Page 156 of Decadence

So she’d had to come up with a solution. The good thing about having a squadron of elite guards watching over you at all times of the day was that they all had crazy knife skills.

And they were all quick studies—like scarily so. She only had to show a Kordolian warrior a recipe once, and it would be replicated perfectly afterwards.

So sometimes, she put them to work in the kitchen, and as time went on, they started to run the mess hall upstairs on their own, using her recipes, only interrupting her every now and then to ask about some technique or ingredient or other. She’d spoken with Ikriss about hiring more permanent staff, but it would take time, because anyone that came onboard would have to be known within the Darkstar network and they would have to undergo the most rigorous security clearance in the known Universe.

Oh well, after what happened last time, she could afford to wait a little. After all, the second week hadn’t been so exhausting. She actually had the energy to allow Ikriss to sweep her off her feet and reduce her to a hot, quivering mess.

The Kordolians upstairs were happy.

Her customers—both old and new—were happy.

Her friends were happy, even if they were still a little freaked out by all the Kordolian activity. Somehow, she’d managed to convince them that Ikriss and his crew weren’t the evil demons the Networks made them out to be, and the Kordolians were perfectly discreet about their identities, wearing those freaky holo-disguise glasses whenever they came into contact with the general public.

Really, their conduct had been absolutely perfect, but that was to be expected.

After all, Ikriss was their boss.

Sienna lifted her sleeve and wiped the sweat from her forehead. She was just about to dish up some of the leftover pudding for herself and Eva when a familiar warm tingly sensation ran down the back of her neck.

She knew that feeling.

She always got that feeling when he was around.

Slowly, she turned and came face to face with the creature of her deepest desires.

He hadn’t bothered with his holo-disguise—after all, there was nobody back here that he needed to conceal his identity from.

“Sienna.” His voice was a deep, ovary-melting rumble.

“Uh, hi, Ikriss.” Unable to help herself, she looked him up and down. Her heartbeat sped up. She almost dropped her wooden spoon.

Stars, this man.

She would never, ever grow tired of the sight of him.

He’d finally allowed his horns to grow back to their full, majestic length. The holo-glasses simply made them invisible, but whenever he took them off, she was treated to the sight of those long, curving, beautiful horns, which emerged from his temples like a dark crown. His moonlight-colored hair was pulled back from his face and woven into tiny, intricate braids that curved over his scalp and ended in a long, high topknot. He wore a rakish black jacket that looked to be made of some sort of leather-like material. Fitted trousers and high boots completed his outfit. She could see the impressive bulge of his cock beneath his trousers.

Oh, my.

It didn’t take much these days, did it?

“You’re early,” she murmured, leaning into his presence; allowing his scent and his irresistible aura to wash over her. “I thought you said you’d be back in the early hours of the morning.”

His eyebrows rose in amusement. “Is that a complaint, my amina?”

“Nothing of the sort. Color me pleasantly surprised. You’ve been working too hard lately. You need to relax.” Her eyes narrowed. “Is that something you Kordolians even know how to do?”

“Is that something you know how to do?” He reached out and brushed away a stray wisp of hair that had escaped from her cap.

Then he leaned in and kissed her. He tasted of male musk and spice. Sienna instantly melted. In the background, the Kordolian warriors studiously ignored them as they dished up their carnivores’ feast. One by one, they disappeared into the new elevator.

Eva poked her head around the corner, took one look at Ikriss and Sienna, and promptly disappeared back into the dining room.

Suddenly, they were alone.

Again.

Sienna wrapped her arms around Ikriss’s neck. She pulled him toward her and replied with a kiss of her own.

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