Past due, p.9
Past Due, page 9
part #4 of Good Intentions Series
"That’s not his only crime."
"Agreed. Out of my hands at this point. I’m sorry he ever approached you."
Rachel folded her arms across her chest, still fuming. "This shit wasn’t what you wanted to talk about, was it?"
"This was half of it."
"And the other half?"
"The other half is that little brawl at the university today," said Javier. Rachel rolled her eyes again, but it only left him grinning. "I’m told you were directly involved."
"I took care of the pepper spray for my friends and made sure they were all in the same dumb police van," she grumbled. "That’s not exactly direct involvement."
"It is by the usual standards. Your condition puts you in a unique position to touch the mortal world. More so than most of us."
"My condition. Whatthefuckever," she sighed. "It’s not like I punched anyone myself. Much as I wanted to. And anyway, everything else was on the up and up. I didn’t start anything. I only eased the suffering of people under Heaven’s grace."
"And Alex," Javier corrected.
"And Alex, yeah," said Rachel. "I take care of his suffering all the time."
"Donald’s manipulations have left deep scars on his soul, I’m sure."
"What? No. I’m talking about his plague of boners." She watched Javier’s lips tense and fold inward as he looked skyward. "They happen constantly, you know. I’m not complaining. It’s a fun problem to have. They’re great boners."
"Rachel."
"Phenomenal, really."
"Rachel. The fight."
"C’mon, Javier. It was all mortal-on-mortal shit. And you know who was right and who was wrong. Like you said, plenty of other angels told you about it already. Why’re you crawling up my ass about it?"
"I am not, because it is entirely about mortals," said Javier. "I wanted to hear that from you."
She blinked. "Why?"
"Since you and Alex and Lorelei got together, this city has seen wild gunfights in downtown, large-scale arsons, and a repeated influx of supernatural threats. You and your friends have handled them all. I have no complaints. It’s my job to know if such things are going on in my Dominion again. If you say they are not, I have no reason to doubt you."
Her mouth opened with arguments as he spoke, only to close every time until he finished. "So you’re not on my case?"
"I’m not your boss, Rachel. You’re a guardian of individual souls. I take care of the city. We have overlapping interests. That doesn’t make you my subordinate."
"The guy before me didn’t see it that way."
"The guy before you didn’t do a very good job." From his pants pocket, Javier produced the folded-up front page of a newspaper and presented it to Rachel.
"Violent Crime Plunges Across City Since October," read the lead headline. The sub-heading read, "Sharp drop in rates exceeds national trends. Missing persons cases plummet."
"Naturally there are people in that article trying to claim credit. We both know where that change really started," said Javier. "Someone in this town ran all the demons to ground. Nobody’s seen a vampire or a werewolf in months. The vampires corrupted many police and bureaucrats, but that’s all falling apart now that the money and the favors are gone.
"It’s not just the shift with the mortals. The angels here get along. They talk. They share. They watch each other’s backs more than in most cities I’ve seen. I know who I have to thank for all that. Holding Dominion is a tough role, but somebody gave me a good head start. I’m not your boss, Rachel," Javier repeated. "I’m your back-up."
Her eyes fell to the article again. "This was nice, Javier. Thank you."
"We’re angels. We’re supposed to be nice."
"We’re supposed to be good," she countered. "Lotta angels don’t think that includes ‘nice.’"
"So let’s show them otherwise."
She folded the page up with a smile—and didn’t give it back. "Thank you."
"No monsters? No demons? That mess at the university was ordinary strife?"
"All routine. No worries."
"Alright, then. I wanted to ask you something else before you go. Personal question." Javier glanced right and left, casually leaning a little closer. "So how ‘open’ are things with you and your partners?"
Her jaw dropped, then turned to a silent laugh. She looked skyward. She couldn’t look directly at him now. "You’re not asking about Lorelei."
"Ha ha, no. No way."
"Wow."
"Can’t know until I ask."
"We’re all on equal ground. I’m good where I’m at," said Rachel. "Alex and Lorelei can date or fuck anyone they want to, and they do. I want them to. I can, too, if I want. But they’re them and I’m me. I’m kinda focused and I don’t have enough time with either of them as it is." She gave his arm a nudge. "It means a lot that you’d ask."
"Good enough. I should let you get back to it, then. Thanks for coming by."
"Anytime." Rachel slipped away, no longer fighting back a radiant grin. Other angels saw her, but she didn’t have to explain anything to them. "Wow."
A single beat of her wings carried her to the edge of the rooftop. She took in the skyline and looked across the city to check in on her other charges one last time before calling it a night. Everyone else seemed safe, or was with people who in turn had their angels present. She stood up on her toes to dive off the tower.
"Rachel!" called a voice. She stopped, looking back over her shoulder. Another angel flew up to her with a look of urgency. "Hey. Glad I caught you."
"Hernando, what’s up?" she asked.
"Somebody’s looking for you. I promised I’d pass it along. It’s, uh, kind of far from here."
Rachel groaned. She hardly even needed to ask. "Aw, fuck me running."
* * *
Dim bedroom lights let his eyes relax, but he didn’t close them. Not with Lorelei in a slow grind over his hips, sitting upright and nude in all her glory. Alex could hardly take his eyes off her flawless skin, her shapely figure, or her sultry smile. She wanted him to look. She always wanted him to look.
Completely spent of all his energy, Alex could do little to reciprocate her affections now. He could barely lift his arms except to touch her. Any remaining strength was devoted to the relentless flow of blood to the hard flesh captive inside her. She loved his aggression. She loved it this way, too. Her eyes and her hands roamed his body with appreciation and even pride. After all they’d been through, he would still be the first to agree she was out of his league, but he no longer wondered if her desire might be born of mystic bonds.
Far from feeling unworthy or falling short of the task, he knew they both enjoyed this part of the game as much as the rest.
"Here we are again, mortal." Her eyes fluttered with the pleasure of slowly riding his cock. "You’re entirely at my mercy."
Though exhausted and enthralled, Alex could still muster a grin. "If you’re gonna do the hot demon mistress thing, you ought’a look the part."
"You know I like to take requests." Another grind of her hips made him blink. His eyes opened to red skin accented by predatory dark stripes, broad crimson wings spread wide over the bed, curving horns, and wicked eyes. The demon’s tail caressed his cheek. Her unnatural features left her no less beautiful—at least to the sight of someone who had nothing to fear. "Better?"
"I like all your looks."
"Wise answer."
"It’s the truth."
"You’re mine," she said.
"Yeah."
"You love it." She continued the slow ride, drawing soft gasps and groans from his throat and enhancing her power. "You love me."
"Fuck yeah," Alex answered.
Her lips spread with a triumphant smile. "Do you trust me?"
"With my life." He glanced down at the taloned fingers tracing his chest, and beyond them, her naked sex endlessly claiming his. "Obviously."
A crooked curve came into her grin. "What of your spring break? Is it mine?"
"I already promised," he breathed. He’d made sure friends knew he would be unavailable for anything short of emergencies. Alex didn’t know her plans. He more than half-hoped it would be an uninterrupted week of exactly this. "Yes."
"And your desires?" she asked. "Will you trust me with more?"
Surprise kept him from answering rather than any inhibition. This seemed long settled. Lorelei knew his desires like no one else, often before he could even articulate them himself. She used that bond without restraint. Playful and haughty dominance aside, she didn’t need to ask. "Like what?"
The drawer of the nightstand slid open. Lorelei pulled out the remote for the television with her tail. "How much reach does that have?" Alex blinked, but she rolled off him rather than answering. A small measure of his strength returned as she disengaged. He might even be able to stagger around their home if needed.
As if to ward off disappointment, Lorelei kept her naked body against his side. The demoness image vanished, returning her to her "ordinary" beauty. She tugged a pillow under his head to prop him up toward the flatscreen television mounted on the opposite wall.
"This is indulgent," said Alex.
"Indulgence is exactly what I have in mind." She passed the remote from her tail to her hand. "This took effort to set up. Don’t mock my technical skills if it doesn’t work."
"When do I ever mock?"
Her tongue flicked his ear with affection. "Never."
The screen winked on, presenting a sandy beach and palm trees under blue skies. Low waves rolled in softly as the camera panned over the landscape. A shirtless man and a woman in a daring bikini strolled hand in hand. The sway of her hips distracted Alex from the cursive title font over their heads until it faded out again.
He wasn’t the only one with a minor distraction. "Damn. I’ve lost the sound," said Lorelei.
"Want to hit pause and I’ll try to fix it?" he offered.
"The voiceover won’t tell you what matters most, anyway." The remote fell from her hand, which returned to intimately roaming his body. "This is a resort in Mexico. A highly exclusive resort…the kind that doesn’t publicly advertise."
Her kiss ran up his neck as he saw the phrases "by reservation" and "adults only" briefly pass by at the bottom of the screen. The video showed off private cabins, restaurants, and a nightclub. Beautiful people abounded, sometimes dressed to impress but often wearing only the bare minimum.
"I knew you’d like the models," said Lorelei.
"Now who’s mocking?"
"Not mocking. Encouraging."
The video encouraged his gaze, too. Shot after shot created a sultry, flirtatious atmosphere. The resort seemed particularly proud of its hot tubs and pools. It also seemed expensive. Clearly Lorelei had that handled. Alex wondered what that said about the other guests—and how well he would fit in with the kind of crowd who would vacation here. Even high-priced resorts and hotels out of his reach still had commercials. "What kind of resort doesn’t advertise?"
"The kind that provides discretion and privacy for the best reasons," said Lorelei. "This is a playground for the promiscuous. Some resorts naturally develop an atmosphere for hook-ups and flings. This one has carefully cultivated that environment." Alex could feel her smile against his ear, equally reassuring and tempting. "There are rules to keep everyone safe. The guest list is curated to weed out abusers…and everyone knows why they came."
If his body didn’t shudder, his emotions did. She lay draped against him, pouring a new kind of foreplay into his ear. "You and I could have a great deal of fun there."
"It’s a swinger’s resort?" His lips bent in a skeptical direction.
"That may not conjure the right tone." Amusement danced in her voice. "Still, it may be an accurate descriptor for at least some of what goes on there. I’m interested in sharing whatever fun we find together."
"I thought spring break would be just the three of us. As much as Rachel could manage, anyway."
"It can be. We wanted to get away somewhere with some sun. If this isn’t comfortable for you, we can hide away here and stretch tonight’s fun out over days and nights without a break. I would love that, too." Lorelei turned off the screen and tossed the remote aside. "We may go there and find we have eyes for only one another. That would be wonderful. But I can feel you imagining other sorts of fun. Why not explore?"
"Does Rachel know about this already?"
Her smile spread wide. "What were her exact words? ‘If he talks himself out of a whole week in Bonetown with some bullshit respectability garbage, I’ll push his ass onto the fucking plane.’ Also something about being the sort of tramp you want to see in the world."
"That sounds like her," said Alex.
"I can tell you like this more the longer you think about it, too," said Lorelei.
"Well, if it’s angel-approved, y’know?"
Light spread across the walls and ceiling, soft and pale and comforting. "Why don’t you ask her yourself?" Lorelei turned to greet the newcomer walking through the balcony window.
Rachel’s wings folded in close as soon as her feet were on the carpet. Her halo dimmed to align with the mood in the room. "Late to the party again, huh?" she asked, looking over her two utterly naked lovers.
"Never," said Lorelei. The demon’s tail lashed out of nowhere to hook around Rachel’s waist and pull her to the bed. In the blink of an eye, Lorelei had the angel on her knees and in her arms. "You’ve found me at the height of my powers."
After planting a fierce kiss on her lover’s mouth, Lorelei practically flung Rachel onto her back beside Alex. Her touch brought all its familiar effects: doubts and worries melted away, as did his fatigue. He slid one arm around her and kissed her neck. "Hey, you," he greeted.
Rachel leaned into his lips. Her legs spread as Lorelei slid in between them, stroking her inner thigh. Alex moved his hand up her chest, gently caressing one breast. "Aw man, right for the erogenous zones," she gasped.
"And not a single note of complaint," said Lorelei.
"Nu-uh," she admitted.
"I don’t feel any rejection, either," murmured Alex.
Her panting breath gave all the right cues, but: "I feel guilty jumping into a quickie."
"We don’t," Alex said against her neck.
"Never," Lorelei breathed along her skin.
"Uh…Alex…where’s your phone?"
That made him pause. "Why?"
"Think you’re gonna get a call you should answer." Rachel groaned with as much apology as disappointment when Lorelei’s mouth pulled back from its journey up her leg. Alex withdrew, too. Rachel bit her lip. "So…funny thing happened to me on the job tonight."
Lorelei sat upright. "What is it?"
Rachel covered her face with her hands. "Could’ve come home to get eaten out and fucked senseless, but no," she grumbled. "Now I get to explain all this."
"Then maybe you could move to the explanation?" suggested Alex.
"There’s a guy. Hernando. He’s a guardian angel like me, right? He came to me tonight and said, ‘Hey, I’ve got someone who needs to know how to get ahold of your guy,’ and I’m like, ‘Who?’ and he says, ‘Bethany,’ and I say, ‘Why’s Bethany gotta know?’ and he says, ‘Because Greta asked,’ and I’m like, ‘Greta with the mole?’ and he says, ‘Yeah,’ and I asked ‘Why?’ and he says, ‘Pierre asked her,’ and—"
"We can’t skip through this?" asked Lorelei.
"It’s not a fuckin’ confession unless it’s the whole stupid truth, right?" Rachel fumed.
"These are all other guardian angels?" asked Alex. "That’s about all you talk to, right?"
"Yeah. So it—fine. It goes through four more names. All angels. That’s part of the problem, because it’s all angels and they aren’t supposed to talk directly to mortals. Everybody gets their undies twisted up their assholes about it and then there’s a fuckin’ inquest about why and who and ‘man is not meant to know’ bullshit. So I’m already thinking, ‘What a pain in the ass! How is this supposed to even work?’ and then I’m like, ‘Wait, it’s the 21st Century, I can just…’ um…" she winced.
"You gave my cell phone number to a bunch of guardian angels?" asked Alex.
Rachel winced further. "Yeah."
"Rachel," said Lorelei. "Who wants to contact him?"
The phone on the nightstand buzzed. The screen said nothing of the caller’s identity. He answered with a guarded frown: "Hello?"
"Hello, is this Alex?" asked a woman’s impossibly positive voice. "I’m Wanda, calling from the Blessed Church of Immaculate Virtue, and I wanted to let you know we’re praying for your delivery into salvation from sin and vice. No soul is too tainted, Alex. Not through the miracle of faith and repentance."
Rachel and Lorelei were close enough to hear Wanda’s chipper tone. "Okay, that’s not the call I’m talking about," said the angel.
"Our flock received word of your struggles with sins of the flesh," Wanda continued. "We want you to know we’re here for you and—"
Alex pulled the phone away to check the screen. "It is goddamn one in the morning!"
"Don’t blaspheme," Rachel whispered on reflex. Then she caught Lorelei’s scowl. "It’s my fuckin’ job, okay?"
"Every hour could be the hour of your rebirth!" Wanda declared.
"Where are you calling from?" he asked.
"We’re right outside of Missoula, Montana, Alex. We’re right here for you."
His jaw dropped. "Somebody told you I’m full of sin in Montana?"
"Someone who really cares about you! Someone named—"
"Jesus," Alex killed the call. He stared at his phone. "What the hell."
"Hell’s pranks are usually less inane," Lorelei remarked.
"You gave my cell phone number to a bunch of guardian angels," he repeated.
"Are you mad?" asked Rachel.
"No. No, that’s totally normal. I see no way this can go badly," said Alex.
"That sounds like sarcasm."
"It is."
"Shit," Rachel grunted. "I’m sorry. I didn’t know how else to handle it. Look, at the end of this chain of bullshit is—"
His phone buzzed again. Once more, he saw no caller name, though the phone identified the number from Cyprus. He looked to Rachel, who only nodded. "Why not make it a surprise?" she grumbled, waving him on.
