Page 16 of Sleep With Us

I couldn’t think about that. This was strictly about saving Zee. Not getting frisky with a vampire lord. Focus, Adam.

Flickering neon light shone in Reynard’s eyes and licked along his lips. He stopped beside me, like an elegant statue of poise and grace.

Don’t focus on Reynard. Focus on getting inside the club. There’s the door. Open it.

“Hey, Velvet.” I waved and climbed the few steps, hoping to slip right past Velvet, leaning against the wall beside the big black door.

“Hey there, babycakes. Who’s this slick piece of ass, then?”

“This is a friend of mine.”

“Good evening,” Reynard purred, turning his charm level up to eleven.

Velvet tilted her head, studied Reynard from his polished shoes to his smooth black hair, and frowned. Anyone could wear a suit, but it was the eyes that marked him as vampire. “You should go on your way now. We don’t allow suckers in ’ere.”

“Oh, no, it’s fine,” I laughed. “Sebastien invited us.” Which was sort of true.

She shrugged—arched an eyebrow. “I hope you know what you’re doing, Adam.”

“Is Zee here?” We hoped he wasn’t, but it seemed likely. If we encountered him we’d have to keep our story straight. We were here to engage in—ahem—la mort d’amour. He’d be confused, and probably suspicious, but he also knew how much I wanted to climb Reynard like a ladder, so he wouldn’t stop us.

“He is, sugar. Want me to text him?”

“No, no, it’s fine. We’ll find him inside.” I hurried through the door with Reynard in tow. The pink-eyed albino demon at the front desk, grunted for us to leave our weapons, then saw Reynard. “No suckers.” He pointed down, to where a hand-painted sign on the front desk read: No Fang Fuckers.

“It’s alright, we have an invite,” I said.

“Can’t let you in.”

This demon was going to need more than my word that Reynard was allowed inside. This was it. Once we did this, there was no going back. It wasn’t too late. We could still turn around. Could think up another plan that didn’t involve me spending some quality time in a sex room with Lord Reynard.

Reynard rested his arm on the desk. “Call your boss down here, friend.”

The demon snorted. “Ain’t no friend of suckers.”

Reynard’s little mind trick hadn’t worked, not on this strong-willed demon.

“Please,” I added. “Sebastien knows us.”

Grumbling, the demon picked up his phone and dialed, then held one end of the phone near his mouth, leaving it on speaker.

“See,” I told Reynard. “Saying please sometimes gets the same results your talent does.”

“What is it?” Sebastien’s sharp voice crackled.

“I got a sucker at the door, wants to enter, says he has an invite.”

“The fuck you bothering me with this shit for, dickface? No suckers.”

“Sebastien?” I piped up. “Hello. Uh. Adam here.”

“Adam Vex!” Sebastien’s voice switched from irritated snaps into a smooth, seductive purr. “Back for more? You got a death wish, stupid little human?”

“Uh, no, it’s just, uh . . . you said . . . when I came here before, that uh . . . me and uh, a friend could . . . come back and erm . . . maybe⁠—”

“Spit it out, for fuck’s sake. Ugh, fucking wait there.”

The call ended, and the guard grunted at us to wait by the sticky chairs and plastic plant.