Good Intentions (16 page)

expecting anything but some fun. Maybe she’d always fantasized about taking a guy into the dressing room. Maybe she’d done it before. As Lorelei had said, this wasn’t mind control. “Don’t be shy,” she said, shifting her stance this way and that to give him a good look. “Visuals are important, but this is also a full -contact sport.” Alex smirked at her sex ed act. His hands brushed up stocking-clad legs, over her hips, along the small of her back. She sighed in appreciation. “I should see how these come off,” he suggested. “You really should,” Audrey breathed. His fingers hooked under the lace, slowly lowering them as she bent and twisted to accommodate the removal. “Wow,” Alex smiled softly. “I do like these. They enhance the big reveal…but most of that comes down to who’s wearing them.” “It does,” Audrey said, turning and lowering herself to him. She took up the fabric on both sides of his neck in her hands and pul ed him into a passionate, hungry kiss. He drew her in very close. She broke off, needing to come up for air. Audrey inhaled heavily, eyes wide as she looked at her playmate with an excited grin. She had gotten in his lap, almost grinding her body against his, but then thought better of it. She pul ed her weight off of him. “See what I mean about anticipation?” “I think so,” Alex nodded. He didn’t have anything on his mind other than showing her some real appreciation. Even the worry about someone busting the two of them in this dressing room had disappeared from his thoughts. Admittedly, there was much less blood in his brain than there had been before. It had flooded to a more immediately useful organ. Audrey could see that much in Alex’s eyes. Saw it, reveled in it. She grabbed at his belt buckle, jerking it loose and away. “I think you still deserve a full demonstration of the payoff for dressing effectively,” she grinned. His hands were still on her hips, right where she wanted them, and as soon as she tugged his pants down, those hands pul ed her very close.

They didn’t need to fumble much. Both of them were quite ready, having indulged in an alternative sort of foreplay for the last ten minutes. Alex was inexperienced with lingerie, but by now he understood anatomy just fine. Audrey grunted helplessly. She wasn’t normally noisy, but she couldn’t help it. Her eyes didn’t normally rol back, either, but they did this time because this guy felt so god damn good. Mister Right Now rocked her forward onto him, giving her another mind-splitting rush. She grunted again, hands clutching at his shoulders, wanting to kiss him and laugh out loud and beg for more al at once. His hands spread over her hips, helping her steady herself, taking some of her weight and making her feel deliciously dirty. * Lorelei found him at a table alone. He’d probably had guests—there were other place settings—but they were long since gone. The demon sat alone in his cheap suit in front of a broad spread of food and a rising stack of now-empty plates. A waiter passed by and looked on with obvious disgust, but only behind the demon’s back. He looked up as she entered. He was good-looking, at least in this guise. His body was a touch on the bulky side. It was a jolly image. Disarming. He could charm, and would have to be good at that, but he wasn’t made to seduce. At least, he didn’t seduce with flesh. He looked up, chewing, and grunted in acknowledgment while he dabbed at his mouth and goatee with a cloth napkin. Heat and fierce, smoky winds wafted off of him, not that it registered for anyone who lived only on the mortal plane. Approaching this one through his mystic wards was like trying to walk casually through a sandstorm. She had to look calm, though. Make it seem easy. Too much depended on it. “Hel o,” the succubus said, sauntering over to the table. “I thought I sensed someone up here, but I’m afraid I don’t

know what name you prefer.” “Rob,” he responded when he could. He gestured for her to take a seat opposite him. “Robert Gorge. I thought I felt another presence here. You’re Lorelei, aren’t you?” “I am,” she nodded. “You look like you’ve seen better days, honey.” No real sympathy in that voice. She didn’t expect anything of the sort. “I have. I am on the mend,” she conceded, running one hand through her hair. That was the truth. The raw, straightforward fucking three floors down healed and revitalized her al at once. Lorelei could virtually feel what Audrey felt, and enjoyed it almost as much, but outwardly the succubus was perfectly calm and at peace. Lorelei watched “Rob” break a crab leg open and draw out the meat with practiced ease. He’d obviously had a great many. She felt no less self-indulgent at that moment. “As they say,” Lorelei shrugged, “you should see the other guys.” “Hah! If they look worse than what they did to you,” Rob grunted, waving an empty crab leg shel at her, “then yeah, I’d like to see that.” “What is left of them,” Lorelei trailed off dismissively. “Truly, I do not know if my attackers operated alone or as someone’s agents. There was sadly nothing left to interrogate. I don’t suppose you would know the lay of the land here?” Rob chewed thoughtful y. “I’m the first person you’ve asked? We kinda work for different companies.” “I’ve always had a bit of an independent streak. Reporting back every little bump and bruise isn’t my style.” “Hunh,” the other demon nodded. He looked at her for a good, long moment. The ethereal sandstorm pushed against her.

Don’t hold back, Alex, she thought. A week ago, Lorelei would have been able to do this without trouble, but she wasn’t remotely at her best now. That exhilarating feeling of Alex’s pleasure bolstered her ability to resist. Rob used much more than simple wordplay to evaluate his visitor. Lorelei had to be able to at least put up a decent front, both to remain inscrutable and to stand her ground. The strength she drew from Alex’s indulgence was a significant aid. still , Lorelei was a succubus without wings or horns or tail, and another demon would be able to see that. He could see the scars that Alex did not. She’d have to play it al off like it didn’t hurt as badly as it did. It never helped to look weak in front of hell ’s own. “I thought you were one of Belial’s,” Rob said. “How much hassle would it be to go straight to him?” “I am not placed so directly near the top,” Lorelei replied with feigned indifference. “That ain’t true,” Rob smirked. “You’ve got a rep. I wouldn’t recognize just any succubus, but I know who you are.” He gave her another long, searching look as the wheels turned in his mind. This was no punishing demon; this one was made to tempt and corrupt. “You don’t want the boss to see you like this. You’re looking for a shortcut. I can see how that’d help, but help’s gotta be paid for.” His meaning was plain. They al wanted this from the succubae. * “Oh god you feelsogood,” Audrey whimpered into Alex’s ear. She had brought him in here as the seductress, as the experienced older woman, and now virtually al her composure was gone. “Now I get what your girlfriend meant about you.”

In that moment, with Audrey intimately wrapped around him and moaning her pleasures into his ear, Alex stopped worrying. Lorelei wanted this for him. Practically engineered it with a smile. For just a moment, he al owed himself a selfish thought: When he was done with this lay, there was another waiting. His life could be like this for a very long time. * Release. Downstairs, Audrey rode Alex over the edge. Lorelei shared in joy and satisfaction without letting a bit of it show. She didn’t need to, and Rob didn’t need to know. Inside, Lorelei felt the blissful emotional rush of climax, felt replenished by it. On the surface, she maintained a remarkable façade. It even grew stronger as her victim indulged his lusts. “My options for payment are limited,” Lorelei smiled, giving a conciliatory nod. What Rob wanted was no option, and wouldn’t have been regardless of her strength. It was best to make that plain. A week ago, it would have been no problem. A minor chore at the very worst. Now the thought of copulating with this one turned her stomach. Suddenly, rather than indifference to Alex’s restrictions, she actually felt gratitude. “That’s too bad,” Rob frowned. “I had always figured Belial’s for the kind to keep al options on the table. I’m sure we could work a little something out…?” “We al have our restrictions,” Lorelei shrugged again. The feeling was so good—and then, abruptly, stopped. Totally interrupted. One second Alex was basking in the afterglow, ready for another go ‘round with his playmate—and then, suddenly, nothing. The demon across from her pressed on. “Yeah, but not Belial’s legion.” Rob shook his head, and then stuffed his mouth with a pair of fried shrimp. “Gnyou gnuys hafta giff your al effry day,” he managed through too many morsels at once. Then he swal owed. “I know how Belial’s works. No slacking, no hesitation. No price too high, no shame too

low.” “Yes, well ,” Lorelei said, faltering a bit, “I have had a change of al egiances.” A mistake. An admission she did not want to make, one that would pique further curiosity. A demon of avarice and gluttony like this could compel such revelations just as Lorelei could change her appearance to better approach a victim. She could see his rising eagerness. He was like a shark that’d just smell ed a hint of blood in the water. If she couldn’t recover fast, he’d get much more information out of her than was safe for either herself or Alex. * Taylor was ready to kil that bitch. Audrey made a show of getting along with everyone, but she screwed most of the girls in the store one way or another. She’d replaced the old manager a year ago, tossed out a schedule that had been made to accommodate everyone, got rid of their best sales associate simply for not fol owing a terrible corporate script, gave out crappy evaluations… …and was now almost certainly screwing the sweetest guy Taylor knew. Okay, that may have been an exaggeration. But Alex had always been unfailingly nice to her. He was easily one of her best friends not two years ago—maybe not the closest, but he was always nice, supportive and trustworthy. She knew how much he liked her, knew he wanted to be more than friends. She couldn’t not know. That was why she’d never let him in closer. He was cute and al . Smart. Funny. Not as sexy as he was now, though—and when the hell did that happen?

Good God, he was hot. She was getting jittery just thinking about it. But in high school, there was Alex, and there were other guys, and then there was Gabriel… …Gabriel. There was a thought. She’d been so thril ed when he got the basketbal scholarship that got him into UW and kept them together. Taylor wondered what her high school sweetheart was up to now, and with whom. He had a habit of being stupid while she was at work. Work used to be more fun. Then Audrey showed up. Two minutes with Alex was al Taylor would need to explain that Audrey wasn’t someone he really wanted to fool around with. He would believe her. He always believed her. He was special that way. He deserved better than that bitch. He could do much better now, apparently. Fuck this. And fuck her. “Guys, I’m gonna be off the floor for a few minutes,” Taylor said over the headset. She strode back past the dressing rooms—pausing only to confirm that she could, in fact, hear some incriminating noises from #3, and thank God nobody was using the other two—and then went into the break room. Her purse, and the iPhone within it, was right where she’d left it. She adjusted the settings on the phone and then walked back out into the dressing room hall way. No one else was there. The music was still bumping. So, it appeared, were the occupants of dressing room three. She hesitated, but only for a moment. This was Alex. He would forgive her. Taylor held her camera over the top of the door, snapped a picture, and then another one. Then she did the same from the bottom edge. Then she checked the pictures. Best to make sure she had some evidence before she committed to the rest—and wow, was that evidence. She never thought she’d be jealous to see Alex’s hands clutching another woman’s ass. The dressing room doors were tal er than most, and locked from the inside. But if someone had a partially misspent youth, as Taylor had, popping the locks open with a credit card wasn’t too much of a trick.

Grinning evil y, Taylor leaned up against the doorframe and took a nice, casual picture of the dirty action in front of her. This time, she used the flash. “Huh?” Alex grunted. “What the—?!” Audrey yelped. She turned, still straddling Alex, and blurted out, “Taylor?!” Taylor was already snapping another picture. Her iPhone wasn’t fast about that, but she’d timed it perfectly. The picture had enough of Audrey’s face to provide solid evidence. “Audrey, your lunch break is over,” Taylor said confidently, “and you’re needed on the floor. I can take over helping with this customer before I clock out for the night.” “You—what the hell do you think you’re doing!?” Audrey got off of her shocked, mortified partner and grabbed her skirt off the floor. “I think I’m filing my request for a shift change so you and I don’t have to work together anymore,” Taylor grinned. “At least until one of us gets a transfer to another store.” Audrey wasted no time in getting her skirt back on. “You think this is a good idea? You can’t do anything with those pictures. They’l fire both of us!” “Oh noes. I might get fired from my part-time retail job while I’m going to college.” The two stared at one another for a moment, and then Taylor gestured toward the hall way. “Shut up and get the fuck out, Audrey.” Taylor watched as her store manager fled, leaving her panties and Alex behind, and then closed and locked the door. “Wow,” she leered at Alex, “when did you go al pimp daddy?” Alex stayed in the chair, his pants pul ed back up but not fastened. He kept his crotch covered mainly with his hands and the bottom of his shirt. “Taylor, um, I can…uh…”

She bit the corner of her lip, still grinning at him. “Okay, I totally can’t explain this.” Taylor stepped closer. “You don’t owe me an explanation,” she said, her voice dropping, “but I should probably thank you for giving me the chance to deal with that bitch.” She tossed the phone aside on a corner shelf, then ran her hand through Alex’s hair. Alex’s heart threatened to beat its way right through his sternum. Taylor’s eyes projected nothing but hunger. “Oh my God,” he mumbled. “God’s not here,” Taylor whispered, “but I am. still friends, right?” His mouth parted as if to say something, but no words came out. She kissed it. “I should’ve done this a long time ago,” she said, reaching down to pul his shirt and hands away from his groin. * “It’s always nice to talk shop with a colleague,” Rob smiled. There was a flat firmness in his tone that was subtly out of place with his wording. He looked at her with a masterful blend of casual conversation and intimidating glare. He might as well have been saying it from behind a sand blaster. The invisible, insubstantial fear and fury that he projected at her threatened to overwhelm her. Demons like Rob weren’t built for bul ying; they were creatures of manipulation, not raw power. Where Lorelei worked with flesh and lust, Rob’s kind dealt in money and greed. But in the face of a weak target, there was no reason not to be direct.