Page 28 of Skin Trade

“Won’t you get in trouble?”

Sky shrugged. “This is Sir’s place. These are Sir’s things. Put them on.”

Sky had chosen a delicate necklace. It was gold and rested perfectly above her cleavage. It teased it even. She wore earrings, big enough to make a statement, but small enough they were modest. Sky completed her look with a clutch purse, and she styled Payton’s hair for her, putting it up on top of her head in a pile of dark curls and leaving enough to hang down the sides around her lightly made-up face.

“There. I believe you are ready.” She grabbed Payton by the waist and led her to the big mirror. “Sir will be very happy.”

“Sir will be very happy indeed,” he said from the doorway, making Payton’s chest tighten. Just standing there, he filled the gap in the doorway, not with his body, but his sheer presence. He probably would have done that anywhere.

He had changed his clothes too. The waistcoat was gone, and Payton didn’t miss the way his face had colour, making him look human. A well-fed vampire easily passed for one of her kind.

“Sir,” Sky said, and she bowed her head and stepped back from Payton, slipping away to leave them.

Payton’s insides turned to jelly the moment she saw him, and she went to cover herself and fold her arms across her chest.

“You’re going to spoil the view if you do that.”

She smoothed the dress down, tugged it into place even though it hadn’t moved. “Maybe I should change. I feel so …”

“You will do nothing of the sort.” He was in front of her again, gaze on her body. He took her in, in a long, slow sweep of his eyes. “Stand with confidence Payton. Arms down, head up.” He lifted her chin. “Show others you are not afraid of them. You are not searching for their approval; they are searching for yours.” He ran a knuckle down from her neck to the edge of the necklace, the same way he had done when she had been wearing the chain and in his office. She was learning these little things about him. The way he moved, the way he touched her. His touch ignited her body, leaving a trail of heat to blaze through her. She might as well give up trying to cover up the way her body gave her away. It was useless around him.

“What are you thinking now?” he asked.

“Nothing. I wasn’t thinking—”

“You’re not a very good liar.” He put his mouth to her ear, lowered his voice. “Do I need to remind you what you were thinking about?” His eyes gleamed, hard and bright.

“Then you already know,” she said. She picked up her purse and held it in front of her. The way her arms lay across her body, pushed her breasts together in the dress, showing off more of their roundness. He was right. It was others who needed the approval. Not her. “Are we ready to go wherever it is we’re going?”

He tilted his head and a wry smile pinched at his lips. “You’re angry with me.” He didn’t give her time to answer, when he added, “I like that. But now, we go.”

The car was parked outside the front of Skin Trade, rather than the entrance to which Seth had originally brought her. Mathias stood beside the car; hands clasped in front of him. He went to open the door for Seth, but Seth shook his head and motioned for Mathias to leave it.

Maybe because Seth had come to the auctions alone, Payton expected him to be the one to drive wherever they were going. But really, this was a normal action. Vampires in power—vampires with city ownership—didn’t do things for themselves. Not mundane things like driving. It made Seth even more intriguing.

Seth had a leather file on his lap. He opened it and pulled out the sheet of paper inside. Payton couldn’t tell what it said, but it had the official Nosferatu emblem on the top. It made her ability to get comfortable even worse.

As they drove, the leather of the seat creaked each time she tried to get her position right, and the more she moved, the louder the sound got. She stole glances at Seth to see if it was annoying him, but he was immersed in whatever he was reading. Finally, she settled into a position and leant back in the seat.

Everything was so bright outside. Really bright. The streetlights lit the place like the sun was up. Maybe that was the point. To make the vampires feel like they were walking in the day.

Payton had spent enough time cooped up in the dark with Creven to drive her mad. What it would be like to be locked in the dark for the rest of eternity was beyond her reasoning.

“Where are we going?” she asked Seth when he put his papers down and closed the file.

“To Lush.”

“Lush? I’ve heard of that before.” The place sounded familiar, but she couldn’t get the imagine in her head of it.

“You will have. It is part owned by Creven.”

“He’ll be there?” She clutched her bag tightly to her, held herself still as if suddenly Creven was physically in the car with them. If Seth hadn’t been watching her, she might have wrapped her arms around herself.

Maybe he knew what she felt, or saw something in her expression, because he said, “He cannot take you back.”

“I know.” Still, bumps broke out on her skin and she found herself uncomfortable again. She’d be happy if that name was never spoken aloud again. “I just …”

“Are with me.”

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