Chapter 16: The Laws of Alex...

As it happened, Lorelei was correct. Even in the cool September Seattle evening, wind was blowing under an overcast sky as they drove toward downtown. Alex felt completely warm. It was an easy thing for Lorelei to accomplish exactly in the manner she'd hinted at. The succubus simply lounged in the front passenger seat, looking hot and occasionally stroking her fingers down his neck, or sometimes across the hardness in his pants.

Were Alex a cooler, more confident guy, he might have had his right hand outstretched around her shoulders or perhaps draped over the back of her seat. He might have let the stereo blast something. He'll, he would have a cocky expression like he was king of the world.

Instead, he was a nineteen-year-old driving a car worth more than he could make in two or even three years at his part-time job, with his own personal sex slave staring adoringly at him at his side. He kept both hands on the wheel and his eyes on the road.

Despite his nervousness about the car, he was feeling good about the relationship that had put him into it. Very good. The thought of having incurred the wrath of some sort of demonic power for having done the right thing with Cordingly (and it was unquestionably, he felt, the right thing given the circumstances) had been banished by Lorelei's straightforward assessment of his courage. It was the first time he thought that he might actually, in some small way, be worthy of her attention. Perhaps it didn't measure up to his awe of her, but it was something.

Maybe, something said in his mind, he wasn't entirely a goon who'd simply gotten lucky. Maybe he had more to work with than just Lorelei's magic in dealing with women. It wasn't like he'd never gotten a date in his life. Much of his loneliness could fairly be chalked up to bad luck. And for all the lusty stares and flirtation he'd received lately, it wasn't like Rachel seemed affected by it. She seemed to like Alex for himself...

...which brought to mind the things she'd said that morning. He wondered how good he'd feel about his relationship with Lorelei if he addressed that.

"Something's on your mind," Lorelei observed. Her tone and her smile were sultry, but almost everything with her was at least a little sultry. Alex somehow knew she didn't suspect he was thinking about anything sexy.

"I kind of wonder if we should be explicit about what's okay with me and what's not," he forced himself to say. Rachel was right. He had to get this done, for peace of mind if nothing else. If it displeased Lorelei, he'd have to live with that. Too much was at stake.

"There will be no more Raymond Cordinglys," Lorelei assured him smoothly.

"It's not just that, it's..." Alex fought for the words. He wasn't even sure how to begin. "I don't want underage girls throwing themselves at me, or being thrown at me," he finally said. "Ever. Off limits. No matter what it might seem like I desire, eighteen and relative emotional stability are bare minimums."

"Ah," the succubus smiled, "the rules. The Laws of Alex." She had been leaning somewhat against the door behind her, but now she shifted in her seat to lean lightly against his right shoulder. She didn't sound bothered at all, but rather very interested. "I hear and obey. What is thy will, master?"

"Okay, now you sound way too close to Darth Vader and that shit's freakin' me out." Lorelei laughed, very much with him rather than at him. He felt a bit better. She was good at making him feel better. "I mean it, though. I know age is arbitrary, but it's good enough. No jailbait for me."

"I cannot help it if you earn such attention all on your own, master," Lorelei said, "but I swear that I shall do nothing to encourage it."

"So that effect that I've been having on women since we met won't hit them?"

"Ah. That can't be narrowly defined. It's derived from our base desires, and those do not check anyone's driver's license. However, it is partly directed by the depth of your attraction. As you are less interested in younger women, they will be less affected." She chuckled a bit, adding, "Given our earlier activities, you may find that 'effect' especially potent tonight."

He smirked a bit. "I'll try to be careful, then."

"You might consider having some fun with it," Lorelei shrugged. "It would make me happy. That 'effect' isn't domination, or even mind control. It's just an improved communication of sex appeal. No one would do anything that would put themselves in danger or that they could not be persuaded to do otherwise. Consider it an advantage... perhaps a cheat, but not brainwashing."

"You're assuming that these women would be interested in me if I didn't have this going for me."

"And yet you do have it going for you. More to the point, they won't regret it when they learn some of the things that I know about you." Her hand stroked along his erection. "But back to your commands, master," she whispered into his ear.

"No married women."

"Aw," Lorelei pouted, lightly but somewhat genuinely. "Not even unhappily married women who deserve a little illicit fun?"

"Look, on the off chance that 'Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife' is for real, I'm willing to forego the women with rings on their fingers in favor of the ones who haven't made vows. Unless there's a cheat sheet on what is and isn't a mitigating circumstance."

She shrugged. "Not that I can recite to you, no. But if they already have an... understanding with their spouses? A clear arrangement?"

"How common is that, really?"

"More than you might think.You and I will likely be together for a very long time. I like to be prepared to seize an opportunity rather than waste time pondering," she grinned audibly.

"Well, really the primary interest I have here is in not hurting anyone, emotionally or otherwise."

"You have made that clear already. I have kept that in mind all along in anything I've done."

"Speaking of," Alex said, and then swallowed. This one worried him. "My mom."

"Hm," Lorelei intoned tauntingly. "Before you speak on that, master, may I ask something of you?"

He gave a grumbling sigh, but she was hard to resist. "Can't guarantee I'll be okay with it."

"I have broken none of these commands thus far, and I shall not. You have voiced that you wish to trust me, and I long for your trust. May I keep a few secrets to myself?" Her tone was as dripping with teasing sexuality as it had been at any other time since they'd met.

Alex stiffened in his seat, trembling from something other than the cold. "Now I know something's going on."

"No, you strongly suspect," Lorelei corrected with a grin, "and the unknown is almost always more exciting than the truth. Almost. Master, as I said this morning, your mother is harmed in no way and the only alterations that have occurred since you and I bonded are that she has become happier and more confident. She is every bit as safe from me as you are -- moreso, in fact. So, the question becomes: if there is... something going on... do you really mind?

"I think we both know that you were rather appreciative of her appearance this morning," she added, still smiling.

Again, he gulped. "I don't... want that to go any farther than that. I'm not going to lie to you, she looks great and if that makes her happy then I'm happy for her, I just don't want to... um... you know." Alex was soon at a loss for words.

"Don't want to be backed into a corner."

"Yeah. Um. Is she, uh, acting like that with everyone?"

"No," Lorelei answered softly. "I cannot guarantee that she won't flirt or get attention -- she certainly will, especially the latter. But no, Michelle truly feels safest and most comfortable alone with her handsome, loyal, and very loving son."

"You're going to drive me insane."

"You have impressive self-control, master. I have faith in you." Her hand slid down between his legs again, as if to relieve his shivering. Neither had any doubt that the tremors going through his body came from being cold.

"Still. Maybe we'd better just... move on."

"Oh, I can dance around this particular pole all night if you wish."

"Puns. You're making puns. That's awesome."

"What else did you want to talk about?" she asked sweetly.

"So, your money. I don't want to go spending your money, but..."

"Your money now, master."

"No, really. I don't want to take things from you."

"Master," she said, a bit more seriously. "Imagine that my life could be dramatically improved if I only had more dried leaves. For whatever reason, I cannot collect many myself. You could, however. They're often all around you. Would you not share whatever leaves you found? Given your affection for me, wouldn't you gather them in great bundles, well beyond my actual need, simply because you know that as a gift they would be appreciated and provide me with luxury?"

He thought about that for a moment, and realized he couldn't argue it. "That's really what it's worth to you? I would've thought demons might be a bit more materialistic."

"It's a fair comparison. I enjoy a bit of luxury, but I can do without it freely. Wealth is merely a means to an end, and I have power, age and experience that mortals do not. I can always acquire more."

"I just don't want it to go to my head. I'm already being spoiled beyond anything rational as it is just with sex. You want to add money to that, too? I'll go nuts."

"If greed was one of your driving motivations, I think we would be having a very different conversation, Alex. Perhaps over a dead man's bank accounts."

"Who says I won't become greedy over time?"

"Anything's possible, but again, I rather doubt it. You do not strike me as the materialistic type. Many people want only enough money to provide general security and some small measure of amusement, and are satisfied with that. They simply don't get talked about."

Alex thought about it and shrugged. "So you said I wouldn't object to your money. Is it legal?"

"More or less," Lorelei nodded. "I don't exactly have a birth certificate or social security number. A government accountant might find some discrepancies in my taxes. The money itself comes from legitimate business... more or less. Again, nothing you would object to, or I would confess it right now. Leave this matter to me as another secret?" she asked, again very sweetly. She kissed his neck.

"How many secrets do you want to keep?"

He felt her smile against his neck. "Only matters I might engineer to eventually provide entertainment for us both, master."

Alex couldn't object to that. He didn't want to, really, mainly because he didn't want to disappoint her. He frowned. "Alright. But where are we going, anyway? You said downtown, but not where."

Lorelei leaned back thoughtfully. "I would suggest a few boutiques, but they may take more time than we want to spend. We also haven't decided how to present our relationship to others. Pacific Place should be fine for now."