Unexpected Sting by Viola Grace (good romance books to read TXT) 📗

feel a lot better about this wholething now.”

He sighed. “I thought I was soclever.”

“Yes, but I had to catchyou before we could be released, so I did. You have a tiny pinprickon your wrist that will be numb for the rest of your life. That iswhere I can pull power if I need to or put venom in.”

He grinned. “I supposed I shouldhave asked what your monster needed.”

She wrinkled her nose. “I thinkyou knew.”

He nodded. “I probably did. Didyou have any more work to do?”

She shook her head. “No. Nothingelse to do. My slate is clear for the day.”

He gripped her hips and startedto slide her on him. “What to do with the rest of the day?”

“We could get some rest. It isback to the day job for your tomorrow.”

He nodded. “But I am nottired.”

“Hm... how to get an adult maletired? I am at a loss. Any suggestions?” Stinger clenched aroundhim.

“Oh. Good start.” He closed hiseyes as she undulated against him. “Very good start.”

She giggled, and they continuedtheir efforts to earn a nap until the early hours of the evening.It was quite the exertion, and in the end, they slept until thecompulsion woke them.

Chapter Eleven

Stinger slammed open the boardroom, andthe gathered folks jumped. Arthur got to his feet and shuddered asthe compulsion went through him. “I need to borrow Mr. Orion.Morning, Mr. Twilight.”

A bemused Stovos sat in hishuman glamour and asked, “How long until I can have him back?”

Arthur was stalking toward herwith intent. “An hour.”

Stovos chuckled. “An hour it is.See you then.”

Arthur caught her wrist andhauled her through the halls and into the office with his name onthe door. He locked the door and removed his jacket. “Strip.”

She chuckled and shrugged,unbuttoning her blouse and unzipping her skirt. “I don’t think youwant me to strip all the way.”

He glanced at her and froze.

She was rather proud of hercompromise between lingerie and a tease. With the blouse and skirt,she could appear in any boardroom, but the under-bust corset,stockings, and suspenders went really well with the heels.

“Where did you get that?”

“I have a few stashes of funclothes around a few cities. I just had to summon one.” Her heelsclicked on the floor as she approached him. “One of us is wearingtoo many clothes, but I could take this off if you like.” She ranher fingers from her neck to her cleavage and over to one nipple.The sound of fabric screaming filled the air; he caught her up, andher breasts were soon golden-pink and swollen. He was a fan of thecorset. Noted.

What followed was forty minutesof changing shapes, her kneeling on his desk and arching into himas the compulsion pressed her into action.

* * * *

Arthur returned to the boardroom, andStovos looked at him with a slight grin. The meeting resumed theacquisitions segment, and Arthur offered his opinion andinformation from the new research mission he had been on. When themeeting concluded two hours later, Stovos waited until they werealone and got up. “So, is she hard on your clothing, or areyou?”

Arthur grimaced. “I had no ideait was possible to feel that focused that fast. It was like mybrain caught fire.”

“Since I know where she shops, Ican say Cale has a lot to answer for.” Stovos chuckled. “I shouldsend him a fruit basket.”

“After today, I won’t be inuntil Monday. We need to straighten a few things out.”

“You taking her to meet yourparents?”

“As soon as she finishessecurity at the party tonight.” He got his proposals in order.

“She’s going to be at thepublisher’s party?”

“Yup.” He smiled at his boss.“We are going to transport from there to my mom’s family, and shecan meet the rest.”

“How does she get along withyour ogre?”

Stovos watched the manshudder.

“She gets along just fine. Allaspects of us have been bound except for the biological. Thecontract is very pushy in its insistence.”

“How long does it give youbetween compulsions?”

“Six to eight hours.”

“How long will this last?”

“Up to three months.” Arthursmiled. “If she gets pregnant before that, it stops.”

“So, are you hoping for a speedyend or a drawn-out attempt?” Stovos smiled.

“I am hoping for a speedy end sothat we get a timeline and I can find a house for us.” He slideverything into his portfolio. “The hunt has begun, and there arealready some prospects, but I have to keep her on the other side ofthe city from her mother.”

“I thought she and Leetha gotalong.”

“They do. Very well. As adults.I get the feeling that that relationship started sooner than itshould have. Stiila didn’t have much of a chance to be achild.”

Stovos blinked. “I did not knowthat.”

“I don’t think anyone reallyknew that. They do love each other. It is more the love betweensisters. So, I am going to try and keep them at a polite distanceand help Stiila start a new life with me.”

“So, she’s the one?”

“She’s my scorpion. I am goingto keep her where I can keep an eye on her.”

Stovos grinned. “Having justtaken on a monster myself, I can only wish you the best ofluck.”

The knock at the boardroompreceded Orvis coming in. His heart thudded a little at herentrance. “Ms. Orvis, what do you want?”

She smiled. “Mr. Twilight, youhave a meeting online in ten minutes. It might take you that longto chisel the smirk off your face. Good afternoon, Mr. Orion. IsStinger well? She went through here so fast I thought there was abounty on someone.”

Stovos walked over to her andkissed her quickly as Orion slipped out behind him. They would beable to discuss their arrangement when they got back from meetinghis parents. Stovos was overdue a trip to Japan, but his would bebusiness. He had ties to a restoration company for old buildingsthat brought the ancient structures up to code using local yokaicraftsmen. It was what one kind of faerie did for another.

* * * *

Stiila wondered when the next compulsionwould hit. She was busy soothing angry words at the bar and helpingservers escape the clutches of aggressive patrons. She had gonethrough the first three hours of the party waiting for the pushtoward Arthur, but it wasn’t coming.

She