Chapter 2 THE FAE WITH THE SMILE

CHAPTER TWO

"Hi! My name is Jolene. I should be on the list for the walk-through for the Embassy tour. I know I'm a little late, but the press outside today was crazy." My voice came out more calmly than I thought it would.

The busty blonde looked up and glared at me with annoyance. She probably wasn't a fan of the Fae groupies. "First elevator; here is the badge. Attach it somewhere security can see it, or you will be removed from the building." She handed me an identity badge that held the false name.

"Thank you so much!" I said with a bright, fake smile on my face, turning to make nice with the Fae guards-who didn't play nice back.

"Identification," the taller of the two said, holding his hand out without even looking directly at me.

"Oh, of course, sorry," I smiled and handed him the picture ID. "Here you go."

"Jolene Helen?" he mocked.

Adam was toast.

"My mother loved the actress," I said, over-emphatically shrugging my shoulders.

The guard didn't crack a smile. "Spread your arms and legs," he said with little interest in his voice. I spread my arms and my legs obediently.

His hands came up and patted me down, checking under both breasts as if I might have had a gun parked between them. When he was satisfied that I held no weapons on my person, he turned and hit the button for level 2 before moving back to his post.

The elevator doors opened with a small ringing noise and I silently slipped inside after one male had exited it. Inside, I scanned for cameras and found one in the corner. Two more were beneath the glass two-way mirrors they had embedded on the elevator's walls.

When the doors reopened again, I stepped out and surveyed the empty hall before heading in the opposite direction of the tour that would be rounding the corridor any moment now, if they stuck to schedule. The door to the next elevator opened, and a tall male Fae stepped out smoothly with a radiant smile.

"Are you on the tour?" He inquired.

"Yes, I was a few minutes late though. The press outside is crazy thick today," I gave him my best dumb-blonde smile and looked up and down the halls as if looking for the group.

"You're a pretty little thing. You sure you want the boring tour-and not something a little more personal?" His voice lowered seductively.

I fluttered my eyes and bit my lip. "You could do that?" I asked with awe in my tone.

"And much more, if you'd like." His smirk was all teeth.

If I hadn't planned on him falling for my act I'd be tempted to kick him into next week. I pretended to consider it for a moment, my teeth pulling at the fleshy part of my lip. "Are you sure we won't get in trouble? I would hate to get kicked out," I fussed, twirling a stray lock of my hair around my You Only Live Once OPI painted fingernails.

He smiled, his gorgeous chocolate-brown eyes lighting up at my uneasy performance. He was tall and well-muscled. His black pinstriped suit made him look older than most of the Fae normally did. His thick auburn hair sat in silky spikes along his forehead, framing his beautiful face. "Mmm, I promise you won't get in trouble. I'll take good care of you."

Oh, I just bet you would, lover boy!

I smiled wider and agreed. He took me silently down a hall, through another corridor and into what looked like a lounge of some sort.

The room held a long cream-colored couch and rich chocolate-brown walls. The carpet was plush, extravagant, and a matching brown.

"This room is where the Prince holds more intimate meetings," he said.

"Seriously?" I asked, letting the pleasure of the room show on my face. It really was a beautiful room with its rich, natural colors.

"My name is Collin. Yours is?" he asked, his eyes roving up my covered body. I removed my coat, letting his eyes travel over the tight black tank top I'd worn today.

"Jolene," I whispered nervously, playing it up.

He moved closer, his hand reaching for the jacket I still held in my hands. He gave me a reassuring smile as if I had no clue on his intentions. "You're beautiful. One would almost confuse your beauty for that of a Fae."

"Really?" I beamed.

"May I touch you?" He asked. His words sent alarm bells off inside my head, but I needed him close to me.

"I-I don't know-"

"I don't bite. I promise," he said, moving over and touching my arm.

He ran his long fingers over my forearm, moving up slowly. I gave a small, shaky laugh as my hand sank into the pocket of my jacket, finding the small flat piece of magic vellum. "Your eyes are beautiful, Collin," I said, blinking slowly as he allowed his eyes to change. The chocolate-brown turned into a mass of lime green, outlined by a deep emerald.

All Fae had double colored eyes and the ability to shield them when the need arose. He smiled as my eyes grew wide from the true beauty of his. "I want you to see me. All of me," he replied, roughly cuing me that it was time to move before I ended up as his dinner.

Fae were of the few creatures to feed from emotions. They had come to the Human world since Humans had emotions in abundance, unlike the other Otherworld creatures. The Fae's preferred method to generate the highest emotion in Humans was sex. Seems there was some truth to those old stories about Succubi and Incubi, and the Fae not only consumed emotions-they could also take all or part of the soul while feeding.

"You're beautiful, Collin" I inched closer as if I was being drawn in by his Otherworld attributes as some women were. I raised my hand, touching his cheek, and almost smiled as he tried for a seductive smile, but failed. The other hand holding the vellum came up and softly planted it on his neck before I allowed him to kiss me.

His lips were soft, his kiss gentle. He pushed me gently toward the couch, fully thinking he had me where he wanted me. His hands pulled against my skirt and I let him, since I was ditching it soon anyway.

His mouth started going slack, and his voice murmured like he had been over-indulging in spirits. "Somnus," I whispered, sealing the spell on the vellum against his neck with the Latin word for sleep.

I held his hand and it dropped like a rock. I stood scanning for cameras, knowing there wouldn't be any place where the Dark Prince held his personal meetings. Someone should tell the Fae that being secretive wasn't always a good thing.