PYGMALION

By DocPaul

 

 

 

Chapter Twenty: the seas may burn, if I should not return

 

Day Twenty: Sunday, 1:23 am

Sean sat up angrily and tossed the pillow across the room. “I will kill you!” Grabbing his gun, he faced off with the deadliest foe of his life. The vicious grumbling. The plaintive whining accentuated with a hiss. Sean’s eyes narrowed as he cocked his gun, cracked his neck and took careful aim.

“I’ve got your beady little eyes in my sight. Don’t think I won’t pull the fucking trigger. You put that shoe down immediately!”

There was a large rumble, a noise so terrible and fearsome that Sean dropped his sight, and the perpetrator fled the room, to stalk in the dark ready to return in vicious revelry, waking the night.

Mr. Booboo. That persnickety cat, a blight to all but those who loved him, was on a diet. Sean reached over and turned on the light. Dammit. His shoe. The damn beast had eaten his shoe! There were clumps of black hair everywhere, and teeth marks in his shoulder holster.

“God Dammit!” Sean picked up the phone. Checking the clock, he made the call. It wasn’t that late.

“Do you have any idea how late it is?” Sean smiled at her pissy night voice.

Now how did she know it was him?

“Counselor, I have a problem.”

“I’ve seen that problem. Jack-off and go to sleep. Goodnight.”

Sean rushed in before she could hang up. “Julia! Dammit, wait! I’m not talking about that.” Sean ignored the fact that he actually did have that problem too. “It’s the damn cat.”

“Mr. Booboo? He’s just a baby. What the hell could he have done to warrant you waking me in the middle of…” Julia swallowed the ‘you’. So what? She was having a little nighttime Sean fantasy. The real thing was irritating as hell. Dream Sean just did what he was told. So refreshing. For a man that was into being dominated, he was quite the handful. Julia snickered at that double meaning. “….sleeping.”

“With who? Anyone I know?” Sean asked devilishly. “I told you that you should spend the night with me.”

“Oh, that’s refreshing. Haven’t heard that before. You needed to check on Mr. Booboo, and I needed to get home to Ms. Fluffy. She’s been lonely lately. Misses you.”

Sean smiled at the idea of Julia not being able to figure out why the hell her cat was missing him, given that he found a way to talk his way into her bed practically every night.

A loud growl and followed by a low rumble came across the phone. Julia sat up in her bed in alarm. “What the hell was that?”

“Heard that, huh? You try being here. It’s the Boo. Michael and Maria put him on a diet. This morning! One fucking day, and the damn beast is already acting like he’s starving to death. He had this vicious gleam in his eyes, already ate my Doc Martens, and I think if I fall asleep he’ll cannibalize me.” The growling continued, and the freaked out cat in the other room was bouncing off the walls in a sudden burst of energy. Sean could hear the crashing. The damn thing sounded like a jungle cat on the prowl. “I swear, Julia, if you don’t come rescue me, I’ll either be eaten alive by this demon or be forced to shoot it between its beady eyes.”

Julia was already grabbing clothes. “Don’t shoot Maria’s cat. They have an unnatural bond. She’ll grind you into dust with her spike heels.”

Sean swore. “Normally that threat would work for me, but not with ‘Sheba the Hunter’ on my ass. Oh damn!”

Julia frowned as the phone went dead. Looking at it she clicked the receiver. Nothing. Call back to the loft was not responding. Sean?

“Don’t look at me like that,” she said to the white fluffy feline watching her get dressed. “You realize this is just a Sean ploy to get me into bed, right? He’s okay. He’s always okay.” Julia searched through her clothes and lingerie. Tossing the old Dallas Cowboys Jersey she had been sleeping in, she picked some lingerie, much more…daring. “We’ll just go over there, check out the situation, slap him up across the head for being a nuisance, and be right back home.”

Julia stopped and turned around holding up two pairs of shoes. “Okay, so quickly.... ‘Pump Me Powerfully Red’ pumps, or ‘You’ve Got My Attention in a Bad Way’ black sable?” She tilted her head. “Right you are! The ‘Fuck Me’ red always works best on him.” She threw up her hands in exasperation. “What was I thinking?” Wearing next to nothing, or nothing that couldn’t be seen through, a short trench coat tied tight around her slim waist and red pumps with daring to walk in six-inch stilettos, she was on her way with her cat under her arm.

“This will be real quick, I promise. Did you want to see your daddy? Yeah, he’s in big trouble. Big!”

 

~~~

 

The rain felt like acid on his dirty skin, washing it in streaming rivulets of cold fire. The blood marred his hands, covering him from head to toe as he stood in a field of destruction, the dead piled at his feet.

He looked up at the sky. It too was red. Red rain was drenching him as the fog grew to the left and swept the field. On the high promontory watch stood the Commander, tall and undaunted, viewing the field. The Commander then raised his arm high, reached behind and pulled a large sword, thus ordering more to the field. And they came, swarming down the embankment to join death on their way to that place where their forefathers waited for all warriors to return.

Standing amongst the dead with sword in hand, his chained armor pressing into his skin, his eyes met that of the Commander. He crossed his chest with the sword, hitting the metal plating hard in a loud slap to proclaim his allegiance. Stand or fall, he would not leave that field, on his honor.

Through the smoke, he saw her…

 

“Alex? Honey, are you okay?” Isabel reached for the light next to the bed, but his hand stopped her.

“I’m fine. Just a dream.”

Isabel sat up a little and tried to pierce the gloom of the darkness to see him. She needed to see him. “Can’t you tell me what it is?”

Alex sighed. “No. Not right now. I’m not sure what it is myself. Maybe an old memory, or maybe a foreshadowing of things to come. I don’t know.”

“Maybe it would help to talk about it.”

Alex smiled slightly and lifted his hand to wrap it around her neck. Pulling her back into the bed, and into him, he rested her on his chest, brushing her long blonde hair across his skin. “Having you here is a bigger help than talking. Believe me.”

Isabel laughed against his skin and brushed her mouth on his chest, touching her tongue to his nipple. She tasted the metallic ring, and gently grasped it gently tugged.

Alex moaned. Oh yeah. Having her with him really was much better than anything. “I don’t think I can go back to sleep.”

“Oh, is that what you call sleep? Hmm....well maybe I should see if I can find a way to help you relax  enough so you can sleep.” Isabel couldn’t hide the amusement from her voice.

Alex Whitman. He was her man. Definitely hers. It was a giddy feeling, like a reward. All those other times in the past it was as if she was looking for something...someone. Then she found Alex, and he was too arrogant and knowing to take what she offered. He was too smart. He realized that what she was offering wasn’t something she really valued, so he put her away. Sent her to some place where she could leave to value herself again. It was a risk. He didn’t even know if she would return to him once she found herself again. But she had found him again, and from that time on, their relationship made changes along the way. What once started as desperate punishment soon became mutual lust and finally love, and even respect. Every time he touched her, she knew that he wasn’t thinking of all those who had touched her before, or how she had once used her body. He was only seeing her. Now.

Alex Whitman. She loved him.

"Oh yeah, I seem to remember a certain blonde co-ed bouncing off the walls from too much caffeine and no sleep. I was seriously tempted to sleep with a tranquilizer injection under my pillow." Alex smirked at the sigh of indignation from the blonde head on his chest. Isabel on caffeine studying for tests was something to watch in amusement. She sat up indignant, ready to retaliate. The hand that hung loose at her side suddenly provided inspiration, and Alex reached out and grabbed it, pulling Isabel down on top of him again.

"Ooof," Isabel sounded as she landed on top of her bedmate. "Wow, this a not-so-subtle hint to test some more theories on who Alex Charles Whitman is?" she asked quietly, squirming to get her hands out from between them to frame Alex's face. "Interesting way to begin an investigation of sleeping habits. Think I'm gonna have to share this one with my classmates or at least write it up in a paper," she murmured, lips once again moving closer.

It was like a complete replay of all the nights before, save for the slightly different position. "Do whatever you like, just don't share your case notes with them, okay?" He got a snicker for that, then a tongue in his mouth that made him forget what he'd just said.

Nope, no hesitation whatsoever. Alex wondered how he was still able to put his thoughts in any meaningful pattern, until Isabel moaned into his mouth. The graceful hands slid from his face to grip his hair passionately, and he brought his own arms to pin the woman to him tightly, receiving another delectable groan from Isabel sprawled on top of him.

Teeth clicked together, and they parted for a moment, trying to catch their breath, leaning forehead against forehead. Isabel's tongue snuck back out to wet her lips, and she dove back down. Mouths slanted across each other, allowing tongues to wrestle wetly. But instead of winning the match, they simply wanted to provide as much pleasure to their partner, and of course to enjoy themselves just as much.

Alex's hands once again chose between the thick, silken hair and massaging the dip of lower back. The caress had Isabel slowly writhing against him, teasing him with her entire body as he cradled her head tenderly. One hand moved down Alex's neck, around to the front, following the outline of the medallion he wore. It said 'Krystal'. Alex never took it off.

The hand slid further, running down his chest. Alex arched into the touch, using his hand in Isabel's hair to push their mouths even closer together. This relationship was unlike any he'd ever encountered before, and he felt the need to thank someone or something for giving him this unbelievable gift. When fingers finally tweaked his nipple, playing with his nipple ring, he pulled away from Isabel, panting heavily.

"Thank you," he breathed heavily.

Isabel was just as short as breath as he was, and her eyes asked the question for her in the near darkness: "For what?"

"For this, for all of it. I don't know...just....thank you," he stammered as the finger on his nipple continued to tantalize. "What exactly are we gonna check tonight? My mental soundness?" he inquired, trying to be serious and failing miserably once Isabel's tongue licked the tip of his nose. Since his nightmares began, she was always trying to psychoanalyze him. Determine where his dreams came from, what hidden demon haunted him.

"I hadn't thought about it. Right now I just really want to get this dream out of your mind." The husky voice geared Alex into action and he pushed Isabel up so she was straddling Alex's waist.

"Fine, it’s out of my mind," he said, fingering her hair, and smiling. “Put this up.”

"No problem." Isabel said reaching her hands up to tie her long hair in a knot, then she grabbed his head again and kissed him in this new position, sitting on his thighs and straddling the heat Alex felt building in his lower body. As her breasts met his chest, the two of them growled in unison, the vibration moving through their bodies. Isabel pulled back then, looking down Alex's body. "God, I somehow knew that you would only get more tasty-looking the closer to it I got," she muttered as she pushed him back down in the pillows. Her mouth finding the side of his neck, to whisper in his ear, “I love your body, and everything about it.”

Alex’s hand came up to hold both her breasts in his hand as his thumbs brushed over sensitive nubs, tormenting a nipple lightly with his thumb. "You're not so bad yourself, baby," he said, sliding the other hand through the knotted hair until it broke loose and dropped like a rain of golden silk. He moved his hands down her silky skin and down to the flat stomach then around to the strong back. "Not bad at all." He pulled Isabel back down to him, and again they kissed.

He could feel the soft hands slide over his pecs, pinching the nubs there reflexively, playing with his nipple ring and his body tightened in response. Isabel's tongue was now working at owning his mouth and he was happy to allow the victory. The rich lips slid away from his and down his jaw to his neck, tongue drawing unidentifiable pictures on his hot skin. He let it continue down, releasing his grip on the slithering body to allow greater movement. Isabel mumbled something that Alex was too out of it to pick up, and suddenly his left nipple was drawn into the sauna of her mouth.

"Shit, Iz," he moaned, bringing both hands up to run through the long silky hair that obscured his view of the beautiful face. She sure as hell knew what she was doing. Isabel seemed to be making her life’s ambition to know him every way possible, and once again Alex was overtaken with the need to give thanks.

"Oh god, thank you, thank you, thank you," he droned, not missing the giggle that slipped out from somewhere over his chest.

"Alex, you’re too funny," commented as she switched sides and latched onto the lonely and as yet unloved other nipple, which she saved for last because his nipple ring was totally her favorite turn on.

“I’m just getting out my appreciation to combat all the times I will no doubt leave you feeling under- appreciated. I can be an ungrateful pig.”

Without really thinking, Alex's hand traveled down the planes of milky soft skin to the curve of buttocks he couldn't see over Isabel's head and squeezed. God, he loved her ass. Everything about it. She had a derriere that seemed to captivate his attention, his lust, and some pretty erotic fantasies. Isabel froze, body shaking in what Alex knew was anticipation.

“You are so easy!” Alex laughed at that. She had him all figured out. He had unholy designs on her ass at all times.

"What do you want?" he asked when deep grown eyes met his own half-lidded ones. The soft lines of her jaw, high cheekbones, swollen lips, all gleaming with sweat in the subdued light from the moon outside. "Anything, everything, every prospect you want to test for, it's yours."

Isabel swallowed the words with a gulp, smiling at the persistent joke. "I think I'm gonna have to draw this testing out a little. I don’t have to get up tomorrow, and I believe it would be best to discover your prospective humping techniques right now."

They laughed together as Alex nodded. "Good idea. Besides, tomorrow's a Sunday. Nothing to do in morning, gives us lots of time to guarantee you an A on this research."

Isabel moved to a sitting position again. "Ahh, but I don't have nearly enough data. This might have to extend well into next week, next month or even next year," she pouted.

"Hey, we better get started, then." Alex punctuated his suggestion with a bucking of his hips as his hands on her luscious ass helped him easily hold her in position for him to slide in, and the pout fell away. "C’mon, let's get things off to a good start. But the test subject wants to review all findings and only allow certain facts disclosed at his discretion."

"Damn, that's not fair." Isabel's hand moved out to run down one of his powerful thighs as Alex watched. He had a strange body. In clothing, he appeared wiry. She knew better. He had strong powerful, long lean muscles, that rippled and moved under his skin in a fascinating way, a way more enticing than that of a weight lifter, a body builder, or an exercise junkie. His body looked perfectly formed and well worth watching endlessly.

"What's not?"

"It's not fair to keep all of this body to myself," she said, locking gazes with him. "But then again, I've never been good at sharing," and she pounced.

Alex decided Isabel must have the greatest stamina in the fucking world, because when she moved on him, their previously sated bodies seem to rip out of control. He could feel her all the way to his toes, and so deep inside. Closing his eyes, he could see her like in his dreams, and it terrified him to think he might be in love with two versions of her, Isabel and Vilandra. Sometimes he couldn’t distinguish between what he knew, what he dreamt, and what he felt. He came into contact instantly with her. And it was Isabel, all of her, past and present, and that was all that mattered, because that was what he loved. They froze. "Oh god," said two voices as one, sucking in air like they were scared of never knowing it again.

"Shit, oh shit," Isabel muttered, clenching her fists on Alex's shoulders. He sat up a little careful not to unseat her, grabbed the face that wasn't looking at him yet and forced eye contact. Immediately Isabel calmed, smile captivating and seductive. "Oh, God, do you feel good," she moaned as Alex's hands slid down her back to the round ass again.

"So do you, baby," he whispered as he used his new handhold to begin a slow rocking motion. The hardness between them fit together perfectly, sensitive skin already slick with sweat. They couldn't have broken their locked gaze if they tried, Alex was positive of that, unless they kissed again.

‘Oh, you are a mind reader, baby,’ he thought to himself as her mouth sought out his lips again. The rocking motion gave them just enough leverage to make the kiss passionate without being overpowering, and they continued wrestling mouths while slowly building up speed.

The burn began somewhere in Alex's belly, and languidly made it's way down. She could feel the cock embedded in her enlarging those last few crucial millimeters in size, and tore her mouth away. He used the opportunity to watch the beautiful face of his lover crease with expectancy, feel the matching tension in the slim body above him as they undulated together. Isabel's chin hung low as her mouth was open to allow the harsh breaths escape, eyes growing impossibly larger as orgasm approached.

"Shit, fuck, oh god," Isabel repeated over and over, body thrusting harder each second.

"Dammit Iz, where did you get that vocabulary?" Alex joked breathlessly as his own body rushed towards the end.

"Michael. Where else, do you think?" was the reply, followed by a gasp and a wail that could barely make it past her throat.

Isabel's rocking grew in speed as she came, her release easing the way for Alex’s body to slide, deeper and deeper in her body. Alex felt the tingle grow into a full clench, and he came, bucking up hard against the woman on top of him. He grabbed the silky hair again, dragging the succulent lips back to him. They rode out the climax, mouths locked together as their hips slowed their own grind.

Alex's eyes had closed in exhaustion as their lips disconnected, and he felt Isabel's head heavily against his still heaving chest. The hand on his flank was calming, prompting him to do the same on his lover's ass. A few minutes were spent enjoying the feel of the other's cooling body.

"Hey, don't leave me yet," Isabel whispered close to his face. Alex's eyes opened to see the flushed sight above.

“I thought the whole experiment was to help me find a way to sleep.” It was working. He wanted to close his eyes, spoon up behind her, and hold her tight.

"I'm gonna go get something to clean up with. Don't go to sleep yet, okay?" All he could do was nod, which Isabel accepted gladly and dropped a kiss to lax lips.

Within moments, he felt a warm cloth against his groin and lower stomach. He peered down to see Isabel carefully rinsing off his lower body, and his hand reached out to tug on a swatch of her hair. "So, how's it looking?"

Isabel regarded him a moment before rolling her eyes and grinning. "Oh, I think you've got definite contender status." She tossed the cloth in the dark in the direction she hoped was her dirty laundry and turned back to Alex. "You gonna sleep there?"  His body had been a mess from her and him both leaking on him, but most of it drained to the bed, so Alex was in a nice wet spot.

"I don't think I can move," he mumbled. "What about you?"

The naked shoulders shrugged. "Don't know. Bed may be more comfortable with clean sheets, but somehow..." she trailed off, looking at her own hand at she rubbed his stomach.

"Come here, Iz," he said, pulling her back to her earlier perch on top. He could take a little wetness, and she could take the drier ground, which meant on top of him.

"You sure?" she whispered. Terrible to be too lethargic to even change the sheets or anything, but fatigue was catching up fast.

Alex just nodded, easing the head down for a quick kiss on red, puffy lips then settled her on his chest. They were out before either of them thought about a blanket.

 

~~~

 

“Oh God!” Julia circled the room. She could believe her eyes.

The place was a holocaust. Worse. War zones looked better. The evil…um....distressed... cat was on a low table with his back arched, hissing and growling at Sean. The damn thing seemed possessed.

“Sean, baby,…um, don’t get too close.” Julia swore at the endearment. Damn. This was definitely distress. She held her own cat in her arms up from the beast who was hissing and spitting.

Sean yelped as a back claw made contact and gave him a nice scratch. Nasty. Mr. Boo was short his front claws, but the back were proving very deadly. The front door was still wide open, and suddenly it was if Mr. B. spied the white fluffy cat in Julia’s arms, because his voice suddenly changed - not so much growling as a long drawn-out purr.

Julia tightened her hands on Ms. Fluffy, but her cat seemed to find Mr. Boo too threatening and she squirmed out of Julia’s arms.

“No! Sean, catch her!”

Sean made a dive toward the white feline, but she was too fast. She headed for the door, followed by the sudden explosion of Mr. Boo launching off his perch after her, taking down a lamp and a vase with him and disturbing pictures along the way. Sean hit a side table in his failed attempt to grab Ms. Fluffy, so Julia tried to catch her cat. She crashed into Sean and they both knocked their foreheads together hard.

The loft was finally silent, as both cats shot out the door.

The two outclassed humans lay panting on the floor in a heap of arms and legs, both rubbing their heads. Sean groaned and fell back on the floor in a heap of abandon. He was too tired for this shit. Damn Michael and Maria, leaving their damn demon cat behind!

“Are you going to tell me what happened?”

Sean sighed with his hand over his eyes. Damn, he was tired. He needed to get up and shut the front door before the security alarm alerted someone. Rolling to his feet, he slammed the door shut and punched in the code.

“Diet. Maria decided that the Boo was looking too portly, so she put him on a diet before she left. I got a detailed list. He lasted two hours. Wouldn’t touch his dry food. Demanded treats. Snarled when I ate a sandwich. Shredded three pairs of Michael’s socks.”

“He can’t be hungry. It’s only been a couple of hours. You must have pissed him off somehow. Maybe he’s missing Michael and Maria?”

Sean calmly walked into the downstairs bedroom, and came back out holding what once resembled a shoe. Holding it up, he waited for her reaction.

“Oh my! And that beast is outside with my baby girl! Sean, we’ve got to find Ms. Fluffy!”

Sean shook his head. It was dark. Late. Almost three in the morning. Those cats were gone. And if they were lucky that damn black beast from hell would remain gone. At least until Maria returned. Then it would be a toss-up.

“Tomorrow. When it’s light. They’ll be wanting food.” Sean went over and locked the cat door so the evil beast couldn’t get back in and eat him in his sleep. Ms. Fluffy couldn’t get in anyway, not without the correct radio frequency collar on.

Finally Sean turned his glance towards Julia. Oh damn. Now how could he miss the short trench coat and the shoes? He smiled at the sight. Oh. Oh. Oh. Give a man a heart attack!

“What you got under that coat, Mac?”

Julia moved closer to him and hugged him. “What you want me to have under it?”

Sean made a noise in his throat. Damn, so many possibilities. What did he want her to have under it? Nothing? Something sexy? Her skin was sexy, so that went back to nothing again. Something leather? Maybe…

Julia opened her coat and dropped it. Sean didn’t say a word. Couldn’t. Oh, that worked for him too. The thing with Julia? She was a breathing, walking, moving-violation. He could barely speak past his tongue.

“Mercy.”

Julia laughed, and kissing him, her hand moving up his chest. “No such thing. Don’t be a big baby. It’ll only hurt for a little while.” Sean grabbed her and she laughed harder. Neither of them noticed the sounds coming from outside, polluting the silence. The sounds of cats, two of them, caterwauling in a loud cascading racket.

 

~~~

 

Michael swore. It was late. No, glancing at the bedside clock, it was early. Real early. His cell phone. He’d recognize that ring anywhere. Slowly untangling himself from Maria, his wife, he allowed his hand to rest on her tousled blonde hair. His wife. Smiling, but soon cursing as the phone rang again, he scrambled on the floor in the dark, trying to locate the offensive machine.

Going outside on the balcony, he answered the phone.

“Yeah, you’ve got a death wish, so just give me your name, and I’ll kill you in about two weeks.”

The identity of the person calling him was a total surprise. It made him pause, and his anger quickly bled away. Glancing back in the room, he saw that Maria was till asleep. Good. He listened to the person on the other end for a few moments.

“You should’ve told me this before I left.”

“What? Would you have cancelled your honeymoon?”

Michael swore. Okay, that point was in the other man’s favor. “So what are you going to do?”

“Handle it.”

Michael leaned back against the stone beside the door. It was the coldness on his ass that made him realize that he was flashing the world at large at four-thirty in the morning. Shit, some sick bastard wants to be up at that hour, then they deserve to get an eyeful of his naked body.

“Then why are you calling me?”

The man on the other end paused. Maybe even he was unsure why he was calling. It was a judgment call either way. “Look, you said they have mine and Maria’s blood, right?” Michael waited for the affirmative. “And they’re worried about Vilandra…or perhaps Isabel?” The pause was better than an acknowledgement. “Well, I don’t give a shit about all this alien crap! I care about Isabel. I don’t want her hurt in any way. You want to know what to do? Protect Isabel. The rest can wait until I get back.”

“That’s a given. Nothing will touch her, I swear.”

“Then what’s the problem? You didn’t call me at almost five in the frickin’ morning on my honeymoon to tell me what you told me. Something is bothering you….what?

“Vilandra. She betrayed you before. All of you. Is there a need to be cautious over Isabel? She still has this Vilandra inside her.”

Michael pondered the question. He didn’t have the entire story; he was certain of that. He only knew what he knew. “Look, in twenty-eight years the only person she has ever harmed is herself. The woman I know as Isabel has been weak at times, tormented by ghosts, but she has never done any evil deed against another person. I have to believe that a track record of twenty-eight years is a good indicator.”

The deep sigh on the other end was cause for alarm.

“What? Are you having…”

“No. I’m fine.”

Michael stretched. He just wanted to go back to bed and back to sleep. “Who are you really afraid of, Alex? Isabel or yourself?”

Alex sat back against the door of the bathroom from where he was making this call. He had only slept a few hours before another dream woke him up. Isabel was still asleep. Luckily.

“I don’t know. The visions are getting stronger. More about death and destruction. So much blood. She stands in it.”

Michael rubbed his neck. “Look, pal, I can’t be of much help right now. I’m thousands of miles away. Just keep my sister safe.”

“That I can do.”

Alex stared at the phone after Michael hung up. Michael was the only person to whom he had told everything. Maybe he should tell Max or even Isabel, but it was hard. Neither of them in their past lives had inspired confidence. He followed the Commander’s orders, and if it paid off, maybe then they would know. Protect Isabel. With his life. Till death. It didn’t matter who she was to him, but he knew it would matter to her. Time was short, and he needed answers now. Alex went back into the bedroom. He stood staring at the woman in his bed for a short while before joining her again.

Isabel.

Vilandra.

Why was he the only one who could actually see both women in her?

 

~~~

 

Miami. It was a living city, filled with sunshine and the feel of the sea. Even the congested skyline and downtown couldn’t detract from the glorious sensation of being away from Roswell. Maria stood at the hotel window smiling at the cooling breeze. Home. This was home. Strange to be standing there when her family was actually still in Roswell. But Miami was just a stop on a journey of greater adventure.

The knock pulled her from her thoughts. Opening the door in her dressing gown, she smiled at the waiter. “Michael! Second breakfast is here!”

The man seemed startled at that, and Maria quickly signed the room service receipt and gestured to the other room service tray they had finished hours ago.

Maybe food didn’t feel so imperative any longer, and maybe the same pressing need for sex was also slacking, but, they had some ground to make up. Both of them were underweight, and so it was good to finally eat and feel sated and full.

“Thank you!” Maria’s happy, sing song voice made Michael smile as he came out of the bathroom. Grabbing her around the waist, he tackled her to the sofa and worked on munching the side of her neck, making loud chomping noises. Maria squirmed away laughing.

“Detective, how long do we have until we leave?”

There was a clock on a mantle. Michael squinted to see the time. “Six hours. We’ve got six hours before we need to seriously think of hitting the airport.”

“Hmm, Are you going to tell me where we’re going?”

“Nope. Surprise.” Michael pushed her dressing gown away from her body, and was contemplating her neck and points much lower.

“You realize that I will know at the airport. So you should just tell me now.”

She had a point. He was going to take her shopping to pick up essentials for the trip. All her summer clothing was becoming too small for her pregnant frame, and it was warmer in the British Virgins.

“St. Thomas.”

Maria sat up, pushing her hair from where it had fallen forward. “We’re honeymooning in St. Thomas?”

“No. We’re going to St. Thomas, meeting our party and then going someplace where no one can bug us.”

“But in the Virgin Island region?”

“British. Virgin Island. Region.”

Maria smiled slowly. “So what are we doing for the next six hours, besides eating many breakfasts?”

“Shopping. I thought you might need things for the Islands.” Michael rubbed her pregnant stomach. Seven months. It should have been bigger, especially with twins. He really needed to fatten her up. “Clothes with room to grow,” he said as he quickly flipped her under him. “Because you are going to grow, Professor.”

“Shopping? You’re going to take me shopping?” Maria’s voice lowered to a hushing sound. “Shoes?”

Michael nodded. “Shoes, too.”

Maria gave a loud yelping laugh and hugged him hard, kissing him outrageously. “I married a god!”

 

~~~

 

Roswell to Albuquerque was about a two hour drive, actually a little longer. But the way Kyle drove, he usually could make it just under two hours. Sean sat next to him in the front, bitching about the evil cat he was being forced to babysit, while Julia and Tess sat in the back chatting about everything else, occasionally rolling their eyes at the partners in the front seat.

“I told you! Did you believe me? No. I told you that cat was possessed.” Kyle felt perhaps a little vindicated. When he had had his Mr. Booboo nightmare, Sean just laughed at him . Now the worm had turned.

“He was waiting at the front door this morning. I opened it, and he was inside the house in two seconds flat. I had to disarm the electronic cat door just in case the Fluff found her way back, she could get in. Not that she would want in that house! That evil…”

“Sean...” Julia sighed. Already over an hour into the trip, and it had been the only topic of discussion.

“Honestly, Sean, he’s not a bad cat.” Tess smiled at Kyle’s indignant look in the rear-view mirror. “He really had a lot to do with Kyle and me finally getting together. The poor thing tends to miss Michael and Maria an awful lot. It has to be because Maria has been so sick lately. Add in his hoarding and killing to give her presents, then you’ve just got a cat with a heightened sense of territory.”

Sean sighed. Looking back at Tess in disgust, his face increased its look of disbelief when Julia appeared to be agreeing.

“What? Is this an anthropologist thing? Tess, honestly, I could’ve shut my eyes and sworn it was Maria giving me one of her anthropological seminars on anthropomorphic analogy. You cannot assign human emotions to animals!”

Both women huffed at him, and went back to better topics. His stupidity was beyond their correcting. Of course Mr. Boo was almost human. Any idiot could see that.

Kyle, a wiser man, being that he was already married and settled into a life he wanted, just held his tongue. One thing he knew…that mangy black, sometimes calico cat was a kleptomaniac, thief, and neurotic demonic beast. End of story.

“One lucky thing. At least you get to drive the Mustang!”

“True.”

Sean sat back in happiness almost willing to hum a happy tune. That car. It was a dream. An orgasmic blowjob with radial tires. Totally sexy. Sean peeked a glance at Julia wondering if classic sexy cars got her all bothered like they did Maria. Of course, Michael more than likely wouldn’t appreciate him test driving the Counselor in his car, but what Michael didn’t know, wouldn’t hurt him.

Though thanks to Kyle and Tess, Michael made it very clear that no one, NO ONE, was to sleep in his bed, or do anything else in his bed. Period. Michael even gave detailed scenarios. For example, should a person come to the door, bleeding, their bloody stump draining on the floor where their arm used to be and beginning to faint due to blood loss,  Sean was not  to pick them up and put them in Michael’s bed waiting for the ambulance. The front floor is closer, and already a mess.

That was one of the nicer, and not so wild scenarios. No wonder it had taken Michael over four months to get married to Maria. Obviously the man spent his time thinking up detailed ‘what if’ scenarios preparing for the event.

Sean’s cell phone rang before he could share his theory with Kyle. They were just arriving in Albuquerque, and Kyle was heading for the airport so Sean and Julia could pick up Michael’s car.

“DeLuca.”

“Oh good, I was afraid it would be my mom!”

“Andy?” Sean laughed in good nature. “Hey, man, what’s going on?”

“Just wondering where I can find you? I went by the house and it was empty, so I figure you and the lovely Assistant DA were off amusing crowds with your rendition of romance.”

Sean made a face at that. People didn’t know what they were talking about. He and the Counselor was a perfect match. So what if she got a little huffy in public and threatened him bodily harm? It was all in good fun.

“Actually you called it almost right. Julia and I are in Albuquerque picking up Guerin’s classic rebuilt Mustang from the airport.”

Andy made a sound of appreciation under his breath. “God, I’d give my left testicle for that car.”

Sean made a sound almost like a grunt. Exactly. Only men really could appreciate how intense that car was. “So, if you could tell me what is happening, I can…”

“No. I can’t. Not over the phone.” Andy paused. “Look, take the delicious Julia out for dinner or something, and meet me at The Den in about three hours. There are a few things I need to take care of first.”

The voice changed. This was no longer a joking, or a ‘friend talking to a friend’ conversation. Especially when the friends had once been partners. Sean and Andy had a tight and long history. One cemented into a real close friendship after what happened at The Den over four months ago. After that, Andy made an effort to keep up with Sean, checking on him from time to time to make sure everything was good.

“What’s going down?”

Andy paused, and the pause was more telling than words. “I’ve got some stuff you need to see. Information. I…it’s not safe for me to be seen talking to you right now, Sean. Meet me at the place, okay? I’d just tell you to pick it up in the place where I left that thing that one time, but this needs more than papers. I’ve got a story to tell. No one I can trust to tell it to. No one but you.”

Sean looked at Kyle who kept looking over from the road.

“No one else?”

“No one I trust. Maybe Guerin. But he’s still a stranger to me. And he’s not in town, right?” Andy seemed suddenly distracted. “Look, just meet me, okay? I’ll pick up a private room, and leave word at the bar where you can find me.”

“Andy, man, this sounds…”

“Just meet me.” Sean frowned as the phone suddenly disconnected. Looking at it, he looked at Kyle and the two of them shared a look of concern. Andy was a Vice cp. One of the few not suspended, but he was on the board of inquiry’s list of witnesses, as were Captain Jim Valenti and Sean.

“I should come with you.”

Sean looked back at the now quiet Tess and Julia. “No. You need to take both Tess and Julia home. I’ll meet Andy, and then find you at your house.”

“I’m coming with you.” Julia said.

Sean just shook his head no. “Sorry, Counselor, not this time. I’m hitting The Den to talk to an informant. That means no you.”

Kyle swore. “You need back up, Sean.”

“It’ll be cool, don’t sweat it. It’s Andy.”

“Good, then there’s no danger, so I’ll come too.” Julia took on a firm stubborn look, and Sean opened his mouth to reason, but she purposely ignored him and went back to talking to Tess.

 

~~~

 

The Den.

It never changed. It was a place that emitted energy in waves. Maybe it was the sense of excitement the clientele had when they entered the place. An irrepressible sense of expectation and adventure. It catered to all kinds, but basically the more adventurous.

The different levels of the club were color coded, with Red being relegated to the Dungeon, the basement area and what most would term ‘hardcore’. That was a home that Sean knew well, but he was banned from ‘red’ level, and his membership card only held the upper level access. He was a Cathedral admit only, along with puffer rooms. Nothing too hardcore, nothing involving anything past level four pain.

Sean could get a better beating from Michael and Maria’s cat. And had. In the four months since his aborted session with Felicity, he hadn’t been back to The Den. There was nothing there for him. Therapy was helping him with the more destructive parts of his nature, but in that therapy he was finding a nice balance of what he just really enjoyed. A touch of violence and domination was suddenly all it really took to wire him. He no longer needed to feel his life on the edge of leaving him.

Maybe it could be attributed to him learning to realize he wanted to live. Or perhaps it was getting his family back, and what hurt so much in the past was finally scabbed over and healing. Hard to say. He liked to think it was Julia. She made him feel, and it was all good. For a man who felt nothing but worthlessness and pain for so long, that in itself meant everything.

“So this is The Den?” Julia looked around, and Sean smiled slightly at her attitude. She wasn’t disgusted or above it all. She actually looked intrigued. Much like Andy, and his sense of fun play. Julia seemed to be having the same sense of adventure.

“This is The Den.”

“A Sean playground?”

“Once upon a time. Not so much ‘play’ though. I was deadly serious about it.”

Julia noticed the bleak harshness of his eyes. Demons. He had let many of them go, excised them to a place where he could handle them, stop them from fucking up his life, but nothing was absolute. Pain and guilt were part of what made him who he was, and it would always be a part of him.

Julia rubbed his face and leaned in and kissed him. “Should we look for Andy, or do you want to play a little?”

Sean looked at his watch. They were early. About an hour early. “What do you want to do?”

“Cathedral. I want to see this place. How about a drink, and then go see what‘s going on?”

Sean just moaned. Cathedral. Oh damn. School kids fantasies of what’s sexy and racy. A little slap and tickle, some light domination, punks in leather with studs. Nothing much to see really. “Baby, it’s nothing more than bitches in britches.”

“I thought you said there was a trapeze thing too?”

“Yeah. There is. Don’t tell me you want to swing?”

Julia just laughed. “Not really. Not that way, and not the other way either. But we’ve got an hour to kill, and I am assuming that you can’t take me to any really interesting places?”

“No, just yuppies having orgies, and tittering girls trying to learn how to be biker bitches.”

“Tragic. C’mon, I’ll teach you how to make it fun.”

Fun? Sean’s eyebrow went up and a twinkle hit his eyes. Julia knew how to make most things fun, and so this could maybe give him a whole new look at The Den.

She was right. Her running commentary, that and her hand down his pants whispering alternatives and suggestions in his ears, plus about three Bicardis on ice, and he was really having more fun then he thought possible in the Cathedral. Surprisingly, there wasn’t even a mark on his body except a nice bite she gave him on his neck. He had her clothes all undone, and she was walking around with an open shirt with no bra. All that was left was a very short micro skirt, high heels, and her open blouse. Even her hair was loose and flowing. She looked good. Real good. Especially where she was perched on his lap, straddling his hips. He lost his shirt and was down to unfastened jeans.

“Want to leave the crowds and hit a lower level domination room?”

Sean kissed the side of her neck taking another drink from the server, and placing hers on the table next to him. There was a loud whooping noise from a very loud party, and Julia looked up to see six not so dressed people trying not to fall off the swing. He was thinking of her suggestion. It was tempting.

“They only have covered handcuffs. Not even the real thing. Feathers, and soft lashes.”

“Hmmm. Too mellow?” Julia leaned in hard to him and whispered some suggestions. Sean sat back, okay even the suggestions were erotic enough to get him interested. “Do we have time?”

Time? Oh shit! Sean sat up and dug in his pocket for his discarded watch. They were late. Two hours had passed, and now they were an hour late for meeting Andy.

“Andy first, and then we’ll see about a playroom!”

Julia allowed herself to be dragged out of the Cathedral back to the main bar. Holding Sean’s shirt, she waited while he talked to the bartender. Sean handed over his membership card, and the bartender ran it through the computer.

“I’m sorry, your friend has checked in, but his assignment is a non-accessible area for you. It is beyond your color code.”

Sean frowned. “That’s impossible. Andy knows my clearance. He wouldn’t request something with a lower level coding then I can access. Can you access the original request, and see if it was altered in any way?”

The bartender looked skeptical until Sean pulled his badge and flashed his shield. The man went back to the computer, and with a few key strokes, he accessed the information. There had indeed been a change. Ten minutes after Andy had entered and acquired a private room, the room coding was upgraded from inside.

“He upgraded it ten minutes after he arrived.”

“Did anyone ask for him, or access his booking?”

“One second please.”

Julia watched Sean, and suddenly she was beginning to share his concern. Andy wouldn’t have changed his level coding making it impossible to access his level. There was something wrong. This was taking too long.

“Is there some way to send someone to interrupt Andy…Mr. Marlow to see if he is indeed alright and perhaps inform him that Sean DeLuca is looking for him?” Julia asked politely.

“Well, it’s highly unlikely and rarely if ever done, ma’am. The clientele value their privacy and time in the rooms. Unless it is a red level at dungeon level with a controller and safety in the room, most rooms are not monitored.”

“But, given special circumstances, who can make that decision?”

“House boy. The main floor runner.”

“Then please call this person.” Julia’s hand grasped Sean’s. It seemed to take a long time before someone responded to the call, but in reality it was mere moments. The floor runner of the main Cathedral came to talk to the bartender who quickly outlined the problem. He finally came over to Julia and Sean.

“Sir, I understand your concern, but…”

“Perhaps you don’t. Mr. Marlow and myself had a meeting. He would never enter a room level that is off limits to my membership. That means someone changed the level coding from inside his room.” Sean’s voice remained even and very cold. “The only person he was meeting was me, so who else could be in his private room?”

The floor runner looked at the bartender. “Please can I have your membership card? I will consult the Master.” Sean quickly handed over his membership card. Taking Julia’s hand he led her to a table to wait. It took only a few moments before the man himself arrived.

Julia felt it first. The room changed. Suddenly there was a stillness followed by a sudden wave of hushed whispers of awe as groups of people turned to the man approaching them. He was tall. Very tall. Julia looked up at him as he approached from her seat. He was a dark man. His eyes were like unfathomed coals in his head, and he was dressed in nothing but black. Surprisingly not leather. Expensive Armani cut black dress pants and black silk shirt opened at the next with a medallion on his chest displaying chest hair. Magnetic. That was the best description. Magnetic and powerful. The people around them practically bowed to the man. The serving slaves quickly averted their eyes to the ground.

“Follow me.”

Julia’s eyebrow went up. A simple command brooking no denial. The man practically hit and ran them. He walked through the Cathedral causing a stir, quickly culled them from the herd of members, and except for the slight pause in step to issue the command, he continued on through to an elevator. It was open and waiting for him. Of course it was. Not even the elevator would deny him access as he commanded it.

Sean and Julia joined him immediately. The man remained aloof and quiet at their side. Neither of them spoke. Talking seemed inappropriate.

They exited the elevator on a lower level and then walked a hall. Green level. The halls were colored in a slated green with a nice dark trim of heavy oak. It was almost Regal. There were three men waiting at a closed door when they arrived.

“Did you not open the door?”

The one man with an air of dominance to him, that above the others, but below the Master shook his head. “Master, the internal lock is on. Yours is the only key that will access it at this level.”

The Master pulled an access card and swiped the key control. The door swung open. Sean’s eyes closed immediately. Death. It wasn’t a smell he could ever forget. The sickly sweet smell permeated the nose and left a sensory memory that was undeniable and unforgettable. Julia gasped and Sean quickly pulled her to the side, and backed her to the wall beside the door.

One of the men tried to enter, but Sean stopped him.

“No. You must not contaminate the crime scene.”

The three men looked at each other in shock. “Surely,” said the one man who stood closest to the Master, “it’s a self termination.”

Sean looked at his friend’s dead body, and met the eyes of the Master. Both men understood what was undeniable. No. It was not suicide. It was an assassination.

The Master looked at the man to his right. “Call the main controller. Tell him to place a call to the local PD. We have a homicide.” The man forgot himself and without bowing, he ran down the hall to do the Master’s bidding. The Master looked at a pale Julia.

“Simon. Take the young woman to my office.”

Julia went to open her mouth, but Sean stopped her. “Julia, go. This is not a place for you. I’ll come for you as soon as the detectives take over the scene.”

Sean waited until Julia reluctantly followed the man. Looking up at the Master, he made a small gesture, and the Master didn’t even acknowledge his request, but he quickly complied. He issued instructions to the remaining man.

“Go tell the house runners and controller to clear the house. We close the doors early tonight. All internal guests are requested to return to their assigned rooms. All rooms must be recorded. Take down all membership numbers, and get the records and time receipts for all signed drinks and requests. The police will want to know who was here at the time, their movements and where they were when the body was found.”

“Master, the clients will…”

“Comply or they may turn in their membership badges. Any one not complying is to be summarily dismissed and immediately banned. Take all information, but clear the house.”

Sean and the Master watched as the man quickly went to do his Master’s bidding.

“You wanted to search the room?”

Sean nodded. “You wouldn’t happen to have any latex gloves?”

The Master smiled without a hint of any real humor. “Actually I think I can find a pair or two. One moment.” He went down a hall to a door at the end of a corridor. Opening the door, he quickly went inside. He was back in a short time. Sean was still in the doorway, squatting to the floor with his hands between his legs. He sat there staring into Andy’s dead empty eyes. Standing when the Master returned, he took the gloves and didn’t protest when the Master donned a pair as well.

Sean entered the room first, careful of the floor, searching as he placed his feet. Moving slowly at a wide arc, he noticed that the Master followed placing his footsteps almost exactly in the same place that Sean had.

“Assassination?”

Sean nodded. “Three shots, mid-chest. Direct. From the angle of the fall, the person stood in the doorway. They entered, and before Andy could react, he was already dead.”

“He tried.” The Master pointed to a gun near Andy’s hand. He made no comment about Andy once again violating the rules and bringing a gun into his club. The man obviously had a reason to feel the need for his sidearm.

Sean quickly bent close to the gun. Never discharged. He never had a chance. Andy was waiting for him. He probably left the door unlocked. The person entered, and as Andy looked up, he quickly turned in shock and drew his gun, but took the three bullets to the chest before he could return fire.

“Jesus, Andy...” Sean rubbed his face. Without removing his eyes from his friend he asked the Master if he had a pencil or pen on him. The man handed him a pen from his pocket. Sean closed that part of his brain that felt the horror of looking into his dead friend’s eyes. His friend. His ex-partner. His fault. He lost track of time. If he had met Andy when he came into the club…If he had only been there...

Taking the pen, he quickly moved the clothing around to search for the papers Andy mentioned. Nothing. His membership card was covered in blood. His badge. His wallet. An extra clip for his gun, and at his ankle was his clutch piece. Nothing else.

A beeper went off on the Master’s belt.

“They’re here. They will be down in a moment.”

Sean nodded. “There is nothing to tell us here. You have security tapes?”

They quickly exited the room to stand outside. Both men quickly removed their gloves, and the Master took out a cigarette and offered one to Sean who gladly accepted.

“The halls. Elevator.”

“The room?”

The Master was silent for a moment. Then he nodded. Yes. They recorded all rooms. It wasn’t a known fact. His clients might find the invasion a problem. They would worry about showing up in some cheesy porn show shot on cheap digital video, or perhaps having their ‘appetites’ exploited in their private lives. Blackmail was always a concern for some.

“My place is clean. All security tapes are destroyed after forty-eight hours. I personally make sure that the trust ensured to me is not violated. Not by myself or anyone in my employment.”

Sean nodded. “The cops will want to see the tapes.”

The Master nodded. He walked a few paces, quickly talked low into a phone. By the time he finished, the elevator opened and a group men headed towards them. Sean recognized the men as cops. Hard to miss the breed. He saw it every day in his own mirror.

 

~~~

 

Julia roamed the rooms. It was a nice room. A nice office. Impressive.

Sean.

Julia sat on the edge of the desk and picked up a book. A novel. The Prozac Nation. She had already read it. Flipping through it, she tried to clear her mind. Andy. His body. His eyes. In a moment, she saw them both. They imprinted on her mind. They had been late. She and Sean were late. If she hadn’t insisted he let her come with him, he would have sat in the bar, and Andy would’ve found him immediately. Sean would have never gone into the Cathedral. Not on his own.

Andy.

Julia knew him. They met a few times. She worked with him on a few cases. The book hung loosely in her hands as she stared at a wall, her face ash white, her eyes closed as a single tear leaked from beneath the closed lids.

Her fault.

“Julia?”

It was Sean’s voice that called her back from her thoughts. Julia nodded, and despite wanting to be strong, she dropped the book and rushed into Sean’s arms. He held her close, feeling a slight tremble in her body. She wasn’t holding strong. For a moment, she let him hold her tightly, but when the Master entered the room, she stood back.

“I’ve got them.”

Sean joined the man to a special monitor in his office. A VCR and close circuit television setup. The detectives were through with them for now and had confiscated the tapes. The Master had copies made before he turned them over to the cops. Sean stood silent next to the man. They watched the security tapes.

“There. That’s Andy.” They continued to watch until another figure exited the elevator. The man was wearing a low hat that covered his face. It was a man. He had on gloves. A long coat. He reached in his pocket, and screwed a silencer on the end of the gun. Pausing at the door, the man waited, and then opened the door. They watched as he shot off three rounds quickly. Stepped into the room. The door closed.

Julia stood watching with a hand over her mouth. The two men ignored her gasp and the Master put another tape into the machine. It was the room. Andy entered the room. He stood with his back to the door. He wasn’t even in there for more than a few moments when the door opened. He said something with a smile on his face. When he turned his face went serious. Deadly serious. His hand moved so fast it was almost hard to track. He reached into his holster with the gun cradled in the small of his back. His hand came forward, but as fast as he moved, he didn’t move fast enough.

Sean winced as the three bullets hit his chest straight on. The look on Andy’s face was astonishment, a disbelief of betrayal. He knew his assassin. And then nothing. He hit the ground. The figure came the rest of the way into the room. The door was shut. The figure quickly checked Andy’s pockets and went through his wallet, taking the time to check every compartment possible. He searched the room in case Andy had left anything. Then he walked to the key pad next to the door.

Sean squinted. He could almost see the face. Almost. But not enough. There was too much shadow, and the man knew that if there were cameras, where they would be located. A new level was key punched into the control pad. The man looked around one more time. Then he exited.

“Security cameras for the club? Major access. He had to use a card to get on the elevator.”

“He did. When he entered the club he bumped into a person leaving. He lifted a wallet. Inside was a club card. The person had just used it, so there was no security check with ID like there is when you first enter the premises.” The Master opened a cabinet and poured Sean a stiff drink and one for the quiet Julia as well. “He had to have followed your friend to the club. He came into the club right behind Marlow. Followed him to the main bar. It only took two minutes for him to access a room. The man was right on his tail.”

The Master looked at Sean. “I doubt you could’ve stopped it from happening. It happened so fast that there was no warning. Even if you were at the bar when he arrived, it wouldn’t have mattered.” The Master pointed at the mystery man frozen on the screen. “Not to this man. He had an agenda. The only difference was how many he took out to achieve it.”

Sean tried to take comfort, but there could be no comfort. He was exhausted. His head hurt. His heart hurt. Roswell was too far away.

Julia was watching him discreetly. She saw his tells. His left hand was flicking almost nervously, and his other hand was searching his clothing for a cigarette. Sean was on a very sharp edge, almost on the verge of falling off. Julia went over and took his hand. Looking at the silent man in the office, she smiled slightly, but without humor or warmth.

“You wouldn’t have open accommodations tonight?”

The Master looked at the woman with a knowing eye. He had noticed the tell sign too. Sean DeLuca had been a wreck the last time he had been in his presence. The dead cop was more than just a member,  he had been someone that the Master remembered well. That type of loyalty and friendship was a rare thing. Sean rubbed his eyes. He stood with his head down and eyes closed, he was beginning rock on his heels in an almost methodical method. He was holding, or trying to hold onto his nerve, his calm. It was breaking fast.

“What did you need?” The club was closed, but he could make an exception.

Julia looked at Sean. Her hand went to his face. She forced him to look up at her. They stared at each other for a long moment. She stroked his faced gently. Without looking away from Sean she said, “Dungeon. If that is okay?”

The Master pushed an intercom button and requested a slave. “My man will escort you. Will you need a controller?”

Julia shook her head. “No. He’s mine. I’ll take care of him.”

The man entered the office. The Master went to the door. He handed her a red ball and a pack of cigarettes.

“I gave you a deluxe suite. It has a comfortable bed. It’s yours for the next twenty-four hours. There is a phone. Dial one if you need anything, I’ll order the floor runner to serve you. That includes food and drinks.”

Julia nodded. She didn’t know the rules, but she suspected that normally food and beverages weren’t allowed in the lowest levels of the club. Julia took Sean’s hand and led him out the door. The Master stopped her again.

“You are a very understanding…sympathetic woman.”

Julia looked back at the man. “No, I’m not. I just understand him.”

The man lit a cigarette and nodded as the two left. The cops were through with Sean, asking questions. They were through with him as well, at least for the night. Going to the chair behind his desk he sat on the arm opened a panel of security cameras. Watching the progress of Sean and Julia to a room, his curiosity was a killer. He switched to the room. Expecting to see what he knew Sean would want, what he knew a man such as Sean would need, he sat waiting for the scenario to start.

The door closed leaving the two inside. Totally against his rules. There was no overseer in the room. No safety. Just the two of them. Perhaps his voyeuristic manner could serve to keep an eye that things did not go out of control.

Julia led Sean to the middle room. She removed his shirt. Then she removed her own. Lifting his head, she forced him to look at her. Then something unexpected happened. The two stood both topless facing each other, then she leaned forward and kissed his eyes gently. Her arms opened wide, and he moved into them as they both collapsed on the floor. She held him against her breasts as he wept openly. The red ball that Sean had held in his hand dropped to the floor and rolled away.

“Well, I’ll be damned.” The man known as the Master reached over and turned off the monitor.