Chapter 15 #2
Tomesha smiled and brushed past the healer. She stuffed the paperwork into her bag and waved to Connor before heading toward the exit. She’d quickly go to see Mistress. If all was well with her, what could she want now?
* * *
“What?” Tomesha blinked and stared at Romana who sat behind her great desk as though it was an altar built solely for her.
Mistress’s sharp gaze didn’t waver from Tomesha after she’d dropped the bomb of an announcement. Crimson nails tapped against the polished wood as Mistress remained calm even though Tomesha’s heart was going into overdrive.
“Would this be a problem?” Mistress asked. Her perfectly arched eyebrow rose. She studied Tomesha.
“I mean no. I guess not. I just didn’t think…” Tomesha paused and blinked.
Dru was requesting Tomesha be her private donor while she was in town. Her breath caught in her throat at the thought of seeing the strong vampire again. Even though Dru had taken too much blood from her, she didn’t hold any ill will toward her.
If anything, she grew excited.
“It is a great honor, my dear. General Moldark is the right hand of the warden, Princess Lethia Riskel—”
“I know. I’m just shocked. I guess I was thinking that with what happened, you would want another donor for her.
Someone with more experience. You know, someone who doesn’t almost die after her first donation.
” Tomesha tried her hand at a small joke, but it fell flat.
She glanced down at her hands as she sat in the chair across from Mistress’s desk.
She’d heard of donors doing private jobs or making house calls.
She glanced back up at Romana. “So what does that mean exactly?”
She’d been too shocked when Mistress had announced Dru’s request that she hadn’t heard anything else.
All she’d heard was Dru wanted only her.
A shiver rippled through her body at the thought of seeing Dru again. Her kisses hadn’t been far from her mind. Or the orgasms the woman had pulled from her. She straightened in her seat to pay attention to what Mistress was saying.
“It means that you’ll be at the beck and call of the general.
She’s paying a big fee to be the only vampire who will feed from you.
No other services are to be provided to another while she’s here,” Ramona said.
Mistress spoke as if she were speaking of a business deal for goods, not that of providing a human being to a vampire.
“You’ll be paid well along with whatever tips or gifts the general will bestow upon you.
It will be up to the general if you provide services here or at her local place of residence while in Butterbush. ”
Tomesha nodded as she continued to listen to the other details.
This agreement included stipulations that Tomesha didn’t even have sex with any other client.
She could work as a server only when not entertaining the general.
No sexual favors, no feeding. Be on call for the general.
Whatever the general wanted, Tomesha had to provide.
“What if I’m working as a server and someone gets upset that I tell them I can’t service them?” she asked.
Valentina’s reaction surfaced again. She had other clients who she was sure would be upset if they saw her working and had to decline their invitation for a private or not-so-private dalliance.
“You leave that to me. If you have any issues, you notify security immediately. Your safety is top priority here at Madam Rice’s,” Romana said matter-of-factly.
There was coldness that settled in her eyes that made Tomesha grateful she was on the vampire’s good side. She actually did like and respect Romana. She was strict but a fair employer.
“Yes, Mistress,” Tomesha said. She felt confident that she was going to be safe with this private duty assignment.
She didn’t want to end up back in the infirmary. Connor was right. They all knew what they were signing up for when they’d become donors. They were lucky to work for the madam. There were some illegal feeding houses she’d heard whispers of that didn’t protect their humans the way the madam did.
Madam Rice’s was known as a safe haven for humans and vampires. It was a place where vampires could be their true nature. They needed blood to survive. Tomesha equated the feeding houses to a restaurant that humans attended. Only their meals weren’t live, breathing beings.
“She’s requesting your presence tonight at the inn. We’ll have a driver take you. Notify Boris when you’re ready. She’s asking for you to be there by midnight.”
Tomesha stood from her chair and lifted her bag from the floor. Now that she knew she wasn’t going to be working the floor tonight, she was going to have to figure out what she’d wear to go and see the general.
“If you need clothing, alert Aisling, and she’ll provide something appropriate,” Mistress said.
Tomesha blinked. How did Romana know what she was thinking? Was the woman a mind reader?
A smile appeared on Romana’s red lips. “No, I’m not a mind reader. I could just tell by your expression what you were thinking. I’m sure you wouldn’t want to wear your uniform out in public.”
“Yes, I was just thinking that I had clothing at home, but I only keep my uniforms here,” she said.
“Then I’ll have Aisling bring you a few outfits to pick between.” Romana pressed a button on her desk.
“Thank you.” Tomesha turned and headed out of the office.
She closed the large door behind her and paused.
She breathed a heavy sigh. Nervousness filled her at the thought of seeing Dru again.
It was one thing to service her here at the club.
Leaving the safety of the club heightened her senses of how dangerous this job could be.
She began making her way through the halls to her suite. She shook her head. What was she worried about?
Dru wouldn’t hurt her. Not on purpose, at least. She hadn’t known that she’d taken too much from Tomesha the last time they’d been together.
She even doubted the vampire knew what had happened to Tomesha after she’d left.
There was no reason for Tomesha to share that little information with the vampire.
She was under the care of the healer, and they had a plan to keep it from happening again.
Dru wanted her.
She hadn’t asked for another donor. There were plenty to choose from. Plenty who were more experienced than her. Dru had known that no other vampire had fed from Tomesha. But apparently that didn’t matter. A smile formed on Tomesha’s lips.
She was being requested to be the private sanguina for the general.
It was an honor she’d hold close to her heart.
Tomesha arrived at her suite and tossed her bag on the chair and beelined it for the bathroom. She’d grab a quick shower and ensure she looked perfect tonight. She switched on the shower then glanced at herself in the mirror. Her eyes widened at the sight of a smile on her lips.
Dru was drawing up emotions in her that she needed to push down.
This was a business deal. Apparently, Tomesha had satisfied her client so much that she wanted her again.
It didn’t mean anything. Dru was a vampire who needed to feed.
Tomesha was a human who had blood. Dru had sexual urges and needs.
Tomesha was sex worker. She wrinkled her nose at the term.
Maybe they needed another way to label what they did for a living.
She reached for her brush and dragged it through her long dark hair. She’d would wrap it up for now so she could shower then style it afterwards. She had a few hours before she was to report to her vampire—
She paused.
When did Dru become her vampire?
“She’s not my vampire. She’s a vampire,” Tomesha muttered. She wrapped her hair, stripped her clothes off, and threw on a shower cap before entering the shower. The warm water flowed over her skin. She turned her back to the stream.
But if Dru wasn’t her vampire, then why did she have these butterflies in her stomach? How long would Dru want her? How long was she planning to stay in Butterbush? And what would happen once she left the town? Would Tomesha ever see her again?
Worry set in.
“What are you doing?”
These were crazy thoughts. Dru was her client, not a lover who had feelings for her. Tomesha was going to have to learn to keep developing feelings for the vampire at bay.
Yes, she was going to have to learn to put up a wall around her heart to keep her from getting hurt.