by Chapel Byrne
She laughed, just a little, and shook her head.
After a few quick and quiet blocks, he asked, “Did you still want to come to my place tonight? Even just to work more on your fire?”
Lina chewed the inside of her cheek. “Yeah. I think so. Definitely up for fire practice. I think...What you did just shocked me and I’m not sure how I feel about this angry part of you. I…An angry man has always been, uh, dangerous to me in the past.”
He nodded. “We’ll start with fire. Sex is always nice, but also always optional.”
By the time she was tired and feeling done practicing with her fire, Lina had been won back over. It was easy to put Shane’s anger behind her. He wasn’t really wrong, she thought, and he was nothing but good to her. The night’s incident had, admittedly, been in response to someone being gross to her.
So, with the traces of her fiery channels still lingering in their eyes, Lina stood in front of Shane. Tenderly, she lifted the hand that had thrown sparks that night, and she kissed the fingertips. She pressed his hand to her cheek, imagining the fire that he had made in her defense.
She put the palm of her other hand on his stomach, where he said the core of his heat was. Behind the taut muscles, she felt it. She could also feel how his muscles contracted at her touch. And because they had practiced naked again, it was easy for her to just slide that hand down, to let him know that she was happy to let the night end in sex.
He put a warm hand at the small of her back, let it linger before sliding over her buttocks. He maneuvered her closer, and lit a different kind of fire in her.
After that, she saw him most nights. Most nights, there was some kind of work-related socializing Shane needed to do. Just as many nights also involved trying to help her figure out how to handle her fire. And almost every night, ended in bed.
Shane was clearly more experienced than her in every way, but he mostly used that to give her options. To suggest things she might enjoy. He was always right and, as she cried out, he would whisper to her how much she deserved this, deserved to feel good.
It was easy to ignore the anger that seethed in him.
One night, out at a club, Lina felt like the muscle in her chest eased, ever-so-slightly. She looked down, and was relieved that she didn’t see the channels of light. But, when she looked up, the whole crowd looked different.
She kept dancing as she leaned in to tell Shane, “I think somebody put something in my drink.”
He gave her a concerned look and asked, “Why do you think that?”
“Because,” and she put her fist in front of her chest like she had the first night they looked at her fire, opening it slightly. “Plus, people look different.”
As she had done, Shane quickly took a look at the skin not covered by her dress, checking for visible signs of her fire. When he didn’t see anything, he clarified, “Is it just the people who look different or everything?”
Lina scanned the room, checking. “Just the people.”
“Describe it.”
“Okay, like, they’re all in…like, clouds kind of? Soft colors. Except that guy,” she tried to be surreptitious when she pointed, “looks kind of brighter and like he’s got…It’s like when you see those pictures of the aurora borealis and it’s crazy green.”
He grinned at her, and prompted, “And me?”
“Oh.” She looked embarrassed. “I’m so used to thinking of you as being full of fire that it just seemed normal to look at you and, like, see that what’s around you looks like maybe you’re in the middle of a flame. So, yeah, mostly just variations on color, but some of you look a little more intense.”
He grinned at her, and her eyes went wide. “Wait? Is this how you see people?” she asked.
He nodded. “Baby, I think your fire just woke up your eyes. I think that everyone sees the world differently. And even those of us who are similar probably see it differently. But, yeah, you’re seeing it more like I do.”
She danced, looking around at all the people. She spotted more people who had interesting…auras? She decided that must be what it was. Now that she knew it wasn’t drugs, it was kind of cool. Everyone seemed to have more dimensions. She laughed happily.
“Should I expect other sense changes? Like, warn me if chocolate is going to start tasting different. I want to eat a lot of it before that happens, just in case the change messes it up.”
Shane laughed. “I don’t know about that. But I always thought that my senses were a little more heightened. That flavors were more intense and touch,” and he ran his fingers down her arm, “was more vibrant. But I’m just basing that on observation. Maybe I just choose to give myself over to sensation with less inhibition than most people.”
Lina danced closer to him. “I like the sound of that.”
He pulled her hips to his, synchronizing them as they moved to the music. “I cannot highly enough recommend it. The pleasures are heightened and even the pain acquires an edge of ecstasy.” He nipped at her ear. “We can have so much fun with that.”
She pressed closer, savoring the sensation of their hips connected in the rhythm of the song.
“I might talk a lot about control with your fire, but I highly recommend abandoning yourself to pleasure. After all, isn’t that what this body is made for?” he asked.
Lina wasn’t sure if it was due to an actual change, like the one that had her seeing auras, or if it was simply because she thought, perhaps, Shane was right, but there was a change. After all the years of stuffing herself down, muting herself and meekly following Brad’s tastes, she was open to her own tastes, her own enjoyment. She was willing and eager to have a more vibrant experience.
Had her tastebuds changed or had they just needed her to be open to the rush of information as she ate? Had her nerves always been taking in this much sensation or did the fire in her have them all on end?
Whatever the answer, she found herself on a short bender of sorts. She wanted to re-taste all the foods she loved, and she unabashedly moaned with pleasure when they were even better now. Shane seemed to enjoy feeding her, ducking into any shop that she paused in front of, to give her all the foods that piqued her interest. He grinned with delight as she savored and chewed, as she licked her lips and fingers clean.
He was also more than willing to give her skin a chance to re-feel old things and try new. He beamed as she basked in sunlight, as she slid her hand through the water of the pool, as she dug her toes into dirt. And, of course, he didn’t object when it was sex she wanted. When she wanted to re-try everything, when she was open to things that had made her nervous before. She practically begged him to show her what he meant about pain getting an edge of ecstasy to it.
When she finally had to interrupt it all with work, she sighed. Shane had driven her to the restaurant, and she looked forlornly out the car window.
He reassured her, “When you’re not at work, you can have anything you want. All you have to do is ask, and I’ll help you get the things that feel good.”
She turned to him and huskily asked, “Anything?”
He leaned over and kissed her roughly. “Anything, baby. You deserve it all.”
CHAPTER 7
The club they were at was huge and the lighting seemed designed to blind people before plunging them into shadows as it flashed brightly. That night was a party to celebrate the start of a new, two-week music festival, so there were plenty of record company reps and plenty of bands and musicians there. Shane was, of course, doing an immaculate job of out-schmoozing everyone else, which meant that all the musicians were drawn to him.
A girl with loads of black eyeliner and bleached hair stalked over, trying to catch Shane’s eye. When he didn’t give her as much attention as she wanted, playing it a little aloof, the girl put a hand lightly on Lina’s arm.
She leaned in to shout, “Your girlfriend is gorgeous.”
Shane grinned. “She is.”
Lina hadn’t shaken off the girl’s hand. She was getting use
d to the touchy-feely inclinations of the people who surrounded Shane. And this was a nice change from the rough hands of the drunk men who usually made passes at her in front of Shane.
The girl moved closer to Lina, closer than Shane let the men get. He watched, a small smile haunting his lips, as the girl moved her hand to Lina’s waist and stood right in front of her.
“You’re really hot,” the girl said, tilting her head so that she was looking at Lina through thick lashes.
Lina felt a little heady; the girl smelled of vanilla and bourbon. And then the girl was standing so that her breasts brushed Lina’s.
On the one hand, Lina was enjoying the sensation. On the other hand, though it was probably old fashioned, Lina wasn’t really interested in being involved with anyone but Shane. She tightened her arm around his waist and he brushed her bare back with his hand, but he didn’t seem to be stopping whatever the girl’s play was.
Lina had been trying to coast through these work events on sensation lately, staying just drunk enough to hold inhibitions at bay. She did it partly because it had turned out to be a pleasant approach for her and partly because it seemed to make people respond even more favorably to Shane.
The girl tried to put her hand on Shane’s chest, as she told Lina, “Your lips look so soft.”
Shane moved her hand, placing it on Lina’s upper arm instead. Lina felt a twinge of annoyance, but was distracted as the girl leaned in and kissed her. Lina froze, reciprocating before she thought about it, out of muscle memory. Her lips knew what to do with a kiss.
And, while the girl’s lips were soft and a new sensation, it was finally enough to push Lina over into annoyance when the girl tried to push her tongue into Lina’s mouth.
Feeling slightly guilty because she didn’t want to jeopardize any business Shane might have with the girl, Lina pushed the girl away, and the girl laughed.
Coyly, the girl said to Shane, “We should all go somewhere and have some fun.”
Shane laughed, and Lina suddenly felt pissed off. She didn’t want him to laugh; she wanted him to firmly put this girl out. But he was in business mode, so he was steering the conversation away from sex, toward business.
Lina needed a break from the whole deal, and she wanted to dance off her annoyance at Shane seeming to be okay with the girl kissing her. She gave him a cranky look, rolled her eyes, and headed off to the dance floor. She knew that he wouldn’t follow; this girl had been the center of attention for enough of the other record company types that Shane would want to make sure he took full professional advantage of the moment. But she would really have liked him to follow.
Oh her way to the floor, she happily accepted shots from a few guys that she knew were also record company people. She didn’t remember what companies they repped, but Shane had introduced her to them previously. By the time she finished her short walk, she was just a little wobbly. She held the railing as she descended the steps, then let go and slipped into the dancing masses. She felt like a ship casting off anchor to slide into a heaving sea.
Fortunately, thanks to Shane, she knew the music that was playing. She happily abandoned herself to it, to the dancing. She smiled and nodded at familiar faces around her. She tried to let go of being annoyed about the blond girl and about Shane not caring that they kissed.
She found herself dancing near, and then with, a guy with a more interesting aura. Now that she could see that about people, she gravitated toward the interesting ones. It didn’t often result in more interesting conversation, but you never knew. This guy’s aura looked like fire, but in a way that reminded her of brilliant stars in the sky. Cooler, whiter.
The guy was handsome and danced without inhibitions. When he smiled at her, she realized he had two different colored eyes. One was much like Shane’s and the other was a cool grey. They weren’t exactly complimentary colors, and somehow that made her like his face more. It was interesting without being too perfect.
She returned the smile, and they danced a few songs with each other. When he didn’t try to touch her or grab her, she liked him even more.
She drunkenly shouted, “You have an interesting aura!”
He laughed, throwing back his head, then shouted back, “You too! I’ve never seen one like it.”
She leaned in and shouted, “Same, except I only just started seeing auras kind of recently, so that doesn’t mean much.”
“I’m Grey.”
“Lina.”
“You’re here with,” and Grey pointed up toward where Lina could see Shane leaned against the second floor railing, his back to them, “that blond guy, right?”
Lina smiled and nodded. “Yeah. Are you here with someone?”
Grey shook his head, still smiling. “So, is that guy your boyfriend or just a friend?”
“We’re dating, so he brings me along when he’s working. I make him look good.” She laughed. Then she told him, “One of your eyes is like his. The yellow one. I’ve never seen that before. Cool, huh?”
“What about the grey one? Or is that too normal?” he joked.
With a seriousness that seemed another sign of her drunkenness, she said, “While it’s a very nice eye, I don’t know if I would notice if someone had two of them.”
Grinning, Grey said, “Fair enough.”
Lina felt her purse vibrate. She stopped dancing and pulled her phone out. It was a text from Shane, asking if she was okay. She sighed, rolled her eyes, and shook her head. Then she looked up at Grey, and said, “I have to go work some things out. It was very nice to meet you, Grey.”
“You too, Lina. Stay safe. Sketchy people here tonight.” Then, with a nod, he turned and went back to dancing.
Pushing her way out of the dancing crowd wasn’t nearly as easy as pushing into it had been. By the time she emerged, Shane was halfway down the stairs, headed in her direction. Freed from the other bodies, she clearly remembered why she’d walked away. She raised an annoyed eyebrow at him.
He responded with a questioning eyebrow raise of his own and held his hand out to her. She took it, because who knew who was looking? Plus, she didn’t like public scenes, and it cost her nothing to just take his hand.
He put his mouth by her ear and asked, “Do we need to go?”
“Are you done with work? Because I’m not sick or whatever, so you should at least finish what you came here for.” She tried not to sound snippy as she said it. She really meant it. At worst, she could just dance until he was done.
“Yeah. Plus, there are a lot of people with weird auras here tonight, so it’s a bit intense.” He guided her toward the exit. “I’d rather be alone with you.”
He waited until they were outside to say anything more. On the walk to the car, he asked, “How mad are you at me?”
Lina shrugged. “I’m just…annoyed.”
“And, I swear I’m not being purposefully obtuse, is there a particular reason or did you just have enough of me working?” He sounded slightly concerned, but just slightly.
“The answer is probably, technically, both, but…Why did you let that girl kiss me? You’re also so adept at keeping the guys away, which I appreciate. But she just…waltzed in and tried to shove her tongue in my mouth.” Lina realized she was waving her hand angrily. She pulled it back in. Since she’d found out about her fire, and especially since she saw how much anger was part of Shane’s fire, she’d tried to keep that particular emotion under control.
“You’ve made it clear you don’t want attention from other men, but you’ve never said anything about women. And you didn’t seem to be pushing her away,” he said. It sounded thoroughly reasonable. “Plus, from the look of her, you’ve never kissed anyone who felt like that to kiss. I thought you might enjoy the sensation.” He paused, then asked, “Was it nice? Soft?”
“I mean, yeah, I guess. Though it was kind of too much when she tried to shove her tongue in my mouth. But…” She wrestled a moment with her thoughts. “But, listen, even if it, like, felt nice, you’re the
only one I want to kiss. That goes for women too, okay?”
“Got it.”
“Plus, like, I might be small town, but you know she was probably doing that just to get your attention, right?” Lina snorted. “If I’m going to be kissed, I want it to be about me.”
Shane laughed softly, unlocking her car door. “I got what info I needed from her for my job. Now, may I take you home to make sure you get plenty of kissing that’s definitely about you?”
“Can there also be food? I feel like my tongue won’t be over the girl kissing incident until it has had a wide range of pleasurable experiences.” She gave him a dramatic pout.
He pretended to be wounded. “My tongue won’t be enough?”
“Oh, don’t you worry, handsome. There are plenty of ways that my tongue will let you help me get over the blond girl.” She winked coyly at him.
He grinned. “I liked you before, but new, sensation-hungry you is the best.” He closed her door, but she still heard him when he pointed at her through the window and proclaimed, “The best!”
Usually, they had at least a couple nights a week where they were going out for them, not for Shane’s work. However, with the festival in town, there was something to see or do every waking hour. As the first week of the festival wrapped up, Lina actually found herself relieved to go to work.
She might have to interact with festival people there, but they didn’t really see her. There, she was just a cog in their meal machine. She wasn’t in the spotlight that seemed to follow Shane. If she’d learned anything from her time with him it was that the spotlight was a unique kind of exhausting. She was no longer disappointed at the unfulfilled childhood daydreams about being a star of some kind.
When Shane picked her up from work at the night that marked the midpoint of the festival, she exclaimed, “Halfway done!” Then, a bit apologetically, she said, “It will just be nice when we can slow down a little again.”