The Assignment Ch. 04

Okay, chapter 4 has arrived. Sorry for the slight delay and the lack of proper editing in this chapter. I've submitted it with no editing so please excuse any little errors.

*

Demetri was so tired it was starting to really piss him off. He'd spent the night tossing and turning wondering if Mara had found her precious trinkets, wondering how she had reacted to finding them waiting for her. Had she smiled or did they make her feel sad? Was he right to go back to her apartment and retrieve them?

He felt anxious not knowing and he hated the feeling. He hated all the stupid emotions which were currently driving him insane. He felt guilt for ruining her life. Remorse for what had happened in the woods. There was nothing he could do to change any of it though. All he could do was try and make her stay in his home as comfortable as possible.

He finally gave up trying to sleep and got up and had a shower. He scrubbed at his skin angrily as he stood under the hot spray. He didn't want to care about whether she was happy or sad. He didn't want to care that she looked at him like he was the monster he really was. He didn't want to care, but he did.

Sighing deeply he dried himself off and grabbed the first pair of jeans he laid his hands on. He dressed quickly, pulling on a white denim shirt and dried his hair before he headed downstairs.

He was surprised to see Mara already awake and sitting in the kitchen eating a bowl of cereal. He paused in the doorway watching her quietly as she ate. He could smell the clean scent coming from her skin and knew she had showered though her hair was dry and quite tangled. She probably didn't have a brush.

"Did you order the things you needed?" he asked quietly as he stepped into the kitchen. She started at the sound of his voice and then slowly relaxed.

"They're being delivered today," she answered carefully. Her hand went to her hair and she tried to smooth it with her fingers. "I'm glad I remembered to buy a brush."

It was the first non solicited response from her and he smiled slightly as he headed to one of the kitchen drawers and magically produced a comb. "Don't know if it will be much good but it may suffice until your delivery arrives." He set the comb on the dining table and retreated towards his coffee machine. It was no way near as fancy as Caleb's but it suited his needs.

He quickly made himself a coffee and poured one for Mara adding one sugar and a spot of milk. It was how she had taken her coffee in the woods so he figured it would be to her liking. He deposited the cup beside the comb and then headed away from her again, leaning against one of the kitchen counters as he sipped his own coffee and watched her intently.

Mara swallowed hard and kept her gaze averted from him. She felt a lump in her throat and she swallowed again. "Thank you," she whispered quietly and wanted the ground to open up and swallow her when her voice broke and a tear slid down her cheek.

Cool green eyes tracked the lone tear which fell down her face and Demetri frowned. "It's just a comb and a cup of coffee, Mara. Hardly something to weep about." His tone was a tad harsher than he meant it to be because of his confusion at her response.

Big brown eyes connected with his and he sucked in a deep breath as he took in the emotion in them.

"That wasn't what I was thanking you for," she said quietly and he knew in that moment that he'd made the right decision to go and get her trinkets.

He watched her for a long moment and then walked slowly over to the table and sat down beside her. He stared into his coffee cup and tried to get his thoughts in order. Everything he wanted to say just didn't sound right in his head.

"Fuck it, Mara," he suddenly growled angrily. "We're both stuck in a situation neither of us particularly wants to be in. I've been a complete utter bastard to you and I'm sorry about it but there's nothing I can do to change it. We can either spend the rest of your life taking pot shots at each other and making ourselves miserable or we can try and find a way to live together in a civilised manner. I know which option I'd prefer. The question is which one do you?"

His eyes bored deeply into hers as he waited for her to respond. He had spoken a lot more roughly than he'd wanted to and she appeared to be slightly startled at his aggressiveness, but he'd essentially said what needed to be said. It was up to her now.

Mara stared into his beautiful face digesting his words. She couldn't quite make out his expression. His normally cold green eyes were flashing with something she didn't understand and there was a tiny muscle jumping at the side of his clenched jaw. His gaze seemed to be boring right into her very soul and she felt as if she was being sucked under water as she stared helplessly at him.

The longer he stared at her the harder it got for her to breathe. The silence in the room was suddenly palpable and she felt a rush of heat course through her as her eyes slipped unconsciously to his lips which were drawn together in a tight line. He was too close. His body heat was radiating out towards her and she was suddenly fighting the need to lean closer to him. Dear God, she wanted him! A startled whimper escaped her and she watched his eyes narrow sharply.

The sudden onset of her arousal startled him. His nostrils flared as the sweet scent of honey assaulted him first and then the wonderful musky scent of her juices kicked in and he growled loudly as he reacted instinctively. His hands reached for her, dragging her from her chair and into his lap, his head descending as he lips sought hers hungrily.

It was like being back in the woods. The moment her lips touched his the blood rushed to his head and his body hardened and he was thrusting his tongue deeply into her mouth searching blindly for hers. A deep crippling need washed through him as he plundered her soft lips, his hands pressing her tighter against him.

Never had a woman tasted so good, so completely intoxicating. Her touch set him on fire and he ached for her to consume him. She was kissing him back with the same level of want, and her lust for him sent shivers of pleasure down his spine and into his groin. He had to have her. He had to know what it was like to slide between her legs and sheath himself in her hot body. Even if it was just the once and she never let him near her again he had to know what it would be like to lie with her.

He literally ripped his mouth from hers, his breathing harsh and ragged, his eyes flashing as he stared into her beautiful face. "Mara," he breathed softly waiting for her to open her eyes and look at him. He saw the confusion in her eyes when she looked up at him. He could see it on her beautiful, expressive face and it made him groan deeply and he did the hardest thing he could ever remember having to do.

He closed his eyes and took a deep shuddering breath before opening them again. "I want you, Mara," he said raggedly. "I want you more than I've ever wanted a woman before. You set my body on fire with just the slightest touch and I ache to be inside you, to know what it feels like to make love to you. I'm not going to take you though. I won't take advantage of you like that. If you want to come to me I will welcome you gladly into my bed but I won't ask it of you."

Mara stared up at him hearing his words through the haze of passion which was still running through her confused mind. She had kissed him again, wanted him as she'd wanted no other man before. She was sitting in his lap with the proof of his own desire pressing against her backside and he was telling her he wouldn't take her unless she came to him.

How could she want him after everything that had happened? Why did the warmth in his green eyes take her breath away? Why did she wish he would stop being so bloody noble and just take her anyway?

She knew the answer to the last question. She wanted him to take her so she could satisfy her deep need for him and hold him the one responsible for it because she didn't want to admit she was lusting after him. She closed her eyes and swallowed down the deep shame she felt inside.

"Your need for me makes you feel ashamed, doesn't it?" Demetri asked quietly. He saw her face flush with colour and he knew he'd guessed correctly. He stifled down another deep groan and lowered his forehead to rest against hers. "I'm sorry, Mara," he whispered. "I promise I won't put you in this position again." He slid her gently from his lap and stood up and strode quickly from the kitchen, leaving her staring after him with a confused expression on her face.

Mara kept to her rooms for the rest of the day only venturing out to eat. Demetri was absent each time so she basically had the house to herself. Her purchases arrived and she spent a large portion of the day filling her bedroom closets and washing her hair and drying it. After dinner she sat in her library and read for a while before she decided to have an early night.

Demetri was up before her the following morning. He was in the kitchen drinking a cup of coffee when she arrived in the doorway. He smiled rather absently at her as she headed over to the coffee machine to make herself a coffee.

Her brown eyes roamed over him slowly as he sat with his back to her. He was dressed in a black Armani suit with a deep green silk shirt and black tie. His long black hair was tied back with a leather thong and she couldn't help drawing in a deep breath at how gorgeous he looked.

"I need to go into the office," he said conversationally, as if yesterday morning hadn't happened. "I don't know if you want to come in with me or perhaps you have other plans? I own a few businesses with Caleb. I remembered reading you had a business degree and wondered if maybe you wanted to do some kind of work? You don't strike me as the type of woman who would be content sitting around all day doing nothing."

His offer surprised her. He was constantly surprising her at the moment and it was only adding to her confused feelings towards him. She stared at his back for a moment and then walked over to the table and sat down with her coffee.

"What kind of businesses do you own?" she asked.

"A few technology companies and the nightclub," he answered with a slight smile tugging at his lips. "Caleb and I rotate the days we spend at each company and I do the day to day running of the nightclub. It's not really Caleb's thing."

"Sounds like you spend a lot of time at work," she commented neutrally.

Demetri laughed softly. "You could say that. Caleb tries to take more to do with the office part of things because I have the club to contend with too. I probably should get around to hiring someone to manage the place but it's hard to find someone to trust when it comes to nightclubs. Pick the wrong person and before you know it your place is being raided because of drugs or underage girls."

Mara sipped at her coffee for a moment and then turned to look at him. "I don't know anything about nightclubs but I know the theory behind running a business. Maybe I could help you out at the club? You'd need to train me but I'm a quick learner. I'm sure I'd pick it up quickly enough." She watched him stare thoughtfully at her for a long moment and then a real smile crossed his beautiful face and his glacial eyes warmed ever so slightly.

"That would be a great help to me," he answered quietly. "The bar manager doesn't usually get in until lunchtime. I can swing by and pick you up or give you the address and you can meet me there?"

"I'll meet you there," Mara decided. It would be easy to let Demetri ferry her around but as Rhianna had pointed out to her, she wasn't his captive anymore. She could make her own choices, all bar one that was. She couldn't go home.

Demetri rose from the table putting his coffee cup in the sink. "The cars are in the garage and the keys are in the top drawer by the door," he said writing down the club's address for her. "I've already added you onto all the insurance policies so it doesn't matter which one you take. There's also cash in the top drawer in case you need to buy anything. I've ordered a second credit card in your name but it will take a week or so to be delivered. We can discuss your salary etc when we meet at lunchtime. I'm assuming you won't want to be spending money you haven't earned yourself for too long?"

The last was posed as a question and she nodded her agreement. She was okay with him paying her a salary because she would have earned it. She wasn't okay with being some kind of kept woman though. She would just have to swallow her pride until the necessary financial setups could be set in place.

Demetri gave her one last lingering look before he said goodbye and headed out of the house. He let out a deep breath the moment he was out of her sight. That had been so hard to do, pretending that her scent wasn't teasing him unbearably and that he didn't want to drag her up against him and kiss her senseless. She was under his skin and battering hard at his defences and he knew he was fighting a losing battle. He was starting to care about Mara Fitzgerald and it would be a cold day in hell before she ever returned his feelings. Payback definitely was a bitch.

Mara entered Karpathia's a little after midday and was greeted by a short, stocky man who was changing optics in the bar area. "Hi, you must be Mara," Bill Pike smiled. "I'm Bill, the bar manager. Demetri is in the office through the door marked private."

"Thanks, Bill," she answered with a smile. "Nice to meet you." He gave her a wave of his hand as she headed towards the door he'd pointed towards.

Demetri was just finishing a phone call when she entered the office. She looked around the room as she waited for him to get off the phone. It was modern, with a couple of filing cabinets along one wall, a large sofa with a coffee table and the desk Demetri was sitting behind. There were a couple of comfortable looking leather chairs placed in front of the desk but she didn't sit down.

When she realised Demetri was no longer speaking she turned back to him and saw him staring off into space with a stunned expression on his face. "Something wrong?" she found herself asking.

Demetri's eyes flickered to hers and he just looked at her for a moment before he shook his head as if trying to clear it. "It's probably best if you don't go over to Annie's for a week or so," he finally said.

His careful tone made her frown. "Is something wrong with Annie?"

"Not wrong," he sighed pinching the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. To say he was floored by what Caleb had just told him was an understatement. He hadn't even seen it coming. "Caleb sired Annie last night after we left," he explained.

Mara's confusion grew. "Sired? What exactly does that mean, Demetri?" The way he said it obviously made sense to him but none to her.

"He turned her, Mara," he answered. "She's a vampire now."

Mara's mouth dropped open in shock and her brown eyes widened as she sank down onto the sofa which was the closest to her. "Oh my God!" she gasped loudly. "Why?"

Demetri stared at her with a slightly amused expression crossing his face now his initial shock was starting to recede. "Knowing Annie, she probably nagged him into it," he chuckled lightly. "She's one determined lady when she wants something and Caleb would do anything for her."

He leaned back in his chair and shook his head. "Two thousand years and he's never once sired another vampire and then along comes Annie and he's suddenly breaking his oath never to turn another person to this life." His tone was rueful but with a hint of fondness. He really should have seen this coming, especially after his conversation with the little redhead before he accepted his assignment from the Council.

Mara was watching him intently. She suddenly felt all alone again. Rhianna had been her one link to normality and now she was a vampire too. "So, why can't I visit with Annie?" she finally asked in a small voice. "Will she be dangerous to me or something?"

Demetri snorted and rolled his eyes. "You've watched too many bad horror movies," he said drolly. "Of course she won't be dangerous to you. Your blood is safe, Mara. She hasn't suddenly turned into a mindless savage who wants to drain you dry. She just needs to learn how to moderate her new strength and well....her sexual appetites will have become more heightened so she'll appreciate the alone time with Caleb while she works the initial euphoria out of her system."

Mara blushed furiously and dropped her eyes from his. His tone had turned from derisive to mocking and she wanted the ground to open up and swallow her. He was enjoying making her look like a fool. It wasn't her fault she knew nothing about the world she was currently in anymore.

Demetri felt a twinge of remorse as he looked at Mara's bent head. He had liked digging at her, showing her just how little she knew about his world, and now he felt bad about doing so. The woman before him made him want to lash out in irritation even as she made his body ache with need. She'd been on his mind all morning. He'd even arrived at the club early just in case she was there already. He didn't like what she was doing to him.

Her head raised and her expression was carefully guarded, her brown eyes remote. "So, you were going to start explaining how the club is run?" she asked quietly.

His glacial eyes locked with hers and he felt his body stir with life. She was so beautiful, sitting there with her head tilted defiantly at him, almost daring him to try and get through her thick animosity towards him. "I'll have Bill sit with you," he answered smoothly. "Because Caleb has sired Annie, I'm needed at the other businesses while he teaches her. Bill can give you the basics and I'll answer any queries you have when I get home from work. Oh, and Mara, no one at the club knows anything about the world you now live in. So, hold your pretty tongue so I don't have to clean up any mess you make."

He rose from behind the desk abruptly and she rose too. He was tempted to taste her mouth again, to see if she would respond as she had the other two times he had kissed her, but her body language quite literally screamed at him to stay away from her.

"I'll send Bill down and see you at the house tonight," he said curtly before he strode from the room before he could change his mind and just take her and to hell with the consequences.

___

Mara managed to successfully avoid Demetri for the next three days. She spent most of her days at Karpathia's learning with Bill and was safely ensconced in her rooms before he got home from work. In a rare moment when she wasn't wishing she could whack the beautiful vampire in the face with a baseball bat, she actually smiled and wondered just who was really avoiding who.

She knew Demetri was uncomfortable having her in his home. She knew she was cramping his hedonistic lifestyle and she found herself taking a perverse kind of pleasure from it. Anything which made his life as much of a nightmare as hers was, made her smile.

She tried to forget about him kissing her and how wonderful it had felt but at nights he would reach for her in her dreams and she would eagerly surrender to his kisses. She would wake up feeling angry at herself, rage at him for sparking those feeling inside her, and a deep, aching longing to feel a man's arms around her, loving her. Not just any man's arms, either. She ached for Demetri to hold her and it only heightened the self loathing she already felt.

In an attempt to get out of the house she dressed up and went to Karpathia's the following evening. Rhianna had called to say she and Caleb were finally leaving the house and going to the club and asked if she fancied going too. She was curious to see what her new friend was like now she had made the transition from human to vampire so she readily agreed.