her face and leave her covered in anti-glory and federal violations?
She’d already had three showers but, now that Kauz had
slathered her with his icky admiration, she felt a little less than fresh. She
took another.
Chapter Twelve
While the others ferried Kauz and his psychespectrometer to
Virgil’s house in Griffy’s limousine, Jewel took a cab, the better to get
something through Randy’s head.
He seemed totally not embarrassed. “Why should I feel shame?
Men follow you down the street like dogs.”
“Well, I’m embarrassed. I don’t do men in public!”
“Except for Nathan the Napkinfucker.”
Jewel goggled. “Where did you hear about that?”
“Nina mentioned him at dinner on Sunday. Don’t you recall?”
My best friend Nina.
Think I’ll kill her. Jewel licked dry lips. “That was eight months ago. And
we never got caught. And I dumped him. I wish I could dump you!”
“All you need do is to forget I am there.”
“Forget you’re in my bed? When you’re sneaking into my head, into my dreams?”
“Next time I vanish into a bed — or a massage table.” With a
gesture he indicated the cab seat between them. “Or an automobile. Simply
forget where I have gone.”
He didn’t have to add the rest of it. If he couldn’t give
her an orgasm, he couldn’t get out of the trap by himself. Ever.
She bit her lip. “You could have told me you were in the
massage table, somehow. I could have come back later.”
“Would you have returned? You seem dissatisfied with my
services of late.”
So he had heard
what she said to Griffy! Oh, gosh . But
girl talk is a necessity. I can’t cope without girl talk.
She avoided his eyes. “Well, you’ve been annoying me.”
“I, on the other hand, cannot afford to be angry with you.”
That annoyed her even more. He knew darned well that she
knew that he couldn’t afford to make her too mad. She was number one hundred on
his magic list of stealth fucks. Until he’d given her an orgasm, he’d been sex
slave for two centuries.
And now he was her slave.
Funny how it felt like she was his.
If only she could figure out how she felt about that.
Her embarrassment was easing. She lowered her voice. “Look,
this is not about my sex life, or even yours. You have to be careful. You can’t
be,” she whispered, “magical. There’s very low tolerance. You’re lucky you got
sprung from that brass bed in Chicago. The Policy here is ‘Don’t ask, don’t
tell, cope.’ It could have happened in Pittsburgh. Or D.C. I shudder to think
what the feds would do with you.”
“But in only three weeks I have seen magic everywhere—”
She interrupted him. “You have not seen magic. Not. You’ve
observed a few anomalies that can happen in any densely populated community.
When diverse peoples rub together, they naturally imagine that their own
experience is reality and everyone else’s is weird. A city is a confusing
place.” She looked him in the eye with all her force of will. “People imagine
they see all kinds of stuff. The world keeps on spinning, whether they decide
to cope, or have hysterics over nothing. Why have a cow?”
“You care for your city,” he said, the lightbulb going on.
“Duh. It’s my home and it’s my job. There is no magic,” she
repeated. Why should he believe her? She didn’t believe herself. “Only a little
inconvenience.”
“Or a large one.”
Scanning his big body she agreed. “Or a large one.”
He looked miffed. “Then I must be more convenient.”
Jewel knew this was as good as it got, Randy-polite-wise.
She drew a shuddering sigh. “Thank you.”
o0o
At Virgil’s mansion, Jewel saw that her humiliations had
just begun. The newest addition to the loonybin, Dr. Kauz, was introduced to
Virgil.
Then Griffy told them how Jewel had attracted all eyes at
the Hancock Tower. “You should have seen it! I think that machine works. Of
course Julia’s already beautiful.” She smiled at Jewel.
Jewel wondered
She’d already had three showers but, now that Kauz had
slathered her with his icky admiration, she felt a little less than fresh. She
took another.
Chapter Twelve
While the others ferried Kauz and his psychespectrometer to
Virgil’s house in Griffy’s limousine, Jewel took a cab, the better to get
something through Randy’s head.
He seemed totally not embarrassed. “Why should I feel shame?
Men follow you down the street like dogs.”
“Well, I’m embarrassed. I don’t do men in public!”
“Except for Nathan the Napkinfucker.”
Jewel goggled. “Where did you hear about that?”
“Nina mentioned him at dinner on Sunday. Don’t you recall?”
My best friend Nina.
Think I’ll kill her. Jewel licked dry lips. “That was eight months ago. And
we never got caught. And I dumped him. I wish I could dump you!”
“All you need do is to forget I am there.”
“Forget you’re in my bed? When you’re sneaking into my head, into my dreams?”
“Next time I vanish into a bed — or a massage table.” With a
gesture he indicated the cab seat between them. “Or an automobile. Simply
forget where I have gone.”
He didn’t have to add the rest of it. If he couldn’t give
her an orgasm, he couldn’t get out of the trap by himself. Ever.
She bit her lip. “You could have told me you were in the
massage table, somehow. I could have come back later.”
“Would you have returned? You seem dissatisfied with my
services of late.”
So he had heard
what she said to Griffy! Oh, gosh . But
girl talk is a necessity. I can’t cope without girl talk.
She avoided his eyes. “Well, you’ve been annoying me.”
“I, on the other hand, cannot afford to be angry with you.”
That annoyed her even more. He knew darned well that she
knew that he couldn’t afford to make her too mad. She was number one hundred on
his magic list of stealth fucks. Until he’d given her an orgasm, he’d been sex
slave for two centuries.
And now he was her slave.
Funny how it felt like she was his.
If only she could figure out how she felt about that.
Her embarrassment was easing. She lowered her voice. “Look,
this is not about my sex life, or even yours. You have to be careful. You can’t
be,” she whispered, “magical. There’s very low tolerance. You’re lucky you got
sprung from that brass bed in Chicago. The Policy here is ‘Don’t ask, don’t
tell, cope.’ It could have happened in Pittsburgh. Or D.C. I shudder to think
what the feds would do with you.”
“But in only three weeks I have seen magic everywhere—”
She interrupted him. “You have not seen magic. Not. You’ve
observed a few anomalies that can happen in any densely populated community.
When diverse peoples rub together, they naturally imagine that their own
experience is reality and everyone else’s is weird. A city is a confusing
place.” She looked him in the eye with all her force of will. “People imagine
they see all kinds of stuff. The world keeps on spinning, whether they decide
to cope, or have hysterics over nothing. Why have a cow?”
“You care for your city,” he said, the lightbulb going on.
“Duh. It’s my home and it’s my job. There is no magic,” she
repeated. Why should he believe her? She didn’t believe herself. “Only a little
inconvenience.”
“Or a large one.”
Scanning his big body she agreed. “Or a large one.”
He looked miffed. “Then I must be more convenient.”
Jewel knew this was as good as it got, Randy-polite-wise.
She drew a shuddering sigh. “Thank you.”
o0o
At Virgil’s mansion, Jewel saw that her humiliations had
just begun. The newest addition to the loonybin, Dr. Kauz, was introduced to
Virgil.
Then Griffy told them how Jewel had attracted all eyes at
the Hancock Tower. “You should have seen it! I think that machine works. Of
course Julia’s already beautiful.” She smiled at Jewel.
Jewel wondered
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