STORY EXCERPT

"I don't think I want to know what's beyond that door," Van whispered to himself. Screw his own place. He couldn’t do this. Van turned to walk out the side entrance when someone stepped into the foyer from the fancy interior door. He had short cropped hair and a shadow of a beard, wore a black outfit that reminded Van of a uniform. The man's build was bulky, his biceps large.

Bouncer?

The man behind the stand handed Van the card back and Van slipped it into his pocket.

"This way," the guy who'd entered the foyer said.

Unsure of what he was supposed to do or say, Van followed.

It was as though he'd stepped into another world. His gaze bounced from one thing to another, never settling for more than two seconds.

Red and black velvet was everywhere, from the carpeting to the couches, to the curtains. There was one man sitting on a black couch, a fur spread across his legs, smoking a cigar while a smaller, naked guy lay across his lap.

Another guy was on his knees, his face buried in a man's exposed crotch.

Van swallowed roughly as he followed the bouncer's broad back down a set of stairs. He wanted to ask where the guy was taking him, but didn't want to seem as though he didn’t know what he was doing—although he was utterly clueless. He needed to get that intel but started to think that this was a huge mistake.

The bouncer opened the first door to his right and waved him inside before shutting the door behind Van. The room was empty. Well, it was void of people, but there was a rack of feathery scarves and tiny outfits, a long vanity table with bright lights, and a lounge chair.

His brows furrowed as he tried to figure out what the hell was going on and what would happen next. Christo had told him that Van would be approached by a Dom and he was to turn the Dom down so that he could scope the place, listen to conversations, and pinpoint who the Vittore brothers were. Then he was to offer himself to one of them, get close, and get the intel.

The vampire had said nothing about a dressing room and being left alone. Van hadn't brought his cell phone with him. He wished he had. He needed to talk to Christo and find out what the hell was going on.

To hell with this. Van spun and went for the door, but someone walked in just then. It was the bouncer.

"This way."

Okay, Van would give this one last shot and then he was outta there. Nothing was going as planned and he would have to wing it or ditch this place.

Van felt like a sheep being led to slaughter. He followed blindly without asking any questions. If he was smart, he'd head for the exit.

Your own place.

Sighing, Van knew he would stay. When the bouncer led him into a room that had nothing more than a large black curtains, Van's mind went suddenly, curiously blank. Not because he wasn't thinking. He was thinking furiously, but he was so nervous that he didn’t want to acknowledge his thoughts.

Something was about to happen. Something he wasn't ready for. Van knew this somehow. It would be more than just turning a Dom down. It would be more than offering himself to one of the Vittore brothers.

He raised his hand and brushed the fringes of black hair from his eyes as the bouncer waved toward a set of steps just below the black curtains. "Take your place."

Van stepped forward as the lights dimmed.

"Remove your shoes and shirt," the bouncer said.

Van had been wearing a fishnet shirt that showed his hard earned six pack and a pair of boots Christo had also provided. They had a one inch thick heel, were black, and zipped up the sides.

Van slipped the shirt and boots off, setting them aside before he pressed his foot onto the first step. He should know better than to do what the bouncer said without question. Van should be asking a ton of questions, but Christo had warned him not to appear naïve.

Blowing out a long breathe, Van squared his shoulders and climbed the other two steps. He stood there with his hands at his sides, his head raised high.

The curtains parted to reveal a stage.

"Stay in the center of the stage," the bouncer said from behind him. Van nodded and walked out, stopping in the middle of the wooden platform.

There was a man in a suit to Van's right. The guy smiled at him and then turned. "We'll start the bidding at five thousand dollars."

Wait. What? Van tried to peer out past the bright light that was focused on him, but he couldn’t see anything but the glare. What the hell did the man mean, bidding? Bidding for what? For him?

Oh, this was so not part of the plan. Van had to get out of there. He took a step back and heard the bouncer give a low growl. Van's muscles locked into place as he stilled and listened to the dollar amount go higher and higher.

Van was about to tell the man in the suit that there was some kind of mix up when the guy said, "Sold for thirty thousand."

ADULT EXCERPT

"Have you given me a reason to stay?" Van countered as he turned his head to stare into Mayhem's blue-green eyes.

Mayhem grew quiet and after a minute or two, said, "No."

Van jerked when Mayhem turned further, pinning him to the bed. His breathing became shallow as he stared up at the vampire.

"I want to give you plenty of reasons to stay," he murmured before lowering his head, capturing Van's lips in a soul stirring kiss that had Van arching his back, greedily opening his mouth to suck in Mayhem's tongue.

His rippling body flexed under Van's touch as he yanked the towel from his waist and then wrapped his legs around Mayhem, resting the heels of his feet over the man's nicely shaped ass.

In spite of Mayhem's immense size and innate ferocity, his touch remained feather light and tender as he pulled back, lifting Van from the bed and holding him in the vampire's powerful embrace. It was the kind of embrace that Van had spent his entire life craving.

Mayhem left Van's lips so that he could nuzzle Van's face against the crook of his neck. Ever so tenderly, Mayhem scraped his fangs against Van's collarbone.

"Touch me, Van, please," he whispered in ragged need before he ran his tongue over Van's ear.

He wasn’t sure what Mayhem meant until the vampire led Van's hand to the hard cock jutting between them.

Mayhem groaned as Van cupped and squeezed the man with his hand. In that moment, Mayhem didn't look like a dangerous vampire, but one who was willing to try for Van, willing to change who he was in order to give Van a reason to stay.

It would take more than sex, but this was definitely a good start.

He wouldn’t lie and say he hadn't wondered what sex with Mayhem would be like. And now he knew. It was sweeter than any dream he'd dared allowed himself.

When Mayhem wrapped his fingers around Van's shaft, he had to fight to hold himself back. For a full minute, he couldn’t see straight as Mayhem stroked Van and made him even harder. Every part of him was alive and far more sensitive than normal.

And god, it was so damn intense.

Van smiled at the look on Mayhem's face as he watched the vampire while he ran his hand from the tip of Mayhem's cock down the length of it to cup the man in his hand. "Is this what you had in mind?"

Mayhem's head tilted back slightly as he closed his eyes and shuddered. "Gods, yes."

The vampire cupped Van's face in his gentle hand as Van dipped his head forward and captured one of Mayhem's dark nipples between his lips. He suckled the skin as he breathed in the masculine scent. He wanted to bathe in that scent as he rubbed his cheek over Mayhem's hard chest, nuzzling his skin before he leaned over and sucked the other nipple into his mouth.

When Van glanced up, his breath stuttered at the famished look in Mayhem's eyes. He pulled Van up and then reclaimed Van's mouth for another kiss. He nipped at Mayhem's lips then pulled back. Mayhem playfully caught Van's lips between his teeth before letting him go.

"I want to fuck you," Mayhem said as his hands cupped Van's ass and squeezed. "I want to be buried deep inside your body."

Holy. Hell. How could Van say no to that? He leaned back and smiled up at Mayhem. "Do you now?"

Mayhem growled but there was no heat behind it. "Don't play with me. I don't have the control for that."

Van teased his fingers up and down Mayhem's shaft and watched as the vampire shuddered. "I would never play with you, not mentally at least." He leaned up and whispered into Mayhem's ear. "But I will play with every inch of your delicious body."

In one fell swoop, Mayhem dropped Van to the bed as he jumped up and took off into the bathroom. Van's brows furrowed. What in the hell?

Mayhem reappeared, bottle of lotion in hand. One of Van's brows rose before he burst out laughing. Mayhem looked as if he would explode at any second, yet he reminded Van of an excited puppy.

A fang-baring, killer puppy.

A smile twitched as the edges of Mayhem's lips as he stalked toward the bed, his cock fully erect, bobbing as he walked. Van took it all in, from the dark hair on the man's head to the strong muscles in legs. Mayhem was absolute male perfection. Never in his life had Van seen so many highly defined muscles and he wanted to lick every single one.

He turned onto his stomach, rested his chin on his fists, and lifted his legs, crossing his ankles, smiling as Mayhem approached.

The man stopped at the edge of the bed, the tip of his cock inches from Van's lips. Van glanced up and raised his brow once more. "Trying to tell me something?"

Mayhem gave Van a charming, lopsided smile that was completely at odds with his massive size and intense stare. "I think my dick in your face says it all, gattino."

Folding his arms on the bed, Van leaned up and, using the tip of his tongue, swiped the clear pre-cum that was leaking from the slit in the head of Mayhem's cock.

The vampire hissed.

"I'm not sure I can handle this mission," Van said as he eased back. "It might be too big of a challenge."

Mayhem ran his fingers under Van's jaw, ghosting his knuckles along Van's skin, making him shiver as he leaned closer, cuddling his cheek in the man's hand.

"You haven’t backed down from a challenge yet," Mayhem said.