Chapter 20

Dave mentally kicked himself in the head the whole way to the party. Kissing Anissa had been a really, really bad idea. Hell, he'd known that before he'd done it. He'd just absolutely needed to taste her before he took her out in public as his date, before she got a good look at some of the other men the twenty-first century had to offer. But now he'd be lucky if he could be seen in public without a bath in the snow. His cock was screaming for release.

He could still taste her, damn it. He'd meant to claim her as his but he thought it had turned out the wrong way around. Even though she'd wiped away the lipstick, he felt like it had been permanently branded into his skin.

"This is where your friends live?"

"Yep." They'd pulled into the parking lot of Wes's condo complex.

"They do not own the whole thing, do they? I thought castles went out of fashion."

"No, they just have a condo." She made a little hum he was beginning to identify as confusion. "Apartments. I know they had those in the twenties."

"Oh. Of course. My previous master lived in one in Chicago."

He hated the fact that she'd been a slave to a long string of men and even more that she still thought of herself as a slave. That knowledge helped him get his raging lust under control. "Didn't any women ever solve the box? Were all your masters men?"

"There were women. But they usually wished quickly and were done. Few of them wanted a harem girl as a slave."

His hands gripped the wheel tightly as he pulled into a parking space. Time to quit talking about this for now. They had to go mingle politely until they could get his friends aside.

"Okay, we're going in. Remember what you're supposed to say if anyone asks?"

"I am visiting from Europe. I have moved around a great deal and do not care to discuss it. We met when you were in England last summer and you invited me to visit."

"Perfect." He turned off the Jeep and tilted the review mirror toward Anissa, then handed her the lipstick out of his blazer pocket. "You might want to fix this."

"Thank you." She did so with swift, deft moves, like she'd been using the stuff for years. No one at the party would suspect she wasn't exactly human. Of course, he didn't like thinking about that either. He got out and walked around to open her door. He felt a surge of pride when she took his arm to walk into the apartment. She might not have chosen him to be with but she'd kissed him back like she meant it and she didn't appear ashamed to be seen by his side. That was something.

The party was already going strong. The loud beat of the salsa music wafted through the closed door into the hallway. Dave knocked loudly, then brushed a few snowflakes off his sport coat while they waited. The light dusting of flakes sparkled like gems where they nestled in Anissa glossy dark curls.

"Come on in." The door flung wide and Ben Montoya spoke without really looking at his guests. Then he paused to see who it was and did a double-take, his goggle-eyed expression making Dave laugh.

"Yeah, it's me. Can we come in or not?"

"Wesley," Montoya called as he stepped aside to usher them in. Then he turned his way-too-charming Latin smile on Anissa, and Dave had to resist the urge to break his pretty face. "Hi there. I'm Ben Montoya."

"Anissa Black." She smiled and shook his hand the way Dave had taught her. Maybe he shouldn't have. The sight of another man touching her made Dave's blood pressure spike until he was afraid the top of his head would blow off. She'd told him that a previous master had picked the surname because of her hair and because it was common. That pissed him off too.

"Hey there." Wes sauntered up, her long, lean curves barely covered in red spandex. Usually Dave spared a few minutes to drool but tonight Wesley's charms barely registered. Every other woman present paled in comparison to Anissa.

"Holy shit, Dave." Wes grabbed him by the shoulders and held him at arm's length to study his clothes. "You clean up good when you try." She turned to Anissa and held out a hand. "Hi, I'm Wesley. I don't know who you are but if you can get him to look like this, would you consider sticking around?"

"This is Anissa Black."

Violet eyes studied Wesley critically until Ben dropped a kiss onto Wes's tousled golden curls, then Anissa smiled and shrugged one shoulder. "I am sorry but I had nothing to do with his clothing."

"Let me take your coat." Ben held out a hand but Dave moved quicker. He stepped behind Anissa and helped her out of the long down parka. A few minutes later, they'd moved out of the doorway and into the spacious living room. Dave had a cold beer in his hand, while Wes had poured Anissa a glass of wine.

"We need to talk to you two later. Are Eric and Lori here yet?"

Ben shook his head. "As far as I know they're coming, though."

"Good. We could use their input too. I wish to hell Drake was in town."

Ben raised his eyes at that. "That kind of problem is it?"

Dave nodded.

Ben's shoulders squared and his lips tightened into a thin line. Dave watched the other man force himself to relax. "I see. We'll talk."

Ben and Wes moved off to greet other guests, leaving Dave and Anissa to their own devices. "Is your friend Ben a professor too?" Anissa whispered. "When I was in Edinburgh, the dons were not allowed to marry."

He raised one eyebrow and shook his head, missing the feel of his hair and beard bouncing around. "That must have been a while ago. Both Ben and Wesley are professors. She's a geneticist and he teaches English at another school nearby."

"She is a professor as well?"

"Yeah. So's Lori, my friend Eric's wife. Most women have careers these days. And Wesley isn't married to Ben, by the way. He keeps asking but she keeps putting him off. So they just live together."

An incredulous grin spread across Anissa's heart-shaped face. "Really? And no one objects?"

He shrugged. "I guess there are still a few old fuddy-duddies around but it's pretty common."

He could see the wheels turn in her brain as she processed that. Anissa broke into a wide grin. "I think I love this century."

It was the most natural thing in the world to snake an arm around her waist and give her a squeeze. "Yeah, well it's gonna love you too. Now come on, there are some people I want you to meet."