by Erin R Flynn
“Okay, just checking because, well, I didn’t want to say something stupid later if I thought on it too much.”
“And you have no idea what anything means past what we did,” I muttered, bobbing my head I felt the same and understood the concern. “I have no idea, Bri. You never push me, and right now, this is the most comfortable and comforted I’ve felt in a while, so I really don’t know. Can we just be like this for now when we can without pressure?”
“Sure as long as you take me seriously and not flippant about any of it.”
“That’s fair,” I agreed, sealing it with a kiss.
“Sera, are you sure about this?” Simone asked as she moved up to our table, Jason behind her.
“Oh yeah. Unless he’s had a major throat injury I don’t know about, believe me, it will go over better than the NSYNC number.”
“Okay, I’ll get it done because I wouldn’t have guessed that would have gone over so well either, but even the male guests were impressed with Jesse’s chops and their dancing.” She leaned in and kissed my cheek. “We’re a hit, my friend.”
“You are because you put this all together. I just had the crazy fucking idea.”
“It takes both sides to make the coin,” she reminded me. Then she hurried off with Jason. We had a system I didn’t know much about, but it was like karaoke. The voices could be taken out of the song so it was just the music, or the lead could be omitted so there were background singers… A lot of different options that was way better than karaoke night at a bar.
I waved to Jesse when I saw him going around with the next batch of nuts from the smell. He hurried over, relief in his eyes when he saw I was happy. “You did great, Jesse.”
“Thanks, Alpha,” he replied shyly. “Do you want nuts? This is bacon ranch. The cinnamon sugar almonds were a hit.”
“Awesome. Yeah, please, I’m still peckish since I didn’t get all my dessert.”
He ran to get drinks for the table as well, only a few servers would ever be around to bring drinks, as we wanted to push people to get their own from the bar or coolers. But well, I was Alpha and owner. I was special.
Plus, Jesse had respectfully let me know he was completely available for any and all attentions I might want to give him. I very politely declined. Not only was he younger than I was comfortable to make a real thing with, Riley and I had been lovers, and now Riley was his lover, so yeah, not going there when Riley and I were finally on somewhat civil terms.
“We’re adding in an additional song since we have a talented guest,” Simone announced as the background music cut out. “No dance, but I’m told it’s not needed with his talent. So, let’s give him a welcoming round of applause.”
I could tell she was uncomfortable with the idea from the awkward intro because Simone was always smooth. Everyone politely clapped, and the intro started, the curtain coming up on Jason, shirtless and in his red wrap. Simone moved off the stage but to the side, not taking a seat in case she had to jump back in.
Jason started, and the first few lyrics she still looked nervous, but then slowly her eyes went wide as he belted the first big line of Josh Groban’s Brave. Then a few more, and she looked at me with a are you fucking kidding me glance. I chuckled and nodded. Yeah, Jason was good, and even more than that, you didn’t expect that big voice to come out of him. He wasn’t a little guy, to be sure, and built, but it was such a powerful and amazing voice it shocked people.
“You’re getting wet just sitting here and listening,” Brian accused halfway through the song.
I didn’t even try to deny it, gesturing to the club. “So is every woman here. A man who can serenade you in such a voice is every woman’s fantasy. Hell, it’s how he got my virginity.”
Brian didn’t have anything to say to that, not that I was sure there was something that could be said in return. He did clap when Jason was done, taking his hand away from where it had been as if admitting defeat.
“Can we get another song?” Simone asked Jas, looking flustered as well.
“The first was a dare since I don’t like a big audience, but another and you’re gonna have to at least feed me while I’m in town,” he joked.
“Dinner with club privileges and a doggy bag for each song you sing,” I called out, Simone easily smiling.
“I accept, but they might not all be tonight. I don’t sing very often anymore,” he confessed. Then he moved the microphone away and went over to Simone. I couldn’t hear what he said over the excited murmurs, but I had a guess on what was next after he shot me a smirk.
I actually giggled when You’re Still You started up.
“Take the end,” Brian sighed, letting me move over his lap and to the end of the booth. “Is this the song that won you?”
“Yeah,” I confessed. “He better not pull an Ally McBeal.” But I knew better. Sure enough, as he sang the first few lines, he came down off the stage and across the dance floor so when the chorus started, he was right in front of me, offering his hand. Just as I had years and years ago, I took it, letting him pull me to my feet. He moved his free hand around my waist, and we half waltzed through the slow part, but then he spun me out when the music picked up.
The idiot actually knelt down before me and belted out the chorus that time, but then I think he needed to be standing to get full air in to let out more, so he stood. Sure enough, he seemed to be able to do it easier, hitting every deep and high note with fluid range. When he finished and the song was over, he was Jas the snot, turning off the microphone and tossing it to Brian without even looking before dipping me movie style and kissing me silly.
“I’ve got one more before my throat will hurt. Any requests?” he asked me.
“You Raise Me Up,” I answered without even needing to think. “You want tea?”
“Yeah, if you can, that would be great.”
I bobbed my head, feeling nineteen again and stupid that I could be so girly as a giggle built in me. I grabbed his arm and spun him back around, kissing him silly this time. “Thanks, Jas.”
“He knows you better now, but I’ve known you longer, baby. I knew the girl, and you are still that girl no matter what’s happened to you. We all grow up. That doesn’t make you not you.”
“Thank you,” I repeated, hugging him tighter before letting him go to get the mic and talk to Simone. I asked Jesse to handle the tea, apologizing for the special request. He promised to bring a pitcher of hot water, a mug, and whatever teas we had so Jason could have a variety.
“Like the singing?” I teased him, smiling when Jesse just bobbed his head. Yeah, even the gay and bi-sexual guys were falling over at his voice.
“I might hate him and his stupid voice, but he was exactly what you needed right now,” Brian murmured in my ear when I sat back down.
“You both were,” I argued, leaning against him. I sighed as Jas started singing, actually shivering when the orchestra in the music picked up and he belted out the lyrics, completely captivated by him.
When he finished, he took a bow, the applause and whistles echoing in the club. He thanked Simone and handed back the mic before coming to the table, waving for us to move over. I did, Brian stuck on the inside this time and Jason on the end.
“You’ve still got it,” I chuckled as his hand immediately went to where Brian’s had been and he stole another kiss.
“Baby, I’ve got so many more and better moves. I’m not a stupid kid either, nor drunk off my ass I was so nervous to see you.”
“You’re the only one who gets away with calling me that.”
“But you hate it.”
“I do, but I was a baby when you met me. I think that’s why I don’t beat you,” I confessed, leaning into him even as I reached over and squeezed Brian’s hand.
“He really sat here that whole time doing nothing but keeping his hand here?” Jason asked after a few minutes of us just hanging out. I chuckled, and he looked over at Brian. “Are you a fucking monk? How did you keep your hand still?”
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“He’s not,” I growled, smacking Jas in the chest. “He knows how to build anticipation until I’m about vibrating with need and jump him.” I felt my face flush when I realized what I admitted.
“Really? So that’s what I did?” Brian checked.
“I think I need another shower,” I grumbled, implying I needed a cold shower, but instead I remembered what Brian had done to me in the shower and shivered.
“Here’s your tea,” Jesse interrupted, his timing perfect, practically batting his eyelashes at Jason.
“You’re adorable, kid, but I have no attraction to guys. Sorry.”
Jesse was easygoing enough to shrug it off, still blushing as he walked off and left Jason to fix his tea. Simone gave me a signal from across the room, letting me know the next number would be the last… And to let out the power again. I did, sighing as I basically didn’t have to hold it back.
I hadn’t been thinking about who was by me and where a hand was though. I gasped as fingers pushed in me as Brian’s rough hand moved into my cover-up dress. Shit, I’d had dreams where I’d get attention from both Brian and Jason at the same time ever since I’d touched Brian and had two super-hot men to my limited experience.
“Not where this took place in my dreams, but yeah, I could totally get on board.”
“You dreamed about both of us touching you together?” Brian asked, his tongue teasing my ear. I nodded, and he chuckled, pinching my nipple hard. “Yeah, you were always a dirty girl waiting to come out and play.” He nibbled in my ear and groaned when I rubbed my hand over him intimately. “What are you thinking right now?”
“That you’re about to experience a shifter club for real,” I admitted but then shook my head. “And my siren wants her revenge.”
“Revenge for what?” Jason asked, his tone miffed. “I sang the song.”
“Not you. The two men I’ve been sleeping with.” They both froze, and Jason’s gaze told me he wouldn’t continue without some explanation. “We’re not exclusive. I can’t be as a siren.”
“Fine, but why the revenge? I don’t like the idea of being revenge, Sera.”
“Neither do I,” Brian echoed.
“It’s not like that. She’s more two birds, one stone,” I explained with a sigh. “They said I’ve been acting like a dead fish during sex. I’ve been having a hard time and, well, I didn’t realize I was going distant during sex. They thought I fell for someone else and, yeah, they said I’m a dead fish.”
“And they’re here?” Jason checked.
“Yes,” I gasped, the hormones in the air affecting me as I realized my power was going and going strong, so I was feeling the happy response from those around us.
“Do you want revenge or the fantasy more?” Brian asked carefully.
“I don’t want revenge or to make a scene. She wants to remind them that I’m desired and other men can give me good sex, so it was their fault they weren’t treating me right if I reacted that way. It’s like having another person in here, Bri.”
“Fine, does she want the fantasy or rev—”
“The fantasy,” I moaned, not even having to check with her.
“Good enough answer for me,” Jason accepted, and his fingers started moving again.
“Fuck this,” I snarled when I felt the next wave of power come back at me and moved to straddle Jason’s lap, pulling Brian with me as I slipped off the top of the cover. “Fuck, fuck, fuck! I’m drowning in the energy in here.” I flinched internally, realizing that had been part of the problem with Hagan and Reagan. As they thought I fell in love more and more with Dain, they were less hot for me.
I hadn’t felt a drop of any energy like desire from them in a while. Bastards. And they blamed me.
Whatever, I was too wound up to think on much.
“Condom,” Jason panted as he broke away from my kiss as I practically devoured him.
“On birth control. Worry about claws coming out,” I countered as I yanked down the front of his wrap and lowered myself onto him.
“Shit, Sera, ask a guy,” he bitched.
“You don’t want this or me?” I checked, leaning back to meet his gaze and gesturing to his hands on my breasts.
“Not in a club where everyone’s watch…” He trailed off, realizing everyone else was otherwise distracted with their own fun or other entertainment. “This is really how a shifter club is?”
“Around the full moon, yeah,” I assured him and tightened around him. “Can I ride you and then Brian bang me on the table while you both take care of me?” I got duel groans and took that as a solid yes.
After that, there was no more talk. I bounced on Jason’s lap so hard my ass slapped the edge of the table. Hands and lips were all over me, even with the awkwardness of Brian sitting to the side of us. I wasn’t thinking about revenge, but my gaze actually locked with Reagan as I reached my peak. I glanced away, not wanting to even acknowledge him as I fell over into bliss, Jason joining me.
“Sorry, sorry, I’m so fucking wound up,” Brian apologized as he pulled me off of Jason while we were still catching our breath. I nodded it was okay, and he found something to clean me up with before moving so I was spread out on the table. He took me so hard drinks actually fell, and I knew some got in my hair, but I didn’t care, lifting my hips to meet his thrusts.
“You’re louder when you come, but that can be from feeling more at ease and no longer a virgin or inexperienced,” Jason muttered when we finished, knowing what I was wondering somehow. “You’re not as awkward, but neither am I. You’re still just as sensitive and fucking responsive to every touch and kiss.”
“Yeah you are,” Brian agreed, leaning over me and bracing his weight on his forearms. “You seem freer, but not someone else. I like freer.”
“Tone back the power,” Simone called over, and I nodded, reeling it in as I’d forgotten it was still going on. I glanced over to her and saw she’d had fun with Theon, looking rode hard and put away wet. So did most of the club from what I’d seen quickly.
Except Hagan and Reagan who both had their backs to it all, standing at the bar.
Fuck them.
“What else?” I asked Brian and Jason, their comments really helping me.
“You didn’t used to be able to finish on your back from only sex,” Brian offered, clearing his throat as if not knowing that’s what I meant.
“You didn’t know the right spot before,” I admitted, shrugging when he shot me an affronted look. “We weren’t together all that many times, Bri. It takes some guys and women years to learn which spots are best.”
“Fair enough.” He pulled out of me and gave me a long, sweet kiss. “Did we prove to you that you’re still you and haven’t changed that much?”
“I might still be me, but I have changed a lot, and I can blow any argument away with one statement,” I confessed, sitting up and pulling back on my cover-up. They both gave me looks of challenge, and I chuckled darkly. “My mansion has a hidden soundproof sex room Noah had put in. He calls it ‘Sera’s Adult Fun Room.’”
“Well shit, that is a big change from the shy virgin I met who wouldn’t have sex unless she was hidden under the covers,” Jason conceded, frowning.
“We were all shy virgins like that once,” Brian argued. “I never thought I’d have sex in a club with you on the table my subordinates sat at. We all loosen up with age and experience.”
I gave him that.
“Can we see the secret sex room?” Jason asked, and I slid off the table laughing. Damn men. Give them anything, and they want more and more.
Then again, so did my body because I felt amazing after being with them and the pain they healed in my heart.
8
During the day, I had work, not taking off the week for the club’s previews and opening, but leaving early and not feeling bad about it since work owed me like a million vacation hours, overtime they couldn’t pay because of the budget, and so much after the weeks and months I’d put in nonstop to
get us to where we were. My office was fully trained. We were now training one team at a time of other Mystical and Non-Human branches.
All while building the training facility that Washington had finally approved and was being built completely by donations from paranormals. Mostly from my sale of the Tropicana, though I still had a small interest, so I would get quarterly earnings and perks.
And all while doing actual work. More and more people were taking our branch seriously and actually reporting crimes. Like the system should actually work.
Remington was out on something in Indiana where vampires were misbehaving. Davis had just come back from a witch issue where a coven was being harassed, some idiots trying to get them burned at the stake by saying they had been raped and bled under the full moon.
I took rape seriously, so I wasn’t the type to ignore such a charge, but the whole story had sounded shady from the beginning. Turned out a few guys had gotten caught cheating on their girlfriends and blamed the witches that it was a spell and not their fault. I hoped their parents spanked them good.
But overall, work was going well. Our budget had increased, so we could hire more people and trainers once the facility was finished. Dain, Alok, and Tasar were flying out next week to train at Quantico on how to become instructors like the ones they had, so it was still all FBI regs. Plus, the trainers there were thrilled to get to work with fairy warriors. It had been a lot of dancing to get that to happen since the FBI railed against change, but fairies couldn’t infect anyone.
Granted, they could lay out all the trainees with ease if they weren’t careful of their strength, but so could really strong people.
The food from the day before had been awesome; people couldn’t stop talking about the drinks and entertainment either. Simone was giddy from all the social media posts and hype we’d gotten. I never checked into that kind of stuff, but hey, as long as the word was good, I was happy too.
She did post some pictures she alone took, no one else allowed phones or electronics into the club. Those I did see, and while it was embarrassing that one was me stepping off the litter, I had the robe still on and the body paint. I got the allure, fine, and the mystery, but yeah, it was still me and I blushed. Others were of the food, people who had given their permission at dinner—lots of good shots.
