Chapter 21

"Nathaniel, what a surprise. I wasn't expecting you today," I said after a several seconds of silence. Kelsie shook her head in disbelief, her jaw wide open. I was frozen, caught between desire and shock. The series of images from the lift passed through my mind and I blushed.
"I was passing through, so I decided to pop in." He shoved his hands into his pockets.
"Oh, so, you decided to visit the agency, just like that?" I asked, but it didn't come out right. I sounded like I was growling.
"May I to talk to you in private?"
"I'm very busy, Nathaniel. Lucinda needs a new PA, and I need to explain everything to Kelsie." I pointed at my friend, who waved and smiled widely.
He nodded, then walked to my desk; all eyes followed him. I started shuffling papers, trying to show him that he needed to leave, but it was already too late. He stopped right in front of my desk; the air became warm and fuzzy. Violent emotions of desire rolled through my stomach.
"Come on, firecracker, we need to talk," he said smoothly.
Kate must have heard him because she barley contained her laughter. My magic flew through me like a river and I got up.
"Fine," I said through gritted teeth. We both marched to the interview room; the one in the back. I was hoping that he had a really important matter to discuss. I shut the door, folding my arms together, wondering what he needed this time. He had no idea what I was going through; even my palms were dripping sweat on my arms.
"Right, what’s so important that it couldn’t wait?"
His eyes narrowed, revealing a luminosity of green that I had never noticed before.
"We’re important, and I couldn’t wait to see you."
"I can’t believe that you’re so inconsiderate!" I shouted, shaking my head. "You think that you can just come in here demanding to talk to me? I'm working."
The magic circulated through the air, static electricity passing through my skin.
“Don't pretend that you’re not happy to see me again," he muttered. He moved too quickly for me to react. "Why do you keep torturing me like this?"
His arms circled my waist before I had a chance to run for the door. Heavenly heat rose between my thighs as he pulled me hard against him. "If you beg me to make love to you then I can end this. Come on, just one word." He smiled devilishly. He didn't give me time to say anything, instead he lifted me up. I whimpered when he set me gently on the empty table not breaking eye contact the whole time I was in his arms.
He didn't stop. Instead, his lips moved over mine passionately.
My chest rose and fell as I lopped my arms around his shoulders. His sensational and greedy kiss broke any kind of reservation that I had left. His lips were everywhere, near my ear, then below my neck moving down to my breasts. The lights were flashing, and my power was charging fast, blowing off all of my control.
"You taste delicious and I can smell your warm blood," he whispered, pressing himself against my sex, causing an eruption of bliss inside my core. I made a sound in the back of my throat as his tongue passed my lips. His hands were moving alongside my thighs.
"Stop, please," I begged, digging my fingers into the back of his neck. His hands slipped on to my hips, pulling me closer. I couldn’t break away from his embrace, or maybe I just didn't care anymore. It wasn't long before his hand found my bare skin and he claimed my mouth again, pushing harder, forcing himself onto me. I wanted him to take me here on this table. I didn't care that we were going to be caught. He found my weakness and I didn't have the strength to stop him.
"Do you really want me to stop?" he growled, sucking on my lower lip. My heart hammered hard, ready to explode and my skin prickled with sparks of energy. He unzipped my skirt and slipped his hands between my legs. I bit down on his arm when his thumb circulated around my clit. I was so turned on that it wouldn't take long before I climaxed. The tension was building, and I was seconds away from orgasm when he withdrew his fingers.
"What are you doing, for fuck’s sake?" I slammed my hands down with frustration on the edge of the table. His eyes were changing, shifting into a pool of dark chocolate.
"You asked me to," he replied, breathless, running his hand through his sandy hair.
I roared with frustration, releasing some of my energy. Bright blue and red light jetted over us; parts of the ceiling came down, crashing to the floor. The tension between my legs rose as I tried to gather my thoughts. I knew exactly what he was doing to me, but instead of getting on with another argument I kept breathing, closing my eyes for several seconds. Getting rid of some of my magic helped me to some extent.
"Anything else you need?" I asked him, but my voice was hoarse. His erection strained through his trousers, his fangs were fully erect; there was pure fire in his eyes—no warmth, just greed and hunger. He could tease me all he wanted, but I was stubborn and determined to win this game.
"No, I don’t need anything else." He growled.
"Great, so, if you have nothing else to say, then I guess we’re done here?" I chuckled. I enjoyed watching him struggle. I wasn't sure how long he was planning to carry on this game, but so far, I was the winner.
"We are," he said, irritated. He left, slamming the door so hard that the picture on the wall fell to the floor. The air was clotted with sexual tension. I looked up at the ceiling and sighed. Kate would have to help me later on to cover up the damage.
Nathaniel and I were back together; we were in a relationship. Sleeping together was just part of the deal. I didn't want to rush anything, afraid that that sex would only pull us apart, but we both needed to get laid in a bad way.
I was frustrated and pissed off with his silly mind games. Five minutes later, I marched back to my desk feeling sexually and mentally foiled. Sara was talking to herself, typing something furiously, not paying much attention to the girls as they surrounded my desk.
"So, what did you do to him?" Kate asked, beaming. "He stormed out of here, furious."
"I'm winning, and he can’t bear it." I smirked, winking at Kate. She knew what I was talking about.
"Winning what?", Kelsie asked, frowning.
"Nothing important; don’t worry, Kel," I said. “We're going through some things."
"I can’t believe that you’re going out with him," Kelsie said. "He’s hot and he’s a vampire!"
"He’s also domineering, stubborn and controlling, so be careful what you wish for."
"He can’t be that bad," Kel muttered, getting back to her application form.
Feeling liberated, I went back to work.
After work, I met Nicky and we both went for yoga. It had been weeks since I’d done any exercises and tonight I was behind everyone else. When we finished the session, we sat down in the coffee shop to catch up on the latest gossip. It took me a while to update her on everything. I went through my recent reunion with Nathaniel; the situation with Rufus, my grandmother, my recent near-death experience in the old warehouse, Jasper, and of course Ella. Nicky looked gobsmacked.
"In a matter of a few weeks you nearly got yourself killed, managed to piss off your grandmother and gain two new friends, as well as threaten to kill your ex-boyfriend?" she repeated, shaking her head. I nodded. "I can’t top that."
I didn't think she had to worry. Her life was normal; she was married and settled. She didn't have to beg her husband for sex. Nicky didn't think that Nathaniel and I would ever get serious. I just needed to sort him out sooner rather than later. She was disappointed about Loony. We had to end our conversation, because she got a phone call from the nursery. Her little girl charmed another child. Nicky had to leave but promised to call me in a couple of days.
When I got home, I found that my grandmother had left me a couple of messages, but I was too tired to even think about calling her. She couldn’t possibly expect that I would want to talk to her after what went on in my parents’ house. That night, I finally had a good night’s sleep.
***
The next day, I didn't have to wake up early because I finally got a later shift. There was no point stressing over Nathaniel. He didn't call, and I was happy to have some space. Monica and Adele were laughing when I arrived at the office on that gloomy Tuesday evening. I spotted an elf by the door who was reading a paper. He smiled as I walked in, so I smiled back. I was in a good mood and I was planning to keep it.
"This gentleman is here to see you," Monica said when I reached my desk.
"Me? I'm not expecting anyone today."
"Well, we did ask him if we could help him, but he asked for you, dear," she whispered back, giving me a wicked smile. "By the way, he smells delicious."
I sat down at my desk wondering what he wanted from me. The elf folded up the paper and smiled at me again.
"Hi, my name is Julia Taylor. I believe you wanted to talk to me?"
I couldn’t quite understand why he was checking me out like he was trying to figure out if I was good enough for him. He was loaded; I noticed his car keys and very expensive designer jacket. He couldn’t possibly be here because he was looking for a job.
"Hi, I'm Jake," he replied, winking at me.
I frowned, wondering if I’d missed something. "I'm sorry. I don’t believe we’ve met."
"Well, Miss Taylor, I must admit that I’ve been seeing you around here for months, but I just never had a chance to talk to you," he explained, cocking his head to the side.
I had no idea what he was talking about. My two co-workers were staring at us, not even trying to pretend that they weren't listening.
"Are you looking for work, Jake?" I asked, shifting my weight to the right.
"I'm sorry I don’t think that I made myself clear." He chuckled. "You caught my eye, Miss Taylor, and I would like to invite you out for dinner."
I laughed. His expression changed, and he appeared to be insulted, so I stopped laughing. I tried to remember if I’d ever seen him before, but my mind was blank.
"Um." Yeah, this was the only sound that I was able to make.
"Is that a yes?" he asked, irritated.
"I'm afraid that would be a no." I paused. "No, I don’t think that I can go out with you."
He arched his eyebrows and checked the time, muttering to himself. He shot me a devilish look and then left without another word. I scratched my head in confusion.
"There must be something in the air," Adele muttered.
“I've never seen him in my life."
"You should go out and have some fun, dear," Monica suggested. "His blood probably tastes incredible." Monica was a vampire, so for her the blood of any elf would taste like heaven.
I decided to just get on with my day and forget about him, but two hours later I had three more admirers.
"May I ask who sent you here?" I inquired of a tall, muscular elf once we established that a date wasn't on the agenda. "I might be pretty, but I'm not Claudia Schiffer. No one could have so many propositions in one day."
"So, I wasn't the first one?" he asked, looking offended.
"Of course not. There were three others before you." I waved my hand in frustration.
"Okay, you’re right. Your grandmother mentioned that you’re still single," he said confidently. "She said that you’re pretty, intelligent and your family has a great reputation."
"Listen," I began, "Sorry, what was your name again?"
"Lee."
"Yeah, Lee, I don’t want to be rude, but I'm not interested."
"I don’t get it," he said. "Your grandmother mentioned that you’re looking to settle down. I have a large house in the country. Are you sure you don’t want to go out with me?"
"Positive."
He shook his head, apologised and left. I was fuming, clenching my fists.
When I finally went home at five o’clock I felt like I was ready to punch someone. I took a hot shower, changed, and left my apartment determined to sort my life out. I didn't feel guilty leaving with Roberto, when two undercover officers were sleeping instead of keeping an eye on me. I was pissed off, tired and ready to have a long and intense argument with my "boyfriend" about our so called "relationship."