Mastering the Beast: Taming the Beast, Book 3 Read online

  “You’re sure about that?” Constance said.

  “Yeah—wait.” She frowned. “Sure about what?”

  “Me never meeting them.” She gestured to the steel door.

  Zoe’s shoulders slumped. The metal was dissolving at a rapid rate. Well, screw that. She threw up her hand, unleashing more of her pent-up power. In a flash of white-hot light, the steel was ten times as thick, protruding halfway into the hall.

  Constance smiled. “Nice. Becca’s never going to notice that.”

  Muttering beneath her breath, Zoe headed for her office.

  Anatol inclined his head to the door that was now so thick it touched the corner of the treatment table. “This is all your fault, Stefin.”

  He slid his gaze to the man. “Mine?”

  “Women need to be wooed,” Anatol said. “You should have used a little finesse.”

  Stefin leaned against the counter. “With one flick of my finger, I can send that door into the far reaches of the universe, but I haven’t because Zoe would probably try to outdo my power, which she can’t. Ever. When she calms down, I’ll prove to her that she’s no match for me, which she should already know. Is that enough finesse for you?”

  Taro grabbed his underwear. “Real smooth. However, what Anatol meant is to use finesse when you’re speaking to Zoe.”

  Stefin thought back to what he’d said, not finding anything wrong with it. “I told her the truth. Should I have lied?”

  “You should have wooed her first,” Anatol said.

  “How?”

  “Sugarcoated it with some pretty words,” Taro said. “Not spit it all out like she’s going to jump up and down, thrilled to death that you’re going to be bossing her around.” He frowned. “Haven’t you ever been with a woman before?”

  Stefin clenched his jaw. “More than either of you will ever know through eternity. Remember, I was the only one who kissed her.”

  “That’s gonna change,” Taro promised. Anatol nodded.

  Stefin stewed about that until he recalled his and Zoe’s kiss. Wild and wanton, yet soft and tender too, bringing him back to his mortal days.

  Having her in his arms had been truly nice. The way she’d clung to him, Stefin would have thought he was saving her from one of Satan’s more imaginative punishments. Like having to listen to a Justin Bieber album nonstop for more than twenty-four hours. Even the most evil demons broke under that.

  Damn, Zoe had returned and enjoyed his kiss. He hadn’t forced her. She’d even pushed his tongue aside so she could taste his mouth, and Stefin had allowed it because he was a good guy. He knew women should have freedom…within reason.

  Hadn’t he granted her that when he’d allowed her to drag her fingers through his hair, wrap her legs around his hips and grind her sweet little pussy against his aching cock?

  Damn straight, he had. And Zoe had wanted him until suddenly she hadn’t. Why?

  Who knew? Maybe he should tell her that’s why men ruled and women followed. No man could figure out what females really wanted and had to—

  “Trust me,” Anatol said to Taro, breaking into Stefin’s thoughts. “Once Zoe’s beneath me, she won’t want anyone else.”

  Taro laughed. “She deserves better than you. I intend to be the first to mount her.”

  “Not if you don’t know what to do.” Anatol puffed out his chest. “I’ll have to show you how.”

  As far as Stefin was concerned, neither of them would have Zoe first. They’d all take her at once, something he sensed she’d enjoy. He’s seen her building lust, tasted her escalating passion. She wanted them, and he wanted her. However, she wasn’t a pushover despite her gender and size. As Anatol had said, they’d have to woo her first.

  Now all Stefin had to figure out was how.

  Chapter Three

  Anatol sat on one end of Becca’s needlepoint sofa, Taro on the other while Stefin paced the length of the office, clearly agitated.

  As far as Anatol was concerned, this was a complete waste of time. He knew how to make a woman respond the way a man wanted, but Stefin refused to listen, insisting on this meeting with Becca.

  Her expression remained pained. “Did you guys fix the treatment room door?”

  “Of course.” Stefin dismissed her concern with a wave of his hand. “The door isn’t the problem. Fixing Zoe is.”

  Becca frowned.

  “Real smooth,” Taro said.

  Anatol clucked his tongue. “Let me explain what these two fools can’t.” He leaned forward, elbows on his knees, hands clasped to show his sincere concern. The attitude women needed from a man, even if he didn’t mean a bit of it. A barbarian like Stefin would finally understand that if he paid attention to something other than his overinflated opinion of himself. “We want to make certain that Zoe’s happy.”

  Zoe was a cute little thing, scrappy as all get out. Already Anatol liked her. He smiled.

  Stefin was downright grim. “Happy, yes, but in the sense of being obedient to us. You know, taking orders gracefully, submitting instantly with no lip whatsoever or going ballistic with her futile displays of power. We want her to enjoy serving a male superior in all ways as a female should.” He stopped pacing and faced Becca. “How do I get her to do that?”

  She screwed up her face. “Are you serious?”

  “Unfortunately,” Anatol said. He sighed to show he agreed with Becca’s distaste for what Stefin had said, another way to ensure a woman’s trust. “I’ve tried to explain that a woman needs to be treated carefully in the beginning—wooed, if you will—to bring her to your side. Once that’s accomplished, anything’s possible and certainly easier for a man.”

  Her expression didn’t improve. “Are you saying you’d lie to her to get what you want?”

  “No, of course not.” He frowned in offense, though he made it mild to avoid putting her off. “Simply tell Zoe what she wants to hear.”

  “Whether you mean it or not?”

  Her glare surprised Anatol. He leaned away from it. “No one can sincerely agree with another person all the time. Mild deceptions are a necessary evil.”

  Rubbing her temple, Becca said something beneath her breath.

  Anatol opened his mouth and then closed it without saying another word, her snotty response surprising him.

  “I told them they were nuts,” Taro said.

  Anatol frowned at him. “You have a better plan?”

  “Hell, yeah. The only one that’ll work. Sugarcoat whatever you’re saying to a woman. Use pretty words so that’s all she notices. Works like a charm every time.”

  Becca dropped her hand. “I don’t advise you trying that with Zoe. She deserves better. Honesty. Respect. Ever hear of those two things?”

  Stefin crossed his arms over his chest. “Are you saying she’ll never be obedient to my will?”

  “She’ll have your balls if she hears you talk like that. Look, guys, you’re all working together as a team. The only one who’s in charge here is me. So behave yourselves. If you want to get along with Zoe, treat her like a human being. It’s not that difficult.”

  Anatol arched one eyebrow. “She’s a demon.”

  “You know what I mean,” Becca shot back. “Being a woman, I’m an authority on the subject. I know how we want to be treated by a guy.”

  “As you are with yours,” Anatol said, gesturing to the photos on the cabinet behind her. “Your guy—”

  “Eric,” Taro interrupted. “The one Daemon told us about.”

  Stefin frowned. “Daemon claimed that he and Eric have the same feet. How’s that possible? How do they get those suckers off and on again so they can share them?”

  “They don’t have the same ones,” Taro said, rolling his eyes. “They have the same kind. Daemon needed a pair to replace his hooves. Becca didn’t know what kind of potion to make—
”

  “Yes, yes,” Stefin cut in. “We already know that she’s a lousy witch.”

  “What?” she snapped.

  Taro ignored her. “In order to create Daemon’s feet, she used Eric’s as an example, even though they’re ugly.”

  “They are not,” she growled. “They’re beautiful.”

  Anatol smiled. “Daemon showed us his feet. Horrible. So would that be a little deception on your part to make Eric feel good?”

  “And to get him to do what you want?” Stefin added.

  She pressed the heel of her hand to her forehead. “Zoe is not going to fall for BS, all right? If you want this to work, you’re going to have to get to know her and grow a friendship. It’s as simple as that.”

  Sounded like a lot of effort and time to Anatol, when wooing was so much quicker, especially when Zoe hadn’t seemed to mind Stefin’s kiss or any of their nudity. As Anatol recalled, she’d seemed ready to rock and roll, which had certainly pleased him. It appeared Stefin might be right about women not knowing the score, since Becca didn’t seem to. “So we’re supposed to get to know Zoe. Fine, I’m game. What’s her story?”

  “Her secrets particularly,” Stefin said. “Tell us. We can use them to—”

  “Not a chance.” Becca kept rubbing her forehead. “If you want to know about Zoe, ask her yourself. Better still, share something about your pasts. Be open, honest, vulnerable. Prove you can be hurt too and that all your macho blustering is simply an act to hide that you’re not all that certain about things either. You’re no different than she is.”

  Anatol tried to digest that and failed, hopelessly confused. “Wouldn’t that be lying or even wooing to tell her that we’re the same, when we’re not, or that we’re as uncertain as she is when we aren’t?”

  On a low groan, Becca crossed her arms over her desk and lowered her head to them.

  Holy hell, they were free.

  Zoe didn’t want to know how that had happened, nor was she particularly interested in what they were doing outside her door. If they put one toe inside… Gritting her teeth, she concentrated on the file on her laptop’s screen.

  “My way is best,” Anatol insisted.

  “For what?” Stefin shot back “Failure?”

  “Both of you are beyond clueless,” Taro said.

  Try all three, Zoe thought, doing her best to ignore them. Wasn’t easy. Their comments grew increasingly heated, their feet scuffling on the floor.

  Great. Now they were fighting.

  About her?

  Zoe straightened with that unexpected thought and the rush of desire that came with it. The memory of her and Stefin’s kiss returned, melting her insides. She recalled how his, Taro and Anatol’s cocks had stiffened as she’d stared at them, their male flesh drawing her near, enticing her with all that rigidity and their wicked good scents.

  A rare and precious moment that Stefin had destroyed when he’d revealed what they really wanted from her—endless screwing and mindless submission, her doing a shitload of work while they played.

  Zoe’s insides fluttered again at the thought of them crawling all over her. Okay, so the screwing part was nice, but the rest was pure crap. If they were fighting about who was going to tame her first, they were in for a rude awakening.

  She left her desk and stopped just inside her door, puffs of smoke rising from the ends of her hair.

  Stefin and Taro faced each other in the hall like gunslingers from the old West, flames flaring in their eyes, palms lifted to release their power. Anatol had propped one shoulder against the wall, clearly indifferent to the scene until he spotted her.

  “Chéri,” he cooed.

  Taro dropped his hand and looked over. Stefin gave her a wink and raised his hand a bit higher, clearly ready to unleash his power on an unsuspecting Taro.

  “Hold it right there,” Zoe ordered, pointing her finger at Stefin.

  He smiled seductively. “Would you care to take Taro’s place?” He rotated his hips. “We can have a very interesting battle. I assure you, we’ll both win.”

  The man was impossible, drool worthy too. Her panties were getting wet again. Crud. “I shouldn’t have used my powers before.” She’d never forgive herself for that. “And I’m not using them again. Neither are any of you. Not while you’re here. Got it?”

  “I didn’t use them when I undressed,” Stefin said and grinned. “I thought you’d like the mortal way better.”

  She had.

  Anatol waved his hands helplessly. “Why can’t we use our powers?”

  Damn, she liked his accent and rich skin, while those dreadlocks… If he grew those babies even longer, he could tie her wrists with them, maybe even her ankles, making her fully vulnerable to his—

  Not completing the thought, Zoe leveled her gaze on him. Golden light flickered in his eyes, totally captivating, drawing her closer. The moth to the flame.

  After her second step, she finally resisted the third and edged back. “I don’t believe in supernatural powers. I do everything the mortal way. It’s one of my guiding principles.”

  Taro rubbed his thumb over his bristly chin, his expression puzzled. His bewilderment added a bit of boyishness to his uber masculinity. Zoe knew it wouldn’t take much to lose herself in his rich mouth and strong embrace.

  When he continued to study her without speaking, she asked, “What?”

  He smiled good-naturedly, a bit cautiously too. “Not using your powers is kind of like carrying rocks on your back when you could use a wheelbarrow.”

  She tapped her foot.

  “Hey.” He lifted his hands in surrender. “Just a thought.”

  Stefin brushed past Taro. “Forgive him. He doesn’t know how to talk to a woman.”

  And Stefin did? Zoe arched one eyebrow.

  Didn’t faze him at all. “So you never use your powers and you have principles. Fascinating. Tell me everything about yourself. All of your secrets, good and bad, especially the bad.” He grinned. “I’ll listen. I’ll even agree with everything, just as you want.”

  “Imbecile,” Anatol said.

  Stefin bared his teeth at the man and then turned back to Zoe, his smile smoldering. “Come now, let’s talk.”

  Zoe didn’t know what to say. She stared at his eyes, noticing how the flames sputtered briefly. Maybe that explained the sudden change in him. She spoke to the others. “Did the steel door whack him in the head when I made it bigger? Has he been acting strange ever since?”

  Taro’s shoulders shook with laughter.

  “I’m fine,” Stefin growled. “We’re supposed to talk. I’m supposed to listen.”

  “We’re supposed to share,” Anatol said.

  Stefin’s face went slack, his expression thoughtful, and then he beamed. “That’s right. I forgot that part.” Facing Zoe, he hung his head, his hands clasped in front of him. “Here’s my story. I came from a poor Russian village. Times were terrible—the plagues, the scourges…you don’t want to know.” He sighed. “It’s a miracle I survived as long as I did. I’m—”

  “Full of it,” Zoe cut in. “I have your personnel file. The closest you’ve even been to a Russian village is if Epcot has one at Disney World that I’m unaware of.”

  With his head still lowered, Stefin eyed her warily. “How can you be so certain where I’ve been? I told Becca nothing of my past.”

  “Or the truth,” Taro offered.

  Stefin lifted his hand, ready to unleash his power once more.

  “If you want to rumble, fine,” Zoe said. “But no supernatural powers.”

  Stefin growled, “You might as well cut off my balls.”

  “Don’t tempt me.”

  He took Zoe in as if he owned her, and had the right to strip her bare and then bury his cock wherever he damn well pleased.

  Her nipples tigh
tened.

  Stefin’s smile said he noticed. He gave Taro the finger and then crossed his arms and faced her. “How could you know anything about me?”

  “I got your file from Satan.”

  Anatol stared in obvious surprise. “You two are that tight?”

  “Let’s just say he prefers that I’m here rather than there, so he caves when I want something so I won’t come back.”

  Stefin nodded knowingly. “You gave him a hard time too, huh?”

  “Not as much as you did with the poor communists. Wow, you guys in the Russian mafia don’t fool around.”

  “No, we don’t.” Grinning, he puffed out his chest. “Thanks.”

  Zoe was torn between sighing at how dense he was at times and kissing him breathless and ordering all of them to strip for an examination. One she’d provide with her hands, mouth and tongue. Calling herself a fool, she resisted all of her carnal urges. “That wasn’t a compliment.”

  His eyes widened, the flames in them hiding nearly all of his irises. “You’re insulting me because of my past? You want me to be ashamed of it? I did what I had to in order to survive. You know, eat, clothe myself, have a place to stay.”

  It was all true. Stefin hadn’t gone into crime for the fun of it, though he had raised a lot of hell during that time. For once, Zoe couldn’t blame him. He’d grown up in an impoverished household and had been on his own at eleven. A little boy who’d had to become a man quickly.

  An unexpected surge of tenderness flooded her as she considered what he might have been if circumstances had been different, and he hadn’t been on a fast track to Hell.

  When she didn’t comment, he looked at her curiously. “What?”

  “I’m sorry.”

  Stefin studied her and grinned again. “Good.” He turned to Anatol and Taro. “Sharing actually worked. Who would have thought?”

  “Whoa.” Zoe put up her hand before the others could answer. “What are you talking about?”