Sample: TAINTED LOVE by Challis Tower

Bryce Craven is different but, until he meets Cleo, he doesn't realise how different he really is. As a serial killer stalks the streets, the city is in terror. People stay home, afraid to venture out in the dark hours lest they too are discovered, murdered and drained of blood. But one person who is not afraid is Bryce Craven. He seeks a woman. A special woman. And he won't rest until he finds her and she delivers to him his heart's desire. Only her. Only him. And the blood that courses through their veins.

TAINTED LOVE

KS Augustin

Sample

Chapter One

t was Friday night but the bar wasn’t crowded. That didn’t surprise Bryce. The whole city was gripped by fear, a trembling child with a lungful of pent up breath, eyes wide and darting. There wasn't much that could scare a city back into its houses, but one person had managed to do just that. In a way, it was a badge of honour. Bryce stepped forward, letting the door swing shut behind him. Music played in the background, but it only accentuated the loneliness of the place, muted notes swallowed by the dark flooring and equally dark walls. He was here because he was curious. About whether Ray's had changed. Whether his hunch was going to pay off. Looking around, he noticed no more than half a dozen other stalwarts claiming their own private territory in the bar's gloom. All were male. Strolling past the tables, Bryce seated himself at the bar, waiting for the bartender to finish with his current customer and notice him. When it happened, Bryce noted surprise, a quick smile, and hurried steps over to where he sat. “Hit me, Ray,” Bryce said, because it was something he'd always said. Ray jerked his head. “Long time, no see. How are you?” “Fine.” “And your, er, problem?” “Under control. In fact, I decided to come here and celebrate.” He made a show of glancing around. “So to speak.” “Are you sure?” The bartender frowned at him. “Aren’t you supposed to lay off the heavy stuff?” Bryce cocked an eyebrow. “Do I look six years old to you?” Ray compressed his lips. “C’mon, you know I’m only looking out for you. After all...” he shrugged as he let the sentence peter out. It was Ray being discreet.

TAINTED LOVE

KS Augustin

Sample

Bryce decided to let him off the hook. “Yeah I know, but I’m in a reckless mood tonight. Think of it as financial support for your fine establishment.” Ray snorted, mollified, but lines of worry remained on his brow as he scanned the near-empty room. “I bet you've never seen the place look this empty.” “I'm not surprised. I've been keeping up with the local news.” The bartender shook his head. “I wonder how long this is going to last. What's bad for the city is bad for me. Give it another few weeks like this and you’ll have to find another watering hole.” “Business that bad?” “Weeknights are slow,” Ray replied, “but ever since that killer came to town, every night’s a weeknight here.” Bryce tried recalling the news items he had read. “It’s been two months, hasn’t it, and the police still haven’t caught the guy.” “Ah, what do the fuzz know? All they seem to be good at are fining people for jaywalking.” He grimaced. “So, what can I get you?” Bryce reached for the wallet that sat on the counter, opened it and pulled out a twenty. He laid it down next to his empty glass. “Scotch on the rocks,” he said. “Make it the good stuff.” Ray turned away, stretching to reach a bottle on the third shelf. “What are you doing in this backwater anyway?” he asked. “I thought you were busy jetting here, jetting there.” He turned and nodded to a cork noticeboard pinned to the wall. “We still keep all your postcards. You're one of our most celebrated locals.” With a deftness born of long practice, he scooped ice cubes into an oldfashioned, and topped it with a measure of pale whisky. Sharp edges of ice blunted as the warm liquid ran over them. “You waiting for someone?” Ray prompted, when Bryce remained silent.

TAINTED LOVE

KS Augustin

Sample

“Just wanted to get out for a bit.” Bryce shrugged, reaching for the glass. “You know how it is. The four walls start closing in and all you can think of doing is escaping.” He took a sip of his drink and smacked his lips with appreciation. “Tell me about it,” Ray said. “In fact, the way things are going, this place is starting to resemble a coffin to me. Same amount of life too.” Bryce chuckled. “Say, would you like something to eat? Pete’s in the back going stircrazy. Comes in every day like clockwork, but nobody wants to eat nothin' any more. They rush in, grab a drink, and run out, all in a crowd like a herd of sheep. Maybe they think hanging around might make 'em a target or something.” “Not tonight, Ray. I’m not feeling hungry.” A movement at the corner of his eye caught Bryce’s attention. It was a fellow drinker, morose and unkempt, signalling for attention by waving his hand in the air. “I’ll just sit on this for a while,” Bryce said, answering Ray's look of enquiry. “Soak in the atmosphere.” “Sure thing, but if you want anything, just holler. And...” Ray looked away for a moment, abashed, “it’s good to see you again.” Bryce raised his glass in salute. “Good to be here.” He watched as Ray walked away to tend to the other customer. The alcohol was welcome relief against air that felt too cold, even beneath his sweater. If he asked, he knew Ray would turn up the thermostat, so he didn't. He was sick of getting preferential treatment from people who’d known him…before. He knew they were just trying to be considerate, but it rankled. It was as if nobody thought he was capable of doing things for himself any more. He took another sip, savouring the burn as the alcohol slid to his stomach, setting a small inferno deep in his belly. Why had he come to Ray's? Was it because he sought some degree of closure? Because it was close to home? Maybe it was because he liked the place?

TAINTED LOVE

KS Augustin

Sample

A small voice disagreed, whispering in the back of his head. Because she'll be here. Maybe not tonight. Maybe not till next week. But she'll be here. All you need is timing, and a bit of luck. Luck. How ironic. Because, for the past year, it seemed he hadn't had any luck at all. And yet, ten minutes later, while he was tracing lines down the side of his glass with a fingernail, she walked in. He knew instantly that the new customer wasn’t one of Ray’s regulars. Even with his back to her, he knew when her gaze rested on him, the slash of a red-hot razor across the nape of his neck. The heat moved away and he assumed that she was eyeing the other customers in the bar. Most of them were middle-aged businessmen, grabbing some relaxation at the bottom of a glass before they headed home for the night. Bryce knew he was the youngest customer there tonight, knew her gaze would come back to him. And it did. The heat returned, warming his back, and even though the worn carpet muffled her steps, he knew she was heading in his direction. It was going to be his lucky night. She sidled onto the stool next to him and he finally turned his head to look at her, making sure his movements were casual, that the only expression on his face indicated nothing more than friendly curiosity. She wasn’t so much beautiful as she was arresting. Her dark hair fell in artful waves over her shoulders, but some curled into playful ringlets around her face. Her skin was pale, except for two rosy slashes along her cheekbones. Bryce didn’t know if the carmine strokes were make-up or part of the natural colour of her skin, but they gave her a spiky, alluring look. Intelligence burned brightly in her tawny eyes, slanted and cat-like. The dress she wore was burgundy with a deep v-neck and Bryce saw the shadow of her cleavage, pale and full, thrusting against the satin material with carnal promise. His cock kicked in his trousers and he suppressed a smile. It had been too long since he’d held a woman in his arms and he’d never imagined that she—the next one; maybe the last one —would be so tempting. It made the night ahead seem more fate than design.

TAINTED LOVE

KS Augustin

Sample

“Buy a girl a drink?” she asked and her voice was a rich contralto, a creamy dark caramel that he longed to devour. “That would be illegal,” he said with a smile, “but I’d certainly buy a beautiful woman a drink.” He gestured towards the far end of the counter. “A repeat for me, Ray,” he said when the bartender appeared. “And a…” “Cosmopolitan,” she said. “…for the lady.” “It’s very quiet here,” she said, after Ray moved off. “Well it is a weekday night.” “So it is.” They both knew he was lying. The plain truth was, there was a horror loose in the city and people valued their lives too much to be caught on the streets. Alone. After dark. Bryce drained his drink and set the glass on the bar with a sharp clunk. “Anyway, I prefer it when this place is quieter. Gives me more time to think.” “You like thinking?” He flashed her a grin. “Beats the alternative.” She smiled at the joke, and it lit up her eyes like cabochons of golden topaz. He thought he could drown in those eyes…before the inevitable happened. “And do you live around here?” she asked. Bingo! To Bryce, it felt like he’d been jiggling a line in the water for a few hours and now a tug pulled at his fingers. He had to move carefully or she might slip off the hook. And if she did that, caught an inkling of his plans, Bryce knew she would disappear into the night and he would never see her again.

TAINTED LOVE

KS Augustin

Sample

“A ten-minute walk away.” Then added, because he knew it was the polite thing to say, “And you?” A pensive expression flitted across her face so swiftly that, if Bryce had blinked at that moment, he would have missed it. “I live on the other side of town.” “And what brings you so far from home?” He was genuinely curious, wondering what she would say. She was the equivalent of a different species to him and he was fascinated by the way she moved and spoke, by how she couched her words and what she chose to portray with that expressive face of hers. “Sometimes you need a change,” she said. “Something to shake you up a bit. Know what I mean?” He nodded. “I know exactly what you mean.” Their drinks arrived, his pale and icy, hers the colour of crushed garnets. He held up his glass. “To serendipity,” he toasted. She laughed and gently touched her glass to his. “To happy surprises,” and took a sip of her drink. Bryce imagined the cool sticky liquid staining her lips. He imagined her draped over his bed, with the contents of the cocktail glass strewn over her pale, naked body. He wanted to lick it all off, suck at her flesh until no trace remained of the drink’s semi-sweet astringency. Until all that was left was her bare body, blood pulsing beneath her skin, offering itself to him. “Are you part of the military?” she asked, in between delicate sips of her drink. His eyebrows rose. “What makes you say that?” She indicated his head with a nod. “Your hair. Usually only soldiers have it cut so short.” “You’re right,” he said, “but, no.” He paused. “Or maybe yes, in a way. You could say I’ve been through the wars these past few months. One tends to pick up souvenirs.”

TAINTED LOVE

KS Augustin

Sample

She laid a hand on his wrist and he noticed that she’d painted her nails. They were the exact same colour as her dress, the hard manicured ovals glistening wetly under the small spotlights set high in the ceiling. “Do you want to talk about it?” He shook his head. “What’s done is done. Reliving the past doesn’t bring it back. All you can do is move forward.” Her hand moved back to her drink. Bryce missed its warmth. “So you’re not an actual soldier but you’ve been in battle.” There was a smile in her voice that he liked. A lot. Her gaze was speculative yet friendly. “What does that make you? One of those highly paid security consultants I keep reading about in the news?” “I don’t need a job.” He took a mouthful of highland malt, swallowed it, and sent an oblique glance her way. “I’m independently wealthy.” “Wow. That must be nice. Rich parents?” “Good investments.” “I’ll have to hire you as my advisor then,” she said with a laugh. “I’m not very good with money.” “I’d love to share my expertise with you.” Bryce was enjoying their conversation. On the surface, it was about finances, hobbies and interests. But below, it bubbled with flirtation and innuendo. It seethed with passion and adroit verbal duelling. She was solidly caught on the hook and, as he slowly reeled her in, he savoured each moment, committing them to memory. They were going to have sex that night. He knew it and so did she. And as for what came after? Well, that was another matter completely. “What’s your name?” he asked after they’d been drinking for half an hour. He’d finished another whisky and was starting to feel a little lightheaded. She’d ordered another cosmopolitan but still appeared in full control of herself. That, he hoped, would change once they were at his place. “Cleo Prentice. And you?”

TAINTED LOVE

KS Augustin

Sample

“Bryce Craven.” She frowned. “Bryce Craven,” she repeated slowly. “Why does that name sound familiar?” “It’s not as common as ‘John Smith’,” he told her in a smooth voice, “but I doubt it’s that rare. I’m sure there are a few Bryces around. Not to mention Cravens.” Lines still marred her brow for another minute before clearing. She shook her head and smiled at him with a wry twist of her lips. “I have the memory of a goldfish sometimes,” she said. “Put that together with my lack of money sense and it’s a wonder I can still afford to live here.” “Speaking of living in the city, would you like to come back to my place and see my etchings?” She wrinkled her nose. It made her look cute and precocious. “Didn’t that line die out with the dinosaurs?” “It’s making a comeback. Tempted?” She picked up her clutch purse from where it lay on the counter. “I think so. Besides, it’s impossible to get a taxi this time of night.” “That’s right,” he said. “Much better to try for one in the morning.”

TAINTED LOVE

KS Augustin

Sample

Chapter Two

hey walked back to his place in companionable silence, which was unusual enough. Bryce usually had little patience with others, preferring to stalk ahead at his own breakneck pace, but he still tired easily and this time, it was different. It was…nice. The city was still alive, but the pace had slowed to something a bit more manageable, less demanding. He liked it. With fewer distractions and claims on his time, it made thinking easier. Like what had led to this evening’s venture. He had thought it through on previous evenings, planning where would be the best place to visit, reading the papers and ruminating over the pattern the headlines screamed at him, predicting where single women would most likely visit. It seemed like destiny when he'd arrived at the conclusion that the most likely target was his local bar. He had been such a fixture at Ray’s place at one time that he knew the bartender would be happy to see him visiting again. So he spruced himself up, tidied the house and headed down to his old haunt, not really expecting to hit the jackpot on his first night out, but still unaccountably smug that he had. As they walked along, he was surprised by how tall Cleo was, the top of her head almost at the same level with his eyes. Under the guise of looking down at the pavement, he took notice of her shoes. Black. Medium heel. Strappy. She walked with a sinewy grace that a model would have envied and he felt an unwarranted burst of pride at having her by his side. He liked the fact that most people’s gazes would be drawn to her and the tight feline sensuality she wore like a second skin. He would be free to fade into the background, which was just how he liked it. He never liked drawing attention to himself. It wasn’t his style. They approached an old brick building, its façade pitted with age. At street level, its once-sharp corners had been shorn off, chipped and bruised from generations of careless young delivery men careering along the pavement with their out-of-control metal carts and trolleys.

TAINTED LOVE

KS Augustin

Sample

Bryce turned and headed down a short alley. Behind him, he heard Cleo’s footsteps falter slightly as they turned off the main street. “This is where you live?” she asked. Uncertainty laced her voice. “This building,” he said. “But a side entrance. I like my privacy.” The door was solid metal, scored and covered with graffiti. At one time, he had been meticulous about keeping it clean, even buying expensive anti-graffiti paint and spending an afternoon carefully covering every square centimetre of steel with thick coats of—as he thought of it—vomit yellow. It was like trying to hold back a relentless tide. Recently, with his new altered perspective on life, he had become more relaxed, viewing the layers of graffiti as an ever-changing art show. Sometimes the art was, well, artful. Other times it wasn't. But it didn't matter anyway because the kaleidoscope changed, regardless of his wishes, and he had reconciled himself to that. Pulling a small ring of keys out of the front pocket of his jeans, he unlocked the door. The barrels turned home with reassuring clunks and he pushed the solid panel open. “After you,” he said with an accompanying gesture that was a little oldfashioned. “This all looks a little, intimidating,” Cleo said in a soft voice but she entered his home nonetheless. Bryce's lips curved in a small smile of satisfaction as he followed her, watching as she turned, her gaze fixed on the rapidly closing door. “It looks like a complicated lock,” she said, watching as his nimble fingers twisted knobs. A faint thud echoed dully through the stairwell as the heavy-duty mechanism engaged. “Only from the outside,” he said with a smile. He knew that the entrance to his home was more than a little discomfiting to the casual visitor. The foyer appeared cramped, despite the fact it was painted white—white walls, white floor, tall white ceiling—and completely bare except for a surveillance camera discreetly bolted high in one corner. The only other splash of colour was from a set of metal and timber stairs that led upwards.

TAINTED LOVE

KS Augustin

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“It’s much more welcoming upstairs,” he said. After a last, backward glance of reassurance, Cleo flashed a tight smile and began climbing the stairs. Following her, Bryce waited for the inevitable gasp of appreciation. He wasn’t disappointed. “It’s beautiful,” he heard her say. Truth to tell, he was also surprised and gratified every time he entered his own home. He’d had much of the solid, exterior brick walls demolished so he could have floor-to-ceiling glass panels installed from corner to corner. He had also paid a handsome amount for the thick black-out curtains that were currently pulled back against the window edges, the rich cream material forming supple vertical billows that softened the room’s sharp and darkened angles. Cleo moved past the low-slung leather sofa and armchairs towards the nearest pane of glass. Directly opposite was another old building, currently used as storage space for a furniture store, but it was only two stories tall. Above the parapet-styled roof, lights glowed from streets beyond. In the middle distance, an oval of bright pinpoints revealed the position of a large sports stadium. After checking that the curtains were fully drawn, twitching at them so they fell more evenly to the floor, Bryce approached her across the warm timber planks. “The view’s much better from upstairs,” he said, breathing softly into her ear. She shivered, bringing her shoulders forward for a moment then moved away, smiling brightly. “This must have cost a lot of money,” she said, looking around. If he didn't know any better, he would have said she looked nervous. He shrugged. “Like I said, I had some investments that paid off.” “So you weren’t joking when you said you were independently wealthy.” Her expression said she had been spun that line several times in the past. “I’m not one of the richest men in the world, but I do okay.”

TAINTED LOVE

KS Augustin

Sample

She spun around at the opposite end of the floor, watching him intently as she cocked her head to one side. “You don’t like drawing attention to yourself, do you?” He smiled. “So you know that much about me already? You’re a good reader of character.” “Hmmmm.” A frown pleated her brow. “I don’t know. There’s something about you…” “Would you like a drink?” He pointed to the open kitchen with its bank of dark sleek cabinetry tucked behind a long low counter of granite and steel. “We didn’t come back here for a drink, though, did we?” Her low voice was husky. She walked towards him and lifted her arms, curling them around his neck when they were only centimetres apart. “No we didn’t.” He rested his hands on her hips, bent his head and tasted her lips and the tang of cranberry that lingered on them. “The bedroom’s upstairs,” he said softly. “I thought you’d never ask.” They didn’t speak again for several minutes.

They shed most of their clothes on the way up the second flight of stairs, garments decorating the polished hardwood slats like carelessly strewn puddles of paint. The entire top floor was Bryce’s bedroom, with nothing marring the view from one bank of windows to another except for the bathroom, hard up against one solid wall. His bed, king-sized, low and draped in white, was situated off-centre on the floor and they tumbled onto it in a tangle of limbs. She was strong, but he had been expecting that. He knew she let him grab both her wrists and hold it above her head while he ripped at her lacy bra with sharp teeth.

TAINTED LOVE

KS Augustin

Sample

With one feral swipe of his mouth, he flung the tattered piece of lingerie over the edge of the bed and cupped her breasts, plumping them for his delectation. The night time glow of yellow light streamed through the windows, illuminating her dark nipples in strokes of luminous grey. As he caressed her pale flesh, the dark nubs pebbled into tight little erections and he knew his cock was following suit, growing harder against the lush body that writhed against him. She was a drug, maddening him with the heady musk that was the ripe scent of her arousal. He slipped to lie over the side of her body, using one leg to force hers apart and trailing the pads on his palm over her abdomen and down to the triangle of hair that hid her sex. She groaned and clutched at the arm that was nearest to her head, folding her fingers around the lean muscles of his forearm and digging her nails into his skin. She convulsed as he inserted a finger into her slick wetness and he grimaced as her nails dug deeper. She arched her back against him and, with renewed confidence, Bryce started a rhythm of penetration. In then out. A second finger. He worked her until her juices were running over his hand, the smell of her strong in his nostrils. “Your scent is driving me crazy,” he said, bending down to lick the curve of one pert breast. As if his words were an incantation, he suddenly found himself flung onto his back, looking up into Cleo’s glittering eyes. Yes, he thought. Yes, it would be so much better this way. With animal grace, she bent over him, a sensual arch with a tormenting tongue at its end. He felt her lave his own taut nipples, scraping her teeth against the tender flesh and he shuddered. His cock grew bigger and heavier, its head bobbing against his stomach with insistent demand. “I want you,” he rasped when she lifted her head. Astride him, she looked like a vengeful angel, the dim illumination picking out the slant of her cheekbones even as the set of her profile darkened her eyes to black. She took him inside her in one long stroke and he closed his eyes in ecstasy. She was exquisite—her sheath tight against his aroused organ, naked, unsheathed and sensitive—her body pulsing against him as she squeezed then relaxed.

TAINTED LOVE

KS Augustin

Sample

Squeeze. Relax. “Ride me,” he said and dug his fingers into her hips, guiding her so she could match her rhythm to his. His body tightened as she obliged, every sensation concentrated in his groin. Her muscles flexed and he felt a pulsing tightness against his shaft. Her breathing changed and he heard the accelerated gasps ring in his ears. Drops of sweat gathered on her face and dripped down on his chest, momentarily startling him. Then a splayed hand rested on the spot where the drops had landed and he felt her palm push him into the mattress as she took over completely, quickening her pace as she drove to her own internal rhythm. Bryce felt himself lose control, animal instinct and Cleo conspiring against his rational mind. Her breathing grew more ragged, her groans louder as she rubbed herself against him. Would she come, he wondered, with the last sliver of conscious thinking he could muster. He would be a happy man if she did, if he could watch her in the throes of orgasm, slave to something bigger than him, bigger even than her and her magnificence. It might be the only true moment he’d have of her, before… He was overtaken by primitive compulsion. He had to drive into her, had to push himself as fast and deep into her wet sleekness as she’d allow. And with every stroke, every exhausting wonderful stroke, he felt his own climax lap closer before it engulfed him, spreading outward from his groin and consuming everything in its path. Bryce cried out, straining to be as deep inside Cleo as he could go. He was lost on a wave of pure pleasure, only dimly aware of her weight shifting, her body also convulsing, as her teeth fastened on his throat, broke the flesh, and drank.

TAINTED LOVE ISBN: 978-0-9875440-9-4 Copyright ÂŠ 2016 KS Augustin Cover art: Challis Tower Editors: H Hammond, John Young Ebook conversion: Challis Tower A Challis Tower book This is a work of fiction. All characters, places and events are from the authors imagination and should not be confused with fact. Any resemblance to events, places or persons, living or dead or residing on a planet other than Earth, is purely coincidental. All rights reserved. This ebook has been made available without DRM, subject to individual retailer conditions. Please donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t reproduce in any form. (An exception is the use of brief quotations for the purposes of critical articles and/or reviews.) That includes printing, photocopying, scanning, uploading to torrent sites or any other practice that is somehow meant to circumvent a royalty being rightfully paid to the author. Believe it or not, the vast majority of us authors probably earn less than you. The author and cover artist have asserted their respective rights to be identified as the author of this book and producer of the cover artwork.