by Sable Sylvan
“And did it work?” asked Owen. “Did we put on a good show for you, babe?”
“Oh, yeah, I’m more than satisfied,” said Helen.
Owen brushed the back of his hand over Helen’s curves. “So why don’t we show you an ever better time back here? We promise that we know how to show a gal such as yourself a fun time,” said Owen. He ran his hot breath over the back of Helen’s neck and Helen felt the hairs on the nape of her neck stand up on edge. She couldn’t help but lean into Owen, shifting so the back of her hips were pointed towards his legs. Owen pressed a leg up into the crack of her ass and inwards, so his knee was touching her honeypot.
Ryan fed Helen the salmon which melted in her mouth, filling her with the succulent flavor of the salmon and its strong herbal tarragon sauce. Helen looked so sexy, relaxing around them and letting Owen please and pleasure her without even crossing the line.
Helen pushed the fork away and pulled Ryan closer. She knew that what she was doing was naughty, but she just couldn’t help it. These two men were just so frikkin’ hot and they knew what to do with their bodies.
Owen grabbed Helen by the waist and pulled her so that her hips were over his crotch, his cock rubbing back and forth over her slit, through his sequin hot pants. He put his hands on Helen’s shoulders, rubbing them, hard, and feeling the soft curves of her shoulders as he bucked up against her forbidden entrance, imagining just how tight and hot she was. His shifter senses were stronger than the senses of a normal man, and he smelled something that he recognized from smelling in the main stage. It was pure arousal, a scent he was used to scenting out as a male entertainer, but of course, every woman has her own unique scent, and he took in Helen’s musky floral scent and memorized it. It was mouthwateringly delicious and his blue eyes flashed icy white as he thought about how delicious that honeypot must taste.
Ryan got on top of Helen, and he made a bear shifter ice cream sandwich with Owen, with Helen as the sexy creamy feeling. Ryan rubbed the tip of his cock over Helen’s clit, while running his hands over her body, appreciating her curves. He danced over Helen and felt up the front of her body as she felt up the front of his body, feeling his firm abs and pecs and of course, using her fingers to trace the outline of his mate mark, tracing the lines of the angular horse and the curves of the golden apple. Damn. Helen was the one touching the curves of his chest, but Ryan wanted nothing more than to touch the curves of Helen’s chest.
“Are we going to take this to the next level?” asked Owen. Just the thought of taking Helen and claiming her as his fated mate made his cock twitch instinctively as the bear inside Owen roared and told him to just take her then and there.
“Yeah, what do you say, Helen?” asked Ryan, running a finger along Helen’s chin. Helen couldn’t help but lean into Ryan’s touch. “You know you want to make a sandwich with us...so what’s stopping you?”
“I thought there was that saying, that there’s no sex in the champagne room,” said Helen.
“There is...but that doesn’t mean we can’t take this out of the club,” said Ryan.
“So, what do you say? Do you want to take this party out of the club?” asked Owen.
“Or is this...where we say our goodbyes?” asked Ryan.
Helen looked over the two strong burly bear shifters. When this was just a bunch of fun on stage, it was one thing, but back in the cocktail room, things had gotten real, a little too real. She’d opened up about her awful ex, to two guys that proved to have hearts as warm as their bodies were hot, and she wanted them, badly. So why couldn’t she just go all the way with these guys that obviously wanted her, and badly?
“I’m sorry...I can’t,” said Helen. “I thought that I could, but I can’t. This is fun, but this is all just pretend. There’s no such thing as fairy tales, and if there were...I don’t think I’d be the princess with two knights. I’m just an ordinary girl.”
Before either of them could say anything, she got up and left the room. Ryan got up to chase after Helen. Owen stopped him. Ryan tried to pull out of his grip, but Owen was too strong.
“If she leaves, there’s no telling we’ll ever see her again,” said Ryan. “We’ve looked for her for so long. We can’t just let her go!”
“And if we chase after her, she definitely won’t ever trust us to take her feelings seriously,” said Owen. “Let her go. If it’s meant to be, fate...will bring us together again. Trust me. Trust fate.”
***
“...So that’s what happened in the cocktail room,” explained Helen.
“Wait wait wait. What? You had the chance to get with two of the hottest dancers we saw tonight...” started Jasmine.
“...And you chose to come back to the limo to go back to Portland with us?” asked Alicia. “Are you nuts?”
“I know, I know. I thought that I could let loose tonight...but I didn’t think that I would end up feeling so conflicted when it came down to, you know, getting serious with these guys,” said Helen.
“Who said anything about getting serious with them?” asked Alicia.
“To be fair, didn’t you hear her explain, about their mate marks, and her name and hometown? She’s their frikkin’ Helen of Troy,” said Jasmine. “That’s some real shizz, Alicia. These guys...”
“...They could be her fated mates,” said Alicia. “You’re right, Jazz. But Helen, isn’t a true love commitment exactly what you want?”
“It is...but my heart is still broken from what happened with Joseph,” said Helen. “I don’t want to rebound, and I think...maybe I just need to be a bachelorette for a while.”
“Did you at least have fun at the show?” asked Jasmine. “I feel really bad now. Are you sure I didn’t make more problems for you?”
“No, it’s not your fault at all,” said Helen, leaning over to squeeze Jasmine’s hand. Then, she squeezed Alicia’s hand. “You two are the best friends a girl could ask for. I had a great time. I didn’t think seeing male dancers do their thing would be so fun, but it really was! I just broke the number one rule of going to a strip club.”
“And what would that be?” asked Alicia.
“Don’t people always say to never fall in love with a stripper?” said Helen, giving her friends a soft smile. “Well...I broke that rule tonight, twice.”
Chapter Five
Disco balls. Neon lights. Glitter. Sequin hot pants over thick muscles and leaving little to the imagination. This is what distracted Helen while she was out to lunch with her friends, Alicia and Jasmine. They’d gone up to the Bear Buns show on Friday, and Alicia and Jasmine had filled her in on the particulars of the four acts she’d missed, which featured black bears, cinnamon bears, panda bears, and koala bears, in addition to the polar bears she’d already seen...and the grizzly bears she couldn’t keep her mind off of. It was Monday and Helen had been taken to lunch by her friends, but she was barely able to stay in the moment.
“Helen? Helen? Helloooo?” Alicia snapped her fingers in front of Helen.
“Oh, hi, sorry, I zoned out for a second,” said Helen. “What were you saying?”
“I was just telling Jasmine about the food bank program that we’re running at work,” said Alicia. “You know how I was working in human resources this spring, but got transferred this summer to charitable giving?”
“Yeah, and you were complaining that there weren’t any projects that really caught your interest,” said Helen. “What changed?”
“I guess I just had to put in the hours, but, they took my idea for a Thanksgiving themed charity drive to heart,” explained Alicia. “We’re taking donations of canned goods and delivering the dinners to needy families around the Portland area. What we’re looking for right now is, of course, more cash donations, as well as donations of food, drivers, delivery people, and if we can make it happen, chefs for a large community Thanksgiving dinner which’ll be free to the needy.”
“That sounds awesome,” said Helen. “Sorry I zoned out again. It’s just...”
“Just that you’re totally in l-o-v-e love,” said Jasmine. “Helen, I still can’t believe you let those two guys slip out of your fingers!”
“More like they let her slip out of their fingers,” said Alicia, stirring her peach sweet tea. “Aren’t bear shifters supposed to be, y’know, protective? Possessive? Dominant?”
“I’m sure that it was just an act,” said Helen. “After all, strippers have to hustle. And even if it wasn’t...I’m in no place to date right now.”
“Why not?” asked Alicia.
“You know why not,” said Helen before sticking out her tongue. She sipped at her vanilla iced latte. “It’s the whole thing with Joseph.”
“Scumbag Joe,” corrected Jasmine.
“Yeah, we just broke up, and...oh, I don’t know if I’m ready to date again,” said Helen.
“Tell me you’re not going to get back together with him,” said Jasmine.
“Ha. Hahaha. Oh, you’re serious. No frikkin’ way is he getting anywhere close to this body again,” said Helen, motioning over her curves. “He didn’t appreciate what he had when he had it. The only thing I regret...is not getting my stuff back from him before he dumped me.”
“Wait, what? This asshat still has your stuff?” said Alicia.
“Yeah, and he hasn’t replied to my emails about when I can pick the stuff up,” said Helen with a sigh. “I guess I’m going to have to kiss my things goodbye.”
“By things, you just mean some DVDs and CDs, right?” asked Jasmine.
“I wish,” said Helen. “There’s also some more personal effects. Clothes, makeup, and stuff that I think he took on accident.”
“Like what stuff?” asked Alicia.
“Like a photo album from my aunt,” said Helen, looking down and blushing. “And...my grandma’s quilt.”
“Your aunt’s photo album? Why does he of all people frikkin’ have that?” asked Alicia. “I can understand him being a pervert and stealing panties, but, your dearly departed aunt’s photo album?”
“I know, it’s got all the important family photos she ever took,” said Helen.
“I’m out of the loop, why is the album so important?” asked Jasmine.
“Oh, I never told you? My aunt was the family photographer, in a sense. She always had her camera out at family events. I was the one who inherited her family photo albums...and I noticed last week that one is missing,” explained Helen. “They’re all numbered, you see. And the album that was missing is the album of pictures she took at my mother’s wedding. I was planning on having the album digitized, and Joe said he knew a guy a while ago...I think he must’ve taken it because he was going to get it digitized as a gift to me.”
“Or, more likely, he wants to use it as leverage to get you to get back together with him,” said Jasmine. “This guy is scum. And your grandma’s quilt? That thing was a work of art and more importantly, a work of heart. He has no business holding onto your things.”
“I don’t know how I’m going to get them back,” said Helen. “I just have to kiss them goodbye.”
“Are you willing to do anything to get them back?” asked Jasmine. “And I mean, anything?”
“I don’t need him to be whacked or anything,” said Helen. “And what’re the cops gonna do about a photo album and a quilt?”
“Trust me, if I was gonna pay to have Joe taken out, that would’ve happened long ago,” said Jasmine. “And you’re right, the cops won’t do anything...but do you trust me to find a way to get the stuff back?”
“Of course,” said Helen. “I just want my things back, that’s all. It’s not about revenge. Alicia, is your drive going to be open to the public?”
“Definitely,” said Alicia. “I can give you some posters to hang up at work if you want.”
“I’ll ask my boss if it’s okay, but I’m sure she’ll say yes,” said Helen. “Gosh, you gals are the best. This is what friendship is all about.”
“Don’t thank me yet,” said Jasmine. “But, I recommend clearing out your weekend. I’m sure we’re going to get into some crazy shizz again.”
Helen had just no idea how serious Jasmine was.
***
That Friday, Helen, Jasmine, and Alicia were hanging out at Jasmine’s opulent house. Jasmine’s parent had bought her this house to live in when she’d moved to Portland and it was huge compared to most of the properties in the Portland area. The house had three bedrooms, one which was used as Jasmine’s room, another used as her home office, and another used as a guest bedroom, and two bathrooms, both stocked with expensive bath and beauty products from nice stores. The gals had been catching up on their weekly shows, eating popcorn and drinking ciders, when Jasmine had to leave to take a call.
When Jasmine came back in, she paused the show. “Helen...you won’t believe who I just got off the phone with,” said Jasmine.
“Who?” asked Helen.
“Do the names ‘Ryan’ and ‘Owen’ ring a bell?” asked Jasmine.
“No frikkin’ way,” said Helen. “You’re gonna have to explain this, from the beginning.”
“So, I know that you don’t like me meddling, but, the day after the show, I called up Bear Buns. I just had to know what the deal was with the bears that you are so totally obviously in love with. I couldn’t get their info, but I was able to leave a message. I just said that I was a friend of yours and gave them my number. Then, the bears called me. They wanted to know everything about you,” said Jasmine.
“So what did you tell them?” asked Alicia. By that point, Helen was stunned and her cheeks were tomato red.
“Not a god dang thing,” said Jasmine. “I told them that if they want to get to know Helen, they have to do so on their own, by meeting up with Helen, one on one.”
“And so they’re coming down here?” asked Alicia.
“Yes, but not just for a date,” said Jasmine. “Helen, I told them about the issue with Scumbag Joe, and well, it got their blood boiling and their bears bursting. They’re coming down here, tomorrow, to help you get your stuff back from your loser ex boyfriend.”
“No frikkin’ way,” said Helen. “They’re seriously coming all the way down...just to help me get back some pictures and a blanket?”
“Excuse me, that’s your grandma’s quilt, and that’s your aunt’s photo album,” said Alicia. “That’s a big frikkin’ deal.”
“So...what do I do?” asked Helen. “I guess these guys were really into me after all. And they’re helping me get rid of the baggage formerly known as my boyfriend.”
“Well, I can tell you what you shouldn’t do this time,” said Alicia. “Definitely don’t run away.”
“Are you two gonna come with me?” asked Helen.
“No frikkin’ way,” said Jasmine. “Last time we went with you somewhere involving boys, you skedaddled. This time, we’re going to be at Alicia’s Thanksgiving food drive. Your only mission, should you accept it...is not to run away from love.”
“Okay, okay, but the question still remains...what do I frikkin’ wear?” asked Helen with a laugh.
***
The next morning, Helen woke up bright and early. She took a shower, got changed into jeans and a cute shirt with a hoodie, as there was a nip in the air, and made herself coffee and made a big breakfast. Jasmine had told her that the boys would meet her at her house around eight, and it was seven. As she made breakfast, she wondered if she should make extra for the boys, and she decided she should. It was the least she could do after running off the week before. At least she had a second chance.
As Helen finished up some work on her laptop while sipping at a mug of coffee, she heard a knock at her door. She walked to the door and looked through the peephole. There, at her door, were Ryan and Owen, looking as handsome as they had that night they first met.
She opened the door. “Hey, long time no see,” joked Helen.
“Helen, it’s great to see you,” said Ryan, pulling her in for a hug. Helen hesitated and then hugged Ryan back. Hi
s tall, firm body was warm, even without a jacket, in the cold Portland air.
“Yeah, your friend got in contact with us and explained everything,” said Owen, who pulled Helen in for hug number two. “I’m so glad she did.”
“Me too,” said Helen. “I’m so embarrassed about leaving, it’s just...”
“You don’t have to explain yourself to us,” said Ryan. “Is that coffee I smell?”
“Yeah, do you two want mugs?” asked Helen.
“Please,” said Owen.
Helen led them inside the house. “It’s not a big place, but it’s mine,” said Helen. “Well, sort of mine. I rent a room, and there are four other roommates, who are all sleeping right now, so I have to be sort of quiet.”
“We understand completely,” said Owen, pouring Ryan and himself mugs of coffee. “When we’re on tour, well, trust me, we might be the only grizzly bears, but all the bears get pretty grizzly.”
“Did you not eat breakfast yet?” asked Ryan, pointing at the food on the counter.
“I did, but I made extra for you two,” said Helen. “I wasn’t sure if you’d have a chance to eat, given you drove what, three, four hours?”
“Three hours, but we got up early,” said Ryan. “So what’s the deal with this jerk off that we’re visiting today?”
“I guess Jasmine really didn’t tell you anything,” said Helen. “It’s a long story.”
“We’ve got time,” said Owen. He and Ryan sat at the table. Helen put her laptop away to give them more space to eat.
“Well...my ex’s name is Joseph, but my friends call him Scumbag Joe, and apparently used to call him that behind my back even before the breakup,” said Helen. “We were dating for a few years, and I thought he was going to propose. It turns out he was hiding something from me, but it wasn’t a ring. No. It turned out he’d been cheating on me, for years, since the start of our relationship. He said it was because he wasn’t attracted to me. He said he didn’t want curves. The girl who told me about the cheating? She was one of the girls he was cheating on me with, a model type, and of course, she told me so that I’d dump him. Well, I didn’t, he dumped me, for ‘overreacting’, and now they’re together, so I guess she got what she wanted all along.”
