Tempted by Two Angels [Notorious Nephilim 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (2 page)

* * * *

“Do we really need to hear the others?” asked Hugh, as soon as Caleigh and Blair had left the ballroom.

“I think we should at least audition them,” said Sterling, flipping through his papers. “One trained at the Chicago Musical College.”

“I’m not sure I like the idea of hiring someone from Chicago,” said Reeve. “That bad business with Frankie Fillipone wasn’t all that long ago. Plus, Caleigh has exactly the kind of sultry voice we’re looking for.”

“I wasn’t thinking of her voice,” said Hugh, grinning. He was thinking of that curvy ass she’d been so eager to show him. The entire time she sang, his dick had been rock hard as he imagined putting her over his knee and spanking that luscious ass until it was as red as a freshly boiled lobster.

Sterling glared at him. “Knock it off, Hugh. We’ve all agreed that staff is off-limits from now on.”

“I didn’t see you look away when she turned those dark eyes on you.”

Sterling averted his gaze. “That’s not the point.”

“Sure it is.”

“Hugh, we had enough trouble when Leo and Andras got involved with Blair,” said Niko, glancing toward the doors. “If this is going to be an issue for you, maybe you shouldn’t be part of the hiring committee?”

“The trouble we had would have happened whether Leo and Andras had fucked Blair or not,” said Hugh. “She was being hunted by a mob boss. As long as Caleigh isn’t in the same boat, we’ll be fine.” Footsteps echoed in the hallway. Blair was returning. Hugh lowered his voice. “And besides, I’m not looking to choose a mortal life with Caleigh the way those two chose one with her.” He crooked his thumb toward the doors. “I just want to see if Caleigh fucks as well as she sings.”

* * * *

Sterling sat across from Leo and went over each candidate’s qualifications, and the notes he, Hugh, Reeve, Niko, and Blair had taken while auditioning them. “She’s by far the best singer, and she trained at Juilliard.”

Leo narrowed his eyes. “This isn’t going to be an issue for Hugh, is it? Reeve told me what he said.”

Sterling frowned. The anger at Hugh’s words was still fresh, two days later. Seducing the guests was one thing. They all did that, except for Leo and Andras, of course. But the guests came here expecting it. Staff was different, and a classy dame like Caleigh deserved more consideration than one of the owners musing out loud whether she was a good fuck. “I’ll keep an eye on Hugh.”

“We’ve all tried to keep an eye on Hugh. He’s worse now than ever.”

Sterling sighed and leaned back in his chair. “We’re all worse than ever, Leo. It’s been over twenty years since we were imprisoned on this forsaken rock.”

“You’re not worse. If anything, you’ve withdrawn further into yourself.”

“I’m frustrated and lonely, but I’m also tired of seducing the guests. You and Andras have Blair, and you’re mortal again. It doesn’t affect you anymore like it does the rest of us.”

“That doesn’t mean we don’t remember what it was like.” Leo lowered his voice and frowned. “I was like Hugh when Blair first came here. I didn’t want to let any of them under my skin. I don’t care who Hugh sleeps with. I only care that we don’t compromise our secrecy by having one of us fool around with a member of the staff again.”

“None of us hold that against you or Andras. Surely you know that?”

“I know, but in retrospect it was dangerous. I still can’t believe Frankie never sent more men here to look for Blair or didn’t show up himself.”

“And now he’s dead, killed by his own men. You did read that in the
Trib
last week, didn’t you?”

Leo snorted. “Yeah. Talk about karma in action. But I wonder who took over his operation? The
Trib
won’t be printing that little tidbit.”

“I don’t know, but let’s not assume his replacement cares what we’re doing up here.” Sterling tapped a finger on the papers in front of Leo. “Back to this list.” Sterling didn’t want to talk about mob bosses. He wanted to hire Caleigh. She was the most beautiful woman he’d ever laid eyes on, and if she was off limits, so what? He could still go down to the club every night she performed and listen to her sing. And, he could keep Hugh from bothering her.

He’d never admit this to anyone but Leo, but he was sick and tired of their punishment. He no longer wanted to seduce the guests and indulge in vices without consequences. He wanted true love like Leo and Andras had found with Blair. No one knew how much he envied them. It was true he’d withdrawn, and for good reason. He was miserable.

“Sterling, if you think Caleigh Kensington is the best one to hire, then I say give her the gig. She’s all right with moving up here from Philly?”

“Yes. She’s worked all over the Eastern Seaboard, including New York. She told Blair she wants to get away from big cities, and thinks this place is perfect.”

Leo frowned. “What else did she say? She’s not hiding from anyone, is she?”

Sterling shook his head, hoping Leo wouldn’t push the matter. “No, she’s clean.” Sterling had no idea if Caleigh was hiding from someone or why she’d want to live and work so far away from a large city. Blair hadn’t been able to get much out of her while she walked her to the parking lot. If this backfired, they’d blame him, but right now Sterling didn’t care. He had to see Caleigh again, and listen to that smoky, sexy voice.

“All right then,” said Leo. “Let’s telephone her and offer her the job.”

Caleigh usually preferred to rehearse with only a pianist before running through sets with the entire band, but these men were tireless, driven. On her second day at the resort, the day she met the entire band, they informed her that they rehearsed six days a week, even though the nightclub was only open three nights a week. She’d be alternating sets with Zachary, whom they all called Zach, and one other male singer, but she would be performing all three nights.

Reeve explained that they used to be open six nights a week, but had to cut back during the war. When Caleigh asked what she should do the other four nights a week, Reeve had given her a sly smile and told her she was free to enjoy the amenities of the resort. Reeve and Niko had also insisted she call the owners by their first names.

“Too confusing since we share surnames,” said Reeve.

“We’re fairly informal here,” said Niko.

That had been an understatement. When she first arrived, Sterling and Leo and shown her around, and Caleigh had been awestruck by how large the place was and all they had to offer their guests. There were two pools—one indoors and one outdoors—three lakes, tennis courts, horseback riding trails, and volleyball courts. She was told in the winter they offered midnight sleigh rides and ice-skating. They were in the middle of renovating the area near the pool into spa facilities and had plans to expand outdoor activities on the shores of at least one of the lakes.

Caleigh felt like a pampered guest by the end of the tour rather than part of the staff. Her meals were free, she had a private room in a wing reserved for staff, and she was free to roam the resort and take advantage of all they had to offer. When she’d found out what they intended to pay her, she began to wonder what the catch was.

Reeve had previously asked Caleigh for a list of songs she’d sung professionally, and she’d handed him the ten typewritten pages that she’d brought along. He picked up the list now and scanned the titles.

“Impressive. You’ve sung a lot of different styles. Our guests seem to enjoy anything that isn’t more than twenty years old, so we stick to songs from the mid-twenties on. With your voice, I think we can incorporate songs we haven’t done in a while. That’ll be a nice change.”

“How do you keep up with new styles way up here?” she asked.

“We listen to the radio shows, and Niko and I travel to Chicago once a month and visit the various clubs. I’m told television will soon be available in this area. Clubs will actually be able to film their performers, and people can watch the show in their own homes.”

“It sounds like science fiction, doesn’t it?”

Reeve smiled. “Yes, it does.” He turned toward the band. “Let’s run through a few of these with Caleigh. Shall we start with ‘Stormy Weather’? You okay with a key of G major?”

Caleigh nodded then took a sip of water from a tall glass into which she’d placed several lime slices before she stood in front of the microphone. She’d been sipping water with limes for years and would swear to anyone that it helped give her voice its characteristic smoky sound. As she launched into the song, she caught movement at the back of the room and watched Hugh swagger up the main aisle.

He stopped about halfway, crossed his arms, and regarded her with a look that was pure lust. Caleigh began to gently sway her hips to the music. Her dress felt too tight across the nipples, and a delicious tingling sensation had started in her pussy. What was it about this man that made her want to throw caution to the wind? And what perfect timing that he’d shown up during this song. He epitomized stormy weather with those gray eyes and dark hair.

As she neared the end of the song, the scent of lavender drifted toward her, lazy and slow. Where was it coming from? Hugh’s hair stood on end, and his eyes began to glow and widen, until they were the only things Caleigh saw as she struggled to finish. Even the music from the band faded into the background.

Erotic images played in her head, like wisps from a dream. Hugh, naked and muscled, stood over her. She could only see his cock by turning her head to the side. It pointed at her face, red and slick with pre-cum.

By the time she had sung the last few notes, she was no longer sure where she was, or whether a band played behind her or not.

“Caleigh? Which song would you like to run through next?” Niko’s voice held an edge she couldn’t interpret.

“What?” She whirled around to face the men, blinking a few times to clear her thoughts. What the hell had just happened? Where had those images come from?

“Let’s do ‘I’ll Be Seeing You,’” she said, only because it was the one song she could sing right now and not have to concentrate on.

As she began to sing, she dared to scan the room for Hugh’s presence again. He’d taken a seat in the second row and leaned forward so his arms rested on the back of the chair in front of him. A wicked grin played over his full lips, inviting her to stare at them and imagine them kissing every inch of her body.

His hair was perfectly in place. Where the hell had that weird hallucination come from? His eyes, although intense, didn’t glow and weren’t abnormally large. The scent of lavender still hung in the air, and Caleigh became aware of other scents as well. The smell of oregano and lilacs drifted from behind her.

Every time she cut her gaze away from Hugh, his very presence seemed to draw it back. Lust rolled off the man in waves. He had an air of confident sexuality about him that transcended his good looks and penetrating gaze. Caleigh was no stranger to good-looking men, but Hugh was different. His entire being called to her, like a siren song. She had to look at him, study him, and sing only to him.

The erotic images grew bolder, more daring. This time she saw herself facedown on a bed, arms and legs bound with rope, while Hugh stood over her with something wooden in his hand that looked suspiciously like a paddle.

Caleigh nearly stumbled over the words, something she had never done before. Her palms grew damp, and she gripped the microphone stand harder, searching for something solid to cling to. Beads of sweat collected along her hairline. A tingling sensation tortured her nipples, and her clit began to throb.

By the time she finally finished the song, her legs were weak and she was light-headed. The room had grown uncomfortably hot. She gulped her entire glass of water then excused herself backstage to look for more. As if through a fog, she heard Reeve ask if she was all right, but Caleigh couldn’t answer him.

She closed the door of the tiny dressing room they’d given her and sat on the stool, wiping her brow. What the hell was going on here? Was she ill? She hadn’t eaten anything unusual the night before or this morning. The food here was delicious, and she’d eaten her fill, but not to the point of being a glutton. Caleigh poured more water into her glass and stared at it, wondering if perhaps it came from the surrounding lakes, and she simply wasn’t used to it yet?

But even as those thoughts took shape, she knew the way she felt had nothing to do with food or water. It was because of Hugh. A soft knock on the door made her jump. Before she could rise or tell the person to come in, the door opened and there Hugh stood in all his seductive glory.

“I came to see if you were okay. You looked a bit shaken up on stage.”

“Just tired.”
Liar.

“Did you not sleep well?”

“It’s quiet here. I’m not used to it.” That was the truth, at least.

“I imagine after living in big cities like New York and Philly this place seems remote and backwoods.”

Caleigh nodded. Her mouth had gone bone dry again and she struggled to form a coherent thought. The air in the small room felt oppressive and stuffy. She had to get out of here, but she couldn’t seem to look away from his eyes. The smell of lavender was overpowering. There was no point in pretending it wasn’t coming from him.

“Perhaps later we could spend some time getting better acquainted,” he said. His voice was low, raspy, and so sexy that Caleigh’s pussy contracted at the sound of it. She had to bite back a moan. Caleigh was no stranger to sex, and good sex at that, but if this man could make her nearly have an orgasm with his voice, what the hell would happen if his cock were stuffed into her?

“Sure,” she whispered. “Okay.” She sounded like a blundering idiot.

Hugh started to walk toward her slowly. Caleigh sat still, waiting. His eyes regarded her with unadorned lust. Her gaze drifted lower, over a jacket and shirt that couldn’t disguise the muscles in his arms and chest, to the impressive bulge in his trousers. Caleigh swallowed hard.

Just before he reached her, the smell of oregano assaulted her senses. Reeve towered in the doorway, his face filled with anger. “Hugh, is she all right?”