Crimson Debt: Book 1 in the Born to Darkness series (15 page)

“Yes, so you keep reminding me.” He sighed.
“Well, if you are going to be ‘arm candy’ as you put it, we need to
sweeten your image some.”

“What?” I crossed my arms over my rumpled
blouse. “You don’t like my work clothes?”

“I have
never
liked them,” Corbin said
blandly. “Though I refrained from saying so to avoid more
citations. Beauty like yours shouldn’t be hidden by such baggy,
shapeless garments.”

I glared at him. “May I remind you that I
work as an Auditor,
not
a hostess slash call girl at your
club?”

“I do not employ prostitutes as you very well
know,” he said evenly. “But the fact remains that I would not allow
any consort of mine to clothe herself in the dowdy fashion you are
dressed in right now. Roderick will know this and so you must
change.”

“Excuse me? Did you just call me
dowdy?
I mean, seriously?”

“Do I look like I’m joking?” Corbin rose from
behind his desk and was standing in front of me before I could
blink. “Here.” There was another motion too fast to see and he was
suddenly holding a dress in one large hand. I frowned—damn his
vampire speed. “Put this on,” he said.

I took one look at the dress and shook my
head. “Uh-uh, I don’t think so.”

He raised an eyebrow. “And why not, may I
ask? Isn’t it modest enough for your taste?”

Actually, it was. It was a simple, flowing
gown made of some silky, gauzy material with an empire waistline
that looked like it would hit just above my knees. It was a little
low cut but not slutty in any way and it had flirty little cap
sleeves that would flatter my arms, now that Corbin had healed my
scars.

“The problem is the color,” I said, looking
at the dress, which was a deep, brilliant red, just a shade darker
than freshly spilled blood. “Look at it, Corbin. Everyone knows
redheads can’t wear red—it clashes.”

“This isn’t just red—it’s crimson.” He held
it up to my skin. “I had it specially made for you, Addison. It
won’t clash with your hair—it will complement it.”

“I don’t know…” I frowned. “I guess I could
try it on and see.”

“By all means.” He handed me the dress.

“Where’s the bathroom?” I asked, looking
around his office. “You do have one, don’t you? I mean I know
vampires don’t have, uh, human functions but most places at least
have one.”

“May I remind you that I have seen you
naked?” he murmured.

I felt my cheeks get hot. “Which does
not
entitle you to a strip show now. So
where’s the
bathroom?”

He sighed and gestured. “Behind the bookshelf
in the corner of my office.”

“Thank you.” I went into the little room and
made sure the door was locked. It was a useless gesture—if Corbin
had wanted to get to me, a brick wall wouldn’t have stopped him,
let alone a flimsy bathroom lock. Still, it made me feel better to
hear the
snick
when the door shut.

There was a full length mirror on the back of
the door and after I got into the dress I stood in front of it to
look myself over critically. Actually, it didn’t look half bad.
Corbin was right about the color—it was dark enough not to clash
with my hair and it gave my skin a creamy glow. The style was
nothing I would have picked for myself but it fit me perfectly,
hugging my small breasts and flowing down from them in a gauzy red
waterfall of silky fabric that managed to look both sexy and demure
at the same time.

Hanging on the same hanger that the dress had
been on was a small black pocketbook with a long strap. I don’t
usually carry a purse but in this case, I decided to make an
exception because it was just large enough to fit my Glock inside.
True, this was just supposed to be some civil trial kind of thing
but with vamps, you could never tell when things might turn
violent. And I would be damned if I’d spend time around a vamp
Roderick’s age without some kind of protection.

There was a light rapping at the door.
“Addison?” I heard Corbin say. “Are you ready to come out?”

I sighed, smoothed down my hair, and settled
the small purse firmly on my shoulder. “I guess so.”

“Let me see it.” He sounded impatient, almost
like any human man would be, waiting for his date to get ready.

Only I’m not his date—I’m nothing to him
but a prop,
I reminded myself sternly. Slowly, I came out of
the bathroom and stood in front of him with my arms spread.

“Well?”

Corbin sucked in a breath. “You look lovely.
I knew that color would suit you.”

“It’s not bad,” I said grudgingly.

“It is beautiful, as are you. We need only
one more thing. Here.”

Before I could ask what the one more thing
was, he was suddenly kneeling in front of me with a box in his
hands. He opened it, revealing black, strappy heels so high I was
surprised they fit in the box. The open-toed design made me glad
I’d had a pedicure recently.

“Are those Jimmy Choos?” I asked, as he took
one out and reached for me.

“Manolo Blahniks,” he said absently. “Here,
let me put them on you.”

“Let me sit down first, I’ll fall over,” I
objected as he lifted my right foot.

“You’ll be fine. Just hold on to me.”

I was forced to do just that, holding on to
his broad shoulders as he slipped first one shoe on and then the
other. They had a simple yet elegant design with a single strap
over the toes and another around the ankle. Corbin’s long fingers
seemed like they would be too large to buckle the delicate ankle
strap but he managed with no problem.

“There,” he murmured when he was done. I
expected him to get up but instead he remained kneeling at my feet,
looking up at me. “Perfect. Addison, you are a goddess.”

“Stop it.” I could feel my cheeks getting hot
and it occurred to me that I was still holding on to his shoulders
although both my feet were planted firmly on the ground. I caught a
whiff of his scent—that cool fragrance that reminded me of the
ocean somehow. I wanted to step away but I couldn’t.

“Why should I stop?” Corbin growled softly.
“Why should I not say what I think? When was the last time a man
told you how beautiful you are?”

Actually, it had been so long I couldn’t
remember but I wasn’t about to tell Corbin that. Instead, I forced
myself to take my hands off his shoulders and move away.

“So you expect me to walk around in these all
night?” I asked gesturing down at the shoes. “I mean, I wear heels
but these things are
stilts.”

Corbin rose smoothly and looked down at the
shoes critically. “They complement the dress perfectly. And they
have the added advantage of making you tall enough that I can bite
you without stooping too much.”

“Bite me? Wait a minute.” I took a step back,
teetered, and would have fallen if Corbin hadn’t caught my arm and
steadied me. “I know you said you might have to when we made the
original agreement, but—”

“After the display you put on last night at
Celeste’s house, I must show beyond a doubt that you are mine.
Biting you and feeding on your blood in front of Roderick is the
quickest way to do that.”

I could see that what he said made
sense—fresh fang marks are seen as signs of dominance and ownership
in the vamp community. But I still didn’t like it.

“Fine,” I said. “But you can use my arm or my
wrist—not the neck.”

Corbin frowned. “None of those areas are
where I need to bite you—I will be taking blood from your inner
thigh. Which is where the added height from your new shoes comes
into play—when I am on my knees before you, I don't want to stoop
too far to get a good bite.”

“What? No!” I exclaimed, pressing my thighs
together. “Why my inner thigh? Why would you need to do that?”

“Taking blood from a more intimate spot shows
my ownership of you.” He cupped my shoulder in one large, warm
hand. “Don’t worry, I know you’ve had pain in the past when your
friend bit you but I assure you I can make it a very pleasant
experience.”

“There’s no way I’d consider letting you push
up my skirt and sink what amounts to two sixteen gauge needles into
my inner thigh in front of a bunch of sadistic vampires a ‘pleasant
experience’,” I said, crossing my arms over my chest.

Corbin’s eyes narrowed. “Nevertheless, you
will have to submit to it. And other things as well.”

“What
other
things?” I was beginning
to dislike this more and more. What
exactly
did Corbin have
planned for me?

He sighed again and a look of frustration
passed over his face. “You will not like this, Addison, but you
must let me glamour you—at least a bit.”

“No,” I said at once. “No, absolutely not. I
told you before, that’s a deal breaker. I’m
not
letting you
into my mind.”

“Yes, you will.” Corbin took me by both
shoulders, moving too fast for me to step away. “Look at me,
Addison,” he demanded. “I have told Roderick I can glamour you and
he will expect to see me do just that.”

“You also told him you could…could fuck me
without breaking me,” I shot back. “And we saw how well that went
last night when you nearly lost your cool.”

“Were you harmed?” Corbin demanded. “Other
than the tiny scratch on your throat, which I healed, did I hurt
you in any way?”

“Well…no,” I admitted grudgingly. “But I
still don’t want you inside my head. Why can’t we just
pretend
to let you glamour me?”

“Roderick has been on this Earth for over six
centuries,” Corbin said grimly. “He will know if we attempt to
deceive him. Addison…” He cupped my cheek in his hand and looked
into my eyes. “Don’t make me force you, darling.”

“You couldn’t even if you tried,” I said,
trying to ignore the way his gentle touch made my heart drum faster
in my chest.

Corbin just looked at me.

“Could you?” I asked, my voice faltering just
a bit.

“You have a strong shield around your mind
but I could tear it down if I had to.” He caressed my cheek, his
big hand warm and deceptively gentle. “I don’t want to do that. It
would be very much like rape.”

“You wouldn’t,” I whispered, feeling cold all
over.

“Do you know what will happen if we don’t put
on a convincing display?” Corbin asked. “Roderick has the right to
exact a tribute from every vampire whose territory he examines. I
have prepared something for him that I think he will find
irresistible but he could refuse it and name his own tribute
instead. He could take your friend Taylor and give her back to
Celeste or keep her for his own. Her torment would never end.”

“You’re just trying to scare me,” I accused
him, my voice coming out breathy and high. “You’re holding Taylor
over my head so I’ll cooperate and you’ll be able to keep your own
territory with no trouble.”

“Do you really think so?” He shook his head.
“I’ll admit I have no wish to lose my territory but I am strong—I
could easily find another. However, no other territory that I could
find would have
you
as its Auditor.” He let his hands drop
and stepped away from me as his voice grew colder. “Also, it’s very
tiresome to have to start from scratch. I don’t choose to do that,
so you
will
let me glamour you, Addison.”

“But why do you even have to?” I asked, still
arguing. “I mean, what will it really achieve?”

Corbin sighed. “It will help you do what
needs to be done in a sincere and non-offensive way.”

I put a hand on my hip. “And what
exactly
needs to be done?”

“You’re going to have to apologize to
Roderick for your behavior last night and for speaking insultingly
to him.”

“Like hell I will!” I said hotly. “He raped
and tortured my best friend! He’s lucky I don’t put a bullet in his
chest.”

“Your precious gun won’t help you with a
vampire Roderick’s age,” Corbin said grimly. “And no matter what he
did, he is
still
the Inquisitor and I am
still
under
his jurisdiction.” He took a deep breath. “Therefore I will glamour
you just enough to enable you to speak politely to him, even though
we both know you have no wish to.”

“And that’s
all
you’ll do to me?” I
demanded, narrowing my eyes at him.

“That is all. After you speak your piece to
Roderick, I will release you.” He looked at me sternly. “But—and I
cannot stress this enough—even without my glamour on you, you are
still acting as my consort. Your job is to strengthen my position
and not jeopardize my standing with the Inquisitor. You will obey
my every order without question or complaint while we are with
Roderick. If you do not, there
will
be consequences. Do you
understand?”

“I understand,” I said bitterly. “I have to
play the good little consort and make nice with Roderick or you’ll
make me pay.”

“I’m trying to save you—to save both of us.”
He ran a hand through his hair in a very human gesture of
frustration. “Why can’t you see that I have your best interests at
heart, Addison?”

“Because no vampire I’ve ever met has,” I
said. “Other than Taylor, that is. And she never wanted to be one
of your kind in the first place.”

“And you think
I
did? You think I—”
Corbin shook his head. “Never mind.”

“I just have one more question, Corbin,” I
said, still glaring at him. “If I’m such a bad risk that you have
to glamour me to keep a civil tongue in my head, why choose me to
play your consort? Why not pick someone else entirely—someone more
manageable?”

He looked into my eyes. “Because, Addison, I
had hoped that one day reality would mirror this fantasy that we
are playing out. And there is no one I would rather have by my
side.”

I wasn’t sure what to make of that. Did he
really expect us to have some kind of long term relationship after
this was over? Because that was ridiculous—an Auditor couldn’t date
a vamp. And besides, I was furious with him and I was pretty sure
he was fairly unhappy with me, too. We would be terrible together…
wouldn’t we?