|
The Others
|
|
|
|
Q Pidd
“EEE!” Sally glanced over Daniel’s shoulder to see the group of girls huddled around the events billboard in the “I can’t believe he’s coming to do a concert here on campus?!?!” another squealed. "He’s so handsome...” “…And built like a god…” “We’re definitely
getting tickets!!” he girls all squealed again as they walked away jabbering excitedly amongst themselves. Sally rolled her eyes, “You’d think there weren’t any good-looking guys on this campus by the way
they behave.” Daniel smirked at her over the last bit of his sandwich. “Are you
including me?” She smiled coyly. “Maybe.” “Can you tell who it is from over here?” he asked with a cocked eyebrow before taking a bite of his lunch. As she sipped through her straw she squinted trying to get a clear vision of the large letters scrawled across the
flyer through the gang of people. “I think it says 'Q' … something.” “Must be 'Q-Pidd',” Daniel suggested. “I’ve never heard of them before,” she shook her head and shrugged slightly; it didn’t matter
to her. “Peter had a CD of his, I think. I saw the album cover when we were
packing. He's a rapper, and pretty new too; the album hasn’t been out for
more than three months, and it’s already gone platinum.” Sally watched him a bit shocked. “I didn’t know you knew so
much about rap music.” He smiled again. “I don’t; that’s what Peter told me. He offered to let me listen to it, but you know I don’t care for that genre.” “Good, for a moment I was starting to think I didn’t know you at all.” “You’re the person who knows me best of all.” The Union
cafeteria wasn’t the most romantic dining room but his thoughts slid to the evening they had been planning for later
in the week. He reached over and placed his hand on hers. “Are we still on for Friday night?” “A movie at 5:30, dinner at 8 and dancing ‘til dawn?” She asked innocently and seductively at the
same time, her voice lowering to a whisper as she leaned in closer. “You in your tie, me in a dress, together all
night… I can’t wait.”
The last words were uttered right up against his lips. Daniel readied
himself for a kiss, but as she sat back in her chair and began piling the trash onto her tray his heart sank slightly. “Off to class already?” he asked a hurt tone in his voice. “It’s already 2:20, Daniel.” She pulled on her stocking cap.
“I’ve only got ten minutes to walk three campus block and climb two flights of stairs, after I throw this
away.” She stood, slid into her coat and shouldered her backpack. “Want me to walk with you?” he asked as he too stood and followed her to the trashcans next to the exit. “Don’t you have some research to conduct or something, Mr. Erikson?
Or are you already bored with your thesis?” “I just like spending time with you, and I won’t be home until after 11 tonight; the experiment I’m
running this afternoon is going to take a while and measurements have to be taken every ten minutes….” The kiss
on his cheek brought his attention back to her; they were already standing outside the “Well, come say goodnight to me when you get home, okay?” she smiled encouragingly. He nodded as she walked off. “EEEEEE!!!” Daniel winced at the shrill beside him coming from a group of girls. “I can’t believe Q-Pidd is coming to - - - - - - - - The temperature outside hovered
in the lower twenties, not counting the wind-chill factor of the bitter gusts that swept across the refuge. Snow gathered in drifts along the walls and fences of the enclosures and icicles hung thickly along the
overhangs and tree branches. In stark contrast, the temperature inside the barn
was closer to the lower eighties. Everyone who entered the barn quickly shed
their heavy layers to avoid overheating, even if they only intended to stay a few minutes. The monthly shipment of hay had arrived, a huge truck load that took two people several hours to unload. The two lucky people who had to tackle this task were Steve
and Tonya. They had shed their coats upon entering, but over the course of the
next hour, both had continued to shed layers. The discarded clothing hang neatly
along the wall where it was out of the way, but readily available if they needed it.
Despite the fact they had stripped to their jeans and cracked open the door, both were still sweating as they worked. Tonya was perched on top of the load tossing the bales to Steve, who carried them
to their resting places. The radio was set to their favorite country station,
easing their discomfort, if only slightly. The upper loft slowly filled, then
the middle level was restocked as the truck's load finally showed signs of diminishing.
Steve paused to take a long drink from the water bottle, then tossed it up to Tonya who took a moment to quench her
thirst. She tossed it back to Steve and they resumed their task. "Five left," Tonya said as Steve sat his bale down. “‘Bout time," he replied wiping his glove across his forehead. "I
was beginning to think Charlene ordered the never-ending truck load." Tonya nodded to show her agreement and picked up another bale. “After
this I’m going to…” she trailed off looking up at the speaker as the radio suddenly went to static. A second later, the sound of music once again filled the barn, but it definitely wasn’t
country. A disgusted look crossed both their faces as the stabbing beat and harsh words of the rap song assaulted their ears. The door opened and they turned to glare at the intruder. “Ah, that’s so much better,” Mark said trying to look innocent.
“Don’t you agree?” Without waiting for a reply, he darted
out the door, hoping that he could make it to his car before they came after him. He
knew he would be safe for the rest of the day if he made it out of the park now. But tomorrow it would be no suprise
if he called in sick. “Let’s finish up so we can go toss him a snow bank,” Steve suggested.
“If we hurry, we won’t have to listen to this crap for long.” “Agreed,” Tonya said. The bales flew out of the truck as fast as they could move them. Steve
tucked the last one into its place in the stack, breathing heavily. He turned
to see Tonya standing on the tailgate, panting as she picked hay from her braid. Her
gloves lay next to her, and Steve removed his and put them with hers. Knowing
how accident-prone she was and being a gentleman, Steve raised his arms to help her down.
His hands on her waist, she placed her hands on his biceps stepped down, letting him support her “weight”. When her feet touched the floor, she looked up at him to thank him, but the words
caught in her throat. She had never noticed how just handsome he was, and the slight stubble on his chin just added to that fact. His muscles were firm between her fingers and the smell of sweat, hay, and leather was the perfect cologne
for him. A mixture of longing and lust flowed through her and she could tell
by his expression that he felt the same way. Her hands slid up his arm to encircle
his neck as his strong arms wrapped around her. Their eyes slid shut as they
leaned closer to kiss, and Tonya made a small sound of longing deep in her throat. Then as suddenly as the feeling had surrounded them, it was gone and they froze, lips just millimeters from touching. They sprang apart as though burned by the flames of hell itself and stared at each
other in shock for a moment. As one they sprinted for the door and ran outside
into the bitter cold. Neither was willing to get within five feet of the other,
but continued to stare at each as they stood there shivering. Frank pulled up
in one of the parks go-carts and gave then a strange look, debating if he really wanted to know what was going on. “It’s really hot in there,” Steve said through chattering teeth. “Yeah,” Tonya added. “And stuffy. Needed some fresh air.” Figuring it was some type of joke and not really wanting to be a part of it, Frank nodded, and drove off. Tonya looked at Steve again, who was watching her. “It was the heat,”
she said. “Made us a little loopy.” He nodded. “And we were tired from lifting all that hay,”
he added. They headed back into the barn, gathered their clothes, and replaced their extra layers. As the walked back toward their respective parts of the park, they were silent. Just as he was about to leave her at a fork in the path, Steve began laughing. “What?” Tonya asked. “Let’s blame it on Mark and his horrible rap music,” he said.
“It drove us temporarily insane.” He grinned wickedly. “Then we can think of a really good way to pay him back.” “Agreed.” - - - - - - - - - - Daniel stretched back in his chair, flexing his arms behind him; already his studies were becoming harder to concentrate
on. He looked up at the dialog clock on the wall.
Only two more hours before I’m with Sally at the movies. A
small smile graced his lips then he sighed half-heartedly as he realized he couldn’t concentrate on his work any longer,
they’d been planning the date for a while and seemed that this was the only free evening for either of them for the
whole month. He had been anticipating the engagement all day, and found it hard
for anything else to enter his mind. A rap on his door turned his attention back to his small office that he shared with another botany graduate student. “It’s open,” he called as he turned his chair. The door
opened and a small, frail, old man stepped slowly into the room. Dr. Merriam
was a professor emeritus, and was the foremost source on all things botanical. Daniel
grinned respectfully at the skinny old man. His large eyes looked through thick glasses at the young man and a gruff voice that sounded as if it came from someone
three times as large stated, “Do you know anything about African Tulips?” Daniel nodded, “Domesticated and wild, but I’m more familiar with the wild variety. It’s funny actually, I…” “I’ve received a call about an ailing tulip at the Holidome. It
seems a client of theirs is having trouble with the plant and wants me to come look at it.
However, I don’t have time for such things, and was wondering if you could go.” Daniel realized what an honor it was for this man to be asking for him to go in his stead, but his gray eyes darted
quickly to the clock. “Actually, sir…” “I’m sure it will take only a few minutes. The name is Die-tee. I told them you’d be there by 4.”
The old man gave a nod that had every sense of finality in it then turned and made his way slowly back down the hall
from which he’d come. “That only gives me ten minutes to get all the way across town,” he muttered to himself as he saved the
contents of his computer screen, grabbed his coat, turned off the lights and locked his office door. Practically running down the hall, he was thankful that graduate students got parking spaces close to the
buildings and not in the middle of nowhere like when he was an undergraduate. - - - - - - - - - - - It had taken Daniel ten extra minutes to convince the man behind the desk at the hotel that Dietee wanted to
see him. It was as if the man was giving him twenty questions about why he was
there. Finally and reluctantly he called up to the room and asked, he seemed
very apologetic for disturbing Dietee, but failed to even apologize to Daniel for the harassment when the voice on the other
end confirmed the botanist’s motives. Being slightly flustered, Daniel knocked rather loudly when he finally reached “Mr. Dietee, I’m Daniel Erikson, I’m a graduate student in the botanical sciences at the University
of Tequila Heights and I was sent over…” “Come in,” the large man said as he stepped out of the doorframe. “I thought Dr. Merriam was coming?” came a female voice from his left.
Daniel looked over to see a beautiful young woman sitting on the hotel sofa staring out the window. I wish he had, Daniel thought to himself, I should have called Sally before I left the office. But out loud he replied, “He was extremely busy.” The woman stood and stopped
for a moment, eyeing Daniel as if to decide something. Then she turned to the
man, “Jonas, you can go. I’m sure you have some… thing to do.” The big man nodded deeply, almost bowing and gave a hard glance at Daniel before leaving the two alone in the hotel
room. “Daniel, right?” the woman said as he nodded. “I hope
that my time isn’t wasted by the Doctor sending me his understudy.” “Don’t worry, Ms. Dietee, you’ll find that I’m quite competent in this area.” Her face lit up with a sly smile as she let out a little laugh. “I’m
sure you’re capable.” She motioned for him to follow her and led
him into the bathroom. “I keep it in here because I know it’s a tropical
plant and it flourishes in the higher humidity.” “Yes, the bathroom is naturally the most humid room.” He glanced
over the windowsill next to the large tub and his draw dropped. “Tulipa
afrikanas leubha ….” She smiled again. “So I am dealing with someone who knows
what he’s talking about.” Daniel moved the plant onto the small side table next to the tub and sat upon the porcelain ledge. The plant had long stems that formed into heart-shaped leaves, which where a deep lustful red on top and
dark purple beneath. The tulips themselves were a bright, gorgeous red that no
crayon could compare to. “These are so rare, they were thought to be extinct until the late 1980s.
And in red, that’s the rarest: look at that color! How….” “This particular plant is an offspring of a bunch that has been in my family for many generations. My maternal linage stems from Mid Africa. They grew wild in
my great grandmother’s yard...” - - - - - - It wasn’t like Daniel to be late without calling, especially on a special night like tonight that they had been
planning for weeks. Sally didn’t know whether to be worried or angry. He
had been just as anxious to spend time together alone as she had when she had last seen him. Sally glanced at herself once more in the long mirror near her closet. I
look so cute in this dress too, and he’s going to miss it. Her mind
tried to imagine the loving look Daniel’s eyes would convey at the sight. She
shook head to herself and pulled out the accessories that held her hair in place, letting it fall over her shoulders. Coming out of the bathroom in her warm flannel pajamas, Sally headed for her bed.
It was after ten and the stubbornness in her wanted to be asleep when Daniel came home with some lame excuse for standing
her up. But what if he’s hurt? a small voice asked. She pushed it aside. It’s so late, he would have
called, it came again. Daniel’s a responsible man and he loves you;
he would have called. Sally was convinced and, filled with worry, she turned to ask Techno to turn on Daniel’s tracker. As she reached for the doorknob, it turned on its own and opened; she found herself face to face with Daniel. He looked slightly disheveled, but he was grinning softly at her. Her first thought was relief was that he was okay, “Daniel…” With his lips pursed in a quiet whisper he gently brushed his thumb across her lips as his hand touched her face. He moved in suddenly and pressed his lips to where his thumb had been. The abruptness of the kiss sent a spark of anger through her that he had the nerve to make a move on her after making
her so worried. She pushed him away. “Where have you been?” she asked sternly. “Do you know
what time it is?” His face remained calm and loving. He sighed gently, “Sally, I’ve
been thinking of you all night…” “Then why didn’t you call and tell me where you were? I was worried.” His hands reached for her again. “I just want to touch you…
be with you… hold your hand…” “I don’t think so.” She walked away from him. “Now
that the worry is gone, anger has taken its place.” But with her back turned, he had only gotten closer to her. “Sally,”
he whispered over her shoulder into her ear. His hands slid around her waist. The warm breath kissed her ear and her resolve began to melt as she leaned back
into his chest. A tender hand brushed the blonde hair away from her neck. “Where were you?” she asked in a sad voice as he nuzzled against her.
He began to plant kisses on her neck and shoulder. The attention he was
giving her made her feel like giving up and giving in, but it was the principle of the thing.
“Daniel, tell me where you were,” she stated bluntly as she turned to face him. But when she did so, he
caught her face is his hands and gave her a hungry kiss filled with a climax of passion.
His arms enfolded her then his hands began to roam to uncharted horizons. “Daniel!” she shouted as she pushed him away and before she knew it she had slapped him sternly across
the face. Bewildered he staggered backward out into the hallway. “I don’t know what you think gives you the right… but you’d better just
spend the rest of the night in your own room.” And she slammed the door
shut. Daniel stood in the hallway with a perplexed look on his face as Alec came down the hall in his uniform. “Nice try, Romeo. But if I’d missed a special
date, I don’t think I would have ever made a pass until I apologized, even if I wasn’t guilty.” He looked at Daniel for a moment. “You’d
better get to bed, it’s late and you look beat.” Daniel looked at his watch. "It's eleven?" - - - - - - - - - - Daniel made his way to his room, rechecking every clock he passed. Where has the time gone? I could have sworn it was 5:30 at the latest. Somehow five and a half hours
had gone by and he had no recollection of where he had been or what he had been doing.
He lay down on his bed and tried to think back: he had been in his office as minutes ticked by as he anticipated what
should have happened tonight… Dr. Merriam came in and sent him to the hotel
to look at the African Tulips… he had a conversation with the woman… then Sally flooded his mind… there
were a lot of intense feelings, emotions, sensations and… She slapped me?
He rubbed his burning cheek. What a
great welcome home that was. He stopped. He didn’t remember coming
home: leaving the hotel, driving home, opening the door, or climbing the stars to her room. Puzzled and slightly worried he got ready for bed.
Looking at himself in the mirror, he realized how untidy he was. His hair
was standing up in places, half his shirt was untucked and his collar wasn’t straight.
It was if he’d just gotten out of bed. But if I’d fallen
asleep, why am I so tired? - - - - - - - - The next morning Daniel paced in the cold garden knowing he should try to explain to Sally what had happened, why he
missed the evening they had spent so much energy and patience planning. But it
seemed however he phrased the words they didn’t sound right. “I’m really sorry about last night,” he practiced aloud. “Dr.
Merriam sent me to the hotel. And there was this beautiful woman…”
he cringed. “Young woman,” he shook his head and corrected himself
again, “a lady with a plant.” “Rhetoric is everything in story telling,” Daniel jumped at the voice and turned to see Sally looking at
him with an accusing eyebrow raised. “Isn’t it?” “Sally,” he replied in a cautious and warning tone. “Just
let me finish.” “Finish practicing your watered down tale of adventure?” The hurt side of her cried out in a dying voice
I could have been your greatest adventure. She set her jaw. “It wasn’t like
that at all, Sally.” Daniel said sternly. “I went to the hotel to
help this lady with her rare plant.” “Beautiful woman,” she corrected him scornfully. Daniel rolled his eyes. “If you already know what happened,” he shot at her, “there
will be no changing your mind. Think what you want. But I can’t even remember what happened last night. I
was talking to his lady, but all I could think about was you. You just filled
my mind, there was noting else. And the next thing I know, I’m getting
your door slammed on my nose and the left side of my face is on fire.” He
lowered his eyes to the ground and sighed. “I’m sorry I hit
you so hard,” she apologized softly. “Are you okay?” She stepped
closer to him. “No, not really,” he said in a harsh voice. He sat down on
a nearby bench and ran his fingers through his hair as he spoke quietly. “There
are almost five hours I can’t account for. All I remember about that time
is you.” He let out a deep sigh. “But apparently you weren’t there.” Realizing how worried he was, Sally sat down next to him and put a hand on his arm.
“I’m here now. What kind of memories do you have of
us last night? What was it that we did?” “It’s not like that at all. It’s like… feelings,
emotions, passions just enveloping me...” He closed his eyes; just thinking about them now stirred something within
him. “Well, you were in a very friendly mood last night.” Daniel’s eyes shot to Sally as he tensed. “I didn’t
do anything… regretful…” “You got your penance,” she lightly brushed his left cheek. His hand came up to hold hers. “I love you so much, Angel. And the things I experienced last night only implanted that love larger and deeper
into my heart. I was planning on giving you this…” he reached into
his coat pocket and produced a small square box. “…last night.” Sally knew what it was, and immediately her eyes turned away, focusing on his knee.
There was a moment of silence. “Sally, Angel,” Daniel said softly, “Please say ‘yes’.” “Daniel,” she looked him in the eye as her vision began to blur.
“It’s not that I don’t want to…” “Then do…” he pleaded. “Sally, Angel, I love you
and I know you love me too.” Sally closed her eyes tightly and said nothing. He
took hold of her hand and began quietly. “I want to be with you forever. I want to be your husband. I want to
raise a family with you. I want us to do all the things we said we’d do
together. Sally,” he guided her gaze to his. “What’s wrong with that? Tell me which parts you don’t like. Tell me what’s in your heart.” “Doubt,” she said honestly. “Fear, worry, anger, frustration.” “Love?” he asked hopefully. “Daniel, this isn’t just about love.” She guiltily watched his spirit sink. There was a moment of silence where they both stared into the frost-covered foliage around them. Then he murmured, “If your answer isn’t ‘yes’ now, don’t say anything at
all, okay.” He stood up. “Just
know that it’s hanging there for you to take a hold of whenever the time is right for you.” - - - - - - - - The weekend seemed to drag by as Sally avoided Daniel and everyone wondered what had happened. Tonya being the curious cat she is, decided to know what it was that was causing the two to be at odds
with each other. Upon asking Sally in a polite and non-insinuating way and getting a gruff ‘I don’t want to talk about it’,
she decided Daniel would be easier to open up. “So,” Tonya stated at the lunch table on Monday while only her, Zarbon, JED, Dee and Daniel were sitting
eating quietly. “What’s the story about the silence between you and
Sally?” “I asked her to marry me,” he stated blandly. Everyone at
the table froze, except for JED who shrieked with happiness. “So what’s the sulking for, marriage is a happy occasion,” stated Zarbon. “She didn’t exactly say ‘yes’,” Daniel stated, then suddenly feeling hungry no longer,
he sat back in his chair. “Maybe you should have waited a few more weeks and proposed on Valentine’s Day,” said JED. “That’s always romantic.” “Why would she say ‘no’?” asked Tonya, more to herself, but out loud. “She didn’t say ‘no’, either,” Daniel said quietly. “She’s undecided?!” blurt out “I don’t know,” Daniel said. “She won’t
tell me.” - - - -
- - - - - Sally was walking across campus when she noticed she was headed toward a group of people walking towards her. At any other time she wouldn’t have taken much interest, but it wasn’t
during the between class period when the students rushed to their next class and it wasn’t a group of visiting seniors
(the tell-tale purple information folders were missing). The group was about
ten people. The seven around the perimeter were large and intimidating men like
bodyguards while the three in the middle were two pretty women and a handsome man. As they passed each other Sally smiled politely as she always did. The large men didn’t return even a nod, but
the handsome man stopped, resulting in the pause of the whole group. “You have a beautiful smile,” he said, showing his own charming smile amid the warm breath that materialized
in the cold air. “What’s your name?” Although she was compelled to use an alias with these strangers, the man seemed honest.
“Sally,” she replied. One of the women’s widened her eyes. “That is not a very common
name. Do you know a botany professor named Daniel?” she asked excitedly. Sally eyed the woman, who was quite pretty and wondered if she was the ‘beautiful woman’ with the plant. “Yes,” and then she added out of spite, “He’s my boyfriend.” “Ah,” she gasped happily. “See how small the world seems
already?” she told the man. “Love links everyone.” She turned back to the blonde as Sally wondered how 'love' was the link between this woman and
Daniel. “Please tell him again how gracious I am for his services. He is very good at what he does.” “Yeah,” she half-snickered sarcastically, “I’ll do that.” “I’ve just realized,” the man said. “That we haven’t introduced ourselves.” The large men looked at him out of the corner of their eyes. “My friends call
me Q. And this lovely woman is Venus.”
She smiled happily as he touched her shoulder. “We are having a
group of students over for a party on Friday evening at ten. You and Daniel should
come. In fact, bring a group of friends if you want.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a key. As he handed
it to her he said, “This is the only ticket you’ll need. And you
can only get in if someone in the party has a key. See you there.” He winked playfully before they left. Sally made a face of puzzlement and doubt. The key seemed to be an ordinary
door key. The red key chain attached was shaped like a heart and had the address
written on one side and a golden ‘Q’ imbedded on the other. What kind
of people just invite random students to a party? - - - - - - - “So?” JED asked after Sally told the girls what had happened. “‘So’ what?” she replied testily. “Are you going to invite us to come along with you?” she asked excitedly. “I’m not going,” she stated and dropped the key in JED’s hand.
“You and Sebastian can go if you want.” - - - - - - - - -
- Zarbon tried to find some music with a good beat on the radio while Tonya stretched and warmed up for their sparring
session. The sound of static was intermittingly broken by a bit of music or a
snippet of conversation, but nothing seemed to be quite right. "This is why you should just let me make a CD," Tonya said. "Then you
wouldn't have to try and find something on the radio." "There's a new station I want to try," he replied. The sounds of rap suddenly
filled the room. "Ah-hah! There
it is!" Tonya grimaced and made a gagging noise. "I can feel my brain liquefying,"
she whined. "Can't we listen to something else?" Zarbon shook his head and adjusted the volume. "You're not supposed to
be listening to it, in the first place. You're supposed to use the beat as a
guide and move accordingly," he replied. "Then you should let me make a CD without the lyrics," she groused. "I
hate rap!" Zarbon didn't reply, but walked towards her with a smile. She glared at
him, and then dodged the first blow of the match. The point of this session was
to work on control of your movements during a fight. The smoother they were,
the harder they were to track and it was easier on the muscles involved as well. They
struck, retreated, and dodged in time with the beat, with Tonya making the occasional face as she heard a line she particularly
couldn't stand. He hooked a leg behind hers intending to knock her off her feet. At the
same time she grabbed his braid and got a good hold on his neck. The result:
both ended up on the floor, Zarbon on top of Tonya, both looking a little surprised.
They just looked at each other, both trying to keep a straight face until the other one gave up first. The radio, forgotten, continued playing in the background, one song leading into the next. Something in her mind seemed to shift, and Tonya forgot what she had thought been so funny only a moment before. Her heart started to beat faster as she looked up at him, and she swallowed hard. Zarbon was very handsome; a simple fact that she knew full well. But now it struck her with renewed force and she almost forgot to breathe.
Desire laced through her and she desperately wanted to feel his hands on her body, his lips on hers. Zarbon gazed down at her, his mind running down the same track as Tonya's, but some tiny part of him was trying to
hold back. Then she shifted beneath him, looking up at him with half lidded eyes
and wetting her lips, and he gave in to the feeling. He captured her lips with
his and heard her whimper in pleasure. Her hands slid down his back and under his shirt as his lips left hers to feast on her throat. She pulled his shirt up, tugging at it a little in her attempt to remove it. With a grin, he sat up just long enough to pull it off and toss it across the room, then returned to her
hungry embrace. One hand cupped her breast as the other slid down to settle just
above the base of her tail. She arched against him with a moan, her arms trying
to pull him even closer. Her tail wound low around his hips, sneaking between
their bodies to caress him intimately. He groaned low in his throat at the sensation, and his hand slipped lower to stroke the base of her tail. Her grip tightened as she gasped, and her tail increased the pressure on his groin. Suddenly, she flipped their positions, and looking down at him with lust filled eyes, sent her shirt to
join his. With a grin, he sat up and buried his face in her bosom, and her hands
cradled his head, holding him there as she panted and whimpered in pleasure. The
hand that had been playing with her tail came up to support her back while the other slid beneath the fabric of her shorts
to pay even closer attention to the base of the furry appendage. So lost in the sensations she was feeling, Tonya didn’t care who walked in on them now, she was so close… Her tail moved away from his groin and he started to moan at the lost sensation, but
the protest was cut short as she began to grind her hips against his. Craving
more skin-to-skin contact, Zarbon slid his fingers under her bra, intending to remove it as his other hand started to pull
down her shorts. Before he could blink, he was flat on his back and alone. He stared up at the ceiling for a moment, then slowly sat up and looked around.
For a moment, he thought that maybe it had just been a dream or a hallucination, but the crumpled shirts half a room
away protested against that theory. Closing his eyes, he took several deep breaths
to calm his racing heart and regain control over his body. This only took a moment,
then he turned off the radio, and picked up the shirts. Putting his back on,
he headed up the stairs to find his missing angel though he had no idea what he would say to her. He walked through the kitchen, glancing outside at the falling snow. Glimpsing
something or someone outside, he paused then walked towards the door. Realizing
it was Tonya, he looked at the thermometer, then headed outside. * * * * * * * What is
wrong with me! Tonya wondered as the snowflakes landed on her bare shoulders. She
wrapped her arms tighter around her and shivered. First, Steve and now Zarbon…Not
that it was terrible that it was happening with Zarbon, she mused. It’s
just that I never thought that was the way it would happen. But nothing serious had happened, other than groping and fondling. They
had almost gone to the next step, but suddenly she had panicked. It makes
no sense! She sighed in frustration, squeezing her eyes shut. One minute, all I can think about is sex, the next I’m all ‘AHHH! RUN AWAY!’ Her body was still humming from the experience and part of her wished she could go back and finish what they’d
started. But I’m not ready, she admitted to herself. Her mind whirled as her thoughts darted this way and that, and she felt tears of frustrated anger lurking
beneath her lids. Her tail expressed her mental state as plainly as if she was
speaking her thoughts. It twitched, lashed, and fidgeted as her thoughts ran
to and fro. She heard the kitchen door open and the footsteps of someone walking towards her.
They paused about five feet away, and she could tell he was hesitating. He
shortened the space between them and she turned to face him, eyes bright as the traitorous tears began to fall. His face fell as he saw them, worry, pain, and regret clearly displayed in his golden eyes. “Tonya,” he started. She closed the distance between them more, almost throwing herself into his arms.
He wrapped her in his arms and began to apologize, tripping over his words in his effort to get them out. Tonya covered his mouth with her hand and shook her head, and he stared at her with wide amber eyes. “It’s not your fault,” she said softly. “Lately,
I’ve just been a little…” she looked away as she remembered the scene in the hay barn. “A little… I don’t know what,” she confessed, “But it’s not your fault.” For a moment she debated about telling him about the incident with Steve, but nothing
had happened so she decided he didn’t need to know. Besides, it grossed
her out to even think about that. “Maybe it’s the stress,”
she said quietly. “Maybe when you’re a pervert and you’re really
stressed, you go crazy in a sexual manner.” “Maybe,” Zarbon agreed. He didn’t really believe that,
but it seemed to make her feel better so he just let it go. “Let’s
go back inside before you freeze,” he said gently leading her towards the house. Just as they reached the door Tonya turned to face him with a glare. He
blinked and wondered if this was a delayed reaction. “I was just thinking
about it again,” she said, crossing her arms. “Maybe it was the rap
music.” Zarbon raised an eyebrow.
“Maybe it really does mess with your brain and drive you insane. I
don’t think we should listen to it anymore. Something bad might happen
next time.” She opened the door and stepped inside. “You just don’t like rap,” he said with a laugh following her. Tonya snorted and glared at him again. “I Hate Rap!” - - - - - - - - - - - The next day Tonya, Sally, and Dee were walking across campus when someone brought up the topic of Sally’s lovelife. “I think you two just need to be locked up in a closet and get all the tension out with hot unbridled sex,”
“I don’t think that’s going to help,” Sally replied.
“It may work for you and T…” “Oh,” “Guys!” Tonya yelled. “Cover your ears!” The two girls did, doubtfully, what they were told and stood with their ears covered until a pimped-out low rider came
thudding by and passed pulsively out of sight. Tonya sighed as she lowered her gloved hands, and the others just looked at her perplexed. “The verdict is in, Tonya,” “For the last week, every time I’ve heard rap music, weird things have happened,” she explained. “Like what?” Sally asked. Tonya blushed and the other two girls glanced at each other. “I
got really turned on,” she said quietly. “Maybe,” “Since when do you listen to rap music?” asked Sally. “Well, Zarbon and I…” “That explains it,” her two friends chorused. - - - - - - - - - - - - Taking a break from her homework, Sally walked through the mansion to find a reference book in the library. Making her way to the section where the encyclopedia was located she searched the spines for ‘L’. Reaching for it she heard a noise behind her, and as she turned and grabbed the book,
she approached from the back of the couch with caution. I wonder: who fell
asleep on the couch? But as soon as the occupants were in view she had wished she had never heard anything.
Her eyes grew wide as they looked upon the bare flesh of two intertwined torsos.
In a sudden rush, - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Sally put
down her pencil once more. Her thoughts kept turning to Daniel, but something was keeping her from the happiness she
knew they could share. Why are
you making this so difficult for me? Sally asked herself. I love him
and he loves me, why are you filling me with doubt and guilt like loving him is such a bad thing? I’m
just making sure you see all the sides, Val explained. Love is not all kissing
and cuddling, you know. Sally sighed in frustration, I know that! Daniel and I have had a lot of fights and we’ve always been able
to work through them. Even true love isn’t easy. Just because you ran at the first sign of trouble… I did not! Then why’d you leave him? Laerd loved you like Daniel loves me,
I felt it, I remember it as my own. And you loved him too. Aren’t I supposed to be learning from the mistakes you’ve made, not repeating what you did? There are
innumerable similarities between our situations, and I understand I cannot make the decision for you… But you
can down-right interfere? She stood and walked to the window. Val continued, However, I can give my opinion and experience in order to let you see
the clear picture so you may be informed in your decision-making. Sally glared inwardly at the pirate. All you’ve given me so far
is fear and doubt. Valkyrie ignored her. I knew from my background
that no matter where I went, even in the wild of the She rolled
her eyes. So you think my past is like yours? I’ll be hunted down for the wickedness I’ve done? Val sighed, You lead the life of a hero, and hero means to sacrifice yourself for others. The life of a hero is not an ordinary one. And
in the end it will be sacrificed. I’ve
had a vision of my future, she thought back to the vision of having her first child, and we were happy. Val was silent
for a moment. Then quietly she asked, Did you see his face? - - - - - - - - - - - - Finally Daniel found the strength and took a deep breath before he walked into the large room where Sally practiced
her fencing. Across the room, Sally did a complicated yet quick sidestep and thrust her longsword into the mannequin that was already
full of holes. “Looks like Tonya will have to re-stuff that guy soon,” he stated, alerting her to his presence. She looked surprise to see him. “I didn’t think you’d
come up here. I thought I’d be safe because you wouldn’t want to
discuss things with me holding a sword.” “I thought if I approached you up here,” he admitted, “you would feel safe and unthreatened.” Her lips contorted into a half-smile. “You know me too well.”
She watched her blade shine as she lowered it. “That’s why I don’t understand why you’re turning me down.
I dreamed those dreams with you. You can’t tell me you don’t
want those things.” “I do want them. You, a family, a life beyond what I’m meant
to be… but those are ordinary things…” “What’s wrong with ordinary things?” he asked puzzled, not sure what she meant by ‘ordinary’. “We’re not ordinary people, Daniel. We’re heroes, and
heroes are eventually overcome by self-sacrifice. They never lead normal lives.” Daniel looked at her, afraid of what she was about to say. “That won’t happen to me,” she said determinedly, “everything I want taken away from me, if
I give it up willfully.” Daniel watched her for a moment. Then something deep inside him bubbled
up and he stated quietly yet hatefully, “I thought you were suppose to learn from the mistakes you made, not make them
again.” He turned and left. Sally
thought for a moment. Could I be making that same mistake? Being afraid to be happy if only for a moment so I won’t feel the ache and sadness as deep? You make me out to be a coward, Val protested. Perhaps you are. You said you were afraid of the way he made you feel,
the uncontrollable emotions… Perhaps I am so afraid of loosing this control that I am willing to sacrifice the cause
of it. But why should I be afraid? Because
you will no longer be in control. But isn’t that what
love is, a dual control vehicle: I give him a part of me and he in turn gives
part of himself to me? Doesn't that make us stronger? - - - - - - - - - - - - Before they even opened the door they could hear the thumping of the speakers.
I can’t believe they talked me into this, Sally thought. She
had never liked large, loud crowds and she didn’t see how any of this would help her feel better. “Who’s got the key?” The room was as large as a gymnasium and the whole motif was a luscious red with white accents. There was a thick red shag carpet on the floor and red and white loveseats were positioned in sitting areas
around the room. At one end there was a stage where currently a DJ was playing
songs. Glittery streamers hung down from the vast ceiling. The effect was perfectly romantic and set to usher in Valentine’s Day in a few weeks. But to Sally it looked as if Aphrodite had vomited. A couple came toward them. It was the man and woman Sally had spoken to
on campus. “Hello,” said the man. “Sally,” he said eyeing
the blonde then turning his attention to the group, “Whom have you brought with you this evening?” “These are some of my housemates, Dee, Jessica and her husband, Sebastian.”
She motioned to them as she stated their names and they acknowledged their hosts. “Oh, please forgive us,” the man grinned apologetically. “We
haven’t introduced ourselves.” He shook his head. “I am Q Pidd, the world seems to think I have a knack for rapping.” He winked at “Daniel did not come?” the woman asked concerned. “No,” Sally said, then added, “He had to work.” “Pity,” she said. “I wanted to show him how my plant
was thriving.” Yeah,
I bet, the blonde thought. “Well, it is nice that you are all here,” Q Pidd said. “Please
make yourselves at home.” - - - - - - - - - - - - After an hour Sally was ready to leave. Sifting through the crowd, she
sought out one of her party to tell them she was headed home. “JED!” she shouted across a dancing couple. “Hey, Sal,” called her friend. “Did you see Daniel?” The blonde shook her head. “He
was looking for you.” “He’s here?” “Venus took him up to see her plant. You should hear those two go
on about it.” * * * * * * * * “She didn’t give you an answer?” Venus asked shocked. Daniel had somehow managed to tell her about the trouble he was having with Sally. He wasn’t sure why, but she was a sympathetic listener and he had bared his
soul. “No answer is better than a negative one.” He sighed. “Daniel, you can’t put your life on hold waiting for a dream that just won’t happen. As hard as we try, love isn’t easy. Either she loves
you or she doesn’t. And if she can’t decide which, perhaps your love
shouldn’t freely be given either.” “But I lover her with all my soul… It’s... it's greater than destiny.” Venus smiled kindly at him. “I know.
You proved that the last time you were here.” “What do you mean?” he asked, puzzled. “The African Tulip,” she stated playfully. “Last time
you were here, you got too close to the buds and inhaled the perfume.” Daniel looked over at the plant sitting innocently by the dark window. “It’s true, you know, it makes you fall deeper in love. You
started talking about your girlfriend and how wonderfully perfect she is; how she drives you insane with passion, how she
turns you on, how she makes you a better man. You were here for five hours just
rattling on about her.” Daniel watched the woman for a moment, contemplating what she had said. ‘Makes
you fall deeper in love’. Was I not already so full of love for Sally? Had these strong intense feelings only come about because I was exposed to the plant? Can I trust that my feelings are genuine? “That makes things so much
more complicated,” he stated automatically. “No,” she replied as if explaining to a child, “more simple.
There is no doubt in your mind that you love her.” “There is now.” “Nonsense,” she dismissed him. “If you didn’t
love her before, you won’t love her now. That is how the plant works. It merely magnifies feelings that are already there.
This is the gift Q and I will be giving everyone at our party.” She
ended with an excited flare. “What?” he looked up her still in a daze of self-doubt. “I have developed a lipstick from the nectar of this plant. And
tonight, when the crowd hears us sing… we will spread that same kind of love throughout the community.” “Have you done this before?” Daniel looked concerned. “This will be the first time I sing to a crowd using it. But don’t worry,” she rubbed a hand on his
shoulder. “It’s already being broadcast over the airwaves with one
of our singles and it worked on the few test subjects I’ve perfected the formula on, you being one of them. I think Q was a bit jealous of the men that were coming up to my hotel rooms.” Then she added to herself, “I suppose that means he does care a little.” “Well, according you,” Daniel shot at her, “a little emotion is enough to base a whole relationship
on.” “I’d never use it on him,” she said defensively. “But you’d use it on hundreds of college students who are down there right now getting wasted and hitting
on almost every person they see? It’ll be chaos when you start singing. What if someone has feelings that the other person doesn’t have in return?” “I told you before, it only works on love that you already have. Nothing
will go wrong.” She picked up her clutch purse and began walking toward
the door. “I can’t let you do this,” Daniel stepped in front of her. She smiled coyly as a hand darted into her purse and pulled out a lipstick container.
“Love cannot be stopped.” Before Daniel could react, it was
on her lips. “All you have to do is let go… it’s a wonderful
feeling.” - - - - - - - - -
Sally looked up as Venus came down the stairs. She was pressing her lips
together as she put a lipstick container back into her small purse. Quickly Sally
made her way over to her. “Where’s Daniel?” she shouted above
the drumming beat of the party. Venus gave a quick hand motion to mean he was
upstairs in her room, and then continued on as if in a hurry. As Sally rounded the corner to the staircase, Daniel staggered into her, causing her to almost lose her balance. “Sally,” he said in surprise and relief.
He took hold of her and pulled her close, his eyes full of love. She knew immediately he was not himself yet again as his hands tempted her with their touch. She tried to pull away without hurting him, but the love in his embrace spoke to a different part of her
that wanted to stay. How did I pry him off last time? Did it just wear off? You slapped him, came the reply. She pulled back her
arm and muttering, "It's for your own good," let her fist hit his face unchecked. Daniel staggered back blinking wildly in surprise and pain. He worked
his jaw for a moment. “Why’d you do that?” he shot angrily
at her. “Sorry,” she quickly apologized. “But you were acting…
weird… again.” Daniel straitened up, a look of shock on his face as he realized he had been under the influence of Venus’s lipstick. “We have to stop her.” “What?” “Her lipstick; it has an aphrodisiac in it,” he explained. “When
she sings it will cause everyone in this place to have feelings for other people. Like
love isn’t hard enough without wondering if your feelings are genuine.” “Everyone’s going to become a love-zombie like you were?” “But I think there’s a side effect when it is received through electronics.” She looked at him a little skeptically. He sighed, “Sebastian
told me about an incident between a colleague and him: he was overcome with lust, but it faded as soon as a song on the radio
ended. And Zarbon told me about this thing with Tonya... It makes sense now.... Venus
admitted that she had used her lipstick when recording one of their songs. I
think when they sing through the microphones, everyone will go crazy in lust, others will be jealous, and there will be a
riot of such deep emotion that it will be virtually unstoppable.” “Until the music ends…. Can we just unplug the electronics?” “Even without the microphone, she can still spread the symptoms by speaking; the result only magnifies feelings
that you already have, they just won’t be magnified to such an extent as when heightened by amplifiers.” “Then we’ve got to stop her,” she stepped toward him and gave him a quick kiss. “For luck and love,” she said before she began to quickly pick her way through the crowd. “Sally!” he called after her, but the throng was too thick for him to catch up to her. But his attention was soon turned to the stage across the room as Q-Pidd and Venus began to take the stage. The thudding bass quieted for a moment before changing rhythm as Q welcomed all their guests. Daniel bumped into JED. “Where’s Sally?” she asked. “She’s going
to miss the show.” “We have to stop them.” Daniel said but before he could explain the music began to play and the song started. Venus held her microphone to her lips as she began the backup vocals during the chorus. Sally stopped dead in her tracks, surrounded by the dancing throng of the guests, visions of Daniel flooding her mind. But somewhere on the edge of it was a voice pushing Daniel aside. You may not be able to conquer your heart, but I can, Val reminded her. Her objective was clearing
again, yet hazy at the same time. With every note Venus sang, she fought anew the flood of sensual feelings, as she pressed
her way toward the stage. She ran into an UTH student, and for an instant her attention was on him: how cute he was, how hot he was, how she’d
like to grab a piece of his… until Dødmann mentally slapped her out of her daze. She wretched herself out of the man’s embrace and kept forcing her way forwards, as chaos developed among the
dancing crowd. People groped at each other lustfully, hands everywhere, touching,
feeling. Sally was grabbed inappropriately five times, and decked those people
in response of the unwanted attention in Val’s frustration. As the chorus
ended for the third time and the beat changed as a new song began, there was a lull in the heat of the crowd. Sally took the opportunity to untangle herself from a group of people and swim over to the wall. When Venus began singing again and everyone’s attention was back on their love for eachother, she bounded into the air and landed again fifteen
feet closer to her target but barely missing a couple so heavily engaged in kissing, she wondered if either of them could
breathe. ‘O’ is for . . . yeah scream and shout The beat was catchy and it began to take control again. First her foot
tapped, then her body swayed, then a young man she knew from a class two years ago caught her eye. She had always thought he was cute, and he had a pleasant personality, but tonight it was as if her whole life had
been lived to meet him now at this moment. He smiled coyly as they locked eyes. She bit her lip as she stepped closer to him.
Suddenly it was as if someone had stabbed Sally in the heart. She gasped
as she tore her eyes away from her true love of the moment. Her fist clenched
as her jaw set itself. “ENOUGH OF THIS CRAP!” Val yelled out. But no one paid any
attention. She decked the advancing boy and made a final jump onto the stage,
grabbing the microphone from Venus, and throwing it hard onto the stage, shattering it and denting the wood. Venus opened her mouth to scream or protest, but before she could, Val had wrapped her arm around the singer’s
face, wiping her lips on her sleeve. The music stopped suddenly. Q looked over at the two women wrestling beside him, as he pulled his earplugs out.
“What’s going on?” Sally released Venus roughly. “Your girlfriend," she explained, “tried to seduce the entire crowd with
a lipstick that makes sound waves aphrodisiacs.” He looked to Venus for verification. She sniffled before giving a resigned
nod, then explained, “I only wanted to spread love.” “Ah, baby,” he said soothingly, “we do that every day. Our
songs touch millions and pull at their heartstrings without the use of fancy lipstick or induced aphrodisiacs.” He smiled coyly at her and held out his hand.
She placed it tenderly in his. He winked then said softly, “We lead
by example.” A smile began to appear on her troubled face. He nodded his head toward Sally, and Venus reached into her purse, then handed the lipstick to the girl. “That’s my baby,” he said as he gave his partner a tender kiss. * * * * * Sebastian held out a hand and helped Daniel to his feet. “I’m
so sorry, man.” “No, don’t worry about it,” Daniel replied, rubbing his jaw, “I would have done the same thing.” “Done what?” Sally asked as she approached. Sebastian, Daniel, and JED exchanged guilty looks. “Nevermind. I don’t need to know.” She sighed, “Can
we get out of here now?” “I’m ready,” JED and Sebastian said in unison. “This next song,” Q’s voice throbbed on the speakers as a new beat began to play, “Is dedicated
to a special UTH student. May she find the true love that she is searching for.” “I think we should stay for this last song,” Daniel said as he held out his hand toward her. Your eyes, your
lips, your ears, your hair, your toes are cold
when they’re bare Your smile,
your lashes, your fingernails, your optimism that never fails Daniel didn’t take his eyes off her, as if expecting her to say something. Your heels,
your thighs, your left butt cheek, every inch
of you makes me weak “I love you,” Daniel whispered in her ear, enunciating each word. Your neck,
your nose, your knee, your calf, the music
of your cheerful laugh Sally sighed thoughtfully yet in frustration. This is what I love
about you, and I can’t live
my life without you and He pressed his cheek against hers. Your look, your style, your cool,
your calm Habitually, her lips gravitated
to his neck and she planted a small and tender kiss there. Your elbow, shoulder,
bicep, wrist the way your hips
move and twist Her eyes flicked up to the stage where Q stood, looking out across the dance floor right at her. Your cheeks,
breasts, shoulders, and chin, how you play
the same songs over again She closed her eyes and felt Daniel holding her close and something inside of her warmed suddenly, she gasped. Your favorite clothes,
movies, songs your stubbornness
when you’re wrong Daniel looked her in the face, his eyes concerned yet loving as they always were.
She felt as if she could stare at them forever, and not mind being lost in them, for she’d be lost with him. This is what I love about you, and I can’t live my life without you She leaned back into his embrace, where was destined to remain, and whispered in his ear. “Yes!” No, I can not live
without you |
|
|