Tres: Ancient Warriors. Modern Women. Waking Desires.

by Jules River

  Warin reached for Mira and drew her close to him, “There will be no need for you little women to defend yourselves while you are with us.” Dunstin and Cenric nodded in agreement as they, too, reached for their woman.

  Then Warin remembered and told his brothers none too happily, “Tomorrow night they will have to kiss other men on the cheek to greet them, and they might even have to hug and dance with other men.” It was obvious the news did not sit well with the brothers, and their arms tightened around the sisters. Dunstin asked, “You are all right with this, War?”

  “As much as I can be. Mira showed me how it is done and explained it is customary,” Warin explained. Cenric and Dunstin said, “Show me,” to Faye and Lyra. So they both turned in the brother’s arms, and gave quick, light kisses on both cheeks. The brothers frowned for a moment, then nodded that they could handle that if they must.

  Mira took a fortifying breath before she told the brothers in a straight-forward manner, “We are uncomfortable with the sleeping arrangements from last night. I have rooms readied for you in the same wing as ours. We will show you to them now if you are ready for bed.”

  No one said anything for a moment; the sisters were holding their breath waiting for a reaction. Finally Warin spoke calmly, “Come. We will discuss this upstairs.” Mira balked, “There is nothing to discuss.” Warin gave her an encouraging smile, “Come.”

  She was a little thrown by his smile toward her, but said again, “I’ll show you to your room.” Warin took her hand, it was getting late and they had more research to do tomorrow as well as getting the tuxes altered and preparing for the party. It was going to be a long day for everyone. They all said goodnight, and as Warin led Mira out, Dunstin and Lyra followed. Cenric held Faye back a bit, and told her sternly, “You will not dance with Steven,” before he too lead her upstairs to the bedrooms.

  Warin took Mira to her room and shut the door, and sat down to take off his shoes. Mira said, “I have another room ready for you, I see nothing to discuss here.”

  “No.”

  “No?” Mira asked angrily.

  “No, you will not be sleeping without me.”

  “That was not a discussion! You tricked me into coming in here. I want you out of my room now!” Mira demanded. Warin stood up and removed his shirt, then held Mira by her arms to gain her full attention. “My word is final. Now, ready yourself for bed or I will do it for you.”

  Mira stared at him with teeth clenched and anger burning in her eyes. “Since you have no regard for me, I will do it myself.” She tried to jerk out of his hold, but he did not let her go immediately. He made sure she knew he would let her go at his will. Mira went into the bathroom and slammed the door behind her; Warin was in bed waiting for her when she came out. She refused to look his way, climbed into bed, and turned her back to him, trying to remain unmoved when his arm reached around her middle, pulled her back to his front, and whispered in her ear, “I would miss you, Mira.” He nuzzled her neck before settling in for sleep.

  Mira was not about to sleep anytime soon, she was still angry and now she was also turned on and frustrated. She thought, He was such an ass, and now he is trying to be sweet and affectionate. Why that would even work, I don’t know, because it kinda worked. Dammit, he’s good. He feels so amazing. I’m beginning to think I didn’t really want him to sleep in another room. Well, I might as well get a good night’s rest out of this. Mira drifted off to sleep in the comfort of his body with his scent wrapped around her.

  Chapter 10

  It was the big day getting ready for the warriors’ first outing, the cocktail party at Hamburg’s Museum of Antiquities. Everyone woke early, and an air of suppressed excitement surrounded them.

  Mira awoke with a smile on her face, wrapped in Warin’s arms, ready to face the day. Warin, not so much. He struggled to let her go, and groaned to himself, I just want to keep her in bed under me, buried balls-deep inside her nice tight -- OK, that’s not helping! Think famine, plague, and pestilence! That’s better, now let her go! He continued his silent lecture, and finally let her go.

  Faye was well-rested and ready to dance herself awake, if Cenric would just stop moaning and let her get up, already! Cenric did not know if he could take her shaking her delectable ass all around this early in the morning in his current condition. Somehow he managed to let her up and watched her shake, spin and shimmy all around the room as she got ready. Faye realized why he was moaning, and sassily pointed out to him, “You should have stayed in your own room. This is what I do on a good morning, so deal with it or go to your own room.”

  Lyra woke up her usual grumpy self, but let Dunstin cuddle her a few minutes longer before coffee began screaming her name. Dunstin enjoyed the extra time she let him hold her, and enjoyed stroking her back, but ended up having to end it himself or start something more. So down for coffee they went, faster than Lyra would have liked.

  Breakfast was a jovial event; the sisters kicked out the chef again and cooked for the brothers themselves. Steven and Todd came and had a seat with the warriors. The sisters had music on as they danced and sang. They cooked with each other, completely ignoring the men, enjoying their time together while doing their favorite sister thing.

  It was obvious this was a normal occurrence for the sisters, the way they moved together and flipped food and caught it, all the while shaking their hips and moving to their favorite music. Belly dancing seemed to be a favorite this morning. Todd somewhat shyly told the brothers, “The sisters do many things together in this way. You will get used to it.” Cenric agreed, “I can easily get used to this.”

  It was a sight to see these three beautiful women having so much fun doing something so normal, but the way they did so was anything but ordinary. The brothers could not help but chuckle along with them and enjoy the lovely spectacle they made. Breakfast was wonderful and they were all getting more comfortable around each other. The brothers even answered some questions about how they grew up.

  After breakfast the tailor and his team showed up to alter the tuxedos to fit the warriors’ muscular physiques. The brothers were fairly good about holding still for the fittings and being poked and prodded. The tailor set up shop in one of the empty bedrooms with his staff of two and promised the tuxedos would be ready in plenty of time.

  The rest of the day was spent researching. They were getting to a point where they would have to go in different directions to do some hands-on, in-person research. This was being divided and assigned to the four pairs, so they would have a good plan for where to go, what to look for, who to talk to. Lunch was a somewhat subdued affair, prepared by the chef and served by the household staff in the dining room, and then they all spent a little more time researching before it was time to get ready. It was only a couple of hours until they were to be at the party, and they wanted to have as much information in their hands as possible.

  The sisters went up to shower, then met in another bedroom to do their hair and makeup, before getting dressed in party attire. The brothers showered in the rooms they shared with the sisters, and were assisted in dressing in the unfamiliar formal wear by the tailor and his helpers. .

  When the brothers were ready, bow ties perfectly in place, they went downstairs to the lounge to have a drink and wait for the women. Steven and Todd were already there, and Todd commented in a slightly condescending tone, “Even dressed in a tuxedo, you still look like the savages you are.” Steven chuckled, “Yes, they don’t look quite civilized, do they?” When he saw the brothers were glowering, he added, “Oh, don’t get me wrong, you look the part; the women will swoon at your feet.” He barely kept the sneer from his voice, as he foolishly gave Warin a pat on his tailored shoulder.

  Steven was not a bad-looking guy himself at all. He was about 30 and fit, and he could draw the eyes of many women, but he had his eye on one in particular. Todd was a bit of a dandy, always immaculately dressed and groomed with never a hair out of place. You could not see him getting his hands dir
ty, and he could have his fair share of women, too, but he had other things on his mind.

  The warriors could not stop looking toward the door, talking to each other as they watched for their women. When the sisters joined the men in the lounge, all conversation stopped, as did the sisters; they had to keep their mouths from gaping open as they stared at the warriors in their Armani tuxedos. Steven rushed up to the sisters, “Stunning! Just as stunning as always, ladies!” In distracted voices each murmured, “Thank you,” but never took their eyes off the warriors. Slowly they stepped around Steven, and each walked directly in front of her man. They took the hands of their decked-out warrior in their own, leaned in, and gave them a slow whisper of a kiss on each cheek. The moment was mesmerizing.

  The warriors could only stare at their woman with heated eyes, unblinking from the moment they stepped into view. Mira, Faye, and Lyra all had on little black dresses with precariously high, strappy heels. The dresses were very different, but all were extremely short and elegant, and showed off what seemed like miles of sexy legs. Steven had attempted to block Warin’s view of Mira for a moment, jabbering on about something, but he was ignored completely.

  Mira took Warin’s hands, leaned in and gave him the slowest, wispiest of kisses on each cheek. Her simple greeting was so arousing the way it was done this time, that she had him quietly growling, “You will not kiss another like this, ever.” He was about to pull her into his arms and show her who she belonged to, but she pulled back, turned and started taking him by the hand with her, as she said breathlessly over her shoulder, “We must go before we’re more than fashionably late.” His hand tightened on hers when he saw the back of her dress, or rather, the lack of a back to her dress. Her dress came all the way up to her neck in the front, but the back gaped completely opened all the way down to just above her ass, where it clung tightly showing off the dimples above those sweet, firm mounds. Warin stepped up beside her, took his hand from hers and placed it very low on the small of her bare back, making her shiver at his warm, possessive touch.

  Once they were all seated in the limo, it was very tense at first; the warriors and the sisters were hyper-aware of each other, as they sat closely to each other. Warin had his arm around Mira, his hand in the open back of her dress rubbing her bare waist inside. Mira wanted to keep anyone from noticing, so she sat still. Dunstin had his hand across Lyra’s lap; she tried to hold his hand still on her outer thigh while keeping her dress pulled down, and he seemed determined to get under the fabric with his searching hand. Cenric had his hand playfully holding Faye’s thigh between her tightly clamped legs, trying to inch upward. Faye had a firm hold on his hand, discreetly trying to make him behave.

  Mira tried to keep her composure and get rid of some of the tension in the crowded space by making conversation, “Todd, were you able to get a copy of the guest list? Or at least find out if Dr. Campbell will be attending?”

  “I was able to find out a few of the names on the guest list for tonight. Dr. Campbell was one of them, as well as Teddy Highton, Olivia Sugarson and Walt Samuels,” Todd supplied. Faye squealed, “Wonderful!” with a bit more enthusiasm than the situation called for, then she glared at Cenric and squeezed his hand, who looked back at her innocently.

  Mira told the brothers, “It will be so good to see Dr. Campbell, he is such a sweet gentleman. He is like a grandfather to us. He also stays well informed, so he might know something that could help us.”

  Lyra said to Dunstin, “You will need to be especially nice to Olivia Sugarson. She could have a lot of information, but you must absolutely cozy up to her and shower her with attention, and don’t mind if she gets a little touchy, that’s just her way. For the right incentive from someone like you, she would do just about anything.” How she kept a straight face was beyond Mira, Faye, and their assistants; they all turned away, trying not to laugh. Olivia Sugarson was not a day under 80, and she still loved men, so much so that she was nicknamed the octopus by the male population in this field. She really was a sweet and eccentric woman, just really handsy with the men, and she was going to go crazy over Dunstin.

  Lyra informed the group, “Dunstin and I will speak to Olivia, I’m sure we can find out something.” Lyra had a mischievous streak that showed itself sometimes. The warriors looked around, knowing there was a joke in what Lyra said, but not knowing what it was. They figured they would find out soon enough. Dunstin tried to prepare himself mentally for Lyra’s plan, whatever it may be. “I will do my part in this. I am sure I can handle Olivia Sugarson,” Dunstin stated confidently.

  “Ladies you will stay with one of us at all times. We are here to get information and for you to introduce us to these people so they will be comfortable dealing with us in the future.” Warin couldn’t help but remind them of his authority. “We know why we’re here, Warin. Just try to remain civilized and follow our lead.” Mira was slightly miffed with his commanding attitude, yet realized he was used to being in charge.

  They continued to discuss the people they would encounter. Teddy Highton had been one of their father’s friends and associates when he first started out, but he was shrewd. You did not get anything for free from him, no matter who you were. Luckily the sisters had recently found a valuable piece that Teddy would be foaming at the mouth to have. It would complete a collection he had spent years putting together, making that collection extremely valuable.

  Faye spoke up, “Walt Samuels is a bit of a wild card, and we have not dealt with him overmuch. His clients tend to vie more for the exotic pieces that are, well, of a sexual nature. If we have anything to trade him, he might be willing to give information.” Lyra responded, “I purchased an item earlier this week while you two were away that he might be interested in.”

  Faye whispered excitedly, “Ooh, what is it?” Lyra looked kind of sheepish, and explained, “It’s some sex journal of a very popular and notorious geisha.”

  “Oh my word, did you read any of it? I bet it was really kinky, I mean, I’m sure people were kinky back then.” Faye teased, and Cenric squeezed and massaged her upper thigh with the hand she had been trying to keep from inching upward. She immediately sunk her nails into his hand, only to see the heated look radiating from his eyes.

  Lyra defensively informed her, “No, I don’t even have it here yet.” Then she looked at Dunstin and whispered, “Were people kinky in your day?” He quietly asked her, “Define kinky, I am unfamiliar with that term.” Lyra thought about it for a moment before she quietly blurted, “Deviant sexual behavior.” He leaned over, putting his lips against her ear, and whispered back to her, “I will be more than happy to show you, minn kona.” He slowly nipped her earlobe and sucked it between his lips before letting her go, causing her to stiffen and hold back a startled moan. She glared at him and gave him a sharp elbow to the ribs, while she mumbled, “I’m not your woman.” He only lightly grunted and gave a deep, quiet chuckle that resembled the sound a wild animal would make, and it did something funny to her insides. Kind of like riding on a roller coaster. Dunstin thought to himself, You are my woman, you just don’t realize it yet. But you will soon, minn kona.

  Mira distracted Lyra from her aroused state when she asked, “Where did you find it?”

  Lyra tried to respond normally and forget about what Dunstin had just said, even though the sexual tension between them was palpable. She shrugged, “I outbid a computer novice in an online auction by hacking his account and letting him think he had the high bid, and then I was able to outbid him by a dollar.” Mira gave her that disapproving look. “What?! He should have had better security. I was doing him a service, really. I bet I would not be able to do that to him again.” Under her breath, she added, “at least not as easily.” Mira was frowning and shaking her head, “What was that?” Lyra responded sweetly, “Nothing, Ms. Righteous.” While Faye reached around the men to high-five her twin, Dunstin was chuckling with the rest of the men. He gave Lyra’s hand a squeeze, part good job, part a warning to behave. Lyr
a asked Todd, “Do you think the journal will be something of interest to Walt Samuels?”

  Todd thought about it for a just a second, “With his jaded clientele, it sounds very much like something he could turn around and sell for a hefty profit, especially if the geisha was as notorious as you say.”

  “Good, so we have something for both of the people we would have to trade with, and we have Dunstin here to charm Olivia,” Lyra said happily. As they neared the museum with a loosely laid-out plan, the atmosphere in the limo lightened; the group was almost humming with excitement. The next few hours could be hit-or-miss as far as information-gathering went, but the sisters always did their best to have fun at events like these, which could be super boring if you went in with the wrong attitude. But after all, they were dressed to thrill, there would be music and good booze, and they were in the company of five truly attractive men. How bad could it be? Faye leaned over to the bar, plucked out a decanter of liquor and a glass, poured a healthy measure, and raised the glass in a toast, “Here’s to everyone staying outta jail tonight!” She took a sip before Mira took the glass from her, saying, “I second that,” and taking her own drink. Steven took the glass from Mira, and said, “Here, here, I remember the last time…,” and he, the sisters, and even Todd burst out laughing.

  The warriors looked on with interest and slight disapproval, as Mira told them, “That’s a story for another time, we are pulling up now,” as the limo came to a stop in front of the museum.

  Chapter 11

  The stretch limo slowed as it neared the crowded museum; there were plenty of people flowing into the party. When they stopped, the men got out first, then Dunstin reached for Lyra, Cenric helped Faye, and Warin claimed Mira. As Warin started to usher Mira up the steps, he placed his hand in the opening at the back of her dress and slipped his hand down, past her thong, to cup her bare ass and give her a nice squeeze. Mira blushed and breathlessly gasped, “Warin!” Warin leaned down, put his lips to her ear, and growled, “Remember who you are leaving with, Mira. Don’t make me do something you will regret. Stay within my sight.” He gave her another squeeze, then slowly moved his hand up to the small of her bare back. Flustered, Mira looked around to see if anyone was watching and stumbled, but Warin steadied her and flashed her a wicked smile. He was pleased with how easily he was able to unnerve her.