Chapter 1
Chapter One
Lust
When we, the fallen, fell from heaven, all of us were given bodies, permanent immortal suits of flesh used to walk the earth or the underworld for eternity, except for me.
When I fell…I became everyone and no one at the same time. I was nothing more than a parasite, moving from one body to the next, not able to have a lasting connection with anyone.
Human bodies could only handle an immortal entity for so long before they started to disintegrate, and that was when I had to move on and find another host.
Humiliating.
I was once the proud Angel of Love and Forgiveness, and now…well, I feed on the carnal desire that runs rampant through the human race.
Humans called me Lust, but I preferred the moniker of Eros.
I built this majestic hotel from the ground up and slowly turned it into my personal playground, and all those who walked through the grand doors into my special playthings.
Sitting behind my virtual landscape, I delighted in inspecting all the new potential.
My eyes bounced from screen to screen, and a smile tugged at the corner of my mouth.
All of the rooms were filled with those who had either given in to their sexual desires or were well on their way. The energy seeped into everything, and I could feel it running up my legs and filling me as satisfyingly as those on my wall of tiny screens.
Tapping a few controls, I turned the large center screen on to show me the ball happening in our most exclusive room.
I’d at first been reluctant to let a group of authors and readers take over my hotel for a weekend.
It sounded positively boring, but this group…
had proven to be anything but, and the party… well, it was just getting started.
* * *
Cynthia
“Hey, Cynthia…” I glanced over at the human bartender, his uniform shirt sporting the new logo Eros had just created for The Plaza. “Drink order for table nine is up.”
Nodding at him, I bit my tongue. The new logo irked me, but I had no earthly clue as to why. I usually liked what Eros created.
Eros was technically my boss, and we had a mutually beneficial arrangement when it came to food. Being a succubus left me ravenous. Before working here, I’d troll strip clubs, seedy bars, and pay-by-the-hour motels to get a meal.
Some days, locating sustenance had been easy. Other times, going a month between feedings had been typical and…challenging. Finding the right level of energy was essential for me to feel satiated.
However, my situation changed the day I came here to work. To the guests, I was a server placating them with refreshments and offering a seductive smile, but in reality, I was a shark circling for my next feast.
The food supply here was endless. Eros’s presence was the essential ingredient I’d been lacking outside these walls. As soon as a human entered through the doors, it was as if their soul-focus was to get naked.
Now, when you add in the energy of those of us who worked here, humans barely made it out of the lobby before their sexual needs took control. I’d lost count of how many times I’d heard the phrase, ‘What happened at The Plaza stayed at The Plaza.’
I wandered through the sea of swaying humans, their costumes and masks as dark as they were sensual. Women and men were scantily clad, showing off more skin than normal. Most of these flesh creatures were shameless, not wearing anything under their outfits.
Their desire tempted me, tickling my nose.
The pheromones were like catnip to my acute senses. Their heated bodies rubbing up against one another generated more.
“Would you like a drink?” I offered a group of dancing girls. “They’re on the house.”
“This place is so incredible,” the one girl said, snagging a shot glass off of my tray.
“I know, it’s been so much fun. I never want to leave,” the second girl admitted.
Oh, how easily your wish could be fulfilled…
Fighting off a chuckle, I offered the females a seductive smile. “If you ladies decide you’d like to spice things up this evening, all you have to do is ask.”
“What do you mean?” the final girl of the group said.
She was a pretty brunette in a seductive witch’s outfit. I’d met a great many witches over the years, and not one of them had decided to dress their robes up with leather straps from a BDSM outfit. Her fashion choice was quite fetching, actually.
“Let’s just say that we have a great many people here who would be more than happy to help you find whatever you desire.” She licked her lips.
“I couldn’t possibly even think about it. My husband would kill me,” the one to my left said.
Sadly, one by one, all three women came up with an excuse ‘to pass.’ However, I knew what was going to happen.
A lick of magic would roll up their spine into their insignificant human brains, and their excuses would vanish.
Touching themselves in the middle of the night would be their only focus, and they would wish they could find me.
The only one left unsure was the brunette. Giving her a wink and wandering away to the next group, I could feel her eyes on my back. She wanted to know more. The desperation oozing off of her hit me directly in my solar plexus.
Slinking my form farther into the crowd of potential meal options, I began to count bodies. This particular event didn’t have a lot of male attendees, and most were either married or not interested, but…there was one dancing that fit the bill.
I’d been observing him while he was studying the women dancing and rubbing up against him. He was sexy in a rough-around-the-edges kind of way, and his energy was an odd mix of unrefined yet sensual vibes. The combination was just enough not to be annoying. I was digging it.
He was nice, but not too nice, tall, but not too tall, funny, but not in an obnoxious way, and he was an asshole, but just shy from being completely unredeemable.
I traced the outline of his body and smirked at the semi-hard cock he was sporting and was just shameless enough not to bother trying to hide it. He was perfect for what I had in mind.
I felt her before she touched me, and I glanced down at the brunette at the same time she tapped my arm.
“Hi. I’m sorry to bother you, but….” She cleared her throat. “I ah….”
“You’d like the house special,” I said, and she blushed, but more importantly, my other prey looked over, and his eyes lit up as he stared at her round and perky ass.
“Yes…yes, I do.”
“Do you have anyone waiting for you at home? We’re not a fan of angry lovers knocking on our door.” She shook her head. Good. “Do you prefer male, female, or a little of both?”
“Male,” she whispered.
“Excellent. In five minutes, I want you to head out of the ball and meet me by elevator three. Can you do that?”
“Yes.” She nodded excitedly, and I took a deep breath as the fresh wave of hormones hit me in the face.
She hurried back to her friends, and I scribbled a note on one of the napkins.
Five minutes, elevator three.
Walking up to my male target, who had resumed dancing alone, I moved in close. Thankfully, it appeared as if the girl he’d been interested in had disappeared into the crowd.
I didn’t wait for an invitation and stuck my hand and the note on the napkin into his pocket.
“I was told to give you a message,” I whispered into his ear, my powers trickling into him.
Not too much, not yet, but enough that he ran his lower lip through his teeth.
Ensuring he received the message, I wrapped my hand around his shaft.
It was quickly fully interested in what I had to say, so I gave it a solid tug.
He groaned and looked at me with surprise. “That was part of the message.”
Removing my hand, I walked away, but a quick glance back showed me that he had pulled the napkin out of his pocket. He smiled wide, and just like that, the game was on.