by Wyatt Kane
It was a circular, elegant table set with three chairs. It seemed as if Ty’s presence was expected, but Lilith’s was not. Whoever had set the table had outdone themselves. It looked amazing, like Ty might have expected in any high-end restaurant, complete with glasses of water, a bottle of wine cooling in an ice-bucket, and a small but decorative flower arrangement in the middle. Each setting already had a side plate with thick wedges of dark, rich-looking bread, and Ty’s mouth was already starting to water. He chose a seat at random and placed his salad in front of him, and the two main women in his life did likewise.
As they settled themselves down, Ty expressed his amazement. “This is incredible,” he said. “How come I haven’t seen this before?”
“I guess you haven’t been looking,” Dinah said, grinning broadly. “Or maybe you were too busy in the Architect’s workshop.
“One day, one of you is going to have to give me a proper tour of this place. Every time I think I’ve seen all of it, I stumble across something new.”
“Of everything my father created,” Tempest said, “this mansion was the thing he cared about most. It was his sanctuary, a place where he could escape from the rest of the world. You know what it’s like out there, with New Lincoln itself tearing you down until you have nothing left. This whole place was my father’s antidote for that.”
It was easy for Ty to forget Tempest’s connection to the mansion ran so deep. For her, everything in it was a memory of her father.
“Tempest,” Ty started. “How long have you lived here?”
“I don’t remember living anywhere else, but I know my father bought this place when I was young. Of course, it wasn’t always like this. The house grew as my father gained in wealth and stature. I remember when it was no more than a simple three-bedroom apartment on the top of the building. Like a seed, my father kept feeding it, kept adding to it as time went by. And now,” she gestured around, “this is what we have.”
Dinah spoke into the silence that followed. “I didn’t know the Architect as well as Tempest, of course,” she said, her voice filled with remembered reverence. “But I see this place as a reflection of who he was. Magnificent from an external perspective, but when you look at it more closely, it’s the warmth and tenderness which you see more clearly.”
Tempest nodded. “He was like that,” she said. “On the surface, he could be closed and forbidding. But this is his heart.” She paused to draw a sad breath, and Ty remembered she still didn’t truly know what had happened to her father. “He spent a lot of his time in the workshop, but he also made a point to wander the grounds outside, to feed the koi in the pond, and to make sure all the plants stayed healthy and grew as they should.”
30: Second Course
As Tempest spoke, Ty realized Dinah was looking at her with a wry grin on her face. “Yes, the mansion is a wonderful place,” she said. “But I’m hungry, so I’m going to eat!” She said it lightly, not to demean Tempest’s reminiscences, but to inject some laughter into the meal.
It worked. Tempest’s sadness over her father immediately lifted, and the three of them dug into the fabulous meal.
Ty couldn’t believe how much flavor Dinah had injected into a simple salad. For a guy whose normal diet had been based around whatever he could get, it was incredible. Never again would he be able to view a soggy, day-old sandwich with anything more than disappointment. He thought that if Lilith knew, like really knew, what Dinah could do in the kitchen, it would make her decision far easier.
Ty would sell his soul to keep eating like this. As he chewed a sensational mouthful, he looked at Dinah with something akin to pride and knew he didn’t need to sell his soul to anyone. He’d already given it away.
Conversation drifted. They talked a little about Rubio and the Master. By unspoken consensus, discussions of greater depth were out of bounds. Ty spoke about what he’d been trying to do in the workshop, but the girls couldn’t immediately offer any helpful advice. They did, however, offer words of support and encouragement, projecting confidence that Ty could do what was needed.
Tempest talked a little more about her father, including the man’s vision for New Lincoln. Ty listened with interest to stories about a city that shone rather than festering in the mire. In Ty’s mind, the Architect’s vision was a close match for what he’d seen in his dream. People who were able to live good lives out from under the thumb of the megacorporations.
As their plates became empty, Dinah began to speak about the various new dishes she had in mind to try.
“Where do you get all these ideas for recipes?” Ty asked. Even the thought of them sounded amazing.
She grinned at him. “Information control, remember?”
Of course. It was obvious, really, Ty thought, and he couldn’t help but wonder what other knowledge was stored away in the deerkin’s head.
“Speaking of which,” Tempest said. “What’s happening with the second course?”
“I’ll have to check,” Dinah said. “It’s a pity Lilith isn’t here,” she said casually as she stood up. “She could teleport back and forth in an instant. No waiting!” With that, she left Tempest and Ty to themselves.
Tempest’s enjoyment of the meal had faded at the mention of Lilith, but not as much as when the demon woman had popped in for a visit. Ty thought the conversation he’d had with her earlier might have helped. But maybe there was more he could still do.
“I spoke with her earlier,” he said.
“Who? Lilith?” Tempest asked.
Ty nodded. “Yeah. She’s going through the same stuff I went through,” he said. Then he grinned. “So many years ago now, it seems”
At this, Tempest returned his smile. To Ty, it seemed as if his life had only truly begun when he put on the device. So much had happened since then that it really did seem like a lifetime ago.
“But the thing is,” he continued, “I had you to help me figure things out. But Lilith has no one. All this is new to her. And you know what she told me?”
Perhaps despite herself, Tempest was interested. “What?”
“She said she’s never been attracted to women before, and now, all of a sudden, there’s you and Dinah. Can you imagine how confusing that might be for her?”
Ty could see he was getting through. Tempest looked a little chagrined.
“That would be kind of awkward to deal with,” she admitted. Then she looked at Ty oddly. “But you mean just Dinah, right?” she said. “Not both of us?”
Ty shook his head. “She didn’t mean to say it, but you as well,” Ty said.
At this, Tempest’s expression became uncertain. “But….” she began. Worry and apprehension fought with her uncertainty for a moment, and won. She looked crestfallen. “I’ve been so cold to her,” she said.
Ty knew he could have left it there, but there was something else he wanted Tempest to know. “Maybe she isn’t exactly the same as I was,” he corrected. “Her alignment is slightly different.”
“You saw her alignment?”
“Yeah. Her entire character sheet. Her skill—it gives her one hell of a buff. It takes her right up to your level. But her alignment isn’t neutral good. It’s lawful good.”
Tempest just stared at him for a moment. “But that means—”
“Yeah. It means she really was forced into working for the Master. It isn’t something she would do out of choice. Which is why she’s having a hard time figuring out what to do now.”
As the blonde superhero digested this latest piece of information, Dinah returned, carrying all three plates with the poise and grace of a dancer.
“Second course is served,” she said.
◆◆◆
The second course was a rich, flavor-filled fish dish, a casserole-type thing with hearty vegetables that shouldn’t have gone with the salad at all. But because Dinah had woven through some of the same spices, it seemed not just to go with the salad, but to build on it. Somehow, she’d managed to make the two different foo
d styles work together as well as potatoes and gravy. Every mouthful was a sensation, and Ty found himself murmuring inarticulate noises of satisfaction and enjoyment as he ate.
The deerkin seemed to appreciate Ty’s display of enjoyment, and if she noticed that Tempest was a bit more introspective than she had been before, she didn’t mention it. And soon enough, it didn’t matter anyway. Dinah’s food proved more than enough to entice Tempest away from her own inner thoughts.
The rest of the meal passed as it had begun, with light conversation, fantastic food, and great company. Before they’d finished with the first course, Ty would have happily rated it as one of the top 10 culinary events of his life.
By the time they finished the second course, that rating had improved to the very top spot. And that was before Dinah brought out the dessert.
At first, Ty wasn’t sure what the dessert was. Each plate contained no more than a single chocolate-colored globe, a little bigger than Ty’s closed fist. He looked at it in puzzlement for a moment or two, then realized Dinah was grinning at him.
“What do you think?” she said.
“What is it?” Ty asked.
“Watch,” Dinah replied. With that, she picked up the earthenware jug she’d brought with the desserts and deftly tipped a stream of hot, dark chocolate over the sphere, crossing over the middle several different ways.
The poured chocolate was hot enough to melt the skin of the sphere, and when it did, it opened up like a flower to reveal the delicate wonder within.
Ty had never seen anything like it. Inside the now open petals of chocolate were a trio of beautiful-looking miniature desserts, none of which Ty could name, but all of which smelled delightful. He sat there, just staring, as Dinah moved on to perform the same reveal with Tempest’s plate and then her own.
When each dessert had fully opened, the deerkin placed the earthenware jug back on the table.
“Well? Are you going to try it?” she asked, looking very pleased with herself.
Ty didn’t need any more nudging. He picked up his spoon and dipped it into the puddle of creamy white goodness in the middle of his dish. A single taste convinced him that Dinah’s skill in the kitchen wasn’t human. She was a goddess, and the food she produced nothing short of ambrosia. And somehow, she’d even managed to weave through the same spices again, wrapping the meal up as if with a bow.
“This is incredible,” he blurted, and Tempest mumbled her agreement around her own first taste.
“Thank you,” Dinah said. “Although in truth, I can’t claim full credit for this one. I got the idea off one of the cooking shows on the net.”
Ty wanted to say something more, to express how much his taste buds were enjoying the meal. At the same time, he wanted to eat. In the end, he tried to do both at the same time, again degenerating into grunts of gastronomic ecstasy.
Nor was he the only one. Tempest also appeared to have lost the power of speech.
31: Dessert
The meal was the most magnificent Ty had ever eaten, and to do so within the shade of a tropical rainforest with the two most spectacular women in the world at his side was beyond anything he could have hoped for. Even if the worst thing imaginable had happened just then, like a meteor crashing down from the sky to crush them where they sat, Ty would have died the happiest man in the world.
He ate the rest of his dessert as if in a dream, the sensational flavors elevating him to a state of pure bliss. He savored each mouthful as much as he could, and found himself scraping the plate with his spoon to ensure he didn’t miss anything.
Finally, with an aching regret deep in his soul, he put his spoon down. The plate was empty.
He was at once satisfied and profoundly disappointed that the meal was done. He looked up to see that same satisfaction and disappointment expressed on the faces of both Tempest and Dinah as they too finished the last of their desserts.
Ty leaned back in his chair. “That was the most extraordinary meal I’ve ever had,” he said.
Tempest was touching the corner of her napkin to her perfect lips. She nodded in agreement and said, “One of your best.”
The deerkin smiled broadly. “I’m glad you liked it. But now I’m worried. I had something else planned for after the meal. A walk through the conservatory, to start. But are we all too full?” she asked.
Despite seldom having had more than a single course at a time before, Ty felt good. “I’m fine,” he said. “Comfortable. In fact, if you happen to have another one of those desserts lying around, I wouldn’t say no.”
Dinah laughed. “No, unfortunately. But I do have something else that might be considered a different kind of dessert.”
With that, she pushed herself away from the table and stood. “If you’d like to follow me?” She included Tempest with her invitation as well, then turned from them and headed toward one of the pathways that cut through the forest. As she walked, she peeled off her clothing and left it on the ground behind her.
Ty and Tempest exchanged a look. “Well,” the blonde superhero said. “That’s an invitation I’m not going to turn down. Are you coming?”
Ty stifled a laugh. “Not yet,” he said. Together, he and Tempest stood and followed the deerkin into the foliage.
◆◆◆
Ty thought he was done with surprises for that day, both good and bad. But he could scarcely believe it when the path opened up to show a medium-sized pool complete with a gentle waterfall, covered in cascading ferns and an assortment of orchids. He was flabbergasted. He’d never even suspected the existence of something like this in the mansion. Somehow, it reminded him of the rock Tempest had taken him to on the first day, in the middle of the lake. Perhaps it was Dinah standing there next to the water, wearing nothing but her perfect skin. Except that the deerkin hadn’t been with Ty and Tempest that day.
Either way, Dinah grinned broadly, then dove into the water, submerging completely only to reappear, laughing, in the center.
“How is it?” Ty asked.
The deerkin sent a splash of water his way. “Come on in and find out,” she said.
Neither Ty nor Tempest needed a second invitation. In a matter of moments, both of them had climbed out of their clothes. Tempest followed Dinah’s lead and dove in, cutting the water cleanly to appear next to the deerkin, floating in the water like any teenager’s wildest dream come true.
Ty, less confident with the depth of the water and with his ability to swim, chose a more tentative route. Cautiously making his way into the water, he approached the girls, but Dinah chose to splash him again, and he blinked to avoid getting water into his eyes.
“You’re not afraid of getting a little wet, are you?” the deerkin teased him. At the same time, Tempest disappeared back under the water.
“Of course not,” Ty said. Then something touched him on the backs of his legs and moved up to his buttocks.
Ty couldn’t help it. He let out a very un-masculine squeal and jerked around, only for Tempest to emerge from the water in front of him, laughing at his reaction.
Ty’s humiliation was lessened by the general happiness of the mood, and the fact that he was skinny dipping with his two favorite women. He caught himself thinking that the only way to improve on the evening would be if Lilith had been able to join them. Then he decided two could play Tempest’s game, and he ducked beneath the water himself.
He opened his eyes to find that the water was clear and fresh. The view he had of Tempest and Dinah from this angle was extraordinary. He pushed himself along the sandy floor, catching Tempest around her knees and pulling her under.
She was grinning at him through the water and didn’t seem to mind at all what he’d done. Instead of struggling to get free, she wrapped her arms around him and pulled him close, the water adding a new, soft dimension to the feel of her flesh. She kissed him underwater, and Ty was as aroused as he’d ever been.
But he couldn’t breathe underwater, and that moment wasn’t right for thinking abou
t how he could give himself that ability. Still locked in an embrace, he and Tempest broke the surface together.
“Hey, no fair!” said Dinah. “Make room for me!”
With that, she ducked down and inserted herself between them, rubbing her amazing body against Ty’s erection as she did.
Ty, Tempest and Dinah spent the next several minutes just touching and kissing each other, each of them enjoying the new sensations the water offered. It didn’t take long before their breathing started to deepen and their investigations became more urgent.
It was Dinah who took it to the next level. She was facing him and already had her arms wrapped around Ty’s neck, so she raised herself up just enough to do the job, and lowered herself onto him with a shudder and small moan of pleasure.
Tempest took the opportunity to press herself against Ty’s back so that Dinah’s legs were wrapped around them both. She reached around in the water, took Dinah’s hips in her hands, and started to move the deerkin back and forth.
Dinah’s eyes were mostly closed, but that didn’t stop her from kissing Ty passionately as she moved against him. At some point, she realized Tempest was close enough to kiss as well, and from that moment split her attention equally between them.
As for Ty, it wasn’t just his mind that was still buzzing with the drug he’d taken. It was his skin as well. Every watery touch felt electric, and every sensation was enhanced far beyond what was normal. It was all he could do to stand there in the water, sandwiched between the two women, and hold on, reaching around behind him to clamp Tempest even closer as Dinah moved against him.
Perhaps the water added to the sensations for Dinah as well. With her eyes tightly closed, she clenched her teeth and ground against Ty with all of her strength. A moment later, she let out a cry of ecstasy and shuddered against him, and it took everything Ty had to rein in his own climax.