Dark Desire by Shannan Albright

all his attention riveted on the unauthorized guest
before him. Never in his life had he seen a more exquisite woman. His heartbeat
stuttered briefly, and he took a deep breath to calm down. Her scent, a mixture
of honeysuckle and vanilla, teased his senses, all his blood heading south to
swell in his cock.
    He struggled a
brief moment to repress his lust, then gave her his best engaging smile.
“Please call me Edwin. I’m afraid Nate is right about one thing. This is a restricted
area. Are you lost?”
    Large
doe eyes widened in surprise. “Oh my, I’m afraid I am. Somehow, I
have got helplessly turned around. ”
    Her voice flowed
over him like sin on satin sheets, the musical quality to her tones enchanting,
and a slight accent he couldn’t quite place pulled him in like bees to honey.
“I’m not sure how you got past my security, my dear, but no harm done. Let me
escort you back out. It’s not safe here, which is why we keep it off limits.
May I ask what you were looking for?”
    She placed a
small hand on his arm as he moved to bustle her out of the area, her grip
surprisingly strong as she stood her ground not moving an inch. He looked down
into her determined gaze with a brief flash of surprise.
    “You. We need to
talk. Do you have an office where we won’t be interrupted?”
    “Y-yes, but what
is it I can do for you?” He stammered, surprised to see a flash of cunning in
her eyes before it vanished, replaced with a pleading look.
    “I have a
proposition to place before you. I think you will find it an irresistible
offer, Mr. Pope.”
    He smiled down
at her, his heart hammering so loud he feared she could hear it. The idea of
her spread naked across his desk flashed in his mind, and his cock hardened a
bit more, making his pants uncomfortably tight. Who was he to reject such an
open-ended offer from a beautiful woman? Intrigued by the breathtaking beauty,
he ushered her down the hallway toward his office.
    “Then by all
means let us discuss this … proposition of yours more fully in my office.”
      It looked as if fate was indeed on his side
this day.
    ****
    Searing agony
engulfed Cody, debilitating him as all his nerve endings lit up like a sparkler
on Fourth of July. He now knew what being gutted with a rusty knife felt like.
Biting back a scream, he barely registered the cold unyielding surface he lay
on. His stomach chose that moment to cramp, and nausea churned, twisting in his
gut with bruising force. His movements sluggish from the poison in his system,
he fought to curl up on his side only to find his limbs held fast. He blinked,
vision blurring as he focused on the heavy manacles locking his wrists down on
a metal table. He attempted to move his legs with the same result. Cold air
skittered over his exposed flesh, and with rising alarm he realized he lay
naked and bound to what could only be an examination table.
    He groaned,
taking a shuddering breath into his burning lungs and nearly retched at the
acidic tang of antiseptics greeting his nose. Where the hell was he? He blinked
in an attempt to clear his vision of the white haze surrounding him. Shadows,
indistinct blobs moved around him, just out of his direct line of sight,
leaving only an impression of people in the room with him.
    He could feel
the sharp sting on his skin, like being flayed alive, muscle and sinew
twisting, reshaping, purging the silver nitrate from his body, but without
blood, he knew healing would be a long drawn out and painful process.
    “Welcome,
vampire. I would tell you I hope you enjoy your stay, but I’m afraid that would
be a lie.” A thin reedy voice, thick with the flavor of India, filled the air
around a world of light and shadow, as his retinas still struggled to repair
his vision. Only his ears were in perfect working order, discerning the slap of
shoes on concrete as the owner of the voice moved in closer. “I can promise you
a long and painful existence. Shall we start?”
    “Oh, happy day
can’t