Page 54 of Of Mercury and Mist

“Hello, pet,” he said. I tried to hide my wince at the familiar term.

He pulled his leather dress shoes off and kicked them to the side before laying his long frame on the bed. The chair I sat in was tucked in the corner with a full view of the attractive man as he unbuttoned his shirt and slid his pants down slightly.

Once comfortable, he pulled out one of the largest dicks I’d ever seen, spit on it, and began stroking himself. If I didn’t focus on his cock, I would be able to do this and keep the memories of Micha at bay.

He used one hand to beckon me with his fingers. “Dance for me.”

Letting the music compel me, I stood up and began moving in time to the gyrating beat, running my hands up and down my body. Since he had a thing for my style of hair, I used it, letting the length spin around and cover my face as I moved.

His mouth opened slightly as he increased the speed of his hands. “Come closer,” he said, right as I grabbed the pole. “Come to the side of the bed.”

As gracefully as I could, I did as directed, my heart thumping at the unexpected change in plan.

“You’re a sexy little thing. May I?”

I gave him a little nod, holding my breath, and his hand reached for me. Softly, he brushed my curls away from my neck, his lips separating again as they angled toward my skin. I heard an intake of air and then he laughed, low and dark, before shaking his head.

The atmosphere suddenly changed as an ominous storm of oppression descended on the room. At first, I was worried about the man I’d been dancing for, my instincts kicking in. The moment I realized it had nothing to do with him, the lights flickered, and a bulb shattered. The man snatched me, tugging me out of the way as my hands went to cover my head.

“What the fuck,” the demon muttered. “Who did you piss off?”

He stood and fixed his pants after the room returned to normal. He refastened his belt while I watched, wondering what the heck just happened.

“What? No one. What are you talking about?” I said. I hadn’t ticked anyone off in quite some time and everyone here seemed to like me. There was no one to piss off that I was aware of.

“You’re damaged goods,” he grumbled, straightening his tie.

“Excuse me?” I wrapped a towel around me I snagged from a pile by the bed. I didn’t expect an answer; there was nothing for him to say.

The demon grabbed his wallet, flicked it open, and threw a handful of bills on the comforter. “When you get yourself straightened out, we’ll resume. You’re a beautiful girl and I’d like to continue some time.”

Sometimes it was difficult to remember my job depended on my being sweet, kind, and accommodating. We were all actors here. It’d be rude to tell him I had nothing to fix.

“Thank you, have a good evening,” was all I said. As if I didn’t exist, he ignored my words and left the room without another glance.

“Hey you,” Kayla came into my line of sight as I closed up the suite.

“Hey,” I replied, turning to push the panel button that would indict the room was ready for cleaning. I typed a request for new light bulbs into the conversation box on the screen and hit send before a tiny red indicator signaled there was an issue with the studio.

She beckoned me, saying, “C’mon, we need you in the main room.”

Following her, I adjusted the straps of the dress I’d thrown back on after my client left. Kayla noticed my fidgeting and said, “Nice, where’d you get that?”

“Holdover from my rave days.” I grinned at her. The black dress was tight but stretchy, making it one of my favored choices.

Her face lit up. “Every once in a while, I heard Matthew holds a rave here. I’d love that. Can you imagine? With how handsy our patrons are?”

“Oh my God, Andy would kill you.”

She looked mock horrified. “What, it's for work.”

Shaking my head and laughing, I replied, “Your funeral.”

Things had appeared to start getting serious between the two and they were no longer merely fuck buddies. Kayla was turning into a fixture at our apartment and Andy was known to have a jealous streak. “Just keep it down when he tries to murder your ass; I need my beauty sleep.”

“Anyway,” she glanced at me quickly, “there’s a specific personal request for you.”

“Me? Who is it?” Kayla picked up her step as we traveled down the hallway full of dancers behind glass panels.

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