Caress of Flame by Sherri L. King Read Free Book Online Page A

his teeth and anger made the heat bake off him in waves. He tamped down on his anger, not wanting to alarm her. “I don’t want you working there anymore,” he told her honestly.
    “I have to,” she told him. “The money is good and I need it to survive. It’s a very easy way to make a lot of money really fast.”
    2“I do not like knowing that other men are looking upon your bare flesh.” He rose suddenly and went to retrieve a large stone box from one of his shelves.
    Isis gasped to see what was in the box. When he opened it, dozens of slips of paper fell out. It was jam-packed with money—all kinds of money from all over the world. He rummaged through the paper money as if it meant nothing to him and retrieved a very thick wad of green bills.
    “You must take this and promise me that you will no longer bare yourself before strangers.” He handed her the wad of hundred-dollar bills. There had to be a good two hundred of them. Twenty thousand dollars in the palm of her hand. And Flare hadn’t even hesitated to give it to her.
    “Is it enough?” he asked hopefully.
    Isis swallowed hard. She knew it would be hard to return to the club and explain away the fantastical events that had occurred. It might be impossible. She sighed and made her decision. “You don’t need this money?”
    “No,” he admitted easily.
    “Then I’ll consider it your karmic obligation for ruining my job,” she said flippantly.
    “I can get you more if you need it. As much as you want,” he told her.
    Isis felt her eyes go wide with surprise. “Just how do you get this money?” she asked. “I’m not going to go to jail or anything if I try to spend it?”
    “The Elders supply us with funds in case we have need of it in the Territories.”
    “The Territories?” She frowned.
    “It’s what we call the surface world. It is but a small Territory of the world we know. As for the money, you needn’t worry that it will land you in legal trouble. And we have endless supplies of it. It would be nothing for me to supply you with an equal amount of money every week if need be.”
    Isis tried to take it all in. Then her naturally suspicious nature reared its ugly head.
    “Why are you doing this?”
    Flare took her hand once more in his. Again he let his fingers caress her pulse, and she knew it was his way of judging her mood by the pace of her beating heart.
    His gaze met hers and it was as though flames flickered within his eyes. “I do this because I do not want you to display your body before anyone but me. The money is such a small thing for me. Please, I beg you, take the funds I offer and give up your line of work. You must stop. I cannot bear it.” His fingers stroked her palms with the gentlest of touches but his voice was tortured and hurt.
    The raw honesty in his voice humbled her. Flare was so unafraid to tell her his feelings that it made her feel like she was hiding behind a mask. She wished she could be so honest, so open, but she’d long ago learned that such a thing was dangerous in the extreme. To let someone know you cared was to give them a weapon to use against you.
    And Isis had vowed never to care for anyone again.
    2She steeled her heart. “I’ll do whatever I damn well please and there’s nothing you can do about it.” She hated herself for the words that came out of her mouth, but the ever-present pain in her heart drove her emotions and she couldn’t stop. She didn’t want to strip. She had never wanted to strip. But it had been so easy after she’d done it once and then again, and again. Here was her chance to stop and never have to worry about money again and she was turning it down in the rudest way possible. Isis could have kicked herself for her foolish pride, but it was too late. She’d already made her decision. She couldn’t let Flare take care of her like a man might provide for his mistress or prostitute. Doing that would be far worse than stripping in her eyes.
    Flare’s grip on her