Humor

"Are they ready?"

Rolluck blushed to the top of his eyebrows, "Uh, yes. And very eager. It isn't every day that a man can be matched with his perfect woman. How do you do it anyway?"

She tented her fingers in front of her and smiled "We all have our talents, Daniel. Now send them out."

"You trust them to bring the women in? Once they have them, they might not decide to follow the plan."

"I trust that they will try." Her smile grew. "The women are their own masters. We will see what happens and tailor our plan to match."

"Fine. They will go today. I hope you know what you are doing." His last sentence was said in a mutter as he left to head to the men's barracks.

Artemis's smile slowly faded as she hoped that she was right. Her matchmaking was a raw skill, one that had been given to her at the council when it was decided that her Hunt would be the guardians of the new magic. She almost wished that she could compel love, but that was beyond her skills. The matches that she had made for the women were solid. Good elves who had the strength of character to keep the women safe and to bring them home. Back to Silverwood.

Not good. “What is the challenge going to entail? Can I help?” She didn’t doubt for a moment that Baenwik would kill her if he lost. He had that air of arrogance to him, nothing or no one could keep him from his goal.

“Only by helping me recover my strength, so no.”

Okay, that was slightly offensive. “Why can’t I? What would you need me to do?” His hands tugged on her hair until she met him eye to eye.

“Me.”

“What?” The hoarse whisper was more than a worry about being overheard, it was a reaction to the body she was leaning against and the look in those eyes. They were dim with fatigue, but still looked at her like he had seen every part of her naked a thousand times, and he wanted to do it a thousand more.

“Do me.”

A quirk of a smile distracted her from the hypnotism of his gaze. “I fail to see how that will help anything, or is this some kind of last wish thing?”

“You know that some people have a particular magic, right?”

She knew that better than most, “Yes.”

“My particular magic translates sex into energy. The Silverwood Society sent me out to protect you and I ended up getting bashed on the head and drained of my power.”

“Uh, how did he do that?” Images flashed in her mind, none of them good.

“The dagger he is waving around. It created a temporary link between us. It is a slow leak of energy, but he is using far more than I had to start with. He is draining me dry and he will be right behind.”

“But, if what you say is even remotely true, and it is a helluva pick up line by the way,” his smile amused her. “Won’t he just gain more power if you get stronger?”

“Not if I get enough power to heal completely.”

“So, this is a fuck-me-if-you-want-to-live situation?” Her mouth twitched, but her hands went to his shoulders, massaging gently. His time on the wall had left knots in his muscles.

“More or less. I prefer to think of it as making love though.” He lay back and let the soothing heat of her hands mix with the pounding of the water, appearing almost asleep, and harmless.

Yeah, right. He was as harmless as a sleeping tiger. “Where do I start?”

Mavix glided to a halt. The enormous structure that they were in front of had to be his home. There were balconies everywhere. The perfect place for a big cat to curl in the sun.

"This is my home."

"I guessed as much." As soon as Axom lifted her overnight bag from the trunk and closed it, the car turned back into a horse and scampered off.

"Where is Mavix going?"

"Probably to play with the other steeds. There are over thirty of them here." He opened the door without a key and she shook her head. This didn't need to be a gated community. Who would steal from one of the Wild Hunt and live to tell the tale?

Chuckling, she followed Axom as he gave her the tour of the house, including the odd hallways that led nowhere and the endless doors to the balconies. "So, I am guessing you like windows? Lying in the sun?"

"And wandering around the house naked. There is a reason that you can't see any of my neighbours' houses from here."

"Is strutting naked an elf thing? Or is it just you?"

"It's a shifter thing. The less clothing you have on, the faster the shift."

Her bag was now in one of the guestrooms. "Do you have time trials for something like that?" They were on their way to the living room. Carolyn claimed the sofa with her arms spread wide.

He laughed, a nice dark comfortable laugh. "We do when we are learning. Now it is simply a matter of pride."

"Feline pride or personal pride?"

He barked another laugh. "Both."

"So. What is on the agenda for today? Fishing? Are you going to bake cookies?"

He sat back in the recliner. "I thought that you would like to go for a run. Full out. In public."

This was better than getting flowers and chocolates. "Are you serious? Won't anyone notice?"

"Everyone will notice, but no one will judge you for it. In Silverwood, the extraordinary is the everyday."

"You should put that on the Welcome to Silverwood sign."

The instant that the two officers were out of her house, she heaved a sigh of relief. She locked and bolted all the doors and turned to view the interior of her home. A lot of people would not be comfortable living in a house that was a torture chamber with disorienting floors and paints along the walls. For Tara, it was home.

First on her evening's agenda was a shower to wash off the grit and dust that her body wore beneath the PJ's.

She was just towelling off and wandering into her bedroom when she got another surprise. Michael and Alexi were coming toward her through the walls.

As one, they asked, "Are you all right?"

The towel wrapped around her in record time, they had both seen enough of her for this evening. The appreciation in their eyes was flattering, but the sneak attack was unwelcome. "Yeah, how are you? I mean, I didn't fight a werewolf."

Alexi looked embarrassed. "We gave him enough magic to complete his transformation. He had run out of power and was too proud to admit to his problem."

Michael followed up, "Alexi and I work fairly well together. It will be hard for you to choose. We also share the same talent and I didn't think that that was possible." He seemed to have come to a sort of brotherhood with the Lios, and Tara hadn't heard that that was possible.

"Well, aren't we just the best of friends all of a sudden?"

"When you meet a warrior who is your equal, you have to admit it. We both admit that you are our equal, possibly our superior. It is a knowledge that we must have or our pursuit of you will be in vain." Michael was speaking again.

Alexi was nodding in agreement. "It was a fact that Ranal forgot. He should never have challenged Carolyn's mate, he should have wooed the woman, not fought the man."

"Sound thinking. What did you do with him?"

"After we witnessed his transformation, we helped him to his steed and instructed it to take him to a portal. Hopefully he will be home and safe soon."

"And not showing up on my door again. But did you guys actually work together to recharge him?"

"We did." They spoke in unison, the sun and the moon in appearance, and one in thought.

"Then did you need to reclaim your charge? I mean, you would have been depleted by the expenditure."

"We are fi…" A sharp elbow from Michael stopped Alexi's sentence.

"We are weak. Replacing our energies would be very thoughtful of you, Tara."

She laughed. She couldn't help it. Fiona had told her about this little peculiarity. With a deep sigh, she stepped forward and took Alexi by the shoulder. "Here you go." She laid a kiss on his lips that started slow and soon took on a heat that caught them both by surprise. Magic flared between them and she used her mind to touch his body in several places that had him jumping in surprise. Giggling, and not a little aroused herself, she turned to Michael. His silver eyes glowed in his pale face, the black silk of his hair falling to his shoulders and begging for her fingers.

She took two steps toward him and he met her in the middle. Their kiss blew immediately from hot to scalding. She shuddered against him as his hands settled at her waist and she simply surrendered to his kiss. Magic was flaring all around her, sparking in the dim light of her bedroom, and it was only when the cooler air of the room kissed her breasts that she came, too, and stepped back. She slapped her towel back into place and backed up. "You should go now."

They were both aroused and their eyes were glowing with power. "Why should we go?"

He shifted her weight and she heard the coverlet get folded back. It was with some amazement that she figured out that he had used his tail to manipulate the fabric.

Perhaps I should take the lead?

He didn’t give her a chance to reply before standing her on the bedding and unwinding the fabric that still covered her from waist to ankle. Well, it had been covering her. Now she was quite naked, but not cold. The lust in his eyes warmed her in a way that outer coverings could never do.

Beautiful. More lovely than I could have imagined in a thousand dreams.

Pleasure and pride filled her at his thoughts, her chin lifted, shoulders went back and her stomach tightened in anticipation of his touch. He didn’t keep her waiting long. He trailed his fingers over her forehead, across her cheeks and down her jaw line to her throat. Inch by inch he caressed her, her position on the bed gave the effect of her being on a pedestal.

No part of her body was left untouched except for the soft folds of her sex, he saved those for last. He flipped her onto her hands and knees for that exploration. Holly was blushing to her roots, but he couldn’t see it.

He didn’t explore her with his hands, but he tasted her with the tongue that had kept her own entertained in their spine-melting kiss. Wet heat flared inside her, prompting more moisture as he lapped and lapped at her sex with mind-numbing attention. Her elbows shook as she tried to keep her torso on level with her hips, but she had to give up and lean her head on the bed. This had the effect of spreading her knees more and Kevik took full advantage of her opening to him. His tongue was dancing across her clit, swirling and flicking, then moving into her channel to lap and suck with fervent action. Her orgasm hit her like a freight train, knocking the breath out of her and sending her flat to the bed.

Soft kisses crept up her spine, across her shoulders and the back of her neck. When she could move again, she groaned loudly. The deep snicker near her ear was full of masculine smugness. It was well deserved.

Holly smiled into the sheets. She had never had a lover who had gone down on her before. It had been quite a revelation. Wow didn’t even begin to cover it.

Something prodded her backside, and she knew that it was the cock that had escaped her viewing in the ambient light of the room. His erection was leaving a wet trail along her hip and buttock. Out of reflex, she opened her thighs to accommodate him.

He took the invitation instantly, settling his chest against her back and his hips between her thighs, but scooping a hand under her to support her as he raised her to her knees again. His erection thrust against her opening once, twice, and then their combined lubrication let him inside her.

"Valentine? What the hell is going on?" Mythos's concerned voice was echoing through her door and she flung it open, facing her soon-to-be lover like a tiger attacking its prey. He was startled to say the least.

She advanced on him and he retreated while his eyes feasted on her body from head to toe over and over. "Me? I am tired of you talking to me like an invalid. I am a woman, I have needs and, based on the erection you get whenever you see me, you have them, too."

His mouth opened and closed as she backed him into his bedroom. She paced forward silently and pushed him back on the bed. First, she stripped him of his shirt, then his trousers, and when they got stuck, his shoes. She should have remembered the shoes. It had slowed her own disrobing rather dramatically.

"You know, it is very convenient that elves don't like underwear or that could have taken a lot longer." She crawled on top of his silent form, then rubbed her body against his like a cat. He groaned and she smiled. "We are going to make you a new memory of my body and you are not going to say a word until I am done. Then we will discuss it." She leaned forward and nibbled on his jaw. "Nod if you agree."

His nod came without hesitation, and when she rubbed his cock against her cleft, so did she. Her body was wet, ready and adrenaline was pulsing through her so she settled her opening on his erection and let her body weight push him into her body.

A few twinges of pain flickered through her and Mythos's hands gripped her hips as if to stop her. She grabbed his hands and pulled them away, pushing herself onto him completely. Whew. That had taken some of the edge off her lust, but seeing her lover's eyes closed and head thrown back gave her more than hormones, it gave her strength of purpose.

She braced her hands on his belly and lifted herself almost completely off him. On the down stroke, sweat began to bead her belly. So that was what all the fuss was about. She did it again and again. Mythos groaned heavily, his hips arching against hers. Valentine rode him until sweat was flying from her and their bodies slapped together in a steady beat. Her hands gripped her breasts to keep them from bouncing and that was when he made his move. He reached two fingers between them and rocked them against her clit…

Pierre was about to bust, but he waited for her to notice the battered violin case on the table.

"What's this?" she finally asked.

"Open it," he said.

Her eyes grew wide as she opened the case and lifted the instrument, feeling its perfect balance and examining the exquisite wood grain.

They heard a commotion out in the hallway.

She raised the violin and reached for the bow.

Someone pounded on their door.

"Police!" someone shouted. "Open up!"

Pierre and Alice looked at each other in stunned silence.

"Break it down!" a voice shouted .

The door burst open and three uniformed policemen in flak jackets and riot gear rushed in. They all carried shotguns. The first thing they saw was a woman in the dim light holding what looked like a rifle to her shoulder. Shots rang out. Alice slumped in her chair, blood spurting from several wounds.

"No! No! No!" shouted Pierre as he jumped up and rushed at the intruders to stop them. All the officers saw was someone rushing at them. More shots rang out as they shot him, too.

"Damn!" a voice said as Detective Arugula pushed through the door. "Why'd you have to shoot them?"

"I thought she had a gun," the policeman replied, "and then this guy rushed me. I had to defend myself."

Arugula reached down and grabbed Pierre by the collar. "Where's the dope, you scumbag?" he shouted, his face an inch from Pierre's. "We know all about your operation. We've got eyewitnesses, willing to testify against you and we've had this building under surveillance for weeks."

Pierre's head rolled back. Tears rolled from his eyes. Blood gurgled from his throat. He realized that he had never actually met Detective Arugula. "I'm Pierre Valois. I'm the one who called you. Why have you done this?"

It was the last thing he ever said.

* * * *

Detective Arugula looked up at the door. It clearly said this was apartment 3-B.

Julio and Abdulla were racing down the hall to the stairs, leaving the door to apartment 3-E wide open.

"My God!" the detective declared. "What have we done." 

"Jason, do you have anything else for me to wear? I can't run around the galaxy in my pajamas."

"Why not?" He cracked his naughty smile then got serious. He glanced around the room, a small line between his brows indicating thought. "I don't have anything to fit you, but you can wear a jumpsuit over your clothes. When the pods give up the search, we'll go to Talgus. They always have something a lady will like."

"Pants and a t-shirt are all I'm asking for. Oh, and shoes." She started to sit up again, but one strong hand centered on her chest and pushed her back down.

"What's your hurry? We've got a few hours to lay low before we can go anywhere." He was out of the chair and on top of her in one fluid motion she couldn't have written any sexier. Despite her loss of consciousness and being, as far as she knew, trapped in some hackneyed alternate reality, she instantly responded to Jason's touch. She always did. His weight on top of her was easy to bear and he laughed softly in her ear.

"The oxygen?"

"Not this time, Goddess. I just love being on top of you."

"Oh," she managed before he kissed her with a sensuality full of promises of things to come. Lips brushed lips and the small sounds they made flowed over her like warm honey. She ran her hands over his back, and the flex and pull of his muscles through the thin black t-shirt thrilled her. He was such a manly man, nothing like her other lovers from school. She reveled in his strength and the sheer size of him. The span of his shoulders seemed to go on for an eternity as she kneaded her hands into the knots she found. He moaned into her mouth, tickling her lips with his breath before drawing away.

"So this is what you mean by lay low?" She laughed, too, giddy from the knock on the head and the extra oxygen and the hot guy now lying on top of her. Being kidnapped was getting better and better.

Barely an inch of space remained between his head and the shelf above so she pushed on his hips, lowering him on the bed. He buried his face in her chest, kissing a trail from her throat to her breastbone. One hand crept under her tank top and cupped around her left side, warming her waist and belly. He gripped her that way, heat radiating from his hand into her then slid her shirt up to pool atop her breasts.

“What are you going to do now?” she asked, feeling bold.

Jason raised his hands just like any person would when a gun was pointed at them. Everything he did seemed scripted. Jen searched her mind for a way to change things, to turn the tables before she became some quivering woman who acquiesced to him. She would not play the submissive heroine to his hero. Still, he did kind of make her quiver with arousal, the bastard.

“I think the question, pretty girl, is what are you going to do? You’re the one holding the blaster.” Jen nodded, then an idea came to her. She gestured with the weapon for Bell to get on the bed. “Lay down,” she commanded, sounding tougher than she felt.

Reaching into her climbing gear, she came across a few lengths of nylon rope, and proceeded to secure Jason’s arms and legs to the bed, spread eagle. I guess rock climbing has advantages, thought Jen as she tied each knot one-handed. He pulled against the restraints, then raised an eyebrow at her.

“Well, well, here’s a woman I can relate to. Kinky. I like it.” He grinned and she could not help but smile back. She was melting despite her best efforts to remain aloof. He looked a bit taken aback for all his bold talk, though. She stood there, blaster pointed at the prone man. Jen considered calling Katya in to deal with Bell, but she decided against it. He was sexy all tied up like that, and how often does one get an opportunity to meet the man of her fantasies?

“Usually, now is when we get naked.” As Jason dropped a lascivious wink at her, she felt adrenaline rush up her spine. Why not? After all, he’s tied up. What can he possibly do? Nodding once, she untied one hand and both ankles, pointing the gun directly at his crotch. “Take off your pants.”

She reached over to Edan and lifted his shirt off over his head. Jordan and Abby both stared for a moment at the chiseled body before them, then Jordan let out a low whistle. “Only you two could look even better without clothes. I am almost embarrassed to be so lucky right now.”

Abby ran her hands over Edan’s bare chest, then stood him up to remove his jeans. His cock stood out from his body, and Abby pulled him into her arms to feel it up against her body. He responded by gently thrusting his hips, placing his hands at her waist. She kissed him again, this time he allowed her to penetrate him with her tongue, and they played for a few moments. She felt Jordan step behind her and shifted her weight back to let him know she wanted him close as well. He pulled her top off, then her pants but left on the black bra and thong she was wearing. She was warm, surrounded by men. Abby turned to face Jordan and Edan pulled her rear into him, cock resting neatly between her cheeks. He groaned, and spoke in her ear, “Abby, I had no idea how beautiful you were under all those clothes. You look gorgeous and you feel so good against me. Is Jordan as handsome as you are beautiful?”

“Oh yes, but you don’t have to take my word for it.” She undressed Jordan quickly. What a sight they must have been, she thought, standing in the living room surrounded by pillows and blankets, naked, save for her undergarments. She looked from one to the other of her men, then they sank into a three way embrace, her in the middle. She rested her head on Jordan’s chest and felt Edan’s hands encircling her waist. Jordan’s hands reached around both of them to cup Edan’s firm ass and pull him closer to them.

Abby felt Edan’s cock push into her backside and moaned softly. She laid back and he began tracing his fingers over her body. He ran his hands lightly over every part of her, then reached around and freed her breasts, tossing her bra across the room. Jordan nodded his assent, smiling his sunny smile. Both men kissed her breasts then, and she felt a hand, Jordan’s she thought, moving up her inner thigh.

The boys rose from her and started kissing each other. Jordan’s wandering hand made it to her pussy and dove in, found her clit and began stroking her in the rhythm he knew she loved. She kept her eyes wide, enjoying the hand on her but also enjoying the show. Edan sat up slightly and began running his hands down Jordan’s back. He moved back and Jordan licked his way down Abby’s thighs to bury his face between her legs. He began licking her clit in his legendary way, sucking her in until she was bucking beneath him. Beyond him she could see Edan caressing Jordan’s legs and ass, occasionally dipping in to finger his asshole. Jordan moaned into her pussy; vibrations coursed through her and she came to shuddering climax.

Lily Regis could not get enough of her own beauty.

Justin Prince watched her face, a perfect oval, ivory, skin as smooth as if a girl of twenty, only the shadow of a line here and there to show the passage of years.

And even those lines only graced the perfection of her features, eyes wide and blue as mountain skies, the delicate turn of her nose and lips that framed a mouth inviting ecstasy and ruin. Lily's face hung in the mirror and reflected a hundred times in the faceted walls and ceilings of her boudoir.

Those perfect, crimson lips parted in a wild scream as Justin Prince thrust deep inside her. He mounted her from behind, his finger on her clit acted like the trigger of love's own pistol.

Lily's scream echoed and danced endlessly in the glass.

Justin thought of a white bird in a cage of reflective crystal, cascading around the walls and across a shining, depthless ceiling. She closed her eyes and moved with him, clenching her pussy to milk the last of his restraint, undeniable in the sweet pull and pulse. He clutched her breast and came, long and wet and deep inside the cunt of the most powerful woman in Colorado.

Fucking her was the kind of thing a man might lose his license over, Justin thought, or at least the contract with her husband, if old man Regis wasn't way past caring.

"I'm gaining her confidence," Justin told himself, even while he remembered that lying to a liar is even harder when you're lying to yourself.

His spent dick shrank out of her and he gave her clit a last touch then stroked the ivory curve of her hip with deferential tenderness. She made a noise like a panther and collapsed onto the bed. The pale paradise of her back and bottom mesmerized him like a land where a man might live forever, a white island in the sea of red silk sheets.

Justin straddled her, his cock hanging in the cleft of her butt and she shifted beneath him, propping herself on her arms, staring into the depthless silver mirror beside the bed. He reached down between her legs and massaged the open lips of her cunt, smearing her, rousing her clit to slow stiffness.

Lily ground against his hand and tightened her ass around his lengthening cock. She spoke, but so softly he hardly heard her.

Then he realized she had not been talking to him at all.

"Tell me," she whispered. "Am I still the most beautiful woman in the world?"

Shaking her head at the fanciful turn her thoughts had taken, she moved away from the dragon prints and off to the stand of trees. The first tree was too tall. The second was too lopsided. The third reminded her of her fourth grade teacher. The fourth tree was just right. Six feet tall with a big bushy base. She started hacking at the base and it shook snow on her with every stroke. When it dumped down the back of her shirt, she squealed and jumped back. Dropping her axe, she shook it out as best she could with her parka in the way.

"What is it? What is wrong?" The deep baritone hummed out of the darkness.

Maggie shrieked and looked down for the axe. It was deep in the snow and she couldn't get it out in a hurry. "Who is there?"

"Syrus. We met this morning." He came out of the shadows to meet her wide-eyed gaze with his own.

"You are dressed. I distinctly remember you being naked." She was stupefied. His dark shirt and pants looked centuries out of date and yet perfectly suited him. His hair blended with the fabric and framed his face. She was going to say more when the tree she was working on shifted alarmingly. She squeaked in surprise when he swept her into his arms and away from the falling pine.

"Why are you chopping a tree in the dark? It is most unwise."

"I started when it was light. I would have been done if you hadn't surprised me." She was a little defensive and mildly irritated that the thickness of her clothing kept all contact with his body in her imagination. Damn it.

"You are very light," he said it almost absently as he shifted her to one arm and grabbed the tree with the other. "Where did you want this tree?"

"Ideally, in my house in one piece. It's my Christmas tree. Tomorrow, I decorate it and put the presents my friends gave me under it."

He began striding to her cabin, her cradled with one arm and the tree with the other.

"My axe, the toboggan…"

"I will retrieve them later. A holiday tradition isn't something to die over and you cannot see in the dark like I can." Irritation coated his tone and he stopped at her door.

She could opened it for them. Inside, he slid her down his body, the puff of her coat seemed to frustrate him so he removed it. Maggie shucked her gloves and touched his skin for the first time. She cupped his jaw line and stroked his flesh, amazed at the smoothness of his skin. No five o'clock shadow or trace of a beard dared to interrupt the texture of his skin.

She traced the outline of his wide mouth with her fingertips and his tongue flicked out to touch her, taste her. Evidently he liked what he tasted because he sucked her fingertip into his mouth and twisted his dexterous tongue around it. He stroked her digit for a moment and then released her.

"I see you are less frightened of me this evening."

"I have decided that if I have gone insane I am going to enjoy it."

"Well, far be it from me to deny you your hallucination."

Apparently, for an imaginary dragon, that constituted foreplay because he lifted her up and wrapped her limbs around his waist, then walked her to her bedroom with his erection rubbing against her clit through her jeans.

Theo smiled and reached out to lay her hand on his. His own distress reached her heart and she felt she had to comfort him in his bad memory. "Is it a Wyoran trait, this inability to control their minds?"

"Yes, I am afraid so. The majority of our population has a high degree of psychic talents. Those who need links have too much power to control without training. They need a strong mind to spill into until they can learn the necessary control. Those like Norsa do not respect the link that keeps their sanity. They use the link as a toy, a servant to abuse. I have linked with a few of those."

"How did you manage?" Her words carried all that was implied, how did he keep his sanity, and survive serving the selfish.

"I had training before I began my first link. The pay that was offered was enough to buy my way into the lower rungs of society. The next link moved me up a rung, until finally I had enough money to keep my family in comfort and own my own land."

"You get paid for this?"

Again he looked shocked, and then resigned. "Because of the sensitive and vital nature of the link, the average six month term will net you a lower nobility in our world. The two years that you have endured will make your payout enough to buy a small house in the country to retire to if you wish. Or to purchase a small asteroid as an investment if you don't."

"I haven't thought that far ahead. Will Norsa set me free before her wedding?"

"Yes, just before. She will link with her groom, and don't think that her family hadn't had to pay through the nose for that one. It is not normally part of the wedding ceremony. He has been in training for months for just that moment."

"I really hope he isn't expecting a virgin on his wedding night."

"Why is that?"

"Because at this moment Norsa is schtupping two crew members in one of the engine rooms."

"What is schtupping I have not heard that word before."

She felt her cheeks pink. "It refers to sexual activity."

He scowled. "She will be with her fiancé in two days, a fiancé that both she and her family have selected, and she is seeking sexual partners on the ship? And then she gives you the overload of her emotional responses? Unbelievable."

She shrugged. "It is simply the way she is, and now that I have a date on which we will be unlinked, I can forgive it a little easier."

His skin seemed to flare black in the bright light of the observation lounge where they were having their conversation. It was fascinating, the red of his skin shifted and flared, darkened and brightened. She was hypnotized by the movement of light on his skin. It took her a few long moments to realize that he had spoken to her.

He splinted and wrapped her arm while Galmor worked on the more superficial damage, then took her hand in his own. He pressed the back of her knuckles to his forehead and sighed. She would be healed. She would completely recover and then he would discuss her selection of red and white satin underwear. He particularly liked the gingerbread man on her panties.

* * * *

She was hung over and had been playing tennis with a cannonball. It was the only explanation for the throbbing in her head and arm. The air smelled spicy, crisp and, when she opened her eyes, she knew that she was in a coma and hallucinating. The bed she was in was covered in red and black velvet, and the walls were lit from within. Jewels within glass. It looked like sculpted ice. That was not the most vivid of her dreams however. There was a beautiful man with snow-white hair and bright blue eyes staring at her, wearing only a red pair of trousers and a wide black belt.

"Whatever I had to drink, I should cut back on the dosage." She shook her head and blinked several times, but her vision remained sitting there, smiling at her.

"You were not drinking at all. There was no trace of alcohol in your system."

She shook her head gingerly. Nope. He was still devastating. "I was driving, right? No I don't drink and drive. Never have. What hit me?"

Her mystery man took a deep breath. "My sleigh. I am Santa Claus."

She lay back and absorbed that, then pulled the coverlet over her head. She had brain damage. That had to be it. The tugging on her covers made her look at her hallucination once again. He gathered the covers at her waist and helped her to sit up.

"You were driving in a blizzard, not the brightest of moves, and you travelled through a portal that brought you near my workshop. That is where your car was struck. The elves have brought your sedan here for repairs, but some of the newer ones are begging to learn to drive it. Do they have your permission?"

"Can they fix anything that they do to it?"

"Of course."

"Tell them to go nuts then." She thought about what she was agreeing to. "Okay, if what you are saying is real, and I personally think that this is a hallucination, then can the elves reach the pedals?"

His amazing blue eyes blinked at her for a moment and then he broke into laughter. He howled with mirth, his hair sliding forward to expose very pointy ears. Now she had to be delusional, he seemed to be an elf.

Oh. My. God. Her face burned with embarrassment. If he was an elf, he could definitely reach the pedals. He was six feet tall if he was an inch, and very fully grown.

"You said your name was Santa?"

"Sahn-Tah Kelas, you may call me Sahn."

"Anora Snow."

His lips twitched again. "Snow?"

"No jokes, Snow." She crossed her arms over her chest and that is when she noted two things. One, her right arm was in a splint, and two she was down to her holiday underwear. "What the hell happened? Did I hurt my arm in the crash?"

"No. That happened when you fell out of the sleigh upon landing. It was healed for you, but will still be tender for a few days to a week. The splint is the reminder for you to take it easy."

"What about my clothes?"

A twinge of jealousy struck a note deep in her belly, and she tried pushing away the ridiculous thought. She wasn’t jealous about his admiration of another woman’s boobs, was she? After all, she’d pointed them out to him.

Together they watched in silence as the woman bowed her head and placed the pudgy man’s shaft in her mouth. Licking in short, swift flicks, Lottie swirled her tongue around his manhood until he squirmed in pleasure. With an expression of boredom on her face, she cupped his balls and increased her attack on his tip. The older man reached down, gripped Lottie’s hair to hold her in place, and uttered a guttural growl.

Embarrassment flooded Tammy and she avoided Jonas’s eyes. “Uh, granted she has a lot of the attributes I wanted in a body, but is she what I think she is? Are you offering me a hooker’s body?”

Jonas chuckled, making her even more disconcerted than before. She watched Lottie and the man trade positions so he could lap up her juices, and experienced a whole new level of mortification. She swallowed and felt the moisture flow between her legs.

“Why, Tammy, I’m surprised you’re not more liberal than this. She’s simply doing her job. Don’t ya’ll have whore houses in this time? I mean, in this day and age is anyone sensitive about the relations between a man and a woman? I wouldn’t think so. Not, at least, according to what I’ve seen on the large televisions called movies.”

His heated gaze bored into hers and she felt the wetness under her armpit match the damp warmth in her panties. Weird. No man, not even Brad, ever made her feel this awkward about sex. Granted, she didn’t participate in sex as much as she used to, but others doing so had never bothered her…before now. Why did Jonas make her feel so discombobulated? And where had she gotten the word discombobulated?

"Harder, Brandon baby, harder."

The red-headed woman bent lower over his desk and wiggled her butt at him. If he'd had any doubt the color of her hair was natural, he didn't any longer. Not after she'd dropped her clothes showing him she was ready, willing, and oh-so-incredibly able. Still, he'd bet her hair color was one of the few remaining natural parts of her body.

"Love to, uh…" What the hell is her name again? He growled at his inability to remember his plaything's name. Wendy? Wanda? Wilma? An image of the cartoon Flintstone wife popped into his mind as he thrust into her wetness. Nah, none of those. Does her name start with a T? He groaned as he clutched her buttocks and squeezed them, making good use of what little ass the woman had. The phrase "baby's got back" would never apply to this woman.

"I'm going to the doctor for lipo on my butt cheeks. Next time, you won't have to put up with such a big rear end." She twisted around to look at Brandon and ran her tongue over her upper lip. "I'm such a fat pig right now, but I won't be for long. I promise you."

Like he planned on seeing her again? He returned her smile because he knew she wanted him to. Fat pig? Hell, he was lucky her bones didn't stab him in the crotch. Why had he allowed her to pick him up this morning outside his hotel suite? Was he rewarding her for breaking through his tight security? Sometimes living in the most exclusive hotel in Chicago had its disadvantages.

Partly to keep from climaxing, and partly out of frustration, he shoved away from her. However, she took his action as a sign he wanted something else to satisfy him. Moving with the grace of the high fashion model she was, she swiveled around as if dancing a pirouette, sank to her knees, and grabbed his throbbing penis. "Let's play White House, okay?" Before he could answer, she had him in her mouth and his retort was forgotten.

Naked from the waist down, he spread his legs to keep steady as she took slow drags up and down his cock. He tunneled his fingers through her hair, holding her head to him, and closed his eyes. Reconsidering, he had to admit it. Sometimes living in the most exclusive hotel in Chicago did have its advantages.

As what's-her-name sucked on his shaft, he plunged deeper into her mouth, urging her to try and take all of him inside. If she could, she'd be the first to make the entire plunge. But unfortunately, she, like all the rest, failed. Her gagging sound had him looking down at the top of her head and stepping away. Or as far away as he could with her still hanging onto his johnson. "Shit, I'm sorry. Sometimes I forget."

With the music playing soft strains of an Alicia Keys ballad, Mel bathed her body and pretended to be a queen preparing to meet her king. She ran the soap over her body, paused to play with herself, then finished soaping her legs. Once she was satisfied her skin was smooth, she stood and stepped out of the tub, carefully keeping her gaze away from the mirror. No need to spoil my mood with a grim sight of reality. Instead, she toweled down her body, closing her eyes to imagine Derrick doing the drying. Once dried, she pulled the new negligee from one of the bags and held it up for inspection. Ignoring the sizing information on the tag, she quickly slid into the sleepwear and fluffed her hair. Yeah, right. Like anyone ever slept in a nightie like this.

“Okay, Derrick. Time to come home and play.” She sidestepped the bags and clothing on the floor, drew her body to her full height and adjusted her girls. “Tonight’s the night, ladies. We are giving our man the time of his life. When I get through with him, he’ll beg me to marry him.”

With what she hoped was an alluring smile on her lips, she turned and started down the hall toward the bedroom. Her heart pounded with anticipation, making her hurry. Should she light the candles now? Or wait until she heard him at the front door?

An odd sound brought her up short, dropping her hand away from the bedroom doorknob. She remained motionless, waiting to hear the sound again and didn’t have long to wait. A second giggle drifted from inside the room.

What the hell? Does Derrick have a girl in our bedroom? Although they’d agreed on an open relationship, they’d had an understanding that none of those outside flings could move inside their apartment. No one, other than themselves, would ever touch the silk sheets on their bed. Would Derrick break our agreement? And if so, is this the first time? Or has he broken it before?

She took a deep breath and tried to find another conclusion. Maybe it’s the television? No. We don’t have a television in the bedroom. Maybe he has the radio on? He loves having music playing in the bedroom. But why did I hear a giggle? Could the voice be that of the radio show’s host? She bit her lip, trying to make the excuse work and failed. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t believe the lie.

Tears sprang to her eyes, but she managed to pull herself together and wipe them away before they took control. Holding her head high, she placed her hand on the knob and turned it. The door swung open easily, making no sound.

I wonder why I didn’t hear both of them?

A cold anger swept through her body as she stood in the doorway, staring at the scene on the bed—their bed. Derrick braced his body on his knees with a woman’s legs wrapped around his waist. That woman lay on her back as he pounded into her while a second woman balanced on her knees in front of him, straddling the first woman’s head. Whore Number One’s tiny breasts bounced with the rhythm of his thrusts while she held onto the legs of Whore Number Two. Whore Number Two held onto the headboard of the bed with one hand, her eyes closed as Derrick fondled her breasts and growled encouragements to Whore Number One. WNO had her face pressed to WNT’s mound as though she’d never come up for air.

Although Mel knew Derrick played around, she wasn’t ready for this. Sure, she’d joined in on a few threesomes with Derrick before, but never at home. And never on the night she’d planned to propose. Something deep inside her broke apart and she knew she would never get involved in an orgy again. She was past all the swinging and she wanted more. More from her life and more from Derrick.

“Hey, sugar, were you expecting another player to the party?”

Rayne tugged on the covers, bringing them from the end of her bed back up to her chin. Determined to sleep as late as she could, she ignored the bright impression on her eyelids from the dim light filtering through the slats of the blinds. “No way. It’s not even morning yet. Go away, world.”

“But I just got here.”

Rayne froze, her breathing held in check as the sound of the low baritone voice buffeted around her sleepy mind. Had she really heard someone? Or had she dreamed the sexy voice? Ignore it, Rayne. You’re horny and you’re dreaming.

“So do you want me to stay or do I go?”

This time she couldn’t ignore the voice. Throwing off the comforter, she sprung out of bed and grabbed the baseball bat she kept by the bed for just such an emergency. She whirled around, ready to face a masked man. But the man standing before her hadn’t bothered to wear a mask. In fact, he hadn’t bothered to wear anything at all.

She screamed, wished she’d done more of a karate-type yell than a girly scream, held her weapon up and got ready to whack the intruder. Ready to do her best to lay the gorgeous, drop-dead handsome, built-like-a-human-tank intruder on his butt. Her jaw fell open as she started to shout again and suddenly found her mouth as dry as a mud hole on a Texas summer’s day.

Will you take a look at that?

Kat stayed in the bedroom after Colin left, putting away her clothes and toiletries.  In truth, however, she spent most of the time trying to calm her jangled nerves.  Colin’s brothers were nothing like she’d imagined.  Granted they were all very handsome men under their roughness and pitiful grooming, but she’d assumed they’d be more like Colin.  Charming, funny, and socialized for human interaction.  Sure, she’d known they lacked skills with the opposite sex, but preparing them for a long-term relationship was going to prove more difficult than she’d ever imagined.  Talk about changing sows’ ears into silk purses!  She’d have a better chance at changing maggots into world-class show dogs.

Sighing, she stood up, smoothed her clothes and started for the door.  Reminding herself to be polite, firm, and the epitome of a lady, she opened the door, ready to start her challenge. 

A hand gripped her by the arm and thrust her forward into the hallway.  Hoots and cat calls assailed her ears as more hands poked and prodded her body. 

“Hey, baby, time to share you with the rest of the family.”

“Nice rack, huh, guys?”

More rude descriptions of her body followed, but Kat barely heard them.  Shocked, she struggled to stay upright between the two lines of men.  She pushed back, hoping to get away, but the force sent her falling against the other side.  A circle formed around her, blocking her escape.

“Let go!  Stop touching me!”

She beat against Jack’s chest, causing no damage or reaction.  Instead, he drew her to him, bringing his mouth down on hers.  His tongue raked her mouth as she fought against him.  Panic ripped through her and she tried to scream, but his mouth muffled the sound. 

“Hey, little brother, pass her on.  Everyone gets a chance to kiss the bride.”

They shuffled her, brother after brother, each taking his turn to kiss her.  Still fighting, she managed to tear away from Luke’s grip and yell for help.  James yanked her to him and took her mouth with his. 

This time, however, she was ready.

She shook her head as she unbuttoned his shirt. “Hush. I’ll take care of everything. You’re going to have only one problem after I get through with you. Your first time will be so incredible every woman after me is going to disappoint you.” Running her tongue over her upper lip, she delighted in the rock-hard chest under her exploring fingers. “Damn, lover boy, how could you have escaped a woman’s clutches until now?”

His gaze lingered on her breasts as he tentatively reached under her t-shirt and lifted it over her head. “I didn’t escape. I got permission.”

Pausing, she tilted her head at him in question, but when he didn’t offer an explanation, she tossed her unspoken question aside. Sex first. Questions later. “You, dude, are one strange man. Fortunately for you, however, I like strange men. As long they’re strange and hot.”

His attempt to speak was muffled as her mouth slammed onto his. Sliding her tongue inside his mouth, she traced the sides of his mouth, toying with his tongue as she drew in his tastes. At first, his inexperience showed in his lack of response, but he soon picked up on the lesson, bringing her tongue into his mouth. He moaned, an eager sound, flaring the fire within her into a roaring blaze.

Unzipping each other’s jeans, she allowed him to slide hers off her hips to rest underneath her butt as she wiggled to help him. Her bra soon fell to the floor and she heard him gasp as he took in her full breasts.

“Well?” She cupped her breasts and bobbed them up and down. “Do these meet with your approval? Are they as good as any others you’ve seen?”

The man almost drooled as he stared at her. “I haven’t seen any others.”

“You’re kidding me. Look, I know you’re a virgin, but surely you’ve seen boobs before.” She stopped and stared at him. “Now I know you’re razzing me. You’d have to have seen dozens simply from watching television and movies.”

He watched her breasts jiggle as his hands covered her tits. “Sorry. Never have. I’ve never watched those things. Which means I’ve never seen any, uh, boobs.” He tossed her a hopeful grin. “Are there really dozens on television? Do they all look like yours?”

She rested her hands on his chest, trying to ignore the voice in her head. This man is seriously weird. “Where the hell have you been? Did you grow up in some third world country or something? Were you raised in a monastery?” Please explain this. Tell me you were raised by wolves. Anything I can believe. Anything to counteract the psycho factor.

“I’ve been in Heaven, waiting for my training. You see, I died when I was a baby and—”