by Mardi Ballou
For now, he’d let them both revel in shared ecstasy. The agony of what needed to be said wouldn’t be too far behind.
Jade linked her feet around his butt and playfully massaged the crease between his cheeks with her toes. That sensation and the overwhelming warmth, the musk they produced together pushed him higher and higher.
“Oh, baby,” Jade called out, close to climax, as she began to arch her hips faster and faster. Still in his hyperaware mode, Gabe savored both her orgasm and his own approaching release.
When he came, he let go with a huge shudder that engulfed him from the soles of his feet to the top of his head. He pulsed on and on, filling Jade with his essence.
Were those tears in her eyes? Occasionally, in the past, she’d shed tears when she came. The first time, she’d assured him the tears were a good thing, that they sprang from her joy.
Today, he suspected her tears were far more complex than could be summed up in a single word.
Today, he wished he could shed tears along with her.
Instead, he kissed her tears away and took them into him.
Chapter Seven
Alex hadn’t known what to expect when he answered the summons to his apartment. As he walked there, he reminded himself nothing really catastrophic could have happened. Still, he hadn’t liked the ominous sound in the cleaner’s voice.
Far worse than having to face whatever was going on in the apartment was his being constrained to leave Jade and Gabe at such a critical time. He’d had a feeling he was near a breakthrough with the couple. A little bit longer with both of them—
Ugh. Everything had had been going so well until he got that phone call. Well, maybe not everything. Alex’s thoughts returned to his mentor, Ioannis, who had warned against the sin of hubris. Maybe, Alex reflected, he’d overestimated the extent to which he’d created a space for himself with the couple. Sure, Jade was well on the way to accepting him in the way he needed. But Gabe seemed to be digging in harder to resist him. Maybe the fulfillment of the Tarot prophecy wouldn’t be as straightforward as had first appeared.
Unthinkable as it was, perhaps he wouldn’t be able to complete his mission—to persuade them to spread the message of Dionysus—before the date of his initiation. If he didn’t complete the requirements now, he might have to begin the preparatory process again, delaying his initiation for at least a decade. For a moment, he imagined attending the upcoming initiation ritual as a spectator—and watching Demetrios take on the robe and scepter while he sat apart. That possibility chilled him for reasons he didn’t begin to understand. With renewed fervor, he rededicated himself to his mission. Failure was not an option.
If Alex could actually reveal who he was, the whole process of guiding Jade and Gabe to the fulfillment of the Tarot card prophecy might be simplified—assuming he could get them to take him seriously. Amazing how few people in the contemporary world had any consciousness of the magic surrounding them.
But Alex’s mission specifically forbade him to truly reveal himself—at least until his companions committed themselves to joining him. Once that happened, they would indeed be on the path to their dreamed-of success. But he had to get them all from where they were now to this goal.
He didn’t have all the time in the world. As Ioannis often reminded Alex and the others, without time pressures, there’d be no challenge. Without challenges, people and other cosmic beings placed little value on the wonders that came their way. Alex sighed. If he didn’t manage to gain the necessary acceptance by midnight the following night, he’d be called back to the Isle of Manikis, and his mission would be relegated to someone else—eventually. He was highly motivated to succeed, both because he hated to see positive missions fail and because he really cared for these two individuals. In his way, a way neither of them could ever fully understand, he loved them.
Determined not to lose what was left of today, Alex would take care of whatever he needed to in his apartment and return to Jade and Gabe.
When he opened his door, Alex was amazed to find all in good order. “Are any of the things destroyed or too damaged to be used any longer?” he asked in Greek.
The more senior of the two cleaners shook his head and answered in the same language. “Aside from our having to straighten the mess, it doesn’t appear that the disturbance you raised had too much effect on your living quarters.”
Alex nodded. Okay, this was all to the good. “So why did you phone me with such an urgent message? Your timing couldn’t have been worse.”
The other man shrugged. “A call from headquarters. Ioannis himself wants you to contact him immediately.”
Ioannis was involving himself so directly this early in the mission? Alex shook his head. This did not bode well. He placed the call to Manikis.
Ioannis came on the line. “Demetrios has returned. He has come through the initiation with flying colors. And you? When do you expect completion?”
A mix of emotions swept through Alex. The slightest envy that Demetrios had completed his mission with so much more ease, a wave of homesickness for the Isle of Manikis. Frustration over Gabe’s intransigence and over his own incompetence. “I cannot give you a firm schedule, though I’m definitely making progress.”
Ioannis greeted that statement with a silence that grew uncomfortable. At last he said, “Demetrios wants a few words with you.”
In moments, the other man greeted him. “You need to get back here so we can move along with the initiation rite. Alex, it’s amazing how you feel once you complete the mission. Do whatever you must to get back here—for the rite and, most important, to me.”
Alex could feel the heat of Demetrios’ invitation attempting to sear him long- distance. But now that he’d been with Gabe and Jade, Demetrios’ attractiveness didn’t impact him with the same force as before. Gods, was he becoming emotionally involved with his new partners? “Soon as I can make it.” Alex’s response was noncommittal, but Demetrios grunted in evident satisfaction before handing the phone back to Ioannis.
“What can we do to expedite your mission?” the older man asked.
Alex inhaled sharply. Ioannis, the notoriously tough Ioannis—the iron fist at the core of the Dionysian Oracle Mages who some regarded as a contradiction to the Order’s stated ideals with his dour manner and gray mien—was actually going to help him? Did this mean Alex was in danger of being dropped by the Order, or that they were going to get behind him with support? “Ioannis, I know this is counter to our usual ways and will make it almost impossible for me to cloak my true identity from them, but I want to bring Jade and Gabe to the Isle of Manikis. I want them to know as much as outsiders can be allowed about the Order. Understanding what they can grasp about us and our mission will transform their writing and give us the vehicle we need to get our message out to the world.”
Ioannis cleared his throat. “This is unprecedented.”
“I know. But these are the writers we have been looking for. However, the male needs a message he can’t refute, such as seeing the island and the Order with his own eyes.”
More silence. Then, his voice sounding like a great castle door groaning open after years of disuse, Ioannis replied. “Permission is granted. Let us pray to the gods that the trust we extend to your writers not be misguided. If it pays off, this gamble may well provide what we seek. But Alex, do not fail us.”
Alex added a silent “Amen” to that. Ioannis’ permission for him to bring Gabe and Jade to the Isle of Manikis demonstrated more support than Alex knew he had from the old man. Now he’d have to show he was worth it, or risk what? Alex shivered at the threat implicit in failure.
All he’d have to do was convince Jade and Gabe to come to be transported to Greece where they’d meet his fellow Dionysian mages. Given Gabe’s flexibility and openness, that should be easy, right?
Praying to all the gods and goddesses for strength, Alex headed back to Gabe and Jade’s flat.
* * * * *
“Are we going to get
some writing done today?” Gabe asked.
Jade, who’d been dozing, stirred lazily. “It’s such a peculiar day. But we did make a sacred pledge to each other that we’d do some work every day—even Christmas.”
“We’ve been pretty good at sticking to it,” Gabe, who wasn’t moving much either, pointed out.
“For the prophecy of the Tarot card to be fulfilled, we have to be disciplined about work.” She sat up, yawned and stretched.
That got Gabe up too. He frowned. “Why are you bringing the Tarot up now? I thought we agreed it’s all nonsense.”
“That’s your opinion. But I have to tell you, Gabe, I think there might be more going on than we understand or can explain.” She felt almost excited about getting to work, the way she felt on the days when inspiration seemed abundant and easily tapped into.
Gabe got out of bed before she did and extended a hand to boost her out. “I’d like us to get busy so we’re in the middle of our work before Rapsos returns. That’ll make it easier to tell him to get lost.”
Hoisted by Gabe, she got herself out of the bed. “I need coffee first.”
“Drink fast. When he comes back, if he sees we’re already writing, maybe he’ll realize we don’t want him to join us. I’ll throw on some clothes and get started.”
Gabe still wasn’t getting it. “We haven’t really given him a chance yet, when it comes to the writing. I have a gut feeling we should.”
The pained expression on his face hurt her. “Why? We usually steer clear of anyone who wants to foist brilliant ideas on us.”
“We’ve never been in an earthquake before, either.” She put on the oversize Writer Goddess T-shirt she liked to wear for writing. He threw on athletic shorts and a Riley’s Pizza T-shirt.
He went with her to the kitchen, where she began to brew coffee. In moments the aroma filled the air and helped sharpen her mental processes.
“If it really was an earthquake.” He shook his head. “I still don’t know what happened, but there’s something weird about Alex Rapsos. It’s like he disrupts normal processes. The alleged earthquake that hit his apartment strikes me as another sign of something about him being out of whack. Too bad I don’t know how he pulled it off—”
Jade poured herself some coffee and added milk and sweetener. Gabe decided to join her. “You really think he did something to bring on that disturbance?”
Gabe nodded. “Goofy as it sounds, it’s got to be something like that. I’ve read about people who set off weird vibrations. Kind of like adolescents who have telekinetic powers, only on a much greater scale.”
“Do you really believe that, Gabe?”
“Think about it, babe. Maybe he’s got some minor powers like telekinesis. That plus the power of suggestion. He orchestrated a huge scene. He started off by getting us in a Greek frame of mind with the ambiance of his apartment. Then you and I were part of a delusion he unleashed. Nothing like what I experienced there has ever happened to me, and you said the same. I, for one, hope nothing like that will ever happen to me again. To either of us. When you didn’t come around at first, I was afraid you’d gotten hurt.”
Jade registered Gabe’s genuine concern. “It was weird. But I still don’t understand how he could have pulled it all off. I mean, Gabe, Alex got all the details right.”
He snorted. “I don’t know exactly, but I sure as hell wish I did. Some sort of chemical he sprayed in the air? All I know is, my hackles are up and I’m hearing warning bells. The only reason I haven’t totally thrown the guy out is because you keep pleading his case. But that’s wearing thin for me, too. If anything else strange happens, I vote for showing him the door.”
Knowing paranoia and suspiciousness were not Gabe’s usual style, Jade felt she couldn’t just jolly him out of his feelings. On the other hand, she couldn’t ignore her own feelings, either. She disagreed about the delusion part. Everything about Alex struck her as honest and believable, but she hated disagreeing so fundamentally with Gabe. Since she and Gabe were usually so single-minded that each could easily finish the other’s sentences, this variance disturbed her deeply. She also disliked that Gabe hadn’t picked up on the special vibes from the Tarot card. For the first time since they’d become a couple, she suspected there might be a basic misalignment.
Further, she felt like she was on a threshold to an unforeseen and unpredictable future filled with promise. Both of them were on that threshold. The decisions she—they—made now would have far-reaching consequences. She definitely connected with Alex in indefinable ways, and she couldn’t just dismiss him or her feelings around him. Yet Gabe seemed more determined than ever to find ways to remove Alex from their lives. Would she have to choose between these two men? Up until she’d met Alex, she’d never imagined such a question would come up. But if she was forced to choose, what would she do?
Even asking this question rattled her.
Gabe couldn’t believe Jade had any hesitation about getting Rapsos out of their faces. To his way of thinking, they’d already given the other man more than enough opportunity to say his piece, make his offer and, above all, show his wares. So far, he hadn’t demonstrated any writing ability or talent. All there’d been were idle talk and a bizarre illusion. Admitting to himself that his part of the grand hallucination included him and Jade having sex with Rapsos—Gabe in the role of the Greek war god Ares and Rapsos playing Dionysus—did nothing to advance Alex’s case with him. If anything, the imagined sex creeped him out even more.
Rapsos must have unleashed some really potent and twisted chemicals to produce an illusion so contrary to reality and possibility. Gabe’s dick twitched in protest as a vibrant sensory memory whipped through him. He did not like the implications of what had gone down among the three of them, especially between him and Rapsos. Actually, he didn’t know what he hated more—Jade’s having sex with Rapsos, or his. It all made him want to hurl. Well, there’d be no more sex acts involving him and Jade with any other participant. Gabe made himself a solemn vow on that score.
Okay, the disturbing sex aside, there had been points of interest in the hallucination. He and Jade wrote novels with a mythological base. Though he had a bias in favor of the Roman gods and mythology, they’d decided to be open to stories from around the world—mythologies and legends with roots in Europe, Asia, Africa, the various islands and the Americas. Their love stories would involve gods, goddesses and mortals, sometimes from one culture, sometimes from several. For example, they’d mixed and matched Ishtar from Persian mythology with Jupiter, the chief Roman god.
Though they had a solid, growing fan base and their earnings were slowly increasing, despite all their hard work true critical and financial success continued to elude them. He wanted them to hobnob with the crème de la crème of the writing community and have the kind of world-weary fame and fortune that could disdain a table at Elaine’s, a movie deal and being short-listed for major prizes. Though Gabe could understand Jade’s impatience for tangible rewards—hell, he was usually the more impatient of the pair—his gut told him Rapsos was a con man blowing smoke. Rapsos was using them for his own nefarious purposes.
But Gabe knew he wouldn’t be able to convince Jade of these ugly truths. If anything, as they spent more time with Rapsos, Jade appeared to be digging her heels in even harder about remaining open to him. As much as it went against the grain, Gabe would have to give Rapsos time and space to deliver his full spiel, complete with special effects. So far the guy was so fuckin’ smooth, nothing seemed to trip him up. But Gabe figured once Rapsos really began to spin out his con and make ever more bizarre demands, it wouldn’t take long until he got caught in a lie or an inconsistency, when he’d be exposed as the bullshit artist he surely was.
Gabe could visualize Rapsos’ fall from grace now. Poor Jade. She’d be so crushed, so disappointed in her failure to see through the guy. Gabe would, of course, be magnanimous. He’d resist any “I told you so” gloats.
The sex would be great, as wou
ld the mantle of moral superiority he’d silently cloak around his shoulders. Ah yes, they’d celebrate once they got Rapsos out of their lives.
* * * * *
Returning to Gabe and Jade’s apartment, Alex gritted his teeth. The tableau with Ares, Aphrodite and Dionysus had been a perfect example of what he needed to get Jade and Gabe on board. They needed each other—the two of them needed him to help them boost them to the pinnacle of literary success, and he needed them to complete his initiation.
If only he could really reveal who he was. Alex sensed that Jade intuited something about his identity, but Gabe remained closed off.
Jade opened the door when he knocked. Her beauty shone even though she used no enhancements and wore a simple cotton garment. She was drinking coffee and she invited him to partake of the same, which he accepted.
“Where’s Gabe?” he asked before taking his first sip of the rich dark brew.
“He’s already started writing.” Her smile seemed sheepish. “You see, we set ourselves goals every day—plot points if we’re planning, word counts if we’re drafting, a certain number of pages if we’re editing. Usually, by this point in the day, we’ve made a good start toward meeting our goals. But today—”
He toasted her with his coffee cup. “Today I’ve disrupted your schedule. I and that disturbance— Actually, I was hoping I could present my ideas to you before you get caught up in the day’s tasks. You see, what I say may inspire you to make changes.”
Jade, his beautiful Aphrodite, looked eager to hear his ideas. He knew receptiveness was an essential characteristic of Jade Flint, along with intelligence and strength—all of which made her ideal for this mission. Gabe, on the other hand— “Perhaps we can summon Gabe away from his work.”
Jade shrugged. “We can try, but don’t take it personally if he bites your head off. As a writer yourself, Alex, you can appreciate how much an interruption can set you back once you get into the flow.” She led him to the part of the living room where Gabe sat practically glued to his computer. He was typing away and appeared totally engrossed.