Natural Consequences (5 page)

“Alex. Look at me.”

His eyes opened. Lorelei stared back at him intently. Startled, Alex jerked upright in his seat. Her hands stayed on his legs. “What—holy shit, Lorelei!”

“Forgive me, love,” she said calmly. “I did not expect to see such stress in your eyes, or there would have been no subterfuge.”

“Subt—is that what you call this?” he blinked.

“Are you angry?” she asked.

“I’m… no.” Alex looked at her in exasperation. “Cindy’s” racy top was long gone, replaced by Lorelei’s stylish blue dress. Cindy was more than pretty enough to catch Alex’s attention, but she wasn’t as stunning as Lorelei. Few women were.

His mind caught up to the implications quickly. “I’m not mad, but what is this? Have you been Cindy all along?”

“You never exactly saw us together, did you?” she shrugged with the mildest hint of guilt, or at least admission. “I thought it harmless. It seemed a safe bet that you would laugh once the truth came out. We’ve both had our fun.”

“Wow,” he huffed, shaking his head. “You plan to do this to me often? Pretend to be other women to seduce me?”

“
You
seduced ‘Cindy,’ love, not the other way around,” Lorelei reminded him with a soft smile, “much to my delight. You’ve held back on other opportunities these last few weeks. I enjoyed creating at least one exception. And I’ll only continue such games if you continue to enjoy them. But maintaining the façade seemed trite compared to the cares on your face,” she finished, touching his cheek with her fingertips. “What troubles you? What happened?”

Shifting topics required a little effort, but Alex pushed the issue of “Cindy” out of his mind. “I got jumped by a werewolf today while leaving work. After I got fired.”

Lorelei’s expression turned grave. She led him from the bar stool over to the living room couch. “Was it the same woman from our abduction?”

“Yeah,” Alex sighed. “Diana. S
he showed up in the parking lot and said she’d been looking for me, that we’re meant to be together. Building security had a dude there to give me the boot, and I wound up having to protect him from her. Between her attacking the guard and us smashing up a couple cars, I’ll be lucky if I don’t hear from the cops.”

“Was she alone?”

“Far as I know. I just bought time for the guard to bail and then I took off.”

“Did you come directly home?”

“No. She said she doesn’t know where I live. I rode across the lake and back.”

“Good,” Lorelei nodded. “Why didn’t you call me right away?”

“Pain in the ass finding a pay phone in this town to begin with, but I didn’t know the number at the conservatory, anyway. I went by, but the lady at the desk said your meeting had broken up for drinks or something.”

“You could have called my cell.”

“Your which?”

“My cell phone?”

“What’s a—?” Alex blinked. Then he remembered.
Oh God
, he thought.
How can I be
remembering
what a cell phone is? It’s right in my jacket pocket.
He looked over to the countertop and the newspaper want ads.
Why didn’t I just go online to look for jobs?

Lorelei caught it, too. Her expression changed. Alex saw her concern. “What’s wrong with me?” he asked.

Her hand came to his cheek again. “I have my suspicions.
Put it aside, love
,” she said, allaying his rush of concern with a measure of supernatural suggestion. “Focus on the matter at hand for now.”

Alex shook his head. “She said she went looking for me at my old address, Lorelei. Mom’s in New York right now, but what if Diana finds her new place?”

“Do not worry about others,” Lorelei said with a shake of her head. “She is fixated on you. Proxies would only be in danger once she has you in her control. The werewolves are quite dangerous. Only a fool would face one alone. Flight was the wisest course of action.” She tilted her head thoughtfully. “Is she attractive?”

“
She’s pretty, yeah,“ he shrugged.

“Alex, as encouraging as I am of whatever trysts you might wish, this
one—”

“Hey, no. She’s pretty, but
I’m not attracted to her. I do not want to go there. The whole thing freaked me out.”

“Ah. I felt whatever moment of sensuality and pleasure you had earlier. It did not seem familiar to me. I thought it might be her.”

“No,” Alex sighed. “That was Olivia trying to play sexual harassment training video with me. I didn’t play along, so she fired me on the spot. She fired Stephanie while I was at lunch, too, because Susan didn’t like us flirting. Someone
else
who couldn’t keep her hands off me,” he added sourly.

His words elicited only the tiniest flinch. He saw it in her eyes and in the
tension in her jaw. Beyond that, everything about her remained placid. Were they not so close, he doubted he would’ve noticed. “You blame me for this,” she said.

“No,” he shook his head. “No, I don’t.”

“You believe you are more attractive to other women because of me, and that is in fact somewhat true. You still don’t accept how little of that is due to mystical influence rather than natural confidence and experience. You worry that women are under some sinister spell, when they are free to—”

“Lorelei, stop,” he
interrupted. Then he took a breath. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap. I don’t blame you for Olivia.”

“And the others?” she asked. “I know your desires, Alex. I know how you feel about all of these women, and others. You know your freedom, and yet you do not follow your urges. Is that not because you fear there is some clouding of consent?”

“No. I mean I did, but I kind of understand now. It’s more that…” His voice trailed off, but he mustered his courage. He had to address this, for both their sakes. “Lorelei, do you want other men?”

Her answer was calm, quiet and straightforward: “Yes.”

He felt it hit inside. Thankfully, she continued.

“You asked a direct question, and you deserve a direct answer. Alex, no one will ever replace you. You have not failed or fallen short in any way. I could never enjoy anything that brought you harm. I will not tire of you. Quite the contrary—you and I will never have enough of one another, regardless of the sorcery and the curses that bind us.

“When I was made into a succubus, I became a creature of desire, of lust and hedonism. You and Rachel satisfy me, you excite me… but it would be a lie to claim that I would not enjoy others.”

“Is this because—
“ Alex started to ask, and then stopped. “No. Not because. Is this
why
you wanted me to be with other women?”

“Partially,” confessed Lorelei. “I derive both pleasure and power when you give in to your desires. Our direct intimacy and that which you share with Rachel is always the most fulfilling. Your other dalliances do not bring the same ecstasy, but t
hey are still wonderful.

“Ye
t I also hoped that your freedom would help you eventually understand my point of view and my urges, and the security we have together.” Her voice fell a notch. “I did not expect to have this conversation with you so soon. Not for years. But I knew it would come. I knew this double standard would trouble you long before I began to chafe.”

“Yeah, I guess I kind of knew, too. That’s why I haven’t been fooling around. It just didn’t seem right when you couldn’t.”

Slight amusement brightened her face. “We haven’t exactly had a complete restriction. I’ve had my fun.”

“Oh, I’m sure,” Alex rolled his eyes, “but I imagine only being able to get with other women isn’t the same.”

“You should not underestimate how much pleasure I take from women.”

“Still,” he shook his head. “
The more I think about it, the more the only reason I was okay with other women but not other men was just… ego.”

“You’re allowed to have an ego, Alex,” Lorelei smiled
.

“Yeah, but I’m saying… you and Rachel are serious. You’re in love. It’s not a Penthouse fantasy. So if I’m okay with that, why should the gender matter?”

“Every relationship must find its balances. Again, I don’t want you to force yourself on this. I am not burdened. You’ll note I’ve never brought the subject up.”

“Okay, but… what
do
you want?”

Lorelei shrugged.
“I cannot imagine wanting to be with another man when I could have you, but the two of us are not together at all times—nor should we be. I would enjoy the freedom to play when we are apart, should interest arise… and it inevitably will. Context also plays a role; often my desires are born more from a situation than by attraction to a given individual. Sooner or later, I will want to play through on such circumstances.”

“One night stands can turn into something bigger,” he observed soberly.

“They can,” nodded Lorelei, “and we must both recognize that. But Alex—can you imagine falling for anyone the way you have for Rachel and I?”

“Seems a little far-fetched, given who we’re talking about there,” he frowned.

“Do you think that I am any less in awe of you and her?” Alex looked up to her eyes. “You have been with several women since we came together. None of them changed anything for you and I. Do you think that my love is not as deep?”

Alex let out a long sigh. He stared at the coffee table. “I know what I’m gonna say,” he grumbled. “It’s just a big step.
I’m not the type of guy who fantasizes about his girlfriend screwing someone else.”

“
I know all of your desires,” Lorelei nodded. “You aren’t that type. Alex, I would never disrespect you or our love, or tolerate such from anyone else. If I have ever held anything sacred, it is what you, Rachel and I share. Now more than ever,” she added quietly.

It only reminded him how much she amazed him. “I just… I don’t know if I won’t get jealous, you know?”

“You may,” she conceded. “It happens. My love and respect for you and Rachel is paramount. We will work through anything else.”

“You could fall in love.”

Lorelei nodded slowly. “It seems unlikely…though you and I seemed unlikely at first, too, yet here we are. Again, all our bonds aside… I know that I will never love or desire another as much as you and Rachel. Only time can prove that.”

“Just like every other relationship in the world, huh?” Alex asked.

“I suspect you find that far more comforting than any mystic binding.”

“
Yeah, I would,” he nodded soberly. “Okay. We’ll need to work out some details, but…”

“
But what about you?” Her voice dropped to an intimate hush. She crept forward, guiding his shoulders back onto the couch. “Will you allow yourself to indulge in the opportunities that come your way?” She slid one leg between his as she crawled over him. “You turned down satisfaction today. For all your troubles, you still carry that arousal.”

A single, deft hand
loosened and slid off his belt. She unbuttoned and unzipped his pants, relieving him of the tension of fabric against hardening need.

“I share your desires, my love. I have carried this arousal, too… with no danger or great concern to distract me.”

“No distractions?” he asked with a grin. “How’d the conservatory board meeting go?”

“Fine,” she shrugged dismissively.
“There will be high-end fundraisers soon. I will charm considerable money out of wealthy people for the sake of the arts. Except for a few stodgy old men, the board is quite taken with me, as you expected. It’s hardly the sort of thing on my mind right now.”

“I’m interested in your life, Lorelei,” Alex said, though his tones grew heavy with arousal along with hers.

“I am interested in your pleasures, Alex,” she countered. “You must learn to accept them as they come, both from me and from others.” Her hair fell around his head, creating a familiar curtain of intimacy that she knew he loved. “I want this for you. I love you. I would
drown
you in a sea of lust if I had my way,” she told him softly. “Over and over, until the world ended.”

Her mouth came down on his, pushing his head back against the cu
shion as she kissed him deeply. Alex slid his hands up her legs and then along her back. He untied the knot of fabric holding her dress up behind her neck.

Lorelei knew Alex loved a good show. She
leaned back briefly, allowing her dress to cascade from her shoulders to reveal her breasts. She smiled with approval as he slid the fabric up from her hips and aided him in bringing it the rest of the way over her head to toss it aside on the coffee table. Then she moved in again, resuming their deep, hungry kiss.

His pants were gone literally before he knew it. She unbuttoned his shirt without him even noticing. He loved that trick.

She slid against him, leaving him trembling with pleasure at the sensations of her skin on his. One hand remained around his neck. The other traced down his chest once more, down his stomach, fingers curling around his erection and slowly stroking him.