Prologue: An excerpt from The Case of the Red Corset, by Doctor Tobias Jefferson, July 1895
The door finally splintered under my repeated shoulder barges and I stumbled into the bedroom, brandishing my old service revolver. My eyes tried to adjust to the near darkness, the only light source being dawn's faint glow coming through the open French windows. Fiennes came in after me, his keen eyes locating our target while I stood blinking.
'There, Jefferson, do you see? Beside the bed!'
Quickly, I followed Fiennes' pointing finger to the four poster bed on the far side of the room. The Lady Genevieve lay naked and pale on top of the covers. For a second, my heart thudded violently in my chest as I thought her to be dead, and then I saw her stir slightly. A soft moan, of what sounded like pleasure, escaped her lips.
'Thank God, Fiennes, she still lives. I must tend to her,' I lowered my revolver and moved forward.
'No! Keep back, Jefferson,' he braced his hand against my chest and bade me to keep still. Then I realised it was not the bed he pointed to, but a darkened corner of the room. 'The devil still walks among us, I fear.'
At first I fancied I saw nothing amiss, and that the pressure of this strange case had cracked the senses of my dear friend. Then, amidst the dark recesses of the room's corner, I swear I saw a wickedly lascivious smile, pearl white teeth, blood red lips and nothing more. I gasped and Fiennes merely nodded as she emerged. The hourglass outline of the most exquisitely beautiful woman came forward, the night slipping away from her like oil. She was utterly naked save for a red corset. And yet, despite the impossibly narrow waist, flared hips and vast bust, I somehow knew this corset was mere decoration, and that without it her shape would remain as stunning as before.
Were it not for my friend's steely dedication to the execution of his duties I would have died that day. The infernal creature ensnared me with her rapturous beauty, and so I did not mark her passage across the room until Fiennes let out a battle cry and caught her unawares with a blow to the neck.
The two struggled then, the creature's inhuman speed and strength matched by Fiennes' skill at the Eastern martial arts. Several times I tried to fix a clear shot with my revolver, but I was thwarted by their ferocious wrestling. At last, Fiennes threw her clear past the French windows and onto the balcony. I took aim and fired; however, at that precise moment, the Lady Genevieve threw herself across the room with an anguished cry.
'No, don't hurt my mistress!'
The bullet shattered a window pane and nothing more. I grasped the flailing woman with one arm and aimed again. This time, Fiennes put out his hand and lowered my arm.
'Your shot will have no effect against this type of devil, I fear, Jefferson.'
'Are we to give up now, Fiennes? We have the beast at our mercy.'
'Not at all, Jefferson. We must look to the very force of light itself to vanquish this evil,' his arm swept outward to the horizon. The sun had begun to crest the land, and morning's light pooled across the countryside like molten gold.
The monster cast a glance over her shoulder at the rising sun. Instead of making any attempt to flee, she began to incant quietly. The constant stream of words was inaudible from inside the room. Suddenly, she stopped. Again, that wickedly seductive smile played across her lips just before she burst into white smoke. The smoke quickly vanished and the corset fell to the stone flagging of the balcony. The sun had cleared the horizon now, lighting up the natural majesty of the countryside, once more free from the ravages of the demoness known as Mila.
Chapter One: Jordan
Jordan slammed the café door shut and locked it with such angry force the key almost snapped. This was the third time this week she had been asked to close up. It wasn't even her responsibility, it was Vanessa's. But Vanessa had been leaving early each day, and their boss had also been leaving around the same time. The young blonde waitress huffed off down the darkened city streets, annoyed that those two snuck off to fuck while she had to do all the work.
The thought of the gorgeous Vanessa entwined, hot and naked, with her well-chiselled boss sent a quiver of excitement through Jordan. No wonder he asked her to close up, it's not as if anyone waited for her to come home. She sighed, wishing there was someone for her inside her apartment; wishing there was someone inside of her.