Page 14 of Encore
I hung up and went back to the living room. Beyla was furiously making out with Merlin. Oh! We were doing that. I was definitely okay with that. Finally, they broke away, and Beyla made grabby hands at me.
I needed to give them a Marsden update, but I could do that after I made her scream a little.
Chapter11
Beyla
When we first met, I told Merlin not to hit me with his lust powers. He’d been respectful of that. He didn’t even use his magic to make me feel better when I was clearly upset without asking me first. I hopped in his lap and kissed him, and still nothing. I yanked his hair.
“I want the incubus,” I growled.
Merlin groaned and bit my lip.
“That’s filthy. I love it.”
I let down my mental barriers and welcomed his gifts. I’d never done that before with anyone and wasn’t sure what to expect. It wasn’t this tidal wave of lust that knocked my panties off and spread my legs. Instead, it was like a million fingers caressing my body all at once.
We were interrupted when Nicolai came back into the room. I motioned for him to join us, but I had a feeling he had slipped away to contact his family for an update. I hated to ask because his hand was already creeping up my thigh, but I was here for a reason, and I didn’t want anyone else to die.
Nicolai filled me in. He said his cousin didn’t really have anything important to report, but there was something important in there. I just didn’t know what.
“I think the hair salon is a clue,” I announced.
“How?” Merlin asked. “Marsden is probably an even bigger peacock than I am. He drops shirtless selfies all the time. That’s not for promo for the company. He just likes people kissing his ass and telling him he’s pretty. So, it doesn’t shock me in the slightest he spent three hours on his hair. He probably paid out the ass for it and posted several selfies after.”
“Accurate,” Nicolai said.
“Yeah, I get that,” I said. “He strikes me as vain, too. Marsden wouldn’t be successful at running this company if he threw money at people who didn’t produce results. I get the feeling he would have filmed himself berating the stylist if he went in to get his greys covered, and they weren’t after three hours. Kaine has a few greys, and he considers them a badge of honor. Marsden looks extremely young except for the grey in his hair. He’d definitely cover it.”
Thatmeantsomething. I could feel it in my gut. It was a clue into the mystery that was Marsden, and I had a feeling it would eventually lead me to Santiago. It had to because I, literally, had nothing else.
Marsden was careful. He wanted an agent with the Paranormal Investigation Bureau here. He was keeping me busy in rehearsals and class. Marsden would have to know that if he was deliberately withholding information from me and Madame Lucinda was physically unable to tell me, I’d eventually start digging into him.
I had this feeling Marsden and Santiago went way back and had been planning this for a long time. He wouldn’t slip up and do anything obvious in public that would lead me to Santiago before they were ready for us to meet.
Wherever Marsden was keeping Santiago, I didn’t think Nicolai’s cousin would find it so easily.
“We could always break into his apartment,” Nicolai suggested.
“Absolutely not,” I said. “He’s probably prepared for that. He invited me to have breakfast with him on my first day here. His apartment is nicer than ours, but no one is getting rich doing ballet, even artistic directors. Rent is absolutely insane here, and Marsden doesn’t have a roommate. It looked like a one-bedroom apartment when I was there.”
“Maybe they are lovers and sharing a bed,” Merlin said.
“Nope. Have you forgotten how homophobic Bellatrix was? She was fine with him taking female lovers, but she didn’t take part in any threesomes with them. She would have been vile if Marsden was bisexual. Honestly, she was kind of broken as a succubus,” Nicolai said.
Merlin shrugged.
“It’s not common, but my people can be bigots just like everyone else. It’s kind of a nature versus nurture thing. But you’re right. I have a feeling Santiago helped manipulate her and gave her that pendant, but he’s not Marsden’s lover. So, we’re back to square one.”
“We’ll circle back to that,” I said. “I still think the hair salon is a clue, but I need to marinate on it. I have the two of you all to myself. I just had my first threesome, and now I want more.”
Both men groaned and leaned in to touch me.
Chapter12
Merlin
Iwas all for a bit of threesome action, but Nicolai and I had never done that together before. We’d been asked, but we’d never been asked in therightway. We were dicks, but we weren’t ‘revenge porn’ and ‘sex tape’ assholes. Everyone who asked us wanted to film it.
