by Logan Fox
A small laugh exploded from Pearl. She hurriedly cut it off when Gia’s eyes narrowed.
“What? Why? How’s that going—”
“He’s like a crack addict. One taste, and he’s hooked. It’s what happened with Melanie and Joy, what happened with me. And he already likes you. I can see how he looks at you.”
“Gia, that’s the craziest thing—”
Gia tapped the keycard against Pearl’s forehead. The movement was so sudden, so unexpected, that Pearl jerked.
“Do want this thing or not? You can do a runner. Skip town. Go back to stripping. No more Fox Pit. No more Tanner. No more wolves.”
Pearl tried snatching the card, but the girl was too fast. Gia was on her feet, keycard squirreled away somewhere on her person as Pearl’s hand was still closing around thin air. Pearl suppressed a growl of irritation and smoothed the frown from her face.
“Just think of it as another scene.” Gia shrugged. “Strip — you’re good at that — and kiss him. He’ll take care of the rest.”
Pearl opened her mouth, and then closed it again. She’d tried that once before. Seth hadn’t fallen for it. But to tell Gia that…
“There has to be something else, Gia. Come on. What if I speak to him? Tell him—”
“No!” Gia’s shout was more surprising than the look of panic that flashed over her face. “No,” she repeated, voice lower, but still unsteady. “You can’t say a fucking word to him about this. About anything. He’s… He hates it when you get involved in his personal stuff. Fucking hates it.” Her voice was almost a whisper at the end. “You say something and he’ll… he’ll make me wish I never even thought about learning your name.”
“I can’t—” Pearl began with an apologetic shrug.
“Fine.” Gia flicked her hands up. “Obviously you don’t need the card as much as I thought. I’ll just leave it around where Seth can find it.”
The girl spun around.
Pearl slid off the couch, let out a short breath, and caught hold of the girl’s arm.
“Gia, wait.”
She paused, but didn’t turn around.
“I’ll do it.”
Gia glanced at Pearl over her shoulder, blue eyes slits.
“Yeah?”
“I promise.” Pearl pushed her shoulders back. “I’ll do it tonight.”
Gia cocked a blond eyebrow at her, turning and crossing her arms over her chest.
“Sure you’re up to it? You’re not gonna chicken out?”
“No.” Pearl shook her head. “I… kind of like him too.”
Gia stuck her jaw out for a moment as she studied Pearl, and then she shrugged.
“Then you’ll get the card tomorrow. But I want proof.”
“Proof?” Pearl said through a laugh. “What, am I supposed to record a sex tape for you?”
Ivy’s door opened, the curly-haired brunette popping her head out. “Hey! Keep it down, will you? Some of us are trying to sleep.”
Gia waved a dismissive hand in Ivy’s direction without taking her eyes off Pearl.
“Sorry,” Pearl called out, giving Ivy a crooked smile before the girl yanked the door shut again. When she looked back at Gia, the blond had a surprisingly eerie look on her face. “What?”
“No sex tape.” Gia shrugged. “I’ll watch.”
Seth arrived in the den a few minutes later, wearing a thick jersey and a pair of baggy, dark blue jeans. She hadn’t seen him wearing anything except short sleeved shirts. Was it cold outside? Raining?
She and Gia were still by the couches, still arguing about the terms of their new agreement.
“Morning, kittens,” Seth said, halting at the foot of the stairs. “Gia, you have a scene today. Pearl, you too.”
Pearl’s shoulders slumped, and she cast Gia a quick sidelong glance.
“Now?” Gia asked, crossing hr arms over her chest. “I haven’t had breakfast yet.”
“Two hours.” Seth pointed at Gia. That finger slid to Pearl. “You, now.” He ducked his head to the side and called out, “Ivy? Up and at ‘em, kitten!”
“Come on,” Pearl groaned. “I haven’t eaten yet either.”
Gia kicked her. Pearl tried to force the surprise from her face, but Seth’s penetrating stare didn’t miss much. He frowned at them, cocked his head to the side, and crossed his massive arms over his chest.
“What’s going on?”
“Nothing,” Pearl insisted, right over Gia’s plaintive, “Little bit of this, little bit of that.”
Seth’s frown deepened. “Stop fucking around. Pearl: shower and dress. Gia…” Seth’s voice trailed away for a moment before returning, softer and carefully enunciated. “In your room. I have to speak to you.”
Pearl became painfully aware of the girl’s sudden silence beside her. Had she stopped breathing?
“Uh, Seth?” Pearl stepped forward, partially blocking Gia from the handler’s view. “I actually… could I speak to you first? It’s… important.”
Seth gave Pearl a small shrug, and then craned to look past her. “Room, kitten.”
Gia stirred the air as she spun and went to her room. The sound of the door slamming rebounded through the den. Seth winced, his narrowed eyes flashing to Pearl.
“What’s going on?” he asked again.
Pearl pointed to the bathroom. “Can we—”
Seth gave another shrug, this one lopsided, and stepped aside as Pearl headed for the bathroom. Her stomach was tight, coiling uneasily. She’d promised Gia… but she still didn’t know if she had it in her.
Just get naked. He’ll take care of the rest.
But she had a feeling it wouldn’t be that simple. That black and white. She jumped when the door closed behind her.
“’Fess up, kitten. What are you and Gia scheming?”
“Nothing. It’s not that. We were…” Pearl turned around, forced her arms out of their tight hug, and began toying with the waistband of her pajamas.
“You were what?” Seth’s arms hung loosely at his side. He ran his eyes over her, narrowing them. His nostrils flared and his lips tightened. He looked about to speak, about to tell her to get on with her ablutions so he could go ‘talk’ to Gia.
Two birds, one stone.
So Pearl tugged down her pants. Her legs twisted around each other of their own, but she managed to get unsteady fingers around the hem of her pajama top, and jerked it up over her head. It fell to the floor beside her feet.
Her hands went into fists, and she held them tightly at her side, blinking at Seth and trying to lever her lips apart so she could speak.
“Gia can’t help me with… the tail thing.” She dropped her eyes; staring at Seth’s unreadable face was too embarrassing. “Said she feels weird about it. So… can you…”
He took a step closer, his boot thudding on the bathroom tile.
“You’re sure?”
She nodded, not trusting herself to speak. Not wanting to hear what her voice would sound like if she tried.
“Well, I guess I could. There’s not a lot of time. He could come back tomorrow, Tuesday. Last I heard he was arranging another appointment with Caden.”
What? Shit! She couldn’t see her wolf again. There wasn’t any time. She wouldn’t be here the day after tomorrow.
Despite the urgent ranting inside her mind, Pearl managed a small, “Okay. So…”
“Either way, kitten. It has to wait. I’m sorry. You—”
She looked up at him. Crossed her arms over her chest. Her cheeks flared with heat, probably matching her red hair in color.
“Okay.” She gave a nod, trying to will her spine to bend so she could pick up her clothes and try and cover herself. Her hands had started shaking, and she could feel hot, mortified tears on the way.
“Hey, don’t—” Seth reached her in an instant, his arms sliding over her naked back, tugging her close. “Ssh.”
A hand gripped the back of her neck, another the small of her back. Seth crushed her against him, d
rawing a deep breath that expanded his chest. Pearl clung to his jumper, gripping a handful of the soft fabric beneath his shoulder blades.
She had to do something. Had to redirect his attention from Gia. Because if she just left it like this…
“Will you—”
“What?” Seth drew back his torso, cupping her face in his hands.
“Will you wash my hair?”
Confusion flickered over his eyes. His mouth worked for a second before thinning. He gave her a small nod and cocked his chin to the shower.
“Go on. I’ll be back now.”
He untangled her arms from him, jerking her hands free from his jumper before turning and leaving the bathroom. Pearl stared after him, mouth still open, with thanks wilting on her tongue.
Just strip and he’ll do the rest? Nope: not if you were Pearl. The one girl Seth wouldn’t bang.
And now he was going to Gia, going to the girl despite her promise to redirect his attention.
Sorry Gia: she’d tried… and failed.
Pearl’s feet dragged over the tiles as she went to the shower and turned on the water. Shoving her head under the spray, she subjected herself to ice cold water until her head began thrumming with the agony of it. She put out a hand, leaning her weight on it as she positioned her shoulders under the pounding water. It stung, burning her skin and stabbing into her muscles. She began shivering.
Wiping hair from her eyes, Pearl twisted under the water, eyes flickering open.
Seth stood at the threshold of the bathroom, a hand on the bottom of his jumper. Watching her.
He’d been gone less than two minutes. Pearl straightened, spitting water from her mouth and holding her hair out of her face. She fumbled behind her for the controls; wanting warmth, needing warmth.
A shudder raced through her.
Seth stepped forward, tugging his jumper over his head. He wore a t-shirt underneath: virulent orange with Nirvana’s signature stoned smiley face on it. Still moving forward, he ripped his shirt off.
Pearl lurched backward. He was advancing with such determination, such intensity, that her heart began thumping.
He’d taken off his shoes already — perhaps while he’d been watching her torture herself with the water — so his hands went to his jeans. He never wore a belt. His fingers worked at the top button while he drew closer still.
Less than six feet.
Pearl’s back slammed into the tiles behind her. Hair fell into her eyes, slicked down by the fountain of water now separating her from Seth. His form was a hissing blur, distorted by the falling water.
He crouched, yanked off his pants. A dark smudge evidence enough that he still wore his briefs. But, after another step forward, another pausing crouch, those were gone too.
Seth inhaled sharply when the water hit him. He floundered for a moment, his mouth open, eyes squeezed shut, as the ice-cold shower pounded into him.
Pearl couldn’t look away from his looming body; her hand searched blindly for that shower lever, fumbling over smooth tile after smooth tile as she hunted.
Seth took a last step, his head clearing the jetting stream, his shoulders now coruscating with rebounding water.
It had taken less than ten seconds. Longer than time itself.
Pearl drew a breath. Opened her mouth.
But Seth didn’t let her speak.
He caught her flailing hand, crushed it to tiles above her, and kissed her.
Pearl writhed at the heat thrown from his body. His skin was slick, wet; his muscles hard as he ground against her.
The edges of his beard scraped her mouth, a few of those course hairs finding their way between her lips.
She tried to draw breath, but drew only his spent air. He tasted of cigarettes, weed, coffee.
His mouth was hot. His lips demanding. His tongue insatiable.
He was flush against her now, her body trapped between the wall and his solid block of flesh. The drumming of the water drowned out every other sound, but she could feel his breath, panting and urgent, as his kiss intensified.
Her body responded to his presence — and to being pinned against the wall — by shuddering violently. Her sex began to thrum in time with her knocking heart, every lub-dub making her muscles contract tighter and tighter.
With him this close, this ferocious, Seth’s size terrified her. She couldn’t see past his broad shoulders and wondered just how little effort it would take for him to crush her.
Her free hand slid between them, pushing against his pec, trying to urge an inch of air between them. Icy water coursed over his chest and abs, warm by the time it poured over her stomach and trickled between her legs. Instead of levering distance between them, that gesture only seemed to draw attention to the fact that she still had a free appendage.
Seth promptly caught her wrist, tugged her arm up, and held both hands above her head, grinding her wrists together.
He broke off their kiss and drew a deep, unsteady breath.
Pearl peered up at him as he drew back, his gaze gliding down her body. She moaned at the look in his eyes — a feral, hungry anticipation — and tried to tug her hands free.
His eyes flashed back to hers. Lines creased the corners of his eyes, his jaw tightening until cords of muscles stood proud on the bone — visible even through his thick beard.
“You don’t want this.” His voice emerged muffled through his clenched teeth.
Impossible to tell if it was a question or a statement.
Pearl blinked a trickle of water from her eyes. Her sex ached and trembled, a warmth boiling from deep inside her. But did that come from an attraction to Seth, or from this… this hedonistic fragment of time? Their drenched bodies slipping against each other, him hard with need and her wet with want? Because lately, getting aroused seemed as simple as having a man look at her. Seeing desire flicker like a guttering candle deep in his eyes. From the tensing of his lips, or the flare of his nostrils as the wolf inside him caught scent of her pheromones tainting the air.
What did it matter anymore? Love was something that happened to other people. Lust was all that she had. Sex and fucking. Did it matter if her stomach didn’t flutter when she saw the man again? Who cared if this moment was the first and the last? A means to an end? An end for both of them.
And for Gia.
Pearl bucked her hips forward. Surprise drew Seth’s brows together. He groaned, his gaze dragging down her body to where their bodies ground together. His erection slid over her pelvic bone, brushing her lower belly. The feel of it made her tremble; both shaved, there was no friction — just skin on skin.
“I’m tired of giving, Seth,” Pearl said. Her heart pounded in her chest, her wrists aching where he gripped her so tightly. “I’m not your little kitten anymore. I’m not just going to roll over so you can scratch my tummy.” She licked a tickling bead of water from her lips. Seth watched her, mesmerized, his dick pulsing between them. Her own sex throbbed in time with that pump of blood, yearning for his attention.
“So if you want it,” she whispered, “Then you’ll have to take it.”
He drew another chest-expanding breath. The muscles on his jaw worked as he swallowed. Drumming water filled the silence, beating a hypnotic tempo against Seth’s back. He shifted his grip on her wrists, keeping her trapped with a single, wide hand, and slid the other down her arm.
His palm skidded over her flesh, some parts dry now, others still damp. Black eyes fixed to hers — as if daring her to stop him — that hand curved around the side of her shoulder blade and cupped a breast.
Her hips ground against him. She caught the edge of her lip between her teeth, trying to will her heart to stop racing. But the intensity in his eyes, the hard set of his jaw, made her muscles tremble with a barely contained panic. His hand abandoned her breast after no more than a lingering touch, skimming over her stomach.
Her breath caught in expectation of his touch, but it never came. That hand detoured, following the contours of her hi
ps, his touch growing harder and harder as his fingers delved into her flesh.
He touched the sensitive skin over her ass, drawing a gasp from her. Eyes flickering closed at that delicious tingle of pain, Pearl squirmed in a half-hearted attempt to move away from his touch.
Seth squeezed her ass. She gasped again, her eyes flashing open. He was watching her, staring intently at her mouth as it opened to draw in air.
“Good pain, or bad pain?” he murmured.
“Good,” she managed while gulping for air. “Good.”
He dipped his head. Crushed his mouth to hers. Drew precious air from her until her head swam. He squeezed her again. She moaned into his mouth, writhing until that hand slid down, cupped her cheek, and hoisted her up.
Her skin skidded over the wall behind her with a loud shudder. He bore against her, winding her with his weight as his body trapped her. He released her wrists, no longer requiring those restraints, and grabbed her ass in both hands. He lifted her another inch, the tip of his cock against her sex.
Both hands squeezed her.
Pearl moaned, the sound muffled by Seth’s tongue, his lips, his forceful breath. Her hands found the back of his neck, increasing the ferocity of their kiss as she urged his mouth harder against hers. Seth made a soft sound, almost a keen, in the back of his throat.
He speared into her: no warning, no hesitation.
His hands made the bruises on her ass throb and sting. His pinkies were millimeters from her sex, digging into her skin, drawing her open for him.
Pearl’s mouth fell open, a strangled gasp ending their kiss. Seth bit her bottom lip as he tugged his cock free. Almost drew blood from her skin as he shoved himself inside her again.
Her fingernails dug into his shoulders. There was more than enough muscle; those bulging deltoids easily accommodated the pair of faded green snakes writhing over them, fanged mouths dripping venom onto his collarbones.
His mouth closed over hers, engulfing her lips and ending her attempt at drawing breath. He lifted her another inch, slamming her lower back against the wall as he thrust into her. His hands slid closer together, his pinkie fingers making her shudder as they touched against the folds of her sex.