* Song: Collide by Justine Skye
7
LUCUS
What the hell was I thinking?Standing in the elevator, I replayed the entire experience in my head.
The only reason I even came to this establishment was because my friend wouldn’t stop raving about the woman who ran it. He swore up and down that her shows were unforgettable, said she had the power to make you feel the deepest, most hidden parts of your desire. Claimed it was intoxicating, all-consuming, a high he hadn’t touched in over a hundred years of living.
For a vampire, feelinganythingnew after a century was a gift, so I filled out all the ridiculous paperwork, booked the appointment during a layover in New York between meetings, and thought nothing of it. Sex was just sex. Desire was just a chemical reaction. What could possibly be new and exciting about that?
Then the cranky front desk troll told me I didn’t have an appointment, and that threw everything off. My mind was already focused on my next meeting, my next million-dollar deal, and now I had to deal with this incompetence? The doubtsI’d been carrying surfaced like sharks circling blood. This had all been a waste of time.
Some bumbling girl came out to calm me down, all nervous smiles and excuses, but I wasn’t in the mood. She asked me to sit, promised to get the owner, and said she was sure it was just a mix-up. I didn’t believe her.
Sitting in that velvet chair, I stewed. Furious, dismissive, ready to tear into her and this whole farce of a place. I didn’t care who she was or what powers she had. I was going to resist her magic and prove that desire wasn’t some all-powerful force she could wield like a whip.
I was so sure of myself, so certain… until she stepped out of the wall beside me.
She looked like she was made of honey, sin, and sorcery. If anyone could craft lust into a fatal weapon, it was this woman.
It was like she had been torn from the deepest corners of my subconscious, a desire I didn’t even know I had. I instantly wanted her with a level of desperation I usually reserved for power... and profit.
Swallowing the instinct down, I reminded myself of my purpose. I was here to see, not to fall, but then she looked at me, eyes a fiery rosy sunset tempered by a slice of patience, and I lost my words.
I didn’t want to admit I was wrong, wanting with every fiber of my being to keep that high horse I was standing on, but when my assistant confirmed the scheduling error was onmyend, I could do nothing but follow her lead.
Everything was meticulously crafted. The masks added an edge of anonymity and mystery while also serving as a visual cue for your preferences. The magic on the first floor? Sensory overload in the best way, every scent calibrated to trigger arousal for every individual.
The beings inside looked genuinely blissed out, enjoying themselves to the fullest. And her themed nights? Clever. Dynamic. The Winged Palace wasn’t just about selling sex; it was a business model with brains and vision. Something even I could see myself investing in.
I’ve seen all kinds of kinks, having lived long enough to witness and study the depths of human and non-human pleasure. But I’d never had the urge to explore more... extreme scenes. I liked knowing exactly how my partner reacted, that every gasp and moan was from pleasure, not pain. Hurting someone to get off never made sense to me and most definitely didn’t get me excited.
She tried to explain it, appealing to my vampiric nature, but, even then, when my teeth sank into flesh, I craved thriving ecstasy, not trembling fear.
And yet, the longer we talked, the more my control started to slip. Something inside me pounded harder, louder, every second I was near her. I tried to stay detached, analytical, but the pull was relentless.
That was the only reason I hesitated instead of jumping into the elevator with her. Some instinct warned that once I went up, there’d be no turning back. She’d break me open. Ruin me. I wasn’t sure I was ready for that, but pride and curiosity were a dangerous mix, so I followed.
I told myself I was still in control. That I could touch her, take her, and still walk away like I always did.
Order and control ran the world, and as long as I kept order and control at the forefront, I could hold these unexplainable feelings at bay.
Then she kissed me.
A rhythmic need beat beneath my skin, growing to a steady pace as it pulsed in my ear like a war drum, drowning out everything but her.
When she pulled away, I was left hard and breathless, aching like some inexperienced boy in his youth. The promises she made I wanted to throw back at her as the door shut, leaving me alone. Then the window cleared, and I saw her. My heart began beating faster again until I saw another man.
Rage surged inside me, primal and sudden. I wanted to rip her away and demand answers. Their heads were bent close as they whispered, but even with vampire hearing, I couldn’t make out their words.
I paced in front of the mirror, trying to rein it in. None of it made sense. Why the hell did I care this much? She was just doing her job, so why did every cell in my body cry out her name, clamoring to make her mine?
She’dwarnedme. Told me she wasn’t for sale. Told me she fucked who she wanted, when she wanted. But hearing it was one thing, and watching it unfold was another.
Then she giggled.
The soft, careless sound stopped me in my tracks, and I was undone.
