Savage Shifters Box Set, page 9
There was another voice on the recording device, and they both stopped talking and listened while the food’s scent permeated the air. It was a man in Paula’s office, talking to her in a low voice—something about loving her gallery and the paintings she had, and interested in purchasing some of them.
Very interested.
They were obviously flirting with each other, something that had Jillian raising a brow at Jack.
“Yes. She’s not faking it. Demons feed off the energy of humans.”
“Oh. Is she gonna…?”
“Eat him? Probably not. She seems to want to maintain her position in SoHo for a bit, and I presume that’s for some cover-up.”
The chocolate cake distracted her for a while, and he got distracted watching her take dainty bites, too, even while his ears were still listening. Jillian was wearing a dress that was orange and made her stand out. It also made her look especially pretty, even with no makeup on.
Chocolate fudge stained her upper lip.
“You’ve got…something on your lips.”
She licked her bottom lip, and he inwardly groaned at the sight of her pink tongue. She kept licking, and impatience had him reaching out and wiping the stain with his thumb.
She froze.
At the same time, sounds came out from the recording device—sounds that were low, a moan here and a groan there, blending in together that it couldn’t be mistaken for anything else. The sounds of scurrying followed, then what was unmistakably clothes being removed and dropped.
“Oh, Henry! Give it to me. Fuck me hard.”
The man, Henry, must have given her what she wanted because the demon’s moan only grew louder.
Something knocked repeatedly, and Jack began to figure out that it was probably the demon’s butt banging against the wooden desk as…well, as she was being banged. She made all the appropriate sounds, did something that had the man groaning deeper, an almost desperate tone that hit Jack in the gut.
Belatedly, he realized that he was still turned towards Jillian, and that his thumb was still on her upper lip.
Belatedly, he realized that she was breathing hard.
He made the mistake of looking into her eyes, where he found them widened and just a little bit darker than usual. They were almost the color of bitter dark chocolate, and he wasn’t stupid enough to excuse it for something else. Discomfort was there along with embarrassment but thrown into the mix was something he hadn’t expected.
Lust.
It came and it went, and she turned her head to face the recording device. She gulped, then stilled on her spot. Jack breathed in and tried to do the same, but the warmth of her beside him was so distracting—especially that nape of her neck exposed by her ponytail. He was torn between wanting to place his mouth there, wanting to untie her hair and tangle his hands in them, and wanting to run very far away before he did what he shouldn’t be doing.
A cry of release came, followed by a deeply satisfied groan. A few more bangs on the desk and the noises settled, followed by a silence that was almost unsettling. Jillian cleared her throat a couple of times, opened her mouth, but she couldn’t seem to utter anything. Jack’s throat was too dry to speak, and his hand was suspended between them.
He lifted it up.
“What’s in that cloth? Is that a painting?”
Jack’s hand stopped moving.
“Oh, that’s just some ugly piece from this girl I know. She works for me and is just the saddest excuse of a woman ever. No backbone and completely annoying, just like her painting. I was about to store it in...here. I would hate to display this, you know,” Paula said offhandedly.
“Ah. Useful desk. I should have a safe made in mine, too.”
They talked some more, but Jack was no longer concentrating. They found their answer. He turned to Jillian, who was glaring at the device.
Then she turned to him.
“It’s under that desk,” she murmured.
“Looks like it. Ready for the next step?”
“Yes. That bitch isn’t going to insult my painting ever again.”
Despite the rather heavy situation and the tension, Jack couldn’t help grinning.
Chapter 13
Paula’s desk was a huge one, and Jillian still couldn’t believe how stupid she’d been for not suspecting it way earlier. It was bigger than any regular desk, with lots of drawers that she initially thought just stored all those papers Paula seemed to have.
Well, now she knew better, and she almost couldn’t contain the excitement she felt when she stepped in.
Paula was sitting there, pouring over some papers now. She looked up at Jillian’s entrance, and Jillian got into action, smiling the brightest smile she had—but making sure it was tinged with something sad. She’d practiced it on Yeri earlier, and the fairy said she looked like the Grinch about to steal Christmas. That had them laughing until they were in stitches, with Jillian practicing a few more times until she got the correct expression pat down.
Now, she watched as Paula studied her closely, and she studied her boss right back. The demon really was beautiful, and not even Yeri’s unique looks could compete. They explained to her what first-class demons basically were, and she wondered if all first-class demons were as glamorous as the one in front of her.
“Is something the matter, Jillian?”
She blinked, then looked down as if fighting emotions back. Then Jillian looked up again, shaking her head. She slid a letter on Paula’s desk, waiting as the other read it.
Paula looked up sharply. “You’re resigning?”
“Yes,” Jillian nodded. “I’m so sorry to do this.”
“Why?”
“Because I got a job offer in Los Angeles. And…well, I had the guy I liked investigated, and it turns out he’s in that city, too.”
That had Paula raising two brows. “Didn’t he steal your painting and tried to drug you?”
Jillian sighed. “Yes, I know he did. But I still can’t stop thinking about him and want to see if there is something I could do to salvage the situation.”
It was so lame that Jillian would have cringed had she meant what she said. If Jack ever treated her wrong again after all that groveling and apologizing he did—and yes, she did understand his motive and need to do so just to protect his world, even though she didn’t agree with his methods—then she would cut his ass without looking back, and would rather go to hell than follow him to whatever city he got himself in.
Fortunately, Paula didn’t know that.
“Are you sure about this?”
“Is there going to be a problem with work?”
“Well, obviously I wouldn’t like losing you, but that’s your decision.” Impatience flitted across Paula’s features, followed by annoyance, which cleared right away. She smiled, and for the first time, Jillian saw through the insincerity of it. “Are you sure you want to be doing this for a guy?”
“I’m sure,” Jillian said firmly. “Thank you for your kindness. I want to return it today before I leave.”
“Oh?”
“Can I ask you and Mr. Grimshaw for dinner out?”
*****
It was a risky move, particularly because she wouldn’t be handling just one demon, but two. But Jillian knew it must be done, especially now that they found a way into the gallery—an hour tops, just enough to get in, get the painting, and slip out. It had been necessary for them to find out where the painting was because the gallery had too many alarms and trying to search the whole place for the painting with no clue where it was would have just been asking for trouble.
Paula turned on extra security an hour after she closed the gallery and finished paperwork, which meant it would be impossible to get in after hours. Jillian asking the two outright at closing time seemed to be the only way, really.
“I’m so glad you both could make it to this dinner with me,” Jillian gushed. She’d been talking their ears off since she got here, switching between topics of art and the guy she wanted. It was getting pathetic, really, but the more pathetic, the better, considering how it made Mr. Grimshaw wish he was somewhere else and had Paula looking a little more bored than usual.
At her ear, she could hear Yeri whispering from her position inside the van. She could also hear Jack and Kasper murmuring from time to time, though they kept quiet for the most part as they started entering the gallery through a side window. It was burglary at its finest.
It made her tense. Jillian covered it up by being even chattier.
“Mr. Grimshaw, aren’t you going to eat your steak? I had it made especially well-done. Don’t you like steak?”
James Grimshaw grunted, almost glaring at her before he looked down. Paula cleared her throat and forced a smile. “My husband doesn’t really like talking during dinner, and he has a meeting coming up.”
More like he couldn’t talk, because second-class demons were more about grunting and devouring humans. No wonder the man kept disappearing and never bothered to talk to her. Jillian bit her lip. “Oh. A meeting tonight?”
“Yes. James, honey, weren’t you going to go take a phone call?”
He grunted and slipped off, leaving Jillian alone with Paula. Paula smiled. “He takes long phone calls, so eat up. James usually does this, and he’ll just let me know when he needs to head to the meeting and can’t come back.”
Meaning he was going to be out and about trying to find unsuspecting victims. Worry flitted inside Jillian, but she forced it back, knowing the men were busy and it was just going to have to wait. Yeri was also needed in the van for backup. She focused on the demon in front of her, smiling brightly.
“Do you like wine?”
“I love wine,” Paula said.
Jillian beamed and hailed a waiter. “Then let me order a bottle for us. I want us to celebrate.”
“Celebrate what?”
“Me getting a new job and getting laid, of course.”
Paula raised a brow. “Getting laid?”
“Yes! Because I’m going after my man in Los Angeles!”
That was so cringe-worthy that Jillian could hear Yeri tittering in her ear. But she kept up the act, switching between the nerd who knew everything there was to know about paintings to the nerd who was really just lonely and wanted to chase after the man she wanted. Paula gobbled it all up, and they kept drinking as Jack gave a report on how they were faring.
The office door has a tricky alarm on it. Hold her up some more.
Jack’s voice wasn’t exactly tense, but it was low and emerged in concentration.
“I think we should get the bill. It’s getting late,” Paula said. “I still have some…things to do.”
People to eat, most probably. Or suck the energy off via sex. Jillian hadn’t heard from that man Paula had sex with and suspected the worst, especially when they couldn’t find the man to check if he was alright.
In response, Jillian shook her head and pretended to hiccup. She only drank three full glasses, which was her limit, but Paula didn’t know that.
“What things? Are you going to have sex?”
Paula shot her a look. Jillian giggled.
“I’m sorry. I’m so sex-obsessed. I feel like we’re friends and can’t stop talking about it.”
“That’s okay. But I really need to go. I’m sure you have some packing to get to?” Paula smiled, and again, it was a fake one. She hailed a waiter and proceeded to pay the bill. “And this is my treat, for being such a great employee.”
“But I promised to pay for it!”
“No, it’s okay. Get your man.” There was derision in Paula’s tone, and Jillian pretended to ignore it.
“So you’re really going home?”
“I’m heading to the gallery. I haven’t locked up yet.”
Shit. Stall her. This desk has more alarm triggers than hell and Diether’s taking too long.
Shut up, Bruno. I’m concentrating.
Jillian’s hand shot out just as Paula stood up. She stood up, too. “Wait. I…I need some tips.”
“Tips?”
“Yes! You need to give me tips on how to catch my man! Sex tips!”
Her voice was a little louder than usual, which had some of the customers glancing curiously in their direction. Paula flashed her another look of annoyance before ushering her out the entrance.
“Are you crazy?”
Jillian pretended to sway in her spot. Then she whined. “I’m possibly drunk. I’m horny.”
Paula smirked. “Wow. You’re a mess.”
“I’m a mess for a guy’s dick. I’m usually not like this.”
“Then ride that dick hard. You’re going after him to Los Angeles, after all.”
In her ear, Jillian heard a choking sound…was that laughter?
Oh, God. They were now laughing at her.
“I should ride it hard, shouldn’t I?” Jillian fluttered her lashes. Paula tried to take her to the taxi stand, but Jillian protested when she heard scraping in her ear. “Paulaaaaaa. Can you give me tips?”
“I think you should head home.”
“I’m not going home until I get tips from you.” But Paula looked like she was ready to drop Jillian for being the most embarrassing person on the planet, and Jillian couldn’t blame her.
The men weren’t done. She needed to do something.
Jillian took a deep breath.
“I know you’re having affairs.”
The demon stilled, then turned to look at her sharply. “What?”
“And I know what kind of man Mr. Grimshaw is.”
Paula’s eyes narrowed, the fake-friendly look now gone. Her expression was still careful, but for the first time since Jillian interacted with her, she felt a chill running down her spine.
“What kind of man is my husband?” Paula asked in a murmur.
Jillian sighed. “I know he’s not very handsome, and I’ve seen how you look at handsome guys. I want to know your secret.” She hiccupped, then laughed. “For all I know, you’ve got a dungeon full of men and just use them up when your husband’s away.”
It was a joke meant to make Paula amused, but the way the demon’s body stiffened had Jillian realizing that she’d just hit the mark. Something cold ran over her at the sudden gleam in Paula’s eyes.
“What makes you think that?”
“I’m drunk. I say many things. But now I want to see your house.”
“Are you sure?”
That’s a very bad idea. Jillian, get out of there.
No, Jack. We’re not done yet. Jillian, give me a few more minutes.
The two men began arguing in low tones, and Jillian knew there was no other choice in the matter. She stepped closer to Paula, trying not to shiver at…well, how cold the woman felt this close. “Show me your secrets. I want to know everything.”
“And if I don’t?”
“And if you don’t, then I’ll tell your husband of my suspicions.”
Paula’s face hardened for a bit. “You’re really that desperate to be fucked, aren’t you?”
Jillian, we got it. Get out of there.
The relief was so huge that Jillian almost gave it away. Instead, she beamed sleepily at Paula. “I was just kidding. I know nothing. I’m also really sleepy. I think I’ll go now. See you around?” She hiccupped again for good measure.
Paula’s eyes narrowed. But in the end, the demon didn’t say anything as she staggered away to the taxi stand, which was just around the corner. The demon didn’t follow, either, and Jillian made sure her steps were wobbly until she disappeared from sight.
When she was sure she was out of sight, she slipped into an alley and finally got a chance to talk into the device in her ear.
“Are you guys out of there?”
Yes. Painting’s with us. Left no marks. If she doesn’t check it tonight, we’re home free.
“She won’t,” Jillian confirmed. “She’ll be busy looking for a new cover employee for her gallery.”
Are you okay?
The concern she heard in Jack’s voice warmed her up a little bit, and she cleared her throat. “I’m fine. Are we gonna regroup?”
Yes. Go to the van. Don’t head to your apartment anymore. In case the demon finds out, you need to stay away from there. We’ll look for a new place for you soon.
Oh. Jillian hadn’t thought of it that way, but Jack was right.
“Can we also check their house? I think I know where the man she had sex with is.”
I heard that. We’re on it after this. Jillian?
“Yes?”
You did a good job. Now go. I don’t like worrying about you.
There was nothing admonishing in Jack’s tone—in fact, she could hear the same warmth she felt for him in his voice, and it made her heart skip a beat. She turned off her device and smiled for a little bit, happy to do her part in this little madness.
Ready to get to Yeri and grab something to eat again, she turned to slip out of the alley.
She froze.
“I should have known. You couldn’t have been that much of an idiot in real life.”
Paula was standing at the alley entrance.
Chapter 14
They were on their way to Dean’s gallery when Jack decided it was a good idea to split up—for Kasper to keep heading towards Dean and ensure the painting’s safety, and for Jack to check on the two women and take them back.
The suggestion had Kasper smirking instantly.
“Are you missing someone already?”
Jack shot him a look. “Are you deluded or something?”
Kasper shrugged, hefting the painting higher in his arm. “Just stating an observation.”
“There’s nothing to observe.”
“If you say so.”
They eyed each other with opposing reactions before Jack rolled his eyes and went off. He turned off his device, knowing Kasper wouldn’t mess it up and would deliver the painting on time.
Yeri and Jillian had turned off their devices, too, the minute the two men got out of the gallery. Jack took the less-traveled routes to head to the van’s location, taking longer than he wanted but getting there, anyway. He knocked, then stepped back when the door was practically slid off its hinges.
