Succubus on Top CHAPTER 11

When I went in lieu to relay this to Bastien a a a few(prenominal)(prenominal) minutes later(prenominal), he took Danas presence on the proposed shopping trip a lot better than I had.Thats fantastic More time for So assistant me, if you say reconnaissance, Im going to smack you. Im only in this for the clothes.Fair exuberant. and this is a golden opportunity, and you know it. You lavatory smack her out. Put in a good word for me, maybe. Something. Anything. I need this. precisely, he added, dont do it at the cost of beingdetrimental.Give me some credit here, wholly right? I understand the situations gravity. Ill help you.His roguish smile illume up his grammatical case, or sooner, Mitchs organisation, which was kind of weird. While youre at it, maybe you can buoy brush up on your female bonding.Whats that supposed to mean?Do a count of every in solely your closest friends someday. I dont think you wish female competition.I make a face at him that as Jody and Dan a showed up. They took me to some astonishing shopping nexus a couple of miles away(predicate). I couldnt believe that very much retail space could be crammed indoors. We had a few enclosed shopping centers in S havetle, provided nonhing humankindage this.Browsing stores with Dana was intimately as horrible as I could buzz off imagined. She eyed scantily dressed teenagers askance and spoke to a down(p) gross r raseuewoman similar an underling. Still, despite my distaste, I remembered my duty and attempted friend dividing liness. everywhere and over, I tried to bolster Bastiens reputation.Hes so into what your groups doing. Hed like to get to a greater extent than involved. Maybe you could come talk to him about it sometime.Fortunately for Mitch, these comments did elicit a warm response from her. Yes, shed be happy to give Mitch some person-to-person time. Anything for the cause. How n screwb alone that he cared. Truly, he was a smart and compassionate man. Blah, bla h, blah. She continuously enjoyed spending time with him.Yet, despite this fleeting progress, her demeanor remained stiff, and her attention unceasingly shifted back to me. She peppered me with all sorts of questions, as if she were specifically probing for some samara piece of information. She cherished to know what I did for a living. How close Bastien and I were. Where my relationship with Seth was going. What my take on the CPFV was. What my values race, sexual orientation, and so on were. I felt like I was being grilled, but she pushed on in that h onenessyed voice of hers. Despite her aloofness, she always managed to sound affectionate and nonthreatening. I could observe why she so enthralled her fans.This isnt on the button curiosity, I realized. She doesnt trust me. Dana knew something was going on with Bastien and me, and now she was fork uping to figure it out. That was believably why he wasnt really getting anywhere she was on to him. True, she in all probabil ity didnt suspect a covert plan featuring an incubus, but Im sure she had her allot of more mundane enemies. She was on guard for such things, hence her unbelief about our cover stories. Bastien had no idea what hed gotten us into.So, I worked firmly to maintain our innocence, answering her queries as best I could. My usual see quieten wasnt working on her here, but I performed better than in previous encounters except for the questions about Seth. The reality with him was weird enough without having to red-hot an different(prenominal) version of it via Tabitha Hunter, and I found myself stuttering and blushing when she brought him up.When Dana left us at the Christian Dior counter of Nordstrom to go look for slips, I more or slight sagged in relief.What about this one? Jody held out a tester of crazy criticize lip gloss that would look great on Tabitha, less so on Georgina.I opened it and studied the color. Too light. Besides, itd probably come off with one sip of somet hing.She gave me a mischievous grin. Or in other issueivities.I rewarded her with a look of mock astonishment. It wasnt grievous to do she was full of surprises, it seemed. Fun ones. Why, Jody. Here I vox populi you were a respectable unify woman.Are you kidding? Marriage only makes you less respectable. Gives you a lot of time to invent new things.Grinning back, I swapped the pink lip gloss for a red one. Better non allow Dana hear you talking like that. I got the third degree about my boyfriend, as it is.Jodys mirth dimmed a bit, though she held her smile. It may smell like the third degree, but shes just curious about you, thats all.Yeah, I guess. No other drive, I suppose. Best not to mention my supposition that Dana suspected Bastien and me of duplicity.To my surprise, Jody looked back down at the eye shadow display, pointedly avoiding my eyeball. I was reminded of that day in the yard when Id had the sense she wanted to prescribe me something about Dana. Something b ad.Jody, I murmured, setting down the lip gloss, what is it? Whats wrong?She agitate her head teacher. Nothing. Forget about it.Dana re rancid just then, and the moment was gone.They dont have what I need. Lets visit Victorias Secret.I perked up. That was the best thing Id heard ail day, aside from another possible insight from Jody. We entered what had to be one of my top five dearie stores. We split up, Jody going to pajamas and Dana looking for some slip that would undoubtedly converge that god-awful underwear of hers.As for me, I promptly sought outrisquelingerie sets one time Id ascertained the other dickens women were occupied. No way was I having a repeat of the swimsuit incident. Unfortunately, the store had a more outstanding plectrum than usual, and what Id intended to be a mere browse turned into a full-fledged mission when I found a few sets I precisely had to try on.Dana and Jody were still bassly engrossed with their own wares, so I inconspicuously slipped i nto the medical dressing-room line, hoping to be in and out before either of them could investigate what sweet, innocent Tabitha was into. I had just made it to the head of the line when both of them squeezed in next to me.What a crowd, Jody verbalize. Mind if we just contribution your room? Theyre huge here.I felt the blood drain from my face as I tried to think up some reason to decline. An idea for a contagious, flesh-eating disease was forming in my mind when the sales associate ushered us into a room that was indeed more than bear-sized enough to hold the three of us.Dana only had two skirt slips to try on, and she pulled off her slacks with unconcerned efficiency. I winced upon seeing the granny panties again. Meanwhile, Jody tried on a set of cute flannel pajamas.When I made no moves of any kind, Dana asked me if I was all right. Swallowing, I slowly began removing my clothing. She watched with contract eyes. The first bra and panty set I tried on was made of ivory lace decorated with black bows. The second consisted of deep magenta satin and was cut so racily it was barely a few scraps of fabric. When I got to the third one sheer black network decorated with embroidered pink flowers I wanted to die.Jody and Dana had finished and were waiting for me. Jodys face was pleasant and casual. Dana maintained a look of neutrality, but still radiated disapproval. Great. I could feel myself blushing furiously. Bastien would kill me if he found out Id not only damaged the wholesome image, Id completely destroyed it.While Dana stayed stone-faced, Jody cocked her head at me peculiarly. I think you have the wrong bra size, Tabitha. They all look too big.Of course they were too big. Tabitha Hunter didnt wear a 34C. Georgina Kincaid did. Id intended to shape-shift to my preferred body when I was alone in here.Oh, I give tongue to stupidly, feeling like the whore Dana thought I was. gift that a dumb whore. Well. I lost some weight recently.I tried on the las t one red with glittering ash grey flowers and even in the wrong size, it was stunning.That looks great, Jody said, echoing my thoughts. I wish I was brave enough to wear something like that.Dana studied me thoroughly. That bra offers no support whatsoever. It has no purpose.She doesnt need the support. Besides, thats the point. It doesnt have to be functional. She just wants to be pretty.Pretty for who? And why? She isnt married.So what? Its none of our business.Dana glared daggers at the other woman. none of our business? Humanity is our business. She must(prenominal) have read Dickens recently. fixed silence filled our little room. I felt invisible, regardless of the detail that I was half naked. Hey guys? Maybe we should go. Ill just take this off.No, said Jody sternly, eyes locked with Danas in a battle of wills. Its beautiful, Tabitha. You have nothing to be shamed of.She is beautiful, concurred Dana smoothly, but that outfit would be better suited to a married woman. H er tone suggested that even that was questionable.I was on the verge of just exit the room as is, but seeing Jody defy Dana like that enkindled something warm and fuzzy inside of me. Bastien would kill me, but I couldnt aliveness myself from joining the fight.You know, I remarked to Dana, making sure she noticed my blatant mental test of my backside, if thats the case, then maybe you should try this one on. Its just your color. Kind of Christmasy too. Id complete to see it on you. And I bet Bill would really encompass it. Dana just stared at me, biting her lip again as she held my gainsay gaze. She looked like she competency snap back but instead s imply pursed those lips together in a hard, straight line. Without another word, she left the dressing room, door banging loudly behind her.Jody stood there uncertainly for a moment. It looks great, she reiterated before following Dana out. By myself, I decided I might as well use the alone time to shape-shift and try on the linge rie in the body theyd been intended for. As expected, they looked pretty hot, so I bought them all. I figured I deserved to salvage something from this disaster.So howd it go? asked Bastien when Jody and Dana dropped me off at his place later on.Fine, I said, having already stuffed the illicit purchases in my car, lest they raise questions from him. Just fine. Wellsort of.I told him about Danas interrogation and my theory that she might suspect us of something insidious, even if it wasnt what we actually planned. His face grew grimmer and grimmer as I spoke, and I knew he thought I had a point. When I finished, I leaned my head against his shoulder, hating to see him so miserable.Hey, dont worry. Well get through this. I mean, look on the bright side Dana and I did a lot of bonding today. I think we had a realbreakthrough.I knew doubts still plagued him, but he had cheered up by the time we no wanter as Mitch and Tabitha arrived back in Seattle later that day. We picked up Seth o n the way to shaft of lights apartment, promptly ensuring that neither man spoke to me for the rest of the car ride.Once again, Jerome chose not to grace us with his presence, but everyone else had turned out for more good food and salamander Peter, Cody, Hugh, and Carter. Carter seemed quietly intrigued by Seths presence while the others greeted him like a long-lost brother. Considering how often he came up in conversation among us, I think the other immortals regarded him as one of our inner circle already.He stuck close to me for some of the night, but turned out to be a pretty conjure good poker player. I think his quiet, placid nature fooled others into forgetting he was there. Amusingly, he seemed pretty pleased about his winnings too, albeit in a mild, Seth sort of way. It made me happy to see this side of him, happier still to know he was enjoying himself with my friends.I didnt really know what side of me he saw that night. My friends sure didnt pull any punches when i t came to teasing me about my versatile idiosyncrasies, and Bastien seemed to think it was Memory Lane Night. He kept specialiseing all sorts of stones from my past, trying to lure me into inside jokes no one else knew about. I stayed away from that path as much as possible without offending him. My precession was still making things work with Seth, and as I held his hand all night and only gave polite smiles to Bastien, I think it became clear to the incubus where my loyalties lay. He didnt seem too thrilled.Halfway through the game, I current a joint call from Mei and Grace.Hello, Georgina, said Grace.Its us, said Mei.Did you take out anything?No matches, Mei told me.Oh. So much for that avenue.But that may not mean much, said Grace. We always miss some.And it doesnt really matter, said Mei. Theyre not a problem if they dont meddle in our affairs.And most dont? I had run into countless immortals over the years, from all sorts of cultures and powers, but I had not paid much at tention to how they operated with each other in a political sense. I had always been content to worry about my credit line and my job alone, safe in the knowledge that the authorities I answered to wielded enough power to deal with anyone else.Most dont, the demonesses agreed in unison.The poker players regarded me curiously when I hung up.Who was that? asked Peter.Grace and Mei.Hugh made a face. Ack. The crazy-bitch-dyke twins.Hey, thats uncalled for. Theyve been very helpful.Yeah? Well, just wait, he warned. Next thing you know, theyll be wanting to cut your pig and dress you in black too. Cody smiled at my outrage. Why do I get the feeling theres another illicit Georgina investigation afoot?Its not so illicit.Illicit enough, remarked Bastien with a yawn. You and your mortals.He pocketed the money he had left, downed his bourbon, and thanked Peter again for another fabulous evening.Leaving so soon? I asked.Off to find fairer company. No offense to you, Fleur .He leaned down to m e and napped a kiss over my lips that lingered a breath too long for friendship. Good night.His departure spurred a new round of the Bastien Fan nine as they all speculated what sexual escapade he was about to stake on now.How does he do it? asked Peter.I wish I was that good, added Cody.Hey, I complained, pursuing women isnt any harder than men. Sometimes its easier. That guys amazing. Hugh acted like I hadnt even spoken. leaving later on a new one tonight when hes still unclouded a glow that cant even be a day old. I wish I got lucky that often.Seth didnt like to speak much with this group or any group for that matter but like my other friends, he was in awe of the incubus. Hughs comment especially piqued his interest.What do you mean by glow? Like an afterglow?Hugh grinned at him. Sort ofyou must know what Im talking about. The post-sex thing? The glamour?Whose deal is it? I asked sharply, not liking the conversations new direction.Seth turned thoughtful. Well, then it is like an afterglow. I mean, everyone sort of has something like that after sex.Yes, but its different for an incubus or a succubus, explained Peter professorially. Unless I was mistaken, he was starting to pick up a British accent. Too much exposure to Bastien. In their case, its more of a literal glow to other immortals at least. When theyve had sex, they take that persons life. biography force is alluring. To an immortal, a just-laid incubus or succubus will just about Glitter, suggested Cody. Or sparkle. And yetnot. Its kind of hard to explain. Hasnt Georgina told you all this?Not this, said Seth. So Ier, mortals dont see it?Are we playing or not? I asked impatiently, raising my voice. Carter caught my eye.Not like we do, continued Peter. But they you feel it. Or maybe sense is a better word. It pulls you in. Its very attractive. I sink lower into my seat, trying to decide if anyone would notice if I suddenly turned invisible. I might as well have been since no one was list ening to my protests anyway.You must have noticed it, pointed out Hugh, taking a swig of whiskey. There must be days when you see Georgina and practically cant control yourself because of how hot she is. You can only stare. Of course, its probably hard to tell the difference since shes always so hot, huh?Everyone except Carter, Seth, and I laughed. I knew the imp had meant that last part as a compliment, but I wanted to throw my gimlet glass at him nonetheless. The hilarity soon died down, and we returned to cards. But the damage was done. Seth and I hardly spoke for the rest of the night, not that anyone save Carter, I suspected even noticed.When Seth and I left, I knew something bad was coming. I dropped him off at his place, and he invited me inside to eat Rocky Road ice cream. He was a big ice cream fan. I should have just turned around and left, but Rocky Road has supernatural powers. Plus, I remembered what Seth and I had discussed after the recent make-out session in bed h ow we had to communicate about issues, rather than ignore them. I still believed that to be true, but theory and come were two completely different things.He made up two bowls for us, and we ate the ice cream in silence for a while. When he finished, Seth played with his spoon, not looking at me.So, he asked, is it true?Is what true? Like I didnt know.Come on, dont make me appealingness it out, he said gently. I just want to hear your version, thats all.I opened my mouth to speak, to find some way to neutralize all this, but my tongue felt thick and useless. No coherent lyric formed.Is it true? repeated Seth. When I still didnt answer, he continued, When I see you sometimeswhen I see you like that one night and can barely even breathe because you are so beautifulso beautiful that I can do nothing but act like an idiot, does that mean that youve justslept with someone? But, of course, I dont actually mean, um, sleepDamn, this conversation thing really did suck.