CHAPTER THREE
He’d been looking for a distraction from thoughts of the Darkblood Secret Society, and Sabrina had certainly provided that. When he returned to his apartment that night, his mind was trained solely on her. As he unboxed his books and placed them on the shelves, he imagined what it would feel like to run his hands down her ribs to her hips, to cup her tight buttocks, to press her against him, to feel her warm breath against his lips. He unpacked his clothes and hung them in the bedroom closet, picturing himself closing the office door behind her, flicking that lock he had noticed on the handle, bending her over his desk, and lifting the hem of her dress.
His fantasies followed him to work the next day, haunting him as he tried to focus on reports and memos. He couldn’t ignore the way she smiled at him over her mug of coffee or the way her voice sounded when she told him he had a call on line one.
“Aren’t you going out for lunch?” Sabrina asked when she stepped into his office around one o’clock to hand him his mail. “I think most everyone else has gone and come back already.”
“I took advantage of the mini fridge and brought my own,” he said, gesturing to the appliance next to the coffee station. “I have a lot of work to get done, so I figured I wouldn’t waste my time.”
She set the stack of envelopes on the corner of his desk. “I see. You’re the kind to work yourself to death. Well, that’s up to you, but you should really check out the little café around the corner. I’ll go with you sometime and show you all the good stuff.”
The idea of lunch with Sabrina—especially with her showing him “the good stuff”—lit Lance on fire. He tried to keep his focus on her face instead of her breasts as he pulled the pile of mail toward him. Her blouse fit tightly around her chest, and she had left just enough buttons undone to suggest what was underneath. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
She crossed the room to the coffee machine and poured herself another cup. She had already been in there three times that day, and every time had been like torture. “Great. Don’t forget we have a staff meeting tomorrow morning. Nobody will expect much from you, since you’re new, but it’ll give you an idea of what we usually do. I’ll be there with you if you have any questions.” She twirled toward the door and was gone.
Lance stared at the closed door, wondering how long he could carry on this way. Sabrina was able to create not just an interest within him, but an urge. He wanted her with a hunger that gnawed at him from the inside. Even when she had safely ensconced herself in her office, he still knew she was there on the other side of the door. It was as though he could read her heat signature right through the wall, but of course he couldn’t do that while he was human.
Listlessly, Lance flicked through the mail. There were catalogs for office equipment addressed to his predecessor, advertisements from insurance companies, and a coupon for ten dollars off a haircut. Most of this he cast aside, but the last piece of mail made him sit up. The paper of the envelope looked like old parchment, a deep cream color that accented the dark red seal holding it shut. The image in the wax was a twisted dragon, the same logo he had seen outside The Club.
With his heart pounding, Lance broke the seal.
Tonight. 9:30.
While it wasn’t any sort of formal invitation written in calligraphy like he might have expected, he couldn’t complain; The Darkblood Secret Society had finally decided to let him come back. His shoulder blades itched with anticipation, hoping he would get a chance to shift again. It had only been a few days since he had arrived in the city, but those precious few moments as a dragon at The Club simply weren’t enough.
Still, there was no telling just what the members had in store for him. He hadn’t expected to be tested and then thrown out on the street the other night, but it didn’t leave him with any good guesses as to what the reason for the invitation might be.
All he could do was wait and see.
The rest of the work day ticked by slowly, full of reports and financial analyses. Lance struggled through, trying desperately to train his thoughts on his work. When Sabrina next came through the door, he’d hardly made any progress.
“I just thought I’d let you know I’m heading home,” she said with a friendly smile. She had a little black purse in one hand and a travel mug in the other. “I won’t give you this kind of warning on a regular basis, though. I’m only doing it because you’re new.” Sabrina winked at him from the doorway.
She wasn’t distracting him quite like she had been earlier in the day; he had far too many things on his mind. “Have a good evening.”
“Don’t stay too late, okay? I’d hate to see you keel over from a heart attack like the last guy.”
Lance looked up at her, startled, but she was laughing.
“I’m sorry. I have to cheer myself somehow, don’t I?”
This gave him pause. In the short time he had known her, Sabrina had always seemed happy. He now noticed the faint glow in her eyes, as though she was holding back tears.
“Is there something wrong?” He didn’t know what might possibly have affected her sunny disposition, but it sent a boiling anger through his bloodstream. His muscles tensed, ready to jump up and fight, but he forced himself to stay seated.
“Oh, no. Of course not. Just a little office humor. See you in the morning!” Sabrina forced a smile and left.