A Splash Of Envy: The Forked Tail, #3

By Arizona Tape

Envy never tasted so good...
With the first round of DemonChef around the corner and the focus on romance, Lana finds herself more distracted than ever by Demi, and the reappearance of Demi's ex only makes things harder.
Demi's wrath harvesting parties are in full swing at the Forked Tail, helping their reputation and gaining them customers. But when envy is needed for Lana's next round of the competition, the two of them need to figure out the best way to get it without crossing any ethical lines.
Can Lana handle the feelings rising up inside her? Or are they about to tear the two demons apart?
-
A Splash Of Envy is book three of the Forked Tail series, a light-hearted urban fantasy with demons, cooking, and a friends-with-benefits to lovers f/f romantic subplot.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Vampari Press
• Release date: Oct 20, 2022
• ISBN: 9798201617424

Arizona Tape

Arizona Tape lives her dream life hanging out with her dog and writing stories all day.Her favourite books to write are urban fantasy and paranormal romances with queer leads, stories that she wished were around when she was younger.When she’s not writing, she can be found cooking up a storm in the kitchen, watching shows that make her cry, or trying her hand at her new hobby of the week.She currently lives in the United Kingdom with her girlfriend and her adorable dog who is the star of her newsletter. Sign up here for adorable pictures, free books, and news about her books: www.arizonatape.com/subscribeFollow The AuthorFacebook Page: http://facebook.com/arizonatapeauthorReader Group: http://facebook.com/groups/arizonatapeBookbub: http://www.bookbub.com/authors/arizona-tapeTwitter: http://twitter.com/arizonatapeInstagram: http://instagram.com/arizonatapeTikTok: http://tiktok.com/@arizonatapeHer books are available on all retailers and can be requested from most public libraries.

Book preview

One

Lana

---

The heat of service lingered in the kitchen long after the stoves were shut off and the demons had disappeared into the night. I leaned against the back wall of the Forked Tail, the brick rough against my uniform. My cigarette smouldered between my fingers, the smoke circling slowly into the air where it dissipated without a trace.

The sound of approaching footsteps made me check in the direction of the parking lot, not in the slightest worried. There was only one person who would arrive this late.

Smoking again? Demi’s voice reached me before she stepped into the light. Why are you stressed?

With a chuckle, I finished my cigarette and squashed the butt under the heel of my shoe. I thought you were out, I said, ignoring her accurate observation. Did the party end early?

Demi approached with twinkling eyes and leaned in, pausing a beat away from me. Her breath tickled my lips as she spoke. I was out. And then I got hungry.

What kind of hungry? I asked, enjoying the teasing delay and anticipation building between us. It felt different from the tension we used to have in the beginning when we were still trying to figure out if we’d ever kiss. Now I knew she was going to, it was just a matter of when and that was what made it so fun.

She licked her lips, her tongue almost touching mine. What do you think?

I’d like to believe I’m irresistible but I’m going to guess you’re here for food, I said, not even marginally insulted. As a glutton demon, Demi could eat in a thousand places in the city but she chose my restaurant and that was better than her wanting me. Although I was pretty certain she wasn’t just here for my cooking skills.

The other woman chuckled, her eyes sparkling. "You are irresistible."

Her stomach grumbled loudly, eliciting laughter from both of us.

I guess that answers that, I said, pushing myself away from the wall and returning to the kitchen, knowing Demi would follow. I grinned when she proved me right, her hands grazing down my sides and touching my hips for a brief moment.

The gesture felt intimate and charged at the same time, like she couldn’t stop herself but she made herself. Restraint wasn’t exactly something glutton demons were known for.

I turned around, surprising the other woman with my sudden proximity. I captured her in a kiss, her lips curled up in a pleased grin. Restraint wasn’t my thing either, certainly not when it came to Demi. Her arms tangled around me, her caress soft and urgent at the same time.

I pressed her against the nearest wall, enjoying the way her body felt under me. I was familiar with how it moved, what every hitch of her breath and rise of her chest meant and it was just as exciting as when we first started sleeping together.

Demi craned her head back, giving me access to the soft of her neck. Now I’m a different kind of hungry.

I bet. I pressed my lips on her soft skin, relishing in her soft desperate moans. I had no doubt she’d be easily convinced to ignore her grumbling stomach but where was the fun in that?

With a last kiss, I pulled away. I’ll fix you something to eat.

The conflicted expression on Demi’s face was totally worth it. She looked like she wasn’t sure whether to thank me or cuss me out, but her grin never faltered. Whichever it was, she was having fun and that was all that mattered.

I haven’t put away the leftovers from the beef stew, I said, grabbing a shallow bowl so I could serve her from the container that was waiting to go into the fridge. It was a restaurant, I always had extra food kicking around but ever since Demi came into my life, I kept her appetite in mind whenever I set things aside. She was always hungry and appeared at the most random of times.

Maybe I should find that annoying, but I didn’t.

Demi leaned over the counter, glancing at my notebook. You’re studying envy? Is that for the DemonChef competition?

I nodded as I put her bowl in the microwave. Not something I really liked doing but I didn’t feel like washing up another pot. I’ve eaten and cooked with it before but I’m not an expert so this is going to be a tough round for me. Especially combined with romance.

Right, because you don’t do romance, Demi said, her flat tone making it impossible for me to decipher whether it was something that bothered her or not. She’d assured me she wasn’t looking for anything romantic either but I couldn’t help but wonder if that was still true.

Especially after the kiss we shared in the DemonChef studio. That felt like it was loaded with something that wasn’t about desire or pleasure. A terrifying prospect that I was happily ignoring at the moment.

Have you eaten a lot of envy? I asked, choosing to pivot to a safer topic.

Not more or less than the others, she shrugged, tapping my notes. What’s this list?

I was trying to guess what type of envy they might make us cook with but I didn’t get very far.

Demi hummed. Maybe they’ll ask you to use two different kinds or something like that. A marriage of envy to fit the romantic theme.

Could be. I don’t like not being able to prepare. I know the weeks leading up to the audition were stressful but I prefer that over not knowing what to expect. I guess that’s part of the challenge though, to see which chefs can think on their feet.

The microwave pinged and I served Demi the steaming hot bowl of stew.

She smiled appreciatively and dug in, sighing after her first bite. This is so good. Certainly beats the burger I had for lunch, which had so little sin in it, it was laughable. Oh and if you’re worried, you should prepare. Get a bunch of envy so you can practise.

I would but my supplier doesn’t let me order small quantities so I’d be stuck with a large quantity.

Order it online. She finished her food and came my way, showing me her phone. There’s a new app called Purgatory that lets you order sin and other demonic goods online. They might even have angelic stuff too.

Really? I took her device to check it out. Is it any good?

I don’t know, I’ve not used it before but Manon likes it. She uses it to order lust for when she’s hungover.

That’s neat. I scrolled through the listings on the app, impressed by the variety and price. One-day shipping too. Wow.

Demi leaned over my shoulder, her presence giving me a hint of her perfume. I inhaled slowly and deeply, enjoying the pressure from her body pressed against mine. It just felt so nice to have her close, her hands slowly wandering up and down my sides while we pretended we didn’t know where this would end.

There’s a sample set of seven types of envy, Demi whispered in my ear, her breath ticklish and hot. You should get it so we can try it together.

Together, huh?

She nodded, pressing a soft kiss behind my ear. It’s one of the things I like most.

A little thrill ran down my entire spine and I pressed back into her, greedy for more. I didn’t understand how something simple like that could have such an effect on me but that was Demi. I liked everything about her.

I quickly made an order on Purgatory before my mind got too hazy and discarded the phone, turning around and grabbing Demi so I could have my way with her. Her body reacted instantly, melting into mine.

Upstairs? I breathed.

Demi chuckled, her nose rubbing against mine as she toyed with a potential kiss. "Aren’t you