Chapter 68: Drunk, Lust Drunk

Caleb stood under the flickering neon sign of The Velvet Claw, his palms sweating so profusely that the stem of the single red rose in his hand was almost slipping through his fingers.

He swallowed hard, keeping his eyes glued to the pavement. The thumping bass from inside the club vibrated through the soles of his sneakers. Two muscled rhino beastmen stood at the entrance, crossing their thick arms and glaring down at anyone who walked past. Humans were not allowed in. It was a beast-only venue as were most buildings on the campus. He wouldn’t dare take a single step toward the door without a beast escort.

A black town car pulled up to the curb.

Caleb looked up, and his brain blanked.

Jasper stepped out of the car, looking like a goddess descending from the heavens. He was scantily dressed in a stunning, barely-there red lace slip dress that clung to his lithe frame. The pearls and diamonds pinned into his blue hair caught the neon lights of the street, sparkling like stars.

With a soft, alluring smile, Jasper sauntered over to the frozen human. He took the trembling rose right out of Caleb’s hand.

"How thoughtful," Jasper purred, bringing the red petals up to his nose and inhaling deeply. He looked up through his long lashes. "It matches my dress perfectly."

Caleb’s heart was hammering a frantic rhythm against his ribs. It felt like it was going to punch a hole straight through his chest. Blood rushed southward, creating an uncomfortable tightness against the zipper of his jeans.

Jasper offered a shy, delicate smile and gently wrapped his fingers around Caleb’s sweaty palm.

Caleb nearly stopped breathing. Her hands are so soft, he thought wildly, his mind hazed over by her sheer beauty and the intoxicating, sweet floral perfume radiating from her skin.

"Shall we go inside?" Jasper asked, his voice a breathy whisper.

Caleb couldn’t even form words. He just nodded his head dumbly.

Jasper giggled, turning and leading him right past the bouncers.

Inside, the club was dark, intimate, and pulsing with loud, rhythmic music. Jasper went pass the crowded dance floor, leading Caleb up a winding velvet staircase to a secluded, dimly lit private booth overlooking the venue.

They slid into the plush leather seating. Almost instantly, a feline beastwoman waitress, dressed in little more than a glittering collar and a serving tray, appeared at their table. She poured them both a glass of expensive, dark purple wine.

"I don’t think I caught your name earlier," Jasper said softly, picking up his crystal glass by the stem.

"Caleb," he answered, his voice cracking slightly before he quickly cleared his throat. "It’s Caleb."

"Jasmine," Jasper smiled, taking a tiny, delicate sip of the vintage.

Caleb grabbed his own glass and practically inhaled the rich liquid. It burned down his throat, providing a much-needed hit of liquid courage. He couldn’t believe his luck. It was incredibly rare for beastwomen to show any interest in human males, and this one was drop-dead gorgeous and filthy rich. He had to make this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity count.

"Don’t be shy, Caleb," Jasper urged softly, picking up the bottle and leaning over to refill the human’s empty glass. "Drink as much as you want. It’s on me."

Caleb eagerly obliged. As the night wore on, Caleb drank heavily, the expensive wine quickly clouding his judgment and loosening his limbs. Jasper kept his own glass mostly full, merely pretending to sip as he masterfully guided the conversation with random, seemingly mundane questions about Caleb’s classes and life on campus.

Slowly, inch by inch, Jasper slid across the curved leather booth.

By the time Caleb finished his fourth glass, they were sitting side-by-side. Jasper shifted closer, letting the bare skin of his thigh brush gently against Caleb’s jeans.

The physical contact sent a jolt of electricity straight to Caleb’s groin. He turned his head, looking at "Jasmine" with lust-filled eyes.

Jasper leaned in. He pressed his soft lips against Caleb’s in a deep kiss. At the same time, Jasper slid his cool hand flat against Caleb’s chest, feeling the frantic, erratic racing of the human’s heartbeat thumping beneath his palm.

After a few long seconds, Jasper pulled back.

"You must feel so hot," Jasper whispered sultrily, his heavy-lidded blue eyes locked onto Caleb’s flushed face.

Jasper’s nimble fingers slowly undid the top button of Caleb’s shirt. He undid the second, then the third. Caleb was completely spellbound, his face dazed and hazed over with a mixture of extreme intoxication and pure lust.

Jasper smirked. He shifted his weight, closing the remaining distance until he was almost straddling Caleb’s lap.

"Tell me, Caleb," Jasper pouted, tracing a lazy circle over the human’s collarbone. "Are you happy that beasts came to your world?"

Jasper’s cool hand trailed slowly down Caleb’s bare chest, causing this breath to hitch sharply in his throat.

Caleb’s brain scrambled to find the answer that would keep this beautiful, wealthy beastwoman touching him. "Yes," he breathed out quickly.

Jasper’s smirk deepened. "Even with all the terrible things we’ve done to you?"

Jasper’s hand slipped lower, tracing the hard line of Caleb’s stomach just above his belt.

"Yes," Caleb gasped. "Actually, there... there were people who knew you were coming."

Jasper paused. His eyes widened slightly. "Oh?"

Leaning down, Jasper pressed a soft, lingering kiss against the sensitive skin of Caleb’s neck. At the same time, his hand slipped down, boldly palming the straining bulge behind the zipper of Caleb’s jeans.

"You should tell me more about that," Jasper whispered right against Caleb’s ear, squeezing just enough to make the human groan.

"They... they tried to force human evolution," Caleb spilled, his head falling back against the leather booth as he chased the high of Jasper’s touch. "If the beasts took over the cities... humanity would have to evolve to survive anywhere else."

Jasper began to stroke him through the denim, his bright blue eyes burning with curiosity.

"On islands full of poisonous snakes," Caleb babbled. "In the middle of active volcanoes. In deep, underground caves. In the depths of the ocean. Anywhere man usually couldn’t inhabit."

"Were they successful?" Jasper whispered, his breath fanning across Caleb’s jaw.

The sudden questioning seemed to pierce through the thick fog in Caleb’s brain. He blinked, looking down at the beautiful woman in his lap. A brief semblance of clarity returned to his eyes.

"Why... why are you asking me all this?" Caleb slurred, his brows furrowing in confusion.

Jasper mentally cursed, but his face quickly morphed into an apologetic, embarrassed pout.

"I’m sorry," Jasper sighed, pulling back slightly. "I’m just a huge human history nerd. I know, it’s a total mood killer. Such boring conversation."

Jasper smoothly changed the subject, trailing his hand back up Caleb’s chest. "Anyway... I can’t be the only one doing the touching tonight."

With a wicked glint in his eye, Jasper grabbed Caleb’s sweaty hand. He guided the human’s palm downward, pressing it firmly against his own crotch through the thin red lace of his dress.

Caleb felt the very distinct shape of a dick resting beneath his palm.

Caleb’s eyes bugged out of his skull.

"Y-You’re a beastman?!" he stuttered out, his voice cracking in horror.

Jasper reached up to his blue hair, unpinning one of the sparkling diamond clips. He twirled the jewel between his fingers, holding it up so it caught the dim lighting of the booth.

Jasper leaned in, offering him the diamond.

"Is that a problem?" Jasper asked softly.

Caleb stared at the sparkling diamond, then down at the red lace, and back to the diamond. His jaw clamped shut. Slowly, his trembling fingers took the diamond clip from Jasper’s hand.