Pleasure Island Read online

  His palms began to sweat.

  Okay, so maybe he’d been just a little excessive. He’d summoned forth a private tropical island, filling it with willing virgins who wanted nothing more than please him, and feasting on an endless buffet of food and wine. As Vaclar thought back to the week of constant debauchery, he cringed. With Bogdan’s incisive clicking of disapproval, he found himself debating if it had been worth it. On one side, naked virgins running around, breasts bouncing, young bodies wet with surf, dusted with sand, so tan and…

  Vaclar groaned, his cock responding to the very memory of the pleasures he’d permitted himself.

  “Care to explain what it was you used the power for?” Bogdan asked, his tone condescending.

  Vaclar cleared his throat, his mind racing for an answer. “Uh, I…umm…” He glanced toward the wall, noting a tapestry for the assembly’s new pet project, “Pleasure Cruise”. He’d heard other gods talking about the cruise line they’d put together in order to help supernaturals find their mates to continue the species. Vaclar had even debated crashing the party to see what kind of mischief he could cause, but decided against it since it was so heavily monitored. The other gods seemed to be putting a lot of effort into the cause. His smile was animated as he spoke, “Why, yes, Bog-man, I would love to tell you what I’ve been up to.”

  “It’s Bogdan.”

  “I know.” Vaclar winked, tossing an arm around the thin man’s shoulder. “I heard about the Powers That Be wanting to boost the supernatural population back to what it once was by to hooking them up with their destined mates and I thought I could lend a hand. You know how much I worry about the little rodents…erm…I mean humans and supernaturals.”

  “You,” Bogdan huffed in obvious disbelief, “thought you could help? How?”

  A Cheshire-cat grin slid over Vaclar’s face. He couldn’t believe how easy this was—lying to Bogdan. Though, he wasn’t really surprised at the ease in which the falsehoods came. He’d done his fair share of lying over the centuries. Thinking of his tropical island paradise, just waiting to sink into the ocean from his more recent neglect of it, he said, “I’ve created an island, devoted solely to bringing together supernaturals and their mates. I was so inspired by the brilliance of Pleasure Cruise. Was that your idea, Bog-man?”

  “An island?” Bogdan asked, his interest piqued.

  “Oh yeah,” Vaclar said. “A regular Garden of Eden on Earth. In fact, it’s all ready to go.”

  Not really. Not even close.

  “With such a grand scheme as the boat trips to live up to, I didn’t want to tell you about it until it was up and running with the first couples, but,” Vaclar shrugged, giving the man a purposefully forlorn look, “you forced me to ruin the surprise.”

  “And this is where the power went?” Bogdan didn’t look completely convinced, but he was wavering.

  “Yes. Every bit of the overage and then some. I even donated all my leisure allotment to make it work.” Vaclar had only planned to use the island for a week to spoil maidens and it was anything but a paradise when he left. It looked more like the morning after a party at a fraternity house, but it wouldn’t take too much to clean it up. “Of course, I’ll need a wee bit more power allotted to me.”

  Bogdan raised an eyebrow.

  “Just to put the finishing touches on it. You know, make it extra-special. Human women liked to be romanced.” He lifted a hand, motioning toward the vaulted ceiling. He widened his eyes and leaned down to Bogdan’s height. “Can you see it now? Bogdan…the one who helped the gods fulfill destinies. A hero, a legend. That could be you sculpted up there.”

  Bogdan nodded, seeming swept away in Vaclar’s theatrics.

  “They will have ceremonies honoring you. Bards will sing of your contributions to the greater good for centuries to come. Supernaturals will speak your name in hushed, reverent tones. Maidens will swoon at the very sight of…”

  Licking his lips, Bogdan stared up at Vaclar. “Maidens? How many?”

  “Oh, more than you could ever count, my friend. It’s a well-known fact that maidens like heroes.” He bit back a laugh. It was clear Bogdan hadn’t been laid in quite some time. The fact actually explained a lot.

  “And exactly how many couples does this island hold?” Bogdan asked.

  “Ah, one?” He didn’t want to do too much work after all. Bogdan began to shake his head in denial. Vaclar quickly amended, “Two. It’s perfect for two couples. I didn’t have enough power to make room for more. I thought I’d try it out, make sure everything was up and running smoothly first. Wouldn’t want to have anyone leaving unmated, would we?” He gave a nervous laugh, seeing the wavering in Bogdan’s eyes. “What do you say, friend? Can I have more power rations?”

  Bogdan was silent for a moment before nodding. “Yes. Two weeks’ worth. No more.”

  Two weeks’ worth? What the hell was he supposed to do with that? He knew better than to push and risk Bogdan coming back to his senses.

  “It’s a deal,” Vaclar said, wondering how he was going to pull off making an island, created on a whim, into the next paradise on Earth. He’d think of something, but first he needed a few test subjects.

  Bogdan leaned closer to him and sniffed. “What is that horrible smell?”

  A week’s worth of sex, food and wine.

  He thought it best to avoid the truth. “Uh, I’m not sure.”

  Pointing down the hall, Bogdan took a step back from Vaclar. “Bathing pools are that way. The daughters of Talisgon are there as we speak. They’ve asked about you twice already.”

  “Twice?” Vaclar grinned. “Then I should really be on my way. Wouldn’t want to keep them waiting.”

  “Yes, they are insufferably impatient when they want something,” Bogdan said.

  Vaclar ignored him as he hurried toward the bathing pools. Suddenly, he stopped when he remembered the need to find test subjects for his island. The call of the daughters of Talisgon was almost too much but he resisted the urge to ignore his new duty. He liked having powers as much as he liked fucking. It would be easy enough to find two pairs destined for one another. Though he did feel a little sorry for the poor suckers.

  Ah well, better them than me.

  His pity didn’t last long. He’d get them to the island with little more than the briefest of moments wasted. Really, it didn’t matter how he got them there, just so long as they got there. Then he could get back to bathing pools.

  * * * * *

  Annette sat, staring out the tiny window of the twin-engine plane wondering why it was she’d forced Jurgen to take her back to the mainland when the weather was less than stellar. They’d waited until morning and until he’d slept off the alcohol he’d consumed before departing. In her defense, no storms had been predicted by the weatherman. One most certainly had come.

  She glanced up at him once more, already having spent most of the time in the air watching the side of his head. Her eyes traced the line where flesh met light brown hair, hair shaved so close to his head that it was almost nonexistent. The clean-cut look suited him, as did the stubble lining the sides of his face and jawline, accenting the cleft in his chin. He was well past the point of handsome and even though he was crass and a bit of a jerk, he had his finer moments, like when he’d offered to handle her problem with her boyfriend. The insistence on holding her in the middle of the night was a bonus, not that she would ever admit as much to him. Perhaps it was the charm of the island, but from the first moment she looked at the sexy pilot, she’d felt a connection him. Every part of her begged her to be near him, to trust him.

  Jurgen had grown quiet after they’d taken off. She almost missed his sexual innuendoes and teasing smile. The small plane could seat upward of eight people and appeared to be well cared for. Right now, she was the only passenger. The plane wasn’t new but it wasn’t old either. The interior looked to have been redone at some point and was white with varying shades of blue edging the seats.

  The plane rocked
as it went through another set of dark clouds. Annette hated to fly but it was a necessary part of her job. She’d only been on a plane this small a handful of times and never remembered a flight being so rough.

  “Is this normal?” she asked.

  He didn’t glance back. His attention was on the skies ahead of him. Annette couldn’t throw a fit about that because it was better he focus on that than her, but still, the sting of rejection was still fresh in her mind. It was no fault of the pilot’s but rather her boyfriend.

  No, she thought to herself with a huff. Ex-boyfriend.

  Annette had it in her head that she was going to surprise her boyfriend by visiting him at his summer home on a tiny, private island in the Bahamas. She’d packed all new lingerie and a bagful of sex toys she’d bought especially for the trip. Her boyfriend used to complain she wasn’t daring enough for him and that he wanted to break her out of her shell. She’d set out to change all of that. After notifying her boss that she’d be taking a two-week vacation, she’d called her cousin Christy, who was more like a sister to her, and confessed her plan to surprise her boyfriend.

  Unfortunately, the surprise had been on her when she’d walked in to find him with another woman. Annette should have been furious. She wasn’t. Oddly, she was relieved, though she wasn’t sure why. In fact, she couldn’t get away from him fast enough. The only hitch in her island escape was when she found out the annoying, albeit incredibly handsome pilot didn’t plan on flying back to the mainland anytime soon. There was only one airstrip off the island and it was lined with old downed planes. After much tantrum throwing and, in the end, pleading, she convinced Jurgen to change his plans.

  As the plane jerked and shuddered in the sky, she almost wished Jurgen had refused to take off. By the soft muttering coming from the pilot’s seat, he was wishing pretty much the same thing. The weather had turned sour and he’d spent the last fifteen minutes cursing her and her dammed “female wiles”.

  The light vibration of the flight left her pussy damp and need throbbed through her. If she was more like her cousin, she would have used those female wiles to seduce the good pilot the night before and let him ease the ache between her legs. The man was in great shape. That tall, tanned, six-foot-two body would definitely know how to please a woman. What she wouldn’t give to have his long fingers thrusting in and out of her hot cunt at that moment.

  Annette shifted awkwardly in the seat, trying to ease the discomfort from being so aroused. It didn’t work. All she succeeded in doing was making additional cream form in her panties. She wanted to hike up her skirt and beg the man to fill her with his cock. This wasn’t like her. She wasn’t a prude by any means but she was cautious about her bed partners.

  Annette was up-to-date on all her shots that were required by law. They prevented the spread of disease and pregnancy. She visited her medical care provider as scheduled and was in what she’d assumed was a monogamous relationship for the past six months.

  Oh, how wrong she’d been.

  She let out an annoyed breath and tried crossing her legs. That only made her cream-soaked pussy dampen more. At the rate she was going, she’d need to wring her panties out when they landed.

  If he wasn’t such a jackass, she might have actually acted on her impulses. He glanced back at her and she held her breath. Even as he glared at her, his eyes nearly did her in. She’d never seen eyes quite like his. They were turquoise and intense. There was almost an animal magnetism to his gaze, that of a stalking beast homing in on its prey, a wild animal running through the night, a man gazing into the soul of a…

  Annette coughed lightly, stopping her thoughts as she discreetly shifted her hips in her seat. Now was definitely not the time to begin a full-blown sexual fantasy. This time when Jurgen glanced back at her, his expression had changed. It was the same look he’d given her in the bar right after she started crying.

  Fear? Protectiveness?

  “Miss Rowe, buckle up. Now!”

  Frantic, she did as he instructed, glancing around the eight-person aircraft, suddenly feeling closed in. The realization of just how small they were compared to the storm struck her just as the plane was jarred left and then quickly back to the right. Her head hit the window and her vision blurred. She looked out the thick plastic and for split second, through the darkened clouds and lightning, she could have sworn she saw a man with black hair clicking his fingers and winking at her.

  That was impossible.

  She blinked hard, peering into the darkness, but she didn’t see the apparition again. Her thoughts jumbled and she felt something warm and wet oozing down the side of her face.

  “Mayday, mayday…this is…” Jurgen’s voice faded away and everything came to a stop.

  Annette blinked, assuming she was dead and lying at the bottom of the ocean. She wasn’t. Peering out the window, she saw sand. Lots of it.

  “You all right?” Jurgen scrambled from his seat, making his way back to her. The plane had tipped over on its side, leaving him to walk along the wall. His heart leapt to his throat as he saw the blood dripping down Annette’s temple. Her big blue eyes were wide with fright and her creamy skin now seemed paler, no doubt from shock. He went to her, instantly reaching to free her from the seat belt. His shifter senses were on overdrive due to the fresh blood. It didn’t help that the little strawberry-blonde woman had managed to get under his skin in a way no woman ever had before. At first, he assumed it was because she was demanding and arrogant. Then, after spending an entire night memorizing her curves while refusing his body the one thing it wanted most, he had a sneaking suspicion his interest in her was something else altogether. Even now, after he’d just run his plane into the ground, he was captured by the way her white blouse fit snuggly against her ample breasts and how her hips moved as she pushed out of her seat.

  A surge of anger flashed through Jurgen at being stupid enough to put her in harm’s way when all he’d wanted to do was protect her. A damn good pilot with an impeccable record, he wasn’t sure what had happened. All he knew was they were in the air one minute and on a beach the next.

  “Miss Rowe?” He touched her chin lightly, drawing her eyes back to his. She smelled lightly of rose perfume with a hint of feminine cream. The deliciousness of it thrust his naturally hot libido into overdrive. “Are you all right?”

  She didn’t respond.

  “Sweetheart, can you hear me?”

  Still, she said nothing.

  Her bottom lip trembled and Jurgen gave in to the urge to lean forward. He pressed his lips lightly to hers and his entire body felt as if it were going up in flames. Her lips parted with a gasp and he seized the moment to slip his tongue in. A low rumble moved up from deep within him as his tongue eased around hers. Never had a kiss driven him this wild or put the shifter side of him so close to the edge.

  Cupping her face gently, he tipped his head, allowing better access to her delectable lips. He searched her mouth, committing it to memory, savoring the taste. His tongue darted in and out of her mouth, striking a perfect rhythm with hers. The stronger smell of her arousal filled his head and he wanted to take things further, but concern for her well-being stopped him.

  He broke the kiss slowly and smiled as he found her eyes shut and her lips parted. Jurgen kissed the tip of his finger, wetting it with the naturally healing saliva, and pressed it gently to her temple. Her blue eyes fluttered open and she drew in a deep breath.

  She blinked and did something that shocked him.

  She slapped him.

  Hard.

  “I told you,” Annette wobbled as she stared up toward the door, “I don’t like to be called sweetheart.”

  Jurgen rubbed his cheek lightly and a surge of relief swelled through him. If she was alert enough to slap him, she would be fine.

  “You kissed me!” she yelled, as if the fact only now sunk in.

  He licked his lips. “Yeah, I know, sweetheart,” he said, unable to help himself, knowing she didn’t like his choic
e of a pet name for her. “I was there.”

  “Why?” she asked, no longer looking upset with him but rather curious.

  “Somebody needed to.” He watched as she geared up to smack him again. He caught her wrist and held it with care.

  She stared up at him, her blue eyes misting over. “What happened? How did we end up…here?”

  “Sweetheart, I don’t even know where here is, but I intend to find out.” Jurgen released his grasp on her wrist and much to his surprise she took hold of his hand. “Let’s climb out of here. I need to assess the damage and see if the radio still works. You going to be all right to climb out?”

  A slight nod and a squeeze of the hand later and she released him. “Yes, but only if you go out there first.”

  Chapter Three

  Vaclar was pretty darned proud of himself, though even he could admit that finding suitable matches was harder work than he first thought. Luckily, the couple he’d found were already together. He’d been forced to call in a favor from the god of thunder. Vaclar always knew those pictures taken back in Paris during the early 1900s would come in handy. The god of thunder could hardly refuse the request. A slight rerouting of a plane and “smash”, they were crash-landed safely on his island paradise. Now all they had to do was have sex, fall in love—simple as that.

  As far as finding the couples went, it didn’t hurt that he had inside knowledge of where Bogdan had hid naked sketches of Venus inside a few of the archived scrolls. It wasn’t as if everyone and their brother didn’t own a version of her naked in some form but Bogdan prided himself on exemplary behavior. Storing scrolled pornographic material wasn’t seen as career enhancing by any means. Vaclar merely hinted at the hidden god porn and Bogdan turned several shades of red, walking away to leave Vaclar enough time to sneak a peek at the Pleasure Cruise’s future roster.

  Of course, he’d stolen the first couple’s names from the roster of those destined to meet on future Pleasure Cruises before Bogdan returned, interrupting his search. The keeper of the records had been sent to fetch the scrolls for the Powers That Be. So, admittedly, Vaclar shouldn’t have been “borrowing”, but really he didn’t have time to scan the world for matched pairs. The Powers That Be had done the footwork and Vaclar would take care of the rest, pleading innocence if anyone asked why his couples were also on the list. As soon as the scrolls were back, he’d get his next couple.