Hell Inc. (22 page)

The
sphinx had managed to make it the market at about the same time we
did and proceeded to follow us around the store, glaring. I noticed
that its amethyst eyes were locked onto Terrence in particular. It
didn't seem to bother him, but the constant rumbling and growling
behind us was driving me nuts.

“Terrence,”
I said, stopping in the middle of an aisle, hands planted on my hips
as I turned to face the sphinx. “Why don't you head over to
the checkout. I'll be there in a minute. I just want to talk with
my friend about something.” Terrence acquiesced, and I waited
until he was out of earshot.

“What
is your problem?” I snapped at it, standing on my tiptoes to
glance around the aisles and make sure that nobody saw me talking to
myself. “I'm sorry if you don't like me going out, but that
really isn't any of your business.” The sphinx stared back at
me, face blank, and then licked its shoulder with an intense vigor.

I
threw up my hands in surrender and turned away, meaning to catch up
with Terrence, when I saw what aisle we were in.

Condoms.

I
trailed over to them nonchalantly and stared. It wasn't like I'd
never seen a condom before. I had taken sex ed in high school but
damn. There were just as many condom choices as there were tampons.
I examined the boxes.

“Large,
extra large, and super grande? What the hell is this Starbucks?
Where are the small ones?” A woman had just come down the
aisle and was in the process of choosing baby diapers. She paused
and stared at me strangely before tossing the diapers into her basket
and hurrying away like I was a crazy person, her cart plowing right
through the bathing sphinx.

I
turned back to shelves and tried to locate a brand with a more
realistic sizing structure. It wasn't like Levie needed small ones,
but still ... men could be so stupid. And there I went,
thinking about Levie again. “But who says they're for him?”
I stated, grabbing a black box with shadowy naked people on it.
Levie or Terrence, I figured it was bound to happen soon enough
anyway and wondered if I should buy them. I'd have to hide them from
both boys though; I didn't want them getting the idea that I was
buying the box for either of them.

I
grabbed a box of tampons, too, just in case Terrence should ask what
I was purchasing. He waited for me while I went through the
checkout, and I couldn't help but blush as the clerk rang up the
items. He raised one overly pierced eyebrow, and I pretended to
sneeze into my arm so I could avoid his gaze. I grabbed the tiny
paper sack and followed the sphinx's golden furred butt over to the
exit.

The
drive back to my place was filled with the usual sort of first date
chatter. Where we were from, what our families were like, and a
whole lot of other nonsensical dribble that meant next to nothing. I
found comfort in the lighthearted conversation though. It was nice
to just take a breather and relax for a moment.

Levie
was still missing when we got back to the apartment, and I wondered
what sort of business he and his cousin had that would take so long.
At the very least, I was glad to get some alone time with Terrence.
I was becoming attached to Levie in a way that I found disturbing.
After my wishes were gone, so he would be as well. Terrence and I,
on the other hand, shared residence in the same dimension. That made
us just a bit more compatible in my book.

I
grabbed the flowers he'd given me earlier off of the coffee table,
and we made our way into the kitchen. I was fumbling around in the
cabinets for a vase as Terrence used the corkscrew that I'd given him
to open the wine.

“If
you could guide me to your glassware, I could pour us a drink.”

“Of
course.” I opened another cabinet and handed him two, long
stemmed glasses. I went back to searching for a vase while he poured
the wine. When I couldn't find one, I gave up and set the flowers up
with some water in the sink.

He held up
a glass to me, and we clinked them together lightly. “To our
research,” he said, and I gave him a look that said I had no
idea what he was talking about. “To helping you reverse your
wish. You still want to do that, don't you?” I blushed,
embarrassed at having forgotten the obvious. Terrence had that
effect on me. The Queen Bee was just as cool out of the hive as in.

“Oh
yeah. Of course I do.” I took a second sip and set the glass
back onto the counter while I mulled around the taste in my mouth.
I'd let him select the wine since I wasn't exactly an expert on the
stuff. It was certainly different from anything I'd ever tasted
before. Lighter, fruitier and with an underlying hint of rose that I
found unusual.

I glanced
up at Terrence to ask him about it, but the look in his eyes froze me
where I stood. He was gazing at me with undisguised passion in his
face. The abrupt change in character worried me.

“Are
you okay?” I asked, taking a step back as he gave a wicked
smile.

“Not
anymore. I can't resist you, Ginger. Everything about you turns me
on. I've wanted you since I first saw you at the museum.” I
took a step back and looked around the counter for something that I
could use as a weapon. Was Terrence really some kind of perverted
stalker or what?

He reached
for me, and I moved my arms as if to push him away and then stopped.
His usual charm was making my insides go crazy despite his bizarre
behavior. I felt a rush of heat through me, and when I looked into
his glittering eyes, my thoughts were scrambled at best. Why would I
want to push him away? He wanted me, and I wanted him. Where was
the harm in that?

Somewhere
in the back of my mind I knew my thoughts were being affected by the
drink, but I couldn't control myself. A moment later and my body was
fully committed to the circus and began to pulse and throb even worse
than when Levie had touched me.

Terrence
wrapped his arms around me and ground my hips into the counter with
the pressure of his. We kissed each other fiercely, and I felt his
hands sliding up my belly while I moaned into his mouth and reached
for the button on his pants.

“Bedroom?”
he whispered. I nodded back and grabbed his hand, dragging him right
past the bag of condoms that I'd tossed onto the counter and into my
bedroom. My mind hazily tried to remind me that I barely knew the
guy, that something was wrong. This wasn't like me at all, but the
voice of reason in my hand was being completely and utterly
annihilated by the feeling of Terrence lying on top of me. My knees
were bent and my legs spread. We were still kissing passionately and
only broke apart briefly while Terrence pushed my jeans down and
pulled my panties off and flung them away.
You're acting like some
sort of animal in heat!
I
thought, but my rational mind no longer had any influence on me as I
unbuttoned Terrence's pants as fast as my hands would allow. I
pulled them down to his knees as he knelt between my legs. I went
for his boxers next and then giggled sensually as I wrapped my hands
around him. He was very hard and very ready. Terrence ripped my
shirt off of me and threw it across the room.

It was
then and only then that I was able to pause. Terrence, on the other
hand, had resumed kissing me passionately and angled himself to enter
me. I tapped on his shoulder.

“It's
getting really hot in here,” I said trying to think through the
haze I was in and wondering if I'd turned on the heater.

“Yes
Ginger, yes it is,” Terrence mumbled, not sounding at all like
himself. That was when I saw them; flames were dancing along the
side of the bed.

“My
bed's on fire!” I screeched, the effects of whatever it was
that had taken over me retreating slightly. Terrence didn't seem to
notice.

“Of
course it is; I knew it would be that way between us.” I
shoved him off of me and onto the floor and then followed suit.

That's
when I noticed Levie standing in the doorway.

My shirt
was draped partially over one wing, and his fists were clenched with
rage. He was shaking, and his jaw was tightly clenched. My body was
still pulsing with need, but my mind had cleared enough to let me
realize how horrible the situation was. Terrence stood up slowly and
rubbed his head. I grabbed his pants and pulled them back up,
covering his erection and hoping that I wasn't hurting him.

“What's
the matter, Ginger. Why are you stopping?” Terrence groaned,
reaching for me.

“You,”
Levie thundered. “You leave now!” Terrence turned around
and stared at him. I couldn't see his facial expression, but he
looked considerably less disturbed than one might think.

“If
you want to join in,” Terrence said. “That's okay. I
don't mind other guys.” Wow. Whatever it was that had
affected me seemed to have taken over Terrence as well. At least,
that's what I thought. Levie stormed forward and picked Terrence up
by his shirt.

“Get
... out ... now ... ” he snarled, and when
Terrence didn't immediately respond, he dragged him through the
apartment and opened the front door.

“Please,
don't hurt him, Levie,” I cried, grabbing my pants and trying
to put them on while rushing after them. Levie shoved Terrence into
the hallway, tossing his coat after him, and slamming the door,
locking the dead bolt behind him.

Levie
whirled around, and I was frightened by the full extent of his ire.
I hoped he'd extinguished the fire on my bed, but there was no way
for me to go in and check with his eyes locked onto me like that. I
backed away from him into the kitchen, but there really was nowhere
for me to go. My mind was still a sex oriented blur, and although I
could think, I was having a hard time trying to explain myself. It
never even occurred to me that I had done nothing wrong.

I leaned
back against the counter and bumped the paper bag. It fell onto the
floor, spilling tampons and condoms at Levie's feet. He picked up
the black box and stared at it for a long moment.

“You
bought these for
him
?” he asked quietly, and I cringed.
This was looking worse and worse. I shook my head vigorously.

“N-no.
You don't understand. I ... ” My brain pushed for me to
explain. “I didn't.” Wow. Nice one, Ginger. He's
totally going to calm down now. Levie stalked forward and threw the
condoms onto the counter. I cowered away from him, wondering when I
was going to burst into flames. He stopped about a foot in front of
me and spit at the floor. The mat in front of the sink caught flame
immediately.

“Don't
cringe away from me, stupid girl. I'm not going to hurt you.”
I knew the moment he spotted the wine as his face took on a more
alarmed expression. He picked up a glass and held it front of his
face. His nose wrinkled, and he glanced up at me abruptly. “Did
you drink this?” he asked. I nodded.

“Terrence,
too. I think he drank more.” Levie closed his eyes for a
moment, and the flames on the rug went out. He turned away from me
and poured the contents onto the floor. I was slowly regaining brain
function, and I suddenly felt very defensive. “It's just some
fucking wine. What's the big deal?” I asked, shaking my head
as I tried to clear it. “What the fuck is going on?”
Levie threw the glass at the wall, and it shattered. Little bits of
glass exploded across the floor between us.

“That
horrid, disgraceful, shameless weasel of a man!” Levie
spluttered, running an angry hand through his hair.

“What's
going on, Levie?” I shouted back at him though I didn't know
why I was suddenly so angry. Or afraid.

“Ginger,”
he growled. “That man is not who you think he is.” I
shook my head and leaned back against the counter. I still didn't
understand.

“Levie,
please. What's going on here? Why do I feel so – ” I
paused and took a deep breath. My body throbbed endlessly, and I
hoped it would start to clear as fast as my mind was. “
Aroused.
”
I coughed in embarrassment.

“You
were drugged, Ginger.” As soon as he said it, I knew it was
true.

“Drugged?”
I clutched a hand at my throat as I waited for him to elaborate. He
stared at my feet for a long time, and I thought he was finished
speaking.

“Uncle
Lucifer summoned me tonight when I was on my way back. I should have
told him no. It is my fault for not being here. I am sorry,
Ginger.” His shoulders drooped, and he spread his wings
softly. This was probably the least arrogant that I had ever seen
him. “That man,” he paused as if considering his next
words. “He drugged you because of me, Ginger. For that, I am
sorry.”

“What
are you talking about, Levie? I need to understand. If that's the
case, then I have a right to know. And what the hell kind of drug
was that? I've never felt so frenzied in my entire life.” He
glanced back up at me, eyes sad.