Temptation, Part 1

Jesse stirred the dregs of his drink and took another over-shoulder glance a the door. Another no-show. He turned back and signaled the bartender for a refill. Big surprise. That was what, three in as many weeks, now? Was there some sort of rumor going around? Bah. That would necessitate somebody actually knowing who he was.

“Hey, there,” a silky voice said from behind him. Jesse looked up, startled. The woman's demeanor and dress matched her voice. A bright-red dress that slinked its way to the floor. Dark hair with a slight curl. Jesse guessed she was either a prostitute or was just going to hit him up for a free drink. Same sort of thing, just different scale.

“Hey,” Jesse replied sullenly, making brief eye contact. A jolt like electricity went through him for a moment, sending his drink thudding to the bar top. Nope. Even worse case.

“Damn it,” the woman said, plopping down in the stool next to him. The silk was gone from her voice, though she still had some sexy undertones that Jesse would have found attractive in other circumstances. “And here I thought I had a mark for the night.”

“No such luck, succubus,” Jesse said. He barely tried to conceal the venom in his voice as he spat that last word. “And this bar is off-limits while I'm here.”

The succubus laughed with no hint of anger. “Naturally. This isn't my usual kind of place, anyway. Just passing through. Didn't know there would be magi in a run-down town like this.”

“Just the one,” Jesse said. “And he's in no mood to banter, so screw off.”

“My, my!” the succubus said. “Someone hasn't been getting any lately.” She tapped a delicate finger against too-perfect lips. “Wanna shack up for the night? Seeing as this is a no-hunting ground, I've got no other plans. No strings. No magic. I could use some company. And God knows you could.”

Jesse snatched up his new drink and slammed it back. Damn that was tempting.