Sundown & Serena (20 page)

“Are you working tonight at the diner?” Vince
asked.

I nodded. “Same shift as last night.”

“I’ll bring someone to see you, right before
closing. Okay?”

“You’re on,” I said with a smile.

Vince gave me a quick kiss, obviously
relieved. He grabbed the two empty pizza boxes again. “See you
later, then,” he said, then left.

I lay there in bed for a while alone,
considering how my life had changed and where it might be heading.
Yesterday, I’d been a virgin who’d never been looked at twice, and
on the edge of poverty. Today, I had enough money to pay my rent
for the next two months, the memory of a night like one of the
erotic romance novels I loved to read, and the promise of more
money and nights of passion to come. Yes, I knew on some level I’d
sold myself, but it didn’t feel wrong to me. I’d enjoyed what I’d
done with Nick and Vince. Patty did the same thing with many men
for free. So why couldn’t I? And why not do it again, if it was
what I wanted?

Not coming to any specific resolution, I ate
more of my pizza, and watched a little TV. I wasn’t tired, even
with being up half the night. I was sweaty, though, and so took a
long hot shower, dressing again in my clothes afterwards. After, I
finished the pizza, then grabbed the room key and my purse, and
headed downstairs to check out.

The walk home felt like a jaunt to me; my
mood was ecstatic and I couldn’t help smiling at random strangers
as I passed them by. Once back at my apartment, I hurried to put on
fresh clothes, choosing the best ones I had.

I got to the diner just in time for my shift,
and took up my spot behind the grill. Fred nodded to me like he
always did, then went back to his paper. The normal action made me
feel strange. I felt so different inside now that I expected him to
notice somehow. Yet oddly, on some level, his normal routine
brought a measure of relief, too.
I’m still the
same ordinary Serena I’ve always been, if I want to be.

The day passed by quickly. As it got later
and later, I wondered if Vince would really come again to see me. I
tried to relax, but butterflies flitted in my stomach.
I want him to come. What if no one comes?

My shift ended with no visitors or sign of
Vince and the other. As I closed up, I felt a little sad, wondering
if they had found another were girl who was prettier.
That doesn’t matter. I have money now. And I have the
memories.

I grabbed my purse, calling goodnight to
Fred. As the back door swung shut behind me, a rich, euphonious
voice called my name, causing me to turn. “Serena?”

The man walking toward me had to be the most
handsome man I had ever seen. He was dressed in a white shirt, and
some fitted cotton pants, also white. He had on some kind of soft
leather shoes. His blond hair was to his shoulders, curling softly,
and a day’s growth of beard covered his face, making him appear
like one of the foresters who sometimes visited the diner. But his
outfit and very pale skin told me he was wealthy, probably a
tourist. “Yes?”

He came closer, stopping directly in front of
me. “Vince told me who you were, and where to find you,” he said,
his lilting voice so intoxicating it seemed to be caressing me. “My
name is Devlin Dalcon. Vince and Nick work for me.”

So this was Dev, the womanizer that they had
been talking about. “It’s good to meet you.”

“I can see from your expression that my men
were talking about me,” Devlin purred in pleasure. “I can sense
your arousal.”

I blushed, then looked in his face and
noticed his eyes for the first time. They were an unusual golden
color, almost like honey when the light hits it and shines through
it.

He stared at me, his ‘come hither’ smile
widening. I blushed deeper.

“Get to it,” a hissing voice said. “We can’t
stand out here all night, so exposed.”

There was another shorter man behind Devlin,
facing away from me. He was dressed in black from head to toe and
seemed to be watching the street.

“Serena,” Devlin continued. “I want you to
consider coming to work for me. I know what you did for Nick and
Vince last night, and Vince told me you said you would enjoy doing
it on a regular basis for him and Nick. He said you would consider
doing it for other of the werebears in my employ. It would be
easier all around if you worked for me, instead of having them pay
you in cash time by time.”

Does he want to be my
pimp?
Put off, I gave him a suspicious look.

Devlin blinked, then bit his lip, as if he
were trying to keep from laughing. “I’m not suggesting this to make
money off you, Serena. This is about safety and security. I want
you to come and live at my estate near the beach, overlooking the
water. You can take care of the needs of my male guards. No one
will have to rent hotel rooms, and you won’t have to worry about
getting money up front, or having someone get rough with you, or
not paying you.”

Was he implying some of his
men were thugs, that they would cheat me?
“What are you
offering?”

“I’ll give you the same amount of money for
every night, no matter who comes to you. Even if no one does,
though I don’t imagine that will happen often.”

“What do you get out of this?” I
interrupted.

“My single men have been fighting lately
amongst themselves from the strain of being celibate,” Devlin
explained “Lash has had to break them up, and he has better things
to do.”

“You’re God damn right I do,” the hissing
voice griped.

The man in black must be Lash, Vince’s
boss. He must report to Devlin.

“I need them relaxed, with their minds on
their work,” Devlin continued. “If I don’t act now, things will
just get worse.” He paused. “I’ll have a portion of their paychecks
taken out to go toward your salary, for all the ones who want to be
serviced by you. I wouldn’t be paying all of your salary myself.
Some of my men have their own mates, and they won’t need your
services.”

“Would I pay you rent?” I asked. “What about
food?”

“Room and board would be included,” Devlin
said. “And you will have at least half of every day to yourself,
usually in the day hours, for sleeping and doing whatever you want.
But most nights, you’ll need to work.”

“Could I see your home before I give you my
answer?”

“Of course,” Devlin said graciously, offering
me his hand. “I want you to come there tonight with me. Right now,
in fact.”

Chapter
Three

I hesitantly took Devlin’s hand. He led me to
a black four-wheel drive vehicle, and opened the door for me. I got
in the front passenger seat. He closed it, then got in the back
seat as the man in black settled in the driver’s seat with another
curse. The man started the SUV, then looked up to lock eyes with
me. His eyes were cold, like the eyes of a lizard. “Put on your
seat belt,” he hissed. I glimpsed his fangs, curving back in his
mouth, almost hooked.

Fear flooded me. I held in my scream,
swallowing hard instead.
Lash is some type of
weresnake. He has to be with fangs like that.
Why didn’t he
have normal teeth, or normal eyes? Were all weresnakes like this,
or was he purposely staying partly changed to look more
frightening?
Will I have to sleep with this man
as part of the deal?
If so, I couldn’t do it. It was all I
could do to be this close to him.

“If you’re done staring, put on your seat
belt,” he said, this time his tone holding a trace of
amusement.

I did what he said, silently. Lash drove us
out of the tourist section, and out towards the coast.

“Tell me, Serena,” Devlin whispered in my
ear, as he leaned over the seat. “Are you alone here?”

I shot him another suspicious look.
“Yes.”

“Wereanimals are seldom alone, especially the
furry four-footed ones, as I smell you are,” he answered, smiling.
“And you are not mated, nor do you have a lover. I find that
unusual, from what I know of weres.”

He isn’t were, by his
scent.
Maybe he’s some type I’ve not
smelled before?
All I knew scent-wise was my own scent, the
rusty, musky scent of werebear, and now a musty earthy scent I
surmised was weresnake. “My father died,” I answered, shrugging.
“My mother died having me. I didn’t have money to go to the nearest
city, Rio. I’ve heard there are some weres there.”

“There are weres in Rio,” Devlin said,
nodding. “But mostly snakes, and some monkeys, a few cats.”

“Fucking cats,” the dark man snarled. I gave
him an anxious look.

“Yet even with the distance, it is odd to me
that you weren’t driven to seek out a mate,” Devlin whispered,
still in that seductive tone. “That the longing to be filled wasn’t
in your blood.”

His words aroused me, bringing images to mind
of my night with Vince and Nick in vivid color. “I didn’t think
about sex,” I said honestly. “There was never anyone around who I
was attracted to, not even humans.”

“Interesting,” Devlin said absently, sitting
back.

“So she’s a late bloomer,” the dark man said,
annoyed. “Better late than never.”

I flushed, as Devlin laughed.

The rest of the drive was silent. Soon we
were stopping before a huge villa. I got out, my eyes wide.
This place is beautiful.
The palm trees
were huge, and there were so many flowers and terraces and statues,
it truly was an estate.

“Get inside,” Lash hissed in my ear, giving
me a little push toward the front door. Devlin was already there,
speaking in a language I didn’t recognize. I hurried to catch up
with him, stepping quickly over the threshold. The weresnake came
behind me, striding fast as he looked around us, as if expecting an
imminent attack.

The place was a mansion, the bright white
furniture overstuffed and comfortable, like I’d seen in that
magazine
Beach Living
that Patty sometimes let me borrow. I
looked up at the curving spiral staircase, and wondered how I’d
gotten here. I wasn’t the kind of girl who found herself in
mansions. “This is just stunning.”

“I’m going out to check our borders,” Lash
hissed to Devlin. “Call my cell if you need me.”

“Watch yourself,” Devlin advised.

Lash nodded, going back out the front door
with a loud slam.

“Come upstairs,” Devlin said. I followed him
up the staircase. “This would be your room,” he said, stopping
beside a door, and opening it.

I walked in, looking around in disbelief. The
bed was huge, king size with a canopy, and there were a few
dressers and a vanity. The attached bathroom had a sunken tub, and
a large shower. There was real marble on the floor, and everything
was sparkling new, or at least, had been very well cleaned. Most
everything was white, or grayish white, except the blue bedding.
“It’s beautiful,” I said softly.

“Then you agree?” Devlin asked, studying me
with his golden eyes.

Don’t be wowed. You need to
be smart.
“How much money?”

“Two hundred a night,” he said. “It’s less
than you made last night, I know. But that will all be going into
your pocket. You won’t have any expenses. I’ll pay for everything
else you need, be it health care, toiletries, even lingerie. And,
as I said, you’ll have a measure of protection with me handling the
business end of things for you that you wouldn’t have trying to go
it alone.”

“Do I have to have sex with anyone who comes
to me?” I whispered. “Whatever they want?”

Devlin studied me. “You don’t want to be with
Lash.”

I nodded.

“Know he wouldn’t hurt you,” Devlin said
quietly. “But I’ll exclude him. He is the only male were here who
already has a werewoman he goes to, a boa. He won’t need your
services.”

That was a relief. A big one. I nodded.

“As far as the types of sex, I’d expect you
to willingly do anything within reason,” Devlin said carefully.
“The bears are mostly going to want regular sex and oral sex,
Serena. Nothing you haven’t already done. Anything besides that is
left up to your discretion.”

“Agreed,” I said, feeling an excited thrill.
I pushed it down, feeling guilty at my lust, then told myself that
guilt didn’t matter.
I’m doing this, because I
want to. And it’s okay, because it’s what I want to do.

“Take these,” he said, and handed me a packet
of birth control pills. “Condoms break,” he added flatly. “Take
these every day, and you won’t get pregnant. Then you won’t have to
use the condoms at all, unless you want to. While the odds of two
werecreatures of different species mating successfully is low with
regular sexual intervals, you’re going to be having far more sex
than the average werewoman, Serena. That makes pregnancy a very
real possibility, one that must be contemplated.”

That wasn’t the only
possibility.
“What about, um ...?”

“Diseases?” Devlin supplied.

I nodded.

“Nick and Vince got tested today,” Devlin
explained. “They told me they were bare with you orally. I’ve seen
the results, they’re fine, but I want you to be healthy. Some of
the other men are getting tested tomorrow, and I’ll tell you the
names of the ones who are safe. No one is going to endanger you, at
least while we’re here, and you’re the only were they can be with.”
He paused. “But we won’t be here forever, Serena. So if you are
worried, or ever suspect that maybe someone has something, for any
reason, you can refuse anyone you like for one night, and demand he
go and test himself. If the test is clean, I will expect you to
service him, but if it’s not, or he refuses to get tested, you tell
me his name, and Lash will take it out of his hide. And you will
never be with him again. I don’t want anyone making you sick,
Serena. That’s not only bad for you, but everyone who’s with you
would get sick, too. I can’t have that. All the men are aware of
what I expect of them, so you shouldn’t have any problems. But tell
me, if you do, and I’ll take care of it.”