Decadent Master. Tawny Taylor

      KENSINGTON BOOKS

       http://www.kensingtonbooks.com

      Contents

      Chapter 1

      Chapter 2

      Chapter 3

      Chapter 4

      Chapter 5

      Chapter 6

      Chapter 7

      Chapter 8

      Chapter 9

      Chapter 10

      Chapter 11

      Chapter 12

      Chapter 13

      Chapter 14

      Chapter 15

      Chapter 16

      Chapter 17

      Chapter 18

      Chapter 19

      Chapter 20

      Chapter 21

      Chapter 22

      1

      Well, damn. His days of hedonistic excess were coming to an end, at least temporarily. But if Dierk Sorenson had anything to say about it, he’d be back to his overindulgent ways in no time.

      “There he is!” his brother Rolf exclaimed, as Dierk opened the front door of the family’s newest real estate acquisition, a six-thousand-square-foot house in Franklin Village. The building sat far back from the road, on a sloping, wooded lot. Two acres. Private. Quiet. It was perfect. Of course, if the neighbors had any idea their newest arrival was a pack of vampires, they might not agree. “Our prodigal son has returned.”

      “I’m not your son,” Dierk remarked, shoving past his jeering brother as he stepped through the door. “And I’m not here to stay. Where’s our formidable king, Shadow?”

      “In the library, I think. Hey, aren’t you going to give your baby brother a hug?”

      “No.” Dierk sensed his irritating brother was tailing him, like he used to when they were younger. Some things never changed.

      The nauseating scent of fresh paint burned his nostrils, just another of a long list of minor annoyances Dierk had to deal with today. Dammit, a ripe woman was all he wanted right now. None of this shit.

      He found Shadow in the library, as Rolf had suggested, along with another brother, Stefan.

      Shadow glanced up from the paperwork strewn across his desk, giving Dierk a cautious smile. “Glad to see you could make it.”

      “I always respond to a summons from my king,” Dierk responded coolly.

      Stefan left his post next to Shadow to give Dierk a clap on the back. “It’s good to see you, brother.”

      “Yeah, you, too.” Dierk scowled.

      “Don’t be so enthusiastic, bro. Shadow might decide to keep you around permanently.” They exchanged glances and then Dierk busted into a hearty guffaw and yanked his brother into a tight hug. “Good to see you, too.”

      Franklin, Michigan, might not be his favorite place on earth, but it was great seeing his brothers again. It had been over a year. Damn, how time flew when you were hiding from your demons.

      Shadow cleared his throat, reminding the brothers that he’d had a reason for dragging Dierk to this dull little corner of suburbia. “Leave us. We need to talk. In private.”

      “Later,” Stefan said, giving Dierk one last grin.

      “How about we head to the bar later?” Rolf offered.

      “Yeah, sure,” Dierk said. Metro Detroit’s night life wasn’t anything like that of New York, Paris, or Amsterdam, but in a pinch it would do. Dierk had seen worse. At Shadow’s invitation, he sat in a chair next to the fireplace. Shadow took the matched mate sitting next to his. “So, what’s the proposal you wanted to run past me?” Dierk asked.

      “It’s not so much a proposal as it is a favor.”

      “Yeah? A favor from me? I’m not the most reliable of the twelve of us, in case you hadn’t noticed.” He was damn proud of his reputation as the black sheep of the family. He lived for the next sin, the next indulgence, the next corruption.

      “I have. But this is something I think you are particularly suited for. I need someone to run Twilight for me.”

      Dierk groaned. “Your bondage club? You sent your private jet—dragged me halfway across the globe—to ask me to run your little bondage club? Anyone can manage that place—”

      “That’s not necessarily true.” Shadow’s expression darkened. “There’ve been some…problems there lately. Nothing major—”

      “You don’t need me. You’re full of shit.”

      Shadow wasn’t bothered in the least by his younger brother calling his bluff. “Maybe. Okay, yes I am. Not about needing someone to run the club, just the reason why.”

      Dierk shook his head, seeing where this was going. He didn’t like strolling into a trap, but that was exactly what he was doing. Eyes wide open. “You should shut that money pit down. You’re always complaining about it running in the red. Why keep sinking money into it?”

      “Because it’s the only bondage club in southeast Michigan. And, more important, it’s the only one in the state for our kind.”

      “So, they can drive up to Lansing. It’s only an hour-and-a-half drive. Besides, who says ‘our kind’ can’t play side by side with mortals? You ask me, and I’ll tell you that a human slave boy is just as much fun as an immortal one. You just have to be a little careful, that’s all. Can’t get carried away with the restraints, since they need to breathe. Then again, we all know that, since we’ve all played with mortal women.”

      His brother, notorious for having the determination of a mule, shook his head. “I have my reasons for not closing the place down, the primary one being it’s my way of showing our people that I do care about their daily needs. An hour-and-a-half drive one way is not exactly convenient.” Shadow stood, walked around his desk, and lowered himself into the high-back leather chair. “Not that I should have to explain any of this to you. Either you’ll agree to run the place, at least until I find someone to take over permanently, or you won’t. What’ll it be?”

      “Are you saying this gig is temporary?” He was a fool. “How long do you think it’ll take you to find someone else?” A complete and utter idiot.

      “Can’t say. Hiring your replacement isn’t high on my priority list.” His brother snatched up a piece of paper and stared down at it for a few beats before glancing up. “I’m not going to lie to try to convince you to help me out.” Dierk just about laughed in his brother’s face at that one. “I’ve hired several general managers outside of the family, and they’ve all been disasters. This has to stay in the family, and every other Sorenson male, even Rolf, has turned down the position.”

      “The place is that bad?”

      “No, it’s no better or worse than any other bondage club you’ve been to.” Shadow went back to reading the paper he was holding.

      What