The Assignment Ch. 04

She was annoyed when she came out of her rooms to find Demetri waiting at the bottom of the stairs for her. He looked sexy as hell in a pair of tight fitting leather pants and a teal green silk shirt. His glossy black hair was loose and his glacial green eyes were practically boring holes in her as she walked down the stairs.

Demetri tried to work out what was wrong as he watched Mara glide sensuously down the stairs in her figure hugging red dress which barely came to mid-thigh. Her long brown hair fell in silky ribbons down her back and her beautiful brown eyes held a trace of irritation in them as she regarded him coolly. Despite her slightly sour expression, she looked truly stunning. She quite literally was breathtaking and the moment he thought that he realised what was wrong.

He wasn't breathing. He was simply staring spellbound at her as she finally reached his side. He gave himself a mental shake and looked away from her, taking a deep breath to cool the heated blood which was starting to pulse through his body. Her sweet scent wafted over him and he had the urge to sample that delicious honey flavour. He stifled down an irritated groan and took another deep breath.

"I see Annie extended her coming out invitation to you too," he remarked dryly as he motioned for her to proceed him from the house. "I assume you won't have an issue if I drive us both to the club?"

Mara bit her lip and scowled darkly as she walked through the door. "Fine with me, Demetri. If you're driving then I get to drink. It's been a while since I've had a good drink. I quite fancy letting my hair down tonight."

They didn't speak after that, Demetri grinding harshly through the gears as he pushed his Porsche as quickly towards their destination as possible so he wouldn't have to endure her scent in the confines of the car. She was everywhere he went these days. His home was full of her honey flavour, as was the club. Now she was invading his precious car too. He wondered if she was doing it deliberately, if this was some strange brand of torture she had concocted up to get back at him?

He wanted her so badly. He craved her as he'd never craved another woman before her. Whenever she was in his company all he could think about was kissing her, tasting the sweet depths of her mouth, running his hands over her delicious body. He had tried to get her out of his mind. He had tried to slake his lust with other beautiful women but none of his usual women enticed him in the least. They all seemed to pale in comparison to the woman sitting at his side. A woman he had barely touched and most probably never would again because it shamed her so when he did.

He snorted and sensed her head turning to look at him but he kept his eyes firmly fixed on the road. He wasn't going to give her the satisfaction of knowing just how badly she had disrupted his life. He was sure she would take great pleasure out of knowing how he was pining for something he could never have.

Mara was relieved when they reached Karpathia's. Demetri appeared to be in a foul mood and his dark brooding was driving her insane. His closeness in the confines of the small car was setting her on edge too. The same heat which had overcome her at the breakfast table a few days ago was threatening to overcome her again and she had to clench her hand into a fist to stop herself from reaching out and touching his thigh encased in the tight black leather. She could literally see his muscles bunching as he pressed down on whatever pedal he was using and it was igniting a deep need inside her.

She didn't wait for him to open her door. She was out of the car and heading towards the club the moment the car stopped moving. Karpathia's was busy when she entered and it took her a moment to spot Rhianna and Caleb sitting close together in one of the booths. She stared dumbstruck at the little redhead. She had always been stunningly beautiful but now that beauty seemed to have transcended into something so much more. She was exquisite. Her long auburn curls were radiant as was her stunning face. She looked up as if sensing Mara watching her and her face lit up in a glorious smile.

"Mara, you look stunning," Rhianna laughed, sliding gracefully from the booth and hugging her very carefully.

"I look stunning?" Mara found herself laughing back. "You look....Annie, I'm lost for words you look so amazing!"

Rhianna laughed again and gave her another hug. "I feel amazing too," she whispered in her ear. "Though I have been worried about you. Is Demetri treating you well?" She stepped back to regard her friend with an intense look.

"Demetri has been the perfect gentlemen, Red," the object of their conversation remarked dryly at Mara's side, as he smiled down at the little redhead. "We are so lucky to have you grace our world, Annie," he breathed softly, his green eyes shining with deep affection.

Rhianna slipped into his warm embrace, laughing lightly when Caleb growled possessively as they hugged. "Thank you, Demetri," she smiled stepping back and sliding back in beside her man before he became too irritated at his friend.

Mara slipped into the booth, followed closely by Demetri. She had been a bit worried that Rhianna would be different now she was a vampire, more like Demetri but after ten minutes it was quickly apparent that her friend was just the same as before and she relaxed a bit more as she sipped at her drink.

Being in Rhianna and Caleb's company was hard. They were so obviously in love and at times barely kept their hands off each other and it was uncomfortable sitting beside Demetri as their sexual tension washed over them. Finally she could stand it no longer and she excused herself to go to the bathroom for a brief respite.

Mara felt hot and extremely flustered. A couple of times Demetri's leather clad thigh had brushed hers under the table causing all sorts of wild reactions inside her body. She wondered if he had done so deliberately. He had told her he wanted her but she had to come to him. It sounded so noble at the time but she wouldn't put it past the sneaky bastard to stack the deck in his favour by teasing her unbearably until she was desperate for the feel of his arms around her.

Dear God, what was she thinking? She had to stop thinking of him as a potential bed partner. She had more self respect than that. She had to remember that Demetri Bozic had ruined her life, kidnapped her, tortured her, kissed her. She groaned loudly and stared at herself in the bathroom mirror. She would not surrender to him, not ever.

With a muttered curse, she left the ladies and headed over to the bar to get another drink. She asked Bill for a shot and threw it back without blinking an eyelid. She calmly asked for another and did the same. The scalding alcohol burned her throat on the way down but she felt better once it hit her bloodstream. The music began to pulse to a heady beat and she suddenly wanted to dance.

She felt strong arms slide around her waist from behind and she knew it was him before he even spoke. "You weren't kidding when you said you fancied letting your hair down," Demetri breathed against the shell of her ear.

"Shut up!" she muttered angrily. "And take your hands off me, Demetri. You only have the rights to where I live. You don't get the rights to my body too."

Demetri felt his anger rise and his hands tightened around her slender waist, pulling her back against his aching body. She had been driving him insane all night and he was about at the end of his patience with her.

"You are under my protection which means you belong to me, Mara," he hissed out through clenched teeth. "How I choose for that to be is my choice, not yours. Never forget that, little girl. Your bed is empty at my whim, Mara. If I choose to take you there is nothing you can do about it except lie there and be grateful that I can take you to such a height of pleasure you've never experienced before."

He released her as abruptly as he grabbed her and vanished into the throng of dancers, choosing the first pretty girl he came across and pulling her into his arms and grinding his mouth hard against hers.

Mara watched him, her heart thumping painfully hard in her chest as Demetri all but fucked the blonde in his arms on the dance floor. Her gut wrenched painfully as she watched his hands stroking over the girl's covered breasts as they ground against each other in time to the music. For one brief second she thought that could have been her on the dance floor with him. Then she pushed the thought ruthlessly aside and went to retrieve her purse.

She bade Caleb and Rhianna a hasty goodnight, smiling reassuringly when the little redhead asked if she was okay. She had to get out of the club. Watching Demetri with the blonde was tearing her up inside and she didn't want to be feeling what she was feeling. She didn't want to care that he was with another woman.

Demetri smiled apologetically at the woman in his arms and placed a gentle kiss on her lips before he extracted himself from her embrace. Mara had just made him so angry he had lost his head for a moment. He didn't want to need her but he did. Kissing the blonde was enough to tell him that she was a poor substitute for the woman he really wanted. The girl was very attractive but she just wasn't Mara.

He sighed deeply and turned back towards the bar. There was no sign of the Mara. She had gone, probably back home to her little sanctuary which she kept locked against him. Running a weary hand through his hair, Demetri wondered what the hell he was going to do, because he couldn't live like this much longer. He ached for the woman whose life was in his hands and she hated him with a vengeance.

___

Mara hoped to avoid Demetri the following day but he seemed to be everywhere when she turned around. His expression was always closed and guarded, his green eyes cold as they regarded her intently before he would walk away without a word, only to show up somewhere else a bit later.

It was really starting to get on her nerves and she was actually starting to mutter angrily under her breath. She was ready to scream when he turned up unexpectedly at Karpathia's, walking into the office just before Mara was due to head home.

Mara's breath hissed out angrily and she shot him a murderous look. "Is there something I can do for you, Demetri?" she asked waspishly.

His eyes narrowed sharply at her tone and a muscle jumped in the side of his jaw. "I wasn't aware I needed your permission to enter my own office," he said levelly, pinning her with his piercing gaze.

She flushed slightly, realising he had a point but still irritated that he couldn't wait until she had left before he came to the club. "I was just getting ready to leave," she muttered crossly turning away from him.

"Running home to your ivory tower, Mara?" Demetri drawled sarcastically, leaning his back against the door and effectively blocking her escape route. "Scared the big, bad vampire is going to get you?" His tone was mocking, designed to infuriate her.

She spun around and gave him another murderous look. "You don't frighten me, Demetri," she shot back without thinking and then swallowed hard when his expression suddenly darkened and he pushed away from the door and began to walk towards her. She backed up instinctively until she hit the desk and could move no further.

She tried to slide sideways but his hands shot out on either side of her, effectively pinning her to the desk. His eyes were dark and smouldering as he deliberately pressed his body against hers and casually rubbed himself against her. He was aroused and making no attempt to hide it.

Mara swallowed hard and pushed against his chest, almost groaning out loud as she felt his hard muscles ripple under her touch. "Demetri," she managed to get out through her dry lips.

"You should be frightened of me, Mara," he breathed softly, lowering his head to the side of her neck and inhaling deeply at her sweet scent. He knew he shouldn't be doing this but he couldn't stop himself. She was driving him insane with her tantalising scent and the way her hips swayed when she walked. All day he had tried to stay away from her but found himself irresistibly pulled towards her. Now the feel of her hands on his chest was sending shivers of desire through his body and he pressed his erection against her softness, groaning at the sweet friction.

She uttered a strangled moan and his lips descended on hers to capture the sweet sound, his tongue thrusting deep inside her mouth as heat flared through him as he pressed her back against the desk. Her mouth was hot and so sweet tasting, her tongue brushing erotically against his as she matched his passion with her own and her hands stopped pushing against his chest and instead curled into his shirt.

White hot need exploded inside him and his kiss turned more demanding, more possessive as he tried to brand her with his lips, his hand lifting her until she was sitting on the desk and he was running his hands up to her cup her breasts through her blouse and knead them gently.

Mara whimpered and tore her mouth away from Demetri's. Shock rocked through her body the moment his hands touched her breasts. "No," she gasped pushing at his chest once more, shame lancing through her once again that she had kissed him back, wanted him to keep kissing her.

"Mara!" Demetri groaned thickly, trying to capture her lips again with his, trying to stop her from pulling away from him again and shutting him out.

"You promised me," she choked out angrily. "You promised me you wouldn't do this again."

Her words were like a bucket of cold water being thrown over him. He pulled back and looked down into her beautiful face and saw her tears of shame and he cursed loudly and moved away from her, his breathing ragged as he turned his back to her.

"Go home, Mara," he ordered curtly, clenching his hands together so he couldn't turn around and reach for her again. He stayed that way until she ran out the office and then he sank down into the chair behind the desk and lowered his head into his hands, mentally cursing himself for having touched her when he had given his word that he would wait for her to come to him.

___

Mara wondered what Demetri would do next and was surprised when he seemed to disappear for almost a week. The next time she saw him it was as if nothing had happened in the office and his behaviour towards her puzzled her.

A strange truce seemed to be in place at the house. Demetri was cordial and even friendly at times. He kept his distance and never touched her, not even accidentally. His distance was quite noticeable to both of them but they never spoke of it.

Sometimes he would sit with her chatting about his day as she ate her dinner and sometimes she would join him in the main library quietly reading a book while he worked on his laptop at the large mahogany desk in the corner of the room. There was almost a harmonious feeling between them but they both knew it was really a sham.

Sometimes Mara would look up unexpectedly and catch him staring at her with a deep hunger in his eyes. He would look away immediately and invariably leave the room but not before her heart would start thumping wildly and a rush of longing would seep right through her.

When those moments occurred Demetri would go out to the club and stay out most of the night. She didn't go to Karpathia's on those nights because she didn't want to know what he was doing. She had a fair idea. There were many beautiful woman frequenting the club and they were all drawn to the beautiful dark haired vampire. A lot of them touched him with such familiarity it wasn't hard to guess he had been intimate with them in the past.

She didn't know for sure that he was slaking his desire for her with other women but she guessed he probably was. She was curious about what he did for feeding and asked Rhianna when she popped over for a visit. She had blushed scarlet when her friend had explained how they usually fed whilst making love though they could survive on cold blood too.

The thought of Demetri having sex with other women and biting them didn't sit well with her. Truth be told it made her feel jealous that he was doing things with other women that he wasn't doing with her. She knew her jealousy was irrational. If she wanted to be with him all she had to do was go to him and yet she couldn't make herself do it. She couldn't get passed the fact that she was here in his life against her will. She wanted to have the choice of where she lived and with whom she lived with. The lack of control she had over her life festered underneath the surface and there was just no way of getting around it.

Demetri watched Mara covertly as she read her book. He was idly clicking keys on the keyboard but not really doing anything. He was just letting his eyes roam over her slowly, his body hard and aching.

He had promised he wouldn't take advantage of her and each day that past drove him more and more insane. He had hoped she would soften towards him and eventually come to trust him but she could never quite hide the anger she felt deep inside.

Something had to change and had to change soon or one of them was going to explode and all hell was going to break loose. He sighed softly and stared down at the keyboard. He had been tossing a decision around in his mind for the last week. He knew he couldn't go on like this any longer. He had finally admitted to himself that he was in love with Mara and probably had been for a very long time now. He didn't just want her body, he wanted everything. He wanted her smiles and her laughter, her warmth and her companionship and the only thing she wanted from him was her freedom.

A deep lance of pain welled up inside him and he rose abruptly, startling her so she dropped her book and looked at him quizzically. "I need to see Caleb," he said tersely. He turned and hurried out of the library before she could respond.

Ten minutes later Demetri sat in another library with his friend. Rhianna was visiting her brother so they were alone in the house.

Caleb frowned as he looked at his friend. The normally arrogant man was quiet and subdued, a dark frown on his face. "You and Mara fighting?" he asked curiously.

Demetri blinked slowly at him and shook his head. "We don't fight," he answered quietly. "We don't do anything. Oh, we're civil to each other, discuss each others days etc but it's all just superficial."

Caleb's frown deepened as he heard the bitterness in Demetri's tone. He had often wanted to see his friend get some comeuppance but now it was here he actually felt sorry for him. "You're in love with her," he said, not asking a question because it was plain to see from the expression on his friend's face.

Demetri looked at him forlornly. "I can't do this anymore, Caleb," he ground out. "You have to help me."

"Help you how?" Caleb asked perplexed. "Do you want me to ask Annie to talk to Mara?" He really didn't know what his friend thought he could do to help.

"I want you to alter my memories," Demetri replied quietly, his green eyes suspiciously moist as they beseeched him. "I want you to convince me that I finally managed to breach Mara's shield and was able to scan her and alter her memories so I can call the Council and let them know."

Caleb's golden brown eyes widened in complete shock and his mouth dropped open. He stared at his friend as a deep fear started to settle inside him. What he was asking him to do was so dangerous and he didn't know if he could agree to his friend's request. He didn't know if he could bear to take the risk of losing Demetri from his life if this didn't work out the way his friend hoped it would.

To be continued...