man stood, forcing all eyes onto him. He took one slow step toward them, then another.
"I," he said, his voice like feathers on flushed skin, "am the Jackal."
Chapter 3
The Dark Orchid Trilogy: Power of Lies: Book 1
The closer the Jackal got, the harder he pulled at them. His seduction was palpable, like tangible lust, begging them all to stroke it. He aimed for the end of the line, moving near enough that they could almost touch him, then turned and walked the length of it. Each woman he passed was judged with his eyes. Each one lifted her face to his like she was a lover. The corner of his mouth never dropped, amusement holding it up.
Then he passed Jaeda. His feet paused, and his eyes flicked over her shoulder to where she knew Treb stood. That was the only change. His face stayed the same, as if this entire ordeal was a game. Nine nude women were left to beg for his attention, Jaeda no different than the others, even if she knew how to hide it. She could feel the need for him, feel the way his mere presence set her ablaze. Unlike the others, she didn't pant like a cur in heat.
When he reached the first lady, he stopped. "Kiss me," he told her, his tone as if no one else were around. "Kiss me, and prove that you deserve my hands on your body."
The woman, who minutes before had been ashamed to have men look at her, threw herself against him. Her mouth hit his, parted, her tongue ready to be claimed by him. The Jackal kissed her as if it were a script. Their lips met, slipped along each other, and his tongue flicked over hers once, then he leaned back.
"Predictable." He moved to the next.
She tried to improve on the first, grinding her body against him, but that only made him chuckle, thwarting the kiss. The third and fourth were the same. Then he turned to the kind young girl. She shifted, tilting her body, and the Jackal's smile softened. He looked into her eyes, air sliding through his lips like a man who'd just found his prize. He stepped forward, willing to offer the pretty blonde her chance to impress him, and Jaeda acted.
She was a whore. She paid for her existence by knowing how to make a man feel what he wanted. She knew his every desire by the subtle signs of his body, and the Jackal was bored. He wanted something to excite him. The girl's virginity might do that, but the cost was too high. Too much for such a sweet thing to pay for an evil spell.
Before the girl could inspire him, Jaeda stepped into the mage. Her teeth caught his lower lip, a warning that she wouldn't play nice, and her hands pushed the silk aside to expose his chest, twisting him away from the line of women. Focus on me, her body told him. Ignore her. I can make you feel. I can make you a man. If you can conquer this town, then you might be enough to satisfy me, but you'll have to prove it.
Her tongue apologized for the gentle wound as her mouth begged him to show he could take it. Tease, torment, promise, and taunt, that was how to make this man forget about the innocent girl. Show him there was more to life than pain. Show him -
The mage's mouth claimed hers, his tongue delving through her teeth as his hand grabbed the braids at the back of her head. While their lips clashed, seeking dominance over each other, he pulled her hips against him, fingers digging into the swell of her ass, and he walked her backward. She growled softly in her throat, and the Jackal wrenched his mouth from hers.
"You," he promised, pushing her away from the other women, "just made a very bad mistake."
"Prove it," she breathed.
Her back hit the stone, and his chest pressed her into it. The column was twice the width of her body, painted with ancient art, polished smooth by years of servitude. The cold made her nipples tighten, the peaks of them grinding against the skin she'd exposed over his chest. So many times, she'd sold her body so she could survive, but this was different. This time, she wanted him. It made no sense, but not all of her reactions were intentional. Something about this man set her body on fire.