"I want a cactus."
"Why do you want a cactus, Sia? That's the most random thing I've heard from you since you said you wanted a pet penguin after watching the Discovery Channel," Alexander complained through the speaker of my phone as I relaxed on the rooftop.
I was currently on my lunch break and my feet were still blistered and bruised, even after a month of busting my ass. I pulled off my maroon heels, wanting to take a closer look with the sun out to help me see the damage.
"To shove up people's asses, but realistically, Liam said I can get a cactus," I revealed.
"I'm still not correlating the significance of the cactus, sweetie." Alexander's voice held a hint of amusement.
“I'll explain this weekend, or if I'm not too tired, I'll give you the whole story tonight," I reassured him. He was quiet for a few seconds. I took that time to observe the state of my blisters and frowned, hoping to put some cooling cream on them when I returned to the office.
The roof was a nice place to take a break. Liam had given me the spare access card to come here and relax during my breaks if I needed to rest. I'd been feeling really shitty this week and he must have noticed, because he was always encouraging me to rest, eat, and even sleep for a bit during my long lunch break.
It had been a week since our talk and from then on, Liam had been on his best behavior. He was on time for every meeting and people had noticed, complimenting him on his renewed dedication. Hannah had been telling me the gossip. Apparently most people thought Liam had new a girlfriend and the change was due to her influence. That part made me laugh, but it also reminded me about the fact we needed to talk about what was going on between us.
"Anastasia."
"Huh?" I asked, just realizing Alexander was still on the line. He was quiet for five seconds before he spoke. "When was the last time you took your blood tablets?" he questioned.
"Why?" I mumbled and he sighed. I could already feel the long lecture coming.
"Anastasia. Where's your purse?"
"At home."
"I'm coming over there,” he declared and I groaned, standing up from the lounge chair. I walked around barefoot on the clean, smooth cement. Liam always had someone come clean here every day to make sure the area was spotless.
"You can't come here, Alexander," I huffed, beginning to pace.
"Meow?"
I paused in my pacing at Pix's adorable meow. "Pix is with you? Are you at the bar? It's only noon."
"Well, you weren't home," he whispered. I sighed, hearing a tone of hurt in his voice. I bit my lip. I had been so caught up in preparing Liam's documents for his meetings next week that I'd fallen right asleep for the fourth time this week. Liam discovered the first time I accidentally fell asleep at his desk that it was extremely hard to wake me up.
He ended up holding me in his arms and we slept together on the sofa. Fully clothed, of course. When I'd returned from lunch that shift, the previous sofa was gone and had been replaced with a larger one that could be converted to a bed. Liam said that if I ever felt tired, I should just pull it out and rest my eyes for a bit. No one else had the entry key and thanks to my little command, Lilith wouldn't dare come near Liam's office.
Since then, whenever I fell asleep, Liam would set up the bed and place me there. I even had my own blanket and everything. After the third time I woke up in his arms, I asked why he stayed with me and he said he didn't want to leave me alone. He had some sweet excuse, saying that it was his fault I was working so hard, so the least he could do was keep an eye on me.
I couldn't help but tease him since he wasn't really keeping an eye on me if he was sleeping too. Either way, not coming home for four days must have been making Alexander anxious. Even though he knew I hadn't slept with Liam because he'd ask each time and I'd confidently answer back, I still worried I was pushing his limits with me.
"I'm fine. I'll come pick them up on my next break," I reassured him as I continued my pacing. I walked over to the steel ledge, sighing at the gorgeous view. Though we weren't the tallest building in NYC, we were at the perfect height for taking in the magnificent view.
"Are you sure?" Worry lingered in Alexander’s voice, which sounded much softer than before.
"Yes. I'm sure. Where did Pix go?" I asked.
"He ran away," Alexander grumbled. I smirked. Ya, he's lonely.
"He probably got disappointed that you weren't coming by," I joked.
"That's only because you won't let me," Alexander argued.
"Thank you, Alexander, but I'm fine," I reassured him. I spotted a man sitting on the roof at the opposite building. I had to tilt my head and narrow my eyes to get a glimpse of his tiny frame in the distance.
His silver hair was long and flowed in the passing warm breeze. I was able to catch sight of his bright blue eyes, a gentle grin on his lips. Who is this guy?
He mouthed something but I couldn't decipher it, which only left me more confused.
"Anastasia? Sia? You there? Oh please don't tell me you zoned out," I heard Alexander say but my eyes remained glued to the man. I blinked and just like that, he was gone. I'm officially going insane.
"Anastasia!" Alexander shouted through the phone. I blinked a few times, feeling rather dizzy on my feet and my mind felt like it had been wrapped in a fog. My breathing was rapid, my inhales and exhales loud to my now very sensitive ears. My palms felt sweaty and I struggled to keep my grip on the phone in my right hand. Fuck, I need to sit down.
"Sia?"
Arms wrapped around my lower waist, steadying me. I sighed in relief, resting back as the arms tightened their hold, supporting my weight. I knew this was a side effect of me not attending to my vampire half, but after experiencing this a few times before, I was confident it would pass without me killing anyone, especially not Liam. Hopefully...
"Anastasia?" Liam's worried tone was the only thing keeping me conscious at this point. Being in his arms was somewhat comforting. I felt a weird energy, like a type of aura that made me realize he was anxious, even with my eyes closed. I could still pick up on Alexander’s concerned voice but I felt so tired and didn't want to lift my hand up or speak to answer him.
I heard Liam curse under his breath, then felt him gently tug the phone out of my hand. In one smooth motion, I was lifted into his arms, my head resting on his chest. It took a few moments of keeping my eyes closed and taking deep breaths for the fogginess in my mind to clear. Even then, my throat still felt dry like I hadn’t had anything to drink in days.
I felt my body being lowered to the sofa and I finally opened my eyes to meet Liam's serious ones. He had my phone in his hand, Alexander’s voice still talking on the other end but Liam didn't answer, his focus 100% on me.
"When was the last time you fed?" Liam questioned.
I glanced away. "I don't...drink people's blood, remember?" Even whispering, my voice cracked midway and I tried to swallow the lump in my throat, but the small action almost made me cough. My mouth was so dry I wondered if there was even any saliva left.
I felt like shit and my hands were clammy. My body was cold, making me want to shiver but afraid Liam would get upset. This was obviously my fault, but I didn't want him to be angry with me. I hesitantly looked back at him and his stern look softened as he sighed. He frowned at my phone in his hand, finally putting it to his ear.
"You screaming over there isn't helping anyone. I heard everything you said, so stop repeating it,” he huffed. There was a moment of silence and Liam looked me in the eyes.
"You won't make it, even if you were Usain Bolt. I'll figure something out. Yes, I'm well aware, she told me....you're really annoying. Can we argue another time when Sia is better? Yes, I call her Sia....are we really having this conversation right now?" Liam’s expression alternated from annoyed to confused.
"I'll deal with it. She'll be fine, I promise. Don't come here. I'll drop her home once her eyes are back to normal. Fine." Liam hung up my phone and ruffled his hair. "Your boyfriend is annoying."
"We're not dating," I croaked, feeling somewhat defensive and also a little bit depressed that I had to announce that out loud.
Liam eyed me carefully and slowly nodded. "You think you'll be okay to sit?" he questioned. I nodded, not wanting to say too much.
He helped me sit up and my eyes locked onto his neck, eyeing his pulse while my hearing heightened to listen to the rapid beat, blood pumping through his veins.
"Anastasia."
Liam's stern tone clicked me out of my daze and I lifted my eyes to meet his blank expression. He took another deep inhale before he presented his wrist to me. "You need to drink now, or it will be more difficult for me to calm you down if this escalates any further."
I stared at his wrist like it was some foreign dictionary and he had just asked me to read the entire thing out loud. "Um..." I trailed off, unsure how to explain that I'd literally never bitten anyone before.
It took another ten seconds of me staring at his outstretched hand for it to register. "You've literally never fed off someone?" He sounded astonished. I looked down at my lap shyly, not feeling in the mood to explain my past right now. Kinda hard to feed on anyone when you're chained up every night, lucky to ever see the light of day.
He took a deep breath, walking over to me and lifting me into his arms. I didn't know what he was planning, but he sat down, positioning me in his lap. His left arm wrapped around my waist to support me while he presented his right arm.
"I don't think we have much time for a detailed tutorial right now, so I'm going to bite my wrist. You're going to be drawn by my blood instinctively. It’s going to be really hard to control yourself, but I'm going to ask you to stop when you’re satisfied or when I know I can't take it anymore. Understood?"
I frowned, looking into his red eyes. How can he trust me? What if I overdo it? What if I fuck this up; would he ditch me? Would he cast me away because of my mistakes, like Mother did?
He lifted his free hand and brushed my cheek. I blinked, realizing I was crying. "I know you're scared. I won't be mad. Just relax and let your instincts tell you when it’s time to stop. Every vampire knows when they're satisfied. It's hard in the beginning but it will get easier. I’ll be here to guide you. Everything will be okay, Anastasia." He whispered the last part and gave me a smile of encouragement.
I slowly nodded and he moved his hand from my face, rotating it so his wrist was visible before moving it up to his mouth. His fangs extended out and he bit slightly into his skin. I noticed the slight flinch in his expression, hinting at his pain but my concentration was soon stolen by the divine smell of blood that hit my nose.
It was like walking into a bakery and the scents of all the freshly baked goods hit you all at once, making you inhale deeply and want to eat everything in the entire store. It was exactly like that, but overwhelming in strength and I thought I'd lose all sense of control.
"Breathe, Sia. Take a few breaths before you drink," Liam whispered into my ear. His voice hard to describe, sounding gentle yet somehow still had a firm authoritative tone to it, making me aware that I had to keep it together but at the same time reassuring me that he was here to help.
After the fifth inhale, I began to calm and he brought his wrist to my lips. I took a steady breath, allowing my vampire side to take over. My hidden fangs extended and I felt the pooling strength and power that heightened my senses and body. I slowly opened my mouth, using my tongue to lick at the trails of blood that stained his wrists.
I closed my eyes, wanting to savor the taste and fight the urge to moan out in satisfaction. His taste was absolutely delicious and something I'd never experienced before. Blood tablets were the basic swallow and straight to the stomach way and packs of blood were normally donated by humans. I never knew a vampire's blood could taste so good and be so addicting.
I slowly sunk my fangs into the holes he had made with his teeth, noticing him flinch but he didn't stop me; his arm was still securely wrapped around my waist. I closed my eyes and drank down the warm liquid. Energy seemed to pulse through me with every swallow I took. I fought to drink at a slower pace that wouldn't bother Liam too much. I could hear his rapid heart and his quick and uneven breaths, but I could feel something that made the succubus side of me excited.
I'd read when I was young that when you bit a person, particularly a human, the exchange set off a wave euphoria through the person being bitten and the vampire performing the action.
As the seconds passed and I continued to drink from Liam, I realized how turned on I was. My nipples were hard and with my mindset getting clearer, I noticed the throbbing ache of my pussy. Being in Liam's lap wasn't helping at all to calm my growing arousal but I was enjoying how pleasurable it felt being so close to him.
"Sia," Liam warned, his voice thick with desire. The sound tugged at my core and my eyes slowly met his; his dark red eyes were filled with such an intensity of lust it made me stop drinking his addicting blood. My pursuit for blood was suddenly replaced with a strong urge to kiss him senseless.
My succubus side quickly took over as I retracted my teeth, sucking the last bit of blood before I pulled away. Then I turned my head and smashed my lips to his.
He moaned, his eyes slowly closing as he fiercely returned my kiss. My right hand slipped into his as we exchanged hard, passionate kisses. The buzzing connection running between us was powerful and helped make me feel more energized than I'd been in days.
If it wasn't for my lungs burning for air, I wouldn't have stopped kissing him, enjoying every second of our pleasurable exchange and making me desperate for more. I slowly opened my eyes to meet his, which had returned to their usual bright red appearance.
He slowly grinned, leaning in to kiss me once more, but this time it was gentle like my lips were a fragile treasure. "You did good, Sia."
I felt relieved with his praise, knowing I hadn’t gone too far, but a part of me was still frightened, fearful of the potential possibility he'd be upset later on when the fuzzy emotions faded and were replaced with the question of why I neglected myself to the point of having to feed off him in the first place.
Liam must have noticed my tension, his wrapped arm leaving my waist so he could rub my back soothingly. "Why do you look like you're going to cry again?"
"Why aren't you mad?" I questioned. "You should be furious...or upset or yelling at me for being stupid. Yet, here you are praising me instead."
He lifted an eyebrow at me. "Why would I be mad at what you are? We need blood to survive, Sia. Sometimes mishaps happen and I have to take responsibility for that. You've been working yourself hard all week and though I noticed you’ve been tiring yourself out easily the last few days, it didn’t cross my mind that you hadn't gotten your dose at all this month. It makes me both worried and curious about how long it’s been since your last dose of blood."
I grimaced at the reminder, unable to recall the last time I'd taken those blood pills. I hadn't had one when I first started here which meant it could have been a good forty days or even two months since my last dose.
"Maybe a month and a half...or two," I confessed, feeling ashamed I'd been so careless. "I'm sorry."
Liam's hand held my chin, tilting my head up to meet his gaze. I realized his right wrist had already healed, the punctures from my fangs gone. The lingering blood stains were the only evidence I'd bitten him at all.
"It's fine. Don't apologize, but I don't want you going that long without blood from now on. Now that you know the taste of warm blood, it would put you in a dangerous situation if you reach that state again. From now on, make sure you have a blood tablet with you at all times and if you really need to feed, find me,” he encouraged.
"But...." I trailed off, unsure how to bring up the next question.
"What is it, Sia?" he pressed and I looked back up to see his calm expression.
"We aren't together. Like, couples do that kind of thing. Lovers are the ones who will go over and beyond for you and even that depends on the person and relationship. Why are you so caring for me? I'm not even your mate or anything." I whispered the last part, more to myself than him.
I had to acknowledge the fact we might just stay as boss and employee, and saying it for my ears to hear would help me accept that reality and move on.
"Do you want us to be?" he asked. I needed a minute to breath as I stared at him in shock.
"Um...well...but we can't," I admitted. Now that the idea was in the air, my mind was already racing with all the ways it could go wrong.
"If we were just two normal individuals, not CEOs of our own businesses or known to anyone. Just two people, living life and spending as much time together as we have this month in a more social setting, rather than our current work one, would you consider dating me?" he proposed, laying out a hypothetical scenario.
"Yes...I would," I said immediately.
When he presented it that way, it sounded so easy and like nothing would get in the way. My past issues wouldn't interfere and it would be the first time I was willing to let someone into my life that I hoped would stay.
"Then what's the problem?" he questioned with a smile.
"We...you mean us as a 'thing?’ An item...a-"
"A couple, Sia,” he finished for me.
"Yes. That's the word." I blushed, looking away. "We can't though."
"Why is that?" he questioned.
"You're my boss," I began.
"There are many bosses who are in relationships with a fellow worker," Liam countered.
"Yes, but I just got here a month ago and then BAM! We just say we're dating? That would look bad and people would look down on you for it," I proposed.
"No one has the right to judge me and my life decisions. My relationship is a part of my private life and I know neither of us would mix work into the equation when we were on the clock. I know you feel what I do whenever we're close, Anastasia. A wave of energy that buzzes between us whenever we're near each other,” he revealed.
I slowly nodded, my eyes locking onto his. "Yes. I feel it. Makes it hard to concentrate," I mumbled.
He grinned. "I agree, it does. But this entire month, you've ignored it and gotten more work done than any secretary at SMITH EXCHANGE. You separate your outside life and give your all at the workplace. I doubt our relationship, if we agreed to have one, would compromise anything. Even when Lesley is back, you'd have no worries and can work with me to expand things in this business.”
"Work with you? Not for you?" I asked, noticing that little detail in his phrasing.
He nodded. "You have amazing ideas, Anastasia. I've watched your work ethic and I've noticed the little notes you leave on my work packages for my business meetings. A few of your suggestions are already in the works after I presented them. I'm hoping once they're finalized, you will take the credit for them and work alongside me to make those ideas blossom even more."
I gawked at him, stunned that he'd taken my advice. Businesswise, none of the companies I'd worked for temporarily had ever taken my advice when it was presented. It didn’t matter how big or small the idea was. I was the new girl who would be gone in a short period of time, so my opinion didn’t matter.
Not to mention our business market was still shifting to having more women as CEOs and business management advisors, which was beginning to benefit us, but there were still those who had the mentality that men knew all. My words of advice were a waste of oxygen to them.
"So...you want to date me?" I clarified.
He nodded. "If you'd accept my offer to date you, of course." He grinned.
"And if we date, wouldn’t we have to hide things like holding hands when we're around your office and worry about random paparazzi or something?" I pointed out.
This made Liam laugh. "Why? I do what I want. I don't need to hide anything from anyone. If I'm dating you, that's my choice and no one's interference is going to stop me. They can't talk shit to my face so why should I concern myself and try to act all ninja-like to save face?" He shrugged.
"You're really laid back which is surprising, considering your work ethic," I mumbled.
"I get that a lot from my friends outside of work,” he replied with a playful grin.
I smiled and stared into his red eyes. "Okay. Let's...uh...date?" My cheeks flushed at my words of acceptance. His expression softened and immense joy overtook his face.
"I'd be honored to date you, Anastasia,” he whispered, giving me a sweet kiss. When we pulled back to smile at one another, a thought crossed my mind.
"One more thing."
"What?"
"I want a pet," I proposed.
I didn't know why the idea came to my mind but it seemed like a good thing to bring up if we did decide to take this to the level of being an actual relationship.
"A pet? A dog, cat, fox, tiger?" he questioned.
"A cactus."
We were both silent for a moment. He blinked a few times, his expression blank for a second before a smile slowly formed on his lips as he fought back a laugh.
"Sia, a cactus isn't a pet."
"Yes, but aren’t there magic ones that move and shit? Like in Mario?" I suggested.
"That is definitely not a cactus, but if you want a magical one that moves when you water it, I'll find you one." He snickered and I couldn't help but laugh.
"Hey, don't laugh," I whined. "You have to promise to water it, too."
"Are you bringing it to work?" He snickered harder, his shoulders moving up and down.
"Sometimes! What if Alexander can't water it? It needs to grow. It's the first step to learning how to take care of something other than yourself before getting an actual pet," I argued.
He couldn't fight it anymore, laughing loudly at my claim. "Anastasia, you are adorable."
"Hey, you said you wouldn't laugh." I grinned, feeling much better now after sitting and of course, having had some of his addicting blood.
If you could seduce someone with your blood, he'd be the perfect candidate for a vampire shifter. His laugh was just as addicting and contagious as his blood, and I ended up giggling with him.
"Sorry, sorry. You feel okay to go home now?" he asked.
"Ah, yes. I can take an Uber," I suggested but didn't move from his lap, kinda enjoying our closeness.
He smirked and slowly leaned in to kiss me. I smiled against his lips and he slowly deepened the kiss. He pulled back to stare directly into my eyes.
"We’ll go together. I better deliver you right at your doorstep before your boyfriend and his cat form a plan to kill me,” he proposed.
"Alexander and I aren't dating, and what cat? How did you know Pix was with him?" I questioned.
"Pix? That's the cat's name? He kept meowing in the background of your phone. That guy still acts like he's dating you," Liam commented.
"We haven't come to a decision and I guess since we're dating now, he and I lost that chance." I whispered the last part, feeling a little disappointed by it.
Liam's hand brushed along my cheek, grabbing my attention. "Why?"
"Huh? Why what?"
"Why would you lose the chance because we're dating?"
"Um, because we're a couple now?" I reminded, in case he'd forgotten.
He raised an eyebrow at me. "But you're a succubus."
"What does that have to do with anything?"
"You're going to eventually have more mates, aren't you?" he inquired.
"Um...no? I don't think so. That's...is that even allowed? I mean, like I get most succubi have multiple...well we call them slaves. I call them mates cause I don't believe in that slave shit, but you wouldn't be okay with me dating more than one person. A succubus doesn't need multiple lovers if the main one can deliver," I explained, blushing. The conversation was going in an interesting direction, and one I hadn’t expected.
"Who said I wouldn't be okay with it?"
"Uh..." I trailed off.
He chuckled, shaking his head. He placed a quick kiss on my lips before he slipped his hands under my knees and lifted me up with ease.
"I've seen you talk with your best friend on the phone a few times and though I don't know the extent of your friendship, I can tell you care for him. I also noticed when he was yelling up a storm on the phone that he cares dearly for you. Maybe neither of you are ready or perhaps he's human and you don't want to bring him into the shifter world. Whatever the case, I’m not expecting you to be exclusive. I respect your race and if you need multiple partners, I'm cool with it."
I was shocked by his acceptance, another reminder of how laid back he was when work wasn't involved.
"And..." He paused, leaning in to whisper in my ear. "I'm only suggesting multiple mates for your own pleasure. Don't think I can't deliver and meet your demands, because I certainly can, and am always up for a challenge in the bedroom."
My jaw went slack and I couldn’t formulate a response, knowing anything I would say in that moment would just be gibberish. He noticed how speechless I was and grinned in satisfaction.
"Let's get you home,” he declared and I didn't argue, feeling like I was on cloud nine.
I'd found someone who respected who I was, supported my weird hybrid self, and survived my anger tantrums. It made me wonder about his past and how he must have been raised to be such an accepting individual. It also left me imagining what would come out of this relationship.
Most importantly, I wondered how hot and pleasurable the sex would be.