by Amira Rain
After using the restroom, I'd left my jeans and underwear down around my knees, and now, with the fingers of one hand, I gently spread my feminine lips and pressed the rubbery disc to the very sensitive little bud between them. After a moment or two, I gave the disc a little nudge, finding that it already seemed to have affixed itself with some sort of adhesive.
It was only then that I wondered if the Tickler was supposed to be applied on a specific side, though there really hadn't appeared to be an "up" and a "down" side; and a quick check of the instructions on a little slip of paper inside the package told me that it didn't even matter.
Glad to just have the task done, I yanked up my underwear and jeans, then exited the bathroom stall, went over to the sink, and began washing my hands, on high alert for any sensations caused by the Tickler. But I didn't feel anything. I felt exactly as I normally would washing my hands. Which was to say, not aroused at all. Not tingly in any way.
Knowing that Ticklers worked from being warmed by body heat, I realized that it might take a few minutes for it to do what it was supposed to do. However, it still seemed like something should already be happening. As I dried my hands with a paper towel, it just wasn't. Nothing was happening. I couldn't even feel the presence of the tiny rubbery disk on my most sensitive spot. I felt as if I'd never even put it on.
I soon left the restroom with a little bounce in my step, wondering if all the rumors about the effects a Tickler could have on a woman were just that- rumors. Maybe rumors spread around by the folks in Ashcrest that manufactured them and profited from their sale. After all, I'd never spoken to anyone who had actually used one before, so I'd never heard a firsthand account as to whether or not they actually did what they were said to. I definitely hadn't wanted to embarrass my friend who'd received a few Ticklers as a gift by asking her later whether or not she'd enjoyed them.
By the time I'd made it down the path and reached the truck, I was feeling pretty confident, because I still wasn't feeling anything at all. While I strode past Chase and climbed in the truck, I found it difficult not to give him a smug little smile. He got in beside me, shut the truck door, and didn't say anything while Grayson put the truck in drive and began heading down the road again.
I could just feel his gaze on me. Even though I was staring straight ahead, I could just feel that he was studying me out of the corner of his eye. And soon, I could feel Grayson doing the same thing. They both wanted to see if the Tickler was having any effect. I knew it.
And the thought almost made me laugh. If they expected me to suddenly start panting, moaning, and writhing in my seat, they were going to be very disappointed because I still wasn't feeling anything. I was becoming convinced that Ticklers weren't quite as effective as they were rumored to be.
We continued down the darkened road in silence. The April evening was unusually warm, and Chase had his window rolled down a few inches, which I was grateful for, because the fresh air coming in didn't allow more than the faintest whiffs of his or Grayson's scents to reach my nostrils.
After maybe a mile or so, Chase spoke, his deep voice not exactly warm, but maybe not quite as authoritative as it had been earlier. "Would you like to hear a little about your new home, or about us? About what we do?"
Not turning my gaze from the road ahead, I didn't even hesitate. "Not really."
Based on things I'd heard, I was already pretty sure about what the wolves did, and I had zero desire to hear details about attacking towns, looting, and ripping innocent people limb from limb. Though, despite this, and despite my rude comment, Chase responded as if I'd told him to go right ahead.
"We do some work for the royal family in Ashcrest."
I glanced over at him. "Do they pay you in sex toys?"Like the comment I'd made earlier, while heading to the restroom, I just hadn't been able to help this one. But also, like earlier, Chase didn't respond in anger; he simply chuckled, the sound a low, quiet rumble in his muscular chest.
"No. Believe it or not, we actually don't get paid in sex toys."
He chuckled again, the sound another quiet, low rumble. It struck me as odd that any wolf would have even the slightest sense of humor. I shifted in my seat, uncomfortable about this. And also, I suddenly realized, uncomfortable for a different reason. My sensitive little spot covered by the Tickler was now tingling a bit, making me want to squirm.
Not seeming to notice my discreet shift in position, Chase continued, his dark green eyes glinting in the pale moonlight filling the truck. "No, we don't get directly paid in sex toys, though we have recently received a few little gifts from Ashcrest, one of which you're now wearing.
“We have dozens and dozens of Ticklers, which is good, since they're single-use, and we plan to use a lot. We also have other fun little toys as well. Toys that we plan to acquaint you with in the near future. Though tonight...tonight, maybe we'll just become acquainted with each other's bodies."
Not a moment after he'd finished speaking, I couldn't help but slide my gaze from his handsome, square-jawed face down to his broad shoulders and well-muscled chest. Then, I slid my gaze even lower, to his tight stomach to his hips to his long, muscular thighs. Even in the dim, silvery light, I could see and appreciate that his body was nothing short of chiseled perfection, as was Grayson's. I'd obviously noticed this earlier, but now, their bodies were suddenly of more interest to me.
I didn't want them to know that. As I reminded myself, pulling my gaze from Chase's thighs, I was going to try to fight the effects of the Tickler. I wasn't going to allow myself to become the highly aroused, desperate sex partner that they obviously seemed to want me to be. I wouldn't give them the satisfaction.
Though, as several quiet minutes ticked by, the hum of the truck's engine the only sound in the cab, I realized that the task of fighting the effects of the Tickler was going to be a harder one than I'd thought. A much harder one.
Sitting perfectly still, I could now feel the rubbery disk affixed to my sensitive little bud undulating almost imperceptibly. It felt like the very slowest, slightest touch from a fingertip pressed against me. It was a sensation that was beginning to make me feel an almost desperate urge to squirm in my seat, though I was determined not to. Not with Chase and Grayson sitting so close.
They'd notice; I was sure of it. So, as the Tickler continued to do its job, I remained still, simply forcing myself to do so. I couldn't, however, seem to do much to slow my rapidly accelerating heartbeat. My breathing was also becoming a bit fast, too, I noticed. I began working to keep it at a regular pace, trying to ignore the fact that Chase and Grayson's long, muscular thighs were mere inches away from my own. Trying to ignore thoughts of how it would feel to have their thighs wrapped around my own. Trying to ignore everything.
Though several miles further into our journey to Shadowfen later, it became clear to me that I wasn't really having much success in all my efforts to ignore my physical sensations and wandering thoughts. It also became clear that the things I'd heard about Ticklers hadn't been just rumors. Everything I'd heard about Ticklers had actually been right on the money. The very light, almost imperceptible stimulation caused by the rubbery disk wasn't quite enough required for the average woman to reach climax, or at least it probably wouldn't be for a great long while.
The stimulation was, however, more than enough to bring a woman to a state of extreme arousal. A near-torturous state of extreme arousal, I soon discovered. Soon, with my sensitive feminine bud throbbing and tingling, I couldn't help but squirm in my seat, making a sound between a sigh and a quiet moan at the same time.
With one large, long-fingered hand on the steering wheel, Grayson glanced over at me. "So, you did position the Tickler properly, then."
I made my best attempt at a scoff, though the sound came out as more of a deep sigh. "I don't even think it's...." I paused, squirming yet again. "Working."
That, of course, wasn't actually anywhere remotely near the truth. The Tickler was actually working so well now I could feel that my underwear was s
oaked in slickness. Also, my nipples had stiffened, and they were now rubbing against the fabric of my lacy black bra almost unbearably as the truck gently bounced down the road. I choked back another sigh-moan sound, silently hating the two alpha wolves on either side of me for making me put on the Tickler; silently hating myself for being so seemingly powerless to resist its effects.
Chase looked at me with his green eyes glinting silver in the moonlight. "If this is the Tickler 'not working,' I can't wait to hear some of the sounds you'll be making when it actually does start to work."
I responded to him through gritted teeth. "Go to hell."
He snorted, his mouth curving in a grin. "Some days, with some of the work we have to do, and the things we have to see, I think I'm already there. But not today. Not tonight."
I imagined that the "work" he was referring to was the typical wolf "work" of attacking innocent people and taking over small villages and towns. I wondered why, if this "work" was such hell for him, he didn't just stop. But I couldn't contemplate this for longer than a moment right then. I really couldn't. The physical sensations I was experiencing, and making feeble efforts to fight, were quickly rising above all other thoughts in my mind.
I stared straight ahead, trying to focus on keeping my breathing at a normal pace. Which, after a few minutes, became nearly impossible when Grayson slowly moved a hand to my upper thigh and began squeezing it, the pressure of his touch gentle but firm.
Earlier that evening, I might have reflexively tried to smack his hand away. Earlier, before the Tickler. But now, I just couldn't. The touch of his strong hand simply felt too good. I bit back a sigh, shifting in my seat, my feminine bud now tinglier than ever, but to my disappointment, he soon returned his hand to the steering wheel. However, almost immediately, Chase moved a hand to my other thigh and began kneading it in the same way that Grayson had done.
After a short while, he moved his hand up a little higher and began caressing my feminine mound through my jeans. "Not much longer now. Just a few more miles."
I sighed at the feel of his touch, realizing that his voice had become much lower, huskier. Apparently, I wasn't the only one in a state of arousal. Which I supposed didn't surprise me at all, considering that Chase and Grayson obviously seemed to be very healthy, virile men, though this wasn't the only reason I wasn't surprised. I'd heard that shifters had very large appetites for sex, and stamina to match, appetites and stamina far greater than the average man.
I'd also heard that because of their appetites, shifters became turned on at the drop of a hat. Now I could see that this was likely true. Now I couldn't seem to stop thinking about this fact while Chase returned his hand to my thigh, making me shift in my seat, nearly panting.
The next several miles of the trip went by so slowly they felt like hundreds of miles. But finally, Grayson turned off the main road and began driving down a dirt road lined with what, in the dark, I could only guess were evergreen trees. Soon rows of small, tidy-looking cabins came into view, illuminated by the truck's headlights. There seemed to be at least a few dozen of them, though I couldn't be sure. I was a bit preoccupied.
Chase gave my thigh a little squeeze. "Shadowfen is a village made up of a few dozen dwelling cabins. You'll get your own, where Grayson and I will come visit you for mating. We'll drop you off right now and let you get settled in while we check on a few things, then we'll be back in a bit."
I sat speechless, in complete disbelief that they were actually going to leave me in my current state, for no matter how short a period of time. Absolutely stunned at myself, I realized I was ready for mating right then. Not just ready, but near-desperate for it. The Tickler had turned out to be a product unrivaled in terms of delivering on what it was supposed to do.
But there was no way in hell I was going to beg the wolves not to leave. Absolutely no way in hell I was going to beg them to mate with me right then. I still had a very small shred of dignity, I realized, despite the fact that that shred seemed to be becoming thinner by the moment.
Grayson parked the truck in front of one of the cabins, and he, Chase, and I got out. Grayson grabbed my duffel bag; Chase grabbed my suitcase; and the three of us headed up to the cabin. Once inside, they turned on some lights, dropped my things by the front door, and then began to head back out through it.
Just as he cleared the threshold, Chase paused and looked at me over his shoulder. "There should be some dinner on a plate in the fridge if you're hungry. Just warm it up in the oven. But don't get sleepy. Don't touch or remove the Tickler because after checking on a few things and having a quick bite ourselves, Grayson and I will be back. And we intend to see just exactly how well our little gift from Ashcrest has worked."
He then turned, pulling the door shut behind him. I stood with my heartbeat hammering in my ears, wondering just how many minutes, just how many seconds, before he and Grayson would return.
CHAPTER TWO
So, I realized, I'd been completely right. The wolves were cruel. Now I knew it with certainty. Because leaving me alone in the little cabin, alone, in the state of high arousal I was currently in, was certainly a cruel act.
I couldn't believe Chase had actually thought I might be interested in heating up some dinner. Having had a very early dinner before the auction back in Greenleaf, I wasn't really very hungry, and besides, I could barely focus on anything but my desperate need for sexual satisfaction. A need that was growing with every additional moment that I wore the Tickler.
Not knowing how long I'd have to wait until Grayson and Chase returned, I knew I had to find some way to pass the time until then and try to keep myself distracted. At least distracted enough to not go completely insane.
Still breathing a bit heavily, I did a quick exploration of the cabin, though that didn't take me very long. It was basically just one large room. The front door opened into a wood-planked living room with a couch, a few wooden chairs, and two end tables with a lamp on each. A high, narrow bookshelf stood in one corner, with a few dozen paperbacks lining the top two shelves.
Adjacent to the bookshelf, between two wide windows, a fire crackled and popped in a rough-hewn stone hearth. Though the April evening was unusually warm, that wasn't saying much for Northern Michigan, and I knew I'd appreciate the warmth of the fire later on that night, when the temperature would likely drop into the thirties.
On the other side of an open hallway bordering the side of the living room, there was a small kitchen area with stove and oven, refrigerator, and a small, circular wooden table with four chairs. Dry goods, mostly bins of cereals and grains, filled the shelves of a deep pantry, and the refrigerator was stocked with plenty of fresh food.
I hoped this meant I'd be in charge of making my own meals and wouldn't have to eat with the wolves. Though, I realized, the well-stocked kitchen could possibly mean I'd be cooking for everyone and sharing meals with everyone as well, a thought that disgusted me. I wasn't sure how I'd manage to choke down food around bloodthirsty wolves.
However, at the same time I had this thought, it struck me that despite the fact that they were wolves, and alphas at that, Grayson and Chase hadn't been exactly acting like wild, murderous monsters, and it stood to reason that maybe their pack didn't act like monsters, either.
I knew I'd maybe misjudged the wolves at least a little, though time would tell by just how much. I knew it was possible that Grayson and Chase just hadn't displayed their murderous, bloodthirsty sides to me yet. But I knew one thing for sure. They were absolutely cruel, at least when it came to things of a sexual nature. At least when it came to making a young woman wear a Tickler and then leaving her alone to her own devices, to walk around a cabin, while nearly panting with desire.
Beyond the kitchen, one corner of the cabin was reserved for a simple sleeping space with a large bed, nightstand, and dresser. Adjacent, in the opposite corner of the cabin, was a decent-sized bathroom with sink, toilet, and a claw-footed porcelain tub with an attached showerhead. I knew I'd like
ly be making good use of this tub. Back in Greenleaf, the tiny apartment Skye and I had shared with another young woman had only been outfitted with a shower stall barely big enough to turn around in. I'd always felt a little deprived of bubble baths.
The place certainly wasn't grand, but it was clean and cozy, and I was glad it had electric lights and indoor plumbing. Some homes in my poverty-stricken hometown didn't have either.
Still wanting to keep myself distracted and busy until Grayson and Chase returned, I unpacked my things and organized my clothing in the dresser. But I was too fast. I had both my suitcase and duffel bag emptied in under ten minutes.
The Tickler was beginning to have a profound effect on me. Back in the truck, I'd begun to develop a very distinct, frustrating ache low in my belly, and that ache was now becoming nearly unbearable. My nipples were also aching, still stiffened and rubbing uncomfortably against the fabric of my lacy bra. They were also tingly, as was my most sensitive spot, which was still being stroked almost imperceptibly by the slow, rhythmic undulations of the Tickler. I could feel that my underwear were almost completely soaked with slickness.
I sat down on the edge of the large, firm-yet-comfortable bed, suddenly angry. Angry at myself for allowing the Tickler to have such an extreme effect on me. Angry that I hadn't been able to fight off my arousal. Angry at Grayson and Chase for leaving me alone in the cabin. Angry at them for making me actually want to mate with them. For making me actually desperate to mate with them.