by Logan Jacobs
“Ummmm, gray?” I responded hesitantly. I wasn’t exactly a suit guy after all.
“Gray would go perfectly with his eyes,” Ariette added with a sly grin.
“Maaren, what size dress do you wear?” Kalista asked the moment the hunter was within earshot.
“Two,” Maaren responded. “Why? Did Milton’s matching suits finally come in?”
“Nope, you guys are going to a ball!” the dwarf exclaimed gleefully, and then she clapped her hands together giddily like a mother at her daughter’s senior prom.
“Why, exactly, are we going to a ball?” Ariette questioned as she sat down tiredly.
The dark circles under her eyes were still there, and her hair was a frizzy mess from her nap. She looked up at me and shot me a smile half-heartedly, and then shimmied a little as she fixed her hair. Her perfect breasts bounced a little on her chest, and I felt my dick throb a bit in my pants.
“You are going to a ball because that’s where the basilisk egg is,” Kalista said matter-of-factly, as if it was obvious to everyone on the planet but Ariette. She pointed at something on the page for Danira’s benefit. “I like this one for Ari.”
Danira nodded her approval, and the dwarf scribbled on a little pad next to her before she turned to me.
“I’m guessing you’re a thirty four around the hips?” she said as she eyed my torso.
“Yes,” I replied. “What exactly is a basilisk egg?”
“It’s an egg laid by a full grown basilisk,” Ariette answered. “Duh. But it has to be incubated by a rooster before it can hatch. A basilisk has the head of a rooster and body of a snake, but it’s deadly. It can kill with a single glance. Add in the fact that it’s got a giant beak and sharp claws ...”
“It’s a problem, got it,” I said. “So what’s going down tonight? Why all the fancy theatrics?”
“There’s an auctioneer in town,” Danira explained as she tore herself from the catalogue to look at the three of us. “Kalista’s algorithm found his ad on the internet. He claims he is auctioning off a rare basilisk egg to the highest bidder. We think that Razor and his men will make an attempt to steal it, and you three are going to be there to stop him.”
“A half rooster, half snake that can kill you with a single glance does seem right up their alley.” I nodded. “But why wouldn’t they just buy it? They seem to have tons of cash.”
“They may, hence, the clothes,” Kalista interjected. “A ball. La ballio. El Ballo.”
“Yes,” Danira replied. “It’s a black-tie event where the richest of Jefferson City will be gathered, so you’ll have to go dressed to impress. We contacted the auctioneer and informed him of our plan.”
“He wasn’t all that happy about it,” Kalista grumbled as she flipped another page. “But I just said, ‘Yo, dude, either we crash your party and stop some great evil bandits, or they take over with their crazy baby army which includes you and your rich buddies.’ That shut him right up.”
“When is this auction?” Maaren asked as she nodded thoughtfully.
“Tonight at seven,” Danira replied as Kalista snapped the catalogue shut, picked up her phone abruptly, and punched in a number. It rang for a moment, and then the dwarf held it up to her ear.
“Hey, Jessie, how are you?” the dwarf exclaimed into the receiver. “Yeah, so I have a huge favor to ask of you. I need two dresses and a suit in about four hours. Can you do that? Awesome, you’re the best. Okay, so the first one is suit A thirty and … yeah, it’s for him. Cool. Then I need dresses C twenty-two and X seven, both size two… Okay, great, I owe you big time!”
“Four hours to get ready,” Ariette said with a thoughtful frown. Like Maaren, I could practically see the wheels in her head turning as she started to plan the operation. “Where is this thing being held?”
“Jules Bassett is the auctioneer in charge. He has rented out an old mansion up on Berry Hill Road, and that’s where it’s being held,” Danira replied. “The event comes with dinner and entertainment, and then the auction itself will start at nine. Pretty fancy stuff.”
“This sounds like an awful lot of trouble just to sell a few items,” I added. The circle of rich people we’d surely join at the auction tonight was not exactly my crowd, and I honestly didn’t get why they would put all this pomp and circumstance into this.
“Rich people, man,” Kalista said with a sympathetic shake of her head. “It’s, like, if you want to buy the egg, just buy the thing. There are all sorts of websites for that.”
“What else is he selling?” Maaren asked. “Is there anything else they might be after?”
“Some art, a few ancient relics, and antique furniture,” Danira answered. “I have no idea how he came across a basilisk egg. He doesn’t seem to be the rare creature dealing type.”
“Well, he is tonight,” Ariette muttered. “What’s the plan?”
“Go in there and see who buys the egg,” the commander shrugged. “At some point, the Phobos will come for the egg. I don’t know if they intend to buy it, or let somebody else buy it and then steal it. The only thing I know is that the Phobos will end up with that egg by the end of the night if we aren’t careful. When they show up, I want you to follow them and figure out what their home base looks like.”
Just then, Ilias stomped into the command center sans his team. The dwarf frowned when he saw us and then casually strolled up to our table. Kalista slid the catalogue off the table and gave him a fierce glare.
“Ilias,” Danira said kindly. “How are you doing?”
The dwarf didn’t answer and instead appraised us with his coal-black eyes. He had an unlit cigar in his mouth, and it wiggled as he chewed on the end.
“You solve that robbery case yet?” he demanded gruffly.
“We’re about to,” Kalista shot back. For a moment, her violet eyes met his black ones, and I swear it looked like she wanted fire to shoot from her eyes and blow him up.
“Hmmm,” he replied. “It’s been, what, three days? Quick turnaround is often important in these cases. Feel free to let my team and I know if you need any help.”
His offer would have been kind if it didn’t sound so disingenuous. I knew he was angry because his team hadn’t been put on any exciting cases in a while, and that meant they didn’t reap the awesome rewards that we did. I couldn’t blame him for being a little disgruntled. My Jacuzzi tub was pretty freaking great.
“I think we’re good,” Ariette said with a smirk. “But you’ll be the first to know if assistance is needed.”
“Suit yourself.” Ilias shrugged nonchalantly before he wandered back out of the room. His cigar bounced with his movements and slipped out of his mouth just before he opened the door. The dwarf bent down and picked it up quickly, and then he shoved it back in between his teeth like nothing had happened.
“So we’ve got four hours?” I asked hopefully. “Does that mean I can go back and sleep for another two or three?”
A small smile rose up Danira’s face, and she gave me a slow nod. “Of course,” she confirmed. “It’s going to take some time for your clothes to get here, so go and enjoy your next few hours.”
The commander didn’t have to tell me twice. The second the words left her mouth, I rushed back into my room, hopped into bed, and passed out.
Three hours later, Maaren, Ariette, and I were all back in the control room. In the interim I’d taken a nice nap and thank God I did. While I still felt the heavy weight of exhaustion, I was definitely more alert and ready for whatever might come.
Our clothes had arrived, and Danira sent Maaren, Ariette, and I into the bathroom down the hall to change. I normally was a casual dresser, but I had to reconsider my “no suit” policy the moment I slipped the gray jacket on and stepped out of the stall to survey myself in the mirror.
I looked good. The fabric clung to me in all the right places, and it showed off the muscles in my arms and chest. It was soft and breathable, and so comfortable I almost felt as if I wore sweatpants an
d a tank top instead of a formal suit. Kalista had picked out a sapphire blue tie, which I struggled to get around my neck. It was one of the many skills my foster parents had never taught me.
“Here, let me help,” Maaren’s voice said from behind me. Her tone was laced with a laugh that she graciously held back. My eyes roamed over her gorgeous figure as she stepped up to me and started to knot my tie with nimble fingers.
“Oh my God, this dress is impossible!” Ariette groaned from the corner stall. I heard a bang as she slammed into the wall, and Maaren giggled lightly.
The hunter had used her powers of glamour to shift into her human form. Her lush hair was now a gorgeous auburn color that shone softly in the light, and her skin was a beautiful tan color. Maaren had styled her hair into soft bouncy waves that draped over her shoulders, and her makeup was light and natural as it served to highlight her almond shaped green eyes and full red lips.
“I can’t decide whether I like you better with or without this suit on,” Maaren’s voice said softly in my ear as she tightened the knot on the tie. “I kind of think I prefer you without it, though.”
“If you’re going to talk like that, you’ll have to buy me dinner first,” I teased the hunter softly.
“I only pay for dinner when I don’t plan on putting out,” she replied with a raised eyebrow. “You don’t want me to buy you dinner.”
“Guys, I do not like this mission anymore,” Ariette’s voice was muffled as she called through the stall door, and I guessed that meant she was lost in a sea of fabric.
“You’ll appreciate it more once you’re in the dress,” Maaren called back.
I gazed down at the hunter’s beautiful green eyes and stroked a hand through her soft bouncy curls as she finished my tie. But it was her dress that made me lose myself for a moment as I thought back to our love-making. I thought about what she had looked like as her soft hands took off my towel and caressed my cock, and all the wonderful things that happened afterward. A fire grew in my belly as I remembered the feeling of her soft breasts under my fingertips, and the way her lips tasted like cinnamon and vanilla when she bent to kiss me.
Maaren wore a beautiful deep emerald dress that shimmered slightly, like it was adorned with thousands of miniscule diamonds. The dress fell from Maaren’s olive shoulders and dipped below her bustline so that her full breasts were nearly on full display. They rose and fell with every breath she took, and I forced myself not to stare. The rest of the dress clung to her curves and highlighted her hourglass figure until it draped to the floor in a soft swirl of emerald green.
“I’m going to guess that your stare means you like what you see.” Maaren smirked and then stepped back to survey her handiwork. Her green eyes glistened with pride as she nodded to herself.
“I do,” I replied evenly, despite the fact that her voluptuous bust made it hard to breathe. “I wish you could dress like that more often.”
“I feel like I’m going to my high school prom.” She giggled and blushed as if she were a little self-conscious.
“You’d be the hottest one there,” I promised as I tugged on my tie. “Where’d you learn to tie one of these?”
“None of my friends in high school could do it, so I was the go-to ‘tie person,’” Maaren replied wistfully.
“Okay,” Ariette said as she came out of the stall and adjusted her dress. “How do I look?”
“You look... just, wow!” I exclaimed as my stomach flipped in circles, and my heart raced just a little faster.
The tall elf was a vision in her slinky black dress. It clung to her torso and flowed down around her legs with a slit so high it almost came to her hips and revealed her long porcelain legs. The top of the dress was a deep V-neck that came down between her breasts to reveal even more of her perfect creamy skin. She had taken her hair out of its signature braid and twisted it up onto her head so that only a few wisps came down to frame her face. Her lips were coated in a deep red lipstick, and her eyes were accented by a bit of eyeliner and even thicker lashes. She looked at me with wide blue eyes as she tugged on an invisible wrinkle in the black fabric.
“Ariette, you look amazing,” Maaren assured her.
“Really?” the elf asked worriedly. “Because I feel dumb. I had to stick my sword against my leg.”
She lifted the non-slitted side of her dress to show us that she had strapped her sword up against her thigh. It didn’t exactly look comfortable, but the folds of the fabric fell down and hid the weapon perfectly.
“Um that’s pretty brilliant,” Maaren said proudly. “I think I’ll have to get a sword and follow suit!”
“It is not comfortable,” Ariette groaned as she let the fabric fall back down. “But still badass nonetheless, I hope.”
“Man, that sucks,” I lamented, but both women turned to glare at me. “What?”
“You have plenty of places to hide your gun,” Ariette replied bitterly as she looked at my suit. “In your waistband, your sleeve, your thigh--”
“Okay,” I interrupted her with a laugh, “forget I said anything. It is absolutely horrible that you two have to put up with looking so absolutely stunning. How awful.”
Both women glared at me for another moment before they shook their heads in unison.
Even though I was on a team full of women, sometimes, they were still an enigma to me. I shrugged as I grabbed my gun and holstered it against my hip, then draped my suit jacket over it. Ariette was right, it was very easy to hide my weapon with my outfit.
“Alright,” Kalista said with a broad smile as she barged into the bathroom and looked at all three of us in our black tie attire, “let’s do this. Damn, guys! You look like you’re about to take Jefferson City by storm. Look at you, all dressed up and shit.”
“We try our best.” I winked at the dwarf, and then the three of us followed her to her van.
Kalista did her absolute best to drive smoothly, probably so that none of us would wrinkle our outfits. It didn’t exactly work, and we arrived at the mansion slightly disheveled and very disgruntled.
“Okay,” Kal said when she parked about a half of a block away from the mansion. “I’ll get eyes inside. Everybody, get a comms unit in. You see anything suspicious, communicate it. Oh, and here’s the invitation. Charming or not, you’re not getting in without one of these.”
“Got it,” I replied as I shoved the tiny black ball into my ear and took the satiny card from her hand.
Then Maaren, Ariette, and I stepped out on the concrete and looked up the block to see a ton of fancy guests, all dressed in expensive looking evening attire, file through the huge gates and head toward the illuminated mansion.
As we got closer, my jaw went slack at the sight. Neither the museum nor the zoo held a candle to the magnificent beauty of what I saw before me now.
Chapter 13
The party-goers poured in through a huge, open entrance that loomed at least twenty feet above my head. The gates were edged with bright gold that dipped and swirled over the tops of the brilliant silver bars, a silver that was so pale it almost looked white. The driveway that ran under the arch split into two sections that curved around an enormous fountain that spouted crystalline water from a pudgy cherub. At the end of the driveway was the mansion, and I had to stop to take it all in.
The huge palatial mansion loomed about fifty feet ahead of us. The siding was a crisp clean white, and the roof was made of sleek shingles that were as black as night. It was huge, almost as long as a football field, and it rose up five stories high. The center portion of the mansion was larger than the rest, which gave the place the effect of being divided into three sections. It had a very modern feel to it, but the only windows that were lit were in the center section. The windows on the right and left wings were completely dark, and it gave the mansion a more foreboding feel.
The illuminated section of the mansion was adorned with arched windows that glowed a soft yellow with the light of the party inside. On the third floor, large Fr
ench doors, lined with gold along the panes of glass, were open to allow guests to flow out onto the balcony patio. A white marble railing ensured nobody would accidentally tip over and fall to their death.
“Milton, stop gawking and let’s go,” Maaren ordered as she grabbed my arm and pulled me forward.
Expensive sports cars and fancy sedans lined the outer edges of the driveway. Each one shone so brightly they almost sparkled, and I swore they all looked so clean I’d be willing to eat off of their hoods. As I watched, an impossibly tall woman stepped out of a shiny yellow two-door coupe. The valet offered her a white-gloved hand, which she took gracefully. With her lean, leggy figure and delicately beautiful face, I was positive this woman had to be somebody important, like an actress or a swimsuit model. As she turned in my direction, I bit back a small gasp of shock as I recognized her.
“That’s Dylan Samson,” I muttered in awe to Ariette and Maaren. “She’s a world famous supermodel. In the human world, at least.”
“I think this is going to be a celebrity filled event,” Ariette responded quietly as she nodded in the direction of an older man. “That’s Jackson Turning, the lawyer to the most scandalous of Washington, D.C.’s populace.”
Jackson was probably in his late fifties if the tight gray curls at the top of his head were any indication. He wore a rather severe expression on his face as he handed his keys to a valet and said something I couldn’t hear over the din of the crowd. Then he turned his protruding belly toward the mansion and strode toward it as if he owned the place himself.
We followed the crowd of guests toward the wide marble steps that led to the huge, open front doors. Each door was attended to by two valets who wore green uniforms with white gloves and hats. We scaled the steps, received a nod from the valets when we presented our invitation, and walked inside.
“Where do you think the egg’s going to be?” Maaren muttered as a smaller elderly lady pushed me aside rudely and stomped into the mansion.