Page 16 of Forever Touched

“Remove your mask,” I said to him in dulcet tones, continuing to roll my hips.

At first, he hesitated, but when I flashed him a little pussy, he reached up to tug on the black strings. Victory sang in my blood. Only a few more seconds, and I’d know who he was. Once I did, I’d pay him back for his insults. He’d rue the day he ever laid eyes on me.

As the mask started to slip, so did my bottoms. Lowerand lower. Rewarding him. I was almost fully stripped now, but so was his face. Heavy dark brows shadowed his pale eyes, eyes ringed by thick black lashes. His nose was strong and straight, his cheekbones sharp, but not overly so.

The more of his face he revealed, the more I liked it. His features were severe yet handsome, as if chiseled from stone.

I tugged my bottoms lower, fully revealing what he wanted to see. In return, he pulled off his mask.

The second he did, the dream dispelled in swirling black smoke.

* * *

I awoke with a groan, punching my pillow in frustration.

So close. I’d beenso closeto discovering who he was.

You were moaning in your sleep.

“Ack!” I yelped, rolling over to peer at Pepper on my nightstand. “What? I wasn’t moaning.”

Her large pink ears twitched with amusement.You were definitely moaning. Have a nice dream?

Uh.

Instead of answering, I reached for my phone to check the time.Gotta go, Pep. I can’t afford to be late today.

She squeaked in protest as I threw back the covers and jumped from the bed. My usual “hangover” from all the venom I’d received the night before barely slowed me down. Today, I needed to prove myself. To show howcommittedI was to my caretakers’ cause. Only then would Mistress pay me the money I’d earned.

Quickly dressing and splashing my face with ice-cold water, I hurried up the basement stairs two at a time.

Be careful, my familiar called to me in parting, clearly perturbedwith my hasty exit.

Always am, I threw back, reminding myself to apologize later. I’d returned so late last night that I’d passed out the minute I’d gotten back. I’d only slept two hours, but I’d take a long nap after my chores were done this afternoon.

Fatigue chased me all the way up the stairs, yet I didn’t let it slow me down. I had to be on my A game today. Nothing short of perfection would do.

So long ashedidn’t show up tonight and ruin everything again. Admittedly, being rejected had shaken my confidence a bit. It was one thing to conjure up a dream of the green-eyed vampire falling under my spell, but quite another to actually make him do it.

He wasn’t like the other Venturi I’d charmed into my bed. He was stronger. Just how powerful, I didn’t know. If he’d swallowed my blood, I would have known everything about him. The mask he wore would no longer be able to hide his identity from me.Iwould be the strong one.

I hated that my perfect track record was now tarnished. If I ever saw him again, I would pull out all the stops. He couldn’t resist me forever.

I flew through my errands and chores in record time, falling back into bed early enough to get a decent nap for once. I’d even managed to grab a quick bite to eat, which Pepper was super pleased about. Today was shaping up nicely. I just needed to get through tonight, and Mistress would surely start paying me again.

By the time evening rolled around, I was in high spirits, all things considered. I was cage dancing tonight, my least favorite, but even that couldn’t dampen my mood. Nothing was going to stand in my way today. I was a force to be reckoned with.

As I prepared to leave my room at the club and dance for thenext two hours, I paused at the decorative mirror beside the door to put on my mask. Myshield. It hid who I was, allowing me to become someone I wasn’t. With this mask on, I could pretend the world couldn’t touch me.

Not therealme, anyway.

My brown and gold eyes shined back at me, filled with a renewed light. Determination. This world wasn’t going to kill me. I wouldn’t let it. I just needed to keep my head held high for a little while longer.

With confidence thrumming in my veins, I left the room and made for the catwalk suspended high above the dance floor. My appearing and vanishing acts every night were only smoke and mirrors, courtesy of a fog machine and fast pulley system. I wasn’t allowed to userealmagic for my performances. That would give me too much control.

Not that I could use magic to escape, even if the opportunity arose.

I was tied up in knots, ones that grew tighter and tighter with each passing day. There was no way out of my blood debt other than paying my dues. Mistress had made sure of that.

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