Page 21 of Traveling with Gentlemen
I wondered what vampire had turned her, and if they were still alive. If they regretted transforming this glittering star of a woman into an even more potent monster.
"More than I’d expected," Amon admitted, still gazing at me.
"See, my darling sphinx. My hospitality is not so dreary." She reached for him, but her hands hovered at his edges. No matter how powerful this woman was, she knew better than to touch Amon without his permission. And he didn't so much as blink at her.
"I keep company that makes even the dullest places entertaining," Amon said, smiling at me.
I snorted. "Don't be rude," I answered him.
Sofia's lips pursed and she glanced at me.
"What do you want, Sofia? What's your price?" Amon asked, before she could notice me too much.
Sofia stepped in front of Amon, slightly blocking my view. But I knew she wouldn't touch him; he wouldn't let her. And anyway, we were fairly certain we knew what she wanted.
And we were right.
"What it's always been, sphinx. I wantyou," Sofia purred up at my gentleman. She waved a hand up and down his elegant length. "Not this silly costume you wear. Yourtrueform." Amon's eyes held mine over the top of her head, his attention never once diverting. "I want to know the brush of your fur on my back; I want to admire every inch of you, learn the way you move as youfuck. I want to know the scent of your sweat, and I want the sound of your roar as you find release echoing in my ears."
It was a lovely speech, and Amon's eyes narrowed at my smile.
"I have a question," I said, voice bright, cutting through the silky tangle of Sofia's attempt at seducing my sphinx.
She stiffened, her head turning in my direction.
"Do you bargain toprotectBirsha?"
Sofia snorted and spun to face me, her charm cutting to a blade on her features, her glare sharp and pricking into mine. "Birsha is an imposter. He is an entertainer, and a con-artist. He is no threat to me, and I benefit neither by his success nor his destruction. He plagues humans because he knows, deep down, he's as worthless as you are."
"You can't even begin to understand her—" Auguste started, but he went silent as I raised my hand and Sofia laughed at the exchange, rolling her eyes at Auguste's obedience.
"Ibargainbecause I have something you want, and you have somethingIwant."
I patted Booker's hand where it rested on my lap, and his arm slid away, freeing me. I stood and reminded myself to keep my chin high. I was not a maid anymore. I was the partner to these men who surrounded me, to the man this countess so desired.
"You want to know what it would be like to fuck Amon. To be the object of his passion, his desire," I said, smiling at the man in question, his stare heavy and sweet, patient. "I could tell you. Tell you how wonderful it is, how potent and perfect, how powerful his touch is, how many hours it takes before there's nothing left in the world but his touch and his tongue and his cock, and how desperate you can become for more, how weak he might leave you," I said.
I didn't look at Sofia as I stepped forward, and our shoulders brushed as I moved to Amon. His hands clasped my hips as I neared, claws present just enough to prick at my flesh. My hands were fearless as I reached him, not hesitating, not waiting for permission. Because Amon wasmine.
"Or, I could show you," I said, stroking my thumbs over Amon's cheeks, feeling the gentle suede of his flesh.
Silence answered us, and the countess was close enough to hover in the corner of my eye, but she didn't move.
"We will leave now, without our information," I said easily. "It's only worth so much, and you willnevertouch Amon."
"Or?" Sofia asked, a whisper in my ear, the sound of the seduced holding their breath and waiting for me.
Amon pulled me to his chest and I turned to her, his cheek nuzzling against my hair. "Or you can have a performance," I said, reaching up and stroking my fingers through Amon's locks. "You'll never know the feel of him, but I will share the sight, his sounds. You and your lovely friends, who have so generously entertained and delighted us for the evening, may enjoy our gift in return. Amon and I, together."
Later, when we were safely away from here, tucked together with the others, Amon and I would crow and laugh and try to mimic the many expressions Sofia's face wore in those following moments. The open-mouthed shock, the squint of irritation, the blink of consideration, the slow scan of interest, the pursed lips of frustration. Every twitch and twist of her face passed in an instant, an obvious battle to tame her thoughts and control her reaction, unable to keep up with her own face.
Finally, when she'd settled to stillness, eyes narrowed, Sofia found her voice again. "She speaks for you, Amon?"
"In this," Amon said, his voice rough and his hands stroking over my sides and across my stomach. He liked my offer. He was eager. I was going to enjoy my sphinx tonight, with or without an audience, and the thought left me smiling and rocking into his searching hands.
Countess Sofia de Vologda looked at me once more, and this time her study was genuine. I was exactly what she’d thought of me at first glance. A curious human, young and naive to the world of monsters, outrageously lucky to be in the company of the gentlemen who surrounded me. She just misunderstood what a powerful position mine was.
Her hand extended, a mirror of the one I'd offered her earlier in the evening. "You have a deal, Esther Reed."
