Chapter 20: Taylor goes for a ride...

"It's always nice to talk shop with a colleague," Rob smiled. There was a flat firmness in his tone that was subtly out of place with his wording. He looked at her with a masterful blend of casual conversation and intimidating glare.

He might as well have been saying it from behind a sand blaster. The invisible, insubstantial fear and fury that he projected at her threatened to overwhelm her. Demons like Rob weren't built for bullying; they were creatures of manipulation, not raw power. Where Lorelei worked with flesh and lust, Rob's kind dealt in money and greed. But in the face of a weak target, there was no reason not to be direct.

"So tell me," Rob went on, "what happened to you?"

Lorelei wanted to get up and run. She considered it, fighting rising panic, but knew that would only make things worse. If she ran, he'd have every reason to pursue. That would lead to bigger trouble. Blood was in the water. All she could do was maneuver.

"I -- well, think it over, Rob," Lorelei said. "Your sort is always better-connected than mine. Who else is in this city?"

"A few people I could name. It's not as big as some other cities, but it's busy. Kind of an important place these days, lots of influential people. I knew you were here. You've got a name. One of the best, they always said. Like I mentioned, I'm kind of disappointed that you can't deal."

"I can bargain," Lorelei offered calmly.

"Sure, but not the way I'd like. New restrictions, you said."

"Y-yes."

"That's a tragedy. Who'd want to tie your hands like that? Keep you from using your best assets? You are what you are, right?"

Involuntarily, Lorelei's eyes went wide. She felt Taylor's first kiss. It hit her like a wave, directly counter to the blazing fury before her. The urge to run diminished. Alex was most certainly not having some random fling with a convenient, attractive partner anymore.

She closed her eyes for two seconds, three at the most. This was going further. Youthful longing and passion was being fulfilled, and flooding her as surely as if she lay with her master herself. Another kiss, this one deeper. Affectionate, groping hands. Teenage fantasy becoming adult reality. Naughty, physical, but compellingly beautiful.

Lorelei's eyes opened. There was a corruptor in front of her, thinking he could just intimidate her. She was pretty sure she could pitch the little bastard through the window out into the street below. The change in his expression told her that he knew it, too.

Lorelei smiled broadly. "It was a rough transition, but indisputably for the best."

************

"The fuck's keepin' him?" Mike fumed.

"Fuck if I know," J'Von shrugged.

"Maybe he really is in there shoppin' for panties," Tony scowled. "That shit's complicated." Mike and J'Von slowly turned to look at Tony.

"Really?" J'Von deadpanned.

************

She had held his cock in his hand, felt the wetness upon it, and didn't seem to be the least bit concerned. It wasn't like she didn't know where it was from. Amazingly, she didn't care. Taylor rode Alex, slowly reveling in the feeling of him inside of her, and if he'd been primed up and ready to go by some other woman so much for the better. For the first time in her life, Taylor didn't want to invest time in foreplay. She devoured his lips and tongue with another kiss. That was good, too.

Alex's longtime crush wrapped her legs around his hips, lifting her knees up as if to get him as deep inside of her as possible. She moaned into his mouth. Taylor felt every bit as good as Alex had ever dreamed. But it had always only ever been dreams.

This wasn't just sex. He cared about her. He had always cared about her. "Taylor," he whispered, "this is... I don't..."

"Sshhh," Taylor said, putting a finger over his mouth as she continued to gyrate against him. "We both know we both want this right now. It's just right now."

"I don't want to just use you."

She giggled softly. "You're not using me. We're friends. Very close friends. I don't expect anything more." Taylor squeezed with her thighs, riding up softly, then slowly lowering herself down on him again while never breaking eye contact. "We're not being any naughtier than you were just two minutes ago."

"I'm not. What about you?"

"You're the one here allegedly shopping for your alleged girlfriend. Won't she be mad if she finds out?"

"She'll know. She figures out everything. My 'girlfriend' will think this is hot."

"Good," she smiled into his lips. "It is. Go ahead and tell her if it'll be good for you. Just keep it to yourselves."

"What about you?" He kept her moving slowly up and down, sharing their trembling intimacy. This had been the girl of his dreams for years.

"Mmmmh. Let's just say that if you see my Facebook page explode tomorrow, it's been a long time coming and it isn't about you at all. Don't jump into it."

"You know I've always been crazy about you," Alex said. "I think everybody knew." Grinding slowly against him, Taylor nodded. "Are you okay if this isn't more than it is?"

"It's something."

"Yeah, but... I have things to sort out after the last year. I'm not looking for a new relationship. Sounds like you aren't, either. This just feels really right, just for now."

"Still friends?" Alex didn't feel disappointed. He still cared about her. Could even call it love. But life was too crazy to run away with that right now.

Taylor nodded. "I might want a booty call now and again, if that's okay."

"I can't promise to always be available, but I'd like that a lot." He pushed up into her, holding her down on his cock while kissing her, his hands roaming underneath her shirt.

She had always thought of Alex as adorable, but had never realized just what he could deliver. "Definitely a booty call now and again," Taylor groaned.

************

Rob remained in his seat, but he was effectively on the run. The succubus had him cornered on his own turf. It didn't matter that she looked all beat to shit; that predator's grin said it all. She could tear him limb from limb and scatter him so far and wide that it would be years before he got himself back together. After that, his masters would punish him for getting himself into such a predicament in the first place.

Whatever had suddenly gotten into her must have been pretty powerful. Maybe she had just been putting on an act? Were the scars all illusory? Could this all have been some sick act to lure him into conversation rather than immediate fight and flight?

"You said you knew names," Lorelei smiled.

"Lydia's here," Rob began hesitantly, "and Harrow. A couple more like me -- there's money in this city, y'know?"

One eyebrow rose up. "Lydia and Harrow? Together?"

"I don't know. I don't know why they're here. She only turned up recently. They've both approached me for material aid, which I gave, but that's about it. And I told them I'd keep it quiet."

"Good job on that," Lorelei remarked dryly. "Who else?"

"That's it for our kind. Don't ask me about the other side. We don't talk."

"I am also curious of those who would fall in between. The interesting ones."

Rob fumed. He didn't like being bullied. "What do I get for all this? You said you were going to bargain?" She smiled again, and he stared at that smile. That mouth is made to be stuffed with dick, he thought... but not his dick. That would definitely not be happening. Fucking dammit.

Lorelei glanced down at the table. "I'll pick up your tab here."

"This is an all-you-can-eat buffet!" Rob protested.

"So don't hold back," she said, gesturing at the buffet counters.

Arrogant fucking cunt, Rob fumed silently. It galled him that this only made him want her more, but even demons sometimes wanted what they couldn't have.

"Others?" she asked.

He sighed. "About as many vampires in this town as you would expect."

Lorelei made a disdainful face, as if he'd farted right in front of her. "They count as interesting?"

"Well, I guess not," Rob had to concede. He pondered a moment. "Woods are full of all sorts of critters, but they keep to themselves. There's, um... there are some Believers and Practitioners around here who do a little more than just pose and dabble..."

That caught her interest. "Tell me what you know," she said flatly.

************

J'Von checked the time on his cell phone and cursed. "Nobody take that long lookin' at women's undies 'less they tryin' the shit on."

"Maybe he's that way?" Tony shrugged. "I mean, who are we to judge?"

"Yeah, don't go all fuckin' homophobe, J'Von," Mike nodded.

"The fuck...? What's wrong wit'choo?! Jesus! Look, we done waitin'. We gotta go in there an' get his ass." J'Von took off walking, with Tony and Mike quickly falling in line behind him.

"Could be he getting' a blowjob in the back room," Mike suggested. "Girls workin' in a lingerie store gotta be at least a little bit freaky."

"Shit, that stuff only happens in porn," Tony countered.

The store was mostly empty when the three entered. Only the closing crew and a couple of random customers remained. Not everyone noticed the three men, all dressed for thug life, as they arrived. Even then, nobody wanted to jump to conclusions. It wasn't the way they were dressed that was alarming, though, so much as the all-business expressions on their faces.

It was J'Von though that found the dressing rooms. Two were open; one was occupied. He glanced down at the bottom of the door and saw men's sneakers and crumpled pants. Frowning, he paused, and heard what sounded like kissing.

Shit, really? he wondered. He wasn't sure what their target was wearing, but this appeared to be the only guy in the store. It was worth checking. Worst case, they lost their guy and would have to leave the mall. J'Von had been thrown out of Pacific Place before. It wasn't a thing.

He pulled his grocery store club card out of his pocket and slipped it in over the latch.

Sure enough, there was a couple going at it on the dressing room seat. One of the sales girls was on the dude's lap, going at him slow but hard, and neither one heard J'Von enter until the door banged against the wall. Both looked up with a start.

J'Von already had his nine partially drawn from his coat. "Don't say a fuckin' thing," he warned quietly but darkly. "I'll be long gone 'fore cops show up after I shoot both of you."

Neither one panicked. The girl looked more afraid than the guy, but she wasn't about to scream. For his part, the guy on the seat seemed to be keeping his cool. "What do you want?" he asked.

"Put your fuckin' pants on, both of you," J'Von said. "Don't do nothin' stupid. We goin' for a drive." They didn't argue. Both of them did as he said.

Alex didn't like it, of course. More than being just unpleasant and dangerous, it seemed like a dumb way to handle the situation. When seeing something like this on television, he would scream inwardly at the characters not to just go along with the bad guy, but rather make a break for it or do something.

In the reality of it, though, he'd only ever been in two real fights, and one was just the other night. Those were three middle-aged guys taken by complete surprise. He'd been armed, more or less. And before that fight was over, he had an angel and a demon on his side, who had been the ones to end it.

Neither of them was in sight. He didn't know where Lorelei was, or how soon she'd be back. Rachel said she'd be watching him, but couldn't see him when he was with Lorelei, and Alex didn't know what that specifically meant for him. How far did they have to be apart? How often did Rachel try to look?

With his pants back on, Alex thought for a brief moment about trying to tackle J'Von, but then Mike appeared in the hallway. Two of them now. Twice as unlikely to turn out well. Neither of them looked like strangers to violence, either.

As they quietly directed Alex and Taylor out of the dressing rooms and out of the store, joined by a third guy -- this one white and skinnier than the other two -- Alex cursed at himself for not taking Drew up on those kung fu classes months ago. They might not have helped much at all here, but anything was better than nothing, and that's what he had. Nothing.

Taylor kept it together fairly well. The only sign of fear she showed was in taking Alex's hand when they were outside the store and walking to the elevators.

"We gotta pay parking before we leave?" Tony asked as they waited.

"Don't know," J'Von shrugged. He nudged Alex from behind. "We gotta pay parking for that car of yours?"

Alex sighed. "The pass is in my pocket," he mumbled.

"Good." The elevator opened, and all five of them went inside. They didn't share the car with anyone. As soon as the doors shut, J'Von demanded, "Phones, wallets, and keys. Now."

Both hostages -- that's what they were now, Alex understood -- did as was demanded. Alex wished he had replaced that pepper spray. All he'd have to do was set it off in here and everyone would be blinded and incapacitated. These guys seemed serious, but he didn't think they'd be dumb enough to shoot blindly in an elevator. The worst he or Taylor would suffer is some bruises, maybe a broken bone or two.

No pepper spray. No black belt in kung fu. No guardian angel or fire-breathing demon. Too bad for that.

************