It was New Year's Eve in the Funky Monkey Pub. Flynn Carsen, Eve Baird and the younger Librarians had managed to secure two tables and push them together, forming a rowdy party of revelers amongst the mob of partiers packed into the small neighborhood bar. Incredibly, the team had managed to coax the normally reclusive Jenkins out for an evening of celebratory fun as they awaited the New Year. Even more incredibly, they'd managed to also coax him into participating in a raucous game of quarters using shots of tequila. The old Caretaker surprised the others by holding his own in the drinking game, though he'd also lost his share of rounds, and was now just as buzzed as the rest of them.
Jenkins stood up from the table, swaying slightly. "Pardon me, my dear," he said happily to Cassandra as she sipped her fuzzy navel. "I'm afraid I have to use the facilities."
Cassandra smiled and giggled. "It'll cost you a kiss!" she said. The tipsy Caretaker bent and gave her a sloppy peck on the lips, and the Librarian beamed as she moved to let him pass. Jenkins had clearly had too much to drink if he was openly giving public displays of affection, but she didn't care. In fact, she planned to get as many ill-gotten 'PDA's' from him as she could while the getting was good.
At the front of the bar, on a small raised area that served as a stage, a thoroughly drunk couple was finishing their karaoke number to tumultuous applause. Cassandra poked Jake in the ribs.
"You should go up there, Jake!" she said too loudly. "You're way better than most of these others!" The scruffy young man snorted in derision as he swung his arm broadly, indicating the entire bar.
"Cassie, darlin', I'm better than ALL these drunk-ass wannabes!" Ezekiel snorted in derision of his own.
"Oh, PLEASE!" he countered. "The only way you'd be better is if that karaoke machine has a drunk-ass yodeling cowboy song on it!"
"Hey, shut up, Jones!" snapped Jacob, punching the Australian in the arm. Ezekiel started to punch him back, but Eve quickly inserted herself into the situation.
"Alright, you two," she interrupted. "Is it time to cut you both off or what?" The pair immediately settled down, smiles spreading across their faces.
"No, Baird, we're cool!" Jake said cheerfully. "We're just messin' around, ya know? Just a couple o' bros, funnin' each other!" Without looking he swung his arm over Ezekiel's neck and put him in a head-lock, then gave the struggling thief a noogie. "Right, Jones?"
Before Ezekiel could answer, the karaoke emcee announced the next performer. Flynn, the only one of the group who was paying attention, suddenly sat up straight and banged on the tabletop.
"Um, guys...?" They all turned to look at the Librarian, and he in turn nodded in the direction of the karaoke stage. All four heads turned in unison, then all four mouths dropped open as they saw Jenkins step onto the stage and pick up the microphone.
"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen!" he yelled brightly to the cheering bar. "I'd like to dedicate this song to a woman who has had a tremendous impact on my life! Her name is Charlene."
Four pairs of wide, stunned eyes turned to look at Cassandra. She sat stone still, face white as a sheet and she swallowed hard, her hands dropping her drink glass hard onto the tabletop. She looked as though she was about to throw up. Eve reached over and laid her hand on her arm.
"He's drunk, Cassandra; I'm sure it's just a slip of the tongue..." she said, trying to sound reassuring. Cassandra remained silent, her eyes glued onto the Caretaker.
The music began, a dramatic ascending piano scale. Head raised proudly, his free hand thrown dramatically out, Jenkins began to sing.
At first I was afraid, I was petrified,
Kept thinking I could never live without you by my side!
But then I spent so many nights thinking how you did me wrong,
And I grew strong, and I learned how to get along...
The bar patrons, already amused by the sight of a grandfatherly-looking man in a three-piece suit with a bow tie daring to get on the stage and perform, burst into loud applause as it recognized the classic 70's disco anthem. They began to sing along with the immortal as he hammily belted out the song.
The Librarians and their Guardian sat in amazed silence for a few seconds, until they, too, realized what the song was—and what it meant. They all, again, turned to Cassandra, her eyes now shining with happiness as she listened to Jenkins sing about surviving a broken heart.
It took all the strength I had not to fall apart,
Kept trying hard to mend the pieces of my broken heart.
And I spent, oh, so many nights just feeling sorry for myself,
I used to cry, but now I hold my head up high...!
The lanky Caretaker drew appreciative gasps and cheers from the partiers as he threw in several impressive disco dance moves as he sang, pouring his heart into the performance. A huge smile lit up Cassandra's face as the song progressed.
And now I'm saving all my loving for someone who's loving me...!
He deliberately turned and looked at Cassandra, pointing her out to the crowd and winking at her as he sang. Many of the bar patrons turned to look at her and began cheering even more loudly. The young woman quickly brushed away tears as she laughed and squealed with delight.
Jenkins finished his song and made several deep bows. The crowd loved it, and showed its approval with thunderous applause, whoops and cheers. He left the stage and slowly threaded his way through the crowded bar back to the table where the team was waiting for him, receiving many good-natured back slaps and atta-boys from drunken individuals in the crowd. As soon as he made it back to the table, Cassandra jumped up and grabbed his arm to lead him outside the bar, glancing back only long enough to mouth to Eve that she and Jenkins were going back to the Annex. Baird smiled and nodded.
Jenkins and Cassandra stumbled through the back door, half-leaning against each other and laughing, both still pleasantly giddy from the drinks they'd had. The Caretaker looked down at his companion, a perplexed look coming to his face.
"Why did you want to come back to the Annex, Cassandra? From the way you were talking all week, I thought you were looking forward to ringing in the New Year at the bar!" he said. The redhead stopped and turned to face him, both of his hands in hers.
"That was really sweet what you did back there," she said, gently swinging their joined hands in and out as she spoke. She then furrowed her brow. "But you scared me a little bit at first, though!" Jenkins bent down and kissed her.
"I'm sorry for that, my dear," he said contritely. "My introduction came out rather badly, I'm afraid. I just suddenly wanted to let you and the whole world know that it's you I love now!" Cassandra laughed and moved up to press her body against his. She looked up into his face and smiled, a mischievous look in her eyes.
"I want to give you something," she said mysteriously. "I've been thinking of doing this for a long time, but I just couldn't get the nerve up. But if you can get up in front of a bar full of drunk strangers and proclaim your love for me disco-style, then I can do this just for you." Jenkins raised his eyebrows.
"Oh?" he said, intrigued. "And what would that something be, my dear?" Cassandra only smiled and began to pull him towards the corridor that led to their rooms.
"Come here and you'll see!" she teased, giggling. Jenkins, made pliable by the evening's drinking and his natural curiosity, gladly followed the young Librarian.
As soon as they reached their bedroom, Cassandra made him take off his coat. She removed his tie and unbuttoned a few of his shirt buttons, then slipped his suspenders from his shoulders. After lightly slapping his amorous hands away, she went to her sitting room and returned with an armless, straight-backed chair and set it in the middle of the room, facing the door to her suite of rooms.
"Sit!" she ordered him, patting the seat of the chair. The immortal complied.
"Now stay there; I'll be right back!" She disappeared back into her sitting room.
Jenkins sat patiently for a several minutes, idly wondering what Cassandra had to show him. Just as he was about to call out to her, the sitting room door opened and music began to play—a slow, pulsing, haunting blues number, vaguely familiar to the older man. A song about shotguns, if he wasn't mistaken. The male singer's voice was rough and gravelly from long years of exposure to cheap whiskey and cigarette smoke.
As Jenkins mused over the number, fuzzily trying to remember the name of the song and the artist, Cassandra suddenly appeared in the doorframe, and coherent thought of any kind melted like wax from his brain. He sat bolt upright in the chair, eyes wide and completely transfixed by the vision in front of him.
Cassandra wore nothing except a thin, lacy bra and panties of scarlet satin; a sinfully tiny flounced skirt, also of red satin, encircled her small waist, barely covering her. Long, black leather thigh-high boots covered her legs and knees. Her long, softly curling red hair was loose around her shoulders, her only adornment was the gold pendant around her neck that he'd given her for Christmas.
"Cassandra...?" he breathed. She quickly went to him, seeming to float across the floor in the impossibly high-heeled boots. She lightly pressed her fingers to his lips to silence him.
"Shhhh!" she said softly. "Just sit and watch." She gave him a smoldering look through half-lidded eyes. Jenkins noticed that she had redone her make-up, and her eyes now slightly darker and smoky-looking, her full lips dark cherry red. "And no touching from you! Not until the music is over!"
She straightened up, and slowly began to dance for him, moving gracefully, sinuously, running her hands down her body as her hips swirled in wide, lazy circles, her eyes locked onto his, a tiny, feral smile on her garnet lips.
She stepped forward and straddled him, lightly sitting in his lap and draping her arms on his shoulders. As she dragged her hands down over his shoulders and along the length of his long arms, she lightly nuzzled his cheek and throat, barely touching them with her lips as she lightly brushed her chest against his. Jenkins closed his eyes and instinctively began to raise his arms, but she firmly pushed them back down again. She pushed herself away from him and stood up, bending low over him so that her breasts were in front of his eyes, the gold pendant dangling between them.
"No touching!" she chided him, her voice low. Jenkins stared at her and swallowed hard, his mouth suddenly dry, and nodded. Jenkins grasped the wooden chair seat with both hands and held onto it tightly.
Cassandra dragged her hands over his broad chest, then down over his stomach, stopping just short of his groin, skipping it to run along the inside of his thighs and, finally, over his manhood. A thrill shivered through the immortal's body, and he felt himself quickly harden. He tightened his grip on the chair seat.
Cassandra turned her back to Jenkins. She bent over, careful to stick her backside out, circling her hips seductively in time to the music. She lowered herself onto Jenkins's lap again, starting at his knees and sliding all the way back until she could lean against his chest. She could feel his heart pounding furiously as she ground her buttocks into his crotch, one hand reaching back to grasp the back of the Caretaker's neck while the other ran along his thigh and over his hip as she wriggled against him, sighing loudly. Cassandra smiled to herself as she felt his erection pressing against her buttocks.
She moved forward a little way, then suddenly spun around in his lap, gracefully swinging one long, leather-clad leg over his head as she turned. When she was facing him again, she slid her hands up his chest, pressing especially against his now-hard nipples. Her hands trailed over the sides of his face, then her fingers wound into his mane of white hair while she ground her sex against the bulge in his trousers, her lips within a whisper of touching his. Just as the aroused man moved his head forward to kiss her, she pulled back again and stood up, swaying gently and alluringly to the music, a sweetly wicked smile on her face as she sucked her ruby-colored lower lip into her mouth and bit it. A low, whimpering groan sounded deep in the Caretaker's throat.
As she danced, she reached around and unhooked her bra, letting it slip from her body and onto the floor. Jenkins could feel his heart galloping wildly in his chest, his breathing shallow and quick. The muscles in his hands and arms ached painfully as he desperately clutched the chair. Every fiber of his being wanted nothing more than to reach out and seize the lovely, tantalizing creature before him and ravish her. He was lightheaded and burning with desire for her, the intensity of his want at this moment beginning to frighten him.
As the man watched her with wide eyes, black and glinting like obsidian, the young Librarian slipped her hands into the waistband of her little skirt and eased it over the soft curve of her hips, down her smooth, ivory-colored thighs until it, too, ended up on the floor. She languidly brought her hands up over her slim body as she continued to dance enticingly for him, her fingers stopping only long enough to briefly rub her sex, then pausing to brush and squeeze her round breasts, lightly teasing her nipples into points. Jenkins followed her wandering hands every inch of the way, like a lion watching a gazelle, his hunger for Cassandra growing to an unbearable level.
She raised her arms over her head, leisurely stretching and turning as the music finally came to an end. She placed her hands in the small of her back and gently arched backwards—thrusting her breasts forward—as though trying to ease an ache, and sighing softly.
Jenkins instantly pounced on her like a ravenous animal. He swept her up in his arms, carried the laughing woman to the bed and threw her roughly down onto it. He tore his clothes off, throwing the expensive garments heedlessly to the floor in a heap. He climbed onto the bed and quickly crawled to the temptress awaiting him. Throwing himself on top of her, he began to devour her with his mouth, roughly kissing her lips, her throat, her breasts, her stomach. He ran his large, calloused hands roughly over her soft, petite body as he kissed her; when they came to her hips and he felt the panties she was still wearing, he suddenly sat upright and stared at them. An almost angry look came to his dark, feverish eyes, as if offended that the undergarment would dare to stand between him and his ultimate pleasure. He seized the lacy bit of satin with both hands and literally ripped it from her body, tossing the scraps away without a second thought.
He rolled off Cassandra and seated himself against the headboard of the bed, pulling the redhead up to himself. She took the cue and straddled him, lowering herself slowly and tantalizingly onto his fully engorged manhood. The air hissed loudly between his gritted teeth as he closed his eyes and sucked in a deep breath, his head thudding back against the headboard. She gripped his scarred biceps tightly as she began moving on him, her groans of pleasure mixing with the immortal's as his shaft glided back and forth over her clit.
Opening his eyes at her moans, the first thing the immortal saw was those plump, round breasts, jiggling maddeningly as she bounced up and down. Cassandra saw the ravenous look in his eyes and leaned forward slightly, dangling the tempting fruit just out of reach of his lips. After several teasing, thwarted attempts, Jenkins wrapped his arms around her and jerked her to himself, holding her there so that he could finally enjoy his prize. His mouth latched onto one perfect breast, and he kissed, nipped, licked and sucked on it to his heart's content, leaving plum-colored love bites in his wake as he moved to do the same to the other. Cassandra's cries and gasps only stoked his need to a white-hot heat. He was suddenly consumed by the terrifying, irresistible desire to possess Cassandra, to possess and dominate her totally.
Without warning he lifted her off of himself and pushed her hard onto her back. His mouth traveled hungrily down her stomach until it reached her wet, glistening sex. Powerless now against his own overwhelming lust, Jenkins kissed her womanhood passionately, forcing his tongue roughly over the hard nub of her clit, between her swollen lips and into her core again and again, her wordless cries and thrusting hips driving the man to the brink of madness. He could think of nothing except Cassandra—her beauty, her scent, the feel of her body beneath his hands, her taste, the sound of her voice. The way she would feel around him when he entered her...
Unwilling to hold himself back any longer, Jenkins rose up and roughly spread her thighs apart with his knees. A lopsided grin of anticipation on his face, he restrained himself just enough to deliberately and slowly push his stiff cock into the hot, slick folds of her sex, closing his eyes and throwing his head back, growling loudly as he savored every second. As soon as he was all the way in, he began thrusting into her hard, his pace quickening with every new stroke and grunting with the effort. Cassandra, whimpering her pleasure, wrapped her legs around him so she could pull herself up to meet him as he wildly rode her. He barely felt her painted nails digging into his shoulders and raking down the length of his arms and back. He let his head hang forward limply as he frantically rammed into her, groaning and panting hard in his bliss. He caught sight of his thick cock moving in and out of her, glistening-wet with her juices; the sight drew a ragged shout of animal satisfaction from deep within. Suddenly, the ancient warrior was possessed by the wish to hear her speak his name, to hear her submit to him. He dragged his head up to look her in the eyes.
"Say my name!" he commanded, growling like a starving wolf. The woman narrowed her crystalline blue eyes and smiled at him.
"Jenkins!" she blurted quietly. But the word seemed only to irritate him.
"NO!" he grunted savagely. "My real name—say it!" What am I doing?! he demanded of himself, alarmed.
"Galahad!" she gasped hoarsely, tightly grasping fistfuls of his white hair as she looked into his black eyes.
"Again!" What's wrong with me?!
"Galahad!"
"Do you like this?" he panted, giving her an extra-hard thrust to indicate what he was talking about. The Librarian only moaned loudly in response and closed her eyes; he could feel her on the brink of her orgasm, and the knowledge made him insane with passion. Part of him was disgusted with himself at his behavior; He was completely out of control. He didn't think he could stop himself now even if he wanted to, and the loss of his stoic self-discipline now terrified him.
"Yes!" she groaned, pulling his hair. He barely felt it, but it drew his full attention back to Cassandra.
"Yes, what?" Don't treat her like this! She's not a whore!
"Yes, Galahad!"
"Do you want some more?" Stop it! You're going to hurt her!
"Yes, Galahad, YES!"
"Do you want me to stop?" This is wrong! Stop it!
"NO! No, Galahad! Don't stop! Please, don't stop! Don't stop! Don't stop...PLEASE! GALAHAD!" Cassandra wailed his true named as she finally slid over the edge and into the depths of her orgasm, arching her back sharply as her core throbbed hard around her furiously pumping lover.
Jenkins half-laughed, half-gasped in pure, delighted lust. This isn't right! After several more hard strokes, he tumbled into his own orgasm, his vision going dark and his mind blank as he bellowed Cassandra's name, continuing to thrust into her. Eventually he stumbled to a halt, giving her one final, hard push before his weakened limbs gave out and he collapsed on top of her, his sides heaving, his manhood pulsing sharply as he filled her with his seed.
He idly ran his hands over her sweat-dampened body, lightly kissing and licking her wherever his lips met her skin, mumbling unintelligible endearments. After several minutes the post-orgasmic haze began to dissipate and rational thought returned. You are reprehensible, Jenkins! How could you treat her like that?
A terrible idea suddenly came to his mind. He rolled off of Cassandra and laid his hand on her face, looking straight into her eyes.
"Cassandra! What have you done?" he asked her urgently. She returned his gaze, confused.
"What do you mean? I haven't done anything. Well, except make you a very happy man..." she purred, reaching her hand out to stroke his cheek. Jenkins shoved her hand away and sat upright, his face darkening.
"No, Cassandra!" he snapped. "What have you done? I've never felt so...'desirous' of you before this, never so completely out of control of myself! What did you do?" He grasped her arm tightly, almost painfully.
"Did you use magic, Cassandra? Did you cast some sort of spell on me?" he demanded frantically. His eyes suddenly widened in fear as a realization came to him.
"Oh, my God," he breathed. "You discovered the Special Collections Vault!" He pulled her upright, his hands gripping her thin shoulders. Cassandra cried out in pain, a frightened look on her face.
"OW! Jenkins, you're hurting me!" He released her immediately, and she rubbed her shoulders absentmindedly as she stared into the Caretaker's pale face. "What are you talking about, Jenkins? What's the Special Collections Vault?"
"Don't lie to me, Cassandra!" he demanded, his voice becoming frantic. "Please! You don't understand! Sex magic is incredibly dangerous, Cassandra; it's nothing to play with! I know you didn't mean any harm, but you must tell me what you did—what spell or potion or artifact did you use on me?!" The young woman only stared at him, completely bewildered.
"Jenkins, I have no idea what you're talking about!" she answered. "I didn't use anything, nothing! I've never heard of the Special Collections Vault before now. I didn't use any kind of 'sex magic'; I didn't use any kind of magic at all!"
He stared steadily into her eyes for several long seconds, and saw that she was telling the truth. Exhaling loudly, his expression relaxed somewhat, but now reflected confusion.
"But...I don't understand; I've never wanted you more than I did tonight. Physically, I mean. I...I had no control over myself. I...I just...had to have you! I had to have you, no matter what! And then I couldn't stop myself once I started. I didn't want to stop! I'm so sorry, Cassandra..."
The young woman looked at him, wondering if he was teasing her, but the shamed look on his face told her he was very serious.
"Wait, wait, wait! Are you saying that you've never enjoyed sex with me until tonight?! And now you're blaming me AND apologizing to me at the same time because you did enjoy it tonight?" she asked incredulously. A bewildered look came to Jenkins's face.
"What-? No! No, no, no!" The immortal roughly rubbed his hands over his face in frustration.
"Cassandra, I've always enjoyed it when we've...'been together'—always! But tonight was somehow different. And I wasn't blaming you, Cassandra; I was blaming myself. I was nothing but a rutting pig!" he spat, repulsed. "All I could think of was using you to gratify my own animal lust! You deserve better than that."
Cassandra laughed, changing his expression to one of puzzlement. The redhead leaned in and softly kissed his mouth.
"I guess I'm a much better dancer than I thought!" she said happily, her fingers lightly brushing his chest. "That, or you're just a much hornier old goat than you thought!" She scooted over to sit in his lap, wrapping her arms around him and snuggling against him comfortingly. Jenkins automatically wound his arms around her and held her close, worry still on his handsome face. She could feel him trembling slightly.
"Sweetheart, what's wrong?" she asked, now concerned. "What are you really afraid of?" Jenkins remained silent. Cassandra began to lightly stroke his face.
"Jenkins, it's perfectly normal to lose control sometimes, you know," she said gently. "It doesn't make you a bad person to just let go of yourself and actually enjoy sex." Jenkins didn't look convinced.
"Perhaps for you, my dear, but for me, discipline and self-control has been my way of life for many, many years!"
Cassandra smiled and continued to stroke his cheek. "I know, sweetie. But you're working to change that, remember? So, instead of beating yourself up for letting your freak flag fly on New Year's Eve, why don't you just keep it in the back of your mind that when you're with me, it's okay to lose control. It's ok to enjoy yourself." She kissed the cheek she had been stroking. "If you're worried about getting to rough, don't—because I'll let you know."
"What if I can't control myself and I do end up hurting you? What if I end up...forcing you..." he whispered uneasily and dropped his eyes, and Cassandra knew that this was what was truly frightening him. She remembered the harrowing story he'd told her of his own brutal experience with sexual assault. She knew how much he feared becoming abusive himself, especially with her. It was almost a paranoia with him.
"I know you won't hurt me," she reassured him. "I trust you." She kissed him again, and she felt the tension that was in him lessen a little.
"But what if..." he began; Cassandra put her hand over his mouth.
"You are a good man," she said slowly and clearly, looking deep into his eyes. "I trust you. And I love you." She leaned forward and kissed him; she felt Jenkins relax as he kissed her back.
"I love you," he whispered back.
"So—what's the Special Collections Vault?" she asked quietly, changing the subject and moving to nibble his earlobe. The Caretaker sighed and closed his eyes.
"Something you needn't worry about right now," he muttered, leaning into her. She ran the tip of her tongue along the outside edge of his ear, her warm breath tickling him.
"You won't tell me?" she pouted, her hand slipping between her legs to idly play with his now-flaccid penis; she felt it twitch faintly in response. He turned his head to kiss her forehead and temple.
"It's simply a storage area for dangerous items relating to sex magic," he whispered. Cassandra opened her mouth to ask a question, but he cut her off.
"And no—I will not show it to you or tell you any more about it!" He heard her huff in irritation and then felt her lightly bite his earlobe. "Ouch!" He playfully pushed her over onto her back and leaned over her. The Librarian mentally filed the subject of sex magic away for later.
"Now, my turn: Where did you learn to dance like that?" he asked, nuzzling his face into her flower-scented hair. Visions of her lewdly gyrating hips replayed in his mind, and a twinge of renewed desire pricked him deep in his belly.
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," she said shyly. Jenkins tipped her face to look into his.
"There's very little about you, my dear, that I would find hard to believe," he replied. Cassandra took a deep breath.
"One of my old boyfriends used to be a bouncer at a strip club, and he always dragged me along when he had to work. I spent all of my time backstage in the dressing room with the girls. A lot of them were stripping just to earn money to pay for college, and I ended up trading math tutoring for stripping lessons!" she finished proudly. Jenkins burst into laughter.
"My clever Librarian!" he murmured into her ear, one hand wandering over her body to cup her ripe breast. He kissed her deeply, his tongue darting into her mouth to taste her. She responded in kind, her arms tightening around him. Just as the lovers separated, the clock on the wall began to softly chime the hour of midnight.
"Happy New Year, Galahad," the Librarian said softly as the knight rested his forehead against hers.
"Happy New Year, my love," he answered. He kissed her again, more passionately this time. He could feel the flame of want smoldering again within him. Cassandra sensed it, too, and giggled softly into his mouth.
"Are you ready again? Already?" she complained, mockingly swatting him off of her. "Did you have a barrel of oysters for dinner this evening or what?"
"This I DO blame on you," he growled huskily into her soft skin as he lightly bit her shoulder, his thumb stroking her nipple into a hard, pink bud. "You may not be using actual sex magic, but I swear you are a sorceress, my treasure, and I am completely under your spell." The redhead laughed.
"But you just ended one year wallowing in a pit of unbridled pagan lust; do you really want to start a new one the same way?"
Jenkins looked at her as if she had just asked a starving man if he really wanted something to eat. In answer, the immortal moved to straddle her on his hands and knees.
"You just said that it was all right for me to enjoy myself!" he growled, then lowered his head to take her stiffened nipple into his mouth, his passion immediately reigniting and spreading through him like a wildfire. He forced himself away from her breast and gave her a wolfish look.
"Will you dance for me again?" he asked eagerly. Cassandra snorted.
"You tore my panties off, remember?" she said. Jenkins began stroking her black-clad calf.
"You only need the boots," he rumbled, and began slowly kissing the length of her leg down to her toes.