by Power, P. S.
It took a bit for Lisa to relax. Maria, gently stroking her, lightly touching and teasing carefully. Finally, after about fifteen minutes of this, and a lot more kissing, the dark hair girl started taking the other's clothes off.
Keeping the passion high, Lisa lay back on the bed, naked, after only a few minutes. Maria, just stripped, knowing that she lacked the ability to really make this part of things seem seductive particularly, so went for efficiency instead, leaving a puddle of clothes on the floor. Patty had taught her to just leave the clothes, as folding them or even placing them in a pile would seem distracted and too practical for most people.
Forty minutes later, Lisa rolled over onto her side, panting.
“God you're good. Do you want me too...” Lisa looked down at the beautiful body in front of her.
Maria giggled, another practiced move Patty had insisted on.
“Go down on me? Yes, I think I'd like that, very much.”
She did. Twice.
Maria didn't need a ride home, creating her second permanent bridge that day, though it really wiped her out to do so. Bridging from Lisa's living room to the living room of the new house, the dark haired girl simply walked through carrying her shoes. They pinched a bit.
She found Libby watching television in a large room, filled with couches and soft chairs. Most of them were either brown or tan. The Bat-girl looked up at Maria, grinning.
“Have fun, then?” Libby asked, noting her slightly disheveled look.
“Yes.” Maria looked at her Bat-girl, realizing how much she had missed her. It was more than she would have expected.
Libby sat up and gestured to the seat beside her. As she sat, the girl hugged her, pulling her onto her lap.
“You're so little this way! You must be, what, a hundred and fifteen pounds?” Libby's arms wrapped all the way around her.
“Something like that. We can share clothes, I think. We should be almost the same size.” Maria offered.
“Except through the chest... you're huge.” Libby looked down at her own breasts self consciously.
Maria tugged at the other girl's shirt, pulling it up playfully. Leaning forward, she licked the small pink nipples, sucking most of the other girl's left breast into her mouth. Feeling her stiffen, she moved to the other breast and sucked on it greedily.
Without pause, she knelt in front of her Bat-girl, spreading the legs of her jeans, her fingernails, short and practical, running up and down the thick material.
“Get these off, please.” She husked. Not even paying attention to her surroundings.
They worked together, stripping Libby in about ten seconds. Pushing her back onto the warm leather, fake leather Maria noted with relief, she parted her legs, moving in to lick slowly. After a short period of time, perhaps seven minutes, Libby started to cry out.
She kept going until the red head in front of her pushed her away a bit, spent and gasping.
From behind her, Kaitlyn spoke, her own voice husking a little.
“I'm starting to like this new place already. Can I be next?” Not waiting for a reply she moved next to them on the sofa and pulled Libby into a kiss.
Maria moved in and kissed Libby on the mouth, then Kaitlyn on the cheek.
The Succubus stopped suddenly and turned to Maria.
“Why do you always do that? Pull away from me, I mean. I know it's not my looks, and you can't possibly be worried I'll lose control, not after all we've been through.” She sounded a little miffed, to Maria.
Pausing for a moment, pulling her dress top back up, as it had slid down during the activities, Maria put a hand on the other girls shoulder.
“Isn't it obvious? After all the time we've spent together? Longer than you were with your own mother...” She could tell the girl had no clue.
Trying to explain it, she looked deeply into Kaitlyn's eyes.
“As much as you're Patty's daughter, you're also mine. Adopted, sure, but still, that's the relationship. Really, given everything, it couldn't be any other way. The same goes for Felicia. I've spent years with each of you, seeing every thought, guiding every moment. We're too close. If we became lovers, not only would it feel more than a little wrong to me, I think we'd both be in danger of losing ourselves. I mean real, actual loss of self, not just becoming a bit similar. We're already similar in the way we think and act...” She put a hand on her shoulder. “That's why I keep pulling away from you. It's not anything you did, it's just to avoid something that no one, none of the good guys at least, would ever want.”
Kaitlyn went still, thinking about this, her mouth forming and O.
Then she started kissing Libby again, simply accepting the information and moving on, according to her Shadow self.
“Anyway Kaitlyn. Not to be mean, but you can have Libby later, right now we're a bit busy.” Laughing she reached under her own dress and pulled her panties off. Wiggling her hips cutely.
Sitting she pulled her dress up and spread her legs, Libby moving in front of her.
Kaitlyn chuckled as she left the room, muttering something she couldn't hear.
“Libby, what did she say?” Maria asked, knowing that the bat-girl would have heard it clearly.
Pulling back enough to look up into her eyes, Libby told her.
“She said; Zack may be shy about sex and have to be led into it, but Maria seems like a bit of a slut.” Grinning she went back to work.
“Oh.” Maria said.
Then she didn't say anything for quite a while.
Chapter sixteen
Brin Paterson sat in Clyde's office, her head upright and proud, even while her Shadow cringed away from Zack as he walked in. Her eyes lit up when she saw that Libby and Maryl were also there though, and didn't appear to be prisoners.
Clyde perked up a lot, having just had a gloomy conversation with Old Iron, as they used to call Paterson when she sat on the governing council. It had to do with both her hair color and the giant rod that she kept up her ass. Not that Clyde would have ever mentioned that last part out loud. From what his inner self said to Zack, he thought the woman had given up on life, and simply expected to be killed now.
Instead Libby and Maryl ran over and hugged her, not letting her go even after Clyde started speaking.
“As promised Mr. Hartley, we found her. She'd set up a camp in a wood lot outside of Portland, Maine. I take it things haven't been easy for her. Well, as much as I'd like to talk, and think we should make an appointment soon. I think the ladies would like to catch up... So I'll let you all go now.” He held out a hand to Zack, then Brin. They each shook it in turn.
Libby walked over and hugged Clyde briefly, much to his shock. He patted her on the back and sent them on their way, a genuine smile on his face.
Brin didn't have any luggage. Not even a change of clothing, she'd lost a lot of weight in the months since her trial, having gone from a solid looking woman to someone who looked half starved. Her hair, which Zack had only seen short, almost a crew cut, hung down to her collar now, framing her face and flopping into her eyes, forcing her to constantly brush it away.
Zack had them all back to Underwood within ten minutes, taking them into the back of Something Wonderful, which Charli manned by herself while the other women went to pick up Brin.
“Hey! We actually got some orders in while you were out! Ten baskets for a Mr. Montmercy. He said that he'd have the addresses sent in, five need to be Vampire appropriate, and two good for Humans. The others just need to be good for almost anyone. Maybe a summer party theme?” Charli practically vibrated with happiness over such a large order. She knew that they all got paid even if nothing came in, but it felt wrong to her. She wanted the store to do well, even if it didn't matter to Zack or Norris.
She noticed the new person with them and smiling, held out her hand professionally.
“Hi! Are you Brin?” They shook, Brin sizing her up carefully.
“I am. So, small, Asian... Kitsune? Or maybe dragon? They don't usually let f
emale dragons work though, which is a shame, since half the time they're the biggest and strongest.” Her gaze sharpened. “Or, well, you're not a bat, you don't have the look, Cat maybe? You do have that sultry, cute look they like.” This last wasn't a compliment, it held a bit of derision.
Charli, having hung around enough to pick up on what the woman meant, shook her head.
“Sorry, nothing so interesting, just Human, no special abilities even...”
Zack could tell that she expected to be dismissed at that point. Libby did too, though Brin surprised them both by simply smiling.
“I doubt that, or you wouldn't be working with this crowd. Hard work and perseverance matter more than 'special abilities' most of the time anyway. Plus, Humans have almost magically high creativity, which shouldn't be taken lightly. You'd be surprised at how useless turning into a wolf-woman really is for instance, most days. Great in an unarmed fight, but a good gun is still better... Don't let anyone fool you into thinking otherwise.” Her head came up, some of her old pride shining through.
Zack nodded, glad to see that the woman's spirit hadn't been broken. He blamed himself for letting her fall on such hard times, and hoped that she'd be able to forgive him eventually.
“Good then! I think that we should get something to eat, then get Brin back to the house, so that she can clean up and rest. Unless you want to do something differently?” He asked everyone, trying to make certain he didn't step on their plans.
“That sounds good, thank you Mr. Hartley. I haven't eaten too well for a while...” He understood, having been on short rations himself not all that long ago. She needed food, but also needed to go slowly with it, so that she didn't get sick, eating too much, too fast.
Libby waited until Brin was clean and sitting in new clothes on one of the soft chairs in the living room before going over what had happened in the months Brin spent in the woods.
Zack didn't interject, even though he felt Libby spent too much time on the specifics of different fights and combat, especially the ones involving him. When she got to the attack on herself, she added everything, including the fact that Clyde had ordered her death.
“Obviously, he realized that was a mistake... Zack went in and talked to him about it. Once he understood that Zack didn't blame any of us, he rescinded the order immediately. He doesn't seem a bad sort, Clyde, he just didn't seem to know what else to do. He was afraid that Zack would ruin us all financially if he didn't get satisfaction. He knows better now, I think...” She smiled and hugged her grandmother.
Zack told them that he had to get back to work, and would be working most of the night, getting things caught up in Lesser Shia. Ever since the attacks on nexus points had stopped, at least for now, business had picked up.
“So, don't wait up for me. I'll be back late, again.”
Brin had an unusual reaction to that, which he found interesting, she seemed to think he might be sleeping with some woman from work, cheating on her Granddaughter. He made a mental note to have Libby talk to her about that soon, before something happened. Brin didn't seem to be the type to respond well to a perceived slight, especially to Libby or Maryl, who she now identified with as her 'real' family, since most of the rest had abandoned them after things went against them in court.
It baffled her that Zack, who they'd all betrayed, horribly to her mind, had forgiven them and taken them in, when their own family, including her own children, had simply ignored them, just because things might be a little tough for them if they tried to help them out.
Zack left, promising to bring Maryl back when the store closed at nine. Charli too of course, since she'd moved in while Zack had been gone, fighting Cruxias. He wasn't certain which room she'd taken though.
As he turned to leave, Nikki came running up to him.
“Zack! Are you going in to work again? If so, can you, you know, pass some energy to me and take me with you? I can change quickly. Here, come with me. I'm on guard duty tonight anyway, now that you're back...” She pulled him along, down the hallway to the room she shared with Troy. They'd decided to keep their arrangement with her sleeping under his bed in the special chamber that she'd built in to it.
She didn't wait for him to say anything, she just pulled her shirt off, and pulled Zack's hand to her flat, white stomach. He went along with this, because he could tell how hungry she seemed from the way her beast reacted. He noticed that her nipples hardened as he fed her, even though he knew that she didn't really feel pleasure, not even cold, so this must be an energy reaction.
He stiffened himself, seeing this, even though he knew it didn't mean anything. When she noticed this, the vampire gave him a serious look.
"Do you want me to take care of that?"
“Of course I do.” His eyes on her chest. He shook himself gently, forcing himself to stare into her eyes.
“But wanting something is different than doing something. Even if you are hot. Get some clothes on so I don't do something with you, will you?” His sex drive had sky rocketed since he came back. If he had to look at her for much longer, he knew he'd take her up on her offer. He tried to focus on diminishing his physical reaction instead, which took about a minute of concentration, but worked well enough.
She laughed, but not cruelly. They both knew that he didn't resist her because he didn't like her, or think her unattractive, but because he really loved Claire and Libby. That none of them cared if he slept with her mattered to him and put his mind at ease, but he still felt he should resist when he could.
Once dressed, he got her to work almost instantly, the shortcut being just outside the back door of the kitchen. They walked right in to the back room of Something Wonderful.
When he walked out of the back, Janet, Norris's friend, stood at the front of the store, watching intently as Charli and Maryl worked. Nikki kept on going, but Zack stopped to talk to the woman, who looked worried.
“Is Norris dating them, do you think? The Asian girl is pretty cute. And the red head looks like she has a nice body.” Worried, she looked at him then looked away quickly as if ashamed of herself.
“I know it's silly. He's never claimed he didn't have other women, I just always thought they would be at some huge remove, not women I'd see and have to compare myself to.” Shaking her head, she laughed, clearly at herself.
Zack didn't laugh though.
“The redhead is Maryl, and as far as I know, single. She's sweet though, if I wasn't already dating her niece, they're almost the same age, one of those weird things that can happen like that, I'd totally date her. You know, if she wanted to. Charli's the other one, she's great too. I don't know if she's seeing anyone or not. If any of them are seeing Norris, no one's mentioned it to me. I don't think so though. Now, why are you worried about that? You didn't strike me as an unreasonable person before, is something wrong?” Trying to look concerned, he listened to her Shadow, who told him how her sister had been complaining about her husband, and how he looks at other women when they go places. This, she informed him, made her worry that Norris, who could have virtually any woman he wanted just by snapping his fingers practically, might not be interested in her, even though he'd never done anything but dote on her when they went places.
Jan shook her head, not wanting to say what she'd been thinking, knowing it sounded stupid.
“I guess I just realized how little I have to offer him. Nothing he couldn't get from someone else.”
Snorting softly, Zack clapped her on the arm gently and instantly let go.
“That's everyone. Even Norris feels like that. Even Patty, Val and Sarah feel like that, you know the women that work with him? Everyone has feelings like that sometimes, unless they're a narcissist. It's part of being Human. Being uncertain of what other people think and feel. Even if you can read minds, there's always uncertainty. Worse, even if you know what people are thinking now, they can change in a moment, if you aren't paying attention. The only way past this is to learn to trust people and accept them for what
they are. Norris does that better than most. I think you should tell him all this though, so that he can reassure you himself.” Tilting his head he looked at her cheerfully.
She said she'd speak to him. Now Zack just had to hope that Norris hadn't been planning to dump her or something. Especially since he knew the man had heard the whole conversation from where he stood in Beautiful Plus.
He got to Lesser Shia only a little late, and worked long enough that the translator on duty had to go home to feed her family dinner. He knew it was a her, because the translators inner selves had all finally begun to trust him enough to open up a bit, after all the time they'd spent together.
That got him back home at about three in the morning. Merri waited for him with a full meal in the kitchen. A kind of sandwich wrap that came out of the oven, filled with a sweet barbecue sauce, and some kind of fake meat. He ate six of them.
Her Shadow complained that he hadn't had sex with her for a while, and though she wouldn't mention it, not wanting to be pushy, she missed him.
“So, Merri, are you busy right now? I think that we should make use of the fact that we have all these bedrooms...” Her arms wrapped around him suddenly.
“Oh, yes! Let's use my room. I don't think you've been in there yet...”
She had decorated her room in pink with white accents, to Zack it looked a little like a cupcake for some reason, though he figured that if it made her happy, he liked it.
She didn't wait for any preamble, simply taking off her clothes as soon as she got inside the door. He bent down and kissed her, her red hair loose around her bare shoulders, small curls cascading downward gently. He started to pull his own clothes off, quickly, suddenly hard and urgent.
Still, he focused, concentrating on controlling his desire. It had grown out of proportion he realized. He wanted to take her right then, without waiting, but made himself kiss her gently first for a while, then used his hands on her body, working his way down to the soft mound between her legs, covered with even softer hair, though he noticed she'd trimmed a bit since the last time they'd made love. Rubbing gently, he found her clitoris and slowly circled it with his index finger.