by Nikki Jacks
“I don’t think big covers it. He’s ginormous! I’m glad we already got the fly thing covered with Buttercup. Do you know Igor? She’s definitely quirky, but I liked her. Maybe we can become friends after she’s come into the shop a few times.”
“Babe, I don’t know how anyone could deny being your friend. I’m sure once Igor comes into the shop, you’ll be friends and going to Vee and the Snake Pit for girls’ nights.”
“What are Vee and the Snake Pit?”
Lance started chuckling. “Vee is a nightclub owned by three vampire brothers and their mate. The Snake Pit is a strip club that has a little something for everyone when it comes to what you can see on stage.”
“That definitely sounds interesting.”
“Maybe the four of us will go to Vee one night. It will be fun to have a night of dancing.”
“That does sound like fun. We should definitely do that.”
We strolled through town, and Lance was true to his word. He showed me the sights and the best market in town. We finally made it back to the shop and headed up to my apartment to put groceries away and dive into our treats.
“First, the name of the shop is Silver Springs Ice Cream Shop. You know that’s a mouthful, right?”
“Well, I was planning to say SICS for short.”
Lance’s eyes bugged out as I said this. “SEX?!?! Lotus, while that sounds fun, it’s gonna give people the wrong impression, don’t you think?”
“Sex? What are you talking about, Lance Anders? Silver Springs Ice Cream Shop: SICS for short. How hard is that?”
“Lotus, sweetheart, you can’t call the ice cream shop SEX for short.”
“I wasn’t calling it SEX, Lance. I was calling it SICS. I mean, sure, we’re gonna sell Sapphire’s Jizz Cream and Dicksicles, but those will be listed on the menu as Adult Only.”
“Wait, back up. Jizz Cream? Dicksicles? What the fuck are those, and why are we selling them?”
“They are Sapphire’s newest product ideas and they were a requirement for the license. Jizz Cream tastes just like jizz. I had the idea that I could try to spell the cream to taste like the person’s significant other. That way it’s not generic, because who wants to taste random jizz, yeah?”
Lance’s eyebrows looked like they were going to climb off his face. “I’m almost scared to ask what a Dicksicle is.”
“Well, it’s ice cream on a stick that’s shaped like a… um… dick. And the inside has Jizz Cream in it, so you get a finish. Sapphire said it was like all the benefits of sucking a guy off without actually having to worry about the guy.”
“Of course she did. But let’s go back. Even with Jizz Cream and Dicksicles, you can’t call the shop SEX, Lotus. While people are pretty tolerant, I don’t know how they’ll feel about that.”
“Lance, for the last time, I’m not planning to call the place SEX! How in the world do you figure the letters S-I-C-S makes the word sex? It spells sics, like what you tell a dog to do to someone. Although that doesn’t really help, does it?”
“Oh my god, you were saying sics?”
“Well, yeah. How in the world were you getting SEX from SICS?”
“Babe, I love your Southern accent, but when you say SICS, it totally sounds like SEX!”
“No, it doesn’t! Really, Lance, it does? Oh no! I’ve got to think of something else then. Thankfully, we haven’t opened yet and no one but you has heard me. Can you imagine if I answered the phone? ‘SEX, this is Lotus. How can I help you?’ People would think I was a prostitute!”
“Calm down, Lotus, it’s okay. Like you said, you haven’t actually said the word aloud to anyone other than me. We might just have to live with the longer name. Or we could just answer the phone, ‘Ice Cream Shop.’”
“We could. That’s something we can come back to, though. Let’s talk menu.”
And just like that, Lance and I were eating sugary delights from Buttercup’s and planning things for the shop
20
Lotus
Lance and I had gone back and forth about what the shop would offer, but we’d finally agreed to keep the focus on the ice cream. Any food items we sold would highlight the ice cream or enhance their flavors.
Lance was already experimenting and was going to create specialty cone and bowl flavors that people could order to pair with their ice cream flavors. I didn’t know how, but Lance managed to come up with a cone that tasted like fresh strawberries to go with the Chocolate Chunk. It was like eating chocolate-covered strawberries!
I’d spoken with my contact at Flying Horse and got a container of Jizz Cream sent to the shop. I was practicing on small amounts of the cream to try and work out the spell to flavor it. So far, I’d managed to enhance the slightly salty taste to the sweet treat, but I was stuck on how to add the personalized flavor.
Jizz Cream by itself was very smooth and creamy. The sweet and salty flavors blended well and definitely gave the impression of being something more than ice cream. After another failed attempt to craft the right spell, the scoop of Jizz Cream I’d been working with tasted like crawfish.
I slammed my hands on the counter as Lance walked in the back door with some ingredients he wanted to try out for macarons. He had the idea of trying to make the macarons with edible flower flavors. A trip to Iris’s flower shop had been needed for the best flowers in the area.
“Babe! What’s wrong?”
“Lance, I still can’t get this spell right. My stupid parents and their stupid ideas. They thought keeping my magic untrained would make me a better hostess. I would learn how to do things the ‘normal’ way to not draw suspicion, but now I can’t use my magic for anything! I need to get this spell right. I told Sapphire I could do it, and I don’t want to think about what will happen if I don’t deliver.”
“So, what exactly is wrong with the spell? I know I’m a shifter, but maybe I can help you talk through things and you can catch what you may be missing?”
“It’s worth a shot. We’re opening in a week and I can’t afford to get this wrong. It’s bad enough there’s been a delay on our tables and chairs. It’s going to be horrible to have an opening with no seating. I’ve got to figure out what we’ll do about that, and soon.”
“Okay, one thing at a time. Let’s focus on this Jizz Cream and go from there. You said that when you get the spell right, it’s supposed to taste like someone’s significant other?”
“Yes. In theory, I should be able to touch a person’s skin and the magic will pull their unique ‘flavor’ into the ice cream. I’ve been able to get flavors infused, but they don’t taste right. I mean, this scoop tastes like crawfish. I love the things, but that’s when I’m having a Bayou barbecue!”
“All right. I can think of one small suggestion. You’ve been working on this for a week now, and not once have you asked to use me.”
At Lance’s words, I could feel my cheeks flushing. Lance was right! I’d been thinking of what I thought the Jizz Cream should taste like. I had a “test subject” right in front of me, and I’d been ignoring him.
“You’re right, Lance! Can we try now? I’ll get a fresh scoop and see if I can get it right this time.”
“Babe, you know I’d do anything to help you. Get a fresh scoop while I get these ingredients in the cooler and clean out this crawfish cream. Hey! Do you think there would be a market for this flavor?”
“Not at all, funny guy. Come on, let’s try this out.”
I got a fresh scoop of Jizz Cream into a bowl and walked over to where Lance stood by a counter. Placing the bowl on the counter, I looked at Lance’s flannel-covered arms.
“Roll up your sleeve, please. I need to touch bare skin.”
With a wink and grin, Lance rolled up his sleeve and presented his arm to me like it was some kind of prize.
I giggled at Lance’s antics and pushed his arm until it was lying on the countertop. I put my right hand on Lance’s arm and laid my left hand on the bowl. Muttering the spell I’d come up with,
I watched as a small flash lit up over the ice cream.
On a long exhale, I looked up at Lance. “Well, we did something. Let me get a spoon to try it.”
As I walked back to the box of plastic spoons I’d opened for my trials, it hit me that I could potentially be tasting Lance in a moment. That random thought made my mouth start salivating and my body heat up.
I turned around at Lance’s groan. “Babe, what are you thinking about over there? I can smell you from here.”
I’d forgotten how sensitive Lance’s shifter senses were!
“Um… Well… I was just thinking that if I got this right, I’ll be tasting you in a second.”
“Well, get over here and tell me what you taste!”
I walked back to the bowl and spooned out a generous sample. Making sure to keep eye contact with Lance, I lifted the spoon to my mouth. I slid the cream in and let my lips wrap around the spoon. I slowly let the spoon slide back out while letting the ice cream sit on my tongue.
Lance looked like he was going to come out of his skin waiting for my response.
I rolled the taste around on my tongue, trying to determine if I’d gotten it right this time. There was the sweet that would never be missed. It was followed by that saltiness that I’d come to expect and actually appreciate in contrast.
Then, just as I was about to swallow, a new flavor burst on my tongue. There was tang with a hint of something smoky. Lance could tell I’d tasted something different. My eyes went wide, and I gave a small squeak.
“Well? What are you tasting? I know it’s something, your face is giving it away!”
I swallowed, and then some siren took over because the answer I gave Lance was not one I would ever give a guy. “Well, I’m not sure. I think I need a comparison taste to be sure I got it right.”
It took Lance a beat to get my meaning, and then he was cupping my face and kissing me for all he was worth. My mouth was still a little chilled from the ice cream, so the hot invasion of Lance’s tongue created a contrast that urged me to moan and move closer.
21
Lance
I couldn’t believe what Lotus had just said! She’d been flirtatious with all of us, but never so blatantly sexual. I couldn’t help but wonder if the mating bond was doing some manipulating.
I could tell that Lotus had gotten the spell right. The taste of her mouth as I devoured her was the same I’d tasted on partners I’d gone down on right after I’d orgasmed. Based on the taste, I knew we were going to have a hit on our hands with Sapphire’s Jizz Cream. There was no way people weren’t going to taste this and want more.
Needing to breathe, I stepped back from Lotus and looked at her carefully.
“Babe, I know what you just said, but are you sure? That’s not a step we’ve taken before, and I would never expect that from you.”
Lotus’s answer was to fist her hands in my hair and kiss me until my toes curled. I thought that kind of thing was supposed to happen to girls! Breaking the kiss, Lotus rose up on her toes and started nibbling along my jaw. Her hands dropped to my chest to give her some stabilization, and she curled her fingers until her little nails were biting into my pecs. When she started nipping at my neck, I couldn’t hold back the purr that rumbled out.
Lotus
Sweet heavens! I think I’d done it! I was nibbling and nipping on Lance’s skin as I made my way down his body, and don’t you know, I could taste that same tang I had in the ice cream. The natural saltiness of skin was there, but so was the tang. I still couldn’t place the flavor, but it was not off-putting.
Ready to experience Lance’s full taste, I dropped to my knees. Connecting with the floor, I knew I’d have bruises, but figured they would be worth it. I lifted the hem of Lance’s flannel shirt and started to work on his belt. Looking up through my lashes, I spied Lance unbuttoning his shirt.
“Leave it. There’s something so dirty about you keeping your shirt on while I do this to you.”
Lance’s head dropped back, and he groaned at my statement. I was starting to understand the jokes so many guys in New Orleans made about Southern mothers raising perfect little ladies who were freaks in the sheets. Seeing what I was doing to Lance, I didn’t care a bit. Knowing I was causing his reactions left me feeling empowered, and I felt I understood what Maryn had said about being with the guys freely was its own kind of independence.
With his belt undone, I unbuttoned Lance’s jeans and slowly pulled his zipper down. It was difficult to get the zipper down with the stress Lance’s erection was putting on the denim, but I got it done. Imagine my delight when I realized that Lance had gone commando!
I reached around Lance and tucked my hands into his jeans, grabbing handfuls of his butt. Okay, it wasn’t handfuls—his cheeks were too toned and taut for me to do that—but I did manage to cop a nice feel before I pushed his jeans to his ankles.
My face was so close to Lance’s body that his cock brushed my lips as it sprang free. I leaned back a little. The heat of Lance’s cock left me feeling like I’d gotten a sunburn on my lips. You couldn’t live in the South and not know what that felt like.
While I had created some distance, I took a good look at Lance. I didn’t want to compare the brothers, but I noticed that Lance was wider than Drake. Where Drake’s cock was long and thick, and looked like it could be used as a model for dildos, Lance’s was just a bit shorter and noticeably wider. The head looked more like a spade than a mushroom, but it was beautiful. The whole thing was veined, and I spied a bead of precum glistening at the tip.
I leaned in and used my tongue like a spoon to scoop it up. Letting the bead sit on my tongue, the flavors of the spelled Jizz Cream exploded in my mouth. The tang and smoke were much stronger and headier. A thrill went through me knowing I’d gotten the spell right. And then I turned my attention to the matter at hand.
“I think I got it right, Lance, but I’m going to need a bigger sample to make sure.”
“Whatever you want, babe, I’m all yours.”
I flashed him a smile and leaned in. I placed a short, loving kiss on the head of Lance’s cock, then licked him from root to tip. There are so many ways to describe having oral sex with a guy. And you know what? After that first lick, I went to town like Lance’s cock was my very own Dicksicle.
I sucked and slurped. I licked and nibbled. I was never one for doing this—it wasn’t something that ever appealed to me with the guys I’d been with before—but with Lance, I would have cut someone who tried to take this tasty treat from me.
I looked up at Lance to watch him as I devoured him. He was braced against the counter, holding his shirt up and looking at me. Every so often he would run his fingers through my hair. His constant groans and shudders let me know that Lance was enjoying himself. Seeing the effect I was having on Lance was empowering and arousing. I felt on top of the world.
As I was bobbing up and down, I felt Lance gather my hair into a ponytail. “I’m so close, babe. So fucking close.”
Not breaking my rhythm, I decided to let my teeth graze over Lance as I continued. At that, Lance’s hips began to meet my downward thrusts as he chased his orgasm. With a roar that was all animal, I felt the first spurts of Lance’s release hit the back of my throat. Not wanting to miss the flavor explosion I was supposed to be taste-testing, I swallowed a couple of times and then just held the remainder of Lance’s release in my mouth.
While I was letting Lance’s unique flavor roll over me, that tang I hadn’t been able to place hit me. Greek yogurt! Don’t ask me to explain. All I knew was that Lance tasted like a smoky Greek yogurt, and he was delicious. It made me curious to know what Drake and Evan would taste like too
I squeaked as Lance reached down and hauled me up his body. A fierce kiss was punctuated with a tight hug. “I think you did it, Lotus! You figured out the spell, babe!”
I swatted his arm as I laughed. “Really, Lance? That’s what you have to say at this moment?”
“Well, it is important.
But, no, it’s not all I have to say. Thank you for that, Lotus. You didn’t have to.”
“I know I didn’t have to do it. I wanted to, so I did.”
We basked in the glow of orgasm and accomplishment for a bit longer and then started working on Lance’s macarons.
22
Lotus
We were three days away from Silver Springs Ice Cream Shop’s grand opening, and I was a wreck. Nothing was going the way it should. For some reason, there had been a delay in the seating I’d chosen for the shop. I was assured that everything would be delivered in time for our opening, but I still had no tables and chairs and now the vendor couldn’t tell me if I would have them in time.
I’d wanted to purchase our freezer units outright, but I was glad that Lance had talked to me about leasing the units. I’d ordered and had the units installed before I did anything else because I wanted them in place before we started moving in furniture and décor pieces. The smaller items could be moved easily, but the big units had special requirements for power, so once in place, it would be hard to move them.
Good thing they were placed early, because the week after they’d been delivered, one of the units had broken down and needed to have the motor replaced. I was being careful with the funds from the startup loan. I knew that I might need some of those funds to take care of overhead costs before we started seeing a profit.
When the leasing company sent a repairman to take care of the new motor, I was quietly thankful for Lance’s insights on leasing for the time being. I hadn’t been too generous at the time, thinking that Lance was trying to step in and handle things for me, but he’d shown wisdom I wasn’t willing to see before.
I was in the front of the shop pacing and trying to work out what I could do about seating for opening day when I heard a tapping on the front door. Drake grinned and waved at me. I rushed over to him and opened the door.