirk as he approached her. "And I don't want someone else. Allison has done a good job so far, but I know you’ll do better. Let me take you to dinner tonight, I’m sure having your company will help fast track my decision to make an offer.”

That did it. Eden lost her professional smile, her anger too close to boiling over. She regarded him with the same cool look of contempt she'd picked up from Dominic. "That’s not going to happen.”

“Why not?”

“Firstly, I don’t mix business and pleasure. Secondly, I’m married.”

“So am I. I don’t see how that matters.”

God this man was an ass!

“I’m sure your wife would have an issue with you having dinner with other women. I know my husband will.”

“My wife is of no concern and you don’t seem to think much of your marriage, Ms. Mercer—there’s no ring on your finger.”

Her eyes involuntarily veered to her left hand, noting the absence of the massive ring that had been there before. She hadn’t worn her wedding ring for a good year now and was probably not going to wear it any time soon. The reason being that it was a partial representation of their past relationship. He’d bought her body with that ring. It had started the damaging cycle of control, in which he would use his wealth to dictate every aspect of her life and she’d allowed him to do it, because she’d been blinded by the materialistic things his money could get her. They were past that now, but Eden couldn’t bring herself to wear the ring again, especially when it contained so many bad memories.

Eden sighed. “This conversation has veered into inappropriate territory, Mr. Blake, so for the sake of professionalism I’m going to have to end it now and say goodbye. I’m sorry I wasn’t able to help you today.” In saying that she turned on her heel, leaving the mansion without further interference. Although Eden could feel the unpleasant scope of his slithery gaze long after she was safely tucked in her car and driving away.

She made sure to call Kennedy first, needing to provide her boss with a brief report on what a spectacular fail this showing had turned out to be. It wasn’t usually how they operated. If they lost a client, it was up to that particular agent to recover the cost by working doubly hard to make the next sale. But seeing as how this client wasn’t hers to begin with, Eden wanted to at least cover her ass if Mr. Blake decided to make a complaint. Which, based on his character, Eden assumed was something he would likely do. Kennedy didn’t answer, so Eden left her a message. Nothing too detailed, just that she needed to talk to her whenever she got the message.

With her stress level racing toward red, Eden decided a little R&R was in order and she knew just the place for it. It took her approximately forty-five minutes battling through late afternoon traffic to get to Randy’s Wine & Spirit and another twenty minutes to pull up to her destination, the apartment complex located just a few minutes away from her own home. Balancing two bottles of Merlot, her briefcase and her purse, while maintaining a stack of mail under her left armpit, Eden deftly inserted the lone silver key into the keyhole and turned it twice to the right. Once opened she palmed the key and pushed down on the handle to allow her access to her best friend's apartment. She used her butt to close the door behind her before heading further inside, leaving Jenna’s mail on the small table by the door. About midway through the apartment, just as she ambled down the last of the three steps that led to the open living room, Eden heard a noise that put a decisive halt to her steps. She strained to hear, believing she'd misheard the small moan that caused her to stop. But then, as if to pronounce that she'd heard exactly right, the moan came again, only this time it was louder. There was no denying that unmistakable sound of pleasure.

Jenna was getting some.

And while propriety dictated that she make herself scarce and allow her friend the privacy this intimate moment warranted, Eden's own recent dry spell had her acting irrationally, bringing out the inner voyeur in her. Quiet as a mouse, she continued straight to the kitchen to set down the wine bottles and her luggage on the island countertop before hurrying to one of the Cherry wood cabinets. Taking one of the tall wine glasses in the set of twelve, she set it down on the countertop. The black electric wine opener Jenna always kept on hand was easily found next to the coffee maker. Pouring herself a nice tall glass after she'd opened it, Eden hurried back to the living room, bypassing the burgundy, L shaped micro suede couch for a better seat at the top of the three steps. The hallway leading to Jenna's bedroom was dimly lit, but Eden wasn't so classless as to go any closer than she already was to the door.

Sipping on the warm, rich wine that would've been even more delectable iced cold, Eden sat quietly and listened.

"God yeah, just like that,"

A small, perverse smile tugged at Eden's mouth even while her cheeks flamed from the image her mind instantly conjured. Except it was
her
in there rather than her blonde haired friend and in place of the male with the muffled voice, it was the deep, sexy rumble of one Dominic Armstrong. God she missed him. Valentine's Day was tomorrow and they were oceans apart. So honestly she couldn’t be blamed for wanting to live vicariously through her friend.

"Yeah, fuck, lick it slow..."

Dominic had an extremely talented tongue. As the thought whispered in her mind, Eden’s eyes drifted shut, the corner of her bottom lip between her teeth, she imagined what it would be like to have him here with her now, putting that expert tongue to good use. He would kiss her first, plunge between her yielding lips with that fierce male dominance of his and violate her mouth in the hottest way possible. Then he would lick down her neck, scrape and nip with teeth that would be hungry to get a bite of her skin. She could practically hear the panty wetting huskiness of his baritone, whispering at her ear. "
Sweet pet,"
he would murmur,
"do you have any cream for me?"
his large hand would cup her breast, while the other trailed slowly between her legs, strong, thick masculine fingers would part the soaking lips of her clit and----

"Eden!"

Eden yelped, jumping nearly out of her skin at being caught, she accidentally tipped her glass sideways effectively spilling the deep red wine all over her skirt and Jenna's dark oak floors. In the stretch of silence that followed, Eden looked up and saw a handsome man
standing next to her best friend, who, clad in a black satin robe peered down at Eden with humor dancing in her cornflower blue eyes.

"Oh God, Jen, I'm so sorry!" Mortified, she scrambled to the kitchen to grab a roll of paper towels on the counter and hurried back seconds later. Knowing of the embarrassment that awaited her if she dared to look up again, Eden kept her amber gaze on the floor. That awkward moment of silence appeared to stretch in to eternity, but was in actuality only a few seconds before Jenna, bless her kind heart, turned her attention to her male friend and ushered him away from the debacle that was Eden.

"Sorry to cut it short, Ryan."

"Don't worry about it. I've had my mom walk in on me several times when I was with a girl."

A long pause followed that silence before, "Your mom?"

"Yeah. She can be real cool roommate, but sometimes she gets a little weird when I bring girls around. But don't worry about it, she'll totally be cool with us using my room tomorrow night. She's got a date, I've got a date---"

"Actually Ryan, I think I have gonorrhea."

Eden covered her giggle with a cough.

"But..."

"Trust me I'm thinking of you. You should find another date for tomorrow."

"But..."

"Bye."

Slam!

Laughter filled Eden's throat at Jenna's shuffled return, but because she was a good friend she swallowed it down.

"You can go ahead and laugh, you little skank," Jenna fired without a hint of malice, her own spout of amusement thick in her voice.

"You should keep the date, who knows his mom might bake you guys heart shaped cookies after he fucks your brains out," Eden said in between gasping breaths.

Jenna picked up roll of paper and threw it at her, just as she burst out in another fit of laughter.

***

Later, once Eden had calmed enough to beg her friend for a change of clothes, they both sat on the couch with their respective wine glasses in hand, both filled nearly to the brim.

"Man, I sure know how to pick ‘em. I didn't realize I was fucking Norman Bates." She said with a shudder. "God, but he had a nice dick. Can you believe it's pierced?"

Eden's eyes widened over the rim of her glass, "Mama's boy?"

Jenna grinned, "Oh yeah, eight inches, with a barbell at the head."

"Jesus,"

"Yup. And he comes likes a fucking racehorse.” She sighed, raking a hand through her ash blond hair, she pursed her lips. “I was really hoping for a good time tomorrow. Too fucking bad he lives with his goddamn Mom. I mean the guy's almost thirty. That's not fucking normal!"

"Who says you have to see her? That's what hotel rooms are for. Hell I'll promise to stay far away from here tomorrow if you want to bring him back here." Eden smiled sheepishly. "Sorry by the way. Didn't mean to interrupt. It's just been an extremely dry few weeks."

"He's been gone, what, two weeks now? When is he coming back?"

Eden sighed, taking another sip from her glass. "Not for another two weeks. This is longest he's been away since we got back together." She lamented. "And it's not even just the sex, Jenna. I
really
miss him. I feel like I'm not whole until I'm in his arms. Crazy right?"

Jenna smiled wide, "Sweetie, that's love. It wouldn't make sense if it wasn't crazy. He's changed a lot in the last year. Is he still in therapy?"

There were a lot of things Eden had kept private from her friend. Namely the issues of Dominic's past and the demons that had turned him into the
heartless monster he'd been for so long. She'd revealed very little, simply enough that the other woman knew that Dominic was working on himself so that he and Eden could continue to strengthen their relationship. Five years of a broken marriage couldn't possibly be healed in the short year that they've reconciled, but they were both so willing to work on it, to make it better than it was. Though she’d signed the divorce papers, Eden hadn’t given them to her attorney. But considering how good things were going, she doubted she would. She loved their relationship the way it was now. They were still getting to know each other, still so eager to make the other one happy. She wasn’t wearing her wedding ring and he wasn’t pressuring her to. There was a silent understanding between them that it would take time
, and he’d told her on more than one occasion that he would wait for as long as it took and for that alone, Eden adored him so much more than she ever imagined she could.

"Yeah, I even had a few chances to sit in one some of his sessions. Couple's therapy,” she mused. “It’s been good for us.” More than good, actually. But Eden didn’t want to divulge too much. “How’s your day been? I mean aside from having ‘mama’s boy’ deep sea diving in your lady bits.” She grinned at the glare her inquiry provoked.

“Work sucks, school sucks even harder, but at least I’m one step closer to the nursing program, so score for that.” Jenna raised her glass up to Eden in cheers before guzzling down the little bit that remained.

“I’m so proud of you, Jen,” Eden said with a smile, genuinely happy for her best friend. “You’ve been busting your ass just to get into that program. I can’t wait until you’re finished and we can celebrate your success.”

Jenna stood and headed for the kitchen, with the empty bottle of wine she’d grabbed from the coffee table. The openness of her living room allowed her to keep the other woman in her line of sight as she grabbed the second bottle of Merlot Eden brought from the countertop and put it inside the fridge. “It’s honestly all thanks to you, Eden. I wouldn’t have been able to afford these classes if it wasn’t for the loan you gave me.” Retrieving an ice cold bottle of Riesling, she popped the cork and returned to the living room. “You’ve been such an amazing friend to me. I don’t know what I would do if I didn’t have you in my life.”

“We’ve been there for each other, Jenna,” Eden said, holding her glass out so Jenna could fill it. “You were there for me through the whole Dominic ordeal and even before that. You’re like my sister and I love you. You have to know I would do anything for you.”

“God you’re such a sap,” Jenna replied with tears in her eyes. “I love you too,” she said quietly.

“You’re pretty syrupy yourself, bright eyes.”

They laughed and the rest of their conversation continued on in that regard until they’d polished off the second bottle of wine. They eventually migrated to the kitchen and while Eden watched Jenna cook, she recounted the details of her day, ending with the catastrophic Mr. Blake and his weird come on.

“No fucking way, he did not say that!”