Dominated By Desire

Dominated by Desire

Book One of the Vespian Way

Barbara Donlon Bradley

This is an explicit and erotic novel

intended for the enjoyment

of adult readers. Please keep

out of the hands of children.

www.Phaze.com

Dominated by Desire

Copyright © 2012 by Barbara Donlon Bradley

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Edited by Adrienne Jones

Cover Art © 2012 by Niki Browning

First Edition January 2012

ISBN-13: 978-1-60659-637-1

Published by:

Phaze Books

An imprint of Mundania Press LLC

6457 Glenway Ave., #109

Cincinnati, OH 45211

All rights reserved under the International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher, Mundania Press LLC, 6457 Glenway Avenue, #109, Cincinnati, Ohio 45211, [email protected].

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded or distributed via the Internet or any other means, electronic or print, without permission from Mundania Press LLC. Warning: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000. (http://www.fbi.gov/ipr/). Please purchase only authorized electronic or print editions and do not participate in or encourage the electronic piracy of copyrighted material. Your support of the author’s rights and livelihood is appreciated.

Chapter 1

Heather stood next to her commander, going over everything she had learned about the Vespian society so far. He wanted to be sure she was ready for her next assignment. She found the idea of guarding the ambassador a bit boring but she’d done it before and it shouldn’t be a long one. The man was only to be on Earth for a short period of time.

Her first glimpse of the Vespian ambassador caught her off guard. She wasn’t sure what she expected but it wasn’t seeing him coming in like some sort of rock star. Shirt missing, exposing tight, sculpted abs, along with well-muscled shoulders and arms. He was the stuff of most women’s wet dreams and he dressed the part.

“That is the ambassador?” She couldn’t keep the shock out of her voice.

His jet black hair held a bit of a blue shine, and he kept running his fingers through the thick locks like he wanted to draw attention to it. He was tall too. Had to be over seven feet, even for her six foot three frame that was tall.

“I know it isn’t what you expect but he is doing this for charity.” Her commander’s voice was laced with a touch of laughter. “From what I hear he was talked into this. They wanted him to be one of the dates for this auction but he refused.”

All she could do was stare. The women surrounding him were practically throwing themselves at him, reaching to touch whatever they could. Giggles and groans filled the air as hands made contact with his muscled arms and legs.How was she going to work with him now that she had seen this? She wasn’t sure if she could, with
this
flashing in her mind all the time.

Those women who were able to touch him tried to pull him toward them but luckily he had anchored himself well, and had plenty of protection to keep them at bay. She was sure he reveled in the attention. He had a smile that could melt a polar ice cap.

“If it’s all right with you, sir, I’ll wait for this to end elsewhere.” She didn’t really want to see any more. If she was to treat him with any kind of professionalism it would be smart for her to find another place to wait inside the embassy.

“That’s fine. This shouldn’t take very long.”

Heather turned around and climbed the steps to the large double doors.

Her title of ice princess fit her well at this moment. Most women would enjoy watching this display but it just made her uncomfortable.

Unable to stop herself, she turned one last time to watch the spectacle and found him staring right at her. Everything disappeared during that moment. Nothing else existed but the two of them connecting through the throng of the crowd. The moment she realized she was starting to attract attention she broke eye contact and walked into the building.

What had just happened?

Her heart beat hard in her chest. No one ever affected her. That was one of the reasons she was brought in. Where all the other women had ended up sleeping with the man, she would be immune.

She needed something to calm herself down.

Meditation normally worked for her but she needed someplace quiet and empty. She found just about every room occupied. She nodded and smiled as she entered and then left different rooms.

Eventually she did find a quiet corridor. All she needed was a small alcove and a few minutes. She heard several sets of footsteps and sighed. Not this time. She turned back to find herself face to face with the ambassador with a small entourage.

Being this close to him set her body on fire. His gaze trapped her, heating her from the inside out. Training kept her from crumbling at his feet.

“Sorry, mistress, but this is the ambassador’s wing. No one is allowed down it but him and his most trusted guards.”

The man’s voice was pleasant but she found she could look at anyone but the ambassador. She found herself drowning in his eyes. They were a golden tone with a deep amber ring around the edge. She had never seen anything like it.

Tearing her gaze from his, she blinked a couple times before she could focus on the man who spoke to her. “I am sorry. Guess I got a little lost.”

“Of course.” The man bowed to her. “One of these men will take you to your room.”

“Thank you.” She steadied herself and followed the man down the hall.

It took every ounce of will power to not turn around to look at him again.

****

“And who is that?” Storm found the petite woman intriguing. She had such expressive eyes.

“She has been assigned to help you with the treaty.”

“Really?” He looked over his shoulder to watch her turn the corner.

“I thought this race decided I was too difficult to work with. Their women can’t fight the pheromones I exude and the men all want to kill me. Didn’t they say there was no one able to do this?”

“Yes sir, but she’s been tested against your pheromones and fared better than anyone else. Plus she has security training to protect you and their humans. You know these humans have wanted one of their own with you from the beginning. It was a compromise that the elders approved.”

“That little thing is going to protect me?” If the elders approved he wouldn’t fight it but he couldn’t see it. Besides, it would be interesting to see if she could do her job as well as they said.

“She comes highly recommended. One of the planet’s best.”

“We shall see.”

****

Heather dressed for the formal meal. She checked her uniform in the mirror to make sure everything was in place. This assignment would isolate her from everyone she knew. Normally she would welcome it, but she feared she wouldn’t fare any better than those who had tried before her. The one thing she had been able to do before this meal was meditate. It had helped.

She had been able to center herself and regain composure. She should be able to face the ambassador with poise now.

One more adjustment and she headed to the main hall where the meal would take place. She entered through the doors and took in her surroundings.

The dining hall bustled with waiters and servers greeting people and taking them to their proper seats. Taking a few calming breaths, she stepped into the room and waited her turn. It didn’t take too long before she was seated next to her commander.

“You sure I’m right for the job?” After her reaction to the ambassador earlier she didn’t feel as confident in herself as her superiors seemed to be.

“Yes. You passed all the tests, and you are the best in security. He emits a natural pheromone that makes people either throw themselves at him or passionately hate him. You showed you were immune to it so that makes you the perfect candidate.”

She sure didn’t feel like she was immune.

The room quieted as they prepared to introduce the ambassador to the crowd. Women sighed and tried to leave their seats to get closer to him. Men either had a big dopey grin or looked like they could kill him.

“This is what I need to protect him from? Just keep him locked up.” She kept her voice soft as she leaned toward her boss.

“That’s why you’re perfect for this,” his voice just as soft. “You see the big picture. You know we can’t lock him up but understand he needs to be kept from other people. It’s just too dangerous to have him wander around.”

“Yes, sir.” She felt the ambassador’s gaze on her. And as much as she wanted to melt at his feet like the rest of the women, she was better than that. Using all her training, she schooled her features and looked back. She had a job to do and nothing would deter her.

He gave her a smile that melted any resolve she had. There was no way she would be able to do this job. Time to get out before she got into trouble.

“Sir, I’m not sure about this.”

“I understand. He’s got a personality that pushes the best of us.”

“You don’t seem to be affected.”

“I’m under sedation.” He showed her a small patch resting on his wrist under his jacket. “Everyone at this table is, except for you. You are our only hope if we want to be allies with this planet.” If she felt something from being in the same room with him and she wasn’t sedated, just how bad was it for everyone else? She watched as the ambassador took his seat. A loud gong sounded and the waiters started to deliver their food. The appetizers arrived first. “I don’t see how I am the only person for the job. There has to be someone else.”