by Debbie Behan
The main bedroom was a sight. The bed was elevated off the floor and a push of the button had it rotate. This changed the view of their marine life. In the middle of the room was a huge bathing area. The thing was as large as a swimming pool, something you’d expect to see in Greece. It was so big it needed steps for access.
‘Oh my!’ Alina held her hand to her face in awe. ‘This is so luxurious.’
‘How long does it take to fill it?’ Jay eyed the empty bath.
Ricco pushed a button beside the bed and water shot up in the air. Coloured lighting faded in and out to add theatre to the waterfall effect.
‘Automatic,’ Ricco said. ‘It will switch off when it gets to a defined level. You don’t need to empty it every time you bathe as it circulates through filters to keep the water clean and bacteria free.’
He showed Alina how to use the remote to change the temperature and add a fragrance. Alina chose strawberry and pressed the button. ‘I’ll be back.’ Her eyes took it in with neediness but her face was alive and exited to see what else Ricco had in store.
‘This is so me.’ Jay stood up, dragged Kev over to the massive bed and pounced on top of him.
‘Quit it boys.’ Ricco sounded impatient.
Jay rolled off Kev and gave Alina a wink. ‘Just stirring. Come on Kev, the prince will have an aneurism if we show him up. He never thought to do that to Alina and now he’s just jealous. Still, best behave, or knowing Ricco, he’ll make us clean out the big tanks here if we annoy him too much.’
Through another double door they found themselves in the kitchen. Surrounded by glass it enabled them to see what was behind each stocked door. Dry goods to refrigerated and long life foods had them once again in awe of the ingenious décor.
Ricco opened one of the doors and showed them how they closed if registering no movement. ‘It vacuum seals mechanically to keep out vermin. This also maintains packaging that increases the freshness well beyond normal use-by-dates.’
Jay turned to the circular bench in the middle of the room that had a sink. He walked around it. ‘Waste disposal, industrial dishwasher, industrial oven and pizza oven. It’s so modern.’ He eyed the equipment that hung under the cupboards and the fine china overhead. ‘Everything but the chef,’ Jay joked.
Ricco grinned and picked up a remote and pressed it. A lady robot came walking out of an enclosure.
‘Meet Rob-ecca. She cooks and cleans.’
Rob-ecca almost looked like a porcelain doll or mannequin and she was pretty.
‘You are goddamned kidding me!’ Jay laughed out loud.
Alina couldn’t stop giggling. She had tears running down her face.
‘Rob-ecca,’ Ricco said to the robot, ‘Jay has a hankering for a hamburger with the lot, chips and a chocolate milkshake.’
‘Me too.’ Kev pulled it together. He had leaned against Jay laughing.
Alina agreed. ‘I’m with the boys, sounds good.’
‘Thanks Rob-ecca. That will be for the four of us.’
‘Chocolate shakes for four?’ Rob-ecca asked, her voice curt and to the point.
After chuckling again at her voice they agreed chocolate was fine.
‘Very well.’ she moved toward the cupboards and commenced work.
‘When it’s ready Rob-ecca, we’ll have it upstairs in the games room. The boys and I have boxes to unpack.’
‘Very good sir,’ she said as they left.
‘Good help is so hard to find. Humans kept dying on me so I had to invent something more suitable.’ He smirked.
Jay couldn’t help himself. ‘So did you program her to have sex in case you didn’t have anyone when you made your escape?’
‘Or if they died in the meantime?’ Kev added.
‘I bet you’ve even tested it out. Watch out Alina, if you knock him back I bet this is where to find him,’ Jay stirred.
Ricco lashed out with his hand and connected this time, giving Jay a slight clip across the head as he ducked. ‘Not fast enough buddy.’
‘Last level,’ he said as they stepped out of the lift. ‘This is the spa room and gym.’
Ricco punched numbers into a sensor pad on the wall. Another robot came out and offered them a massage or rub down.
Ricco chuckled at the look on Jay’s face. ‘Meet Robo-gem. Now! You can say I’ve thought of everything.’ He pressed another button and she disappeared back in her holding tube. Jay and Kev joked and laughed on the way back to the lift.
Back on the top floor the boys named it the man cave and Alina found herself banished. Happy to go, she went to her room to soak while Ricco worked with the boys unpacking the cartons. The larger flat screens they leant against the wall. The computer gear went on desks and miles of leads and cables lay sorted on the floor near each piece of equipment. With Ricco’s strength and speed he ripped through the cartons and before long the contents were ready to be connected and the empties bundled and tied together ready to go into storage. It was going to be some set up and before Jay and Kev started, they stood back, impressed. They high-fived each other and, as they rolled up their sleeves, Jay said, ‘Time for us to show Ricco that Geeks rule.’ He cracked his knuckles.
~ Chapter Eighteen ~
Powerful Immortal in Love
Alina left the men to unpack and when the doors opened to the lift, Rob-ecca the robot stepped out with a tray of food. Not knowing if she should talk to the robot or not, Alina just held the door open.
‘Thanks Miss Alina,’ the robot said.
‘Um, no problems Rob-ecca.’ Alina held her hand to her mouth and stifled a chuckle. The amount of planning Ricco put into the sanctuary amazed her but these robots were so real and fascinating. The money it must have taken to set this up she merely dreamt about.
As she waited for the lift doors to close she watched Jay and Kev. Both followed Ricco with eyes wide, wanting to see everything that came out of the crates. Alina might as well have been invisible. The men were lost in their own pleasures and she took the opportunity to pamper herself.
She was chuffed they eluded capture once again. The pressure was off and a nice long soaking took precedence over other activities. For a year she had been on the run, alone. Now she had a family again and it warmed her heart. Strong links that formed between her, Ricco and Jay gave added hope. Yet she still stayed alert and in charge of her own destiny. It would take time to trust fully after the betrayal by friends of yesteryears.
She watched Kev, not having had time to really take him in until now. A few centimetres shorter than Jay, Kev had soft-bronze curly hair that fell soft on his forehead. Hazel eyes shone with health through thick blond lashes. His creamy complexion flushed as he smiled at Jay, unable to wait to start helping.
As for Jay, he stood tall and lean. Almond-blond hair and blue eyes even made her heart melt when he looked at her sometimes so she understood why Kev looked at him besotted. An opposite match yet perfect. Being a free thinker, she never imagined Jay to be dominated. Luckily for him, she could tell Kev loved him that way. Jay fascinated her with his instincts for other people or situations that even she and Ricco missed. He’d made a real impact on Ricco as well. Maybe that was the reason it bugged her when they argued as they did. It was always over her. She hoped to make this a real home and here they might settle down, enjoy each other a bit more and stop the bickering.
The door closed and the movement of the lift made Alina clutch at the handle, not prepared for the speed.
In her room, clothes thrown in a heap on the floor as the scent of strawberry enticed her into the bath. The warmth and comfort of the heated water consumed her in silent memories until a rapping sound at the door disturbed the peace.
Jay stuck his head in the door. ‘Hey Ali, want some company?’
‘Can you believe all this?’ Alina smiled lazily.
He threw his clothes aside and stepped in the bath. ‘Slide over bitch.’
‘Jay what are you doing? I’m naked; you’re naked.’
&
nbsp; ‘Not the first time or the last. Anyway, I want to stir your husband up!’
‘He’ll kick your backside if he comes in and finds you here.’
‘I don’t care; I need to feel happy with you for a minute.’ He laid back and enjoyed the water. ‘It smells like real strawberries.’
Alina smiled. He had no shame, was a stirrer but loveable. ‘I feel so safe here Jay.’
‘I know. Me too.’ He reached out and held her hand and closed his eyes, relaxing.
‘Do you?’ she asked him.
‘I couldn’t be more content. I have the man I adore with me, Ricco is tolerable and I have a great girlfriend in you.’ He smiled. ‘Lady friend really, but you know what I mean.’
‘You say girlfriend to stir up Ricco, I know.’
‘He’s not good enough for you, girlfriend. I say dump him and you, me and Kev will live here and kick him out. I’m so over sharing you.’
Alina ran her hand along the side of his face. Her eyes showed how much she cared for Jay but she loved Ricco and wished for them to stop this nonsense.
‘You know the two of you mean so much to me. There is no need for the rivalry. Ricco is my fire, he heats me with passion and loves and protects me like a fire breathing dragon, strong and powerful. He is also the air I breathe and I never want to breathe again without him in it. But you are the water that is clear in its thinking and the earth that grounds me. I need you both, all four elements.’
He turned his head towards her. ‘I wondered how you saw us both and that is us to a T.’
He slid under the water and rinsed his hair. When he sat up he sported the biggest grin, happy that even now she was married, he continued to be important in her life.
‘Now get out of here before my man comes in here and turns into that dragon I know he can be and breathes fire all over you.’
He kissed her cheek and jumped out. ‘I’m the water and will douse out the flames and calm the wild beast.’
He dried himself, dressed and then did a silly dance that made her laugh.
‘He doesn’t scare me one little bit Ali. You’re my girlfriend, he’s just your husband, remember that.’ He blew her a kiss as he opened the door to leave.
She threw the loofa at him, but he ducked and it got Ricco as he stepped into the open doorway. He caught it, although it still splattered water over his shirt.
‘Thought I’d find you here. Get out of my room before I toss you out.’
‘Just letting my girl here feel a real man against her before she goes to sleep,’ Jay said with a grin.
‘Thanks for warming her up for me.’ He licked his lips.
Jay looked back at Alina. ‘If the old boy can’t get it up from that energy he used today and you want a young healthy stud, come and find me, beautiful,’ he said, and ducked out of the way as Ricco reached out to slap him again.
‘You better nick off too.’ Ricco growled, slammed the door and locked it.
Ricco smiled at Alina, amused at the game they played. ‘Jay doesn’t give up does he? I don’t scare him one little bit.’ Ricco undressed and slid into the bath beside her. ‘I heard what you said to him about us being the dragon and water. He’s a good kid. Saved us out there a few times and deserves your loyalty.’
‘I agree, a true treasure,’ she said, moving closer to him.
Ricco sighed as their bodies touched. ‘Maybe if you’re a good girl I might bring a little of that dragon out tonight.’
She giggled. ‘Mmm sounds delightful. Are the walls soundproof?’ she asked with a dreamy expression.
He nodded and grinned with mischief in his eyes. ‘You should not tempt me so.’
She licked and sucked his bottom lip, biting it gently, egging him on. A moan escaped his lips as he claimed her mouth with lust.
‘Yummy!’ She smiled as he lifted her out of the bath.
* * * *
Ricco lay quiet in the darkness. Far too powerful for any normal woman, he wished she didn’t have him so excited. He possibly might have hurt her and he was glad she was immortal. Wild and insanely gorgeous and sexy, it was special, so loving. In fact he remembered yelling out her name until his voice closed off from the bliss and pleasure that rocked him.
In his arms he listened to her slow breathing. My god how I love this woman, mon chéri, my wife. He switched on the soft lighting overhead and pulled her away from him. Happy, she purred and cuddled back into him. She was so cute even in her sleep, the perfect match in every way. He switched off the light and pulled her into him and she wiggled in her sleep getting comfortable, not just for her but for him as well. He kissed her soft skin and closed his eyes. I’m the stud Jay you little rug-rat, beat that. He grinned as he went to sleep very contented.
* * * *
Ricco woke in high spirits. He wanted his woman to have breakfast in bed and slid out to get Rob-ecca to organise it. Inquisitive to see what the boys achieved, he went up to see. He was surprised to find them both still hard at work.
‘Did you boys pull an all-nighter?’ He noticed how wrecked Jay looked and decided to take it easy on him.
‘Couldn’t sleep?’ Jay said.
Kev grinned. ‘Well we haven’t been at it all night, but no we haven’t slept either.’
‘Please! Far too much information.’ Ricco shook the image out of his head. ‘I’m just organising breakfast in our room and wondered if you boys wanted to join us.’
Jay swung around, pleased Ricco had forgiven him. It hadn’t been that long ago Ricco had busted his chops for jumping in the spa with her.
‘Well if I’m off the hook, can I go wake her? Promise to behave.’
He turned to Kev. ‘Want to come and jump on Sleeping Beauty?’
Kev shook his head and laughed. ‘You go, I just need another five minutes and I promise I’ll join you in time for breakfast.’
‘You sure?’ Jay asked.
‘Serious, go ahead. I won’t be long, just need to finish connecting this last screen,’ Kev said.
‘That okay if I wake her Ricco?’ Jay said.
‘Go ahead. Kev needs someone strong to hold that screen,’ he teased.
Jay didn’t retaliate; glad to have his own way. He ruffled Kev’s hair and ran off like a school boy just let out for playlunch.
When it was time to join Alina and Jay, Ricco almost had to drag Kev with him.
‘You are one solid little worker.’ Ricco was impressed.
They opened the door to find Jay flopped on top of the bedcovers with what were intentions to wake Alina, but who instead fell asleep watching her. He looked young as he slept, yet awake, the ball of energy seemed years older.
Kev jumped on him and both Jay and Alina woke with a start. The last thing Ricco had expected was for Kev to charge at Jay and be so rough.
Alina started giggling. ‘Boys,’ she said good humouredly as she slid out of bed and got out of the way, rubbed her eyes and watched the scuffle.
Kev rolled Jay on the floor and they wrestled and fooled around, both ending up in the bath fully clothed.
Kev was definitely a dark horse and Ricco added feisty to his list of attributes. He now understood what Jay saw in Kev. He was not only a solid thinking guy and good worker, but fun, and suited Jay perfectly.
Rob-ecca arrived with the food. Starved, they scrambled out and dried off.
‘This is nice.’ Jay started eating his breakfast with his fingers. ‘Fooling around and eating. Not a worry we are being watched.’
‘You bet. Feels great knowing we don’t have to start running.’ Kev imitated Jay and ate without knife and fork.
‘Look boys, I need to lay down ground rules,’ Ricco said.
‘Here we go.’ Jay shook his head. ‘The peace; knew it was too good to last.’
‘Jay!’
‘Okay, what are they?’
‘You two lads are coming into a world where the opposing team are playing with high stakes. If we are to beat them at their own game we need to identify who the p
layers are and how wide this operation spreads. We can’t make a move without finding who the detective’s supporters are. Someone that is very powerful and rich is funding this. Firstly we need to know who.’
‘And?’ Jay said with his mouth full.
‘You must have at least six hours’ rest from that computer room a day. Whether you sleep, play or watch cable is up to you, because I don’t want you so crazed with chasing ghosts you forget the simple things in life. Like now, we need to enjoy time together or alone time with our partners. I want you boys to still live. This work can consume you and make you irritable and a horror to live with. I know as I have been there.’
‘That’s it?’ Jay looked surprised.
Ricco read his thoughts. Jay assumed Ricco would lay down the law about him and Alina.
He then turned his attention to Kev’s thoughts. His mind wandered back to the computers. His only thoughts since Ricco switched on his listening powers were of Jay, or the task at hand. Just so long as Jay was happy he’d sit back, smile and enjoy him. No mean thoughts or crazy ideas except when he wanted to get Jay’s attention. Then his mind went into overdrive and didn’t stop until he got Jay where he wanted him.
Jay… not so much. His thoughts never stopped and even now he became restless and wanted to go have fun with my wife.
‘So you agree to my rules. It’s that or I get a team of professionals in here to handle it instead.’ Ricco threw that in to get them to see he was serious.
Kev shifted in his seat, worried. ‘I support whatever rules you stipulate just so long as I can work on it with you, hey Jay.’
Jay looked at Ricco, debating if he should argue, and decided against it. ‘You are stronger, more powerful and a whole lot quicker than us, but our minds are geek powered and you won’t find any better. As for your rules, I have to warn you, I feel rules are only there to be broken, but I’ll try to get on board and suck it up for the team.’
‘Jay, the rules are the rules. No exception.’
Jay glanced at Alina. ‘He’s like my bloody dad. God what have I got myself in for? All right, I agree. Can we go now?’ Jay stood up and pulled Alina to her feet. ‘We have girlfriend stuff we have to do.’ He smiled cheekily at Ricco.