Underworld Lover (A Guardian Angel Romance #2) (16 page)

After stopping to inquire about Karl and Felix from several dark angels he knew, he gave up and decided to check on Beau and the progress Audray was having with his trip through the Readers. He was hoping there’d not be an issue with the rocker’s admittance to Underworld.

At first he thought perhaps he was in the wrong place. Atop the familiar gray building was a freshly painted sign: Office of Transformation. Josh chuckled under his breath and shook his head. Peter was working very fast to affect his changes. Soon the Underworld was going to be a place he wouldn’t recognize.

New marble steps were being washed with hot soapy water by a pair of completely naked young beauties, both redheads. Josh found the view of their bright pink bulbous peaches quite distracting as they bent on all fours and scoured the steps with stiff hand brushes.

“Hey Josh.” One of the girls addressed him and stood. Rachel had been one of his recruits, a turned Guardian angel.

“Rebecca, love. I’m surprised to see you here.” Soapsuds sluiced down her breasts and pert nipples, blending with other streaks of foamy soap to completely cover the front of her thighs. The other girl stopped her soaping and sat back on her heels. She was a former Guardian as well, but Josh was not her sponsor.

“I’m preparing the way. We both are earning our special privileges. We’re to make it fresh and tidy for a rock star arriving today. Isn’t that grand?”

Josh knew this must be Beau Bradley. He thought he might get lucky and see Beau himself as he entered the Underworld for the first time. He couldn’t wait to see the look on the aging rocker’s face.

“You know, my dears, your enthusiasm for your work thrills me. I have no doubt it is great training for you.” He smiled as they tittered in unison and went back to work. Josh chose dry patches to step on as he made it to the top of the stairs.

Inside the Office of Transformation was a short line, directing traffic into one set of double golden doors. There were several closed doorways leading off one wide hallway, decorated with bright murals depicting different kinds of professions he knew to be from the human world.

Characters of all races represented everything from armored explorers to tribal weavers, with backdrops from the downtowns of several large cities Josh had visited, to isolated wilderness areas graced with waterfalls and crystal lakes. A door opened and two men walked out laughing. They were new.

As Josh thought about it, almost everyone he saw, except for the two former Guardians on the front steps, were people he did not recognize. He looked at the signs above the doors until he saw one that identified the Reading Room. He entered and found the room beyond was dark, floor slanting towards the front and covered with rocking theater-type chairs.

On the screen was a dramatic scene being played out between an individual, probably a man, and a group of uniformed officers, who were shielding themselves behind their patrol cars. The screen was from the man’s point of view, his voice hoarse as if from shouting.

The exchange was very quick. The officers said something to him. He responded by sobbing. Josh couldn’t make out what was said in return, but he heard a gunshot and realized the individual was dead. Someone backed up the movie and replayed the point of the gunshot again, and then the screen went blank.

“Entry granted,” the smooth sexy voice said over the loud speaker. This also was new. The crowd loved it.

The house lights came on, revealing this was a popular place. Half of the little auditorium was filled with an assortment of darks, mostly younger ones in bright dress, hair dyed in colors of purple, pink, and red.

The lights dimmed and there began a whooping and cheering from the audience. What he saw next shocked him. He saw a likeness of his own face, twenty feet tall, with Audray standing next to him. He recognized it as Beau Bradley’s final minutes. His own hands and arms flailed about as he tried in vain to explain to Beau he wasn’t going to get bitten on the neck. The audience was digging it.

Occasionally a piece of plastic tubing connected to a blue-veined scrawny arm wiggled and slapped against Beau’s upper torso. Then a clear view of Audray’s enormous tits came on the screen and the place lit up with shouts and catcalls Josh hadn’t heard since his last burlesque bender.

Audray was motioning toward the screen when the picture started fading and eventually went black, but not before Josh could see the vinyl floor of the hospital coming up to greet the screen.

A whole room full of dark angels got to witness the last seconds of one of the most famous rockers of all time.

The movie was replayed just at the point where Audray’s twin mammary glands made their entrance. The shot was blown up such that each breast was the size of one of the double doorways. This part was displayed several times more. When the screen went black again, the room protested.

Josh hoped Audray would never know the fun this audience had at her expense. The more he thought about it, though, the more Josh was convinced she probably wouldn’t mind. He chastised himself for caring.

Josh left the theater and entered a doorway marked Records. Behind the desk was a portly woman who looked up Beau’s files, making no note of the name.

“He’s been expedited. Should be released to, let’s see, Audray Steele, it says here. She’s his sponsor.”

“No, ma’am, I am his sponsor. Joshua Brandon.”

“Well, I see your name has been crossed off and Audray Steele has been added, see?” She turned the paper around so Josh could see the perfect handwriting of the director himself.

“Fine. A lucky man.”

“Yes, appears so. The director himself expedited him this morning.”

“It’s been some time since I’ve done this. Tell me, how can a person be expedited?”

“Well, the director can—”

“I mean, how else can someone be expedited?”

“Um, there is no other way. Only by the director’s order. I understand it is very rare. I’ve only seen it done twice in perhaps fifty years.”

She rifled in her top drawer and brought out another piece of paper. “He filled out one of these.”

Josh reached for the paper, and then hesitated. “May I?”

“Sure, sure, go ahead and take it. I have more copies.”

Josh folded the paper and secured it in his inside coat pocket. “So, where can I find Mr. Bradley then?”

“The azure room on the very end. That’s the reception area now, since the remodel.”

Josh thanked her, scanning the rows of file cabinets he did not know existed in the records department. In fact, he hadn’t even known there was a records department in existence.

His black shoes made a light tapping sound as he walked down the deserted hallway. When he first opened the door to the reception area, he thought he was stepping into one of Beau’s gallery parties. Josh immediately got aroused. He’d had some of the best sex of his three hundred years at Beau’s exclusive parties. Parties that often went on for days.

Beau’s distinctive guitar riffs blared in the background as the crowd gyrated to the music. Champagne came by on a tray, and Josh took two flutes. He delayed a short black-haired buxom cocktail waitress long enough to steal a handful of enormous jumbo shrimp—the largest he had ever seen. A white-clothed table had several varieties of caviar, cheeses, and crackers. Another table held fruit, pastries of every sort, and an enormous chocolate fountain. The chocolate had a red cast to it.

Josh spotted Audray dressed in red, clearly her “come fuck me” color. She looked like a goddess, standing alone, reigning over the festivities. Her eyes were transfixed on a closed blue leather padded door. He came over to her and gave her a peck on the cheek.

“Josh. Didn’t expect to see you here.” She looked pleased for the company.

“Well, I thought I was coming to greet my new recruit, but I see you have lobbied to get your first notch.”

“I don’t understand.” She frowned.

“I came from Records. They’ve made you his sponsor. I thought perhaps you had a hand in that.” He leaned into her ear and whispered, “Or perhaps a hand on Peter?”

Her eyes flared. “I didn’t know anything about it. I didn’t ask him, if that’s what you mean.”

“What did you ask him?”

“None of your business.” She smiled and then got serious. “Josh, we have to talk very soon.”

“I’m all yours.”

“Not now. I’ve been ordered to deliver Beau to Undertown.”

“Thought you and he…”

Josh saw something he’d never seen on her face: a blush. He cocked his head and examined her sideways. Yes, it was indeed a blush on those flawless cheeks.

“Audray, what’s going on?” he asked.

Why couldn’t he have fallen for her? Powerful women made him horny. But his respect for Audray’s natural dark side eliminated her from the menu of his sexual partners. Had she gotten to the Director after all?

Could she take Melanie’s place, perhaps
?

“Peter wants to be my first.” She frowned.

Josh let out a guffaw heard above the music. Several of the dressed up revelers turned in their direction.

“How can you fake being a virgin, love?”

“My first dark angel,” she added without looking at him. “Do you remember what it was like?”

“No,” Josh lied. He remembered every red hair on that angel’s body. He had another thought. “How about I accompany you when you deliver him? Then afterwards we can catch up.”

She nodded.

“Where’s he going in Undertown?”

“Well you can help me with this. It’s a house the director knows about.” Audray consulted a small red leather notebook. “A place called Helena’s. You know it?”

Chapter 21

The blue padded door burst open, revealing the beaming face of Beau Bradley, who looked triumphant, as if he’d just walked out on stage at the Avalon Ballroom in 1966. Many of the lines in his face had been softened, making him look positively virile and at least twenty years younger. Instead of the bluish green pasty color of his flesh, his cheeks were rosy and pink. Even his teeth looked whiter as he bowed and got sprayed with champagne.

He grabbed the first pair of red lips he could find and went to town, feigning as if pulling the young blond hottie behind the padded blue door. Cheers, whistles, and screams erupted from the room for the conquering hero. He didn’t just go through the portal; he embraced the other side of death and vanquished it.

Despite his mood, Josh had to laugh. It was probably the best re-entry he had ever seen. He was glad Felix was so hard to find, or he would have missed this grand spectacle.

“I am humbled by your presence to witness my rebirth!” Beau shouted above the din. This earned him more champagne. He opened his gaping mouth and took in as much of the spray coming from multiple directions as he could. He finally was handed a bottle and chugged it, his entourage cheering him on.

He spotted Josh and Audray. He held a young woman under his arm, who pinched his backside. He yelped, then  pulled her up and balanced her over his shoulder as he made his way to them, his arms up and out to the ceiling as if to say, “Look, no hands.” Her small ass was a beautiful thing, Josh thought. Her breaststrokes to the crowd in the air behind Beau elicited more cheers.

“Great to see you two,” Beau said as he let the waif slowly slide down his front, not missing a single curve. “Let me introduce you to the love of my life…what’s your name, honey?”

“Daria,” the girl said, backing into his crotch, allowing his hands to rummage her ample breasts. She was especially watching Josh.

“Yes. Daria. My new conquest,” Beau finished.

He leaned into Audray and gave her a wet kiss, tongue and all. Josh was disgusted As soon as she could, Audray turned her face and wiped her mouth discretely.

“Josh, my man.” They locked hands and then gripped fingers. “You had a hell of a time convincing me I was going to be an angel. Wow! All I can say is, what a rush!”

The crowd was starting to make demands on its star. Audray spoke first, almost drowned out by the whoopla.

“Beau, we have to get you situated for a day or so while I’m on a special assignment.”

Josh turned to her with a start. She returned his gaze, but continued giving instructions to Beau.

“We’re going to have to cut short your partying. There’ll be time for that. You have forever, you know.”

“Absol-fucking-lutely I do. And I’m going to make every minute count!” Beau shouted. Part of the crowd nearby cheered.

“Grab a couple of things here on the table. I think we could get you a doggie bag for the treats you want to take with you. Grab a bottle or two, then we need to leave.”

“Doggie bag? What the hell? Why can’t they serve me wherever I’m going?”

This made even Audray smile. Josh could see how it all was going to unfold. He wondered how long Peter would allow such a public display of pure devilish good humor. But that would be Audray’s job now, since she was credited with the kill.

Audray grabbed a silver bucket that held a chilling bottle of champagne. Removing the bottle, she handed the half-filled bucket of ice to Daria. “Honey, go fill it with good stuff. He likes the jumbo shrimp. And just take a whole bowl of caviar, okay?” Her gaze was condescending and contained not an ounce of jealousy, Josh noted.

Daria looked to her new soon-to-be lover, who nodded his approval of the plan.

“So I get that wherever we are going, I can take Daria?” Beau asked after slurping another long swig of the bubbly.

“Yes. That will be fine. But let’s not make it too complicated. Just Daria. You will be busy for the next twenty-four hours.” Audrey shot another smirk at Josh.

Josh thought about the scene: Helena and her luscious bedroom, Daria, devoted and determined to be the best love of Beau’s life, and Beau between them. It was a scene he’d have watched in the old days.

But not now.

“Audray, I need a word,” Josh said when Beau went in search of his plaything and the bucket of shrimp. Josh drew her to the corner and saw her jaw tense. Her red lips formed a thin line as she looked down at the floor.

At last she looked up to his eyes. Josh saw her deal with the internal conflict somewhere deep in her soul. She brushed it aside and spoke to him.