Page 7 of Wicked Allure
Tomesha held her breath. The woman came toward her and Connor. Tomesha’s heart raced. Was this how they were chosen? She stood straight. The woman stopped in front of Connor, her gaze sweeping over him.
“You,” she said, pointing to him.
Tomesha celebrated on the inside for him. Her newfound friend was moving on to the next step in the process.
The woman’s eyes cut to Tomesha who froze in place. She met the bright-blue eyes. The woman assessed her, and by the time her attention reached Tomesha eyes again, she thought she’d have passed out from lack of oxygen.
“And you,” the woman said.
Tomesha exhaled and stared at the finger aimed at her. She blinked as the woman spun on her heel and marched back toward the building. Tomesha scurried behind the others, beside Connor.
“I told you so,” Connor whispered.
Tomesha grinned at him and took note of the groans and shouts of complaints that followed them. Additional security appeared and took control of the crowd growing rowdy.
They arrived at the door, and Tomesha paused. Connor stopped ahead of her with curiosity in his eyes. She looked at the unruly people who were upset they hadn’t been chosen. Tomesha breathed a sigh of relief and turned around, entering the building.
At that moment, her life would be forever changed.
“My name is Romana Beatrix, and you may call me Mistress,” the vampire announced. She stood tall as she paced in front of the line of humans she’d handpicked. She stopped in front of the lady in pink and eyed the entire line. “I run this establishment under Madam Rice. You will answer to me.”
Tomesha’s heart had yet to slow down. She was still in shock that Mistress had chosen her out of the lineup of humans vying to get in. Now that she’d made it this far, what was next? Was she automatically hired?
“Consider yourselves very lucky. As you saw, competition for new positions is very stiff,” Mistress continued.
They had been escorted into a fancy receiving room. With the decor, Tomesha felt as if they had been thrust back in time: a large fireplace, high-backed chairs, thick drapes covering the windows, and even sconces on the wall burning bright with fire.
The four of them were lined up before the fireplace. A guard stood at the door, and Mistress spoke with them. Tomesha took a quick glance down the row. The others appeared to be in the same state of shock she was in.
“Madam Rice’s is an establishment that began hundreds of years ago. I’m sure you’re surprised to hear this, but humans have been donors for vampires since the beginning of time. We’ve lived amongst each other in harmony. Humans providing vampires something they need to survive while being compensated handsomely.” Mistress paced in front of the group again with her hands collapsed behind her back, an air of superiority to her.
She held power.
Tomesha had seen it immediately the way she’d exited the building to make her choices. Mistress held Tomesha’s new career choice in her hand. To secure a financial future for herself and her family, she’d have to do as this woman said.
“This is not the type of establishment that forces a human to do anything they don’t want to do or are not comfortable with.” Mistress stopped in front of the woman in pink again. She eyed her for a moment before gazing down the row.
Her focus landed on Tomesha whose breath caught in her throat.
Yes, the vampire held power.
“We’re not savages. You’ll be highly paid for your services. In order to prepare you for your new career, you’ll be paired with an experienced associate who will train you well.”
At that moment, two men and two women entered. They were all beautiful and dressed in a provocative manner. Black sheer dresses draped along the females’ bodies and did nothing to hide their figures. The men were dressed in similar fashion with black pants that rested low on their waists. They stood behind Mistress without saying a word.
“Have no worries. Each of these men and women have worked for me for some time, and I trust their insight on whether you’ll make it here or not.”
Tomesha blinked.
She hadn’t thought that she’d get the job but then not succeed at it. How could one not succeed at being a donor? Vampires needed blood. She had blood. Where in this process could she fail?
Tomesha swallowed hard. She couldn’t afford to lose this opportunity. Her family needed this money. There was no way she’d be released from another employment. Determination settled inside her.
She’d do what she must to secure this job.
“Ah, I see it has dawned on some of you that this isn’t a guaranteed employment.” Mistress moved down the line and stood in front of Tomesha.
She met the vampire’s bright-blue eyes. Tomesha tried to not tremble as she came under the eye of the powerful woman.
