behind closed doors

Behind Closed Doors

(Meghan's wish is my command)

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Jean-Claude possessed such a dynamic presence, you knew when he entered a room, even before seeing him. There was a kind of thrilling energy in the air that I'm sure even humans could sense. It trickled through the crowd and soon people were murmuring in each other's ears, turning their heads, and jostling each other to see what was going on and why the room seemed so inexplicably charged all of a sudden.

Like everyone else in the club, I felt him near me long before I actually saw him. Then it was like a scene from a movie. Our eyes met from across the room and we held each other's gaze lingeringly. I found myself drawn to him; not only wanting, but needing to go to him. It wasn't the influence of his power. Not that power, anyway. It was something simpler, more natural, and more universally appealing. I excused myself from my companions at the table, and picked my way through the gyrating bodies on the dance floor.

As usual, he was surrounded by an entourage of lesser vampires and a few of his wolves. The crowd was pressing in on him too, their hands straining to touch his hair or his face, but the lesser vampires kept them at bay, closing in around him with practiced efficiency.

Seemingly unfazed by the commotion his presence here was causing, he smiled as I approached him and glided across the floor to meet me.

"Bonsoir, Micah," he greeted when I drew up before him. "What a pleasant surprise this is."

I inclined my head, graciously accepting his compliment. "Nice to see you too, Jean-Claude," I told him. "It's been awhile."

"Yes," the vampire exhaled softly. "It has." He shifted his weight to one leg and loosely put his hands on his hips. "What brings you to Danse Macabre tonight? Business, or pleasure?"

I pulled my gaze from Jean-Claude's face to look around the dance floor. "Business, actually. This club is good neutral ground to meet other shapeshifters and exchange information. In case you haven't noticed, many of your patrons are my kind."

Jean-Claude nodded and turned his head, dislodging a cascade of black curls from his shoulders, which wound animatedly down the front of his brilliantly white shirt.

My eyes zeroed in on the movement of his hair. I knew what it felt like slipping through my fingers and could confirm that its silkiness rivaled his luxurious shirts. The temptation to reach up and touch it was there, but I didn't give into it. As Anita would say, bully for me.

I must have had a peculiar look on my face because Jean-Claude cocked his head and narrowed his eyes.

"You seem a little distracted this evening, mon ami. Is everything all right?"

In a moment, I recognized the Master of the City addressing me. I shrugged off his concern and offered him an apologetic smile. "If I seem distracted, it's only because you are distracting me," I told him truthfully. Once more I forced my gaze off his mesmerizing face, and looked around at his adoring public who was still jostling his bodyguards.

Tourists mostly, I noted. They didn't know better and tended to get a little ga-ga seeing a real vampire in the flesh. Especially this one. I know I did.

Jean-Claude's eyes followed the direction of my gaze and he smiled somewhat coyly.

"Ah, I see what you mean," he said.

But he hadn't caught my real meaning: the fact he was distracting me, not them.

********

Jean-Claude and I had gotten off to a rocky start. So rocky, we had actually tried to kill each other, though, to this day, Jean-Claude insists he had only wanted to hurt me--that he knew I was powerful enough to heal even mortal wounds like the one he'd inflicted on me that night. I retaliated--justifiably so--but unlike him, I ended up suffering the wrath of Anita for it.

Incredibly, Jean-Claude understood my reaction more than she did, and had come to my defense. It left me not only awed by him, but intrigued too.

You could call it an infatuation I suppose. I suddenly couldn't take my eyes off him. It was the way he was looking back at me that night which had me so enthralled. No one, not even Anita, had ever seemed so fascinated by me before.

I had offered him my blood for the first time that night, which led to many more. I had told myself it was simply an act of allegiance, and for the most part, that's the way it appeared to be to everyone else. Though deep down inside me, I knew my self-less offerings were much more personal...much more intimate than that, and had been ever since.

********

"I was just leaving," Jean-Claude announced rather abruptly, his eyes skimming the edge of the crowd. "I had a staff meeting earlier and took the opportunity to go over some investments with my accountants." He paused, looking bored just having to mention such things. "But I've had enough of figures and numerals for one evening." He turned his eyes back on me, the corners of his mouth twitching as if he were trying not to smile. "On the other hand, there are other figures I can never seem to get enough of." Slowly, seductively, his gaze slid down the length of my body, sending a current of chills tingling across my heated skin.

I grinned, enjoying his coquettishness, especially when it was for me.

"Should you feel so inclined, you're more than welcome to join me at the Circus of the Damned later," Jean-Claude continued. "I would enjoy the company, and since you have not graced my halls for quite awhile, tonight would appear as opportune a time as any."

Despite his tactful vagueness, I knew what he was suggesting to me and why, and I felt my body sharply react to the idea. I leaned closer to him, purposefully invading his personal space.

"I appreciate the invitation," I said calmly, despite the fact my pulse was pounding with a knowing intensity. "I'd be happy to stop by. Just let me take leave of my companions, and I'll be along shortly."

Jean-Claude's response was a wide, wolfish grin.

"I shall look forward to your arrival, mon ami," he said, his deep, breathy voice rubbing along my skin like a caress. "Until then."

"Until then," I replied and nodded.

With that, Jean-Claude turned on his heel and sauntered off, entourage in tow and none the wiser.

Without hesitation, I returned to my table, made my apologies, said my good-byes, and headed out to my car.

********

The bedroom was ablaze in candlelight. Two tiered, pewter candelabras sat at either side of the head of the bed, which was covered in black silk. The lack of color deepened the shadows in the room and accentuated the flames' glow. It created an atmosphere that was both soft and intense, and romantic and sexy.

While Jean-Claude closed and locked the door, I started to undress. Shoes, socks, and tie were quickly cast aside into a haphazard pile at the foot of the bed. I unbuttoned my shirt and tossed that over a nearby chair. Then I unbuckled my belt, shimmied out of my pants and lay them over my discarded shirt. Now that I was nude, my skin felt chilled in the coolness of the room. I passed my hands up and down my arms a few times and took a deep breath.

Jean-Claude turned around to face me. His stunning eyes were glazed and smoky with desire. His gaze locked on mine as he undressed, adding his garments to the pile that was mine. Each movement was so graceful, it looked choreographed, like a sort of striptease ballet. I couldn't look away even if I wanted to. Even now, I find him utterly mesmerizing. His beauty is simply unparalleled and I all but drank him down with my eyes watching him just now.

Once naked, he approached me. In the flickering candlelight, his alabaster skin seemed animated with an unearthly luminescence, giving it a peculiar semblance of warmth and life. His face was expressionless, but his whole body seemed poised with carnal intent, betraying his careful, almost cautious visage.

In the blink of an eye, we came together, as if by some unspoken command. Our bodies crashed into each other's, unleashing the force of our subdued needs. We kissed hungrily, groping, grasping, and clinging to each other with our hands. It was as if we couldn't get close enough or touch each other as much as we needed to. His hands moved everywhere, as if claiming every part of my body for himself. Brazenly, I reveled in that possession, succumbing to his every caress as though I were drowning and his body were my last hope of refuge.

I held him tightly to me, kissing him like I wanted to fuse myself to him. His mouth opened to me invitingly and I ground my lips into his with an intense passion that demanded fulfillment. I wanted him in that instant more than I had ever wanted anyone before.

As if hearing my unspoken desires, Jean-Claude backed me towards the bed until the ornate frame bumped the backs of my legs. I felt myself slipping away from him, but he wrapped his arm around my waist, crushed me against him, and nearly lifted me off my feet. I dragged him down with me and felt the weight of his body fall on top of mine as we collapsed on the mattress together.

He kissed me even harder, locking his arms around my shoulders to keep me close, covering my body with a blanket of cool power, soft, flawless flesh, and firm, sinewy muscle. His eyes had already bled into a solid dark blue which reminded me of two pools of deep, still water under a moonless sky. So beautiful. So beckoningly beautiful.

"Take what you want," I whispered to him, my voice husky with desire.

Jean-Claude responded to my request with another kiss, this one softer, sweeter, but no less devouring. His full lips moved over mine with a languid savor as his tongue dipped between my teeth to taste my heated mouth. I moaned low in my throat and deepened our kiss, grinding my jaw against his.

My need was overwhelming me. I was to the point of begging for more. I felt Jean-Claude quiver beneath my hands and groan faintly. I clutched his body tightly to mine and rolled him over on his back. Dragging my mouth from his, I kissed my way over his cheeks and eyes and brow. I ran my hands over his chest and down his sides, rubbing my hips provocatively against his, feeling the hard length of him pressing against my abdomen.

His fingers were stroking the sides of my face and combing through my hair. I felt his breath against my skin and heard him sigh forcefully. He raised his left thigh and pressed it to my hip, centering me over his body. I kissed him lingeringly, making him writhe under me.

Flexing my lower back, I settled myself into the cradle of his long legs, rocking slowly back and forth to stroke myself along his cool flesh. I watched his eyes slowly close and his mouth fall open. He released a small, guttural sound that was half a growl, half a gasp. It was the sexiest thing I'd ever heard.

Now his hands trailed down my back to my ass and rested heavily on the curves of my upper thighs. I slid my lips over his skin from his jawline to his shoulders, gnawing along his collarbone, while delving my fingers through his luxurious hair. Jean-Claude titled his head back obligingly as I scoured his neck with my teeth. He groaned sensuously and shifted his hands, digging the tips of his fingers into my backside with a bruising force.

Returning my mouth to his lips, I gathered him in my arms and rolled with him until I was once more beneath him. The sheets were wrapped around our joined bodies in a cocoon of silk, tangling around our legs from the frenzy of our passions. In a way, I felt bound under him, unable to do anything but kiss him. Not that kissing Jean-Claude wasn't exhilarating in its own right. As it was, Jean-Claude's gorgeous mouth alone drew my desire through my body, to every nerve ending, filling every corpuscle of my blood with his power. My heart was racing now and I'm sure Jean-Claude could hear every beat of it.

I felt hot and my body was slick with sweat, making the material of the sheets obstinately cling to my every curve. I clawed at them to free myself and to wedge my hand between our bodies, seeking more of the coolness of Jean-Claude's porcelain-like skin against mine. Jean-Claude tore his mouth from mine with a hissing gasp. He dragged the tips of his fangs over my throat and wetly traced my throbbing veins with his tongue.

"Yes," I breathed hotly. "Take me."

Pausing, Jean-Claude pressed a soft kiss on my pulse. "Not yet," he murmured and turned his attention to my ear, laving that with his tongue and nipping it with his teeth.

Skimming my hand down his taut stomach, I pushed between his legs and wrapped my fingers around his erection to stroke him. His breath grew very still in my ear and his body seemed to tense in anticipation. I locked my arm around his shoulders to keep him close and continued stroking him. He moaned in my ear and sighed with pleasure, flexing his back to thrust himself harder into my hand.

Like our desires, I could feel our power building, slowly swirling around the room like a miniature cyclone. It stirred my beast, the leopard inside me, waking it with a ravenous metaphysical need that would not be denied much longer.

"I want you," I growled, though my mind was so muddled with passion I could hardly make it sound clear. "I want you now."

"Yes," Jean-Claude answered in a cool, hissing breath, running his hands over my chest.

He rose off me to allow me to turn around, his long hair trailing over my sensitized skin as he pulled away from me like so many silken fingertips. I grabbed handfuls of the soft black sheets and clenched them tightly in my fists in anticipation when I felt heated oil drizzling over me. I gasped at the pleasant sensation and rocked back on my knees.

Jean-Claude grabbed me around the waist, raising my hips slightly, before draping his body over my back. His weight forced me down on the mattress until he settled himself between my legs and propped his torso up on one arm. I tensed a little, feeling him push against me, but he ran his hand soothingly over my hair a few times and whispered gentle-sounding French phrases in my ear.

I turned my head and he captured my mouth in a searing kiss, then nibbled his way over my jawline and down my neck. He ran his hand down my side, over my ass, curling his fingers around the back of my thigh. In one fluid movement, he pulled my leg forward, drove himself into me, and sank his teeth forcefully into my neck.

I cried out, tightening my grip on the silk sheets in my fists, and struggled against the pressure of his hardness inside me and the restricting hand on my thigh until his power overtook me and he began slowly moving, pulling himself partially out and then easing himself back in a little deeper. The feeling was incredible and my body relaxed under his skilled ministrations, quickly adjusting to the rhythm of his thrusts as my mind opened to a whole other realm of metaphysical sensations.

Now I felt the blood being pulled from my body in a heated rush and felt the movement of Jean-Claude's mouth in perfect synch with my sexual penetration. I arched my back and stretched my neck to the side wanting him deeper inside me both ways. I felt the graze of his bottom jaw against my throat and moaned encouragingly. Just the weight of his full lips on my skin was enough to send me into spasms of desire.

"Yes," I groaned. "Please."

Jean-Claude groaned too, low and long, sending humming vibrations coursing into my veins. I drew myself off the sheets, pressing my body along the line of his to feel him everywhere. I wanted to belong to him wholly tonight. Every part of me succumbing to every part of him.

"Harder," I begged him. "Deeper."

Obligingly, Jean-Claude released his hold on my thigh and thrust himself into me with a little more fervency, keeping his mouth locked on my neck. The points of his bottom teeth pierced my flesh and I felt his tongue swirl over my skin to catch the new drops of blood rising to the surface.

"Yes, yes," I cried. My mind was seizing with pleasure and the intensity of it was building to an almost overwhelming level. My whole body felt as if it were about to explode in sensation. And then it did. Blackness, light, a total loss of senses, then a sweet, sustained euphoria. Pure and simple. I uninhibitedly screamed my satisfaction. Screamed until I was hoarse.

Just as my mind surfaced out of its pleasure-induced fog, I felt Jean-Claude's body clench on top of me as he came. He ripped his fangs from my neck, shuddered violently, groaned deeply, and pounded into me one last time. He gasped over and over as his body was racked with one spasm after another until he was good and truly spent, then he let his full weight drop down on me with a long, contented sigh.

********

For a few moments, we lay together, unable to move or simply unwilling. I believe we were both satiated to the point of sluggishness. I know I was. But Jean-Claude turned his head, raised himself up on his arms and pressed a kiss between my shoulder blades before sliding off of me.

I shifted my position so I could face him. It was true. He was even more beautiful flushed with passion.

His eyes were heavy-lidded and had yet to bleed back to normal. His lips were tinted deep red with my blood and swollen from our many devouring kisses. The perspiration from my body coated his chest, matting his fine hairs, giving his skin a glistening sheen in the candlelight. His hair was a wild, tousled mess that billowed out around his perfect face like a shimmering black cloud. I must have been still under his spell because once more, I couldn't seem to take my eyes off of him.

"Behold the incubus," I murmured and reached up to touch his face. "In all his glory."

Jean-Claude grasped my hand in his and pressed it to his lips. "I am happy to oblige you, mon ami,," he whispered. "I can fulfill all your secret desires. I will satisfy your darkest needs."

I closed my eyes and sank back into the softness of the silken sheets. "Yes. Yes," I breathed, drawing him into the circle of my arms for another protracted kiss. I wanted him more in that moment than I ever imagined was possible. He knew what I needed. He knew my every desire.

But then my arms were empty.

Startled I opened my eyes and saw the sunlight streaming in through the window. It must have been morning, but that couldn't be right. I sat up, looking around frantically, for a moment not knowing where I was, and still too disoriented from Jean-Claude's power to reason.

Then the room's familiarity began to sink in. Anita stirred beside me waking, and I turned to look at her. Nathaniel was curled around her, his arm protectively encircling her tiny waist.

"Micah?" Anita began, shifting around to better see me. "What is it?"

I took a deep breath and dragged my hand through my hair as realization set in. I had called him an incubus. That was all he was despite the fact it had seemed so very real.

"Nothing," I murmured, swallowing down the emotion tightening my throat. "It was just a dream." I reached down and stroked her hair.

He could fulfill my secret desires. He could satisfy my darkest needs. But in the end, he was just a wet dream.

END