Succubus on Top CHAPTER 5

I jerked my head a mode from him.What?Bastien didnt miss a beat, obviously amused by my reaction.You comprehend me. Were leaving to break in. I solely overheard Bill citeing the whole family would be egress the night after next.And pray control, how ar we going to pass away her to scandal through with(predicate) violating her home? By proving to the world that her security system isnt as good as she thought it was?He japeed. No, by rifling through her paperwork and finding some associate of incriminating evidence. Money laundered from the CPFV. Illegal means of carrying out the groups goals. Maybe until now love allowters from the infamous pool boy. You notice in that respects got to be something.Bastien, this is Ingenious?Ridiculous. Even for us.Hardly. a corresponding(p) I said, its a subscribeup plan. Probably not even necessary, since I suspect shes probably in the shower stall right now masturbating to fantasies of me.Yeah, she sure looked analogous it back there, I said nastily. More give carely shes sanitizing her pool after my defilement of it. Well, backup or no, youre going to confuse to do this break-in on your consume. Come on Well bein visible. nothing to lose.Thats not the point. The point is I dont do this variant of thing.Were agents of grievous. We lead innocents into temptation and float away their life. How is fault and entering that frequently of a leap?I tightened my lips and shook my head.I thought those broadcasts pissed you off. Dont you requisite to see her fall?not enough, plainly.He fixed me with a sharp stare. Did you know that the CPFV recently kicked out a woman for leaving her husband? He had been beating her incessantly send her to the hospital twice. When she finally got the nerve to walk out on him, Dana condemned her for violating the sanctity of marriage. Said the woman hadnt tried hard enough to make things work.I groaned. Dont tell me this stuff.So are you in or out?You sure are pushy, you k now that?He kissed my cheek and hugged me. I learned from the best.I went to Dougs concert the hobby night, showing up about halfway through the opening acts set. I found several of the bookstore staff occupying a corner except apothegm no sign of Seth yet. Part of me regretted the whole separate-arrival mandate, however then I remembered the part in Seths story where Genevieve had spanked ONeill. Suddenly I didnt feel so bad anymore. plot of ground waiting at the bar for a vodka gimlet, a familiar shape slid up next to me.Hey, hey, pretty lady.I flashed a grinning at Dougs bass player, Corey. Hey yourself. You guys ready for this? Youre in the big eon now.He returned my smile, eyes alight. Intimidating and fierce looking, he wore a lot of b want and had piercings everywhere. He was also one of the nicest guys I knew.Hell yeah, we are. We were born for this night. This is the night thats going to define our existence The night thats going to define existence for everyone in th is board He extended his hands over his head and whooped with delight, emitting something like a cross surrounded by Tarzan and a B movie Apache chief. The silvery glitter of those piercings added to his rough individuala.He was as exuberant as Doug had been the former(a) day. Maybe more so. As much as I wanted to see the band succeed, there was no telling what true fame would do to them. Theyd be bouncing off the walls. Setting things on fire.When I got the gimlet, Corey tugged at my arm. Come on. Ill give you a snare peek backstage. You can say hi to Doug.I glanced back at the corner, saw no sign of Seth, and followed him.In the dressing room, the rest of the band was in confusable form. They all knew me and cheered my arrival, holding up their drinks in a giddy salute. Doug was dressed in a spectacularly gaudy manner, sporting disconsolate spandex biker shorts, a Thundercats shirt Seth would have envied, and a sweeping red velour cape. His shoulder-length black h carriage was tied back in a sly ponytail. He scooped me up as I entered, hoisting me so that I nearly sat on his shoulder. Min, the groups saxophonist, waved the instrument over his head in barbaric approval at my capture as Doug roared a cry of victory.Here she is Kin-fucking-caid You ready to rock, babe?Im ready to dump this drink on your head. Put me down. Doug laughed and eased me down to the floor. I stumbled a bit exactly not from being set down.It was here again.That weird tingling feeling Id felt with Doug in our office. Only this time, it was stronger. Much stronger. It pulsed fitting about me, almost do me squirm. I peered rough stupidly, assay to figure out where it came from, but it was impossible to tell. The sensation was everywhere, an abrasive vibration singing through the air that only I seemed affected by.Wyatt, a redheaded guitarist, grinned at me. How much have you been drinking out there? You look a little sheeny over. Starry-eyeds more like it, said Doug, teasin g. Not every day a girl can be around this much sexy action, huh?Whatever. I commemorate her sexiness is a little more lethal than ours, Wyatt said. He gently turned me around. You met Alec yet?The new drummer, presumably. He treadped forward and bowed before me with a flourish, simply as goofily wound up as the rest. He was a little younger than they were, a bit lanky, and had fading blue streaks in his platinum-blonde hair. He seemed only slightly less keyed up. Still clueless about what was making me feel so weird, I attempted to push it out of my mind and offer Alec a normal smile.Hi, I said. You sure you want to hang with this group of misfits?Ive seen worse.In an asylum?He laughed and nodded at my drink. What are you having?Vodka gimlet. adequate choice, he said coolly, though I suspected hed probably never heard of one before. There was a total look of fumbling inexperience about him. Order your next one on me. Tell the bartender to put it on my tab.I worked hard to keep a straight face. He was attempting suave movie-star lines, but they lost some of their effectiveness coming from someone who was barely old enough to drink himself. He probably forecastd Wyatts earlier judgment of my inebriation was accurate.Hey, said Doug, grabbing hold of me. Stop flirting with my Groupie Queen. Only when you can snatch the fly with the chopsticks, Grasshopper, can you accumulate the groupies. For now, the student must leave the groupies to the master. Doug marched me around the room in a very bad mock tango. The jerking motion, combined with that grating buzzing in the air, made me lightheaded. Is the rest of the gang out there?Waiting with bated breath, I promised. I cocked my head at him. Shouldnt you be a little more unquiet than this?Sure. If I had anything to be nervous about. Which I dont.I felt just as astonished now as I had at work. Doug knew his own talent, but Id seen him before shows in the past. While always joking and in a good mood, there had been a nervousness to him before, a private sort of ruminating while he mentally poise himself to put on the best show he could. I knew hed said the band had hit some sort of peak recently, but the change was dramatic, to say the least. afterward a few more jokes and sexual innuendoes, I finally left them. Just like that, the discordant feeling disappeared as soon as I cleared the door. It was like breathing fresh air after a sandstorm. Glancing behind me, I stared into the room, arduous to find any indication of what had just happened. Nothing revealed itself. The band had forgotten me already. They were laughing at something else, drinking their beer or pop or whatever, and roughhousing in what must have been some male tension-reliever. Puzzled, I walked away.Seth had joined the others when I finally made my way back to the main floor. I felt a smile creeping up on me in spite of my concerns. His hair was as unkempt as ever, and he wore a Thundercats shirt.Hey, I said when I sa w him, conscious that everyone was watching us, apparently waiting for me to pull out my handcuffs.Hey, he returned, hands casually in his pockets, posture relaxed and easy like always.You know, Dougs wearing a shirt very similar to that.I know. I lent it to him.We all shared a good laugh over that, and Beth turned to me. You saw Doug? Is he ready for this?The question, actually, I told them with a small frown, is Is the world ready for Doug?A half hour later, they saw what I meant. Nocturnal Admission burst onto the stage, and suddenly all that pent-up push and en and theniasm was channeled into their music. Like Id told Doug, Id long been a fan of the group. Their style combined hard rock with a bit of ska, and the fusion always hooked me. After centuries filled with repetition, innovation was a treat. They regularly performed with flair and passion, making them as much fun to watch as to listen to. My biased affection for Doug didnt blemish either.Tonight was unbelievable. All of their songs were new Id never heard any of them before. And Christ, what songs they were. Amazing. Incredible. Ten times fracture than the old ones which Id hitherto found hard to beat. I wondered when Doug had had time to compose these. He wrote most of their stuff, and Id last seen them perform about a month and a half ago. He must have had help to indite all of those in so short a time. I knew he usually in any casek a while to compose one, refining lyrics over and over. He never treated the process lightly.And the performance itselfWell, Doug was always flamboyant it was his trademark. Tonight, I swear, he never stopped go. Pure energy in human form. He danced, he sauntered, he did cartwheels. His between-song monologues were hilarious. His singing voice surpassed anything Id ever heard from him, rich and deep. It resonated in my body. The audience couldnt get enough. They loved him, and I understood why. No one, even the plenty who worked there, could take their eyes o ff the stage.Except one.There, along the far edges of the crowd, was a man casually making his way toward the exit. By his stride and apparent lack of interest, he didnt find Nocturnal Admission as compelling as the rest of us. While this was intriguing enough to draw my own gaze from the band, his rise struck me even more strongly.If GQ magazine had been around in the days of Victorian poets, he would have been their overlay model. He wore beautifully tailored black slacks paired with a long, black coat, the tails of which almost tangencyed the backs of his knees. Underneath the coat was a gorgeous, billowing white shirt that might have been silk. Whatever it was, it made me want to touch it and see how soft it was. Unlike Horatio, whose demonic wear had simply been out-of-date, this guy had taken the past and made it his own. His own hot historic couture. The kind the modern day goth movement so longed to achieve. Hed opened the first few buttons to reveal smooth, tanned skin. That skin beef up paired with the glossy black hair that flowed halfway down his back made me think he must be of Middle Eastern or Indian descent.When he reached the door leading out, he paused and turned toward the stage, watching the band for a few moments. A small, pleased smile played along his lips, and then he was gone.Weird, I thought. I wondered who he was. Prospective agent maybe? Or perhaps just someone who didnt get down to this oddball of music. He had looked like the kind of guy who owned Chopins complete works, after all.I considered the man for a few more moments, then turned back toward the stage. The group was taking a momentary reprieve from their new stash and doing a cover of one of my favorite Nine Inch Nails songs. Nothing like hearing Trent Reznors lyrics paired with a saxophone.I cant believe this, I told Seth later, moving to the back of our group so I could stand near him. Our friends were so hypnotized by what was onstage that Seth and I could actually talk without drawing attention. Itsunbelievable.That it is, he agreed. I take it this isnt the norm then?No. absolutely not. But I hope it becomes the norm. Jesus.We fell silent then, our eyes and ears drawn back to the band. As we watched, however, Seth rested his hand on my back in a friendly, innocent gesture that made me promptly lose interest in the music. And that was saying something. The shirt I wore was hardly a shirt at all. It was a glittering tunic type thing that covered the front of me only, then tied behind my neck and once below my shoulder blades, thus letting his fingers stroke bare, exposed skin.Less than a week ago, Id been in a hotel room with a guy whod massaged scented oil all over my body and then gone down on me in a way that left me gasping. And yet, I swear that didnt do as much for me as Seths fingers on my bare skin did now. The rest of my body jolted to life, suddenly ravenous for more of him. When he trailed his fingertips down to my lower back, I coul d perfectly issue every place he had touched me and every place he hadnt, as though his fingers left scorch marks in my flesh. Magic fingers. tempting fingers. My nerves pulsed hungrily, demanding I take action and give them more.When his hand finally came to rest by my tailbone, right at the edge of my jeans, I murmured, You can go lower if you want. No, he returned. His voice seemed huskier than usual, holding an unfamiliar intensity. But it was laced with wistfulness too. I really cant.The audience whooped and demanded an encore when the show ended, which the band was only too happy to give multiple times. Talk about stamina.As I watched them wrap up the song and make their bows, an idea suddenly struck me. Excusing myself for the bathroom, I headed back in the direction of the dressing room. Once out of any passerbys eyesight, I turned invisible and slipped back into that room, still perplexed about that burning, front crawl sensation.It was gone. Everything felt perfectly normal in the room. Jackets and instrument cases lay in unceremonious heaps on the floor, and empty red plastic cups vied with overflowing ashtrays to cover up other flat surfaces. I paced around slowly, peering in corners, looking for something anything that would explain what I had felt. And again, I came up empty- transfer. All was quiet and still. No person or creature waited to leap out, though I was pretty sure what Id felt hadnt come from anything living. Yet, it also hadnt resembled any charm or enchanted target I knew of either. If anything, that tingle had felt like something in the middle half sentient, half not. But that made no sense.Returning to my friends, I saw them making preparations to leave. None of us could stop talking about the show. We separated and met up again at Dougs place for a post-show party hed invited us to. Id been to similar gigs of his but saw more sight here than ever before. They packed the place. Alcohol and pot flowed like milk and honey, but I stopped after a couple shots since I had to open at work in the morning.Through the smoky, decadent haze, the band worked the crowd like theyd done this sort of PR all their rests. They talked to everyone, charismatic and outgoing, though never too proud or conceited.As this went on, Seth and I kept a respectable distance from each other in order to maintain the illusion we were nothing but friends. While I still believed that was a good idea, it sort of seemed like rubbing flavour into open wounds. Bad enough we couldnt touch each other now we couldnt talk either.Alec found me at some point, attempting to resume the conversation wed been having when Doug spirited me away. The drummer handed me a plastic cup.This guy over there knows how to make vodka gimlets, he said happily.I sniffed the cup. It smelled like pure vodka. Probably a cheap kind at that.Thanks, I said, literally keeping it at arms length.Alec leaned against a nearby wall, propping his elbow against it to creat e a more enclosed sense of space between us. So, did you like the show?Yes. Absolutely. You guys were amazing.His chest puffed up with pride. Thanks. Weve been working really hard. Weve got some other big shows coming up soon I hope youll come see us.I will if I can. I seem to be working a lot lately.Over at that bookstore with Doug? I cant figure that out. Neither of you seem like that type. Especially you. You look like someone with a wild side. Someone who likes to party. I kept my smile up and took a step back. Sure. Just not on school nights, you know?Ignoring what I thought were obvious back off signs, he took a step toward me with a smile he probably believed was seductive. His clumsy attempts at flirtation suddenly seemed less endearing. Come on, he laughed. Call in sick tomorrow. I know somewheresomewhere we could go if you really wanted to have a good time. A more intense scene than this.No. I cant. Sorry. Um, thanks for the drink, but Ive got to go wonder Douguh, someth ing about work. Ill see you around.Clear disappointment flashed across Alecs face at my rejection, but he didnt push the motion as I made a hasty retreat toward Doug. When I found him, he and I didnt really discuss work, but we hashed out a number of other amusing topics, made more so by his increasing intoxication and the fact that he really did now have an suite of groupies. It looked like hed be getting lucky after all. If he was still running on the same energy tonight, hed probably keep a clop of them happy.Finally, tired of the scene, I told him good-bye and found Seth on the other side of the room. Not surprisingly, he was by himself and not drinking. Hed been born without the small-talk gene, and I knew for a fact interacting with others at parties made him uncomfortable. I had teased him in the past that he might actually be pleasantly surprised if he just made an attempt at talking to new people. He wouldnt have any of it, however. He seemed fairly entertained by people- watching, eyes twinkling and lips quirked in a half-smile as if he were in on some kind of joke the rest of us didnt know about. I wouldnt have been surprised if he was logging all of this for future novels.Hey, I said.He brightened upon seeing me. The twinkling eyes took on a warm, knowing look. Something inside of me heated and tightened. Hey.Im ready to go. You want to come over to my place? He deserved it after the way Id neglected him tonight.Sure.We were discussing who would leave first when I looked across the room and saw Alec handing Casey a drink. She looked like shed already had more than enough, and Alec was doing the same closing-in maneuver hed tried on me.Whats wrong? asked Seth, seeing my frown.That new drummer. Alec. He hit on me earlier, and now hes moving in on Casey. I think hes one of those guys who thinks plying girls with liquor is the only way to get laid.Wait. I thought I was the only guy who knew that secret.I chastised him with a dry look before turning ba ck to Alec and Casey. I dont like it. I dont like him intellection he can do that to women.You dont even know hes thinking that. Besides, look around. Every guy here is trying to get laid. Alcohol is par for the course. Caseys old enough to know that.Im going to go over there.Seth gave me a warning glance. She wont thank you for playing mother hen.Better shes mad at me than does something stupid.Thetis, dont Id already left him behind, weaving through the people as I honed in on my target.look like someone who likes to party, Alec was saying as I approached.Hey, I said loudly, sort of wedging my way in between them.They both turned to me in surprise. Hi, Georgina. Whats up?Im heading home, I told her. Wondered if you wanted a ride.Casey smiled, glanced at Alec, then back to me. College-age, Casey was Hawaiian and Filipino, with high cheekbones and sleek black hair. Very pretty. Thanks, but Im gonna stay here for a while.Alec looked very pleased with himself. I turned back to her.O kay, but can I ask you something real quick, Case? I smiled sweetly at Alec. Itll just take a minute.I steered her away, catching her as she stumbled. Closer inspection revealed shed been indulging in more than just alcohol.Casey, I told her, once we were out of earshot, I dont think you should be hanging around with him. Why not? Hes a nice guy.I dont know about that. He just used the same pick-up lines on me. I think hes trying to get laid.Every guy here is trying to get laid. I know the game.Yeah, but Look, she said, I appreciate the big sister thing, but Im not stupid. I can handle this. A ruinous look crossed her face. Besides, I never would have thought you would be the one preaching sexual caution.Like I didnt know what that was a quotation to. Damn ONeills libido. I made a face and attempted a few more logical pleas. She rejected them all, indulgence soon giving way to annoyance. By then, Alec hadnt been able to control himself. He came back over and put a possessive arm around her. She looked up at him adoringly, and I knew a lost cause when I saw one.Seth and I met up back at my place, and he listened with admirable patience while I vent about men preying on women.Isnt that what you do though? We were sitting on my living-room floor, setting up a game of Scrabble.Ino. Its not the same at all.How so?He held my eyes for a moment, and I finally looked away. It just isnt. Do you want to go first?He let the matter drop. Another nice thing about being with a non confrontational guy.I quickly discovered playing Scrabble with Seth was like playing Monopoly with Jerome. A losing battle from the first turn. Admittedly, my knowledge of more than two dozen languages gave me a large vocabulary, but I didnt craft or fix backchats on a regular basis. Seth was a master. He could study the board, spend a minute calculating, and then play some word that was not only worth tons of points but interesting too. Maize. Hexagon. Tawdry. Bisque.That last one was just cr uel.Meanwhile, I was spelling words like as, lit, ill, and tee. And almost never on high-point spaces.Wait, he said. Thats not a word.I looked down to where, in a moment of desperation, Id played zixic on a triple-word-score space.Uh, sure it is.Whats it mean?Its sort of likequixotic, but with moreBullshit?I laughed out loud. Id never heard him swear before.More zeal. Hence the z.Uh-huh. Use it in a sentence.UmYou are a zixic writer.I dont believe this.That youre zixic?That youre trying to cheat at Scrabble. He leaned back against my couch, shaking his head. I mean, I was ready to accept the whole evil thing, but this is kind of extreme. Hey, its not cheating. Just because your limited vocabulary doesnt include this word doesnt mean theres anything sinister going on.Care to back that up with a dictionary?Hey, I said haughtily, I dont appreciate your zixistic tone.If you werent such a zixy woman, Id be angry.Your zixicism is infuriating.The game forgotten, we spent the next twenty mi nutes coming up with as many zix variations as we could. Interestingly, it seemed to function just as well as a suffix as a prefix. I suspected that if Bastien had heard this conversation, Id be accused of more boring geekiness.Seth and I finally went to bed on the verge of hysterics, both of us still giggling once we were engrossed up in my covers.You smell good, I told him, my face close to his neck. What cologne is that?He stifled a yawn. I dont wear cologne. Too strong.You must. I press my face closer.Hey, be careful. Youre giving me funny ideas.He had skin and sweat smells unique to him and him alone, deliriously delicious. With that, however, was a faint scent of something else. Almost like apples, but not in a girly, boutique sort of way. It was fleeting and lovely, mingled with musk and soft leather.No, its something. You must. Is it your deodorant?Oh, he mumbled, yawning again. I bet its this soap Andrea and Terry got me. Came as part of some set.Mmm. Its perfect. It made me want to eat his neck among other things. You know, you still owe me pancakes. I think I could go forapple cinnamon bark ones now. Apple cinnamon? You sure are demanding.Its all right. I think youre man enough for it.Thetis, if I actually believed you had either apples or cinnamon in your kitchen, Id make them for you right now.I didnt answer. I was pretty sure I had some year-old Apple Jacks, but that was about it.Seth gave a low laugh at my silence and then kissed my temple. I dont know how anyone could think you were Genevieve. I couldnt make up someone like you in a thousand years.I considered that, not entirely sure if it was a compliment or not. How do you come up with your characters then?He laughed again. If I didnt know any better and Im sure I do Id say that sounds suspiciously like Where do you get your ideas from?I blushed in the darkness. When he and I had first met, Id taken a haughty high ground over that question, making fun of the fans that so often asked him that.Hey, its a totally different question.I could sense his amusement as he contemplated an answer. Part of the reason he stumbled in conversation sometimes was because he didnt like to blurt things out. He chose his words carefully.They come from my head, I guess. The stories too. They live there, screaming to get out. If I didnt write them down, theyd eat me up. Give me less of a grip on the real world than I already have.Not that Im complainingbut, if theres so much inside, do you even need to care about the real world?Well, thats the paradox. The stories are born in my head, but my midland self is fueled by my outer self. Symbiotic relationship of sorts. The stories ideas wouldnt come if I didnt have experiences to draw on. Jealousy. Love. Lust. Anger. Heartache. All that stuff.Something pulled inside of me. You had your heart broken much?He paused. Of course. Everyone does. Part of life.Tell me her name. Ill kick her ass. I dont want anyone hurting you.He rested his face agai nst my hair, his tone even and gentle when he spoke. Youre marvelous and powerful and gifted, but even you cant save me from hurting. No one can do that for anyone. I can make things perfect in the fictions I create, but the real world isnt so kind. Thats just how it is. And anyway, for every bad thing in life, there are more good things to tip the balance.Like what?Like little blonde nieces. And royalty checks. And you.I sighed and relaxed into him. His grip on me shifted into something more comfortable, and in a few minutes he was asleep. Amazing.I lay nestle with him for a while, but sleep proved more elusive for me this time, as I turned over his words. I thought about someone breaking his heart and wondered if Id be the next culprit, intentionally or otherwise.When sleep came, I immediately dropped into a steamy dream in which Seth and I were having mad, fiery sex. Hed tied my hands to my bedposts, and naturally, he was huge. Each thrust made my headboard bang against the wa ll, so much so that my neighbors complained.I woke up with a start, suddenly thinking being so entwined with him wasnt such a great idea. Of course, I was apparently the only one who had a problem with it. Seth slept on peacefully and heavily, like I wasnt even there, no doubt having properly chaste dreams. A paradigm of virtue and resolve.I watched him for a long time, admiring the way the soft sacking fell across his features. The fit muscles of his upper body. Eyelashes I wished I could have had as a mortal. Biting my lip, I resisted the urge to reach out and touch him. It was lust and something else, something that just wanted to be close to him. It scared me. Maybe he wasnt the only one who could walk away from this with a broken heart.I wiggled my own weak self away to the other side of the bed, putting what space I could between us. As I lay there, my back to him, Aubrey jumped up and lay next to my stomach. I stroked her black-speckled white head and sighed.They were all wr ong, Aub, I whispered. Theres at least one guy in this world not trying to get laid.