Seducing Damian Read online

  * * * *

  The last lingering fog of the morning that surrounded the mirror-surfaced lake parted, leaving in its wake a still figure. Sekhmet took a deep breath and smiled as the sun shone down upon her dark beauty. On each side of her was a lioness and, as she nodded, they ran through the tall, lush grass, acting childish. Simultaneously, the falcon on her shoulder took to the sky, eager to get an aerial view of its new domain.

  With surefooted motions down the path of crushed rocks, the silent woman walked up to the door of the large house that sat on the property. It was immense, easily over forty rooms in the “M” shaped mansion. She stopped in front of the huge ornate door and a grin almost crossed her face as the door swung silently open.

  "Welcome home, Goddess.” A deep voice came from inside.

  She surveyed the interior of the home. Very plush, wealthy. It would work for her. “Thank you,” she said sincerely.

  The man who stood in the shadows was massive. He looked as if he were carved from teakwood. After all the years with him she could easily pick up on the slight strain that hovered around the corners of his full mouth. He wasn't fond of her newest whim.

  "Don't worry so much, Talios. And while we are here, you must not call me that. If there are people here, call me Mistress."

  He nodded. “It will be as you wish it ... Mistress."

  This time a smile did cross her face. “Relax, Talios. We are here to have some fun.” She winked at him and walked off; her cats suddenly back at her side as she flowed up the polished stairs. After ensuring everything on the upper floors was to her satisfaction, she headed back down.

  Entering her room back on the first floor, Sekhmet found everything to her approval. Talios had never let her down, he knew what she liked. The large bed was on its raised dais and covered in silks and the softest Egyptian cottons known. The golden carpet beneath her feet was plush and she sank into it. There was a small pool of water off her room. If one ventured beyond the crystalline water, there was a large meadow full of lush grasses. She knew her lionesses would be pleased with that. In fact, they all would. This was perfect for her. She loved the desert, but thrived at an oasis, which was exactly how she would describe this setup.

  * * * *

  Damian sat behind his desk as his students took their mid-term exams. Occasionally he looked up at them but for the most part he kept his attention on the papers in front of him. He wasn't worried about cheaters.

  "Damian."

  His eyes flew up at the sound of his name. No one was in front of his desk. He swept the room quickly and found nothing aside from students shifting in their desks as they took the exam. Mentally chastising himself, Damian looked back to the papers before him, struggling to ignore the hard ridge pressed against the zipper of his jeans that the voice caused.

  "Damian!"

  Body trembling, he lay his pen down on the desktop. Rubbing his hands over weary eyes, he fought for sanity. “What is happening to me?” His tortured whisper fell from his lips.

  "Nothing is happening to you." The smooth tones filled his head. A light caress stroked along the bulge in his jeans, causing it to jump. He could feel her touch on his cock as if he wore no clothes. The touch of each finger as it curved around his shaft, the different tensions she used as she stroked him. The combination of touch and her voice almost made him forget he was in a classroom.

  Her voice was the voice of the woman who tormented him in his dreams. The one who wouldn't show herself to him, and yet she helped him find the most exquisite pleasure ever known to man when she spoke to him in the land of Morpheus. Damian felt the sweat building as his body tightened. This was neither the time nor the place for his mind to be enticing him like this.

  Lifting his eyes, Damian scanned the room again, searching for the person who belonged to the voice. “Leave me alone!" He screamed in his mind.

  "Is that what you really want? Me to leave you?" The voice was taunting. Her touch moved faster, bringing his release closer.

  "Yes!” he hissed, barely keeping it quiet. Who knew if the yes was to her question or her touch? Something had to stop or he was going to embarrass himself in front of his class.

  "As you wish." Just like that, the sensation disappeared. The presence he had been aware of for the past two months ... gone. And he was left feeling empty, bereft, and totally alone. Not to mention, unfulfilled and sexually frustrated.

  Blinking slowly, Damian watched as Kathryn approached with her completed exam. He could feel his penis softening as she approached. Grinding his teeth, he accepted her paper in silence. She sent him an inviting smile before walking off with a noticeable swish to her hips.

  Soon all the exams were finished and he was alone in his small office. Groaning, he leaned back in his chair and laced his fingers behind his head. Still a bit lost without that feeling he'd had, Damian wasn't sure what to do. Go to the doctor? Let them tell him he was loony?

  "I just don't get it. Maybe it is because of all my extra research into the mythology that my mind has made something up.” He tried to logically go through what could be occurring to him. “Although, that doesn't explain the statue in my place."

  A knock on the door startled him. “Come,” he announced as he sat back up in his chair.

  It was another professor in the history department, Professor Angela Ryder. She dealt with Greek history.

  "Afternoon, Professor Ryder. What can I do for you?"

  "Damian,” she said with an easy smile as she closed the door behind her. “I was wondering if you could help me with some research. It branches into Egypt and I would love to get your expertise.” Her rich green gaze moved languidly over his body.

  "Of course,” he said immediately, observing the woman before him. She was close to six feet in her heels. Blonde hair and a body many would kill for. Then there were her eyes—they told of her intelligence and yet smacked of untold passion. “I would love to help."

  "Great.” She sat across from him. “We could meet for dinner and I could give you the overlay of what I am looking for, if that works for you."

  "Tonight?"

  "Oh, yes,” she cooed. “Tonight would be perfect."

  "Great. Tell me where to meet you and at what time,” Damian responded, recognising the lust in her stare. This could just be what he needed to rid himself of his mind's tricks. A real person, not a figment of his imagination.

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  Chapter Two

  Sitting in the restaurant, Damian looked across the table at Angela. She was wearing a beautiful purple dress, which showed off her bosom to her advantage. Lifting his glass of wine, Damian waited for Angela to speak. She ate slowly, apparently not in any rush to get to the point of the dinner and what she needed from him. Instead, Angela spoke of neutral things and asked personal questions.

  Close to nine, he leaned forward over his remaining dessert and interrupted her. “I really need to get home. I have mid-terms to grade. While I love spending time with you, I really do need to get going,” Damian spoke in a gentle voice, yet urging her to get to the point.

  "Of course.” Angela blushed slightly. “I am trying to figure out a bit more of when and what happened to Egyptian mythology under the Greek influence, most especially with the introduction of the Zodiac."

  Damian gestured for the check before saying, “I have some books that would help you with that. I can bring them to work tomorrow and you can look at them or make some copies."

  "That would be wonderful,” she gushed. Angela stood and allowed him to help her into her jacket. They walked arm in arm out into the cool night.

  At her car, Angela turned and smiled up at him. “Thank you for a wonderful evening.” Her voice turned seductive as her hands made their way up his solid chest.

  "You're welcome,” he replied, staring in her eyes. Damian didn't stop her from closing the distance between them. He wanted to feel something other than a dream.

  "It doesn't have to end,” she offered sec
onds before their lips met.

  Taking control of the kiss, Damian explored the warm, willing recess of her mouth. Her body shivered at the contact, but for him, it was merely nice.

  Truth be told, he could take it or leave it. Gently pulling away, he ran a hand down the side of her face. “I really have to go,” he said by way of apology and excuse.

  Angela sighed, and he knew while disappointed she understood. “Maybe this weekend?"

  He nodded. “It's a date.” Damian opened her door for her and helped her into her car. “Goodnight, Angela,” he said, closing the door.

  Entering his apartment, Damian sighed. The evening, while nice, wasn't what he had desired. Unconsciously he stopped in front of the figurine he had held earlier that morning. It was as he remembered, missing a hand and with varnish chipping.

  "Figures, just my imagination teasing me,” he muttered. Kicking off his shoes, he went to his library and pulled off some books he thought would help Angela. Shivering, Damian turned up the heat before sitting at his desk with a cup of coffee to read and grade the stack of essays before him.

  Halfway through the second essay, Damian dropped his pen. His concentration was nil; all he could think about was the emptiness he felt within his soul.

  Draining his coffee, he left his office and headed for bed, anxious at least to be able to touch her in his dreams. Sliding naked between the cold sheets, Damian had a grin on his face as he shut off the light. Soon he would be enjoying her gentle caresses, intoxicating taste and a night of incredible pleasure.

  The next morning, Damian's face was drawn and pinched. There was no joy present at all. There had been no dream woman, no touches, and no caresses. No anything. “It's bad when I wish I had sheets that needed to be changed."

  Damian felt more alone than ever. Empty. Lost. His feelings remained the same all week. Nothing seemed able to penetrate through the cloud those feelings produced.

  On Friday, Damian stood in front of his mirror fixing his shirt. “I don't want to go out with Angela,” he complained as he adjusted the double-Windsor knot on his tie. “I have books on Egyptian mythology that all week I have been itching to lose myself in."

  All week, Angela had turned up the intensity of her flirting. Damian wanted to stay home and delve deeper into Egyptian mythology. A wry smile filled his features. “Get a grip, Damian. If you don't start going out, you'll be no different than an old cat lady who all the children are afraid of."

  But a date was a date. Slipping on his black three-quarter length leather jacket, he pocketed his keys and headed out the door. He was determined to have a good time and not let the absence of that odd presence bother him.

  * * * *

  The silk pillows were numerous beneath her, cradling her luscious body with their lavishness. Sekhmet lounged upon them, one hand trailing lazily in the cool water. She was clad in a gauzy, flowing red dress that enhanced her body in every possible way. The setting sun sprinkled its remaining light down upon them.

  Across the pool from her, Talios sat cross-legged and ramrod straight as he meditated. The lionesses were sprawled upon the cool marble, and the falcon preened upon his perch.

  The day was idyllic and peaceful.

  "What troubles you, Goddess?” Talios asked, without moving anything aside from his mouth.

  "Why do you assume anything troubles me?” She rolled onto one side to look at the man who was with her. A move that exposed more of her cleavage to the day, if anyone chose to look.

  "Centuries, Goddess,” Talios said. He still sat motionless with his eyes closed.

  With an overly dramatic sigh, Sekhmet sat up fully and formed a fireball in her hand. Mischief sparkled within the depths of her eyes. Drawing back, she threw it across the water at Talios.

  It bounced off a blue shield that suddenly appeared and shimmered around the huge man. As the projectile dissolved in a hiss, one black eye opened to stare at her. His full lips turned up into a mocking smile as he shook his head. “I did say, centuries.” Then he closed that eye.

  Sekhmet lifted a lip and snarled silently at him. “I want to go out."

  This time, he opened both eyes and watched her. “And where would we be going?” There was no asking if he could come along, he assumed he would be at her side.

  "It's time to move this along. I grow weary of waiting for him to ask me to come back. The time has come for him to see me in flesh and blood."

  Talios smiled knowingly. Sekhmet knew his many adventures at her side had taught him that she despised being ignored. “Very well. There is an artefact display at the museum that I am sure he would go to.” His voice was husky and deep.

  "Wonderful. Just like I know we will be welcomed with open arms.” She rose effortlessly and moved to the doorway of her open room. “I will be ready to leave in an hour."

  Talios remained motionless where he sat beside the pool. She had no doubt he would be ready at the designated time, but for the time being, she understood his wish to meditate more.

  Propping a shoulder against the sliding glass door, Sekhmet watched him. He meant so much to her. He was friend, consul, lover, protector, and at times her conscience.

  Maybe it was time to let him out of his bond to her. Her eyes gentled as she studied him. That was an idea that deserved further thought. With a sigh, she headed indoors to bathe and prepare for the evenings activity.

  The two immortals met at the front door. Talios was dressed perfectly in a black tuxedo with red accents. Sekhmet wore a red silk dress. The bateau neckline was very modest and the dress fell to just above her knees. The fit was tight and generously showed off her figure.

  Around her neck was a golden chain with a matching Egyptian cartouche. The cartouche was an oblong enclosure with a horizontal line at one end, and usually indicated that the text enclosed is a royal name. She wore a pair of gold briolette drop-lever earrings with rubies as the pendants. Upon the very top of her right ear sat an earring with a lioness-shaped pendant, on her left was one of an Ankh. She knew her lips were plump and inviting, her eyes appearing even more golden than usual as they were framed by her thick, sooty lashes.

  Her gaze skimmed over Talios. He looked so handsome. “Ready?"

  "As always, Goddess.” He opened the door and took her arm, escorting her to the waiting limo.

  The ride was done in silence, Sekhmet acclimating herself with these kinds of things. It would hardly be fitting for her to just appear at the steps of the museum as she would prefer to do. So she settled back for the ride. When the limo stopped, she composed her features into a polite yet bland expression and allowed Talios to help her out.

  Side by side, they walked up the steps to the museum. There were many important people mingling around as well as reporters. She and Talios walked right in after he gave his name to the man at the door.

  She was introduced to the mayor, the chief of police and many other city officials. Accepting a tall flute of champagne, Sekhmet allowed her gaze to move around the room, taking in the many displays of artefacts. Leaving Talios to mingle on his own, she wandered off. As she walked around a display of artefacts from King Tut's tomb, her gaze landed upon the man she wanted to see. Damian Keith.

  * * * *

  Damian stood by the edge of Angela's platform bed and tugged his black pants over his narrow hips and secured them. Bending down, he picked up his tie, slipped it under the collar and draped it around his neck.

  The second he showed up at her door, he knew he had no resistance against the touch of a willing, flesh-and-blood woman. Angela had been waiting in nothing but a robe.

  Longing for, perhaps even desperate for, the touch of a real woman, Damian had followed her lead. A lead which led to the bedroom. He still didn't feel fulfilled. In fact, he felt emptier, if possible. The sex had been a respite from his longings but it wasn't enough. All he had was a momentary fix.

  Walking into her granite bathroom, he stood in front of the wall-to-wall mirror and remade the knot in his tie. �
�I was all over her like a horny frat boy,” he muttered as his fingers moved deftly.

  "Hey, lover,” Angela purred as she gazed at him from under her lashes in the mirror's reflection. She had since showered and dressed and now wore a very sleek black cocktail dress.

  "You look very nice, Angela,” Damian said as he slid his black suit coat over his pristine white shirt.

  She smiled at his compliment. “I got us some tickets to the museum tonight. I know how much you love Egyptian artefacts and I thought you might appreciate going to the opening night."

  Eyes wide, Damian turned and looked at her directly instead of via the mirror. He had planned on going, but didn't count on opening night. “How did you manage to get that?"

  "I have my ways,” she teased. Her gaze raked his body before she made sure her dress was immaculate. “Ready?"

  "Definitely.” Damian smiled boyishly. He couldn't wait to see some of the priceless items.

  "Let's get going then. We can take my car."

  He agreed without realising what going in her car may mean. His mind was on the artefacts he was going to see.

  * * * *

  They entered the museum, and immediately, Damian felt underdressed. The room was full of men in tuxedos and women in beautiful dresses. He was in semi-formal; nice, but he still felt out of place. I wish that I had worn something more formal, but we had just been going on a date. His joy at being there quickly overtook his embarrassment at feeling underdressed.

  He bit back a grimace as Angela dug her fingers into his arm as if staking her claim. I am with a woman who could very well ruin this night for me. Even still, the shiver of anticipation at being so close to these items filled him.

  Finally when she saw some people she knew, Damian got a break from her increasingly annoying presence. He wandered around and found himself in front of a display of pieces taken from an excavated tomb.

  "Professor Keith,” a voice intruded.