Succubus Dreams CHAPTER 17

The next day was only a partial shift at work for me, but when I see how busy things were, I venture Id have a big(p) time dragging myself away. readiness wasnt working in the caf?, but I found a note on my desk. Hed plain al conveyy been there earlier.Thetis Have slightly errands to run, but Id like to see you afterwards. I miss you and dont like how we left things. Come on over later when you get the chance. Ill be home all(prenominal) night.Love,SethI had some things of my own to progeny care of, and after reading his note, I suddenly treasured them done as soon as possible so that I could go see him. As I was round to leave, Maddie caught a hold of me and covertly led me into the history books. To my astonishment, she pushed down her shirt collar, baring her shoulder.Whoa, I joked. Dont you think things are move kind of fast?Look, she whispered, pointing at the lacy bra crush that had been revealed. Its red.That it is, I agreed, chill out a little puzzled.Its number one.What?My three adventurous things. I bought a red bra.I stared in astonishment. I thoughtI thought you said my idea was ridiculous?She averted her eyes. I thought it wasbut then, tumesceI heard about Seth. What happened to him. You were there, right?My favorite topic. yea, I was there.Didnt it repel you out? I meanright there in front of you support and death.Yeah. Kind of.Shaking her head, she looked back up at me. Hearing what happened to him erect kind of shook me up. I told you it wasnt that easy to be adventurous, but suddenly I decided that maybe it was. I scantily had to take control.I smiled. With a red bra.She flushed. Hey All your lingerie may be red and edible, but this is the world-class bra Ive ever bought that isnt white or black.I reined in my witticism and gave her a genuinely pleased smile. Im proud of you, Maddie. I really am.Dont patronize me, she warned.Im not. It looks great. You get matching underwear? at one time she really looked embarrassed. A thon g.I keep down the urge to whistle. Nice work, soldier.She wandered off, back to the registers. Moments later, I entangle an immortal signature and a touch on my shoulder. Spinning around, I found Tawnys enormous agency practically shoved into my face. Id heard little from the succubus since Id called to tell her she had a job at Simons. Niphons presence at the poker game had been the only indication that she still hadnt bagged a guy.Georgina she wailed, unkepter lip trembling.No, no, I interrupted. I grabbed her arm and dragged her toward my office. Not here.I managed to shutdown the door just before she burst into tears. I groaned.Now whats happened?I met a guy last night. She flounced into my chair, and it was a wonder 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 bad thing.She swallowed a sob, and it was all I could do not to clean up the mascara smudges on her face. Hone stly, how much 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. But at the difference of the night, he told me he just wanted to be friends.He wait. You got the friends line from someone you just met?Tawny nodded.What did you say to him? Likedid you proposition him?YeahI asked him if he wanted to meet me in the bathroom and try out this edible mint chocolate warming gel I have.You what?Tawny reached into her bagful and parachutinged 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 jocularity or weep. Tawny was never going to pull this off. Never. You might have come on besides strong. And honestlythat gel thing? Thats just weird.I thought guys were into that kind of thing.Some arebut, I dont know. What kind of guy is he? Whats he do for a living?Hes a cashier.Hmm. Okay. Thats not too bad.Over at Blessed Images.Over a t you propositioned a guy who works at a religious supply store? I exclaimed.I wanted a good one, she told me. Theres no better place.Oh my God. Tawny I didnt even know where to start. There were so many nuances to seduction, so many manoeuvre 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 stick 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 cant afford to be choosy. I studied her. She was clearly low on energy again. Frowning, I recalled my envision 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 h e said he wasnt interested.I was good at reading people, very good. It was, well, what made me a star succubus. And looking into those teary blue eyes, I searched for some sign of deceit. each sign. I found nothing. So who was lying? Tawny or Liam? And why would either one of them lie? Liam had no reason to not about Tawny. Tawny, I supposed, could be in league with Niphon. Maybe he wanted to pro huge things simply to annoy me. That was a dangerous game for two of them. His animosity couldnt be strong enough to risk pissing off Jerome. And I knew Jerome would be pissed off if he found out Tawnys orientation course was being apply for ulterior 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. That 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 exasperated 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 can 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 think I really do that.I rolled my eyes. In an new(prenominal) century or so, youll find 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 could 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. rattling low. By tomorrow morni ng, 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 hassle worth it to Niphon, just to keep irritating me? Fuck.This is the last time, I growled.She stopped mid-sob. Really?I sighed. Come here. With a sense of dread, I kissed her again. My annoyance 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 influx 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.Just go out and get laid, okay?Doug stuck his head in just then, a contendg 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 forget what wed talked a bout.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 open as usual. He sat up and closed it when I stepped inside.Hey, Thetis, he said.Hey, I said.I sat down beside him, and silence barbarian as we regarded each other. The air between us wasnt angry, but it wasnt bursting with love either. It was speculative. We were sizing 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 over 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 second base yet.He smiled and released the ring, moving his fingers up to my ch eek. Yes, we have. He sighed. We sure do seem to be fighting a lot lately, huh?Yeah. I settled back into the couchs softness. Its not even about sex anymore.I noticed that. Its boring tweet, real.Boring?He shrugged. You know. Typical relationship stuff. Spending time with each other. Trust. Communication. Love isnt always about grand forces of the universe keeping us apart.Unless, I thought, you considered the difference in length between a mortal life and an immortal one. I didnt know why Seths lifespan 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 speaking of whichI never thanked you, I told him.For what?For risking your life for exploit.But you cant di Yeah, yeah. Weve already established 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 trade 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, except for your boxers.argon we going 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 floor in front of him, moving a bowl of warm water 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 wa shcloth over Seths calf. It was leanly muscled, cover 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. Lots of them got this too.I miss the good old days. Now were lucky if we get paid.I water-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 read 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 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, get-go with his feet once again. Washing can be sensual, but rubbing someone with oil is doubly 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 needed to look away. Seth had an amazing 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 behind him on the couch and worked on his back and chest too. Id been giving massages almost 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. Heedless 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 despise the pretending.Yeah.I mean it. Really hate it.The vehemence in his voice startled me. I lifted my head up. You okay?YeahIm justI dont know. He shook his head. Frustrated, I guess.sexually frustrated?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 goosy gesture on his part be inspiring so many people? Was I too jaded? Could I no longer revive to humans? And I mean, I cant even reciprocate a simp le 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 suffer 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 view about how I write about all these action-packed things but dont live any of it. ONeill has dozens 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 pain 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 scared me for reasons I couldnt entirely explain. I dug my fingers into his skin and pressed myself closer 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 snuggled 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 touching 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 further 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.