Eriq: A Shadow Inc. Novella
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Epilogue
Note From Author
Eriq
A Shadow, Inc. Novella
Book 3
By Cass Alexander
PUBLISHED BY:
Cass Alexander on Amazon KDP
Eriq
A Shadow, Inc. Novella
Copyright © 2018 by Cass Alexander
All Rights Reserved. This book may not be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission from the author, except for brief quotations embodied in reviews. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. All characters and storylines are the property of the author and your support and respect is appreciated.
This book contains mature content and is intended for adult readers.
This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously.
Works by Cass Alexander:
Shadow, Inc. Series:
Tarq
Quin
Eriq
Luqa (spring 2018)
The Persimmon Series:
Working On It
Working For It
Working With It
Nonfiction Humor:
We’re Not Write: Two Sibs Misusing Technology
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Epilogue
Note From Author
1
“Tell me you’ve done this before, Sofia.”
She removed her tongue from the salty skin of Eriq’s neck, wondering why he’d ask such a question. Most virgins didn’t give it up against stone walls, outdoors, in the middle of the night, to someone they barely knew. Did he think her an innocent?
Eriq currently had her pinned with his large frame, her dress shoved up to her waist, and her legs wrapped around his hips.
Her panties had been obliterated earlier when he decided she needed to come on his face first.
He’d been right. It was the best oral she’d ever received. It had set her entire body aflame, had sealed the deal she’d allow him to do pretty much anything he wanted.
“I’m not a virgin, if that’s what you’re asking.”
Hot air from his mouth puffed across her cheek. Sofia reached for his lips with her own, but he turned away.
“I meant with no-strings. Just one night. Have you … is this okay?”
Sofia rolled her eyes at the assumption she needed a commitment in order to fuck him. How patronizing; how very godsdamned medieval and sexist. Did he know what century it was?
She’d seen him take others up to his room this week. She very much doubted he asked any of those sexual partners if they were cool with a no-strings lay.
Sofia was realistic. She knew he was here in Barbados on vacation, staying at the luxury resort her father owned and operated. He wasn’t someone to whom she should become attached.
Did Eriq think she believed one night between her legs would mean something to her? Aside from feeding her physical desires?
She was never fully satisfied and constantly looking for someone who could give her what she needed. She’d thought Eriq would be the one to show here what sex should be like.
As hot as he was, and as lascivious as he made her feel with just a look, she was under no illusion he was here to whisk her away to be his. Sofia wanted him, but she didn’t like being treated as if she didn’t understand what this was.
Eriq rolled his hips into her center, but Sofia’s annoyance with him had already killed the mood.
“Put me down, please.”
Feeling the sudden change in her demeanor, Eriq slowly let Sofia’s body slide down his. It was torture. He wanted inside her, very badly.
He’d wanted her since the moment he first laid eyes on her, dressed in her professional uniform, greeting guests as they arrived. When he’d caught her eye, she’d licked her lips and looked him up and down.
Her dirty blonde hair had been perfectly pinned, not a strand out of place, in total contrast to her mischievous dark-blue eyes. There was a fire raging underneath her perfect appearance; and Eriq wanted to stoke it.
Eriq assumed she was just another employee and knew he’d seduce her into his bed during his visit. That is, until he saw her with her father, Andrei.
Andrei was a powerful daemon and had the respect of most of the immortal world. He was good friends with Amelia, the siren who ran Club Shadow—the high-end sex club Eriq’s family owned.
She’d told Eriq that Andrei fought his entire life to shed the negative image of the nature of daemons as sleazy sycophants. He wanted something better for his children than what he faced growing up.
Eriq knew Andrei from years before and had stayed in several of the daemon’s resorts. He knew Andrei’s only daughter was a source of pride for him.
Andrei often bragged about Sofia, about what a rare jewel she was in a sinful world. She’d sounded a little too straight-laced for Eriq’s more exotic tastes.
Plus, she was young—only in her mid-twenties. Eriq didn’t mess with the young and inexperienced unless he was training them for Club Shadow.
Until this week, Eriq had never laid eyes on Sofia. When he did, she had his full and undivided attention. At least, until he realized who she was.
Upon closer inspection, Sofia’s clothing, her mannerisms, and her words all screamed “good girl.”
She may have been in need of a good … stoking, but Eriq backed off, fulfilling his needs with other guests.
A few days of fun in the sun and he still couldn’t get Sofia off his mind. He’d even resorted to finding a blonde to take to bed in a half-hearted attempt to fulfill his new fantasy.
It didn’t work. Nothing but Sofia would do. So, on his last night here, he’d sought her out, knowing full-well he was risking the wrath of her father.
One stroll on the beach with Sofia and he’d broken. Her smell, her taste, the way she encouraged him, he’d been seconds away from lowering his zipper and plunging into her heat.
He should have kept his big mouth shut, but she looked so innocent in her ponytail and fifties-style dress, he wanted to be sure she was comfortable with what they were doing.
Now she just looked pissed. The corner of his mouth quirked up, but he tamped it down, not wanting to insult her further.
“Everything okay, Koshenya?” Kitten.
He’d taken to thinking of her as his little blonde kitten. Eriq would need to throw himself into his job at Club Shadow to scrub Sofia from his brain. He barely knew her and was already becoming possessive.
“This was a mistake, Eriq. Thank you for a lovely walk. I’ll see myself inside.”
She turned on her heel and marched to the stairs. It wasn’t easy to walk away, but she did have some degree of pride.
“Wait,” he said, grabbing her arm.
She looked at his hand with contempt and he let go. Dam
n. Why did he even care? He was leaving tomorrow. She wasn’t the sort of girl he usually spent time with anyway. Eriq should just let it go.
“I’m sorry, Sofia. I was only trying to make sure you were agreeable with what I wanted from you. I didn’t want to offend you.”
She snorted. “I’d think allowing your tongue and fingers inside me had clued you in. But you’re sweet to be concerned. It was nice meeting you, Eriq. If you’ll excuse me, I’m supposed to be meeting someone shortly.”
Sofia continued up the stairs, leaving behind a confused Eriq. He was dumbfounded. She’d walked away from him. Easily. No female had ever walked away, not unless he’d ordered it.
Maybe he was a little too accustomed to being the House Dom at a sex club. He got off on being in charge—it was his job. And he was damned good at his job.
He stood motionless for several minutes, wondering where he’d gone wrong. No, it must not have been him. He had acted gentlemanly. Sort of.
Sofia was inexperienced. That had to be it.
Thinking he’d dodged a bullet, he went up to his room and poured himself a drink. It was the middle of the night, so finding another companion was out of the question.
A flicker of something rolled across his brain. Had Sofia said she was meeting someone? This late? Surely not.
Eriq stepped onto the balcony. Leaning his elbows on the railing, he sipped at his drink, enjoying the view of the moon’s light reflecting off the water.
“Shhh, we have to be quiet,” someone whispered from below.
Eriq leaned over the balcony, listening.
Clothing rustled, lips smacked, chests panted, then moaned. His already hard cock pulsed, wanting what it had been denied.
He smiled. Someone down near the pool was getting lucky. Eriq pressed his palm over his crotch, debating if he should take care of himself now.
The female below sighed. He recognized the sound. It was the sound Sofia made when she came all over his fingers and tongue.
Someone was touching his Koshenya.
Eriq saw red. Before he could stop himself, he teleported to the pool.
2
Sofia undulated on top of Mateo. He was one of her father’s managers at a property down the beach. They met every few nights out here by the pool, once everything was closed.
They had a good routine. Sofia would roll a sun lounger behind one of the cabanas, out of view from anyone on the property. The foliage blocked the view from the beach.
Most often, it was hurried and only mildly satisfactory, due in part to neither of them wanting to get caught by her father. The typical procedure was Mateo lowered his pants, strapped on a condom, and positioned himself on his back on the lounger.
Sofia, always in a dress for convenience, straddled his hips, riding him until she came. Mateo either came in a condom or in her mouth. It wasn’t much, but it was all she could manage under her father’s constant surveillance.
Tonight, she’d had a brief glimpse of what sex could be. She was so turned on, Mateo actually felt really good.
It wasn’t anything Mateo was doing. It was Eriq. He’d primed her and then ruined it by opening his mouth.
Sofia closed her eyes, imagining it was Eriq’s cock buried inside her body, Eriq’s huge form lying beneath her petite frame. Faster and faster she gyrated, so close already.
She pulled the front of her dress down and guided his hand to her breast. Mateo was just as inexperienced as she was and instructing him was growing weary. She wanted someone to take control, to own her.
Gods, thinking about being owned, about Eriq commanding her body, pushed her closer and closer.
Eriq landed silently in the sandy overgrowth. The shadows hid him from the pair currently fucking behind the cabana.
Sofia was trying to get the male’s hand to touch her, to squeeze her breasts, to help her reach her climax. The male wasn’t doing jack shit other than lying there while Sofia did all the work.
Eriq couldn’t see the idiot’s face. He didn’t want to know who it was. It wasn’t Eriq and that was all that mattered to him.
He was about to bust through the greenery and steal his kitten away when he saw her face. Her eyes were squeezed tight, her mouth open. She was a vision and his chest ached, wanting to put such a look upon her face.
Sofia was a sensual female. She wanted, so she took. Eriq hadn’t expected it. It contradicted the impression he had of her.
Her movements were frantic, desperate even. Sofia was chasing something. Eriq knew it was something she wouldn’t get from this dickwad. She might orgasm, but it wouldn’t be enough.
He could tell from the look on her face she’d never been truly overtaken, never fully sated. It was his job to know these things, to read his partners’ body language.
Sofia’s head flung back as she quietly said a name, carried by the wind, landing upon his ear like the sweetest kiss.
Eriq.
She’d called his name while fucking someone else. She wanted it to be Eriq and he’d let her slip right through his fingers.
He didn’t know what to make of it. Couldn’t sort out his feelings fast enough. Sofia was only ever going to be a one-night stand.
Why was he relishing his name upon her lips when another male was balls deep inside her pussy?
He had to get away from here. Taking one last look at his little Koshenya, Eriq teleported back to his room and packed his things. He was heading back to Charleston now instead of waiting until morning.
Holy shit. Sofia had never come so hard in all her life. Granted, she’d only ever had two partners, but she’d had a ton of orgasms, mostly self-served. None of them compared.
She felt light and free. She even considered letting Mateo try something else on her tonight.
Sofia opened her eyes and was met with a glare.
“What?” she asked.
“Who is Eriq?”
She blinked.
“Who is Eriq?” she parroted.
“You said his name.”
Sofia let out a harsh breath. Damnit. She hadn’t meant to do that to Mateo.
“Shit, Mateo. I’m sorry. I—”
“Shhh,” he cut her off, sitting up, looking around. “Someone’s here.”
Sofia froze, listening.
Shuffling footsteps were on the stone path circling towards the cabanas. She knew the sound of those slippers.
“Sofia!” her father yelled, getting closer.
“Go,” she hissed, hopping up and straightening her dress.
“But—”
“Now!”
Mateo teleported away, leaving Sofia to deal with Andrei on her own. She wished she could teleport away, as well, but only full-blooded immortals had that power. Her mother had been human.
Instead of allowing her father to see the chair, she walked around the opposite side of the cabana to the pool.
“Yes, father?” her steady voice surprised her.
Andrei wheeled around at the sound of Sofia’s voice. He was angry. So very angry.
“Who?” he asked.
One word. One question. She knew what he wanted but she refused to rat out Mateo.
He stepped forward and she stepped back, trying to stay downwind. If he smelled Mateo or Eriq on her skin, all hell would break loose.
Still, she was through being steamrolled.
“What I do on my own time is not your business.”
“Not my business? Not my business?!” he shouted, fists clenched with fury.
“You are my daughter. I brought you and your brothers up from the underworld to make a better life. To do that, I had to fight like hell to alter how others saw us. Yet, here you are, acting exactly like a daemon.”
“I am a daemon! So are you. We don’t have to hide what we are. So what if daemons have outrageous sex drives? So does half of the immortal world. I’m tired of pretending to be something I’m not.”
“I’ve had enough of you and your antics, Sofia. You have twenty-four hours to get
out.”
“Wh—what do you mean?”
“I want you gone. I’ve tried to show you the right path, but you resist me at every turn. Go. Live your life the way you want. Just do it away from me.”
Andrei turned his back on his youngest child and strode inside. Sofia stood immobile. She couldn’t believe he would so callously dismiss her as though she was nothing to him.
She waited until the door closed before she allowed one tear to fall. One. That’s all the bastard would get from her. If he didn’t want her, she would leave. The question was, where in the hell would she go?
When Sofia finally left the pool area, Eriq, looking down from his balcony, pulled out his cellphone and dialed.
“Yes?” answered the melodic voice.
“Amelia? I need a favor.”
3
“I’ll kill him, Sofia. I swear to the gods I’ll do it.”
“He’s a daemon, Amelia. He can’t be killed.”
Sofia had not once seen Amelia in a foul mood. She’d always been a sort of fun auntie-type; not in her everyday business, but always in the background dropping in to check on her.
Amelia and Andrei had a long history. From Sofia’s understanding, the relationship had always been platonic. Now, seeing how upset Amelia was, she wondered if she’d misinterpreted the siren’s connection to Sofia’s father.
“I cannot believe him. I just … ugh. I’m so disappointed. I expected more from him,” Amelia lamented.
“Yeah, that makes two of us.”
Sofia downed the rest of her drink. They were sitting in the bar of Club Shadow; the club Amelia ran for the Marcellus Family.
As in Eriq Marcellus.
She’d be lying if she said she didn’t want to see him again.
When Amelia happened to call Sofia this morning—the morning after Andrei told her to leave—Sofia broke down. She confessed what she’d been caught doing, what she’d been doing for the past year, and what her father had said.
Amelia immediately chartered a plane and had Sofia in Charleston by late afternoon. It was now almost 5 p.m. and Sofia was already on her fourth cocktail.