The face in front of him twisted in rage. “Punk ass faggot bitch, I’mma break you if I see you outside!”
“I’m not getting into fights outside at lunch. That’s childish. This is a college.”
T-Mobile Boy’s muscles flexed and his arms waved around in building anger. “You better fuckin’ walk the fuck away from me,” he demanded, “or-”
“If you were going to attack me, you’d have done it already. And then you’d be arrested, and probably go to jail and get bounced out of school altogether. Clearly you aren’t that stupid. Just leave. Nobody here cares.”
For a long moment, T-Mobile Boy made a show of trying to restrain himself. Alex sat through it, mainly wanting to stall until campus security arrived, but he needn’t have worried. The other student turned back to his desk, grabbed his knapsack and-after shoving his textbook and notebook off his desk-began to walk out.
Once the storm had passed, the professor took a long, deep breath to steady himself. He wasn’t the only one. Finally, he turned back to face the class, specifically Alex. “Folks, things like that shouldn’t happen here. But if they do, you need to let me handle it.”
Alex held up his hands apologetically. “I’m sorry, professor.”
Lyons took another deep breath and shook his head. “That’s all right, just… don’t do it again,” he said. With that, campus security arrived, providing another brief interruption.
As they talked, Alex mused, I’ve seen that dipshit’s girlfriend. Morons like him don’t deserve hot ass like that. I wonder how hard it’d be to steal her away and…
…holy shit, why am I thinking like this?
* * *
School was easier than work had been the day before. That surprised Alex, given how many young, attractive women here. No professional decorum or business casual dress code managed behavior here, either. It was an overcast morning-Seattle often was by late September-yet warm enough that summer fashions could still be seen and enjoyed.
That said, Alex could at least think about things other the women around him. He still enjoyed stares and unnecessary bumps from random girls. Two pretty classmates just had to thank him for dealing with the loudmouth. From there he wandered over to the student center to kill the next hour between classes. Clearly he still caught many eyes, but he wasn’t as distracted as he’d been yesterday.
He chalked up his comfort and ease to the night’s release of tension, as well as the morning’s unexpected indulgences. It had all done a lot to clear his head and relieve stress. Amid everything else in his mind was a profound feeling of gratitude for all that…
…but also a sense of trepidation about where it would all lead.
“I know you had something to do with that,” he had said to Lorelei before he left. He was dressed, busy cleaning up from breakfast, and utterly mortified.
“With what?”
“My mother,” Alex frowned sourly.
“Oh. Yes. Perhaps a little. Don’t you think she’s happy to look so good?”
“That’s not-that’s not the point! I asked you not to do anything to her! And why would you mess with me like that?”
Lorelei’s mouth spread into a slow smirk. “You didn’t want me to harm her, or you. I have done neither.”
Alex’s jaw clenched. He didn’t want to be mad at her. But this…
“Alex,” Lorelei ventured, “I have not harmed your mother in any way, nor done anything to her to which she would strongly object. You wanted her to ignore my presence. In arranging this, she falls somewhat under the sway of my powers, and that has some…side effects. But as I have said, she is unharmed.
“She is fitter now. More confident. And yes, as you noticed, sexier. She seems quite happy.”
Fuming a bit, Alex pressed, “She wouldn’t object strongly?”
Lorelei tilted her head thoughtfully. “Like anyone, Michelle would doubtlessly not appreciate being deceived or manipulated, but…I believe that if our situation came out into the open for her, she would eventually accept it. At worst, she might be a bit shocked or embarrassed, but she would adjust without trauma. I believe she would even be happy for you.”
They looked at one another for a long, tense moment. He didn’t feel any more at ease. Lorelei’s confident demeanor faded a bit until she finally said in a soft, calm yet almost pleading voice, “I cannot lie to you, Alex. I cannot hurt you. I only meant for some harmless fun.”
That cracked Alex’s anger. He sighed, trying to release the rest. “Not again, okay?”
Her sly, seemingly affectionate smile returned, and she reached out to caress his cheek. “You offered trust and allowed me to keep some secrets. You had to know I’d be at least a little naughty.” Before he could open his mouth to speak, Lorelei asked, “Master, will you be late to your first class?”
Her question had him headed out the door, of course. Despite his overwhelming desire to drag her upstairs and fuck her senseless until she had confessed whatever she had done, his mind screamed at him that he needed to hang onto some normalcy in his life. He couldn’t spend all day every day in bed with his willing partner-though, given her ability to keep him going, he couldn’t articulate why not.
No. There was Lorelei, and despite how real she might be, there was also reality. Alex needed reality. He needed to stay grounded.
He needed to tell that thin, brown-eyed brunette with the ponytail behind the snack bar that she was smoking hot, and that he looked for her every time he came in, and that if she thought he was being creepy he was sorry and could think of a half-dozen great ways to make it up to her.
Stop it.
He paid for his sandwich and soda without saying much to her, though it was weird how she seemed happy to see him and never broke eye contact until he walked away. Alex wandered outside and found an open spot at a table alone. He doubted it would be hard to find a stranger who’d welcome him to her table, but the thought of taking advantage of that creeped him out.
Someday, he might get used to pretty women fawning over him. He might even get to like it. No, he had to admit, he would definitely like it. But Alex didn’t want it to go to his head or take it for granted. The fact was, it was all just because he’d had a run-in with the supernatural…
…and, as Lorelei had warned him last night, he might well have more.
That was an unsettling thought. He had no idea who those people who’d kidnapped her and Rachel were, and Lorelei didn’t seem to know, either. But what if it happened again? She was weaker now than before. Who else might know how to abduct angels and demons? Wouldn’t she be more vulnerable than she had been when it first happened?
What if being with her endangered his mother? Or his friends?
He was still getting used to Lorelei, and that was a secret arrangement. It couldn’t last like that. He couldn’t do that to her. If they were going to be…friends, at least, she had to be able to come out in the open. Go out in public with him. Meet his friends. Meet Mom.
None of them would want him to have to hide anything. Oh, he doubted that he’d be telling his friends about the whole demon-sex-slave thing, of course, but they should at least know he had a…girlfriend? Friend with (astounding) benefits? Sex demon?
I should just tell them the truth and then let them figure out I’m not fooling, he mused, but that wasn’t practical at all.
Sticking his head in the sand was similarly impractical. Life had changed, and there was no changing it back.
He pulled out his cell phone to make a call. As he waited for a connection he spotted a rack containing various flyers and campus announcements. Among the papers was a copy of the current course schedule. It was only a week into the school year, still early enough to petition for changes. He grabbed it and started methodically going over his options.
The other end of the phone picked up. “Your mom.”