Wolf Tales VI (12 page)

It ended, finally, though her body still trembled, her pussy still pulsed, her lungs still strained for enough air. Oliver’s erection lost some of its strength, though he filled her mouth, both with his size and the salty, bittersweet taste of his seed. Mei sat back on her heels as Oliver leaned over her. His chest heaved with each breath he took. His hands came down from the wall where he’d supported himself and he cupped the sides of her face.

She released him from her mouth, licking the length of his cock, rubbing her lips over the wrinkled sac below, and then she pressed her cheek against his groin. When she finally raised her head, there were tears on his cheeks and a look of profound shock on his face.

Silently, Oliver drew Mei to her feet and held her. The water was beginning to cool, the steam had disappeared. The world once again seemed to have righted itself on its axis. He leaned past her and shut off the water, grabbed a towel off the rack and dried her as he would a child, rubbing her hair, her shoulders and body, going down each leg.

Then he wrapped the towel around her and gave Mei a slight shove. “Get dressed. I’m going to want you again if I see you naked. I’m obsessed with you, do you know that? I will never have enough of you.” He kissed her hard and fast and grabbed his own towel. He was still drying himself when Mei wandered, somewhat dazed, out into the other room.

Adam and Eve were waiting. They sat at the little round table and grinned at Mei as she closed the bathroom door behind her. “Good thing we took longer than three hours,” Adam said. He laughed softly and he was holding Eve’s hand. She smiled up at him and it was so obvious she loved him. It was all there in her eyes, in the soft smile, the relaxed, well-loved look about her.

Mei thought they looked absolutely amazing together. Both so blond and perfect. Obviously so much in love. She wondered if they saw the same thing in her eyes that she saw in Eve’s. She didn’t answer Adam. She just walked straight to him, filled with confidence and the knowledge that life was good, leaned over, cupped his face in her palms and kissed him full on the mouth. She put everything she had into her kiss. Her tongue parted his lips, her hands grasped his shoulders and her towel fell loose in front so she knew he could see her breasts, her belly, her naked pubes.

Knew, as well, he must taste Oliver’s essence on her tongue.

Before he could touch her, though, she backed away and grinned. “Thank you, Adam. You are amazing. I owe you. A lot.”

He stared at her, a goofy smile on his face, a stunned look in his eyes. “What was that all about?” He glanced at Eve and she was grinning like crazy. “Not that I’m complaining, by the way.”

Mei reached down and picked the towel up off the floor, wrapped and tightened it around herself. “Oliver told me you fixed some things that were broken. I just wanted to let you know you did one hell of a job and I appreciate it.” She went over and stacked the pillows against the headboard and flopped down on the bed. Whatever Oliver had done to her must have stripped away the last of her reserves. Suddenly, she felt perfectly comfortable in this new reality she’d hesitated to accept. “What now?” she asked

“Now we figure out where we’re going for dinner.” Still grinning, Eve held up a map listing dining in and around Tampa. “I know a great steakhouse, and it’s not that far from here.”

Mei shook her head. “Would you believe I’ve never had steak in a restaurant before? That sounds great.”

“Then it’s time you did.” Adam still looked a bit shaken, but he checked his watch. “Reservations for seven okay?”

“I can’t believe this. It’s gorgeous in here.” Mei smiled at Oliver when he held her chair for her.

Adam watched the dynamics between the two of them, sensing the simmering sexual tension they barely held in check. Damn. He hoped like hell Mei was one of them. It would break Oliver’s heart if she wasn’t Chanku.

Adam seated Eve and took the menu the waiter handed to him. They had a quiet table in the back of the restaurant. It wasn’t all that busy in the middle of the week and there were only a few other couples scattered about the dining room. Mei chattered on, excited as a child about the fancy restaurant and the simple yet beautiful black cotton dress Eve had bought for her the day before.

Adam glanced at Oliver, who sat back and listened. Then his thoughts sought Adam’s. I sense you and Eve have something planned. What’s going on?

Anton wants us home. Something’s bothering him, but he didn’t say what, exactly. Merely that he has concerns. I haven’t mentioned that part of our conversation to Eve. He suggested we all make love to Mei tonight, get into her head, see if she is Chanku. We can’t take her back to Montana if she’s not.

Oliver nodded. His gaze was steady, his confidence in his own decision obviously unwavering. I know. And if that’s the case, I won’t be going either.

I figured as much. Adam acknowledged his friend’s decision with a silent nod of his head, though he knew it would kill him to lose Oliver’s companionship. Eve said we have to tell her what we have planned. She didn’t like the idea of our going into her thoughts and just taking the information without telling Mei what was up.

Oliver turned and smiled at Eve. Good. I agree. He turned back to Mei and caught her rubbing at her forearms, one of the first signs of the body’s need to shift. It was all going to work out. Whatever it was about Mei that had seemed different, almost alien to him, couldn’t be that important. She was Chanku.

She had to be.

The waiter appeared to take their order. Adam and Oliver both wanted rare prime rib and Adam asked for a bottle of red wine. It was an expensive Cabernet Sauvignon, but tonight was a celebration of sorts, the first night he and Eve had ever gone out for a nice dinner.

It reminded him how short a time he’d known her. Eve asked for a filet mignon, also rare. Mei looked at Eve and Adam sensed her nervousness, her lack of confidence in this new situation.

“What should I get?”

“How do you like your meat?” Oliver smiled at her over his menu.

Mei shook her head. “I don’t know. I like hamburgers that are still pink in the middle.”

Adam interrupted. “Order the same as Eve. I guarantee you’ll like it.”

“What he said.” Mei smiled at the waiter but she pointed at Adam. The waiter took her order, promised to bring their wine, and left. Mei turned and grinned at Adam. “Yesterday was the first time I ever ate in a fancy restaurant, when Eve and I had lunch. You guys must be trying to fatten me up for the kill.”

Adam laughed. “Hardly that. We always chose a nice place when we have the opportunity, and we want you to enjoy yourself.” A lot, he thought. We want you to enjoy yourself as much as possible.

The waiter left and Mei looked down at her hands, folded neatly in her lap. When she raised her eyes, she blinked back tears. “This past two days have been like a miracle. I’ve never had new clothes like these, never had friends like you guys.” She took a deep breath and let it out before she placed her hand on Oliver’s forearm. “Never had friends I cared about, or someone to love. It’s been like a dream. A wonderful dream.”

Eve reached across the table and took Mei’s free hand. “I’m just glad I found you.”

Mei giggled and the spell was broken. She looked at the bounty on the table and waved her hand, encompassing the tray of appetizers, the wine the waiter had just served, the crusty French bread with the tantalizing sourdough smell. Her mouth literally watered. “Me, too. Dumpster diving has nothing on this!”

Adam smiled as he reached across the table and took Mei’s hand from Eve’s grasp, but then he went all serious on her. The warmth and sincerity in his voice had her choking up again. She looked down at their clasped fingers.

“I’ve been homeless before, Mei.” Adam squeezed her hand. “I know what it’s like, how scary it can be. Most of all, how lonely.”

Mei squeezed his hand right back before slipping her fingers free. She took a sip of her wine. Suddenly, that overwhelming need for solitude didn’t seem as important. She was surrounded by friends, suffused with good feelings and the sense these people accepted her. Loved her. Nothing could go wrong. Absolutely nothing.

Or so she thought. Sitting beside Oliver in the backseat of the Jeep on the way home from the restaurant, Mei’s naturally suspicious nature reappered. She wondered if this had all been some weird kind of setup, if these amazing people were some kind of cult. She’d heard about cults, how they sucked you in and convinced you they were right about everything until you didn’t have a thought of your own. She wasn’t like that. Wouldn’t be like that. If nothing else, Mei had always gone her own way, made her own decisions. She’d lived this long without depending on anyone but herself. Maybe falling for Oliver was a huge mistake. Maybe he was trying to brainwash her.

Yeah, right. With the best sex you’ve ever had in your life.

But still…Dinner had been spectacular and her steak like ambrosia. She didn’t realize the taste she’d been craving was rare meat, but she’d finished her steak and even eaten a couple of bites of Oliver’s huge, blood-rare prime rib. She could have eaten more, but didn’t want to embarrass herself.

They’d talked over dinner, mostly about Montana and the beautiful country where they lived, all of them with four other people on a huge estate. All of them living together. Making love with each other. Maybe it wasn’t a cult. Maybe they just lived in a commune. She’d heard about those, too, but mostly that was something from the older generation, when there were hippies and people who believed in free love.

Before AIDS. Before diseases that could ruin your life. She had an IUD, one she’d gotten at the free clinic, so pregnancy wasn’t that big a worry, but AIDS was. She’d lost friends to that one and no way was it going to get her. At least Oliver always remembered protection. She hadn’t thought about it at all this morning in the shower. She glanced at Oliver sitting quietly beside her. Everyone was quiet now, on the way home, but the tension inside the Jeep was filled with promise, ripe with the sense of arousal, of barely restrained passion.

They were going to have sex when they got back to the motel. She just knew it. Felt it. She needed to ask Oliver if he was clean. If oral sex had been safe with him. She’d been totally out of control and that wasn’t like her. Not at all. In fact it was just stupid. If anything, Mei Chen was not stupid, but damn, no matter how concerned she might be about everyone’s motives, she couldn’t get past the fact she liked them. Really and truly liked them.

She sneaked another glance at Oliver. He turned and smiled at her, but she sensed he was somewhere else. Probably in his damned Montana. She wasn’t sure about going there. Going so far with people she hardly knew.

Adam drove into the parking lot and parked in front of their room. Eve turned and looked at Mei and she felt her friend’s thoughts and knew she was the only one who heard them.

If anything happens, anything at all that makes you uncomfortable, tell me. I’ll make it stop. Okay?

But what…?

Oliver was already out of the car, holding his hand out to Mei. Still confused over Eve’s warning—and it could only have been a warning—she quickly unfastened her seat belt and took Oliver’s hand, got out and stood with him while Adam and Eve went ahead and opened the door to the room.

“What’s going on? I can feel something, some kind of weird energy, but I don’t know what it is.”

Oliver squeezed her fingers. “Wait until we’re inside. We need to talk. All of us.”

She felt an apprehensive shiver race along her spine. This didn’t sound all that good, but she followed Oliver into the room. Housekeeping had been by and the bed was neatly made. The bags of clothes had been stacked by the closet. A hint, maybe? Four of them in this room had certainly made a mess of things, but it was a nice motel and maybe the fact they paid top dollar let them get away with more. She didn’t know. How could she? This was so far out of her experience.

Eve immediately slipped out of her dress. She didn’t seem to mind a bit that both Adam and Oliver were in the room, but then Mei remembered Eve had made love to Oliver in the past, so what was there to hide? Eve wrapped a pale green sarong around herself. It shimmered and outlined every curve and angle of her body. She looked even more lovely than she usually did. Mei felt an instant attraction to her and her mind filled with images of their lovemaking. Was it only yesterday?

Adam undid his tie and slipped out of his coat. Oliver hung his sports coat in the closet and unbuttoned his shirt. No one seemed to notice the fact they were all undressing together in the same room, so Mei slipped out of the new heels that were beginning to pinch her toes, and searched through her bags for the blue sarong Eve had bought for her.

Shyly she glanced around. No one was paying any attention to her, so she took her sarong into the bathroom. She slipped out of her dress in there, and wrapped herself carefully in the sheet of silk. The transformation was amazing.

With her long, black hair sweeping the curve of her butt and the bright blue fabric shimmering against her caramel-colored skin, she looked exotic, like some sort of island princess. She’d never seen herself like this, looking so mysterious. Never had thought of herself as pretty before.

Right now she looked beautiful. She stared at her image a moment longer, using it to build confidence. Then, feeling totally stoked with self-assurance, Mei walked back into the room. Eve and Adam were on the bed with the pillows behind them. Adam had on a pair of boxers. They were silky and loose, but they did nothing to hide the size of the package he carried between his thighs.

Mei felt a sudden rush of moisture between her legs, followed by an immediate sense of guilt. Oliver stepped out from behind the closet door. He’d wrapped a shorter sarong around his hips. The yellow fabric glistened and shimmered when he moved and looked gorgeous against his dark skin.

Again Mei felt a rush of arousal. What the hell was going on with her? She couldn’t be turned on by both men, could she? It wasn’t right.

“Yes it is.” Oliver stepped in front of her and put his hands on her shoulders. “You excite me. So does Eve. For that matter, so does Adam. It’s the way we are. We’re all lovers, Mei. Does that offend you?”