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Authors: Charlene Hartnady

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Cassidy
found herself nodding in agreement. She knew the drill and Dee’s description of
sex was all too familiar. She’d only had one boyfriend before Sean and he was
really useless. As it stood, Sean had only made her cum a handful of times
during their four years of marriage. Men could be so selfish.

The young
lady chewed on her lip for a while before continuing. “I have experienced an
orgasm.” She paused for a long while. “All by myself.” She giggled. “The thing
is, I wouldn’t mind having one…another way I guess. I mean, I wouldn’t mind
having one with someone else’s help…you know?” A deep flush crept up from the
neckline of her shirt.

“You
are young,” Cassidy said. “There are guys out there… I’m sure.”
Yeah right!
She didn’t believe what she was saying herself, so how could she expect Dee to
believe her. “What I’m trying to say is, at your age, there must be plenty of
young men. You don’t have to let a vampire touch you to get off.”

“How
old are you then?” Dee lifted her brows and clasped her hands over her lap.

“I’ll
be thirty next month.” The big 30, she couldn’t believe it. A wave of sadness
washed over her. By now she really had hoped to be settled down with the man of
her dreams with at least two if not three children running around. The pain
inside her only increased. So she gave herself a mental shake of the head and
moved on. It was no use thinking along those lines. It just ended up hurting
too damned much.

“That’s
still really young. I’m only five years younger than you, you know?” Dee smiled
more widely. She really was sweet. Cassidy could not believe that so few years
separated them. Had she really turned into such an old cynical woman in such a
short time?

“I
don’t feel all that young,” Cassidy said. “But I guess I still am.” She smiled
back at the young woman. This was a new beginning for her and she was going to
embrace it. So what if she got a little horny. There was no way she was going to
act on it.

In
three days time, she would be in a position to just start over. Then she’d
start doing fun things again. Crazy things like swimming naked and watching the
sunrise after staying up all night.

Dee
let out a deep breath. “I’m going to do it.” Her eyes were wide and sparkled
with excitement. “I’m going to let one of them touch me. Live on the edge for
once. I’m still young, still carefree.” She threw her head back and laughed
like a mad woman. Cassidy found herself laughing softly as well.

“I’m
going to do it. I really am.” She spoke more to herself than to Cassidy. “If I
don’t, I think that I’ll always regret it. You know what I mean?”

Cassidy
nodded. She knew exactly what Dee meant. Her being a part of this trial was
much the same. If she hadn’t done this, she would’ve regretted it. She was glad
she was here. Glad even that she’d let Dee into her room, because she felt a
little bit better now about the whole thing.

 

 

Chapter 4

 

There
were two closed doors side by side. One was marked A and the other B. Cassidy
looked down at the document in her hand, already knowing what was written
there. Her first appointment was at ten o’clock in room A. She was a few
minutes early. There were three guards outside of each door. They looked much
the same as the guards that were posted outside their building. Tall, built and
cocky…as in literally. Every male vampire she had seen thus far was wearing
leather pants and a leather shirt. The clothing fit like a second skin. Showing
each and every sinewy muscle and bulge to perfection.

She’d
seen a couple of the vampire women as well and wow…just wow. It actually made
her feel sorry for the human women who had signed up to become mates to these
men. There was just no comparison. The only way to describe it was to take the
most beautiful models with their tall, slender figures and flawless skin and
make them even more attractive and then you had a vampire woman. They oozed sex
appeal from every pore.

There
was a sound of hard footfalls behind her, Cassidy turned and watched as a
forbidding specimen approached. His eyes were hard and there were frown lines
on his forehead. “Good morning. I’m Gideon and this is my team. We are here to
ensure your safety today.”

Cassidy
swallowed hard and nodded, not sure that she could trust her own voice.
Crunch
time.
She sucked in a deep breath and told herself over and over that she could
do this. There was no other choice. It’s not like she had a job to go back to.

“Do
not be afraid, even if there is the slightest suspicion, the three males stationed
at the door will enter and retrieve you. We have practiced this and are able to
do it in less than three seconds. Should you feel afraid, at any time say the
word
pumpkin
and within three seconds, we will retrieve you. However, if
we feel the need to retrieve you at any time, we will do so anyway. Do you
understand?”

“Pumpkin.”
Even though her hands were shaking and her heart was racing, she still found
herself smiling.

The
big vampire’s lip twitched. “We had to come up with something that you wouldn’t
say in general conversation or in the throes of…” He looked to somewhere behind
her before returning his gaze to hers. “Make sure you remember it and use it
without hesitation.”

She
nodded. “Pumpkin, I won’t forget.”

Some
of the tension seemed to ease out of him. “I know that you have been informed
that all of the rooms are monitored by closed-circuit televisions. Two of our
females will watch the camera feeds during your session. I need to verbally inform
you now that this was discussed in your training and that you have consented to
this in your contractual agreement.” His dark eyes stayed locked with hers.

She
nodded.

“I
require your verbal response, please,” Gideon said.

“I
understand and yes…”

Door B
flew open with a crash. It was the blond woman who liked to chew gum. Tears
were streaming down her cheeks. She looked completely distraught. Like she’d
just witnessed a murder or something. “Oh my God.” She sobbed. “I can’t believe
that just happened… Can’t believe it,” she wailed. She was wearing a summer
dress.

That’s
when Cassidy noticed the two bleeding puncture wounds on her neck. The woman
locked eyes with Gideon and sobbed even louder as she made her way towards
them. “I need to leave.” Tears were streaming down her face.

Gideon’s
nostrils flared and she actually heard him sucking in a lungful of air.

Cassidy
opened her purse and reached inside, pulling out a wad of tissues. She handed
one to the woman who nodded her head in thanks.

After
blowing her nose and pulling herself together somewhat, she continued. “I can’t
do this.”

Gideon
folded his hands across his chest. “Allowing a male to ease you is no reason
for embarrassment.”

“How
dare you?” She sniffed loudly. “I don’t want any of your filthy bloodsucker
hands on me. I hate all of you but I couldn’t help myself.” She broke down
crying again. “Oh god…”

Gideon
bristled, Cassidy could actually see the muscles beneath the leather shirt he
was wearing bunch. He tensed his jaw for a few beats. “You lied. You stated on
your questionnaire that you were not opposed to vampires. Not opposed to
vampires and humans mating.”

“So
freaking sue me. I needed the money.” Her eyes were wild and blazing. No longer
upset, Cassidy could see that the woman was pissed. “I don’t want any of your filthy
hands on me…ever again. It’s not worth the money. I’m leaving right now.”

“Sue
you…?” Gideon snorted. “Actually,” His eyes darkened. “We may do just that. A
female such as you deserves to be sued.” He motioned to the guard closest to
them who grabbed the woman by the arm. “You are free to leave but you will hear
from our lawyers.” His jaw was set. His eyes blazing. “You lied…committed fraud.”
He shook his head looking disgusted.

“Escort
this female from the property,” Gideon growled. Low and deep. It sent shocks of
fear racing through her body.

“Get
your hands off of me!” Blondie shouted as they began to walk away.

Cassidy
swallowed thickly.
What the hell?
Going through the door to room A
didn’t seem like such an easy task anymore. Not that she’d ever considered it
easy in the first place.

Gideon
smiled at her, flashing long ivory fangs that almost had her shrinking away.
“Apologies. You may go inside now.” He gestured in the general direction of the
building behind her. The one that housed room A and the vampire that would take
blood from her.

This
was it.

If she
wasn’t in such a bind, she’d turn around and walk away right now.

Cassidy
was wearing another one of her work outfits, thick stockings, a blouse that was
buttoned up right to her neck. Only this time she’d selected a thin knit sweater
instead of the jacket. It was just too darned hot.

Cassidy
glanced down at her watch. It was already five minutes past ten. This whole
incident had made her late.

Swallowing
hard, she walked over to the door and put her hand on the knob. Taking in a
deep breath, she turned the knob and entered.

There
was a man…vampire standing on the far side of the room. He turned to face her
and she struggled to draw breath.

Holy
hell!

It
really wasn’t fair. Why did the first vampire on her damned list have to be so
good-looking?

From
across the room, she could see that his eyes were the color of a clear winter’s
day. Crisp, bright blue. He was big, bigger than any of the guys she’d seen so
far. His muscles had muscles. His hair was a dirty blond, cropped close to his scalp.

Her
only consolation was that he seemed just as at a loss for words as she was. She
watched his Adam’s apple work. He clenched and unclenched his fists and licked
his lips.

“I’m
Cassidy.” Her voice sounded shaky. Her whole body vibrated with both nervous
tension and awareness.

“York.”
His voice was so deep, so rich, it almost had her falling to her knees and
whimpering.

They
had been told that only the strongest of the elite warriors were accepted into
the program. They had been pitted against one another in one on one battles
until only ten remained. There was no doubt in her mind that the vampire
standing in front of her was one of the best. She didn’t need to see an army of
vampire warriors to know this to be true. He radiated raw energy and power. It
was crazy, because some of the fear left her.

Surely
the opposite should be true? Yet, it was almost like her fears from the last
couple of weeks and certainly the last few days suddenly subsided.

“Where
are my manners?” York said while walking towards her, his hand outstretched.
His stunning blue eyes stayed locked with hers.

It was
only out of sheer habit that she lifted her hand as he drew closer. His much
bigger, much warmer one enclosed hers in a firm grip. She could feel that his
fingers were rough and calloused, causing shivers to race up and down her
spine.

York
finally smiled and she realized that their hands were still clasped. Or rather,
she was still holding on tightly to York’s hand.

Without
meaning to, Cassidy made a small squeaking noise and pulled her hand away. This
was not some good-looking guy, he was potentially a killer. There was no way in
hell she was going to drool over him.

Not
happening.

It
didn’t matter that his shoulders were impossibly broad. That his eyes held a
mischievous twinkle. He wore faded jeans and a grey nondescript T-shirt. Both
garments clung to him lovingly.

No
drooling.

She
could do this.

“I can
scent that you are a little afraid.” he said, his deep voice washed over her like
mulled wine.

“You
can smell that?”
Stupid question Cassidy
. It had been part of the brief
during the training session that vampires had greatly enhanced senses. Their
sense of smell was so fantastic, that women wanting to join the program had to
initially agree to go on birth control pills to prevent ovulation. Apparently,
the scent of a woman during that part of her cycle could drive a vampire male
insane.

York
nodded, his nostrils flared. “You had eggs and bacon for breakfast. Your shower
gel scents of vanilla, your lotion is fruity and you’re not wearing any
perfume.”

“We
were told not to wear any. They said that it can be a little overpowering for
your senses.”

He
nodded. “We have half an hour…” He glanced at the watch on his wrist. “Make
that twenty minutes. Can I get you something to drink?”

Her
mouth did feel a little dry but she doubted that something to drink would help.
She nodded anyway.

The
room, just like her suite, was tastefully decorated in much the same way. It
was a living room with a small kitchenette in the corner. York moved to what
looked like a minibar and opened it, having to duck down quite low to take a
look inside at the contents.

“There
is water, soda and juice…”

“A
juice would be great, thanks.” At least she was sounding a little more
confident now, although the opposite was true. Allison said that if she was in
the least bit attracted to the vampire drinking from her, that her arousal
would be that much worse. York had to be the most good-looking man she’d ever
seen in her life.
He’s not a man Cassidy, he’s a vampire.
He has long
sharp fangs that could rip you to shreds in an instant.

Even
knowing that, she couldn’t stop from noticing how great his ass looked in his
jeans. How thick his thighs were, how his built stature was that much more
accentuated by his narrow waist.

“I’ve
got orange, apple or fruit cocktail.”

“Anything.
Surprise me.”
Why the hell had she said that?
He didn’t even know her.
Stupid, stupid, stupid.

York
glanced over his shoulder at her. A small, mischievous grin toyed with the
corners of his mouth.

Oh
god!

She
thought of telling him that she hadn’t meant to sound flirtatious, but bit down
on her tongue instead. With her luck, it would come out sounding all wrong and just
make things worse.

Ice
chinked into a glass and there was a sound of a can opening. Grinning, York
walked over and handed her the glass.

“You
didn’t mention tomato juice as an option.” It looked just like blood. Her
stomach gave a little lurch at the thought of this man’s mouth on her neck…of
his fangs piercing her skin. She also felt a heat low down in the pit of her
stomach. Oh god, it was desire mixed in with fear. The thought of his mouth on
her both terrified and excited her.

“You
said to surprise you, now drink up.” York gestured to the glass in her hand.

Looking
down at the beverage, she swallowed thickly feeling a fissure of fear. If he
went into bloodlust she was a goner. Three seconds suddenly felt like a long
time. She wondered if she would even be able to say the word pumpkin.

At the
thought of the ridiculous safe word, she choked out a laugh.

York
cocked his head. “What is it?”

She
shook her head. “Nothing.”

York
scrutinized her for a second and she could almost physically feel his eyes on
her. Stroking her flesh in the softest, most tantalizing way. She had to
suppress a shiver.

“It’s
the safe word I was told to say if you end up…if you…you know.” She shrugged,
suddenly not feeling so amused anymore.

“Your
safe word is funny. What is it?” Then he choked out a laugh of his own putting
his hand up. “Don’t say it or our session will be over before it begins.”

“Don’t
worry, I won’t.” She smiled. “Unless of course…” She let the sentence die as
she watched his eyes cloud for a second.

He
looked away and when his gaze turned back to her, his eyes were more the color
of the depths of the ocean. Dark, brooding, they radiated immense power. “You
need to know that you are safe with me. I will not harm you in any way.”

“How
can you be so sure?” Her voice sounded a little croaky. It wasn’t lost on her
how her very life stood in the balance. There was a reason they were being paid
so much money. Danger pay was the correct terminology.

He
shrugged using just one shoulder, a half smile played with the left side of his
mouth. His bottom lip was full. It had the kind of lush softness a girl could
suck on or bite into.

Bite.

Head in
the game, Cassidy.

York
gave a knowing smile. He had caught her checking him out. Her cheeks heated,
which irritated her. It had been a very long time since a man had, had this
kind of effect on her. Who was she kidding? No man had ever had this kind of
effect on her. Then again, York was not a man.

BOOK: A Mate for York
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