"We were out last night, but we weren't exactly shooting pictures. Were we, Melynda?"
The deep, sexy voice came from the area behind the sofa, startling Shelby out of her mental inventory of Mel's dismal domestic talents. Melynda put down her ever-present Pepsi can and ran into her darkly handsome man's arms, kissing him passionately.
"Gee, you two—get a room.” Shelby giggled and squeezed Quentin's hand as the couple cuddled. “Better yet, why don't you guys get a marriage certificate? I know for a fact Aunt Kate would love to see you get hitched again, Mel."
"I'm sure she would, but it's our decision.” Melynda escorted the tall blue jean and white T-shirt clad Valentine Drakul into the living area. “Val, this is Quentin. Quentin Wells, is it?"
Quentin frowned at the misinformation but quickly caught on. “Yeah, Wells. It's my mother's maiden name and much easier to spell. My actual last name is Takahashi."
Shelby playfully rolled her eyes around and stuck out her tongue. “Now he tells me."
"Quent here is Shelby's new ‘traveling companion',” Melynda continued, with a wink to her lover. “They're going on a long, tropical vacation I'm told. Isn't that right, Quent?"
"You could say that.” Quentin rose and shook Val's hand then paused. He searched Val's face for a moment as if he couldn't believe his good fortune. “Kindred?"
Val's dark eyes widened ever so slightly in surprise. “Yes. Are you a Chosen One by chance?"
The men sat in opposite chairs and observed each other thoughtfully. “Yes, I am a Chosen One,” Quentin began slowly, “and so is Shelby."
"How does he know about the Kindred?” Melynda whispered in her lover's ear. Val put a finger to her lips and silenced her.
"What does he know about the ‘Chosen Ones'?” Shelby said under her breath. “I don't even know what you mean by that yet. How did I get to be one? And who or what are the ‘Kindred'?"
"I shouldn't say.” Quentin nodded to his hosts. “It isn't polite to ‘out’ someone unless they're ready to reveal themselves. I'd dare say your cousin knows all about the Kindred."
Melynda sat up straight on the arm of the overstuffed chair. “Damn straight I do."
"What are you all talking about?” Shelby demanded. It always infuriated her when people chatted like she wasn't in the room, or worse yet, like she was a child and couldn't be trusted. “How does Val know about Quentin's ability to time travel?"
"Time travel?” Val arched a black eyebrow. He turned and gazed deeply into Shelby's eyes. Suddenly the whole room stilled around her.
"Val?” Melynda asked. Val turned to his lover and did likewise.
Shelby tried to speak but found she couldn't move. Both she and Melynda seemed frozen in place, although she could feel herself breathing and could hear the men's conversation as if from a distance. This paralysis wasn't Quentin's doing—this must be some kind of hypnosis.
"I've heard many legends about the Chosen Ones over the centuries, but I had no idea they were so gifted,” Val said. “Both Shelby's and Melynda's minds are very flexible and open to suggestion we discovered not long ago. Is that a sign of Chosen status?"
"Yes, psychic powers are common, but not absolutely necessary,” Quentin replied. “The hourglass mark located behind the left earlobe is usually conclusive of being a Chosen One. Does your woman possess such a mark?"
Val gently turned Melynda's head and looked behind her earlobe. “Nothing. It doesn't necessarily run in families I take it?"
"No, the mark is a random mutation of some sort. The few of us who display it seem to be rare exceptions. Your people have met us on several occasions both here and on your home world. We like to keep our time travel abilities a secret as you like to keep your eternal youth to yourselves."
"Home world?” Val stood and grasped Quentin's hand. “Then our legends are true—the vampire antibody in our blood did not originate on this planet?"
"No, it didn't."
"Can you bring one of the Kindred here ... to help us to find a cure?"
Quentin shook his head. “I'm afraid not. I'm already playing hard and fast with the timelines by taking Shelby along with me. But I will tell you this: The Kindred will reunite with their long lost brothers and find a cure for your condition eventually."
Val settled back into his chair. “That's comforting to know. Anything else you can tell me?"
"Don't tell anyone or else the timeline will become totally polluted.” Quentin lowered his voice even further. “The two branches of the Kindred—the human and other—will meet beneath a silver arc after a long journey."
A broad smile almost split Val's face in two. “A silver arc? Like this one?” He picked up a photo lying on the coffee table and pushed it toward Quentin. “It's called the Gateway Arch. It's made of stainless steel, and it's supposed to last forever or near about."
Quentin picked up the photo and laughed. “Yes! Now I remembered where I recalled St. Louis from in my history lessons. The Gateway of Yesterday and Tomorrow. It already exists in this time period?"
Val nodded. “Yes, it's only a little over forty years old now. They built it to be a symbol of the past, a symbol of settlers heading west for a better life. Funny to think it also represents something from the future as well."
What are they yakking about? Shelby thought, desperate to move once more. It sounded like Val had some really serious disease. Must be that allergy to sunlight Melynda was telling her about. She sure hoped it wasn't communicable for her cousin's sake. With Mel's dark hair and red lips, pale skin would only make her look more unearthly.
And the Gateway Arch was a meeting place for aliens? Okay, now that she really wanted to see for herself. Perhaps Quentin could take her there. She slowly began to rock back and forth in her seat.
"I think Shelby is attempting to break the trance.” Quentin placed an arm around her shoulders and quieted her motion. “You want to bring them out of it now?"
"All right. I can tell Mel has been fighting it the whole time as well. Women!” Val stood between the two frozen females and raised his hand. “When I click my fingers you both will awaken feeling refreshed and not remember a word of the conversation Quentin and I shared while you were in the trance. One..."
I'm not going to forget what I heard...
"Two..."
I'm not going to forget what I heard, I'm not going to forget what I heard...
"Three!” Click.
"You did it to me again, didn't ya?” Melynda's annoyance was palpable. “But I got you this time. I hummed in my mind the whole time and blocked out your suggestion to forget your guys’ conversation.” She blew a long raspberry. “So there!"
"Me too.” Shelby grinned. “I gave myself a mental suggestion to not forget what I just heard. Don't ask me how I knew how to do it, but somehow I think I've been tricked like this before—and I didn't like it one bit."
Melynda flew to her cousin's side and embraced her. “Oh, my poor cuz! That awful Leo Van Helsing hypnotized you. I hope you don't recall what he did to you, Shel. I don't want you to have the nightmares I had when that bastard roamed the earth."
"Roamed? Past tense?” Shelby nodded slowly. “So, the police were right when they said they thought he'd been abducted, killed and his body dumped in the river."
"Let's don't talk about such things,” Val interrupted. “The past is past—unless you're a time traveler, of course."
Quentin laughed. “We can relive it, but it should always remain what it is—the past. We're not allowed to mess with it. To do so would violate the timeline and possibly rend the fabric of time itself ... Not a very good thing to do."
"I guess not.” Melynda straightened up and sighed. “I don't know about you all, but after I've been hypnotized I'm hungry. Anyone for dinner? We got Twinkies and Pepsi for dessert."
"What's a ‘Twinkie'?” Quentin asked.
"The world's best snack food ever.” Melynda winked. “Let's adjourn to the dining area, shall we? You two got time to sh
are a meal before you go on your journey?"
"Time? They've got all the time in the world at their command.” Val patted his lover's backside as she led their guests to the table. “They've got time to indulge in a classic Roman banquet and an orgy if they like."
"Orgy?” Quentin turned to Shelby and lifted an eyebrow ever so slightly. “Do such things happen in this time period?"
She winked. “You'd be surprised. Mel and I both attended a large state university. Anything goes."
Melynda flung open the refrigerator and took out a beef roast. “Hmm, this meat looks good. Let me cook it, though. A few of us don't eat it straight up like Val does."
She pulled a large roasting pan out of the cupboard, chatting animatedly as she prepared their dinner. “You gotta be kidding about the orgies, Quent. A sadistic, kinky bastard not so long ago tied me to a bed on a riverboat bordello. Non-stop orgies night and day go on at that place still from what I've heard. The Romans got nothing on modern day folk. We're just as twisted sexually as ever."
Grinning, Quentin pulled Shelby into his arms. “I've been totally misinformed about the people of this time period. It's nice to know how wrong I was."
Eyes bulging, Melynda dropped the meat fork she was holding at the sight of her cousin boldly making out with her new lover. “Uh, yeah. I guess some of us were misinformed about certain other people, too."
Val rose from his seat and approached Melynda, grinning. “I think Quentin has loosened up your straight-laced little cousin a bit, don't you?"
"Yes, he has. Amazing."
"Does it give you any ideas?” Val's honey baritone sent a shiver of longing down Melynda's spine. He came up behind her and wrapped his hands about her full, round breasts, tweaking her nipples to attention. “Want a little ‘snack’ before dinner?"
"Hmm...” Melynda moaned, arching her back against him for greater access. “Let me set the oven timer. I have plenty of ideas of how to heat you up. Perhaps Quent and Shel can give us a few pointers as well?"
* * * *
"We'd better get going. Thanks for the lovely ... um, going away dinner."
Shelby felt her cheeks warm as she hugged her cousin good-bye one last time. She couldn't believe what had just happened. She couldn't believe that she'd ever participate in anything so ... wild. Quentin brought out a whole other side of her personality she didn't know existed. She felt completely free and uninhibited for the first time in her life.
And she loved it.
Watching Val slowly undress Mel in front of her had freaked her out at first. She wanted to run from the room—from the building—but Quentin held her fast. He continued to kiss and caress her until she had turned into a wiggly mass of relaxation in his very capable hands. By that time, Val had divested his clothing, standing tall and proud in front of his lover who now lay on the couch.
No wonder Mel was so taken with him. The guy looked like a god with his flowing dark hair, olive-tinted skin, dark eyes, perfectly formed abs and pecs and thighs and ... what an erection!
Shelby had to force her gaze away from the delicious sight before her. Warmth flooded her face. Her panties had turned completely damp with sexual excitement. She felt utterly and totally ashamed of herself. After all, Val was Mel's boyfriend, not hers. She shouldn't lust after another's beloved, especially in front of her own lover. She didn't want Quentin to catch the look of desire in her eyes as she watched Mel take Val's protruding, purple-veined member into her mouth and suck until he began to moan and wind his fingers through Mel's thick black mane of hair.
"Looks good, doesn't it?” Quentin slipped a hand into her pants and discovered just how good it did look. “Don't be afraid, Shelby. Watch all you like. Taste it if you want and Val's willing. I don't mind."
She gasped. “You don't?"
"No, I don't. You forget I'm from the future. These sorts of dinner parties are commonplace in my time period. A little mutual stimulation before the meal is considered a polite formality. In fact, it should be you taking care of Val's needs while I pleasure our gracious hostess and cook."
Shelby felt her jaw dropped to her chest. Her eyes bulged in awe. “I—I can't believe you said that."
"Why? Do only the Kindred and their mates satisfy each other orally in this time period?"
"No, of course not."
Quentin gave a long sigh and shrugged. She followed his wistful gaze. Melynda eased Val's cock deep into her throat, tenderly stroking his balls with her hands. Of all the nerve! Her boyfriend was lusting after her cousin and her fellatio technique. Well, she showed him a thing or two!
"Hey—I can suck cock with the best of them!” Shelby cried. Melynda and Val momentarily stopped their activities. All eyes in the room turned to her in eager anticipation.
Melynda laughed and clapped her hands. “Bravo, Shel!"
"Really?” Val winked. “Why not demonstrate your skill then?"
"All right.” Shelby felt her heart racing with excitement. She loved a challenge ... almost more than she worried what people thought of her. “I'll show you all how well I can pleasure a man with my tongue.” She stood and pulled Quentin to his feet. “Strip."
"Yes ma'am! But you've got to undress, too."
She smirked at her lover, but quickly did as she was told. Clothes flew across the room leaving them both naked in nanoseconds. She dropped to her knees and immediately popped the length of his cock into her mouth. Hmmm ... Salty-sweet and all male, the musky scent of him and the taste of his flesh made her pussy muscles clench in pleasurable expectation.
"Ah!” Quentin grasped the dining room chair beside him for balance. “Where on Earth did you learn how to do that?"
Shelby didn't answer. She spiraled her tongue around and around the fleshy top of her lover's cock until his knees buckled. He held on, white-knuckled, to both the chair and the table in order to stand up straight. She plied her hands up and down his shaft and squeezed his balls in rhythm with her sucking.
"I ... I've got to sit down,” Quentin mumbled, panting heavily. Shelby graciously allowed him to lean against a large overstuffed leather chair opposite the sofa where Mel worked her magic on Val.
"You're not giving up, are you?” Val teased her. From the sound of his moans and the glazed over look in his eyes, Shelby could tell Melynda had him just where she wanted him.
"Never!” Shelby repositioned Quentin for maximum stimulation. She'd show them. She'd show them she wasn't just a pretty face with a great business mind. She'd show them that she knew what it took to pleasure a man. It was time for her secret weapon. It always worked like a charm on Graham and her previous boyfriends. She wiggled a finger up Quentin's ass and relaxed her jaws to take his length even deeper into her throat.
"Great timepiece of Colgan Seven! Ah!"
Quentin clung to her head tighter than a drowning man hugged a life preserver. Shelby smiled inwardly. Victory was hers! By the sound of things across the room, the sight of her giving Quentin the best fellatio he'd ever experienced in the known universe was all it took to drive Val over the cliff of ecstasy with a rush. Their darkly handsome host threw back his head, shouting praise as his cum gushed down the back of his lover's throat.
"Better than time traveling, huh?” Quentin laughed then moaned. “Your lady swallows it all, too?"
"Certainly.” Melynda wiped her lips before bestowing a kiss upon Val's lips. “I'm building up my antibodies so someday perhaps I'll be a part of the Kindred race as well."
"You ... you may have stumbled upon the cure there. Ah!"
Shelby wriggled her finger further up Quentin's hole and corkscrewed her tongue up and down his shaft. That'll teach him to carry on a conversation while she was giving him head. All too soon she tasted the salty liquid bursting from its chamber, filling her mouth as he twisted and groaned, cried and shuddered uncontrollably with his climax.
She stood up and slowly licked her lips. “Yummy."
Val and Melynda cheered and applauded. Quentin tumbled into the c
hair faster than a house perched on drenched mountainside slide during a mudslide. A soft groan broke forth from his lips as she bestowed a tender kiss. He appeared comatose.
"I didn't kill him, did I?” she wondered aloud.
"Nah, he's just got to sleep it off some.” Melynda patted the spot on the sofa beside them. “Why don't you come over here and we can compare notes."
Shelby sprang across the room and landed on the couch on the opposite side of Val. He smiled broadly and welcomed both cousins into his arms.
"Shelby...” Val began slowly. “If I'd known what a fun-loving girl you were when I first signed my apartment lease with you, I'd have invited you over for a dinner party earlier."
She blushed, covering her warm cheeks with her hands. “Uh, yeah. Thanks for the compliment. I can't believe what I just did—and who I did it in front of, either."
Melynda laughed. “It's okay. I won't tell your mother if you don't tell mine."
"Deal.” She sighed and relaxed into the soft, leather cushions. “Please, you two, don't tell anyone. I have a reputation in this community, and I'd hate for Graham to find out. The divorce is costing me enough even though it was he who cheated on me and walked out of the relationship."
"No worries. Our lips are sealed.” Val turned and planted a passionate kiss full on her lips. Shelby closed her eyes and squealed with surprise, but didn't move from his arms. Suddenly, she felt his strong hand resting upon her aching-with-desire pussy.
"Hmm, Val, should you be doing that?” Shelby whispered. She didn't push the hand away as he began to stroke her sensitive nub in leisurely circles, however. It felt too good. “Your girlfriend's sitting right beside us."
"No problem,” Melynda said with a sigh. “I'm not starved for attention."
Shelby peeked out of the corner of her eye and saw that Val was taking care of both their needs. An ambidextrous lover certainly came in ... handy. The scent of her sex and the harmony of Mel's moans further relaxed her. She stretched further against the sofa and allowed Val to massage and probe her slick nether lips and clit until she practically melted against the couch.
Hanging With A Time Surfer Page 6