Chapter Eight – Anticipation and Buttons

One Day Until the Zamora Ball

"Welcome to Casa de Lewis." Lauren stepped aside to let Ciara in.

"Am I late?"

"No, early. Hale and Dyson are at a crime scene. They should be another half an hour or so."

"I can't believe I haven't been here before." Ciara removed her Louis Vuitton jacket and hung it on the hook by the door. She stepped into the living room, and scanned her surroundings. Her eyes stopped on a choice piece of artwork.

"Lauren," she began, "Are you aware that there is a rather large painting of a rather naked woman hanging from your wall?"

"Oh that? That's Lucy. I bought her at a fine art auction after we dug up the Agrinion Urn this past winter." Lauren poured two glasses of water and handed one to Ciara. "I hold the female form in very high esteem."

"She's…lovely." Ciara smiled, and they sat down on the couch. "And what's that, then?" She pointed at a digital screen covered with tiny letters.

Lauren leaned forward, and her hands shook with excitement as she spoke. "Ooooh! I'm glad you asked. I'm mapping the genetic sequence of a keukegen. It's a fascinating creature – a Japanese water spirit that lives in damp, dark places and causes sickness in both human and Fae. I believe that by altering the chromosome structure of a specific gene, the creature can be rendered harmless, although that's only a hypothesis at this stage. I have one in the corner there, if you'd like to see."

Ciara peered over at a glass tank, where a creature that looked like a yellow and green Koosh ball shuffled back and forth. "This is a Fae that causes disease?"

"Yes."

"And you keep it in your apartment?"

"Yeah…I occasionally take my work home with me. It's a psychological problem. I might be mildly obsessive compulsive." Lauren waved at the creature, who responded by flinging itself at the glass and growling.

"I'm in the same predicament. Multi-national corporations simply refuse to run themselves."

"Ah yes, the perils of being a billionaire," Lauren teased. "I don't understand why you risk your reputation and your neck slumming around with us commoners looking for artifacts to sell."

"Honestly? It's fun to be bad." Ciara grinned mischievously.

"Cheers to that." They clinked water glasses.

"Speaking of 'bad', any sign of your succubus friend?"

Lauren looked down at her hands. "We've bumped into each other once or twice."

"Bumped? Is that a euphemism for something?"

"Let's just say it's been an interesting week." Lauren chuckled.

"You naughty, naughty thing!"

Lauren winked. "Like you said…it's fun to be bad."

They heard a knock on the door. "It's us!" Dyson's voice rang out.

"It's open!" Lauren replied. The two remaining team members strode in. Dyson went straight for the fridge and grabbed two beers like he owned the place. He dug the bottle opener from the left kitchen drawer, popped the tops and handed Hale a beer.

"I thought you were at a crime scene," Lauren said.

Hale plopped on the couch next to her. "Turns out our arsonist was a Will-o'-the-Wisp who had bean burritos for lunch. We de-contaminated the area and swept the whole thing under the rug." Hale stared up at Lucy. "Man, I always loved that painting."

"Hey!" Lauren slapped his leg. "Stop ogling. That's art, not Playboy."

"Potato, potahto." Hale shrugged.

Dyson collapsed into Lauren's art deco lounge chair. She winced, waiting for it to snap and send him sprawling on the floor. It creaked, but stayed intact. Wood Elf craftsmanship. Can't beat it. "So," he took a deep swig of beer. "The Zamora Ball. Let's talk strategy. Ciara?"

"Right. The Orsedd Stone is owned by Arthur Naia, head of the Cradoc family of the Clan Zamora. Naia came into possession of the stone after winning a bet against a rather unintelligent Valkyrie, on the outcome of last year's Stanley Cup final. Naia is a Luck Fae you see, and for someone to bet against him is true stupidity. He wears the stone at all times; it's inlaid in a gold necklace. I have met him on three occasions. He is a pompous, privileged wanker."

Lauren choked on her water, and the others shot her dirty looks. "Sorry…swear words just sound so strange coming out of your mouth. Keep going."

"Naia is obsessed with three things. Money, women, and his yacht. I just so happen to be a woman with lots of money and two yachts. As such, I believe our best play is for me to ply him with drinks and conversation all evening, and once he's inebriated, lure him away with the suggestion of something a bit more…intimate."

"I can get you access to the wine cellar," Hale jumped in. "My father has a secret room down there no one is supposed to know about…not even me."

"Perfect," Dyson said. "We lure him downstairs. Lauren, do you have any more of those sleepy time injections we used at the JM Tower?"

"I do."

"Good," Dyson nodded. "So, Ciara injects him with Lauren's drug, swipes the stone. We dump Naia's body outside in the bushes; he wakes up the next day thinking he blacked out from alcohol. He doesn't remember anything, and the necklace is gone. No one will suspect Ciara; a billionaire Fairy Queen who could have easily just bought the damn thing. Being cops, we can deflect any witnesses or evidence that hits too close to home. Naia is incredibly unpopular, so no one is going to have his back. The most dangerous part will be getting him out of the cellar without being seen."

"You forget you have a siren on the team." Hale winked. "If anyone comes near us when we're transporting the body, I'll just give a little whistle and send 'em on their way."

"What about security?" Dyson asked.

"Guards at all the entrances and exits. No security cameras. For big events like this, my father hires a Boraro to set a barrier around the mansion perimeter, to keep unwanted guests out. It's like a mystical bouncer…literally. If you aren't on the guest list and you touch the barrier, that sucker'll send you flying ten yards in the opposite direction. It's fun to watch," Hale grinned.

"How many people on the guest list?" Lauren asked.

"At least five hundred. There's nothing my dad likes more than showing off his little girl."

"What about the Succubus?" Ciara wondered.

Dyson rubbed his wolfy beard. "We keep a close eye on her all night. As far as we know, she's working alone. If we never let her out of our sight, we should be fine."

"Surely it won't be that simple."

Lauren cleared her throat. "Ciara's right. She's not stupid – she'll have a plan going into this. Maybe if we removed her from the equation beforehand…"

"What, like kill her?" Hale asked, shocked.

"No! Of course I don't mean kill her, you ass." Lauren shook her head at her teammate. "I just mean try and talk her out of it. Reason with her. Appeal to her…better nature." Lauren grinned.

"You think that will work?" Dyson raised an eyebrow.

"No. But it couldn't hurt to try, right?"

"Yoink!" Kenzi grabbed the magazine out of Bo's hands. "What ya readin'?" She scanned the page. "The Maxim Guide to Hitting on Girls…" Kenzi turned to the cover, horrorstruck. "You're reading Maxim for flirting tips? Good god woman, what's wrong with you?" She smacked Bo over the head with the magazine.

"Ow! It's just research."

"Yeah, this? Is pathetic." Kenzi tossed the magazine in the trash. "I'm revoking your Succubus card."

` "You're what now?"

"I'm serious. Your skimpy-clothed luscious-lipped ancestors would disown you for this. It's my sacred duty to tell you you've hit rock bottom, chicka. Maxim magazine," Kenzi muttered, sitting on the couch next to Bo.

"It's not my fault, okay? I control people by touch and Lauren controls people by…eye sex. Is that a Fae superpower? Eye sex? Are we sure she's human?"

"I don't know, let me consult my big book of 'I Don't Give a Crap'."

"Is that like Wikipedia?"

"Look. Bo." Kenzi grabbed Bo's face between her palms. "You come from a long line of sex bombs. Use your instincts, do what comes natural, and get the girl already."

"Mmm." Bo frowned.

There was a knock at the door, and Bo grabbed the closest weapon she could find – a frying pan. She stood next to the door, back to the wall. Kenzi hid behind the couch and strung a rubber band, ready to defend their castle with office supplies.

"Who is it?" Bo gripped the frying pan handle.

"Dew Drop Flower Shop. I have a delivery for a…SuccuBo?"

"SuccuBo?" Bo mouthed to Kenzi.

"Flowers?" Kenzi mouthed back.

Bo turned the knob and opened the door a couple of inches. The delivery man's face was hidden behind a bouquet of multicolored tulips. A hand poked out from behind the flowers, holding a pen and tablet. "Sign here please." Bo signed, and the delivery man handed off the flower arrangement. "Is your name really Succubo?"

"Yes. Jo Succubo. Of the Chicago Succubos. Have a nice day." She closed the door in his face, and set the tulips on the kitchen counter. "Who do you think sent this?"

"Who knew the clubhouse even had an address?" Kenzi poked at the flowers. "I thought we were living off the grid like hippies. Or some creepy cult."

"We have power though. And heat. And cable. And water. Someone must know we're here."

"Good point. But who? We don't get utility bills."

"Don't know. It's a mystery." Bo shrugged. She spotted a white envelope amid all the pink, and pulled it out.

"Double yoink!" Kenzi grabbed the card and opened it. In as good a sexy voice as Kenzi could manage, she read: "Bo, meet me at the Dal for drinks at 9. Lauren." Kenzi looked at Bo and grinned. "She luuuuuurves you, she wants to kiiiiiisss you, she wants to fuuuuu…."

"Give me that!" Bo snatched the card away to read for herself. "What's her play? What's she up to?"

"Flowers, drinks? Sounds like a date, duh." Kenzi knocked on Bo's head.

"A date?"

"Yeah, you know. Awkward conversation. Sweaty hand holding. That moment where you're standing on your front steps at the end of the night and he's trying to decide if he wants to kiss you but all you want to do is sit on your couch and eat ice cream and watch Jungle Jeeves by yourself. And then he kisses you anyway, and it's too wet and it feels like he's trying to eat your face off, and you just want it to be over. And then he asks if he can come up, and you say no, so then he says he'll call. And you're really, really hoping he doesn't call."

Bo looked at her friend, not sure how to respond. She finally settled on "Wow."

"Yeah…I haven't had much luck with dating."

Bo held up the card. "I don't trust this."

"But you're still gonna go, right?"

"Do you think I should?"

"Hell-to-the-yes! Go have some beers. Play doctor. 'Cause let's be real, no matter which one of you loses, you're both gonna win. Am I right?" Kenzi thrust her hips, humping the air. "Am I right? I'm totally right."

Bo rolled her eyes and gave Kenzi a friendly shove, sending her tumbling over the back of the couch.

Bo paced back and forth in the dark alley next to the Dal. "You are a supernaturally sexual creature, you are in control," she told herself. "You are in control." She repeated it like a mantra, and her heels clicking on the cobblestones provided the backbeat. "You are in control." She looked at her watch. 8:59. She couldn't go in now, because walking it at exactly nine would make her look like a dork. She paced some more. "You are in control."

Lauren sat at the bar and looked at the clock, wondering if Bo would have the cojones to show up. For as much confidence as Lauren had, there's no doubt that Bo made her nervous. Lauren was massively attracted to the Succubus, and she knew she wouldn't be able to hide it. She just had to be able to control it for a while. The animalistic kiss she gave Bo, after Bo saved her life, had been absolutely unplanned and totally real. It could easily happen again. "You are in control," she whispered to herself. She buttoned up her shirt and took a shot of tequila for some liquid courage.

Bo took a deep breath and walked into the Dal. She didn't see Lauren at first, but she could feel her there. By now Bo was so tuned in to Lauren she could pick her out in a packed baseball stadium. A group of cackling Huldra moved out of the way, and Bo had a clear view to the bar. Lauren sat, facing Trick's lineup of Fae liquors, her blonde hair streaming down her back in waves. She was wearing a simple, black button down shirt with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows, and skinny jeans – completely practical but oh-so-sexy. Bo licked her lips. With one more, "you are in control", she stepped further into the half-empty pub.

Lauren knew she was being watched. She knew who was doing the watching. She felt goose bumps prickling on her arms, and hoped Bo wouldn't notice. Bo sidled up behind her. Lauren knew she was there, but didn't acknowledge the Succubus until she heard Bo say "Hey."

Lauren spun around on her stool, and placed an elbow on the bar. Before she could stop herself, she looked Bo up and down. Her eyes rested, ever so briefly, on Bo's cleavage – Bo knew how to pick her clothes to accentuate her assets, that was for damn sure. The vest she had on tonight was a particularly strong choice. Lauren smiled. "Hey. You came."

Bo could feel the heat from Lauren rise. Her aura was different tonight – still strong, but more of a slow burn, like white hot embers. "You sound surprised."

"Well I wasn't sure you'd show." She flipped her hair. "I've never been stood up before, but there's a first time for everything. Drinks?"

"Wine?"

Lauren turned to Trick's assistant barkeep. "A bottle of your best red wine and two glasses." She reached into her purse to pull out some cash, but Bo beat her to it, throwing some bills down on the bar.

"I've got this," she said.

"Thanks." Lauren replied with a sideways grin. She closed her eyes and slowly opened them again, and Bo felt her heart skip a beat. The bartender set their drinks on the table. Lauren grabbed the glasses in one hand, the bottle in the other. Bo watched her expert fingers at work. "Couch?" Lauren asked.

"After you," Bo said. Lauren stood, and Bo placed a hand on the small of her back, leading her toward their spot in the corner. Lauren gulped, and Bo felt a fresh spike of energy from the human. 'Round one, to the Succubus', Bo thought to herself, grinning.

They sat on opposite ends of the loveseat. Lauren sat with her back to the rest of the pub, with one leg tucked up under the other. Bo sat butterfly style. They stared at each other for a few beats before Lauren finally spoke.

"Why were you at the JM Tower the other night? The truth would be nice."

"I was spying. I wanted to see how you…your team operates. I couldn't care less about the necklace." Bo hoped Lauren hadn't caught her stutter.

Lauren smirked. "And what did you find out?"

"That I have nothing to worry about. You guys are amateurs."

"Ouch." Lauren clutched her chest. "Though admittedly, you haven't seen us on our best days. Typically we hum and purr like a well…oiled…machine." Bo's heart thumped in her chest, and Lauren took a sip of wine. "What's your plan for the Zamora Ball?"

"Show up looking amazing, have some fun, and leave with the stone. What's yours?"

"The same." Lauren pulled her leg up to sit Indian style on the couch, as Bo circled the rim of her wine glass with her finger. "It's too bad you won't just give up and let my team take the win."

"It's a damn tragedy." Bo took a long drink, and a long look at Lauren's brown eyes.

"Speaking of tragedies," Lauren grinned slyly, "you ruined my favorite shirt the other night."

"Yeah, you know buttons…they take too long."

"I disagree." Lauren put her glass down and ran her tongue across her teeth. "I find that it's the…anticipation of something that makes the experience so much better. You undress slowly," Lauren slid a dexterous hand up her shirt to the top button, and popped it open with her thumb. "Slowly, one button at a time. And you get to see the other person watch you, and you know it's driving them absolutely wild. There's something so, so sensual about that." She dipped her hand lower, and undid the second.

Ohmigod. Something snapped in Bo's brain, and all she could do was stare.

"It's better to take your time, and really experience every moment, because the female arousal response," pop…another button, "is a beautiful thing to see and feel." Bo ripped her gaze away from Lauren's gorgeous hands to watch her lips as she spoke. Lauren leaned forward, drawing Bo's attention back where she wanted it, revealing a hint of cleavage and a red satin bra. Bo licked her lips. "What you're feeling now is called the 'excitement stage'. I'm using visual cues to stimulate your mind and body." She ran a hand up her chest to her neck, and into her hair. With her other hand, she undid another button.

Bo balled her hands into fists, to keep from running them all over the Doctor. She felt her chest heaving up and down with the effort.

"Right now your pulse is getting quicker. So is your breathing. Your blood pressure is rising. And your blood vessels are dilating causing flushing of the skin…just…here…" Lauren crawled forward on the couch to touch Bo's cheek. She slid her fingertips down to Bo's neck, "and here", she slid them down further, "and here." She rested them on Bo's chest, just above the zipper of Bo's vest. She felt Bo's lungs rise and fall, and bit her lip to keep under control.

Lauren leaned forward, and rested her forehead on Bo's. Bo felt Lauren's warm breath on her cheek as she spoke. "But the most noticeable, the most prominent sensation you're experiencing, is the warmth and moisture that are building – right…" she slid her hand down Bo's vest, "about…" feather light touches over Bo's exposed abs and belly button, "here." Her fingers came to rest at Bo's jeans, and she expertly worked the button loose.

"Ohmigod." Bo exhaled, nearly going into convulsions at the sensations sweeping through her, and the responsive heat emanating from Lauren.

"That's the sensation that lets you know you're ready." Lauren glided her cheek across Bo's to whisper in her ear. "Tell me Bo, are you ready?" Lauren inched Bo's zipper down.

"Yes, yes, oh God yes." Bo whispered back.

"Then promise me you'll stay away from the Santiago Mansion. You won't go after the stone."

Bo's eyes shot open, and anger flared in her chest. She grabbed Lauren's hands and pulled her forward, lacing their fingers together behind Bo's back and touching chest to chest, nose to nose, lips only centimeters away from each other. "No," she growled. She rubbed her hands roughly along Lauren's, sending a flood of want and desire spilling into the Doctor, filling her up. Lauren took a deep breath and groaned.

"Are you ready?" Bo turned the tables on the Lauren.

"Yes." She closed her eyes and nodded. "Hell yes."

"Then stay out of my way. The stone is mine." Bo sent another pulse into Lauren, and the blonde arched her back into the Succubus and whimpered. "Let me have this Doctor, and we'll both get what we want."

Somewhere in the corner of her mind, Lauren remembered that she was supposed to be in control. "No," she said, and ripped her hands away from Bo's, backing away slowly. Her craving didn't subside, even after she broke the contact. Bo's eyes glowed blue as she watched Lauren retreat.

They sat at opposite ends of the couch, as far away from each other as was possible, staring daggers. Lauren buttoned her shirt, Bo zipped her pants, Lauren ran a hand through her hair and Bo straightened her vest.

Lauren cleared her throat. "I guess this means we're at an impasse."

"I guess so." Bo frowned. "My offer still stands."

"So does mine." Lauren stood. She forced a smile. "You know where to find me, if you change your mind. I'll see you tomorrow."

"See you." Bo watched her walk away. When Lauren was gone, she slapped herself in the forehead. She grabbed her cell phone and called home. "Kenzi? Do me a favor. Dump all the ice we have into the bathtub, and fill it up with cold water. I'll be home in five minutes."