EXQUISITE

BREATH OF DARKNESS

~ One ~

 “C’MON, MIA. YOU pinky promised. How can I take you at your word if you go back on it? Do it for me. Do it for us.”

“No.”

“What future will we have if I can’t trust you? Just take one itsy bitsy taste.”

“Never.”

Reaching out as if to grab her, Joseph took a step closer. Mia swore under her breath and took two steps back.

“Stay away from me with that slimy thing.” She had to find a way to make him forget it, because there was no way she could overpower or outrun him. “It’s not happening.”

“I’ll make it super-easy for you. Just put the tip of it in your mouth.”

“Forget it! If you want to torture someone, find someone else to suck on it.” Frowning, she stared down at the abominable weapon clutched in his fist, and then she looked up to meet his gaze. “I’m serious, Joseph. Put the damn thing away. I can’t believe you’re even touching it. I sure as hell don’t want the nasty thing in my mouth.”

“There’s nothing nasty about it,” he said. “It’s a magnificent, delicious gift from Mother Nature. And I’ve even heard it’s good for your immune system.”

“That … that thing is not a gift.” Her entire body shuddering in disgust, she pointed at it. “That is a grotesque example of Mother Nature’s sick, twisted sense of humor.” Pleased with her definition of it, she smiled. “And Mother Nature can kiss my ass. I don’t want it.”

He stared at her as if he were considering her words. Behind her back, she crossed her fingers. Then he smiled that sexy, naughty smile of his and opened his big, fat mouth to crush all hope of him being anything other than the wicked demon he was. “Do I get to watch?”

“I don’t get it. I’m actually shocked. I shouldn’t be shocked. But I am.” She took a step toward him because she needed to get closer to rip him apart. Realizing too late she was doing exactly what he wanted her to do, she pounced on him, but he had her on her back, his muscular thighs straddling her belly, before she had any chance of inflicting a single wound on him.

“Be a big girl and open your mouth wide, Mia.”

“Get it out of my face!” She tried to smack it away but he moved it out of her reach. “It’s … ugh. Gross. It’s wet. Damn it, Joseph. Stop laughing at me. This is not funny.” Gagging and spitting, she wiped her tongue with the back of her hand. “It dripped in my mouth.” Stomach churning, bile rising in her throat, she continued to gag and spit.

“Then you know how yummy it is.”

“It’s gross. I’m going to puke.” Closing her eyes and shaking her head back and forth, she dug her fingernails into his thighs.

“A promise is a promise. I ate yours, and now you’re going to eat mine. Open wide.” She couldn’t believe he had the nerve to rub the nasty, stinky thing across her lips. “Just put the tip of it in your mouth.”

Covering her mouth, she turned her head to the side. “Get it the hell away from me, Joseph! I’m going to puke all over you! I’m serious! It smells like rotten ass!”

“I’m tempted to ask, but I am not sure I want to know where you’ve been sniffing around,” he teased. “I just might get jealous.”

“Touch me with that thing once more, and I’m going to bite you.” Baring her teeth to reveal her determination, she glared up at him. “Hard. Real hard. And it’s going to hurt like hell.”

“I hope you do, and I hope it does.” He laughed out loud. “Say it again. I love it when you talk dirty to me.”

Infuriated by his taunting, she started bucking and thrashing around, wildly flailing her arms and legs. Eventually she managed to get out from between his thighs, but it wasn’t much of a victory at all because he managed to out-maneuver her and get his body between her thighs. “Calm down, Mia. You’re going to get another rug burn if you don’t stop throwing a temper tantrum,” he warned. “And then I’m going to feel guilty. And a guilty conscience can be damaging to a man’s soul. Don’t you care about the well-being of my self-esteem?”

“Nope. Not even a little bit.” She knew only one thing had any real hope of stopping him, but it was the one thing she couldn’t force herself to do. How did women force themselves to cry? If only she knew how. “Why should I give a damn about your feelings? You don’t care about mine.” Changing tactics, she pulled her legs up and pressed her six-inch stiletto heels against his chest to push him back as she struggled to wiggle out from beneath him. “Get off!”

“Damn, Mia.” Grinning, he bent his head to look down at her heels digging into his chest. “You’re one flexible woman. I like it. Flexible is good. Really good.”

“I’m going to kill you, Joseph. I’m not kidding. If you don’t get off me right now I’m going to kill you.”

“Stop acting like an overly dramatic, hormonal female. There’s no reason for you to get all worked up.” He pulled her legs down and straddled her belly again. “I’m doing this for your own good. You’re going to fall in love with it. Just one more teeny tiny taste, and you’ll be addicted forever. Now stop clenching your jaw and open your mouth.”

When he put it too close to her mouth she covered her mouth with her left hand. “You’re too heavy. I can’t breathe. Get off.”

“Not until you wrap your lips around it.” He pulled her hand away from her mouth, so she covered it with her other hand.

“Knock it off, Joseph.” She smacked his hand when he reached for her hand again. “It isn’t happening.” Somehow he’d managed to get both of her hands in one of his and held them above her head. “It’s too … oh, damn it. Why can’t you just understand that it’s too much? I can’t do it. Please, just get it away from me.”

“You’ll feel much better once it’s over.”

“But it’s huge.”

“It isn’t all that big. I’ve had bigger.” He winked. “Much bigger. Stop being such a baby.” He rested it on top of her chin. “Just lick it once. You promised you’d give it a try.”

“I lied.”

“Lying is a sin.”

“So what? You’re a demon. That has to be worse than committing a li’l sin.”

“Mia?” Julie knocked on the office door and then, rather than wait for a response, opened it and walked inside. “Are you … oh. Oh, my goodness. I’m sorry, Mia. I heard you yelling, and I heard a man’s voice. I didn’t know it was Joseph. It sounded like you were being … Mia, it didn’t sound good at all. A few customers came in, and I think they heard you because they ran out so fast. I wouldn’t have come in if … I mean, I didn’t know you and Joseph were … um.” Julie shook her head. “Wow. This is quite possibly the most awkward moment ever.” Cheeks flushed, she covered her mouth with her hand to suppress her laughter. “Is that a pickle?”

Joseph looked up at Julie and grinned. “Yes. And Mia is going to—”

“Get off!” The instant he’d focused his attention on Julie, Mia slapped the abomination out of Joseph’s hand and sent it sailing across the office to land at Julie’s feet. Then she shoved Joseph as hard as she could, but he didn’t budge one damn inch. “Now!”

Joseph didn’t even pretend to hide his amusement as he looked down at Mia. “That wasn’t very nice, angel,” he teased. “You just threw a pickle at your friend.”

Mia knew he was purposely attempting to piss her off by using his pet name for her in front of Julie. And it worked, though she kept proof of it from her expression. She wasn’t about to give him the satisfaction of knowing he’d managed to humiliate her.

He continued, “I didn’t act all bitchy when you made me eat that icky frozen cardboard pizza.”

Julie’s startled gasp was quite audible. Mia turned her head to Julie. “It’s okay, honey. Go on out and keep an eye on things. I’ll be out in a minute.” Once Julie shut the door, Mia glared up at Joseph. “Did you just call me a bitch?”

Joseph stood and brought her up with him. He pulled her into his arms and tried to kiss her, but she shoved at his chest. “Did you?”

“Not at all.” He pulled her close and touched his lips to her ear. “Well, not really. I said you were acting bitchy. You know, moody. Hormonal.”

“No, I wasn’t. You were trying to shove a pickle down my throat.”

“Kiss me.”

“No way.” But she lifted her head to kiss him because she couldn’t resist him.

He brushed his lips against hers and whispered, “I love you, Mia.” And that was it. She wanted more, but he didn’t give it. Releasing her, he took a step back. “I’m running late for an appointment. I’ll see you later.” A coppery-colored mist formed around him and seemed to swallow him up as he vanished.

She stood staring for several moments at the spot where he’d disappeared. She was actually mad. Very mad. Why was he in such a rush? He was acting strange. The kiss was all wrong; it was cold. And then for him to just leave as he did was very unlike him. Wait. Why was she mad? That too was odd.

Not wanting him to know how easily he’d upset her, she purposely blocked her mind, her thoughts, from him. She tried to go about her day and forget it, but with each passing minute her anger and frustration grew. Eventually she felt obsessed with negative thoughts of him. What was so important that he’d left without giving her a proper kiss? Did he have another woman? Was it Teresa?