Page 2 of Tentacles and Teeth

I hesitated for a second—the height of that stool plus the shortness of my skirt meant I’d probably flash somebody climbing up there—but her gaze slid down my body with such intensity it left me breathless. An unintentional peep show dropped several points in importance. One more look like that and I’d splay myself naked on the bar like a sacrifice to this dark goddess. Onlookers be damned. I took a deep breath, some of my equilibrium coming back with a smugness when her eyes locked on my breasts as they pushed against the lace cupping them. Aroused as I was, putting some extra sway in my walk didn’t take any effort. Her eyes met mine again as I settled onto the stool, glittering with appreciation.

“Sorry about that.” Her voice was smooth, and she kept it low as she leaned across the bar, creating a bubble of intimacy in the rowdy space. “I’d like to say he’s usually less of an ass, but I try not to lie.” The corner of her mouth lifted when I laughed. “I’m Sid, and you’re owed a drink. What’s your pleasure? Top shelf, since the idiot’s buying.”

At the word “pleasure,” visions of her tongue and tentacles busy between my thighs swamped me and I squirmed.

Her nostrils flared and that damned tongue slipped out again.

“I’m Katarina. As for my pleasure...if we’re talking about drinks, I’ll have a gin and tonic.”

A wide flash of a grin flew across Sid’s face before melting into simmering intensity. “Did you come here tonight seeking another pleasure, Katarina?” she asked, plucking a bottle of gin from the wall high behind her without looking.

“Yes,” I said, distracted for a moment by something besides my greedy cunt. Did she have eyes in the back of her head? How did she do that?

“Not anything Silk was offering, though.”

“He’s not my type.” I grimaced. Pretty and pushy. No, thank you.

Sid slid my drink towards me, two fingers whispering across mine in a featherlight caress when I reached for it. Gooseflesh rose on my arms, and she hummed. “Am I your type?”

I turned my hand, grazing my nails over the sensitive skin at the inside of her wrist. She pressed our palms together, a fine trembling giving away her desire to pull me closer. “You know you are. And I think I’m yours.”

“Mine, are you?” Her voice was so low I struggled to hear her over the sounds of the bar, even with our faces less than a foot apart. “I like the sound of that. I get off in two hours. Can your pleasure wait that long?” At my mute nod, she continued. “The rest of your drinks are on me, sweet girl. But not too many. I have plans for you and I want you with me all the way. Come here.” She tilted her head, her eyes flicking to my mouth, making her meaning clear.

I tried, but—”I’m too short, dammit. You come here.”

She pursed her lips as if deliberating, then spread her arms wide across the bar top and lowered her head until her lips were a frustrating breath from mine. Then she stopped, still and smirking.

I hooked my feet around the front legs of my stool, planting the toes of my heels on the rungs. Gripping double handfuls of her shirt, I pushed up, growling as our mouths came together.

Her chuckle vibrated against me, trailing into a groan when I ran my tongue across her lips. She took control of the kiss then, taking drugging sips from my mouth until I was on the edge of begging. A tart bite of lemon mixed with the hot flavor that was her, more intoxicating than any cocktail. I pushed closer, wanting more, and the stool rocked beneath me.

Tentacles whipped out, wrapping around my hips, my shoulders. I expected them to be cool, perhaps rubbery, but the touch of them was warm and smooth, almost plush. They held me with complete security. It was dizzying, as inside, I tumbled and fell.

Sid pulled back, her lips shining, and breath ragged. “You’re too damn tempting, Katarina.”

“Let yourself be tempted, Sid.” My lips curled into a smile full of lustful confidence and I nipped her pillowy lower lip, soothing it with a slow flick of my tongue.

“Soon.” She purred the word, a grin quirking her lips when I yelped. She’d spanked me! With a tentacle! “Go on, now. Enjoy yourself. Dance. Imagine all the things I’m gonna do to your delicious body while you do. Let everyone be jealous I found you first.”

My pussy throbbed, anticipation making my thighs slippery. “I have a very good imagination. Are you sure you want to set the bar that high?”

Her eyes glowed with a predatory light, the purple of her irises flowing out until they filled my vision. “Sweet girl, set that bar as high as you want. I can’t wait to hear your cries as you fly over it.”

I took a sip of my drink and ran my tongue along the edge of my teeth, holding her gaze. My eyebrows were high as I radiated “we’ll see” with every fiber of my being. I felt her stare burning into me as I sauntered into the crowd. Time to find a bathroom. I needed to mop up the desperate mess between my legs and flail somewhere more private.

Chapter II

Sid

“Sidone! What plane are you on? You really gonna make me get my own drink? In my own damn bar?”

I glared at my brother, his scowling face a rude shock compared to the jiggling round ass I’d been visualizing. “Fuck off, this is my bar,” I sneered, sliding him a foamy glass of ale. The Riders within earshot snickered, ears swiveling our way. It was an old argument that we’d probably still be bickering about when we were toothless and gray. As far as the Powers were concerned, the bar was my brothers. Or rather, the Cairn Riders’. But I owned the fucking thing. I ran it. It wasmybar. The eager eavesdroppers didn’t care, they just loved it when we fought. My brother, big bad club president, didn’t get fucked with enough. He needed a partner or two to keep his ego from eclipsing the sun. It was a full-time job, and I had other shit to do. Like Katarina...

“There you fucking go again. Where’s your head at?” Khalon slammed his half-empty glass down, glaring at me.

“Thinking about getting laid!” I snapped, glaring right back. “Something you might wanna do, your highness. Take your aggression down a notch or two.”

“Myaggressionis just fine,” he growled. “And stop talking about my dick. Fucking creepy.”

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