by Wyatt Kane
As the blonde superhero digested this latest piece of information, Dinah returned, carrying all three plates with the poise and grace of a dancer.
“Second course is served,” she said.
<<<>>>
The second course was a rich, flavor-filled fish dish, a casserole-type thing with hearty vegetables that shouldn’t have gone with the salad at all. But because Dinah had woven through some of the same spices, it seemed not just to go with the salad, but to build on it. Somehow, she’d managed to make the two different food styles work together as well as potatoes and gravy. Every mouthful was a sensation, and Ty found himself murmuring inarticulate noises of satisfaction and enjoyment as he ate.
The deerkin seemed to appreciate Ty’s display of enjoyment, and if she noticed that Tempest was a bit more introspective than she had been before, she didn’t mention it. And soon enough, it didn’t matter anyway. Dinah’s food proved more than enough to entice Tempest away from her own inner thoughts.
The rest of the meal passed as it had begun, with light conversation, fantastic food, and great company. Before they’d finished with the first course, Ty would have happily rated it as one of the top 10 culinary events of his life.
By the time they finished the second course, that rating had improved to the very top spot. And that was before Dinah brought out the dessert.
At first, Ty wasn’t sure what the dessert was. Each plate contained no more than a single chocolate-colored globe, a little bigger than Ty’s closed fist. He looked at it in puzzlement for a moment or two, then realized Dinah was grinning at him.
“What do you think?” she said.
“What is it?” Ty asked.
“Watch,” Dinah replied. With that, she picked up the earthenware jug she’d brought with the desserts and deftly tipped a stream of hot, dark chocolate over the sphere, crossing over the middle several different ways.
The poured chocolate was hot enough to melt the skin of the sphere, and when it did, it opened up like a flower to reveal the delicate wonder within.
Ty had never seen anything like it. Inside the now open petals of chocolate were a trio of beautiful-looking miniature desserts, none of which Ty could name, but all of which smelled delightful. He sat there, just staring, as Dinah moved on to perform the same reveal with Tempest’s plate and then her own.
When each dessert had fully opened, the deerkin placed the earthenware jug back on the table.
“Well? Are you going to try it?” she asked, looking very pleased with herself.
Ty didn’t need any more nudging. He picked up his spoon and dipped it into the puddle of creamy white goodness in the middle of his dish. A single taste convinced him that Dinah’s skill in the kitchen wasn’t human. She was a goddess, and the food she produced nothing short of ambrosia. And somehow, she’d even managed to weave through the same spices again, wrapping the meal up as if with a bow.
“This is incredible,” he blurted, and Tempest mumbled her agreement around her own first taste.
“Thank you,” Dinah said. “Although in truth, I can’t claim full credit for this one. I got the idea off one of the cooking shows on the net.”
Ty wanted to say something more, to express how much his taste buds were enjoying the meal. At the same time, he wanted to eat. In the end, he tried to do both at the same time, again degenerating into grunts of gastronomic ecstasy.
Nor was he the only one. Tempest also appeared to have lost the power of speech.
31: Dessert
The meal was the most magnificent Ty had ever eaten, and to do so within the shade of a tropical rainforest with the two most spectacular women in the world at his side was beyond anything he could have hoped for. Even if the worst thing imaginable had happened just then, like a meteor crashing down from the sky to crush them where they sat, Ty would have died the happiest man in the world.
He ate the rest of his dessert as if in a dream, the sensational flavors elevating him to a state of pure bliss. He savored each mouthful as much as he could, and found himself scraping the plate with his spoon to ensure he didn’t miss anything.
Finally, with an aching regret deep in his soul, he put his spoon down. The plate was empty.
He was at once satisfied and profoundly disappointed that the meal was done. He looked up to see that same satisfaction and disappointment expressed on the faces of both Tempest and Dinah as they too finished the last of their desserts.
Ty leaned back in his chair. “That was the most extraordinary meal I’ve ever had,” he said.
Tempest was touching the corner of her napkin to her perfect lips. She nodded in agreement and said, “One of your best.”
The deerkin smiled broadly. “I’m glad you liked it. But now I’m worried. I had something else planned for after the meal. A walk through the conservatory, to start. But are we all too full?” she asked.
Despite seldom having had more than a single course at a time before, Ty felt good. “I’m fine,” he said. “Comfortable. In fact, if you happen to have another one of those desserts lying around, I wouldn’t say no.”
Dinah laughed. “No, unfortunately. But I do have something else that might be considered a different kind of dessert.”
With that, she pushed herself away from the table and stood. “If you’d like to follow me?” She included Tempest with her invitation as well, then turned from them and headed toward one of the pathways that cut through the forest. As she walked, she peeled off her clothing and left it on the ground behind her.
Ty and Tempest exchanged a look. “Well,” the blonde superhero said. “That’s an invitation I’m not going to turn down. Are you coming?”
Ty stifled a laugh. “Not yet,” he said. Together, he and Tempest stood and followed the deerkin into the foliage.
<<<>>>
Ty thought he was done with surprises for that day, both good and bad. But he could scarcely believe it when the path opened up to show a medium-sized pool complete with a gentle waterfall, covered in cascading ferns and an assortment of orchids. He was flabbergasted. He’d never even suspected the existence of something like this in the mansion. Somehow, it reminded him of the rock Tempest had taken him to on the first day, in the middle of the lake. Perhaps it was Dinah standing there next to the water, wearing nothing but her perfect skin. Except that the deerkin hadn’t been with Ty and Tempest that day.
Either way, Dinah grinned broadly, then dove into the water, submerging completely only to reappear, laughing, in the center.
“How is it?” Ty asked.
The deerkin sent a splash of water his way. “Come on in and find out,” she said.
Neither Ty nor Tempest needed a second invitation. In a matter of moments, both of them had climbed out of their clothes. Tempest followed Dinah’s lead and dove in, cutting the water cleanly to appear next to the deerkin, floating in the water like any teenager’s wildest dream come true.
Ty, less confident with the depth of the water and with his ability to swim, chose a more tentative route. Cautiously making his way into the water, he approached the girls, but Dinah chose to splash him again, and he blinked to avoid getting water into his eyes.
“You’re not afraid of getting a little wet, are you?” the deerkin teased him. At the same time, Tempest disappeared back under the water.
“Of course not,” Ty said. Then something touched him on the backs of his legs and moved up to his buttocks.
Ty couldn’t help it. He let out a very un-masculine squeal and jerked around, only for Tempest to emerge from the water in front of him, laughing at his reaction.
Ty’s humiliation was lessened by the general happiness of the mood, and the fact that he was skinny dipping with his two favorite women. He caught himself thinking that the only way to improve on the evening would be if Lilith had been able to join them. Then he decided two could play Tempest’s game, and he ducked beneath the water himself.
He opened his eyes to find that the water was clear and fresh. The view he had
of Tempest and Dinah from this angle was extraordinary. He pushed himself along the sandy floor, catching Tempest around her knees and pulling her under.
She was grinning at him through the water and didn’t seem to mind at all what he’d done. Instead of struggling to get free, she wrapped her arms around him and pulled him close, the water adding a new, soft dimension to the feel of her flesh. She kissed him underwater, and Ty was as aroused as he’d ever been.
But he couldn’t breathe underwater, and that moment wasn’t right for thinking about how he could give himself that ability. Still locked in an embrace, he and Tempest broke the surface together.
“Hey, no fair!” said Dinah. “Make room for me!”
With that, she ducked down and inserted herself between them, rubbing her amazing body against Ty’s erection as she did.
Ty, Tempest and Dinah spent the next several minutes just touching and kissing each other, each of them enjoying the new sensations the water offered. It didn’t take long before their breathing started to deepen and their investigations became more urgent.
It was Dinah who took it to the next level. She was facing him and already had her arms wrapped around Ty’s neck, so she raised herself up just enough to do the job, and lowered herself onto him with a shudder and small moan of pleasure.
Tempest took the opportunity to press herself against Ty’s back so that Dinah’s legs were wrapped around them both. She reached around in the water, took Dinah’s hips in her hands, and started to move the deerkin back and forth.
Dinah’s eyes were mostly closed, but that didn’t stop her from kissing Ty passionately as she moved against him. At some point, she realized Tempest was close enough to kiss as well, and from that moment split her attention equally between them.
As for Ty, it wasn’t just his mind that was still buzzing with the drug he’d taken. It was his skin as well. Every watery touch felt electric, and every sensation was enhanced far beyond what was normal. It was all he could do to stand there in the water, sandwiched between the two women, and hold on, reaching around behind him to clamp Tempest even closer as Dinah moved against him.
Perhaps the water added to the sensations for Dinah as well. With her eyes tightly closed, she clenched her teeth and ground against Ty with all of her strength. A moment later, she let out a cry of ecstasy and shuddered against him, and it took everything Ty had to rein in his own climax.
Dinah panted for a moment, then favored Ty with a broad grin. But when she spoke, her words were more for Tempest than him.
“Your turn,” she said, and slipped off him into the water.
32: Desperate Times
They continued their lovemaking in the wet for some time, then moved to a broad, flat boulder near the edge of the water. After the switching of roles the previous night, Ty hadn’t been quite what to expect from Tempest. But she was back to her normally passionate self, and Dinah showed her natural tenderness.
Both were beyond sexy to Ty, and he was as close to delirious as he could be by the time they were done.
But nothing could last forever, and finally, they were all spent. Ty couldn’t remember ever being as content as he was at that moment, lying on the boulder, drying off in the forest within the Architect’s conservatory. Dinah lay with her head propped up on Ty’s belly, and Tempest has half-draped over his naked chest.
They spent a long time just lying there, with the blonde superhero idly played with Dinah’s hair. Then, out of the silence, Tempest started to speak.
“You like her, don’t you,” she said.
None of them needed to ask who she meant.
Dinah nodded. “Yes. I think I do,” she said.
Tempest drew a deep breath and shifted her weight just a little.
“And you, Ty?”
Ty didn’t trust himself to speak. He nodded instead.
“Yeah,” Tempest said with a sigh. “I think I’m beginning to like her as well.” She lapsed into silence for just a little too long.
“And?” Dinah prompted.
“And, I guess if you want to pursue her, there would be worse things in the world,” Tempest said.
Dinah laughed out loud. “That’s one way to put it,” she said, and that was enough. All of them chuckled as if she’d told a joke, and Ty knew that all was going to be right in the world.
<<<>>>
But that wasn’t what he thought the next morning.
He woke up in Tempest’s bed with her and Dinah on either side of him. The previous evening had been one of the best in his life, and he couldn’t help but smile at the memory. He was beyond happy that Tempest had decided to give Lilith a chance. What that might mean for the future, Ty couldn’t guess, but for now, it was enough that Tempest and Dinah were no longer at odds with each other.
On another day, he might have taken the time to luxuriate in the warmth of the two women, enjoying the yielding firmness of their skin so close to his own. But, as had happened before, many of his ongoing worries had resurrected themselves during the night.
Martin still hadn’t called him, and he was starting to think the DJ either hadn’t gotten the message or had changed his mind. Either way, it meant that for now, Ty was flat broke, and he still had bills to pay.
It was time, Ty thought. He had no other option. He would track down the drug trial his roommate had mentioned, at least to learn a bit more about it.
Ty listened to the quiet sound of the women breathing in their sleep for a moment longer. Then he sighed out loud and carefully climbed over Dinah, kissing her between the shoulder blades as he made his way out of the bed.
The deerkin shifted in her sleep and muttered something unintelligible, but Ty doubted she would even remember when he had left.
He climbed into his clothes, used the bathroom, and instead of heading to the Architect’s workshop, he made his way through the building and out onto the street.
Although it was still early, it seemed that New Lincoln was in for one of its rare rainless days. The cloud cover was still there, but instead of the oppressive feeling of darkness and drizzle, it seemed lighter and further away. There was even a breeze, unusual in the city, which carried an unexpected hint of freshness with the usual odors of decay and depression.
It made traveling to the Concubine Club a little more bearable. The public buses he forced himself to endure were still held together by rust and grime, and still packed with too many desperate people trying to get on with their day-to-day lives, but at least he wasn’t overpowered by the odor of wet hair and B.O.
It took him an hour and a half to reach his target. The Concubine Club looked the same as ever. Ty had barely thought of the place since Tempest had whisked him away a couple of days earlier, to meet Steam for the first time. In his heart and mind, he was completely done with it, and the only reason he had returned at all was to retrieve Dinah’s bike.
Even though the Ducati was equipped with the latest antitheft system, Ty was happy to see it still where he’d left it under the tree outside the club. He disabled the antitheft system and put on his helmet. He would have liked to take a moment to thank Badger for keeping an eye on it, or to follow up with Martin, but it was too early. Neither of them would be inside.
Instead, he climbed onto the bike, checked that everything was as it should be, then started her up. He was about to head away when he saw a familiar figure waddling along the pavement to the club.
It was Angie the Hutt. Ty watched the obese woman make her way up the stairs. Somehow, the way that she moved and the expression on her face conveyed an image of sadness, of someone who was profoundly disappointed with what life had given her.
A few days ago, Ty had hated this woman. She was the author of much of the misery in his life over the past couple of years. But she had ceased to be important.
He had much more powerful adversaries to face. He realized then that in his roommate’s vernacular, she wasn’t even a minor boss anymore. She had become an NPC, a face in the crowd, with little
beyond a set sequence of actions she would repeat for the rest of her life.
Nor did he feel any sympathy for her. Perhaps she was sad and despondent. Perhaps she wished every day for her life to be better. If so, Ty knew it to be her own fault. She was the wellspring for her own misery.
All she needed to do was be nicer to others, and he was sure her own life would improve.
Angie reached the top of the stairs. She unlocked the door and stepped through, and shut it behind her, closing off that piece of Ty’s recent past.
With no further thought of her at all, Ty urged the Ducati into motion.
<<<>>>
It wasn’t a long ride from the Concubine Club to where Ty needed to go. Brad had given him an address on the ground floor of one of the massive mega-corporate buildings. Covering more than a dozen city blocks all by itself, it was immense, well over three hundred stories tall, with the top third of it buried in the clouds above. To anyone on the ground, it was looming and oppressive, and played no small part in the sad, desperate feel of the city as a whole.
The traffic in this part of the city was dense and had slowed to a crawl. Ty rode with his feet off the pedals, touching the asphalt from time to time to keep his balance. He kept half an eye on the cars all around him, and half an eye on the never-ending sequence of shops that made up the first level of the building.
And the people. There were so many of them making their way along the pavement, hiding from the gloom and shadows as best as they could and making it hard for Ty to see past them to the stores in behind.
Electronic bookstores that offered the latest grafted communication tech sat next to strip clubs that boasted girls who had been modified to suit any fetish. Ty couldn’t help but wonder if maybe Lilith had once worked in this area even as he questioned who would patronize such a place so early in the day. Next to the strip joints and tech stores were coffee shops and food vendors jammed in among splicers whom Ty wouldn’t trust even if he had the funds to change his look. He wouldn’t have been surprised if their customers came away with blood poisoning to go with their prehensile tail, the stores looked so dirty.
