I was going to get back to some kind of JoBe plot, but these two wanted to stay in the bedroom just a little bit longer. Since they're in for a bumpy ride, I thought I'd let them have their fun. Eris Fury, I'm not going to forget about Mick/Coraline, (very creative try, though) but this is the first chapter where JoBe will have the entire chapter to themselves, so hope that'll do. (Sorry, Intimate Stranger) But Mick and Coraline will be back next chapter, just warning all who don't like them. You could always just skip the 'LA' section, that's the best suggestion I can offer.

Thanks for all the reviews; you know it keeps me writing!

New York

Beth exited the bath Josef had drawn for her, steady hands toweling the warm water from her slightly red skin. Low music hummed from the bedroom, Josef had taken advantage of the impressive stereo set-up. The Temptation's Get Ready was the song of choice, and Beth's foot unconsciously tapped along to the beat. She was faintly surprised Josef had stuck around, she half expected him to just speed off the second she exited the car. Instead, he'd walked her to the door of her penthouse, opened said door, and followed her in, heading into the bathroom and running her a nice, hot bath, near scalding, just the way she liked it.

The last few hours seemed surreal, almost reminding her of the one and only acid trip she'd taken in college. But nope, the slight but persistent soreness between her legs verified that her and Josef had indeed gone at it like there was no tomorrow. Beth had never gone several rounds in the space of hours, especially not recently.

By modern standards, Beth knew she wouldn't be considered an adventurous lover, but then, most of her boyfriends had been fairly vanilla by nature, especially Josh. The wildest boyfriend she'd ever had was in her college days, the one who'd done the honors of ridding her of that pesky virginity, as he'd put it.

Tyler's boyish image surfaced in her mind, his freckled, impish face swimming before her eyes. He'd been fresh out of Dublin, a transfer student, 'out to mingle with the yanks' for a couple years. They'd had a reckless, passionate romance, filled with good intentions and a lot of laughs. When they'd fallen into bed, he'd sworn it was forever, and she thought he meant it. Forever turned out to be exactly five months. When he'd ended it, claiming things had gotten monotonous, he'd shattered her heart. Well, they said the first major break-up was always the hardest, and from her experience, that was true.

She'd reacted by plunging into a re-bound affair with her Social Psychology professor just two weeks later. What could she say? He'd had a lot of pretty words, and made her feel good about herself, and the sex had been more than decent. Too bad the guy turned out to be a total player, and married to boot. Beth vowed to play it safer in the future, go for nice, dependable guys that wouldn't break her heart or play her. She'd stayed single for almost a two year stretch, older and wiser by the time she tried again, cautiously this time, and fell into a pattern of sorts.

Eventually, that path had led her to Josh, to the very epitome of safety and dependability. She'd thought that her lifestyle choice was the smart one, but her impulsive romp with Josef made her realize how long it had been since she felt alive, how long it'd been since she wasn't just going through the motions, saying lines from an already written script. It felt like the part of her that had been missing since her Sophomore year of college was finally clicking back into place.

Not that a fling with Josef was the golden ticket, either. There were huge issues at stake-Sara, Mick's possible bad reaction to the woman he had serious feelings for and his best friend hitting the sheets, and Beth's career as a journalist, something she'd spent her entire adult life building, possibly being toast.

But until dawn showed its ugly mug, she was going to have every second of fun she could, soak up every ounce of pleasure there was to have, if Josef was game. It'd probably be an isolated incident, but that was fine. Life could be complicated…later. With that resolve firmly in her mind, she wrapped herself in the satin robe hanging up on the door, stepping into the bedroom.

"Feel better?" Lounging languidly on the bed, he was naked from the waist up, his feet bare. He was clad only in Chinese silk boxers. His eyes seemed to be eating her up. He reminded her of a lion, a decadent but incredibly powerful one.

"It wasn't so bad before." She offered him a sultry smile, taking a leisurely stroll over to the bed to prolong the anticipation. "You could have joined me."

"I wanted to give you some time to recover. Besides, the night's still young, and human females can wear out so easily. Good thing they have…redeeming qualities." He unfastened her robe, giving it a slight shove off her shoulders, and Beth allowed it to slide down her arms and completely away. He gripped her hips, smirking. "Better. It seems criminal to hide a perfectly good view. Never forget I aimed to be pleased."

"Mmm. Speaking of nice views…" she dragged her fingers down his chest, lightly scratching with her nails, earning a small purr out of him. "I think I'm enjoying my end of the deal." She traced a finger down his boxers, tracing the outline of his cock through the silk. She almost removed the expensive garment, decided against it. She remembered how he'd used her own underwear to add friction, and decided turn about was fair play. Tonight was all about trying something new, after all.

The silk was slippery, and it took a few tries to be able to grip him through the thin barrier. Josef growled in impatience, his claws flexing, but he didn't make a move to interfere. She molded the silk to his length and began to manipulate the fabric over him, taunting with its caress. "Hell," he moaned, running his hands through her hair. It felt dangerously like affection, but she told herself he didn't even know his full name, much less what he was doing.

Yanking her down by the hair with one hand, and tugging his boxers off, he had her pinned underneath him without much effort, nipping at her neck with what seemed like wild abandon, but Beth knew he was restraining himself. She'd be in massive pain otherwise, even with his blunt teeth. He was rubbing intimately against her, and her body began to stir. Loving the feel of his ass under her hands, she gripped it, this time intentionally sinking her nails into the taunt flesh. "Yesss," he hissed, sounding almost delirious. But when she did it again, he grabbed her arms, yanking her wrists away. "Don't. I can't…You're not ready yet," he rasped. "Won't hurt you."

Beth's native curiosity would have demanded she mull over that statement, but when ones body was undergoing a full blown sensual assault, that was pretty much out of the question. He was doing things to her body she'd only read about when she'd satisfied her guilty pleasures with online smut, and she couldn't get enough. She felt an instinctive need to return the favor, but he wouldn't let her touch him.

"Josef!" she whined.

"Be a good girl," he snarled.

"Don't wanna," she moaned, thrusting up needily against him. She was sure as hell ready now. She wanted him inside her, moving in that age old rhythm.

Before she knew it, both her wrists were pinned above her head, stretching out her body vulnerably. She closed her eyes, gulping down air as fast as she could. Her lungs were burning; she felt feverish, and the ache between her legs had a ferocious life of its own. She all but screamed when he ran the tip of his cock over her sopping folds, her desire taking on new heights. It was delicious, but not the friction she needed for release.

"Inside me," she commanded gutturally.

"Like this?" he whispered seductively, thrusting a single finger inside her. She grinded against his hand, futilely struggling to free her wrists from his hold, but of course, didn't have much luck with that. "Or like this?" He plunged into her, and she arched up to meet him. She clamped down hard on him, afraid he was going to withdraw completely, just be a jackass. Her wrists were released, and she was touching him everywhere she could reach, feeling like she'd just swallowed a case of black crystal.

He rode her hard, his eyes pale, his fangs glinting in the moonlight. She struggled to keep up with his pace, sensations bombarding her. She wanted him even harder, deeper, wanted his fangs inside her flesh, wanted every dark delight he could give her. The fact he could snap her in two, that he could drain her dry just added a layer of excitement.

Josef shifted his position so he could torture her left breast with his mouth, scraping his fangs against the soft flesh, a dangerous gesture that had Beth crying out. She really had something to scream about when Josef gripped her hips and went completely still inside her. She bared her teeth at him, her frustrations ripping her apart. The bastard had the nerve to smile smugly, flick her nipple with his tongue. She put up a struggle to dislodge her hips, but again, no good.

So, she squeezed him, using her inner muscles to punish him. He groaned low, reaching down between their bodies and pinching her clit. The orgasm crashed into her, transformed her, this new definition of bliss. It took a long time for her to come back down to herself, but not long enough. She'd wanted it to go on forever. She couldn't believe how hard she was panting, how hard she was clutching Josef. He was still rock hard and throbbing inside her.

"What…?" she asked huskily, both confused and impressed.

"You think I'm finished?"

"Hope not," she shot back at him, arching her hips, eager for more. Fortunately, he was in an accommodating mood, and took her cue. The rhythm was slower, though the measured tempo was obviously costing him. His jaw was clenched; sweat popping out on his forehead. She wrapped her legs high around his waist, purring in delight when he hit new places.

It was almost embarrassing the amount of times she came before he sank his fangs into her breast, just above her nipple. If there was pain with her pleasure, she didn't notice, too lost in another amazing orgasm, blind and deaf to anything but the ecstasy flooding her system. Her poor body simply shut down, having gone through one overload too many.

It was two o'clock in the morning when she came back to, flat on her stomach, feeling achy and lethargic. She felt a cool touch whisper down her spine, and she sighed, stretching out. Firelight danced from the fireplace, casting a golden glow, the only source of light. Well, it figured. Vampires probably weren't fans of glaring illumination. The heat was turned up, and she felt toasty warm. The temperature was probably annoying the hell out of Josef, though, she reflected with a frown.

"Are you okay?" she blurted.

"Since you're the one who passed out, I think that's my line." Oh, sure, because the smug tone of his voice sounded oh, so concerned.

"I meant the heat, smartass." She rolled her eyes, fighting a smile. Man, all the sex must have fried her brain, because she was almost starting to enjoy his company. Yeah, had to be the sex.

"Well, we can't have you diving under the covers, now can we? I can take it as long as I hit the freezer come dawn. It's really a shame," he mused, actually sounding regretful. She turned her head, looking at him over her shoulder in curiosity. What brought his sudden turn in mood about? "You would have made an intriguing vampire. But shucks, I'm not in the market for a fledgling."

For some reason that stung, and she had to shake her head. She really needed to get it together. Just because he was good in bed was no reason to go to pieces. "Who said I was in the market for a sire? Like I want to drink blood for eternity? Please. Talk about boring."

"Blood has variety human nourishment can't even begin to compete with," Josef argued. "No one person, even twins, has the same exact flavor, so each meal is unique. Of course, there are similarities based on blood type, race, gender, aura-"

"Aura?" Beth rolled on to her side, her interest caught. Not a modest person by nature, she didn't even think about covering up. "So people have actual auras?"

"Character, aura, good/evil factor, whatever you like. The more corrupt an aura is, the spicier the blood. Most vamps prefer young, innocent blood because it's sweet."

"Is my blood sweet?" She imagined that Sara's had been relatively, probably more than most, and forced herself not to feel defensive. Geez, it wasn't like she was in competition with the apparently dead woman, like she had to measure up. Not that he knew about the dead part. She felt a pang of guilt. His love was dead, and her grand solution was roll around with him, going at it like an animal in heat.

Josef started to answer her question, but changed his mind, inspecting her closely. "Why the guilt?"

"Guilt?" Uncomfortable, she flopped on her back, toying with the idea of distracting him again. Nah. Josef was sharp, and wouldn't be so easily managed this time. She searched her mind swiftly, coming up with a half-truth, hoping it would be convincing enough. "You know, Mick and all."

"I don't see his name tattooed onto your ass, blondie." Now it was Josef's turned to look uncomfortable. Only slightly, but with Josef, a little went a long ways. "I thought you said-"

"I know what I said, but this is going to hurt him."

"Maybe, maybe not," Josef replied thoughtfully, attempting his usual indifference. 'Maybe?' What did that mean? "If so, I'm sure he'll get over it. He'll probably lament the loss of your glorious love, and it'll probably hurt to see you fall off your pedestal for a while, but vamps are resilient, even Mick."

She ignored the jab, not in the mood to play that game. "You don't seem sure he'll be fazed. You want to share with the rest of the class?"

"Oh, you never know. Maybe he's fallen for a hot babe and is finally getting some as we speak." Beth doubted it, but didn't want to invite any of Josef's commentary. "Speaking of getting some…" The next she knew, he was pouncing on her, giving into a playfulness that was as endearing as it was arousing.

Over the next few hours, they enjoyed several rounds of good unclean fun, and Beth almost passed out several times again. As dawn approached, she was exhausted, and she knew she'd overdone it. There would be hell to pay. She'd probably be walking funny for two days. She groaned as she swung her legs over the bed.

"Going somewhere?" He arched an eyebrow, but didn't physically make a move to stop her.

"I've got to pee," she told him bluntly. Well, if he wanted to a one-night stand with a human, this went along with the territory.

"Ah, the joys of humanity. I'll never understand why Mick wants to get back to Kansas so bad." Beth decided to leave him to his musings, gingerly making her way to the opulent bathroom. She took her time, half expecting Josef to have pulled a vanishing act by the time she returned. She tried not to acknowledge she was glad he hadn't when she reentered the room, as he was still lounging naked on the bed. Okay, definitely glad about the nude thing… Too bad she was too sore and tired to do anything about it.

"Are you in a hurry for me to get out of your hair?" The question surprised her. For one, she hadn't figured on him staying, and in the second place, since when did he care about her preferences?

"Uh, er, no. No. I just thought with the lack of freezer-" she abruptly stopped talking when Josef got off the bed, sauntered over to the bedroom wall, and removed a seemingly decorative candle from a gilded candlestick. The wall slid away to reveal a freezer chamber. "Very Young Frankenstein," she said in approval.

Smirking, Josef stepped past her, affectionately patting her butt. "I thought of the candle thing first. Sleep well, Beth." She saw him put the candlestick in a holder attached to the freezer wall. Then the wall was sliding back into place, and it looked as normal as ever. Shaking her head, Beth headed to the bed for some much needed sleep.