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

  Zoe lingered, waiting for him to acknowledge her. When he didn’t, she wanted to slug him but headed for the treatment room and her first client of the evening instead. A were who needed an intense course of therapy before the weekend. He didn’t want to call off his date with a mortal babe just because the moon would be full.

  Must be nice to have that kind of commitment from a guy.

  “Yo,” Zoe growled, striding into the room. “I’m your—”

  She stopped when she saw that Anatol was already in here, looking hotter than sin, his black pants and shirt molded to his body, dreadlocks skimming his shoulders. He gave her a bland smile, no dimple, that didn’t quite mask the flames flashing in his eyes.

  Zoe closed the door. Given the intensity of those flames, she would have jumped Anatol’s bones in an instant if not for the were on the treatment table. The creature took her and Anatol in as though waiting for something to happen between them.

  What?

  Anatol crossed the room, his stride as graceful as a panther’s, lean hips moving seductively. He didn’t stop until he was practically on top of her.

  She forced down a swallow. Behind him, the were licked his lips. Zoe couldn’t blame him.

  “Excuse me,” Anatol said.

  She stared at his mouth, his lips so close their breaths mingled. A flurry of sensations tore through her, brutal and wanting. “For what?” He hadn’t done anything yet. Damn, she prayed he would.

  He reached past her, his arm brushing the side of her breast. Her nipples peaked so fast they stung.

  The rest of her softened. Anatol’s mouth was near her ear, his sigh gliding across her skin, almost as arousing as a caress. She trembled. “I need to get the last restraint,” he whispered. Easing away, he lifted the leather strap in his hand and showed it to her. “For the were, Zoe.”

  She ran that explanation around her brain. He needed a restraint and got it by copping a feel of her boob? Wait. He’d just called her Zoe, not chéri.

  Anatol moved away from her far more briskly than he’d approached and tended to the were as if she weren’t in the room any longer. Exactly as Stefin had behaved at Heather’s desk.

  Zoe slumped against the counter, admiring how Anatol’s pants hugged his firm ass and draped his powerful thighs. His dreadlocks swayed with each of his movements, mesmerizing her.

  For the second time this evening, she wasn’t certain what had happened. Had Anatol brushed against her accidentally, or accidentally on purpose? And why had he used her name suddenly? Zoe thought back to the last couple of days, trying to recall if he’d called her chéri then.

  The memory eluded her.

  Finished with the were, he headed for the door. “Holler if you need me.”

  Look at me.

  He didn’t, closing the door behind him.

  The were smiled cautiously. “Is the treatment bad?”

  Was he kidding? The way Anatol and Stefin had just behaved with her was the absolute worst as far as Zoe was concerned. Having them ignore her on Halloween had been bad enough, but now Stefin and Anatol were kind of, sort of coming on to her and then leaving her high and dry again?

  Frowning, she left the room.

  “Hey,” the were shouted. “What about me? I don’t have forever before the weekend.”

  Zoe didn’t have time to get into that, she needed to find Taro, find out what the hell was going on. Of the three of them, Taro seemed the most sincere. Could be she’d be able to bully him into telling her the truth—that all three of them still wanted her, on their terms, so they were playing a game called hard to get.

  That would certainly explain their behavior these last days.

  She checked the other treatment rooms. Taro wasn’t in them. Odd. He and Stefin should have been with Anatol, helping her with the were.

  Zoe hurried to the reception area.

  “You feeling better?” Heather asked.

  Zoe had never been hornier or more confused. She propped her elbows on Heather’s desk and leaned close to avoid anyone overhearing them. “When you and Daemon first hooked up, and you didn’t want to get down and dirty with him because of your principles, did he play hard to get?”

  Heather’s face turned fifty shades of red. “Ah…”

  “I don’t mean to be nosy,” Zoe said, “but I gotta know.”

  “Why?” Heather leaned away from her. “Has Daemon said something?”

  “Of course not. I just need to know if other men, that is men in general ever act that way, playing hard to get in order to get what they want?”

  Heather sucked her bottom lip and finally sighed. “Daemon didn’t have to. I was always jumping him. God, I’m so embarrassed.” She covered her eyes with her hands.

  So much for that helping. “Any idea where Taro is?”

  With one hand still over her eyes, Heather pointed to the hall on the right.

  “Which room?” Zoe asked. There were at least a dozen.

  “I think he was headed for your office to deliver your mail.”

  Zoe resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Her mail was the circulars and other junk that came in with the real stuff. Heather always gave the discards to Zoe so she wouldn’t feel left out since everyone else here got credit card offers, Victoria’s Secret catalogues, promotions for life insurance…

  To banks and retailers, a demon simply didn’t exist.

  She hurried to her office. Taro was inside, studying her awards. Hearing her, he turned and held her gaze.

  The world seemed to spin.

  He was beyond hot tonight, the overhead lights intensifying his auburn locks. His eyes seemed darker than she recalled, dark blue, almost navy. She wanted to rub her cheeks against his stubble, eager to have it chafe her skin, proving how rough he really was. Zoe saw the untamed demon beneath his civilized veneer.

  Her mouth went dry as he moved toward her. Pictures filled Zoe’s mind, a romantic movie of him pulling her into his strong arms, ravaging her mouth, his hands moving all over her bod.

  Taro stopped well short of her and that fantasy. He gestured to the junk mail he’d left on her desk. “Heather said that belonged to you.”

  “Why were you reading my awards?” Was that his way of coming on to her?

  Taro looked over at them. “I thought I’d written some of the stuff wrong in my notebook.” He turned back to her. “I hadn’t. Just wanted to make sure.”

  “Seriously?”

  A hint of danger flickered across his handsome face, dampening her pussy. He leaned so close, she saw flecks of green in his eyes.

  “Do you mean am I lying?” he asked.

  “Are you?”

  “Not always.”

  “What about now?”

  “What do you think?”

  Zoe laughed helplessly. “I don’t know.”

  Taro studied her mouth for a long moment. “I have to get back to work.”

  She didn’t move away from the door.

  His expression became impassive, giving nothing more away. At last, he edged past, the bulge behind his fly brushing against her hip, his pecs skimming her arm, his scent surrounding her.

  She hung on to the doorknob as his footfalls faded down the hall, the last seconds replaying in her mind, baffling her further.

  “Zoe,” Becca suddenly called down the hall. “Your client is waiting for you.”

  Yeah, yeah, yeah. “I’m on it.” She left her office.

  In fast order, she took care of him and three other creatures that had booked her services tonight. During each of those times, Stefin, Taro or Anatol provided the muscle to keep the immortals from causing trouble. When it came to their own behavior, it was another story entirely. They always managed to stand a little too close to Zoe, brushing various body parts against hers.

  Not that she was complainin
g, except that it was driving her freaking nuts.

  Twice she’d screwed up the treatments because she couldn’t keep her mind on work. Finally, she’d had it. Finished with her latest client, she called down the hall to Heather. “I’m taking a break.”

  As always, Heather smiled sweetly. “Have fun.”

  Sure. If it hadn’t been against the rules, Zoe would have barricaded herself in her office and masturbated for the rest of the week. Unfortunately, a can of soda and one of Heather’s Milky Ways would have to do.

  Storming to the break room, Zoe stopped abruptly just inside. Anatol, Stefin and Taro were at the table looking better than any demons had a right to. One million percent male, all of them in their prime.

  So much pent-up desire rushed through Zoe, she wavered.

  The flames in their eyes blazed hotly.

  Damn.

  Zoe moved inside, knowing what she wanted, and it sure as hell wasn’t food. “Fuck me,” she ordered.

  Chapter Six

  Stefin pushed to his feet first, followed by Anatol and then Taro. Their chairs slid away from them, propelled by an unseen force, the legs scraping the floor.

  “On our terms,” Stefin said.

  His voice was lower than Zoe had ever heard. Straight from the depths of the underworld, the flames in his eyes just about out of control tempting her further. With a nod, she conceded to his demand.

  The door slammed behind her even though none of the guys had moved. Wasn’t necessary. They were going to use their evil powers on her. Zoe grinned wantonly, primed for this. Hell, she was damn well overdue, her pussy demanding satisfaction.

  The air grew thick and electric, crackling with energy that passed between her and them. Zoe’s skin tingled as though hundreds of fingers brushed it. In the blink of an eye, she was naked, her clothes discarded on the floor, her panties—white, cotton and virginal—in Stefin’s large hand.

  Oh, crud. Zoe blushed at him holding her unsexy underwear. Having them see her nude like this wasn’t any better. The unforgiving fluorescent lights accentuated her small boobs and skinny bod. If they turned away in disappointment…

  Nothing on them moved except for their gazes that roamed every part of her, lingering most on her nipples and the dark and delicate curls between her legs.

  Taro cracked a grin. Anatol sighed in what sounded like bliss.

  With the crotch of her panties pressed to his face, Stefin inhaled deeply, his expression euphoric at her scent.

  If Zoe hadn’t been falling for them before, she was definitely a goner now. A new rush of moisture dampened her pussy, her desire acute and painful.

  Tightening his fingers around her panties, Stefin growled with obvious craving. In that brief moment, his clothing evaporated, the garments suddenly hanging over the microwave. Anatol’s duds disappeared next, his stuff landing next to Stefin’s. Watchful as always, Taro got naked even faster than the other two had, his clothes materializing on top of the fridge.

  As one, they faced her, their cocks rock hard and flushed with lust, their sacs weighty.

  A wanting moan escaped her.

  Stefin pointed at his feet, the Master’s command for his slave to kneel before him and the others…to submit fully.

  That should have snapped Zoe out of her X-rated fog and brought a shitload of indignation. Oh, hell, who was she kidding? She freaking loved this. It was a game, after all, them pretending to be in charge, her seeming to obey. Meekly, Zoe padded to him, her steps unsteady from the intense desire that continued to batter her.

  Like a stone, Zoe sank to her knees, her legs no longer able to support her weight. Glancing up, she caught a glimpse of Stefin’s lusty expression, his face a deep red from carnal desire. Before she could return his wink, everything went black.

  What the—?

  Zoe tried to see past whatever was wrapped around her head, blindfolding her, but she couldn’t. When she lifted her hands to explore what it was, her wrists were suddenly behind her, bound tightly by something. Her bra? Her socks?

  Wow, this was amazing, and getting better by the second. The guys’ feet slapped the floor as they padded around her, no doubt taking in her nudity and submissive position.

  “Spread your legs wider,” Taro demanded.

  Zoe’s skin stung, her emotions seesawing between embarrassment and anticipation. She eased her knees apart, fully aware of how wet she was as the cool air seemed to lick her slick pussy.

  “Wider,” he ordered. “Show us your cunt, how it fucking drips because it wants our cocks.”

  For a quiet guy, he surely knew how to bark a command. Wanting to please him and the others, she spread her legs as much as possible.

  They were on the prowl again, moving in slow circles around her.

  Zoe’s breath caught at one of them thumbing her left nipple. Her body responded immediately, the areola constricted, the tip peaking. She leaned in to his touch, loving how he glided his fingers down the swell of her breast, cupping and fondling it roughly.

  Stefin? Maybe. He was the coarsest of the lot, all demon.

  Zoe’s head sagged on her shoulders as she surrendered to her basest needs. Her breath caught at the lips on her throat, so warm and satiny compared to the whiskered cheeks and chin surrounding them.

  Taro? Could be. He was the most sensitive of the three, a complete wonder.

  She mewled at the hands on her ass that spread her cheeks indecently, exploring the separation between them, pausing on her anus. Every nerve ending in Zoe’s body fired at the lewd exploration of her tightest opening, the tip of a finger easing into it, opening her for pleasure.

  Whose?

  Anatol? Most likely. Despite his impeccable manners and melodic accent, he was still a demon, one hundred percent beast.

  Pumped as she’d never been before, Zoe wanted them to screw her raw, show her what Heaven really was. Certainly not a place filled with angels and—

  Her thoughts stalled at the hand that slipped beneath her chin and lifted it. Zoe parted her lips to ask what was going on and would happen next. Before one word slipped from her mouth, the bewitching fragrance of musk wafted toward her, unmistakably Stefin. The ultimate demon among the fallen.

  He eased the tip of his cock to her mouth, the velvety head brushing Zoe’s lips, leaving a trail of pre-come. She shivered, enraptured by its slippery warmth.

  Sighing in pleasure, she ran her tongue over the tiny fissure in his crown, lapping up as much of the moisture as she could, savoring the flavor of his flesh, slightly salty with a hint of damnation.

  Eager for more, she parted her lips to him, fully engaged in this act, one of complete surrender and primitive need. Inch by inch, Stefin slipped his rod inside her mouth, surely expecting Zoe to take every bit of him inside.

  It was an effort. He was a huge guy, some might say blessed, his shaft ungodly long. She swept her tongue over his thick length that was stiff with passion and hotter than the lowest circle of hell. Zoe moaned in joy, encouraging him to burrow even deeper.

  He accommodated her. He fucking ruled.

  At last, her nose touched his thick pelt, fragrant with more of his musk. The world seemed to spin out of control, what she was experiencing too much for any woman, even a demon. She desired far more, fighting her restraints, wanting her hands free so she could touch him.

  Whatever held her wrists tightened considerably, reminding Zoe she was here to serve.

  She did with slavish enthusiasm, working Stefin’s cock in and out of her mouth, gliding her tongue over his hard shaft, flicking the bumpy skin at the back of his crown. He grunted and groaned. Clearly, she’d found an uber-sensitive spot.

  Lapping it, Zoe smiled inwardly at the rough noises he made. She took his cock back inside, all the way to its root only to release him once more with only his crown between her lips.

  He had a
hard time keeping still. She felt him rise to his toes and heard his heels smack the floor when he came back down. He cupped her head, keeping her close and at her task.

  Like she’d stop this? No way…unless she wanted to tick Stefin off and see what would happen.

  Zoe imagined that scenario. Her wrists and ankles bound to a frame, a strap dangling from his hand, his grin wicked as he brought the leather down on her ass, punishing her for being a bad, bad girl. Marking her.

  She suckled harder, her tongue a frenzy of movement, excitement egging her on.

  Stefin went still as a corpse and then bellowed loudly as he climaxed, his come spurting into Zoe’s mouth. Rich and thick, beyond heavenly.

  She indulged in its wondrous flavor, swallowing slowly to savor each taste. At last, Zoe lapped his rod clean and then released him.

  His crown hit her chin. She heard him stumbling back.

  Her mouth wasn’t abandoned for long. Anatol used her next, his musk as unique as Stefin’s. Rather than accepting his cock, Zoe turned her face away and sought his balls, licking them. A strangled noise burst from Anatol, so different from the musical lilt of his voice. This sound was rough and uncivilized, magnifying his masculinity, making her feel exquisitely female.

  Her nipples were so hard they stung. Zoe welcomed the small hurt, craving more.

  She eased Anatol’s right nut into her mouth, delighting in its heat, his wrinkly skin rough with a fine coating of hair. Noises rushed from her, as crude as those that he and Stefin had made, proving she desired this.

  Tenderly, she suckled his ball, noting his heightened breathing, how hard he gripped her shoulders. As if to distract her, either Stefin or Taro ran his fingers over her anus, teasing the tight ring with feathery strokes.

  Oh, hell. Oh, hell. Oh, hell.

  Zoe squirmed and whimpered at the extraordinary sensations, but she didn’t release Anatol’s ball, nor did she pause in her fervent attention to it. When he was gasping so hard he couldn’t catch his breath, she released him and took his other testicle into her mouth.