ChapterSix
Yesenia could barely walk in the tight-fitting skirt Nora had lent her. Even if the material was a beautiful dark red, silky to the touch, and probably the most expensive thing she'd ever worn, after half an hour, she was convinced it was designed to keep females from being able to run away.
It was form-fitting around her hips, and trailed down closely around her legs, sort of like a modern mermaid-dress, and had a bunch of ruffles on the bottom. The back, however, was not something she'd ever seen back home. She had some sort of firm, pillow-like thing attached right over her ass, making the skirt stick out. Apparently Nora wore a wooden frame that even further exaggerated her behind, but Yesenia had given that option a hard pass.
The neckline was low, and the sleeves almost nonexistent. And since Yesenia was cursed with big boobs—anyone who envied them was crazy, considering the physical pain and annoyance they caused getting in the way ofeverything—males kept staring and greeting her breasts rather than her face.
But as the latest male drooled, he also reached out a hand and was about to grab her boob.Oh, I don't think so, motherfucker.She quickly swung around and the somewhat solid pillow thing smacked him hard in the groin.
Nora's bustle defense for the win.
He hunched over, cupping himself, and Nora took her arm, pulling her along. She whispered, "Come on. I fear trying to fit you into my gown was maybe not the wisest idea." Nora was curvier in the bottom half of her body but rather small-chested, something Yesenia was jealous of. "Let's go to the back room, where the female-only area is located. A few may try to garner your attention, stare at your décolletage, and invite you upstairs to a private room, but for the most part, they won't accost you like the males. And they often understand that no means no."
Yesenia was surprised at how casually Nora mentioned females interested in females. It wasn't something she expected in 1890. Although to be fair, she was in a house of sin, of a sort, and the rules were probably different. Regardless, she hoped there weren't any interested females around tonight. She was more than done with all the unwanted attention.
Funny, considering she'd never caught that many eyes back home. Maybe she was some late-nineteenth century goddess without even knowing it.
As ridiculous images filled her mind of being exactly that, Yesenia nearly laughed. Silly, of course, but it was better than letting the sinking reality of her circumstances weigh her down and make her curl into a ball and cry.
She was still determined to get back home, but she was smart enough to know she couldn't do that without information. Yesenia needed knowledge from the fae witches before she could make any sort of plan.
And she wouldn't be able to do any of that tonight. So she'd make the most of this weird evening to distract herself. After all, she was all but convinced that she was truly in the past—there was just too much evidence to say otherwise.
Which meant her path was either to find a way home or be stuck in this time for the rest of her life.
Nora took them past a door with a guard, and Yesenia focused back on her surroundings. The female nodded at the burly male guard and took her into a narrow, contained, and empty corridor, one that had little sliding slits along one wall at about eye level. "What are those? Peepholes?"
"I wouldn't say that, exactly. This isn't Laurie's pleasure house, where they're easy enough to find, or so I've been told." Yesenia vaguely remembered Laurie was the middle of the three Yates siblings. However, before she could ask about what exactly a pleasure house entailed, especially if it had peepholes, Nora motioned toward the small slits. "Those exist to observe what happens in the more private gaming rooms. Sometimes things become heated, and Leo likes to assess the situation before he intervenes."
She stopped in front of one, curious to see what was on the other side. Yesenia was fairly convinced she had traveled through time and wasn't part of some elaborate prank, but watching unguarded people interact might make it all that much more real to her. "Can we peek into one?"
Nora bit one side of her bottom lip, exposing one of her small fangs, and finally sighed. "You'll have to be quiet when it's open, and close it when I say to."
She nodded, and Nora slowly moved the slat, the light filtering in from the other side.
Yesenia leaned forward and looked through the opening.
The room was probably as big as her entire apartment back in Boston. Inside was a table, chairs, some fancy piece of furniture—a sideboard?—stocked with alcohol, and some armchairs placed in front of a small fireplace. Inside were only males, in all shapes, sizes, and species, but all were dressed in nice three-piece suits.
One of her weaknesses was definitely a male in a good suit, so at least one bonus to being in the past.
Then another person entered the room and she sucked in a breath as Leo surveyed the area. That would've been fine if he'd moved to talk to anyone in the room. But no, he stared straight at her and narrowed his eyes.
She muttered, "Oh, shit," and backed away.
Nora quickly, but quietly, slid the wooden piece back. "What's wrong?"
"Leo saw me."
The other female frowned. "How? Because of the optical illusions created, no one should be able to notice the opening unless they were standing right in front of it."
"Well, he saw it and looked right at me from across the room."
A door from the opposite way they'd come opened and Leo stated, "Yes, I did." He strode over, grabbed Yesenia's hand, and tugged. "Come with me. We need to have a private chat, you and I."
A denial had been on her tongue, but as his bare skin touched hers, heat rushed through her body and any other thought fled her mind. Much like when he'd shaken her hand before, tingles shot straight between her legs and made her instantly wet.
What was it about this arrogant vampire that her body seemed to like?