Timothy. He scowled, waiting for it. She reached behind her back, produced something, and tossed it to him. Timothy caught the rosary with ease. He looked at it, then frowned back to Rachel. “The whole thing,” Rachel taunted. “Best get prayin’.” Rachel giggled as the guardian angels surrounding her gave voice to a cacophony of very different prayers. Without much of an economy, this was the only sort of thing that angels really had to offer in wagers amongst themselves. Her only regret was that it wasn’t the right time for the Salaat. Otherwise, she’d have had them al kneeling toward Mecca. * They had to use Sherri’s bedroom, which for Alex was just a touch awkward. Lorelei read it on his face as if she could read his mind. She winked at him, but said nothing. Luckily, nobody else noticed anything. He and Jocelyn had thrown a clean comforter over the one that had been on the bed, which seemed to be more than enough of a cover-up. “What you did this past Thursday night was no small thing,” Lorelei explained. She held a manila envelope that none of them, even Alex, had seen her bring into the house. “Gorge was not highly placed in the hierarchy of his kind, but even so, it is not at al ordinary for any of our ilk to be destroyed by mortals. “You were al very brave to have stood together against a demon of the Pit,” Lorelei said, looking at each of them intently, “and I am personally very grateful, as I have said, that you were there for Alex, and for me.” She paused, but no one had anything to say in response to that. She pul ed out several sheets of paper from the envelope.
“The Pit operates largely on the Right of Might. There are essentially no laws beyond those which others commonly impose through force, but there are a few things that al agree upon in order to prevent complete chaos. One of these is that to the victors go the spoils.” She handed each of them a copy of business papers that were only a few pages in length. “Each of you is now one-quarter owner of one of the most stable, successful pool hall s in the Seattle area.” “Daaamn,” Drew breathed. Alex and Wade both choked. Jason’s jaw dropped as he looked at the papers in disbelief. “There will be some complications in claiming outright ownership, of course,” Lorelei went on, “as Gorge didn’t live long enough to really paper everything over. But the original owner of the establishment fullly concedes the sale, and yesterday I took care of most of the necessary steps to secure your rights. As none of you are old enough to legally operate an establishment that serves alcohol, I took it upon myself to hire on Ahmed as the regular manager. The previous staff is unanimously interested in keeping their jobs. Ultimately al you need to do is occasionally look over the books, give your approval to expenses, sign a few papers now and again…and sit back and collect approximately eighteen to twenty-five thousand dol ars apiece in profits annual y, if the last few years hold as an accurate measure. That’s not enough to live well on by itself, but I imagine it will still be quite a boost to your incomes.” She was met with four shocked, disbelieving pairs of eyebal s and an accompanying stunned silence. Lorelei favored them with a sly grin. “Obviously you can take for granted that you won’t need to pay for time at a table or anything from the kitchen, as well .” “This is…legal?” Wade blinked. “Effectively, yes. It will hold up to legal scrutiny. We’l have to come up with some plausible reason why Gorge passed ownership to you immediately after purchasing the business, but Ahmed can be pliant. This works out for him financially as well .” “But didn’t that guy do some sort of supernatural woojiness to Ahmed to get him to sel ?” Jason asked.
“I don’t believe so, no. I cannot prove that one way or another, but he didn’t need to. Ahmed was paid a generous price for his business, and al of it in cash. He could have bargained a bit more and the decision was a bit rash on his part, but it was still his decision to make. He came out well ahead financially in the short term—and will in the long term as well if you keep him on as manager for at least a few years.” Drew seemed every bit as overwhelmed as the others. “How did you swing this? I thought al of Gorge’s papers burned up in the church?” Lorelei’s sly grin only broadened. “Real y, you boys know what I am. One doesn’t spend the better part of a few dozen centuries with al of the worst sorts of people without learning a trick or two. No one is harmed,” she quickly added for Alex’s reassurance, “but I did have to do a bit of creative forgery and paperwork. It’s not like Gorge could wrap things up at this point. But you destroyed him when he forced conflict upon you. By his own customs, his belongings are now yours. It’s only a small pity that you couldn’t have held him upside down and shaken him to see what fell out of his pockets before he died. “And on that note,” Lorelei added, picking up her purse, “there is the added concern of the diamonds he was so quick to flash around. You left them behind in the midst of your brouhaha.” She handed out four white envelopes, which the guys tore open without much pause. Each contained several thousand dol ars in cash. “Be careful how you spend that,” Lorelei said. “I wouldn’t suggest you deposit it in a bank unless you want to run the risk of having to explain how you got it.” “This is too good to be true,” Jason thought aloud. “What was too good to be true was the notion that I could live happily ever after with Alex without putting anyone else at risk,” Lorelei said. “You have al stood with him, repeatedly now, in the face of dangers grave and…wel , whatever those boys out there might’ve dished out,” she shrugged dismissively. “You are not mil ionaires. You’l likely need to keep quiet about this until we can al agree on a solid cover story.
“But you earned this. And my unending gratitude as well .” “I’m gonna suggest,” Wade said after swal owing hard, “that we just al shut up about this for tonight and let it sink in. Ah mean this will al run itself for now, right?” Lorelei nodded. “Yeah,” he continued, “this is…awesome. But, uh, there’s a geeky brunette cutie out there waitin’ for me. I was talkin’ to her ‘fore half the Huskies bench showed up.” “Yeah, I’m kinda hangin’ around here late with Sherri, too,” Drew thought aloud. “Thanks, Lorelei. Seriously. Thanks.” “My pleasure,” she nodded as Drew headed out the door. Wade fol owed. Alex offered Lorelei his hand as he was about to leave. She took it with a smile. “That’s awesome,” Jason grumbled. “Everyone picks up at the party but me ‘cause I showed up late.” “There’s still party left,” Alex shrugged. “Just show ‘em your awesome stun gun. I bet chicks dig that.” “Funny.” “A moment, Alex?” Lorelei asked. Her hand slipped from his. She fixed Jason with a smoldering hot gaze of lust that stopped him dead in his tracks. She slipped her leg in between his, grinding upward with her thigh, just as she slipped both hands around his neck and planted a deep, wet, aggressive kiss upon his mouth. Jason fainted dead away on the bed behind him. Alex just looked on in shock. Lorelei shrugged, dabbing at her lips. “You said I could flirt, and I do owe him my gratitude. It’s not like he’l remember that happened, anyway.” *
A couple of hours later, Jason sat in the middle of one of the plush living room couches. Wade had already taken off with Trish, whom Jason already knew from a couple of local sci-fi conventions. Drew was still ensconced behind the bar, though that was much more a matter of clean-up and sticking close to their increasingly flirty hostess. Alex and Lorelei had already left…and so, for that matter, had Taylor, Jocelyn and numerous others. It wasn’t al bad, though. He didn’t have a lot to add to the conversation, but at least he was seated between Britney and Brittany. The former had broken up with her boyfriend that very night because he was apparently quite an asshole. The latter’s date appeared to have disappeared entirely. It turned out that Brittany and Britney had been longtime friends, and Jason wasn’t entirely sure if he was a wellcome part of what probably should have been a private conversation. They both, however, put a hand on each of his knees when he first decided to chivalrously extract himself from the girl talk. “She needs to hear from a male perspective,” Brittany said. “Only someone nice, not that jackass she just dumped.” “He dumped me,” Britney corrected. “Well , that’s obviously his loss,” Jason said helpful y. Britney looked up at him like she really appreciated that. Brittany smiled and squeezed his leg approvingly. “You really think so?” Britney asked. “I mean, sometimes I think the only thing I’m really good at is sex.” “I feel like that sometimes, too,” Brittany chimed in. “Well …I’m sure that’s not al you’re good at,” Jason ventured, feeling an insane stiffness between his legs like nothing that he’d ever endured before. He had no real idea what to say to them; much of the blood from his brain had retreated south, and at this point his mouth was on autopilot. “But you shouldn’t be ashamed of your talents. You should, I dunno, embrace ‘em!”
Britney and Brittany looked up at one another in silent confirmation just as Jason was scolding himself for sounding like such an idiot. Then they looked at him and said, in unison as they each took one of his hands and stood, “Okay.” Even at nineteen, Jason lived with rather protective, intrusive, conservative parents. When he finally staggered through his family’s front door at a quarter to seven the next evening, having neither cal ed nor emailed, he had considerable explaining to do. He was covered in hickies, scratches and even a few bite marks. His eyes were bloodshot from lack of sleep. He reeked of perfume, sweat and more intimate scents. Two cel phone numbers were written on his wrists in Sharpee marker, along with many hearts and a few endearing vulgarities. His mother, aghast, spotted and yanked out the pair of pink lace panties that had been stuffed in his jacket pocket. It was the most awkward moment in his life to date. It was also totally worth it. * She stood in front of the door with the same mixture of trepidation, excitement and doubt that she had faced while waiting for the elevator. And while sitting in her car in the parking garage. And while on her way to the hotel. The door was different, though. There’d be no turning back after walking through that door. well , that wasn’t true, she knew. Taylor could turn back at any moment. This was Alex. He never held anything against her. There was zero chance he would see this coming, and even less chance that he would feel deserving. The thing she couldn’t take back was the statement that this was something she wanted. In front of the door, it was al
stil a hypothetical. It was al still in her head. No one else knew. Sure, she’d al owed another woman to make out with her, but lots of girls she knew did that at parties. Maybe it was more to excite the guys who were watching, but still . Taylor could either deny it or own up to it as she chose. But once she stepped through that door, the statement would be made. She couldn’t play it off as a joke or a stunt. Either she wanted this, or she didn’t. And if she stepped through that door, she was the kind of girl who’d get in bed with a man and a woman. Whatever happened next, that was who she was from now on. Even if no one else ever knew, Taylor would know. Either something wonderful was on the other side of that door, or just a lot of heartache and embarrassment. Perhaps a statement of Taylor’s gul ibility, or weakness, or just a sign of what a slut she was. Alex wouldn’t see it that way, of course, but anyone else probably would. And he’d never speak of it, but he’d know. Five days ago, he was just a high school memory and an occasional comment on Facebook. Now she was fil ed with longing and excitement, and had been for days. This would be complicated al to hell , no matter how noncommittal he might be. He might put no pressure on her at al , but Taylor wondered how long it would be before she wanted more from him than had been offered. Offered by his girlfriend, no less. His girlfriend, who presented al manner of complications and unsettling revelations. Relationships were always complicated, but this was beyond the pale. Taylor stared at the door. She thought about al that Lorelei had said to her. She thought about the looks on Alex’s face at the party; he never really got the chance to just talk to her alone that he had sought before she left. She wanted to talk to him, of course. She was dying to talk to him. But talking might have spoiled this…if she were to go through with it. The thought seemed to settle things for her. She went to that party to see Alex, and hadn’t subsequently avoided talking to him for nothing. She hadn’t let Lorelei kiss her because she was afraid of something. Taylor glanced around in the hall way, ensuring that no one was stirring. It was very late, after al .
Assured, she pul ed the card key out of the pocket of her jeans. Then she pul ed off her jacket. “Here goes,” she muttered. * “Thought we’d be going straight to bed,” Alex mumbled as he came out of the bathroom. His clothes were gone. Lorelei knelt on the honeymoon suite’s couch, now turned to face the balcony and the beautiful moonlit view of El iott Bay beyond. The only thing she wore was her black pearl choker. “We will do as you wish, of course,” she said. Her eyes never left his, nor did they ever convey anything but lust and devotion. “But I thought we might enjoy the scenery.” Weariness showed in his smile. It had been a hell of a day, along with a hell of a night. “You have a lot of initiative for a someone who claims she isn’t in charge.” “You have no idea, love.” He sat down on the couch. “Who am I to say no to you?” he asked. Lorelei’s hands slid over his legs, spreading them apart so she could kneel between them. “It is always in your power to deny me.” “I’d have to be an idiot,” he smiled, looking at her lovingly. “Wise man,” Lorelei smiled. Alex gave out a soft groan as she got to work. It didn’t take her long to help him forget al about his fatigue and the
bruising pain in his side. Alex relaxed, letting al his worries fall away. No more party, no more people wanting to kick his ass or show him up in front of their girlfriends. No more stressing about whether he was showing enough attention to anyone in particular or not. And real y, it had been a great party, al in al …apart from getting beaten up and not really getting to talk to Taylor. As he considered that last part, he laid his head back on the couch and his eyes drifted off to one side. Without really looking for anything, he saw Taylor, walking toward him clad only in silk purple panties, a matching bra, and a shy but broad smile. “Hey,” she said. His eyes went wide. He very nearly sat up, but Taylor was there just in time to put a hand on his bare shoulder. Lorelei’s attentions promptly robbed him of any ability to move below his hips. It made his jaw drop a bit, which only left him feeling a bit more exposed as Taylor slid close to him. “Wow,” she blinked at Lorelei. Her voice was soft, completely in tune with the intimate scene she’d just joined. “How’d you get here?” Alex managed. “I went to the party to see you, but I saw Lorelei first. She offered me a key card,” Taylor winked. She slid closer to Alex and kissed him, gently but with real passion. Al his questions aside, Alex had at least learned when to shut up and kiss back. Lorelei hadn’t let up at al . Even when Alex’s eyes opened, they did so with a bit of a flutter. He looked like he was about to say something, so Taylor kissed him again. “I’m going to keep kissing you until you stop trying to explain yourself,” she grinned. Taylor glanced down at the woman between his legs. It gave her a grin. “I think I kinda like finding you in these compromising positions.” “This is really awkward.” “No…it’s not. I knew what I’d be coming into. I was afraid I’d be jealous, but I’m not.” “Why not?”