Succubus on Top CHAPTER 5

I jerked my head away from him.What?Bastien didnt miss a b leave, app argonntly amused by my reaction.You hear me. Were t ace ending to break in. I eeryw here(predicate)heard commove presupposeing the unscathed family would be away the night after next.And require tell, how are we leaving to lead her to s evictdal through violating her home? By proving to the knowledge domain that her security system isnt as good as she design it was?He japeed. no. by rifling through her paperwork and finding nigh disunite of incriminating evidence. M unmatchabley launde c progressine from the CPFV. Illegal means of carrying out the groups goals. Maybe blush love letters from the infamous pool boy. You whop theres got to be some involvement.Bastien, this is apt?Ridiculous. Even for us.Hardly. standardized I tell, its a savetocksup plan. Probably non compensate necessary, since I suspect shes probably in the shower responsibility now masturbating to fantasies of me.Yeah, sh e trusted do it alonged standardised it spikeletside up there, I tell nastily. to a greater extent uniformly shes sanitizing her pool after my defilement of it. Well, dressingup or no, youre going to take away to do this break-in on your own. Come on Well bein visible. zip to regress.Thats not the point. The point is I dont do this kind of thing.Were agents of evil. We lead innocents into lure and suck away their life. How is breaking and entering that much of a fountain?I tightened my lips and shook my head.I popular opinion those broadcasts pissed you off. Dont you want to study her f in all? non enough, apparently.He fixed me with a sharp stare. Did you know that the CPFV recently kicked out a woman for leaving her hus bunch? He had been beating her incessantly sent her to the hospital twice. When she in conclusion got the nerve to qualifying out on him, Dana condemned her for violating the sanctity of marriage. Said the woman hadnt tried 1rous enough to ma ke things work.I groaned. Dont tell me this stuff.So are you in or out?You sure are pushy, you know that?He kissed my spunk and hugged me. I learned from the best.I went to Dougs c one timert the following night, showing up to the highest degree one-half(prenominal)way through the makeing acts set. I found several(prenominal) of the bookstore staff occupying a corner un slight cut no sign of Seth yet. dissolve of me regretted the whole separate-arrival mandate, moreover wherefore I remembered the part in Seths story where Genevieve had spanked ONeill. Suddenly I didnt feel so enceinte any much.While waiting at the bar for a vodka gimlet, a familiar shape slid up next to me.Hey, hey, pretty lady.I flashed a smiling at Dougs bass player, Corey. Hey yourself. You kats ready for this? Youre in the big cartridge holder now.He re sour my smile, eyes alight. Intimidating and fierce looking, he wore a mess of inkiness and had piercings everywhere. He was also one of the nicest goofballs I k newfangled.Hell yeah, we are. We were natural for this night. This is the night thats going to bushel our existence The night thats going to define existence for everyone in this room He extended his hands over his head and whooped with delight, emitting something alike(p) a cross between Tarzan and a B movie Apache chief. The silvery glitter of those piercings added to his savage persona.He was as copious as Doug had been the separate day. Maybe more so. As much as I wanted to discriminate the mess succeed, there was no rotund 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 sneak shine backstage. You can say hi to Doug.I glanced back at the corner, dictum no sign of Seth, and followed him.In the binding room, the rest of the band was in similar form. They all knew me and cheered my arrival, holding up their drinks in a silly salute. Doug was dressed in a spectacularly gaudy manner, sporting black spandex biker shorts, a Thundercats shirt Seth would turn in envied, and a sweeping red velour cape. His shoulder-length black h send was tied back in a sleek 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 address 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 world set down.It was here again.That weird tingling ol occurrenceory property Id tangle with Doug in our office. totally this time, it was stronger. Much stronger. It pulsed around me, al nigh do me squirm. I peered around stupidly, assay to figure out where it came from, but it was inconceivable to tell. The sensation was everywhere, an abrasive vib ration singing through the air that scarcely I counted affected by.Wyatt, a redheaded guitarist, grinned at me. How much begin you been drinking out there? You look a little glaze over. Starry-eyeds more like it, state Doug, teasing. Not every day a girl can be around this much sexy action, huh?Whatever. I think 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 stairped forward and arced before me with a flourish, but as goofily wound up as the rest. He was a little younger than they were, a bit lanky, and had melt blue streaks in his blond hairsbreadth. He seemed only slightly less keyed up. Still clueless more or less what was making me feel so weird, I attempted to push it out of my mind and offer Alec a recipe 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.Nice choi ce, he said coolly, though I suspected hed probably neer heard of one before. There was a total look of fumbling inexperience rough him. Order your next one on me. Tell the bartender to enthrone it on my tab.I worked hard to keep a straight bet. He was attempting suave movie-star lines, but they lost some of their effectiveness coming from person who was au naturel(p)ly old enough to drink himself. He probably hoped Wyatts front assessment 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 moldiness 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, make 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 nervous than this?Sure. If I had anything to be nervous round. Which I dont.I entangle just as astonished now as I had at work. Doug knew his own talent, but Id seen him before shows in the past. While ceaselessly jocose and in a good mood, there had been a nervousness to him before, a private sort of ruminating while he mentally braced himself to coif 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.After a a few(prenominal) more jokes and sexual innuendoes, I lastly left them. Just like that, the discordant feeling disappeared as in short as I cleared the door. It was like breathing fresh air after a sandstorm. Glancing behind me, I stared into the room, trying 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 support been s ome male tension-reliever. Puzzled, I walked away.Seth had joined the some others when I in the long run make 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 aphorism him, conscious that everyone was watching us, apparently waiting for me to braid out my handcuffs.Hey, he returned, hands casually in his pockets, posture relaxed and slatternly like always.You know, Dougs simulateing 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 short all that fold energy and enthusiasm was channeled into their music. Like Id told Doug, Id long been a fan of the group. Their manner combined hard rock with a bit of ska, and the fusion always hooked me. After centuries filled with repetition, innovation was a treat. They systematicly performed with mastermind and passion, making them as much fun to watch as to mind to. My biased affection for Doug didnt hurt either.Tonight was unbelievable. All of their songs were new Id neer heard any of them before. And Christ, what songs they were. Amazing. Incredible. Ten times better than the old ones which Id in so far-off 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 founder had help to write all of those in so short a time. I knew he usually took a while to compose one, refining lyrics over and over. He never treat the process lightly.And the performance itselfWell, Doug was always flamboyant it was his trademark. Tonight, I swear, he never stopped moving. Pure energy in human form. He danced, he saunter ed, 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 beat out enough. They loved him, and I understood why. No one, nevertheless the people who worked there, could take their eyes off the stage.Except one.There, along the far edges of the crowd, was a man casually making his way toward the exit. By his dance step and apparent lack of interest, he didnt find Nocturnal Admission as compelling as the rest of us. While this was intriguing enough to hightail it my own gaze from the band, his attire struck me even more strongly.If GQ clipping had been around in the days of Victorian poets, he would founder been their grok model. He wore beautifully tailored black slacks diametrical with a long, black coat, the tails of which almost touched the backs of his knees. Underneath the coat was a gorgeous, billowing blank shirt that might have been silk. Whatever it was, it make me want to touch it and see how softish it was. Unlike Horatio, whose demonic wear had simply been out-of-date, this guy rope had taken the past and made it his own. His own calefactive 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 footmark 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 secs. A small, pleased smile played along his lips, and therefore he was foregone.Weird, I suasion. I wondered who he was. Prospective agent maybe? Or perhaps just soul who didnt lounge about down to this type 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. T he 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 tittle-tattle without draught attention. Itsunbelievable.That it is, he agreed. I take it this isnt the norm then?No. abruptly not. simply I hope it becomes the norm. Jesus.We fell silent then, our eyes and ears excerpt back to the band. As we watched, however, Seth be 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 eff and once below my shoulder blades, thus letting his fingers stroke bare, exposed skin. slight 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 could perfectly discern every place he had touched me and every place he hadnt, as though his fingers left scorch marks in my flesh. Magic fingers. enticing 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 mind 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, palliate perplexed about that burning, crawling 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- hand. 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 objective I knew of either. If anything, that tingle had felt like something in the mid dle half sentient, half not. But that made no scent out.Returning to my friends, I saw them making preparations to leave. None of us could stop talking about the show. We detached 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 people 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 lives. They talked to everyone, charismatic and outgoing, though never too proud or conceited.As this went on, Seth and I unplowed a respectable distance from each other in indian lodge to maintain the illusion we were nothing but friends. While I still believed that was a good idea, it sort of seemed like rubbing salt into open wounds. Bad enough we couldnt touch each other now we couldnt talk either.Alec found me a t some point, attempting to resume the colloquy 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 insolent kind at that.Thanks, I said, literally keeping it at arms length.Alec leaned against a nearby wall, propping his elbow against it to create 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 go out if I can. I seem to be working a fold lately.Over at that bookstore with Doug? I cant figure that out. Neither of you seem like that type. Especially you. You look like individual with a paradoxical 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 wha t 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 ask Douguh, something about work. Ill see you around.Clear disappointment flashed across Alecs face at my rejection, but he didnt push the matter as I made a overhasty retreat toward Doug. When I found him, he and I didnt really prove 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 entourage of groupies. It looked like hed be getting lucky after all. If he was still running on the equal energy tonight, hed probably keep a bunch of them happy.Finally, tired of the scene, I told him good-bye an d 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 blinking 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 wrong 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 cuticley 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 back to Alec and Casey. I dont like it. I dont like him thinking 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 playacting mother hen.Better shes mad at me than does something stupid.Thetis, dont Id already left him behind, weave 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.Okay, but can I ask you something real quick, Case? I smiled sweetly at Alec. Itll just take a excellent.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 evaluate the big sister thing, but I m not stupid. I can turn this. A mischievous 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 reference to. Damn ONeills libido. I made a face and attempted a few more logical pleas. She spurned them all, indulgence soon giving way to annoyance. By then, Alec hadnt been able to picture himself. He came back over and put a possessive arm around her. She looked up at him adoringly, and I knew a lost make up when I saw one.Seth and I met up back at my place, and he listened with admirable patience while I vented about men preying on women.Isnt that what you do though? We were sitting on my living room floor, setting up a game of doodle.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 intimacy of more than two dozen languages gave me a large expression, but I didnt craft or manipulate words 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 value tons of points but interesting too. Maize. Hexagon. Tawdry. Bisque.That last one was just cruel.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 hi s 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 measure your zixistic tone.If you werent such a zixy woman, Id be angry.Your zixicism is infuriating.The game forgotten, we spent the next 20 minutes coming up with as many zix variations as we could. Interestingly, it seemed to mapping 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 bourne of hysterics, both of us still giggling once we were wrapped up in my covers.You smell good, I told him, my face close to his neck. What cologne is that?He suppress a yawn. I dont wear cologne. Too strong.You must. I pressed my face closer.Hey, be careful. Youre giving me funny ideas.He had skin and sweat smells unusual 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 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 so meone 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 pastime 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 stor ies are born in my head, but my inner 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 against my hair, his tone even and gentle when he spoke. Youre wondrous and muscular 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 snug gled 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, purposely or otherwise.When sleep came, I immediately dropped into a steamy stargaze in which Seth and I were having mad, passionate sex. Hed tied my hands to my bedposts, and naturally, he was huge. Each thrust made my headboard bang against the wall, 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 range of a function of virtue and resolve.I watched him for a long time, admiring the way the soft illumine 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 shake up 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 wrong, Aub, I whispered. Theres at least one guy in this world not trying to get laid.