Page 116 of Vampire so Virtuous
He straightened as she approached, gaze flicking briefly to the two thralls behind her before settling on her. Hunger flashed in his eyes, intense and possessive.
“You look… ravishing.”
Ravishing?
She had dressed up, opting for classic and confident in a sleek, black body-skimming midi that hugged her figure, with a cut-out back and high slit adding just enough allure. Paired with a little smokey eye makeup to bring out the gray of her eyes, dusty rose lipstick, and a cropped jacket in a sleek, matte fabric with heeled ankle boots, she’d been aiming for sharp—and judging by Antoine’s reaction, he appreciated it. She almost smiled but caught herself. She hadn’t dressed for him. She’d dressed for herself. And to blend in.
“It’s not a date, Antoine, it’s an investigation.”
“Of course,ma chérie,” he teased. “We can pretend that way, if it makes you feel more comfortable.”
She narrowed her eyes at him, but he only laughed and offered his arm with another graceful gesture, like he’d been trained at a French finishingschool. For all she knew, he had—except his grace wasn’t that of a fop; it was more feline, like that of the predator he was. She hooked her hand around his arm, feeling his firm muscles beneath the leather of his coat, and fought back a shiver. Whether from instinctive caution or something more traitorous, she refused to acknowledge it.
Antoine noticed anyway. “Cold?” he asked.
She was, but she wasn’t about to admit it. “No, I’m fine—”
He was already sliding his arm around her waist, drawing her against him. That close, he smelled faintly of spice and musk. His hand slipped inside her short jacket, resting on her bare skin where the dress had been cut away. His touch was surprisingly warm for a creature whose blood wasn’t his, but hers.
“I said I’m fine.” But she didn’t pull away.For appearances, she justified it to herself.
The queue for the nightclub was only a short distance off, and they were in sight of the bouncers, though neither paid them any attention.
“If those are thralls,” she nodded subtly toward the entrance, “would the vampire who owns this place recognize you?”
“It’s Minh’s place,” he answered quietly as they walked to the back of the queue. “This is his territory, his club.”
“You already knew?”
“I recognized it when my… Noah showed it to me.” They were too close to others for him to use ‘thralls,’ but she knew what he was going to say.
“Is that Noah?” She hitched her chin toward the two thralls that had followed her, now moving to join the end of the queue, a group of four between them.
“Mmm. And Zoey you’ve met before.”
“I have?” Cally turned to take a longer look at the woman. She clung to Noah’s arm, smiling up like she was besotted with him, responding to something he’d said. She wore a white blouse knotted at the waist, a short skirt and knee-high boots, her long brunette hair tied with a yellow ribbon. Perfect for the nightclub, and it suited her. “I don’t recognize her.”
“She was in the park near your house that night.”
Zoey looked very healthy for someone who had been homeless only a few nights before. They both did. Was that a benefit of being a thrall, or did Antoine just feed them that well?
“Part of your harem?”
His body tensed against hers. “I do not feed on my thr—” He cut himself off, glanced at the nearest couple in line, then grimaced and stiffly replacedit with, “—staff.”
“Staff, huh?” It was fun to goad him when he couldn’t easily respond. How often did Antoine find himself incognito among the ‘chattel?’ Not very, she wagered. “I wouldn’t expect you to feed off them when you have perfectly adequate tables. Besides,sweetheart, a harem is usually forotherpurposes.”
“I don’t have a harem,” he said, eyes narrowing.
“Oh?” she teased, edging forward as the queue moved. “Why, I could imagine you really getting your teeth into something like that.”
“Stop it, Cally.”
“Or what? You’ll spank me?” The words slipped out before she could stop them, almost as if she were channeling Eve’s irreverence. For a moment, they both froze. Antoine’s eyes darkened and his hand tightened on her bare back, pulling her in closer.
“Don’t tempt me.”
She glanced away, flustered, her cheeks warming. Then swung back to him. “It’s just an expression. Don’t read anything into it,Anthony.”
