Players (Lessons by Loki) (25 page)

“Don’t forget you’re supposed to be asking him questions,” Chase prompted with a meaningful look.

Did she really want to know if Josiah would confide in her? She wanted to believe all this had moved beyond some silly game, but she couldn’t think of a way to find out without confronting them with what she knew.

Tell them. Tell them now.

She seldom ignored her inner voice, but how could she confront them while she was naked and bound? She had to at least get out of these wrist cuffs before she started an argument. So instead
of revealing her mission, she said, “You seemed to enjoy my trip down memory lane. I think I’ll follow your example. I know a little about Chase’s family. Tell me about yours.”

Josiah pulled Chase to his feet and whispered something into his ear then turned back to Katie. “
That’s not a question.”

Undeterred by his obstinacy, she asked,
“Where did you grow up?”

“M
ost claim that I haven’t grown up. Next question.”

Chase was right. Josiah didn’t like talk
ing about his past. “Come on. I told you about my wacky family. I want to know about yours. Were you raised by your mother, your father, or both? Where did you live as a child?”

“Michigan.
” She glared at him, so he gave in with a weary sigh. “My father was an executive for GM. He was married to a typical trophy wife. They weren’t abusive, maybe a bit neglectful, but nothing unusual for their social circle. My childhood was ordinary, boring. Move on.”

She glanced at Chase and he gave her an easily
recognizable “keep digging” look.

“Siblings?”
She did her best to sound casual. It was a natural follow-up question.

Josiah
snapped his head toward Chase and glared. “Did you tell her?”

“Of course not.
I would never betray your confidence.”

And technically he hadn’t. He’d told her Josiah had a secret. He hadn’t told her what the secret was. “Do you really expect me to let that slide?” She flashed her warmest smile, hoping to calm him. “What were you
afraid he’d told me?”

He crossed the distance between them with two agitated strides. Then he took her face between his hands and
looked deep into her eyes. “I don’t want to pollute this. Please let it go.”

Her curious nature was fully engaged, yet she couldn’t ignore the pain in his
expression. “Will you tell me later, when it’s not part of this game?”

“Yes,
I’ll tell you, but not here, not now.”

“I’ll hold you to it.” She accented the warning with a kiss. He responded for a moment then stepped back and lowered his arms.

He cleared his throat and seemed to shake away the past. “I know you fantasize about being with both of us.” His voice was even and firm, but his features remained tight. “Do we take turns fucking you or are we inside you at the same time.”

She shivered.
“Depends.”

Chase moved to the
built-in storage unit and pulled open one of the drawers.

“You’ll have to do better than that.” Josiah drew her attention back to him. He smiled, though the expression was dark and humorless. She’d unleashed something in him, something wounded and dangerous. “Depends on what?”

“My mood. Sometimes we take turns arousing each other. Sometimes you fuck Chase while he fucks me, and sometimes you both fuck me together.”

“When we fuck you together, how do we do it?” He motioned Chase behind her before she could see what he had taken out of the drawer.

“One is in my pussy the other my mouth.” She knew where this was leading, but wasn’t sure she wanted to go there while his mood was still so volatile.

He leaned closer, his lips hovering over hers. “You do realize there’s another way to do it, don’t you?”

“Yes, I’ve just never… I never thought I’d like it like that.”

He nipped her bottom lip as
Chase passed him something. He kept the object just out of her line of sight. “Shift your weight to one foot and lift the other.”

“Are you going to prove me wrong?” She reluctantly did as he directed and his hand caught the underside of her knee
, raising her foot and guiding it onto something warm and solid. She looked down and realized the surface was Chase’s thigh. He must be down on one knee behind her, which put his face much closer to her ass.

“Lean against Chase
if you need to, but give him room to move.”

She closed her eyes
and braced for the inevitable. If she wanted two male lovers, she better get over her squeamishness fast. Chase was about to push something into her ass and fuck her. It better not be his cock! Her eyes flew open and she stared into the endless blackness of Josiah’s gaze.

“They’re just toys, Katie-cat. We’re still playing by the rules.”

But were they still playing? Her heart screamed no, but her mind wasn’t sure. This seemed too real, too intense to be part of a bet. Still—

Josiah positioned his toy then slowly filled her pussy
. Her thoughts scattered as pleasure swelled inside her. She trembled, her gaze still locked with Josiah’s.

“That’s right. You’re all filled up, but you’re going to take even more.”

The silken threat sent excitement ricocheting across her nerve endings. Her inner muscles stretched around the toy Josiah had just inserted. Could she really take more?

Josiah pressed his leg between hers, keeping the toy in place while he reached behind her and grasped her ass cheeks. She held perfectly still, unsure, yet thrilled by the forbidden nature of what they were about to do. Josiah held her open while Chase caressed and prepared her. His fingers rimmed the toy Josiah had inserted, focusing her attention on the fullness already inside her. Then he used his other hand to tease her anus. He slid over and around the tightly puckered opening, his fingers slick with lube. She squirmed, helplessly arching away from the impending invasion.

“Be still.” Josiah’s voice growled with warning, his mood still brooding. “Focus on what he’s doing. I want you to feel everything.”

She licked her lips and he responded to the silent plea, kissing her with far more tenderness than he was exhibiting outwardly.

Chase took advantage of her stillness and pushed his finger well into her ass. She moaned into Josiah’s open mouth, but he didn’t release her. Chase slid his finger in and out, the motion eased by more lube. And then a second finger joined the first. So tight. So full. She’d never felt this…invaded. By the time he withdrew his fingers and pushed his toy inside her, she was restless and ready to scream.

“I need to move,” she cried, shuddering violently.

“Then move.” Josiah shifted his leg out of the way and grasped his toy as the tightening of her pussy tried to expel it. He thrust it back in and she cried out, surprised and yet exhilarated by the aggressive action. “This is how we want you. Together, sliding against each other, both of us inside you. Nothing feels better.”

He lifted her leg even higher, angling it out so he could more easily fuck her with the toy. Chase
stood and echoed Josiah’s strokes, pulling out as Josiah pushed in, and withdrawing as Josiah advanced. Katie hung suspended between them, helpless and overwhelmed. Her breasts swayed and her entire body throbbed with a rapidly gathering orgasm.

“I need to come.” She wasn’t sure why she felt compelled to
tell them, but the words slipped out half a second before the pleasure burst and her body exploded in rippling spasms.

“Do it again,” Josiah ordered and her body obeyed.

It took a few rotations, but only a few and she was shuddering all over again.

Lights danced in front of her eyes and her leg went weak
. Chase wrapped his arm around her, just below her breasts, and pressed her shoulders against his chest. Both toys drove inward now, hard and deep. They were fucking her together, filling her together. The realization thrilled her, reawakening her shell-shocked body.

Josiah covered her clit with his thumb
gently rubbing as his gaze bore into hers. “Imagine how much better it will feel when we’re really inside you, flesh wrapped in flesh.”

She moaned again, her head tossing from side to side. “No more.” She gasped
, suddenly afraid of the intensity.

“She’s had enough.” Chase pulled out and tossed the toy aside. “Enough!” He grabbed Josiah’s wrist and pulled his hand back
, dragging his toy out as well.

The sudden emptiness was worse than the
ruthless pleasure. She whimpered and squeezed her eyes shut.

“Yeah,” Josiah sneered. “That’s much better.”
Dropping to his knees, he lifted her and draped both legs over his shoulders, literally seating her on his face. Chase moved behind her, supporting and steadying her as Josiah devoured her pussy.

His tongue thrust into her aching core as his top lip rubbed her clit
. He sucked her cream into his mouth and she came with a scream, shuddering again and again as hard spasms tore through her body. She went limp, unable to think much less move. He stayed right where he was, lapping up her cream like a hungry cat. It was raw and savage, so starkly animal that Katie nearly came again.

Suddenly
he shot to his feet and her legs slipped down his arms, hooking over his elbows. She braced for the thrust of his cock, terrified that she’d pushed him beyond reason. But he kissed her instead. His mouth claimed hers with the consuming demand she’d expected from his body. His tongue thrust into her mouth, pushing her taste across her tongue as the kiss went on and on.

Without warning,
her arms fell, landing hard across his shoulders. Chase must have released the clasp holding the chain to the horizontal bar.

“Let her go, J. You’re scaring her.
Hell, you’re scaring me.” Chase tried to pull her away from Josiah, but his hands moved to her ass and he pressed her even tighter against his pelvis. His cock dug into her belly, an inescapable ridge mere inches from where it needed to be.

She tried to turn her head, but he growled and caught her bottom lip
between his teeth. As soon as she returned to her original position, he released her lip. “Beg me.”

The demand sent temptation surging through her body and her core tightened hard enough to make her groan. “No.” She jerked her head to the side, narrowly escaping another nip.
If she didn’t stop him now there would be no turning back. She’d be well and truly snared in her own trap.

“Let me, Katie. I
know you want this too.”

The pleading was even worse than the
angry demand. She unhooked her arms from around his neck and threw her weight back toward Chase. “Put. Me. Down!”

Before Josiah could object, Chase lifted her and swung her to the side. “Can you stand?” He lowered her feet to the floor, but didn’t let go.

Her legs wobbled, but supported her weight. “I’m fine.” She heard the claim and laughed, a harsh hollow sound. She was anything but “fine”. She was rattled, overwhelmed and pissed off.

Silence
descended as Chase quickly freed her from the cuffs. She stood there trembling and fighting back tears. “Were you
ever
going to tell me?”

Her voice was so shrill Chase
wrapped his arm around her waist.

She jerked
away from him and glared. “What about you? How long were you going to let this go on?”

“What are you talking about? I stopped him as soon as I realized you were
frightened.”

“
Vanessa told me about the bet!” she shouted, tears streaming down her cheeks. Her lips trembled then she continued in a heartbroken whisper, “You fucked me together so who wins the stupid bet?”

She raced past Josiah and snatched the robe off the floor.

“Katie,” they cried in unison as she ran for the door.

Despite the pain in their voices, s
he didn’t look back.

Loki held Katie against his chest, soaking up her energy as she sobbed like a frightened child. She’d made it as far as her bedroom before collapsing in a semi-hysterical heap. He’d carried her to the bed and sat down with her cradled in his arms. This was what he’d needed, why he’d meticulously organized the situation for maximum impact on all three participants. Conflict, chaos, emotional energy, it was what fueled his existence, allowing him to go on year after endless year. So why was he almost as miserable as she was?

Immortality wasn’t as rewarding as mortals thought.
Even with all the abilities at their disposal, many immortals buckled beneath the monotony of it all. They spread themselves on the wind and allowed their beings to disperse until there was nothing left. There were times when Loki had been tempted by oblivion. Instead he returned to Earth, to the tempestuous mortals who fascinated and sustained him.

He smoothed the damp hair back from Katie’s pale face and guilt jabbed into his heart. He hadn’t meant for her to take the brunt of this particular bit of mischief, but he hadn’t expected her to run toward danger with quite so much
enthusiasm. Her lesson with Josiah had been scheduled for late evening. Loki had planned to calm her and prepare her for the confrontation. Instead, she’d gone directly to their house and indulged in a series of events Loki had been powerless to interrupt. Well, Loki was never truly powerless, but the emotions those three produced had been so delicious, Loki hadn’t wanted it to end.

But it had ended and ended badly. And now Katie was heartbroken.

Rocking her gently, he waited for her outburst to run its course. Once rationality returned, he’d help her understand that the mission hadn’t just been successful, it had been triumphant. Josiah and Chase had been well and truly bested at their own game.

Katie wiped her eyes with her fingertips then crawled off his lap. “You need to leave. I
’m finished with all of this.”

Her bitterness surprised him, as did the surge of anger driving the words. “Are you angry with me?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?” Carefully overlapping the edges of the robe, she stood up then turned to face him. “You used me just as much as Josiah and Chase. Well, I hope it was worth it because I want you out of my life permanently. I better never see or sense you again.”

“Katie, there is no reason for your anger. Our goal was clear from the beginning. You were pulled in a bit deeper than I’d intended but—”

“You think,” she snapped then shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. It happened. I survived and now it’s over. So get the hell out of my life!”

“As you wish.”
He inclined his head and faded from view.

Katie threw herself on the bed and buried her face in a pillow,
sobbing once again.

“Are you proud of yourself?”

Loki spun toward the speaker and fought back a groan.
Freya
. Why her? Why now? He did not need this particular female screwing with him while his control was malfunctioning. Unless she was willing to literally screw him, then he’d reassess his displeasure.

“What are you doing here?”
he grumbled. They were undetectable to Katie, yet visible to each other. It was a balance not many could manage. Freya had chosen her human form as she often did. Hip-length golden hair framed her lovely face, which was dominated by feline green eyes. Her lush red lips, however, pressed into a disapproving line. “It’s been ages.” As her clothing emphasized. He’d never seen her in jeans before this moment.

“This isn’t a social call.”

It never was with Freya, at least not anymore. “I’m not going back. The austerity laws are intolerable. I will not live like that.” To conserve the depleted energy in their home dimension, strict conservation programs had become necessary. The standards kept everyone on the verge of starvation, so most had simply fled to other dimensions.

“I wasn’t sent to drag you back.”

“Then why are you here?” He wasn’t sure how to react to her. They had interacted on so many levels down through the centuries. They’d been lovers and they’d been friends. They’d been enemies and rivals. More often than not their attitudes aligned, but when they disagreed, the enmity was bitter, even violent.

“This dimension is restricted and you know it. You don’t have permission to be here.”

He shrugged. There was no way the auditors could track down everyone who’d fled to a restricted dimension. Too many had defected and more dimensions were restricted than not. “You didn’t answer the question.”

“The auditors couldn’t agree on what to do with you
. Your antics have started wars and resulted in horrific destruction, yet you can be just as heroic when you choose to be. They argued for weeks and couldn’t come to a consensus, so they dispatched me to—”

“Babysit me until they make up their minds?” He couldn’t decide whether to be insulted or amused.

“The word they used was ‘supervise’, but babysit is more accurate.” She strolled toward him, a lazy smile teasing the corners of her mouth. Damn she was beautiful. And he’d missed her far more than he was willing to admit. “You can’t really blame them, now can you? You’ve always refused to play by the rules.”

“I’m not the only one.” He couldn’t touch her in this form and it was driving him crazy.
Snug jeans showcased her curvy hips and long legs, while her simple top hinted at rather than displayed her round breasts. It had been much too long since they indulged their mutual desire.

Obviously guessing the direction of his thoughts, s
he passed through him, disrupting his energy as she made her way toward the bed. “So what did you do to upset this poor creature?”

“Scan her mind. All of her emotions are dangerously close to the surface. A fact I was hoping to help her with, but she deviated from my original plan.”

“You’re blaming this on her? Typical.” Obviously insulted, Freya looked at Katie and then back at him. “Oh my. What a tangle. I thought you’d tired of these games.”

“Never.
” He winked at her. “And don’t sound so disapproving. You taught me these games.”

She finally smiled, the simple change elevating her appearance from beautiful to breathtaking. “So I did.
This round was clumsily handled however. You can’t mean to leave it like this.”

“I don’t.
She ordered me out of her house, so I allowed her to believe I’d obliged her.”

“I want to see these men for myself.”

Without further warning she vanished.

Loki propelled himself across the street, easily anticipating where she had gone. Josiah paced the living
room dressed as always in jeans and a T-shirt. Chase hadn’t bothered with a shirt, but he’d also pulled on jeans. He sat on the sofa, forearms resting on his legs, looking utterly forlorn.

“How did Vanessa find out about the bet?” Chase sounded as lost as he looked.

“She didn’t find out, she was just being her bitchy self. She told Katie about the bet, knowing she’d be insecure enough to at least wonder if she was our target.”

Chase
rubbed his eyes with his fingertips. “We have to fix this.” He spread his arms in helpless frustration. “How the hell do we fix this?”

“Are her scrubs still upstairs?”

The question snapped Chase out of his stupor. He shot to his feet and crossed the room, blocking Josiah’s path toward the stairs. “You are not going over there tonight.”

“I’ll just give her the cloth
es and explain that the bet was called off before tonight.”

“And you think that will make everything okay? We started flirting with her as part of a bet. We can’t escape that fact.”

Josiah sighed and pushed his fingers through his hair, raking it back from his face. “I’ve never seen anyone so shattered. I have to at least check on her.”

“No. We have to give her a day or two. Let her calm down and then we can try to explain.”

Josiah pivoted on the ball of his foot and strode to the front windows instead. He opened the blinds and looked out, squinting into the darkness. “Her car is still in our driveway. Maybe I can catch her in the morning when she—”

“Give her some space. We can’t reason with her until she calms down.”

“But she’s not going to calm down until she understands that what happened during her lessons was not part of the bet.”

Chase shook his head. “She’s not ready to hear it.”

Freya looked Josiah up and down then drifted toward Chase and looked him over just as thoroughly. “They’re adorable. It’s hard to believe these are the same two men that had her tied up downstairs. Her memory paints a very different picture.”

“Josiah has a dark side,” Loki explained. “Katie co
axed it to the surface without realizing what she was doing.”

“I don’t think it was the darkness that scared her.”

“I was there, Freya. She was definitely afraid.”

“Yes, but she was
n’t afraid of Josiah. She was afraid of how exciting she found him even in that mood. Have you even looked beyond Katie’s surface emotions? Their helpless little kitten has a dark side too.”

Freya had always been better at reading people than Loki. She was also better at manipulating them. Not only could she purge memories, she could alter them.

“Is Chase right?” Loki asked. “Does she need time? I could encourage Josiah to go see her tonight.”

“No. Make him wait until tomorrow. I need a little more time with Katie before I’m sure how best to proceed.”

She disappeared again, but he didn’t follow this time. His “supervisor” had just taken over and he wasn’t sure how he felt about that.

* * * * *

Chase pushed his remote and unlocked his car door with a heavy sigh. Three long, tedious days had passed since their lesson with Katie. Josiah had tried several times to get her to open the door for him, but he’d received no response. They’d even gone over there together, but she’d ignored that as well.

Slipping in behind the wheel
of his Accord, he stuck the keys in the ignition and heard his phone beep. He activated the message screen and smiled. Josiah never minced words when he texted. The message was clear and precise:
Need milk, apples, two dozen roses, red and yellow mix
.

So he was ready to try again, apparently. Chase wasn’t convinced that flowers would have any impact on their stubborn neighbor, but he was more than willing to pick up the bouquet. He went to the grocery store first then
put the groceries in the trunk while he walked to the flower shop in the same strip mall. He’d used the shop several times in the past and had been satisfied with the quality and service.

The sweet scent of flowers greeted him along with a blast of cool air. The clerk behind the main counter smiled at him, but she was already with a customer. He strolled toward the
walk-in cooler, absently looking at the arrangements on display.

“Chase? I didn’t realize Josiah was the flower type.”

Vanessa
. He cringed, schooling his expression before he turned around. “There’re for Katie, as I’m sure you know.” She was dressed to the nines, as always. Not a hair out of place. “What lured you away from your ivory tower?” There was no way in hell he was telling her the flowers were an apology.

“My nail salon is across the street.” She wiggled her freshly sculpted nails as best she could while holding a colorful arrangement of mixed blossoms. “Mom’s birthday is tomorrow and I thought she’d enjoy these.”

He made a noncommittal sound, hoping to end the unwanted conversation.

“You look tired.
Is the two-for-one deal wearing you out?”

“
What do you want, Vanessa. I’m not in the mood for your venom.”

Her saccharine smile melted and genuine
concern flickered within her dark eyes. “Are you all right? You really do look like shit.”

“I’m fine
, just in a hurry.” He tried to brush past her, but she neatly blocked his path.

“I know you better than that. What’s going on?”

“We’re not friends anymore. It’s none of your business.”

“We
’re not lovers anymore. That doesn’t mean we can’t be friends.”

Vanessa didn’t have friends, she had
admirers, fans. Even the females who she deemed worthy of her presence were more like staff than actual friends. He crossed his arms over his chest, really not in the mood for her bitchiness. “Why did you tell Katie about the bets we’ve made in the past?” He knew the answer. He just wanted to see what she’d say.

Vanessa paled and her gaze darted away from his face. “Was I right
?” she countered. “Had you two bet on that poor girl?”

“‘That poor girl’?”
He shook his head, amazed by her cruelty. “She was devastated, just like you knew she would be.
You
broke up with me. Why did you have to be so vindictive?” She tried to say more, but he’d heard enough. “You’re a selfish bitch. I hope someone breaks your heart the way you helped break Katie’s.”