Succubus Dreams CHAPTER 17

The next twenty-four hour period was only a partial shift at work for me, tho when I saw how busy things were, I suspect Id have a hard date dragging myself away. solidifying wasnt running(a) in the caf?, save I found a n bingle on my desk. Hed app bently already been there earlier.Thetis Have virtually errands to run, precisely Id comparable to watch issue you later. I miss you and dont like how we leftfield things. Come on all over later when you bulge the chance. Ill be home all night.Love, circleI had some things of my own to show care of, and after version his note, I suddenly cherished them done as currently as possible so that I could go see him. As I was ab break to leave, Maddie caught a hold of me and covertly led me into the history books. To my astonishment, she pushed exhaust her shirt collar, ba repeat her shoulder.Whoa, I joked. Dont you weigh things are moving refreshed of fast?Look, she whispered, pointing at the lacy bra strap that had been re vealed. Its red.That it is, I agreed, lull a little puzzled.Its number one.What?My three adventurous things. I bought a red bra.I stared in astonishment. I sceneI thought you said my idea was ridiculous?She averted her eyes. I thought it wasbut wherefore, hygienicI hear roughly Seth. What happened to him. You were there, right?My favorite topic. yeah, I was there.Didnt it orchis you out? I meanright there in seem of you life and death.Yeah. Kind of.Shaking her head, she looked endure up at me. audition what happened to him just kind of agitate me up. I told you it wasnt that easy to be adventurous, but suddenly I decided that maybe it was. I just had to government issue control.I smiled. With a red bra.She flushed. Hey All your lingerie may be red and edible, but this is the first bra Ive ever bought that isnt w pass one or black.I reined in my humor and gave her a genuinely pleased smile. Im soaring of you, Maddie. I really am.Dont patronize me, she warned.Im not. It looks immense. You get matching underwear? without delay she really looked embarrassed. A thong.I repressed the urge to whistle. Nice work, soldier.She wandered forth, rearward to the registers. Moments later, I mat up an immortal signature and a touch on my shoulder. Spinning around, I found chromatics enormous knocker practically shoved into my face. Id heard little from the succubus since Id called to tell her she had a job at Simons. Niphons scoot at the poker game had been the only indication that she still hadnt bagged a jest at.Georgina she wailed, lower lip trembling.No, no, I interrupted. I grabbed her arm and dragged her toward my office. non here.I managed to close the door just before she burst into tears. I groaned. now whats happened?I met a guy lead night. She flounced into my chair, and it was a adore her breasts didnt hit her in the face.I leaned against the wall, crossing my arms over my own chest in a sort of protective gesture. Okaythats not a foul thing.She swallowed a sob, and it was all I could do not to strip up the mascara smudges on her face. Honestly, how more than did that woman wear? We had a great timehad drinks and talked and all that.Thats not a bad thing either.She shook her head. notwithstanding at the end of the night, he told me he just penuryed to be friends.He wait. You got the friends line from someone you just met? chromatic nodded.What did you show to him? Likedid you proposition him?YeahI asked him if he wanted to conform to me in the bathroom and try out this edible mint umber warming gel I have.You what?Tawny reached into her purse and started to pull out a tube of something. I waved her off.No, no. I dont need to see it.What went wrong? she cried.Well I wasnt sure if I should laugh or weep. Tawny was never leaving to pull this off. Never. You might have shape up on too strong. And honestlythat gel thing? Thats just weird.I thought guys were into that kind of thing.Some arebut, I dont cogniz e. What kind of guy is he? Whats he do for a invigoration?Hes a cashier.Hmm. Okay. Thats not too bad.Over at Blessed Images.Over at you propositioned a guy who works at a religious supply de essence? I exclaimed.I wanted a good one, she told me. Theres no pause place.Oh my God. Tawny I didnt raze know where to start. There were so umpteen nuances to seduction, so many tactics and strategies. She didnt know any of them, and seriously, I didnt even know if she could learn. I got you the strip club jobwhy are you trolling religious supply stores? Guys should just be coming up to you after your sets. Something troubling occurred to me. You do still have the job, dont you? I believed Simon would twinge to his word, but one never knew for sure with his type.Yeah she mumbled. But those guys arent For the last time Forget the good ones. You masst afford to be choosy. I exa tap her. She was clearly low on faculty again. Frowning, I recalled my date with Liam. SoTawnythings really didnt work out with Nick the auctioneer?She took a tissue from the box on my desk and blew her nose loudly. Nope. I told you. I called, and he said he wasnt inte be.I was good at reading pile, very(prenominal) good. It was, well, what do me a star succubus. And looking into those teary blue eyes, I searched for some sign of deceit. either sign. I found nobody. So who was prevarication? Tawny or Liam? And why would either one of them lie? Liam had no reason to not to the highest degree Tawny. Tawny, I supposed, could be in federation with Niphon. Maybe he wanted to prolong things simply to annoy me. That was a dangerous game for some(prenominal) of them. His animosity couldnt be strong decorous to risk pissing off Jerome. And I knew Jerome would be pissed off if he found out Tawnys orientation was being used for posterior motives.There was also the fact that Tawnys energy had shown no post-sex glamour the day after Liam saw her and Nick together. She hadnt gotten any. Tha t was my only hard evidence in all of this.All of these thoughts flitted through my mind in a heartbeat. If Tawny really was pulling a poker face on me, shed soon learn that she wasnt the only one who could do it. Keeping my expression aggravate and unsuspecting, I said, TawnyII just dont get this. Any of this.Thats it? she asked. Youre my mentor, and thats all youve got for me?I got you the job I dont know what else to do. Maybe we gouge go out together andGod help medo a three-some or something. I could imagine few things more horrible than that, but these were desperate times. The expression on Tawnys face showed similar sentiments.I dont know about that, she said. I dont conceive of I really do that.I involute my eyes. In an new(prenominal) century or so, youll aim you do everything.She blew her nose again. WellI want to keep trying on my own before anything like that. Until thendo you thinkdo you think you couldCould what?You know.No, I really dont. From her, a request cou ld be anything.Tawny gulped. The kissing thing again.No I told you that was a one-time deal.ButbutIm so lowShe burst into tears again. And yeah, she was low on energy. actually low. By tomorrow good morning, she could be in danger of losing her shape again. Fuck. This wasnt possible. I had to be getting played here, but why and how? Was all this difficulty worth it to Niphon, just to keep irritating me? Fuck.This is the last time, I growled.She halt mid-sob. Really?I sighed. Come here. With a sense of dread, I kissed her again. My vexation had less to do with the act of kissing her than it did with me realizing Id just pushed myself into dangerous energy limits. I was the one whod need a fix before morning now. And if I got an energy fix, it was likely my dream stalker would return.With the inflow of life, Tawny was able to shape-shift away her disheveled appearance. Thanks, Georgina Youre the best She started to hug me, and I jerked away. bonnie go out and get laid, okay?Doug stuck his head in just then, asking for my help. He didnt seem to have heard my charge to battle, thankfully. His eyes widened when he saw Tawny. I shooed her out, warning her not to deflect what wed talked about.Is she single? he asked, watching her walk away. Her pleather pants were riding up.Yeah, I said. Very. But shes high maintenance.After I finished my survey of the bookstore, I went off to take care of assorted errands. When I finally made it to Seths place, I found him lying lengthwise on his couch, laptop clear as usual. He sat up and closed it when I stepped inside.Hey, Thetis, he said.Hey, I said.I sat refine beside him, and silence fell as we regarded each other. The air between us wasnt angry, but it wasnt bursting with love either. It was speculative. We were size each other up. He reached into the V-neck collar of my sweater, and I flinched. Then, I felt his fingers brush by the chain Id been wearing his ring on. He pulled the ring out and ran his fingertips ove r the dolphin.Around your neck, huh? What is this, high school?Might as well be, I said, seeing as how we havent even made it to secondment base yet.He smiled and released the ring, moving his fingers up to my cheek. Yes, we have. He sighed. We sure do seem to be fighting a lot lately, huh?Yeah. I colonised back into the couchs softness. Its not even about sex anymore.I spy that. Its boring stuff, actually.Boring?He shrugged. You know. Typical relationship stuff. Spending time with each other. Trust. Communication. Love isnt always about grand forces of the universe care us apart.Unless, I thought, you considered the difference in length between a mortal life and an immortal one. I didnt know why Seths spirit was bothering me lately. Id understood the complications on an intellectual level when wed first started dating, but I hadnt really had such visceral reactions until recently. Him getting shot hadnt helped, I supposed. And sermon of whichI never thanked you, I told him.Fo r what?For risking your life for mine.But you cant di Yeah, yeah. Weve already launch that, like, a hundred times. And the wisdom or lack thereof of your actions aside, it was sweet and brave andand, well, thank you.Seth moved his hand over mine and squeezed it. Theres nothing to thank me for.I stood up. Well, now that weve got the sentimental stuff out of the way, lets get down to business. Take off your clothes.Seth started. Wai what?Well, I amended, overleap for your short pants.Are we leaving to second base after all?Just do it.While he stripped, I gathered some things from his kitchen, as well as from a tote bag Id brought. When I returned to the living room, he was sitting in the center of the couch in boxers only. They were soft gray flannel. Adorable.I sat down on the bedeck in front of him, moving a bowl of warm pissing beside me. After dipping a washcloth into the water, I slowly began rubbing it over his feet.Seth was quiet for several moments. Then You getting Biblical on me? Didnt somebody wash Jesus feet?I rewet the cloth and began moving up one of his legs. Dont worry, I told him. I dont expect you to turn this water into wine. At least not until Im done. I moved the washcloth over Seths calf. It was leanly muscle builderd, covered in tawny brown hair. The foot washing tradition is bigger than the Bible. You find it everywhere, long before New Testament times, in lots of other cultures. Kings. Generals. They all got this treatment.You wash a lot of kings and generals feet? he teased.Yeah, actually.Oh. Well. I dont think Im really in that league.I smiled and moved on to the other calf. Not true. Poets and bards used to have as much prestige as kings. a good deal of them got this too.I miss the good old days. Now were lucky if we get paid.I washed his thigh, careful to avoid the bandaged wound. Yeah, true. But people also dont threaten to behead you if they dont like what you wrote.You obviously havent read some of my reviews.I only re ad the good ones.I finished both legs and dropped the washcloth into the water. I scooted the bowl away. Seth started to get up, but I shooed him back down.Nope. Not finished. I reached for a bottle of massage oil color Id brought and poured some on my hands. It smelled like almonds. That was just to get you clean.With as much deliberation as Id performed the washing, I massaged the oil into his skin, starting with his feet once again. dry wash can be sensual, but rubbing someone with oil is in 2 ways so. Triple, even. The light banter faded between us. Seth simply watched, wonder and arousal on his face as I worked my way up. And as I met his gaze, I saw more than just those feelings. The love in his eyes was so powerful, I take to look away. Seth had an dire grasp of the English language, but there were days when that skill was nothing compared to what he told me in his looks.When I finished his legs, I climbed up prat him on the couch and worked on his back and chest too. Id been giving massages about as long as Id been dancing. I knew exactly what to do, knew where all the muscle groups were and how to unkink them. Seth had a lot of stiffness and knots in his back, either from bad laptop posture or stress. Maybe both.At last, the job was complete. abstracted of oil on me or the couch, he leaned back and pulled me to his chest. My cheek rested on his smooth, slick skin, and the scent of almond and Seth enveloped me.Ah, Georgina, he sighed. I wish I could return that.Ill just pretend you did.He sighed again. I hate the pretending.Yeah.I mean it. Really hate it.The vehemence in his verbalise startled me. I lifted my head up. You okay?YeahIm justI dont know. He shook his head. Frustrated, I guess.Sexually thwarted?Surebut its more than that. Do you ever think about usjust, you know, doing it maybe once?No, I said immediately. Absolutely not.Id take the risk.The shooting addled your brain. Youve always been the strong one, remember?The shootings made me think about what life means, thats all. He sounded just like Maddie. How could such a foolish gesture on his part be inspiring so many people? Was I too jaded? Could I no longer relate to humans? And I mean, I cant even requite a simple massage. You perform all the time for mebut what do you get? You must be the one whos sexually frustrated. The stuff you do on the sidewell, that doesnt matter. Sometimes I think Hugh was right. You do gravel more than me.No, I dont. The sex stuff bugs me, but I can handle it.I hope I can, said Seth. When I was in the hospital, I had this weird moment where I started thinking about how I write about all these action-packed things but dont live any of it. ONeill has lots of great romances, but me? I cant even have one.It sucks, I agreed. But with the riskswell. We know this is how it has to be.What about the rest?Hmm?Seth shifted slightly so that he could look into my face. Do you really think about me dying? Do you worry about me?Sometimes.Am I going to cause you twinge in the end?No, I said breezily. Of course not.He pulled me back to his chest. I love you, Georgina. You give me more joy than I ever expected to find in this life. I want to be with you He ran a hand through my hair, tangling it in his fingers. But not if its going to do more harm than good. I dont want you to hurt. I dont want you to spend the rest of my life worrying about my body and my soul. I dont want you to cry when Im gone.A lump formed in my throat, and I thought I might actually start crying then and there. There was something in his voice, a strange and ominous note that frighten me for reasons I couldnt entirely explain. I dug my fingers into his skin and pressed myself circumferent to him.No more, I whispered. I dont want to talk about this anymore. It isnt relevant.Seth tightened his grip on me and didnt respond. We went to bed after that, speaking little. He nest against me, resting his head on my chest. I ran my fingers through his hair, taking in his scent and his feel. As he slipped into sleep, I thought about what hed said about what puts meaning into life. I thought about wanting and needing.And what I needed right then was energy. Tawnyd wiped me out, and there was no way I was going to start shifting back to the body Id been born with. Still jot Seths hair, I thought how easy it would be to just lean down and kiss him. Really kiss him. And kiss him and kiss himWanting and needing.Regretfully, I slipped out of bed. Seth was a heavy sleeper and simply rolled to his side, never coming close to waking. With a wistful look, I left the condo and used my last bit of energy to put on a different shape. Finding a victim wasnt hard march on reinforcing how absurd the whole Tawny thing was and in less than two hours, I was back in bed with Seth and recharged. That creepy voice didnt speak to me, for which I was grateful. Sad but sated, I fell asleep.And I dreamed.