SIX MONTHS EARLIER...
"Sweet mother of sin! You did NOT just waltz in here holding the first place trophy from the National Pole Dancing Competition! Is that real gold?!"
I grinned with satisfaction as I kicked my heels off, thankful to have those bloody things off my feet after walking on and off the stage in them for hours.
"Yes it's real gold and I sure did! There's a reason why my business does well, bestie." I winked and giggled.
My best friend, Alexander, laughed sarcastically. "My Sweet Anastasia. Your business does well because you’re a fucking workaholic who won't let any bitch steal the grand title from her, that's why. Let me guess, you went in thinking any rank would be enough, but the moment you made contact with them sexy girls in their bling bikinis, the she-devil in you would not let yourself be outdone,” he declared in a dramatic voice.
I rolled my eyes and went over to put down the oversized trophy that was literally 5-feet tall. My Uber driver had been willing to bring it up for me, but I think he only wanted to help in exchange for my number which I would have rather avoided. Not to mention I was stronger than I "apparently" looked according the five other men who kindly questioned if I needed any assistance. Yup, the life of a succubus.
"That's not how it happened. It was more like, I walked into the change room and got prepped, minding my own business, of course," I began, stressing the last part. Alexander raised his eyebrow at me and I crossed my arms defensively.
"I was this time. ANYWAYS, I had just finished putting on my lovely pink, blinged-out bikini and was ready to go and one of the girls who surprisingly was last year’s winner bumped into me. I couldn't believe that in a hallway wide enough to fit four rows of people, she accidently bumped into me; it was totally intentionally. So the succubus in me was not going to have any of that. So a little hip here and a little toss of my curly hair there, and I grabbed the judges’ attention. Once I began my routine on the pole, it was just magic. Oh, and did you know the main female judge is a lesbian? I was shocked and a little intrigued to find out."
"You did not make out with a judge!" he scolded.
"I did no such thing." I put my hand on my chest in a gesture of innocence.
He was quiet, staring at me like he didn't believe me. "She made out with me, Alexander. There's a big difference,” I defended.
"You need a boyfriend. No! You need a harem." Alexander shook his head, flicking his hand at me accusingly.
"I do not need a boyfriend, let alone a harem! I'm a succubus, Alexander. You know, a creature whose sex appeal brings all the boys and the girls to the yard. That was a good song by the way!" I called back as I walked over to the fridge to get a chilled bottle of rosé.
"I know what you are, lovely. You're just lucky I can tone down your magnetic pull,” he replied. "And it's two in the afternoon. Why are you drinking?"
"My magnetic pull doesn't work on you ‘cause YOU said you were gay,” I reminded, giving him an accusing look. "And my ass was up at four in the morning so I need a damn drink if I'm going to make it through playing catch up on all the email requests I have in my inbox that I've been doing my best to avoid."
"I'm not gay."
"You act gay," I countered.
"I 'act' gay because I don’t want girls hitting on me at my bar,” he defended.
I twisted the cap off the wine bottle, placing it and the bottle onto the table. I strode over to the cabinet to get my favorite glass: a blinged out wine glass with red and purple stones. It was hard to wash, but today was considered a special occasion for a job well done so it would be worth it.
"You say it’s bad that the judge made out with me and gave me first place, but you’re acting gay to avoid getting asked 21 questions from all the single ladies. Also, you get hit on just as bad with the men that think you ARE gay, so I don't see your point." I poured myself a full glass. I put the bottle down and picked up my glass to take a big gulp of the sweet, semi-sparkling liquid that always seemed to wash my troubles away.
"You look like you’re in heaven drinking that," Alexander pointed out.
"Don't change the topic." I winked. "But I am. Rosé is the best after a long day.”
Alex grinned, walking over to where I stood. I placed my glass down, opening my arms up for a hug. Alex laughed, giving me a tight embrace. "Congrats bestie pole dancer and welcome back. The house is way too quiet for my personal comfort when you’re away."
"Thank you, bestie. You know you could have called me. Please don't tell me you worked at the bar the whole weekend and slept there after your shift." I leaned back to look into his dark green eyes.
He glanced away. "No."
"Uh huh," I replied as we pulled out of our hug. "Were you alone?"
"No."
"So you finally got a girlfriend?" I teased, picking up my glass and began drinking it down like water.
He laughed. "Hell no. I stayed with the cat."
I choked on my wine and he groaned, reaching out to pat my back. "That strange cat that always comes to your bar? I don't get why you don't just take him in?"
This black cat with blue eyes had been coming to Alexander's bar before closing time for the last five years. I'd been telling Alexander to take the stray in, but he said the cat, whom I called Pixie or Pix for short, needed his space and loved the wild life, only coming by the bar to keep Alexander company.
"Yes, Pix as you love to call him. I keep telling you, he likes the outdoors and prowling the streets of NYC, day and night. He just stayed with me because it rained like crazy this weekend. Didn't want him getting sick," Alexander defended.
"You should just take him in as a pet," I mumbled, returning to sipping my wine.
"Anyways, why did you get to keep the trophy when you were doing the competition for the client?" he questioned, eyeing the gold skyscraper award.
"The female judge said she'd order another one, claiming the name was spelled wrong. So I got to keep this one. Look, it even has my real name on it," I squealed, walking over to turn it slightly and showed him my name engraved in capital letters.
Alexander walked to stand next to me, leaning over to read it. "Wow, My lovely Anastasia Hollister actually got a pole dancing competition trophy. Are you going to put this in your office?"
"I should. I'm really proud. That one pole dancing class was worth it!" I exclaimed.
"Aside from the fact you made out with your female instructor too," Alexander hummed.
I gave him a pout. "Alexander. You can't keep nitpicking me for what I am. I could easily waltz into any club and get laid every night but I don't. Kissing is just easier for me to remain sane."
"You're saying you're NOT crazy? Well damn, bitch, how are we friends?" he asked in a shocked voice as he put his hand on his forehead and tilted his head back dramatically like I'd caused a catastrophe with my statement.
"You’re an asshole. I question our friendship sometimes." I narrowed my eyes at him.
He laughed, loud and hard. "Sweetie, you should know that by now and I've questioned our friendship for years yet both our asses come back home at the end of the day. You secretly love me, just admit it." He winked.
"Hmph. You're manageable and I surprisingly do care about you, alright? At least you can have an intellectual conversation with me and not go all lovey-dovey 'can I be the one to father your babies' mode like other guys." I sighed, leaning back against the island as I finished off my wine. I reached for the half-filled bottle but Alexander pushed it further away, positioning himself to lean next to me.
I lifted an eyebrow at him. "What are you doing?"
"Didn't we promise you wouldn't drink a bottle of wine when you got home from work until you at least checked your emails for the next job request?"
I glared at him. "Evil."
"Helping you remain a billionaire sweetie. Are your seduction powers even working today?" He looked me up and down questioningly. "Because I think they’re defective," he teased.
I gave him a seductive grin and took a good look at him. I had always found him handsome, even though I hadn’t acted on those feelings.
He was 6'4” and African American. After being born in Taiwan, his family traveled over to America for a major business opportunity.
His black hair was shoulder length and normally tied up, giving him a poofy ponytail which he called his casual look, compared to when he worked at the bar. He had green eyes which occasionally turned gold, either when he attempted to do magic or when he was super mad about something.
He explained it was a family trait and his parents had some magic in their background. Not like I minded; he looked extra hot when he was angry. Not like we were into one another or anything. It wasn’t that I had friend zoned him, but we'd just never took the next step and neither of us ever brought it up, even with being best friends and roommates for five years now.
His parents were wealthy and gave Alexander the option to do whatever he wanted. Out of all the possibilities, he decided to get a quiet bar tucked amidst the multiple hotels in JFK airport. I had no idea how it was kept so hidden in an area with so many tourists, but he claimed he'd warded the building so only certain shifters and mages could see his bar, Magical Oasis.
I glanced down at his practically see-through white t-shirt that hugged his body perfectly like a glove, giving me a detailed glimpse of every muscle and line in his chest; don't even get me started on his eight-pack. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, an honest to goodness EIGHT-pack! He wore black jeans which were faded in the front. His thumbs were tucked in his pockets and he had a prideful grin on his clean shaven, oval face as I took my sweet time checking him out.
"I stand corrected. See, I could be bringing all the boys and girls to the yard too, you know," he declared triumphantly.
I grinned, letting go of the hold of my power and took a deep breath. "Come here, Alexander." I purred, feeling my energy begin to flow through my body and my eyes grow hot. I knew my once purple eyes had shifted to pure silver, only the rim of my irises remaining their usual plum shade. Alexander didn't hesitate, walking up to me right at my command.
"Kiss me," I whispered, trying not to get excited by the order I just executed. I'd done this a few times to prove my point to Alexander who still, after five years believed he was getting better at resisting my gift.
I noticed how his eyes began to turn gold which also happened when he became aroused, which only helped get me into the mood. In seconds, his lips claimed mine and even as a part of me wondered if we'd ever become something other than just friends, I also realized whoever got lucky enough to have this man in their life would soon come to realize what a damn good kisser he was.
I moaned into his mouth and his hands slid down my sides, stopping on my hips. The passionate kiss became more heated as he slipped his tongue into my mouth and pressed me right against the counter, pinning me with his groin. His cock felt hard against my black jeans.
Shit, need to stop. I knew if I didn't control my own greedy desires, I'd do a lot more than kiss him in order to satisfy my urges. I pulled back my energy, locking it back into my mental power box of seduction and broke the kiss.
We were both breathless, Alexander’s gold eyes staring into my silver ones which with each passing breathe became less hot and would return to their purple state when I calmed down. It took Alexander a good fifteen seconds before he snapped out of it.
"Fuck! I thought I'd nail it this time,” he cursed.
I giggled. "Sorry, bestie. You failed miserably and you’re really hard." I winked. He looked down at his jeans and cursed again, leaving my side to head to the bathroom. I smirked as I reached out for my rosé, opening it back up to finish the other half.
"Have fun! If you need help, call me!" I shouted. I knew he'd probably masturbate after that quick interaction. Just because it had been brief, didn't mean it wasn't intense.
"I hate you!" he called back.
"I love you too," I replied, taking another long sip of my wine. Ah. Hits the spot.