The Assassin the Djinn and the Hundred Year Wish Read online

  What did matter was that at almost fifteen hundred years old, Nicodemus Marsh had only bargained one woman. Oh, he had his liaisons, but aside from Sarah, he never let the magic fly so to speak. Sarah had not been a choice he was willing to make again. She had spunk and bravado for a woman born in the late seventeen hundreds to a poor Jewish farmer, and it was from her he had learned a bargained woman was trouble. At first it had been fun, she was wild and completely opposite from the other women of the age. She liked sex, she liked to party, she enjoyed a good scotch. It was the sparkle of a new plaything dulled when he realized he was stuck with a vindictive, callous and selfish bitch. Toward the end, he didn’t even want to keep her happy, especially because nothing gave her any sort of satisfaction. She had soured him on bargaining, and because of that he had stuck to immortal woman for a long time. No possibility of binding them without consent there.

  But Janey, she was special, and he knew it. While all of his choices for bedmates might not have been good ones, he didn’t really regret any of them. “So, pet, tell me about you. Not the stuff I can hack off the Net, the real you. If I’m going to be stuck with you I should know you, don’t you think?”

  She chuckled. “Well, I’m not really sure. I suppose nowadays you could hack pretty much anything off the Net if you’re talented enough.”

  He nodded his agreement, and she continued. “I work a lot. I can be extremely grown up sometimes, but occasionally I have my childish moments. I hate repeating myself, or listening to the same thing over and over. Sometimes, late at night, I go swimming naked. And, I’m pretty much single-handedly responsible for…” She grinned, trailing off. “Well, if you’re a good hacker you’ll be able to find out that.”

  Marsh shook his head. “That’s a mouthful all right, pet.” He thanked the waiter as he came and took their salad plates, brought them their entrees, and left silently. “Is that what you ordered?” he asked of the plate in front of her. “What the hell is it? It doesn’t look appetizing at all.”

  She smirked at him. “How old are you?”

  “How old do I look?”

  “Well, I’m positive you don’t look your age.”

  “Indeed, let’s just say I’m a bit younger that the carpenter from Nazareth.”

  “Okay, so, you’ve lived all that time, and you’ve never seen…” She frowned. “It’s shrimp.” She picked up the whole prawn and waggled it in front of him, the blood red sauce dripping from it. “See? You have to de-shell it yourself. It tastes wonderful.” She set down the small creature and methodically sucked the sauce off her fingers.

  “I’m not one for shellfish. Never have been.”

  “No? Well, more for me, I guess. So, tell me about you.”

  Marsh laughed, knowing full well he wouldn’t reveal much, if anything.

  She rolled her eyes at his silence then shrugged. “And how long have you been doing Taylor’s bidding? You’re not his usual yes man.”

  “Doing his bidding? Hardly. You pet, are a job, nothing more.”

  “A job,” her lips thinned slightly, clearly she didn’t like the idea. Hey, all women wanted to know they were special. “And you take jobs for him often? Because that’s a lot like working for him. Freelance or not.”

  Marsh smirked. “Well, it’s not the first I have been asked to, but it’s the first I have accepted. Usually my price is too rich for his blood, but it seems desperate times…”

  “Really? I have it on good authority that his funds are limitless. Of course, it’s nice to know if he does have a limit,” she shrugged sipping her straw. “Unless he’s been saving you up for something special.”

  He looked her over slowly, then sat back, lounging in his chair. “Oh I think the latter…You sounded fun…” He shrugged. “So I took the job. Glad I did.” he winked.

  “I am too.” She picked up a shrimp. “And no doubt so is the Demon.”

  They ate the rest of the meal in relative silence. It was only after they received their dessert that he spoke to her again. “So, have you thought on your wishes?” he asked quietly.

  She licked her lips. “A few, but I’m not one to make hasty decisions, and I have plenty of time. Well, a week, which is ample time really.”

  “A week is enough time to make three wishes? Yeah, I’d say so.”

  “Exactly. So, can disease kill your kind? Or does it have to be external factors only? It would suck if a little cold took you from me, say, twenty years into our arrangement.”

  “No, we die when it’s our time. Some of my kind are older than Christ. We just go when we are ready.”

  “Well, that sounds a little depressing. I’ll fight for every breath I can still take. Giving up because it’s your time seems so…” She shrugged taking a sip of cola. “So, I can wish for anything? What are the limits? Or would that be telling, too?”

  “Well, I’ll give you one thing, you are thorough. As I said before, pet, no wishing for more wishes, and no bringing anyone back from the dead. I don’t do that pet cemetery shit. I’m sure there’s more, we’ll deal with it as it comes, eh?” he said and took a sip of his wine.

  “Fine. So, what’s the weirdest wish you’ve ever heard? I could show you…” She licked her lips and picked up her glass, suggestively sucking her straw into her mouth “Just how…thorough I am.”An odd choice for dinner, the woman didn’t seem the type to enjoy sugary soft drinks, but she made sure it looked extremely suggestive to him, her tongue curling around the straw.

  “Well, the weirdest wish I ever heard of was to be a man. Bear in mind this wasn’t in today’s day and age; it was in about 1850.” He watched her body language with interest. She was throwing off signals left and right, aside from the little sucking move. Her body was all but begging for his. She was the kind of girl to take the situations she was thrown into and make them her own, and he admired that.

  “And you will be showing me a lot this evening, pet, that I can guarantee.”

  Janey picked up her spoon and began to lap the whipped cream off it with slow, long strokes of her tongue. “I have no doubt of that.”

  He leaned into her and smirked. “Dare I suggest we finish this back at your place?”

  “Mmmm, suggest away.”

  He chuckled and motioned for the check, then winked at her. “I have a feeling you have some pretty good ideas of your own.”

  “I do,” she answered as her hand reached under the table to massage his thigh.

  The check came as she tried to entice him, and he took care of it, leaving a rather sizeable tip for the waiter. He looked at her and smiled. “Shall we, pet? You keep doing what you’re doing, and I won’t be able to walk.”

  She laughed and pulled her hand away from him. “We can’t have that, can we? We still need to make it all the way back to my apartment.”

  He readjusted himself, surprised at how much his body was already reacting to her, and offered her his hand. With Sarah, it hadn’t been this quick, he’d had to ease into it. Jane was proving to be one surprise after another. After helping her rise, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her thoroughly. “Pet, we won’t make it to the apartment, of that I am sure.” He growled at her and ground his hips into hers.

  She whimpered and her body bucked into him. “Oh god…” She pressed herself firmly into him. “Hotel across the way?”

  He didn’t speak, but started walking out of the cafe. It was dark now, yet the streets of Rome were alight with colors, made more dazzling by the blacktop and pathways glistening from the recent storm. He scanned the street from side to side, then spied what he was looking for. He pulled her along, moved her into a darkened doorway, and kissed her. The storefront was closed for the night, yet a dim light shone, so people were able to see the outlines of others in the darkened alcove.

  He slipped his hands up her thighs, sliding under her short skirt. “Janey, I’m going to take you right here, pet, where the world can see. Would you like that?”

  Chapter Four

  At
Marsh’s words, she moaned, urging him on as her hands slipped under his shirt and over the smooth expanse of his flesh. “Please, take me anywhere you wish, just don’t stop.” She kissed him deeply, whimpering into his mouth.

  His hands were quick, fingers tunneling under the skirt and into her panties. He groaned when he felt her wetness, her arousal for him. She was reacting to him in an unheard of manner. No man had ever made her feel this wanton, this reckless, not even the man she thought she loved once upon a time.

  He deepened the kiss and slid his other hand into her shirt, tweaking her nipple. He broke off and grinned at her. “So wet, Janey. Do you know what I’m going to do to you, pet?”

  She sobbed loudly in his ear, biting down on his lobe. “Oh god, I hope so.”

  He bit her neck, his fingers inside her, his thumb playing on her clit.

  She bucked into him as she gasped for air. This was so out of character for her, he was going to fuck her raw in the middle of a doorway! She was leaving herself wide open to anything; even the people on the street could see them. It thrilled her because it just didn’t matter, nothing mattered but his touch, the clever fingers arousing her. He was setting her body on fire and she loved it. She stayed in is arms, riding his hand.

  “That’s it, pet, that’s it. Your submission is beyond sexy,” he crooned in her ear. He sucked on her earlobe. “Tell me what you want, pet.”

  She shivered at his touch and swallowed hard. “God, Nick! You, I just want you. Whether it’s like this,” she panted, “or bent over or against that wall, I don’t care. Just you. I need you.” She started to kiss and nip at his neck, clawing him closer to her. It was strange, this overwhelming desire to have him, to touch him, to be touched. The feelings he stirred in her were startling. It had very little to do with his magic and more to do with him. She hoped. No attraction had ever been this strong as to make her lose her focus on everything around her and be in the moment. He was dangerous to her way of life. Assassins couldn’t afford to be unhinged, and he had pushed her well past the point already.

  Nick withdrew his hand from toying with her nipple and quickly opened his belt and pants, unleashing himself. “On your knees, pet. Play the part.”

  She swallowed hard and did as he asked without question. The ground was cold and rough against her bare knees, but she paid it no attention as her eyes traveled up the considerable length of his body.

  “That’s it, pet,” he said. “You look so pretty on your knees.”

  She whimpered and licked her lips, just inches from his cock. “What do you want me to do?”

  “What I know your mouth has been aching to do since we got to the restaurant. Suck my cock, love. Make it good, and you’ll get what your body needs.”

  Her tongue flicked out, tasting him lightly before running along his side and base. He was huge—of course she’d known that earlier, but she hadn’t gotten the chance to examine him properly. She grasped him in one well-manicured hand and pulled his tip into her waiting mouth. Her eyes rolled up to meet his smoldering violet gaze, and she moaned onto him.

  He hissed. “Fuck, Janey, either you get to it or you’ll be sorry.”

  She sank down on him, sending him to the back of her throat “Fuck it, Janey!” he growled as he looked down at her.

  Her hands gently massaged his muscular thighs as her mouth worked him. He felt amazing and tasted better. He was so hard and smooth, and she knew that very soon he would pound it mercilessly into her. It sent a shiver through her. One of her hands slipped up to cup his balls as the other crept around to grasp the back of his legs pushing him deeper.

  “Fucking hell, darling, you’re very attentive, aren’t you? Come up here, pet.”

  She went to stand, slowly drawing herself off him with a sucking pop.

  He laughed and grabbed her at her thighs. He lifted her, pushing her against the wall, hissing as he slipped into her sopping heat.

  She gasped and threw her head back as he filled her. “Oh, fuck! That’s it…” she sobbed, her body sapping up every velvety inch of attention that he was giving her.

  He worked himself into her with a slight swivel of his hips, treating her to a primal sound of possession. His hand moved to her clit, and he rubbed, while his mouth went to her neck and bit.

  She came, trying to keep her moans to a minimum so as not to attract too much attention. Her legs tightened around his waist, and his clean scent drifted up to her. She shivered as her body worked in rhythm with him.

  He pounded her hard. “Fuck, baby, you’re loud. Everyone knows you’re getting a good fucking over here, you know that? Everyone knows you’re enjoying it.”

  She came again, his words fresh in her ears. She screamed, unable to stop herself and no longer caring who heard. Her voice died in a harsh whimper as her body felt wave after wave of pleasure.

  “With every release, Janey, you grow to need me even more. You love it, don’t you? Love knowing that this,” he pinched her clit lightly, “belongs only to me.”

  She shook in his arms. “I do. Oh, fuck!” Her muscles convulsed hard around him.

  He moved back, bending to take a pert nipple in his mouth and worry it with his teeth.

  She gave a low moan, her voice hoarse and overused. Her body was caught in endless pleasure, her sheath fluttering around him, squeezing so tight that she saw spots of white in her vision. She sobbed, her mouth clamping down on his shoulder. Her hands flexed uselessly on the flesh of his back.

  He panted into her neck. She was boneless in his arms once more. He looked at her. “Feel better, pet?”

  “Mmmm, much,” she answered, breathing heavily into his saliva soaked shirt.

  “I think we should be on our way, don’t you, pet? You look a little worn out.”

  “Just a little bit. But I’m not sure my legs will support me right now,” she purred.

  “Well, seeing as I’m not a Demon, or fey, I don’t have any kind of porting ability. So, a cab is our best bet, unless you want to make a wish, pet.”

  She sighed into his neck her strength sapped. “Okay, I wish we were back at the apartment, eating strawberries and crème.”

  “Done,” he said with certain finality. One minute they were in the shadowed doorway, the next she was on the couch, her legs on his lap, and a bowl of strawberries with crème sitting on her tummy.

  “One wish down, pet.”

  Chapter Five

  Marsh pulled her out of the car by her hand and smirked at the frown on her partially covered face. She did not like being surprised, and said so.

  “I have mentioned several times that things like this aren’t about your happiness right?” he said and chuckled to himself. Of course, it was, in the long run, about her happiness. Having a sex slave that hated him wasn’t something he really wanted, but he still could have fun with her, and teach her that she couldn’t control everything all the time.

  His new acquisition was indeed hard work. He knew when he went into this that she was used to getting her way, and that she was a ball-buster, but in the last two days he had also seen that while she might rule Duvall Inc. with an iron fist, when it came to her person, Jane Duvall was just looking for the right guy to submit to.

  Not that Marsh was in any way a practicing Dom, but with Jane, his dominance was leaking out of his pores. For all her money and freedom, there was a lot she had never experienced, living with the lunatic that raised her. The night before, Marsh had indeed looked her up, and was saddened to see that she was all work and no play. But then again, growing up on a military instillation didn’t lend itself to a happy, well-rounded childhood. All things considered, she was pretty stable, if a little naive of the simple pleasures. Not the car ride, but the blindfold, the fact that she didn’t know where she was going…

  Marsh enjoyed her agitation, and her leashed defiance. She had been protesting loudly in the car about the injustice of the sash covering her eyes, and he had laughed the entire way. Now, he couldn’t wait to take it off he
r, to see her reaction. For all its simplicity, she was not going to be comfortable with the idea of it.

  “Now, I’m going to take the material away…and you’re going to cease your threats of shooting me.”

  “That’s what I’ve been telling you this whole trip. I didn’t need the damn thing. It’s not like I’m going anywhere.” she grumbled crossing then uncrossing her arms. “The last time someone tried to blindfold me they got a knife in the gut.”

  “Yes, well, I’m sure it was fatal. Not so much for me, I’ll just get pissed. So surprise…” he said as he untied the silk sash he used to blind her.

  The scene before them was beautiful. A rolling green lawn to the left, and rows of grapevines to the right.

  “Not fatal, he was employing me after all.” She flicked her hair out from behind her head, and shook it out. As she looked around the sunshine glinted off the golden strands in her tresses, and kissed the dark lashes that rimmed her eyes. She wore makeup, but it was light and artful, her skin a stunning light coffee color.

  Hands on her hips, her long crimson nails a contrast to the black leather skirt wore, she looked very much out of place out in nature. She gave a wry twist to her mouth. “Wow, well this is certainly better than a cave in the desert.”

  Marsh raised an eyebrow. “Where the hell did you think I was taking you?” he asked and frowned. “And the desert isn’t anywhere near here.”

  She plucked at the blindfold. “Like I would know where here was.” She smiled walking towards the grape vines. “It’s beautiful.”

  He laughed at her and inclined his head. “Come on…”

  They walked a ways, the sunshine bright and warm, the breeze just enough to move her hair around her face. He looked back at her, seeing the strands blowing lazily around her designer sunglasses, and she smiled at him.

  “We are still in Italy, pet, I might be magic but teleporting just isn’t one of my talents.”

  “Unless it’s a wish.” she pointed out.