Seduced by the Vampire Billionaire - Book 1

Preview - Book 2

Book 2 - Chapter One

Daniel watched Tiffany carefully as they made their way through the house, watching for any sign of lingering injuries. She was recovering surprisingly quickly from her beating--Daniel was both proud of the fact and also a little confused. It had been a few days since he had brought Tiffany into his home. Positioned on the outskirts of New York City, he had enough property surrounding the house to maintain a small garden; it wasn't as big as the kinds of gardens that one could have had two hundred years ago--but then, the fact that he had a garden at all, within the walls of his guarded home, was sufficient.

"Oh my goodness, these books!" Tiffany exclaimed as he led her into the library. Her green eyes went wide and Daniel smiled to himself. He knew that Tiffany had some education--she had gotten an undergraduate degree--and had known that she would at least appreciate the collection he had accumulated over the years. "These... This has to be ancient!" She was gesturing carefully to a finely-bound book on the shelf, turning from looking at it to stare at Daniel in surprise.

"Oh, yes--it's quite old. Took me years to track down." He gestured for Tiffany to sit down in one of the plush "sleepy hollow" chairs, concerned for her slowly returning strength. "This one, I think, you'll appreciate even more, though." He moved quickly among the shelves and found the volume he was looking for. He carefully extracted the book he wanted and handed it to Tiffany, who looked down at the cover with confusion and then dawning surprise and respect.

"Langston Hughes... This... This looks old, too?" she looked up at him with her green eyes wide and Daniel nodded.

"It's an original print run. A first edition." Tiffany looked back down at the book, shaking her head slowly.

"How did you get this?" Daniel sat down next to her and stifled a smile. He shrugged.

"A good friend of mine who passed away about five years ago was a great collector of Mr. Hughes' work. When he passed, he gave each of his friends one of the books in his collection to remember him by. This was the one he set aside for me." The selection, Dear Lovely Death, had been something of a joke--his friend's idea of a parting shot, considering Daniel's condition. He watched with interest as Tiffany, glancing at him for permission before she made her move, reverently opened the book, her eyes scanning the pages as she slowly turned them.

"This is a treasure," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. For a long moment, Daniel simply observed her, taking in the sight of Tiffany's face while she was distracted. Her bruises were beginning to fade, and a few days of care and comfort, rest and good food, had restored something of what he knew was a natural glow that came from within her.

It was difficult for Daniel to remain convinced that Tiffany was a woman of color—these things varied so often depending on the time and place. It didn’t matter. With her green eyes, brown hair with auburn flecks, tawny skin, her lush, high breasts, long, strong legs, and the flare of her hips--along with the full, tight curve of her buttocks, Tiffany would have been considered a great beauty at any era of history.

Daniel had only seen her in pajamas thus far, but he was already beginning to think to himself how wonderful she would look in real clothes; in the best of designer fashions. Daniel caught the whisper-soft sound of Tiffany faintly murmuring to herself the words of one of the poems.

As he realized she had chosen the eponymous poem, Daniel felt a mixture of self-consciousness and pride. Tiffany's low voice almost silently intoned, "Dear lovely death/that taketh all things under wing/Never to kill-/Only to change/ Into some other thing/ This suffering flesh,/ To make it either more or less,/ Yet not again the same-/Dear lovely death, change is thy other name." Daniel wondered what perversity of chance had made her fall on that particular poem, to whisper it. He pressed his lips together, his conscience weighing on him for a long moment.

Tiffany paused, looking up--seeming to sense that something was awry.

Of course, Daniel thought quickly. She had been used to a man abusing her; she would still be hyper vigilant, still be looking for any sign of an impending attack. His silence had alerted her…

THANK YOU FOR READING! IF YOU LIKED THIS PREVIEW, MAKE SURE TO CLICK ON THE LINK ON THE RIGHT MARKED "EXTERNAL LINK" SO YOU CAN GET THE REST OF THIS BOOK ON YOUR KINDLE, NOOK, TABLET OR PHONE.