“Do you like massages?”
“Massages?” She was distracted. “Of course. I’m a massage therapist.”
“Oh, yeah. I’d forgotten that.” AJ wrote again. Sami resisted the urge to lean over to see what he was writing. It seemed very personal to have him putting her erotic preferences down on paper, like he was a psychiatrist. Or a gigolo taking her order.
“What about those drumstick things?” Crash spoke to AJ, but he had to lean over Sami to do it. She pressed back into the couch, but not soon enough to miss the smell of cologne and Crash. He smelled clean and masculine and alive. Sami tried to keep her breathing slow and even, so it wouldn’t seem like she was sniffing him. Even though she wanted to, very badly.
AJ smiled. “Those looked pretty cool. Do you think you’d like that, Buffy?”
“Like what?” She looked up at him, startled. “Oh, the drumsticks? Yeah, I wouldn’t mind trying it.”
“Just to get you relaxed. Then do you think you’d like a little scratching? Maybe—what was it called? A vampire glove?”
“Or that paint roller thing.” Crash was getting more into it now. He scooted a little closer, seeming not to notice that his thigh was pressing into Sami’s. Her whole body reacted to the warmth of his bulk so close to her, and she shivered involuntarily.
Her imagined scene expanded to show AJ and Crash leaning over her, making her squirm as they ran soft and scratchy things over her skin, followed by their hands as Karl had done with Allie. She had to swallow to keep from drooling at the thought.
“And then we could do some of that wax play,” Crash said, wiggling a little in excitement.
“Or latex. You missed the latex demonstration, Buffy, but it was really cool,” AJ said to her. “You can do it with brushes or with your fingers.”
An inarticulate sound escaped her, but the guys didn’t seem to notice. They were both scribbling furiously.
“I always liked finger painting.” Crash looked up with a dreamy smile on his face. “Who would have thought it would come in handy as an adult?”
“Okay. You can do the painting, and I’ll peel it off later.” AJ was still scribbling. “Buffy, if we were to do that scene, what would the limits be? Where can we touch and where can’t we?”
Oh, touch me everywhere. She snapped upright in a panic. Had she only thought that or said it out loud? Seeing that their surprise was from her movement, she was relieved it seemed to have been in her head. Great. Now they were going to make her start discussing anatomy. Sami didn’t think she could handle that. Her whole body flushed, and she swallowed hard.
“Umm, I—You—”
“It’s just pretend,” AJ reminded her gently.
“Just pretend. Right.” She tried to pull herself together. It wasn’t like they were really going to do this, even if she wanted them to. It was only theoretical. “I guess—let’s say there aren’t any limits, then.” That was surely better than having to start talking about body parts.
They both looked at her in surprise, then AJ went back to his writing. She wasn’t sure, but she thought there was a small smile on his face.
Did he think she was giving in? Or could he tell how flustered she felt? This was confusing. She had to get them off this part of the negotiations.
“What else?” she asked, frantically scanning her list for a more innocent activity.
“Well, let’s see. We’ve got you tied down, blindfolded, and unable to hear anything. Should we gag you, too?” It came from Crash, and both she and AJ looked at him in surprise. He had a mischievous smile on his face, like something about this was increasing his confidence.
AJ nodded in approval. “What about it, Buffy? Could you handle being gagged?”
“I don’t think so.” She stared at them for a minute before deciding they were just messing with her.
AJ chuckled and consulted his list. “What about a vibrator? If there are no limits to where we can touch you, can we use a vibrator?”
Maybe she shouldn’t have chickened out of the body part discussion. She glanced at the door, wondering how long this torture session was going to go on.
“Or should we use our fingers?” Crash was definitely getting more confident. He moved his thigh, ever so slightly, so that it was pressing even more into hers. She felt her breath getting shallower. If she wasn’t careful, she was going to start hyperventilating. Cool. She had to stay cool. She tried picturing non-sexy things, but it was getting really hard to think of anything but the two hot guys sitting on each side of her, obviously imagining her naked and tied up for their pleasure.
It was an image she couldn’t get out of her mind, either. They were both looking at her now with hungry expressions. She felt like a fat, juicy rabbit sitting between two hungry wolves.
“What?”
“I said, would you prefer fingers or a vibrator?” Crash sounded as if he was taking her breakfast order.
Damn. She’d been hoping they’d moved on to some other topic. The thought of their fingers—“A vibrator,” she said hastily.
“Vibrator it is,” AJ said.
She couldn’t believe she was discussing this with them, and so casually. How had she gotten into this situation? Damn Carly.
“What about sex?”
“I—what?”
“Sex,” Crash repeated. “Oral sex, for example?”
“Giving or receiving?” AJ asked him.
Crash considered. “There’s no reason it couldn’t be both. There are two of us, after all. One for each end.”
The room dimmed around Sami briefly, but she knew she wouldn’t be lucky enough to pass out here. Or to really go through with this fantasy.
“That would mean no gag,” AJ pointed out.
“Not at all, my good man. It just means one of us has to be the gag. It might not be the same, but I think it’d be all right. I’d kind of like to hear her reactions, anyway.” Crash smiled, and AJ wrote some more.
“Is anybody going to see that paper?” It sounded incredibly juvenile, but she had to get them to talk about something other than fucking her.
“I think it’s forty percent of our grade,” Crash said with a straight face. “Don’t change the subject. Are you a screamer?”
“Am I—” Sami stood up, unable to stop herself. Stupidly, the first thing she thought was that the warmth of Crash’s thigh was gone.
“Okay, okay. Sit back down. I’ll make Crash stop teasing you.” AJ looked serious now, and Sami realized she was panting and her face was hot. “This isn’t legally binding. We’re just playing, remember?”
“Playing.” It didn’t seem as innocent as it had when they’d started. She debated leaving the room and half turned to do it, but their faces stopped her. They were looking at her with concern, not like a hooker who had stopped playing along but more like a friend they were afraid they’d offended.
“Are you okay?” Crash stood up, too. Her first instinct was to step into his arms. Then she wanted to back away from him. It was all so confusing, this battle between her brain and her libido. They gazed at each other for a minute, and he didn’t look like a goofy, wisecracking overgrown boy any more. He looked like a strong, caring, loving man. He opened his arms, and she stepped into his embrace, feeling the tears starting.
Chapter 13
“Here. Have some tea.” They had gotten Buffy to the kitchen table and made her talk to them. She was still sniffling a little, and her face was an adorable red, with tear streaks that made AJ want to kiss them away. He reminded himself that Crash was the one she wanted and that he was happy about that. He really was, he told himself again. They belonged together.
He took the cup from Crash and pushed it in front of Buffy.
She whispered, “Thanks,” and took a sip.
Crash put another cup in front of AJ and then sat down with his own. “Feeling better?”
“Yes.” Buffy wiped ineffectually at her face. “I can’t believe I made such a fool of myself. Again.”
“You didn’t make a fool of yourself,” AJ corrected her. “We pushed you too far. I’m sorry about that.”
“You were only trying to make the assignment more exciting. It’s just too bad you didn’t have a better partner to work with.”
“You’re the partner we want to work with,” Crash said with a hint of sternness. “Buffy, what’s wrong? Why are you so scared of getting involved with us?”
She sighed. “I guess I don’t trust myself. My last relationship didn’t turn out so well.”
“Tell us.”
AJ looked at Crash in surprise. He knew most people thought of Crash as a kind of fun but useless goofball, which was what he wanted. AJ knew better and knew the secret he normally didn’t publicize. But Crash was taking charge of the situation and acting like an actual grownup. He hadn’t even mentioned food in hours. He must really like Buffy.
“Are you sure you want to hear about it?” She looked from one to the other.
“Yes, we do.” AJ gestured to her cup. “But drink your tea, too.”
She took a sip and gave Crash a smile. “It’s good, thanks. Okay. I got my license about three years ago. My first job was at this clinic—well, I thought it was a clinic. Ron, the owner, had all kinds of plans for integrating alternative and cutting-edge therapies. It sounded great. What I didn’t realize was that the people he was bringing in weren’t actually licensed to do the stuff he was offering. Some of them didn’t have any training at all. They’d just read a book or two and decided they could be healers. When we started dating, I found out about the things he was pulling. Most of it was fairly innocuous, although he was promising all kinds of results to people that he couldn’t deliver.”
“That’s illegal,” AJ said.
She nodded. “Yes, it is, not to mention the licensing issues. I think he was counting on a placebo effect. Then he started asking me to do stuff I wasn’t trained for, some of which wasn’t even appropriate to offer in a place that supposedly used accepted methods. I tried to talk to the clients and let them know that there was no research on the treatments, that it wasn’t reasonable for us to promise results. That made him really mad. I should have gotten out then, but I was stupid, and I thought I could talk sense into him. I waited too long, though. He brought this woman in after hours one night and tried a new procedure on her. It wasn’t safe, and she almost died. Her husband got her out of there and called the cops. I was meeting Ron at the clinic that night, and I got there right after the couple left. He knew he was going to be in trouble, and he was cleaning out his office. He could have gotten away, but I tried to talk him into staying and taking responsibility for what he’d done. It was horribly unethical and nearly resulted in tragedy. He got mad and started yelling and hitting me. Fortunately for me, the cops showed up just then. I don’t know what he’d have done if they hadn’t. There was a huge investigation. It was only that I’d tried to warn the clients about some of the treatments he was selling them, and the fact that I testified against him, that kept me from being charged. So you see, I’m pretty much a failure. I let myself be talked into things that I knew weren’t right. I could have stopped him from doing things that were unethical and harmful, but I didn’t. I thought I could change him.”
“But you did the right thing in the end,” Crash said. “Give yourself a little credit.”
She shook her head. “It was too little, too late. I found out at the trial that he’d been defrauding people for years. All my life I’ve thought of myself as someone who helps other people, protects them. But there I was working for a place that endangered people, took their money, claiming to help them when we were doing the exact opposite.”
She put her face in her hands. “I don’t deserve the name Buffy.” There was a weak, muffled laugh. “Not that it’s a great name. But it meant something, to me at least. Once.”
“It still means something,” Crash said. “I know I for one have felt perfectly safe from vampire attacks since I met you.”
She laughed again, almost normally, as she looked up. Tears were coursing down her face again, but she looked like a weight had been lifted. “Thanks for listening, guys. It’s kind of a relief to talk about it. I’ve been too embarrassed to admit the whole truth to anyone, even Carly, since the trial. I had to get away from Eugene. Nobody in their right mind would hire me there anymore, or anywhere else, I’ll bet. I don’t know what I’m going to do. I had a little money saved, although I should rightfully have given it to Ron’s victims. My lawyer talked me into using it to get a new start somewhere else. So that’s what brought me out here to stay with Carly until I figured out where I wanted to be and what I could salvage of my career. Unfortunately it turned out to be a really bad time to impose on her.”
“I don’t know,” AJ said. “I think it might have been the perfect time.”
“What do you mean?” Buffy sipped her tea, her tears drying. Now that she had unburdened herself, she’d lost that haunted look that he realized had been her predominant expression before.
He exchanged a look with Crash. “It seems to me that Carly needs friends right now. She’s got all this shit going on at the diner. You need something to take your mind off your own problems, and she needs people willing to roll up their sleeves and help her, even if she’s too stubborn to ask.”
Buffy hung her head. “I tried to stay and help her, but she insisted I come out here for this. I feel like a jerk for not refusing.”
“I’m glad you came out here.” Crash patted her hand. “If you hadn’t, you’d have missed out on the life-changing experience of meeting us. But it’s time to stop playing around. It seems to me that this whole thing is about more than tying people up and hitting them with paint stirrers.”
“What do you mean?” Buffy looked at him with real interest.
“I mean they have a community here. Allie and her guys, Carly, Daddy Dave, Dennis, Beth, and april. They’re like a family, and they need to start acting like it and stand together. It’s all well and good to be your own person, but what’s the good of being part of something bigger if you’re not there for each other when the chips are down?”
“But I’m not part of the community,” Buffy said slowly.
“Neither are we yet, but I’m thinking I might change that. I like what I’ve seen here, and I think I might want to do more of this.” He looked at AJ. “I know we came here for you, but I’ve learned that it appeals to me.”
“It is a lot better than I expected, too.” AJ grinned and slid a quick glance at Buffy.
Crash gave him a thoughtful look before turning his attention back to her as well. “What’s going on with Carly, anyway?”
Buffy shook her head. “I’m not sure. I know this Lou guy has been harassing her. I don’t know if she can afford to make all the repairs to her building that he’s demanding. I do know it took everything she had to open it. She has always dreamt of owning her own diner. I hope all this doesn’t make her lose it now.”
“Why won’t she let Dennis help her?”
“I don’t know anything about that. He’s asked her out, but I guess she doesn’t like him.”
“Is she involved with anybody else?”
“No, not that I know of. She hasn’t mentioned anybody.”
Crash smiled. “Okay, then. That’s something we can work with.”
Sami opened her mouth as if she was going to ask a question, then shut it, blushing a little.
Crash didn’t notice. “These are really nice people, and if they worked together, they would be a formidable team, although I don’t think they realize it yet. They’re all too wrapped up in their own problems and too damn proud to offer help or ask for it.”
AJ raised his eyebrows. “Wow, dude. I don’t think I’ve ever heard you talk this much, other than to order food.”
The back door closed, making them all jump. Allie stood there, her hands full of bags, a frown on her face.
Crash jumped up and went to help with her packages. “I’m sorry
, Allie. I didn’t mean to criticize your friends. Take no notice of me.”
“No, you’re absolutely right,” she said with an odd look at him. “Now scoot. You’ve given me an idea and earned your dinner tonight. I need to get started on it before you pass out from hunger on me.”
* * * *
Buffy’s improved state of mind continued through dinner, Crash was happy to see. She wasn’t avoiding them anymore, although she still blushed a little whenever they talked to her, as if she was embarrassed by her confession that afternoon. AJ insisted on telling stories at dinner for a change, mostly involving Crash’s exploits on the field.
“So this one time Crash accidentally intercepted a pass. He was so surprised he almost dropped the ball. He stopped and just stood looking at it for a few seconds. I don’t know if you’ve ever been to an arena football game, but let me tell you, they’re loud. So the coach was yelling his head off from the sidelines, trying to get the big guy’s attention. I thought he was going to have a stroke, but he finally managed to get the idea through, and Crash took off like a gazelle. He ran like the wind, knocking some guys out of the way and leaping over others like they weren’t even there. That touchdown put us ahead and made the highlight reel for the next week, but the best part was after the game. This squirrelly little reporter made a stupid comment about the play as Crash was walking past him. Without missing a beat, our boy here stops and towers at least a foot over this guy and says, really casually, ‘You do know the Condor motto, don’t you?’”
He stopped and looked around the table, grinning. “The guy stands there flapping his lips, trying to come up with something, but since we didn’t even have one at the time, he was at a loss. Crash lets him dangle on the hook for a minute before leaning down and in his deepest voice says, ‘Trample the weak and hurtle the dead. That’s what I did out there. So which are you? Weak or dead?’ Then he strolls off, leaving the guy sputtering. A rival reporter and his cameraman caught the whole thing on film and ran it every time that play was shown. Damned if that didn’t become the official motto of the team. You’ll have to have him show you his tattoo of it sometime.”
Double Dom Fantasies Page 16
